In J.P. Barnaby's second in the "Little Boy Lost" series Jamie is gone and Brian's secret has been revealed.
Brian McAllister's story continues as he tries to cope with the loss of his best friend and soul mate amid the alienation and ridicule of his classmates. When hatred turns to violence, Brian narrows his focus to two goals: surviving and finding Jamie. Along the way he meets Adam, whose life has also been shattered by violence and cruelty. Can Adam fill the hole in Brian's life left by Jamie's absence? The answer will change everything.
Review
Abandoned is the second volume of J.P. Barnaby's Little Boy Lost series from Dreamspinner Press. I have not read Enlightened, the first book in the series, but Abandoned does such a good job of recapping events from the first tale that I was able to read it without feeling lost at sea. I highly recommend, however, that you start with the first volume where the romance that is the heart of the series developed.
At the start of Abandoned, seventeen-year-old Brian McAllister is pining away for Jamie Mayfield, his teenaged lover whose homophobic parents have whisked him away to the other side of the country to keep the two boys apart. Brian plans to go after Jamie once he finishes his final year of high school. As the school year progresses, a number of harrowing events occur--from repeated bashings to a new, unexpected love interest--that threaten to derail Brian's plan.
Some of the characters come across as one-note here. (In all fairness, they may have been more fully developed in the first book.) Brian, however, is a sympathetic, determined kid who faces his fears and challenges head on. The book captures very well the strength and irrationality of love. This is a solid, three-star read.
