Review: Pinky Swear by Lynn Lorenz

Title:  Pinky Swear
Author:  Lynn Lorenz
Author’s website: http://www.lynnlorenz.com/
Publisher: Amber Quill Press
Release Date: April 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60272-673-4
Length:  Novella
Format: Electronic
Genre: Romance GLBT
Source: A
Sensuality Level: 3
Rating: 4.25

Reviewed by: BD Whitney

Lane and Matt grew up together in New Orleans the closest of friends, sharing a clubhouse, adventures, and secrets and swearing to be friends forever. Although their friendship morphed into love as they grew into adulthood, fear of ruining their relationship kept them from admitting their feelings to each other. But however solemnly the two swore to be friends forever, that friendship could not withstand the night of drunken passion that broke Lane’s heart and sent Matt running as far away from New Orleans as possible.

Now years later, Matt has been dispatched to New Orleans by his newspaper to cover the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. And even though he hasn’t seen Lane since that night, his first thought goes to his former friend, who is trapped by floodwaters in the French Quarter. Supplies and water are running low within the city, and Matt knows that he must find Lane if only to satisfy himself of the man’s safety. He knows there is no guarantee that Lane will forgive him for running away five years ago, but he is willing to take the risk if there is any chance that they can salvage even a portion of their friendship.

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In her novella Pinky Swear, Lynn Lorenz offers her readers a story of love and friendship and second chances. This is a quick read with strong and well-developed characters and a sweet romance. Along with that, it gives us a glimpse of New Orleans in the days surrounding Hurricane Katrina.

Although the story is short, Ms. Lorenz still gives us a well-rounded depiction of all the characters in Pinky Swear. I enjoyed Matt and Lane, although I spent quite a bit of time wanting to smack a little sense into the two of them.  We meet them first as mischievous children, and we watch their relationship develop as they grow to rely on each other for emotional support as well as friendship and then break each other’s hearts. After they spend years apart, we wonder if the friendship between these two can override their feelings of guilt and anger and abandonment.

Although he only appears in the second half of the novella, Lane’s elderly friend Sebastian is a show-stealer. He is iron-willed and perceptive and exudes all the drama and charm of the French Quarter, but he also has a fragility that makes us worry about him and his ability to weather the heat and isolation after the storm.

The element of this story that truly captured me was the setting. Ms. Lorenz’s depiction of the city of New Orleans both as she weathers a beating from Hurricane Katrina and during the aftermath is outstanding. This story brings the storm to life for the reader and makes it personal. The hurricane is no longer simply a news story or something that happened to someone else; as we read Pinky Swear, we experience it all first-hand from both Lane’s and Matt’s perspectives. Lane lives the storm from within the city while Matt is hit with the devastation from the outside.

Ms. Lorenz is a pro at grabbing the emotions of her readers, and Pinky Swear is no exception to this rule. Not only do we feel the connection between the two young heroes as they grow up together and struggle with their feelings for each other, but we are also struck by the emotional impact of the storm. Along with the romance, this is also a story of the resilience and the sheer tenacity of many of the city’s residents as they deal with the National Guard presence, the survivors crowded into the Superdome, the looting, and the lack of supplies during this difficult time.

Pinky Swear seems to be a companion piece to Ms. Lorenz’s earlier novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Although these two stories and their characters are completely different, both are tributes to a beautiful old city and to the people who stick by her “in sickness and in health.” And that kind of dedication is what love is all about.