Lonn Braender

Meant To Be

What might be considered a romance novel, Meant To Be is more about the heartbreak of a long-term marriage that slowly melts away because of alcoholism and a fear of growing old. It’s also about a son coming to terms with a father who he thought had deserted him. It’s about a young man coming of age and understanding the difference between sex, passion, and love. It’s about realizing that people are fallible but can still be compassionate. And it just might be about finding that one true love, with the help of an odd and maybe mystical phenomenon a father mentioned in passing — that’s Meant To Be.


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Victor, after coming to terms with his waning marriage, finds his true love by locking eyes and capturing the soul of Adam, a younger man by half. Locking eyes is something that has happened to Victor his entire life, it was how he met his husband, Greg. But he and Greg are still married so Victor turns down a request to make love with the younger man. He can’t break the vows he swore by, even if his husband had.


At the same time, Victor reunites with his son, Justin. Justin had grown up thinking his father had abandoned him as a boy. Slowly, and with the help of Victor’s passionate husband, the young man learns his dad had always been there, if sometimes from the shadows. And now when Justin needs it the most, the two men teach their son what it means to live and love.


Victor also teaches Justin, the product of prom night pressure, what locking eyes means, how it randomly happens, and who he has met because of it. Justin is skeptical but he gives it a try. Amazingly, he meets a good-looking man his age: strong and passionate. This man was the most intense and somewhat possessive person Justin had ever met and they both felt it. The relationship ended as fast as it started with Justin running for his life from the man who became crazed because Justin wouldn’t move in with him.


Fast forward six months, and it’s Justin’s turn to save his family. Justin drove his two brothers and sister 20 hours to spend Christmas with their homophobic mother. She was excited to see her kids, except Justin who she hardly spoke with even though it was Justin who brought his siblings to see their mother.  It was also Justin who brought Christmas presents for them each, including his mother. But the comments and sneers from his mother were too much for Justin. He desperately needed to leave, but as his father and Greg had done for him, it was his turn to step up for his family and stay. he wasn’t about to leave his younger brothers in an apartment with no food and certainly no love.


He drove his siblings home, and could not wait to be with his father again, spending time with his mother showed him that he had more family with his dad than he ever had with his mother. Unfortunately, when he reached home, he found heartbreak. His father, who he’d just come to love, was gravely ill. One short month later, and less than a year after reconnecting, Justin laid his father to rest. And to make it worse, his relationship with his father’s husband, who had treated him like his own, had crumbled apart because of his affair.


Among Victor’s effects was a desk calendar. It had come from his office and wasn’t worth much attention – except that there was only a single appointment listed. It must have been important because his father circled it many times and in different colors. The only information was the date, time, and place, but no reason. Justin decides to keep the date for his father and it’s there that he locks eyes with a stunning man, named Adam.

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This is a story of one man making up for years of lost parenting and trying to start his life over while coming to terms with the end of his marriage; another man’s struggle to reclaim his youth while battling an addiction; a son who finds a home, a family, and a purpose to his life in his thirties only to lose them just as fast. Meant To Be shows the heart and soul of everyday people working through some of the hardest parts in life — sometimes coming through unscathed, other times not. Ultimately, love, understanding, and family are all that matters.


The book is 115,000 words long and is ready for publication. It has been submitted to a few publishers and has recently been submitted to an agency. It has been edited, re-edited, spell-checked, grammar checked, and beta-read. The genre is romance, the characters are mostly gay and the rating would probably be “R”, though there is nothing graphic. This book would be enjoyed by men and women who enjoy romance fiction with a fateful twist. If you would like to read an excerpt, click the button. For the full text, contact me via the contact page link below.

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Working cover ideas – pick your 2 favorites

#1. Cafe Looking

#2. Cafe Man #2

#3. Horizon Sunset

#4. Subway Entrance

#5. Blurred Image

#6. Looking Back

#7. Looking Back 2

#8. Johnny

#9. City Street

#10. Bridge Walker

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Meant To Be Cover Ideas

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