Author: Anthony Pond
Released: 02/13/24
Genre: Action & Adventure Adult Short Story
“The Guaymas Affair” is a short story that follows Ryan Jordan and his friend, Stephanie, on a sailing trip down to Guaymas, Mexico.
The friends have known each other since they were young. Both fresh out of college and available, Ryan hopes to get to know his beautiful friend as more than friends. Unfortunately, Stephanie doesn’t seem to be on the same page and may be holding on to some secrets.
Ryan turns his focus to their trip, sailing the catamaran and fishing for their dinner. Learning more about each other, their evening is disrupted by mysterious flashes of light in the sky. Convinced it’s not lightning, their investigation leads them to an unplanned turn for their trip and unexpected danger.
Trigger Warning: violence, reference to sexual assault, sexual situations
Overall, I enjoyed this short story. The author did well in including a good amount of characterization in a few pages. Both of the lead characters- Anthony and Stephanie were developed in personality, background and motivations. Their connection is described through Anthony’s POV and his desire to make their friendship more than. Even more developed was the picturesque setting. The sailing and snorkeling scenes were lovely with enough detail to put you in the water. Stephanie’s secret reveal of what happened with her past is done in a way that doesn’t reveal all the details but insinuates enough to keep you guessing in a good way. I appreciated how this reveal affected both of the main characters. When a mysterious couple enters the story, they keep the guessing going. While the first half of the story develops at a natural feeling pace, the second half feels much more frenetic and chaotic. It all leads to an ending that just felt somehow inevitable, but also a bit too abrupt.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review. I reviewed this story via audiobook format. The narrator was wonderful- easy to understand, clear and great pacing!
OVERALL REVIEW:
A short story with a vivid and beautiful setting, a bit of mystery, but an abrupt ending.
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