New apartment, new job, new love – Ben and Donnie’s life in Atlanta is more than they ever dared to hope for. And when Zac, a baby in need of a home, comes to live with them, their family is complete.But caring for a little one is hard work, and Donnie’s fragile health soon suffers. And then certain criminal elements from Donnie’s past turn up again. Ben and Donnie are determined to preserve … preserve their little piece of heaven, but the destructive forces are hell-bent to pull their happiness to pieces.
Can the two men prevail, or will they lose their baby son, and everything they’ve fought for?
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These books are going to kill me.
Don’t get me wrong, I love them and they are wonderful but they’re far too well-written so they make me feel all the emotions! This is the second in the series, following Donnie and Ben who met and fell in love in A World Apart (if you haven’t read it, start there and come back to this one). Donnie continues to struggle with the fear and self esteem issues that result from his past, and in this book we get some flashbacks of what it was like to live with his brother Floyd and how he missed out on some good things as a result.
In Loving Again, we see Donnie and Ben in their new place in Atlanta, living together with Donnie now running the daycare – we see little of Ben’s new job except his shift working and new colleague Jake. I was disappointed not to see much of ex-wife Helen but I suppose it’s a lot to ask that she spend loads of time with her ex and his new boyfriend!
Donnie gets a new daycare client, baby Zac whose mum Arthur is trying to save. When circumstances change, Donnie and Ben take over care of Zac and you can feel them falling for the lil guy. But things are never that simple for these two and with some scares landing us back in the hospital again, and Floyd’s friends making a reappearance, Ben and Donnie and their friends have a lot of saving each other to do.
I cried. A lot. But also this was amazing.
Received as an ARC. The above is my honest review.
4.5 stars
Heat Level: 3+
This series is heartbreaking but I loved this one! It’ll stay with you!
Poor Donnie can’t catch a break! When his brother past catches up with him, tragedy strikes again and poor Donnie is left to recover! This story was better than the first one and I found this one to have more hope and heart than the first. Honestly, I found the first a bit depressing but as with the first book of the series, this is such a REAL story! It’s bold, confronting and emotional. Mel does not shy away from the reality of Donnie’s situation, disease and what this means for his life and relationship. This story shows the continued love growing between Donnie and Ben and the creation of their new family.
I loved baby Zac, he’s such a cutie and a great addition to the story even though his story is just as tragic as poor Donnie’s. The addition of Zac to Ben and Donnie’s family was emotional and alerted both characters to the reality of life and how quickly things can change. I look forward to seeing what happens next with Donnie and Ben and I truly hope they get their happily ever after and the peace, love, and life Donnie deserves!
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This is the next installment in the life of Donnie and Ben. This is another very difficult story, but I love the gritty realism of Donnie’s emotions regarding his past and his doubts about whether or not he deserves happiness. Ben is sometimes annoyed but always, always supportive of the man he adores. There are new glimpses into the life Donnie lived with his abusive brother, which ties into his current life with Ben. There are some absolutely heartbreaking moments, and my heart hurt for both men, but there is also enough love to change lives. I love Ben and Donnie as individual characters, and I adore them as a couple.
3.5 rounded up
This is a continuation of the story of Ben and Donnie. As with the first book, there is a lot of angst, but the story is sweet.
Donnie and Ben are adjusting to their new apartment and Ben’s new job pretty well. Donnie is still working at the daycare at the community center, but is still struggling with his insecurities. Arthur, the center’s director, and friend to both MCs, is still working to help the homeless and addicts find their way back to a better life. He brings a young addict with an HIV positive baby to the center to arrange for her AA meetings and daycare for Zac while she works at the job he has helped her find.
A bond forms immediately between Donnie and Zac, and when tragedy strikes, Ben is his normal understanding self, and has Donnie bring the baby home for the night. The bonds grow, and Donnie begins to feel the stirrings of hope.
Now, throughout this book are flashbacks of a part of Donnie’s life that that eventually lead to a better understanding of what is going on in his mind with regards to his insecurities.
Ben plays more of a supporting role in this book than the last. Although he is involved throughout the story, and especially during the action and climax, he kind of takes a back seat to Donnie and his role in the book. Donnie’s past comes back with dangerous consequences, but the MCs, although not together, both work to save the family they have built.
Overall, the story was very sweet and a nice afternoon read. I really hope that in the future Donnie begins to stop listening to ideas and harsh words from his past and starts seeing the man who needs him just as badly standing right in front of him.
Happy reading!
* I received an ARC of this book. *
Heartfelt struggles and soul healing experiences create a very touching story. Heartbreaking and yet shows the amazing ability of the human spirit to renew from terrible tragedy.
Ben and Donnie are making their life a happy place but the have some really intense struggles still impacting their lives.
i am looking forward to the next book to see how they find their forever.
Nothing is ever simple with these guys as we learned in the first book.
But when things are finally starting to fall into place with new jobs for them both and a new home. Things end up going pear shaped all over again.
How will they cope with a completed addition to their still new family.
This series go’s from strength to strength it’s not an easy lovey dovey read but if you want something real with some heart break this is definitely for you.
I can wait to see where these guys go next x
Life is looking up for Donnie and Ben. A new apartment for the couple, a new job for Ben and their new love blossoming with the changes. Especially when sad circumstances lead to an adorable baby boy, Zac, landing in their arms.
Raising a baby is hard and starts to take a toll. And it starts to seem that certain parts of their past doesn’t want to lay to rest. Ben and Donnie are going to have to fight hard to keep thier sweet little family together.
A New Life by Mel Gough is the second book in the Loving Again series. It continues the love story of Ben and Donnie from book one, A Wotld Apart. So many feels…. these guys need a happily ever after with that adorable baby! Sweet moments, action scenes, drama… and an adorable baby, this book was a great addition to their story. I cant wait to see what comes next in the series.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.