REVIEW - Novella - Balancing The Weave- M.W. Lee

Title: Balancing The Weave
Author: M.W. Lee
Genre: Gay Fiction, Gay Romance, LGBTQ Fiction
Publisher: JMS Books
Release Date: Feb 18, 223
Format: Kindle
Pages: 132
Source: Amazon

For Mark, Pride weekend in Yamasee County, South Carolina, means spending the day with friends, flirting with the out-of-town men, finding a romance, drinking too much, and enjoying all of Pride. However, the Fates have arrived to address a hole which appeared in the tapestry representing Mark, his past, and his present, which will direct him to the future.

Throughout the day, the Fates confront Mark with memories both pleasant and painful about his former lover Sammy. Parcae uses her goddess tools to manipulate Mark’s thoughts so he remembers fun dates, fights, issues which make him uncomfortable, and accusations of being needy. Was it Sammy’s neediness that caused Mark to end the relationship? Or was Mark the needy companion? When Sammy once said Mark ain’t needy, what did he mean?

Can the goddesses help Mark work through these memories so his self-evaluation can lead to better relationships in the future?

Review by Xanthe

Member of The Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team

This is my first book by M.W. Lee, and I found it to be a different and interesting story. It’s told by the storyteller, Anansi, as we follow the Triumvirate Sisters – Clotho, Moirae and Parcae – as they look to fix an issue with Mark’s tapestry, which shows his life story.

Mark has recently broken up with his boyfriend, Sammy, but doesn’t necessarily look back on moments as they happened, more tilting them so he looks more favourable. The sisters are displeased with him and look to push him towards new thoughts and ideas of what it takes to be a good partner and maybe better himself for the next man in his life.

It’s quite an introspective story as we get to see memories of Mark and Sammy together, some good and some bad, and then how the three sisters work to help him. What possible ways he could change, the impact of friends on his life and how things may have gone wrong in the first place. I really enjoyed the relationship between the three sisters. It’s quite entertaining as Clotho can exist in all possible futures, Parcae is bonded to the past, and Moiraeremains in the present, moving freely between their times and coming back to each other as wanted or needed. They work in an extremely well-balanced way, each knowing what the other needs but also not so lacking in awareness to not acknowledge their own mistakes.

I think it’s an interesting read to look back on how a person or a relationship can change over time, for the good or bad. It shows the importance of being aware of yourself within a relationship and finding a balance between all aspects of your life.

I’d definitely recommend this as a short read as long as you don’t go into it expecting a romance/breakup story. I think Mark is a secondary character after the three sisters and it fits well in the way the story is told.