NOTE: This story was previously published as a two-volume serial under the titles of “Connection” and “Trust”. Minor updates have been made but the story is essentially unchanged. This is a re-release.—Scars run deep but run loves even deeper.—After a lifetime of being told he’s worthless, Evan Harris is forced out of the closet and the only home he’s ever known. Jobless and homeless, he … and homeless, he makes a desperate call to a couple he barely knows. They give him a place to stay at their place in Atlanta while he gets back on his feet. But he’s too shy to explore the big city and go after what he wants: a relationship.
Physically and emotionally scarred from a devastating car accident, Jeremy Lewis struggles to reconcile the brash, outgoing man he used to be with the social recluse he’s become. He’s resigned himself to being alone, but an encounter with an ex-boyfriend shakes up his dull existence and brings Evan into his life.
Loneliness draws Evan and Jeremy to each other, but a strong mutual attraction isn’t enough. At thirty-six, Jeremy is convinced a relationship would be holding twenty-one-year-old Evan back.
Evan must be strong enough to fight for what he wants and Jeremy must let someone close enough to see his scars. Otherwise, they’ll miss out on the love of a lifetime.
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We first met Evan in ‘Partners’ when he worked in the funeral home and Russ (from the Equals Series) befriended him. Evan is gay and has been hiding the fact from his family and the town he lives in. When his secret is revealed his father kicks him out of his home and in his desperation he turns to Russ who doesn’t hesitate but immediately offers him a place to stay in the apartment he shares with Stephen.
Jeremy is Stephen’s ex and has been trying to rebuild his life after a devastating car crash left him alone, scarred and with permanent injuries. In the process he has become a bit of a recluse. He goes out to work but doesn’t have a social life and doesn’t believe he’ll ever be in a relationship again now he’s as damaged as deems himself to be.
Neither man has a whole lot of confidence. Both view the world and their place in it with suspicion. Evan would like to hope but doesn’t believe his dreams could ever come true while Jeremy has all but given up on hope and just tries to make it through his days without giving into despair.
When the two men meet, they engage in what can best be described as a slow and tenuous dance. The attraction is strong on both sides but neither man believes that the other could possibly feel the same. Throw in Jeremy’s hang-ups about his scars and limitations and a coming together appears very unlikely, until they do connect (pun intended). But, sometimes love alone isn’t enough and Jeremy and Evan are learning that the hard way.
Jeremy and Evan charmed me as often as they infuriated me. For every time I wanted to squeeze them in a tight hug and comfort them I had a moment when it was all I could do to not shout at my Kindle that they should just talk to each other, stop introspecting and start believing. But of course, that is what this story is all about; Jeremy and Evan’s journey to the moment where they are able to believe in themselves and in each other—the moment when they can both trust that they are good enough and that together they’re perfectly imperfect. And seeing Evan find inner strength and confidence was as beautiful as watching Jeremy as he overcame his insecurities and stopped looking at himself as only half the man he used to be.
Evan and Jeremy’s journey in this book was heartbreaking and delightful, sad and funny, frustrating and uplifting. Most of all, their journey was beautiful and memorable and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read, Evan and Jeremys story is both heart breaking and heart warming with tears and happiness and great friends and found family.
One exceptional skill Brigham Vaughn has with her writing is the ability to bring realness and authenticity to both characters and situations. Both Evan and Jeremy are flawed characters in a tenuous and fragile arrangement and Brigham takes us through the journey they travel together – both the sweet and the ugly. The pace of the story is perfect for us to digest the trauma and difficulties each character faces but also allows for the reader to savour the sweet and deliciously sexy components of the story.
If you’re looking for a book which shows the black, white and the grey sides of a relationship – you’ll really enjoy this one. but make sure you’ve read the others in the series first – they also have the same kind of rawness (although this one has it to a greater extent).
Highly enjoyable and a great book to get deeply involved in both the characters and storyline. Highly recommended.