Sandra @ My Fiction Nook

I've been waiting for this book since reading No Such Thing, because Ezra. Ezra, the sort of twink whose eyes always match his outfits, who's the Pot O'Gold go-to hook-up, who doesn't do relationships, who seems to be content to be single and sexing it up.

Who has a side to him that doesn't get revealed very often, the side that thinks he's unlovable, and doesn't deserve/won't ever find anyone to love him. He drifts through life, living off his parents' guilt money, without any goals beyond the next cheap thrill. He keeps his wounds hidden, because being open means being hurt. 

So, yeah - Ezra. 

But also Donner, who sneaks up on you quietly, who loves freely and openly, and whose heart is big enough to encapsulate Ezra and give him peace. With tragedy in his past, Donner is close to his remaining family, loyal and fiercely protective, and he sees something in Ezra that Ezra himself doesn't see. And Donner is afraid to love again, afraid that he will lose his second love much like he lost his first. 

A.M. Arthur's sophomore novel in this series is far better than the first, with deft writing, that addresses serious topics but never becomes too bleak or depressing. Organic dialogue is followed by hot sexy times, though I applaud the author for the slow burn of the relationship between Ezra and Donner - it was a smoldering fire from the start.

This is a hurt/comfort story as much as a finding yourself story, a novel about standing up for your beliefs and a novel about finding that which has eluded you for so long by opening the doors to your heart and jumping feet first into the abyss.

Very well done.

** I received a free ARC from the publisher. A positive review was not promised in return. **