*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*
Twenty-five-year-old Tommy Costello has been going out on the road with his best friend Jim Reilly since they were kids. They've pulled cons together, picked up dates together, and have always had each other's back. They're as close as brothers, and Tommy's sure their bond will never be broken.
That is, until Maggie Downey shows up. She's an enigma: smart, bold, and charming. From the moment they meet, sparks fly. But there's a huge problem. She's arranged to be married to Jim.
Tommy tries to keep his feelings for Maggie in check, but it's not easy, especially when he's also hiding a dark secret for his best friend. Jim is gay, and that reality will not only make him an outcast among the Travelers, but could mean a life of misery for Maggie as well. Tommy does his best to protect both his friendship and his own heart, but it's soon clear that falling in love with his best friend's wife is the least dangerous thing happening in the Village.
The Waiting Game is a prequel to The Long Game, and the second book in J.L. Fynn’s American Gypsy series.
The Waiting Game is actually a prequel to the other two books is the series. Considering I haven't read those yet, it certainly isn't a problem. This tells the story about Jimmy Boy and Shay's parents. So for those who have read the previous books, you might already now how The Waiting Game will end.
Let me start off with saying I absolutely know nothing about gypsies except what I saw on TV and that wasn't always very flattering. Think my Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, Snatch and Chocolat. That is about it and then in Waiting Game I find out that the way they make money is to constantly pull cons. Also they have these very traditional views on men, women and marriage. This kind of made it hard for me to connect with the entire setting, since it is so far removed from my bed.
Besides all that, it is a love story. Definitely not what I am used to, but it is about love and family and what people are willing to go through to get it and to protect it. Apparently in the gypsy world arranged marriage are normal, pretty much no one marries out of love. That is how Jim and Maggie end up together. Which is a hard blow for Tommy, because marrying and starting a family is all he really wants, meanwhile Jim well doesn't even want a women let alone get married to one.
So immediately there is that bit of tension between these two friends. Not just that, Tommy and Maggie obviously have feelings for each other. Wanting to get it on with someone else's wife, putting it mildly, is very frowned upon in the Village. Somehow they work it out, kind of, but not really. It is extremely complicated!
The story takes place over several years, with one time even going "two years later" and no real details to what happened in that period of time. This also reflects on the time spend between Tommy and Maggie. There are a couple of moments and that's it, so it wasn't easy for me to see that connection between these two. This also made it difficult to understand why they made certain decisions and how it all ends.
Overall it was a very interesting story and I really liked the gypsy world, even if they aren't portrayed from their best side, at least it's more realistic that way. After reading The Waiting Game I was left with a lot of confusion and wondering if this was it. The story of Tommy and Maggie definitely didn't feel finished to me. So I think I will be reading the other novels, J.L. Fynn definitely got me curious.
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