Tainted by Love

This is a hard one to review without giving anything away. The writing was phenomenal and the story sucked me in from the first page. Hendrix is 100% the ultimate book boyfriend – for real. His love was pure and given unconditionally without judgement. God I loved him. Trinity’s story was beautiful and heartbreaking and Hendrix was surely sent from above – made especially for her. What was interesting to me is that when I read romance I tend to pay attention to how the hero is physically described – I honestly couldn’t even tell you what color his eyes or hair was – that’s how focused I was on his actions and him as a person rather than an object of desire.

The author does provide a warning in the blurb of “not your traditional HEA”…so if you can hang with that idea playing in the back of your mind and you are looking for a straight up ugly cry, Tainted by Love is the book for you. Kudos to the author for tackling a subject that is not often seen in the romance genre.

A love story where the author dared to take the reader on an unconventional emotional ride that explored the real beauty of compassionate love.
A romance story that dared to push the boundaries about how a romance should evolve.
All the other reviews give you details about what this story is about, so why bother repeating it.
The point is this, the writing in this book was flawless!!
The characters Trinity and Hendrix were beautifully developed and their love story captured the importance of hope and acceptance.
The message behind the story was powerful and thought provoking.

There are books that you read and love and there are book that you read and just know that the characters and words will stay with you for a long time. For me Tainted Love is one of those books.

I experienced some jaw dropping surprise, a little bit of protective need to smack someone silly, empathy and concern, and a gentle all consuming love that everyone should experience. As a reader who gets emotionally attached to the characters there were watery eyes a time or two, tissues are a recommendation.

When you take a smart whitty woman who has more than her share of let down by people who supposedly loved her. It is very hard to understand how she puts one foot in front of the other. But to most she is just a smart sexy firecracker. She was convinced her chances at love and HEA were beyond her reach.

Hendrix was a total woman’s man, love’em and leave’em. His sights were on building a business and being the man his father would be proud of. He was finally doing that by buying into Ignition Inc. He was certainly not prepared for Trinity and the way she would turn his life upside down.

Can Hendrix restore Trinity’s faith and hope for love and happiness?

I love that Gillian has pushed the envelope with the subject matter in the book. She does an outstanding job of sharing statistics and facts while keeping the focus on the story. Thank you for giving us Hendrix and Trinity.

I saved Tainted by Love for last of my Gillian Jones reads for one main reason. I was told to prepare myself for an ugly cry. It took me 3 months to muster up the courage to crack open this book. And I finished it in 4 hours. 4 glorious hours and 3 all out sob fest’s later, here I am. Mascara running down my face, my head aching from all the crying, and yet my heart is somehow light and optimistic. Only you, Gillian, could write a book that has this affect on me.

Story Line: Trinity may be my favorite leading lady of all time. She’s bossy, smart mouthed and has the biggest heart on the planet. She’s such a good person, that if I met her in person, I would probably make some smart remark to her like “overachiever” or maybe even call her a skank for no reason. Yeah, I’m petty like that. And then after being a total sarcastic jerk to her, I would learn that the blurb wasn’t lying – that her blood is literally tainted. So I would hug her and then go find a shovel to dig myself out of that hole I just dug. On page 1 we learn why this book has “tainted” in the title. Trinity is HIV positive. Let that sink in. Now take every negative thought you have running around in that head of yours, and throw it out the window. This book is too beautiful for your negativity. Open your mind so you can truly appreciate the perfection of this book.

Hendrix meets Trinity at the garage her buys into. She’s the bookkeeper for her uncle there. And once these two meet, they know there’s something there. But since Trinity holds this diagnosis, she is fearful to let any type of relationship bloom beyond the friendzone. Thankfully, Hendrix is a rockstar and probably the most patient man on the planet. Because of him, they move forward together. One step at a time. And it’s perfect. It’s rainbows and kittens. It’s good news and happy go lucky. Until it isn’t. And then it is again. Here’s your warning – you will adore Gillian Jones, then you will want to throw Fruit Loops at her, then you will want to give her a hug, and finally you will want to go to the grocery store and buy all the Fruit Loops so you can go home and sit at your dining room table eating said Fruit Loops while having yourself an ugly cry.

Interaction: Trinity goes around to schools giving speeches about HIV and educating the younger generation on the virus and what they can do to prevent it as well as how it truly can be transmitted. She’s patient, kind, understanding and and so darn sweet with everyone she meets at these events. Mix that with Hendrix and his overprotective, flirty, loving and so sweet it hurts personality and what you have is an epic romance. EPIC.

Laundry: If you’re like me, you have some reservations about this topic in a book where one of the main characters is HIV positive. I won’t lie to you, I’m judgmental. I truly didn’t know how this portion of the book would go. Would I still find it hot? Would I be able to get past the fact that she could potentially infect him each time? The answer is a hard YES. The laundry is still smoking hot. They are 100% safe each and every time. They leave no room for error or stupidity. So don’t you worry your pretty little head over this. There’s still PLENTY of laundry and it’s probably the best out of all of Gillian’s books. Seriously.

Depth: HIV is a really hard topic for me. I used to be best friends with a guy. In high school we were inseparable. We actually dated (and by dated I mean, held hands and went to movies together) for a hot second, until he told me he was bi, and my 16 year old brain said ew, that’s weird, and we broke up. But we remained friends. Then, at a bar 5 years after we graduated, he sent me a text from across the table. He told me to check my phone. I could feel his eyes on me as I read the words I never thought could ever be possible – “I’m positive”. It felt like our bubble of a world came crashing down at that moment. I watched my best friend go from doctor to doctor seeking the best treatment possible. That search ultimately took him to San Diego where he would eventually live with his partner he met in an online support group. Distance, time and maturity allowed us to grow apart. But not a day goes by that I don’t think about him and pray for his health.

HIV is an incredibly difficult topic to talk about – with anyone it seems. There’s a stigma to it and I truly feel like Gillian took every single one of those negative, derogatory thoughts and smashed them with a hammer. She addressed life with HIV with grace, compassion and education. Thank you, Gillian, for giving my friend and every single person living with HIV a story about hope above all else. Hope for a full life. And a life completely surrounded by love.

Tainted By Love was a compelling, angst story. It was well written and descriptive. The topic the author wrote about shows that she took the time to get the correct facts. The characters were honest, sweet, and their emotions were genuine. I loved Hendrix and Trinity. I was glued to my kindle from begining to end I couldn’t put it down. My emotions were all over the place I cried, laughed, got mad, smiled. Gillian Jones wrote a wonderful story and I loved it!!