Sands of Time by Jack Harper

So many true to life tragic events make up a book hangover story. Alex and Miles have been married over thirty years when health issues completely change their lives. I was so drawn to where the story took them; I used a lot of tissue and couldn't set it down. Reedkaye read Sands of Time as a backlist ARC read.

From the blurb:

Miles Langford and Alex Wilkins have been a unit for thirty-plus years, since Alex took his breath away in a French bistro on a January morning in 1989. With an incredible gift of time travel, Alex finds himself reliving the moments they first laid eyes on each other as a way to cope with his daily stressors. Miles, the love of his life and a Captain with the NYPD, has advanced prostate cancer.

Miles and Alex are assaulted with the realities of his disease which reach far beyond just physical symptoms. After losing their two best friends, adopted brothers by choice, both men are left with an even bigger void to fill their hearts. And Miles is tasked with retiring from the police force earlier than expected while Alex uses his gift to keep himself locked in the good old days. But the conditions of Alex’s abilities catch him by surprise, prohibiting him from altering another person’s past to impact them in the future.

The concept of mortality tugs at Miles, a bona fide hero, sending him on a final mission to protect his lifetime partner, a task which stands to threaten Alex’s grasp on their situation. But Alex decides to find consolation in his gift anyway, providing him a journey through their relationship before the hourglass runs out.

**Trigger warning: this book includes themes such as extreme grief, alcohol use, smoking, marijuana use, excessive language, and little violence during a scene featuring homophobic gang members. Please use discretion before reading if you feel you may be sensitive to these topics. Sands of Time is a high angst tragic romance centering heavily around the concept of being diagnosed and living with the disease personally, as well as through the vernacular of family and friends. There IS an incredibly happy, yet unconventional HEA to this title. **

Reedkaye's Review:

This is the first story I’ve read by this author. I knew from the blurb that it would be an intense story and tear jerker, but that didn’t even begin to cover it. 

Miles and Alex have been married over thirty years. They fit perfectly and all goes well until Miles is diagnosed with stage four cancer. 

Miles is a captain in the NYPD. Alex and Miles have been health wise, so the cancer diagnosis is a punch to both of them.

All this time Alex has kept the secret that he is a time travel empath. It is part of the rules of his gift that he can’t tell anyone or he loses his gift.

There are so many events and situations in this story that it made it impossible for me to set it down.  The intensity of the story kept me page turning.  

I have no idea how the author was able to do such a great job of describing the feelings of both sides to so many issues. For me, I know there was a lot of tissue involved.  

I probably am in the unpopular group because I am not sure that I liked the ending. I enjoyed the book a lot and will read more by this author, but I’m not sure there is really any sort of hea to this situation.

Rating: 5 Stars

Sands of Time is available to buy in ebook, paperback, and hardback formats.