It’s not always possible to meet in the middle.Registered nurse Evan Doyle doesn’t consider himself fit for more than occasional hookups. He has a good life, but the emotional aftermath of a horrific crime makes him feel too damaged to date. So when his sister’s hot bestie, Malcolm Umbertini, comes on to him, he turns him down flat. Mal is Relationship Material: the kind who thinks in the long … thinks in the long term. What would Evan do with a man like that?
As a prosecuting attorney, Mal’s learned how to read people, and he knows there’s more to Evan than meets the eye. Mal has faced his own hardships since his family kicked him out as a teen, and he respects Evan’s courage and emotional resilience. More than that, he wants Evan—in his bed and in his life. But can he weather another rejection?
Both wary, they agree to a no-strings fling. Mal knows that Evan wants things to stay casual, but he’s falling in love a little more with each encounter. With health, happiness, and bruised hearts on the line, Mal and Evan must risk everything for love.
Word count: 62,000; page count: 215
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Jenya Keefe’s Relationship Material is one of the finest books I’ve read this year. Poignant and heartfelt, Ms. Keefe gets right to the core of these characters and strips them bare. These are two intense men, and even though I didn’t have anything in common with either of them I had no trouble relating to both of them. It is a testament to the skill of Jenya Keefe’s beautiful writing that I got so wrapped up in this marvelous story.
Attracted to each other right off the bat, it’s fun to watch Mal and Evan flirt and chase and eventually give in. While they connect well physically, Evan has no intention of opening himself up, and Mal has no intention of letting Evan get away with that. It’s fascinating to watch these two characters interact, and to see the impact their relationship has on both of them throughout the course of the story.
As their romance unfolds and more information comes to light, Relationship Material just sucked me in. Ms. Keefe weaves a stunning tale, and combined with her unique and engaging writing style this new author is definitely one to watch!
a copy of Relationship Material was provided by NetGalley for the purpose of my review
First things first, this book is more angst-driven and intense than the blurb suggested and, as it stands at the time I am writing this review, the blurb is lacking a LOT of content warnings. If you do have triggers that include suicide, anxiety attacks, rape, or child prostitution, I urge you to take care of yourself and tread carefully.
I’m often drawn to hurt-comfort romances because there’s so much potential for a strong emotional connection. Yes, you may see characters at their most vulnerable, but good stories also let you see the characters at their strongest. When it comes to the strong emotions, difficult experiences, and hard truths plus the sweet victories, Relationship Material delivered. And yet, something was missing. I felt for the horrendous things Evan endured, was saddened by the harsh experiences Malcolm had as a young adult, and celebrated when things went well for the two of them. However, I was never tethered to their story. I didn’t feel truly invested in their relationship, nor did I feel that magic growing between them. My disconnect was especially clear in that, as difficult as some of the subjects covered in Relationship Material were, I never felt the raw, emotional response I would expect from this style of hurt-comfort romance.
That said, I appreciated the author’s honest portrayal of how trauma shapes a person’s responses, particularly regarding Evan’s comfort with sex and physical intimacy. Relationship Material doesn’t rest on the “love solves everything” platform. Instead, readers get to see characters work through their triggers, responses, and issues in order to create a healthy base for their relationship. I do wish the same care was extended to readers who may go into Relationship Material expecting a bit more lightness, rather than the angst-driven story that reflects on the impact trauma has on individuals and their future relationships.
*eARC received via Netgalley*
A story with a heavy dose of horrific traumas, the aftermath, anxieties, other prominent mental health disorders. Relationship woes, insta-all shazam’s, humor, and finding middle ground amongst the chaos. A surprising, dark twist, not what I had anticipated from Alex/Evan, Mal, and Caroline’s tale! Once I began reading, there was no chance I was putting the Kindle down!
** Trigger Warning** There are MANY sensitive subjects touched on in length **
A beautifully, heart-wrenching broken trio. Watching Evan and Mal find one another and following along as they started the emotional process of piecing each other puzzle back together. Oh, that is one helluva bumpy, hotter than hades, frustrating, almost had me in tears sweet ride!
I loved this book, I disliked this book then I loved it some more! Fantastic characters, raw, honest emotions on display, a free-flowing, heart chaser of a story that I swear just felt like it needed to be told. * gah *
If you haven’t figured it out by now- I think this M/M romance is a fantabulous read!
Gosh, *a very content sigh* What a beautiful story this was.
I couldn’t anticipate the fact that behind that title and cover a shining gem was hidden. Even the blurb didn’t do right to the beauty of this story, (sorry, I know blurbs are nightmares 🙁 )
For me, it was one emotional rollercoaster. An unbelievable good written story about slowly getting attached, emotional and physical, to life again, to let people in, to trust.
Evan can’t believe his eyes when his sister Caroline stands before him. It was sixteen years ago since he disappeared, unwillingly.
Very carefully he let her into his life. When he meets Car her best Mal, he recognizes the type of man. ‘Relationship Material’ so not what Evan can handle, ever!
So far it seems a nice regular story. But don’t be fooled, it is from a whole different level.
Evan has a past so hard when you get to know this, you will be flabbergasted. His present condition isn’t healthy at all and you’ll understand!
Mal his past isn’t nice either. He also has bad experiences with boyfriends. And that’s an understatement.
Evan is not very approachable and Mal has to pull out all the stops.
And oh boy there are some bittersweet encounters.
What a story. With Mal as a counterbalance for all the overwhelming events in this story, the whole picture grew more and more into the gem it was.
The description of little gestures, the attention to the little but oh so important body language made it all very intense.
The hurt, the constantly distancing from good things was almost unbearable.
Both Evan and Mal are engaging personalities. Very lovable, vulnerable and all well developed.
Dulcie is Evan’s therapy dog and omg what a lovely well deserved part did she got in this story.
The whole story was a solid, consistently written, very appealing journey.
I was tethered to my sofa and couldn’t put this story down. It was all so very impressive. All those feelings! So I read and read until I finished it.
Well. If you want a story with complex characters, a story that’s not dark, but definitely has some disturbing flashbacks. Then you’ll love this story. The angst in m/m romance normally comes from one or both of the main characters not being ‘out of the closet’, this is not the case for Malcolm or Evan. Malcolm has had past issues with his family and is looking for love, Evan too has had past family issues, but love is definitely not on his list of priorities. In fact Evan doesn’t trust anyone, and is definitely not looking for a relationship. Evan has so many issues, his past is not pretty, he’s had therapy, and no matter what he knows to be right in his head, he still doubts himself. Great characters (including an awesome therapy dog), written perfectly in dual POV. Not an easy love story, and definitely not a moonlight and roses romance. It touches on some pretty nasty subject matter. Overall I thought it was a great read, it had me invested in the characters and addicted to the story. I look forward to reading more of Jenya Keene’s work in the future. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.