Let There Be Light

Let There Be Light by A.M. Johnson is a sweet, coming of age, new adult, M/M romance told in first person dual POV. I’ll begin by stating that I don’t read very much M/M romance and I consider myself very lucky to have won a copy of this book because I’m not sure that I would have ended up reading it otherwise. That would have really been a shame because I would have missed out on a beautifully touching story.

The characters were all fantastic – Royal and Camden were so loveable and relatable and this was true for the secondary characters of Indie and Kai as well. The writing was impeccable. It was absolutely stunning with poetic and lyrical moments.

A.M. Johnson has created a rich tapestry of breathtaking emotion. I felt it all and loved every minute. Spellbound, I read this from start to finish in one sitting. This is the first book I’ve read by the author and it definitely will not be the last. I’m looking forward to Indie and Kai’s story.

*** I voluntarily read and reviewed a free copy. ***

Lovely story

This is my first book by A.M. Johnson and I am blown away! The beauty of her words, the relationship of two beautiful unsure young men, this book was EVERYTHING!

I was concerned that there would be more anger, but this entire book was built on love, and I’m so blessed to have been able to enjoy it.

I couldn’t put this one down. I read it from start to finish in one sitting. Omg. Royal and Camden gave me all the feels. Seriously. They’re incredible together! And Kai. Everyone needs a friend like Kai. I want more. I fell in love with the boys in this book as they fell in love with each other. Such a beautiful and emotional story.

I’m not usually a reader of M/M romances but once I started on Let There Be Light by AM Johnson I just couldn’t put it down. Royal and Camden’s story was so beutifully written I’ve simply forgotten my usually heedful approach and dove right in at the deep end. What I read was a romance so heartfelt and young and beautiful.
Royal and Camden, they both had special personalities and they were very easy to love. I liked Royal’s connection with her sister and his parents. I liked how open-hearted he was and the way he let himself experience his own feelings without being paralized by social norms or what other people think. On the other end of the spectrum was Camden with his extremely closed off existence. I loved his journey to accept love too. He had a lot to overcome but could always cound on Royal to be his silent but persisting support.
Though not being an expert of this genre I can only say I enjoyed this book immensely and can’t wait for Indigo’s story.

4.5 s

A.M. Johnson is a unique voice in the literary world. The stories this author writes are always insightful and lend a new perspective to some of the most complex, relevant, and controversial life issues. There is no fear or hesitation, only a search for understanding and acceptance within the words on the pages of an A.M. Johnson work.

Let There Be Light is pure romance. It is a book where love abounds. A place where those in need of a place of safety and solace seek and find it in a reciprocal soul. It is a sweet tale of young, tender love blooming and growing into a gorgeous, viable entity.

Love is ubiquitous, timeless, and abundant in this mesmerizing, life-altering book. Hope and inspiration are among its major themes. Let There be Light opens the mind and heart to the very best and unstoppable facets of love’s legacy.

Let There Be Light is the first book in A.M. Johnson’s Twin Hearts Duet. The 2019 IAN Winner for Best LGBTQ Fiction, it has definitely secured a spot in my library for one of the best books I’ve read this year. From the inspired cover artwork by Murphy Rae and Noah Hood, to the expressive, even picturesque, language used by the author, this book pulls you in and helps you see the true beauty of discovery and love. More than a simple coming of age tale, the story of Royal and Camden is a narrative about acceptance, support, courage, and the depth of the human heart. It’s about taking chances and breaking down walls. It’s about deciding if the risk is worth the reward; if the effort is worth the outcome. It’s a story of love and unlikely friendships, set against a backdrop of contrasts and conformity. I love the way the story develops, being told from both Camden’s and Royal’s perspectives, and how the author varies the language and tone of each character to further build the reader’s understanding of each character’s depth and personality. The supporting characters are well defined and developed as well, and serve relevant purposes to move the story along, giving even more insight into who Camden & Royal are as individuals. And ultimately who they could be together. While stories of coming out become more commonplace, this one will always stand out to me because of the flow and beauty of the language itself. A.M. Johnson put music and water on a page together, complete with compelling currents and melodic strains, and created a work of art for the mind, soul, and heart.

Let There Be Light
Twin Hearts Duet, Book 1
By: A.M. Johnson
Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Aaron Shedlock

I love getting to take a look at the O’Connell twins all grown up! This first book in the Twin Hearts series features Royal as he enters college. A champion swimmer, he could have gone anywhere but chose to be near his sister Indie and there he met his heart. Only it’s not who anyone expected. Camden is a talented piano player whose whole life revolved around being the best and appearances. When he told his parents of his desires, he was quickly tamped down. But now apart from his parents, he finds himself drawn to Royal. Can these two find their happiness? I enjoyed this book of coming of age, coming out and acceptance of who you are. It’s a slow burn, sweet and tender with a few bumps in the road. I enjoyed getting back to see the O’Connell clan with Declan, Paige and a cameo by Liam! Plus that college life always brings a nostalgic feel.

Teddy Hamilton and Aaron Shedlock bring it all to life with their narration. Hamilton is the perfect Royal. He has that confident feel, and lets us know he is comfortable in his skin. Camden is less self assured, and Aaron Shedlock picks this up with his performance. We can feel Camden’s uncertainty and the change in him with the inflections Shedlock uses. This is an incredible narration team.

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Audible Review
Overall 5 out of 5 stars
Performance 5 out of 5 stars
Story 5 out of 5 stars

A new favorite to add to my collection!
Let There Be Light is the newest addition to my favorites shelf! I loved Royal and Camden’s story so much. I loved the slow build, the discovery of each other, the honesty in their relationship. This was such a lovely, heartwrenching yet heartwarming, coming of age story.
The narration was out of this world- I could listen to Teddy and Aaron all day, every day. Preferably together. They were both so wonderful, but there was just something about Aaron’s portrayal of Camden that just blew me away. He completely nailed Camden’s vulnerability and had me in tears multiple times. I even had to turn the audiobook off at one point as I was driving to work, otherwise I would have been a sobbing, blubbering mess on the side of the road. I’ve really enjoyed the other books I’ve listened to that Aaron’s narrated, but this one’s my new favorite. Teddy was terrific as Royal- the love he had for his sister and family really shone through. I was just totally enamored with these two, they really were the perfect Royal and Camden.

This was the best MM romance I’ve ever read and I’m definitely going to read it again soon. I can’t believe that this was my first read by this author. Now on to the hard part, writing my review. There’s no way I can do this book justice but I’ll try my best.

You know when a book is so captivating and all-consuming that it sucks you right into the story and lets you forget your surroundings? This was what happened here. That’s also why writing this review is so hard because this story made me feel so much and it’s impossible to express those emotions. I felt like being on cloud no. 9.

This story was absolutely beautiful and perfect. It had everything I was looking for in a book and carried so much hope and love, both very powerful emotions. It was a hard battle they had to fight, against the unknown and unacceptability, but in the end the good won.

The characters couldn’t have been more perfect. One being an optimistic and good-natured guy with a big heart. Royal was an athlete and very good looking, which just added to his charming personality. Camden on the other hand was a quiet and socially awkward pianist who was met with disapproval from his family because of his feelings. He had so much love to give but was insecure, and made silent by his parents at a young age. I have always loved listening to piano music, and now it always makes me think of these two characters.

I really hope we get our fill of these guys in Indie’s story and/or hopefully a novella at some point about their future because their story was not over with this book and I want to have more. I need more!

The Story:
Camden was a loner. He didn’t like mingling with people or going out, he rather played music in his room alone. But this changed when he met Royal and found himself in an emotional turmoil. His world was suddenly upside down and he had to find his footing again with those feelings he didn’t know how to box up again. Though he didn’t want to put them away, he wanted to unfold and revel in them. He wanted to create bigger waves with Royal but does he dare hope that he felt the same?!

Thoughts:
I loved how the story started, the great introduction to the characters with exactly the right amount of information to get me hooked without being too much. There was no rush but a great pace for the characters to tell us their story in an unobtrusive way. I loved that we got to know the individual characters first before they met and before any emotions could manipulate my opinion of them. Can you tell how much I loved this book already from the first chapters alone? Imagine the rest of it! =P

I loved how different yet similar these characters were. Both were striving to be the best in what they did and had very high ambitions. While their feelings for each other were new to Royal, Camden had felt attraction toward guys before but never acted out on them after how his parents reacted to his disclosure. Camden and Royal brought out the best in each other and gave one another so much. I loved how Camden blossomed when he was close to Royal and how his thick armor slowly started to crumble due to Royal’s warm spirit.

They unraveled one another and made each another feel alive, like taking their first deep breaths in life. It was amazing. I was moved by how they slowly connected in a way that run way deeper than most people’s love did.

I was enamored by this magical story. I had goosebumps on my arms and even tears in my eyes. Did I already mention how much I loved these adorable characters and how they completed each other perfectly? It was like magic how I was engulfed by their charm and love, how it weaved through my body until it filled me up to the fullest. It started as a warm and lovely feeling which then began to burn hotter than searing flames.

I wish I could express better how this book made me feel. I wish I had a way with words or was otherwise talented enough to explain in a way like Camden created music, how I was moved by this story.

All the insecurities, worries, guardedness and secrets weighed heavily on the characters. It was so sad how these two people felt something new and good for the first time but were scared to live it out and experience it because of society’s standards and what others might think of them. It’s sad that they couldn’t explore their feelings in a naturally way like a boy and girl could and would have done so easily just because of people’s lack of acceptance. It made me sick and angry how ugly and awful some ignorant people were, those unaccepting and narrow-minded individuals.
These boys carried heavy weights with them but when they were lifted, I felt as if they fell off my shoulders too. It was so freeing, it brought tears to my eyes.

I got butterflies in my belly just from reading how they felt when they saw one another and smiled at each another. Aawwww! It really was magical! I know I sound crazy when I say this but this book made me wish I was a guy. That’s how overwhelming my love was for this story!

I can’t wait to read Kai’s story because him and Indie were intriguing and very loveable characters.
I loved how good of a friend Kai was to Royal and the bond between him and his sister.

First love, first boyfriend, all those crazy feeling, their attraction was such a turn on. I swear. I can’t stop raving about this book.