Tragedy brought us together, but something stronger made me want to stay.”
Julian was the boy next door. My brother’s best friend, he fit with my family in ways I never could. While he and Rhett went on to play house, I left the only life I knew, desperate for a fresh start.
Until everything changed.
Heartache came along, and the aftermath of my brother’s death was here to stay. I was now face … to stay. I was now face to face with Julian more than I ever wanted to be.
Being around him brought up all my insecurities, forced me to deal with hard truths, and conjured up feelings I had no business entertaining. He wasn’t the man I thought I knew. He was complex and layered, and inherently beautiful in all the ways I’d never noticed.
Not on another person.
Not on another man.
Not until him.
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Such a beautiful, yet heartbreaking story about two people who come together and form a bond because of one loss. Both are broken. Both are suffering. Together they heal. Together they grow. This is well written and pulls at your heart strings. Yes this is M/M, and while there are a few sex scenes, this is about the emotions of the relationship, so even if you are not a big fan of M/M, I think you can really enjoy this love story. It does have a more subdued vibe going for it. There are many sweet moments, and some happier moments, but the laughs are limited. One half of the couple, is a straight man. I love that while for the first time in his life he is drawn to another man, and he doesn’t shy away from his feelings. He isn’t embarrassed about it. He isn’t even insecure about it. (About the relationship itself and the other person’s feelings, yes, but about his feelings, no.) This book has lots of feels. You’ll probably cry for the characters and all the internal pain they have. It was hard to put down. It alternates between POVs.
One of my favorite Marley Valentine’s books to date. She writes raw, emotional love stories like no other.
I’ve had several friends recommend this gorgeous story and I could kick myself for not picking it up sooner.
What a beautifully written, thoughtful and mesmerizing story. My heart ached, it broke, and slowly repaired itself.
I finally finished it early this morning and all I can say is “Wow.”
This is hands down Ms. Valentine’s best work to date.
Deacon and Julian’s story will warm your heart!
Deacon is suffering. His brother Rhett is dead, his family is terrible and he is all alone. Julian was Rhett’s best friend, caregiver, lover and now he is all alone.
On the one year anniversary of Rhett’s death can two men find a way to heal one another? Can they put the past behind them and look too the future?
This story is filled with the feels. I wanted to just wrap both Deacon and Julian in a great big hug. They have both suffered so much and they both deserve happiness but neither thinks they are worthy or deserving of happiness and love.
This story will make you feel the guilt, hope, sadness, and happiness these two experience during the story, Do I recommend? Yes, I wish there was more! I would love to know more about Julian and Deacon!
4.5 stars
Oh. My. Days. What a book. What a story. What a cover. What a couple. I just don’t have the words to do it justice, any of it. So, I’m just going to try and put into words how I felt.
It’s rare that I’ll buy a book based solely on the cover, but as soon as I saw this cover, I knew I had to have it. It screams masculinity and vulnerability and love, and I needed it in my life.
I don’t think I have been so moved and so captivated by an MM story since listening to Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. This book takes you on a wild, angst-filled ride of epic proportions. I was not ready for the level of emotion. These characters are suffering so much. I just wanted to wrap them in my arms and tell them everything would get better. I loved that this story focused on the journey they were going through, both were at such different stages of their life, yet drawn together by a unifying force. Their grief was so heartbreaking and watching each of them struggle through and grow, coming out the other side, was simply beautiful. The chemistry between them was off the charts and the way Marley incorporated the push and pull of emotions and how they interacted in those moments was truly wonderful. Add in the insecurities and family dynamics and it was pure perfection.
Overall, it’s a story of following your heart and accepting what you can and can’t change. Doing what makes you happy and finding and keeping love. Even in the most unexpected places. I laughed. I cried. My heart hurt and it soared with happiness. I experienced so many emotions reading this story, but every one of those emotions was worth it to get to their HEA. As a side note, the final chapter just about gutted me.
This was my first Marley Valentine book, but it will not be my last. A definite must read. I cannot wait for the audiobook so I can torture myself all over again lol.
There are some books that a soul needs and there are some books a soul wants. This book is one that the very soul needs. It is bittersweet and deals with grief in a natural way. The characters didn’t get their hea and automatically heal in their grief it lives on. This book is one you need boxes of tissues for but it will also have you laughing out loud with the characters. It will have you blushing as you read about their interactions this book is everything.
The characters aren’t perfect and that is the very beauty of them they are broken and discarded but together they make something strong and beautiful
Filled with themes of love and loss, this gorgeous romance was emotional, steamy and sweet. Yes, there was heartache, but there was also so much love.
A beautiful tale of how love always finds a way, even during times of utter grief.
Read and fall in love with Deacon and Julian. You will not be disappointed.
First – the cover! Wow. Just Wow.
My first book by Marley Valentine and I really liked it. I actually stayed up all night to read it in one sitting. At turns full of laughter and then heart wrenching. Deacon & Julian healing after loss and finding each other.
GFY and at times it felt a little too simple/easy for Deacon, but it was still a great read.
Ok, first I feel like it needs to be said that the cover for the book is amazing. I didn’t even know what this book was about but just seeing that cover made me NEED to read it! But then, man…this book got all up in my feelings. There seriously wasn’t an emotion left untouched. I laughed. I cried. I almost tossed my kindle. I don’t think I am honestly capable of putting into words how beautifully written this story was or how sad I am that it’s over. I loved every character and the impact that they made. Every person had their part to play and each one was exactly what was needed to complete this story. Just perfection. I’m suffering an epic book hangover over this one.
Wow, I love this book. It’s so full of emotions to power to list m. Deacon and Julian’s story be anyone’s life experience. The reality of it is really what drew my interest in this book. I have to Marley did an outstanding job writing this book. I took my time to saver the words on each page to lock it in my mind. I love how Julian and Deacon build their relationship on honesty and love. I also, love how they honor Rhett and not make him the cause or reason. Above all I love this book so much that their were tears in eyes at end.
Beautiful story with a bit of grit and reality to it that I appreciated. It was relatively predictable, but also “not” at the same time. I liked that the characters weren’t stereotypical.
I’d heard so many good things about this book that I HAD to read it. And I absolutely adored it! When it began with a death I knew it was going to bring all the feels. It was a beautiful, emotional, slow-burn romance. Deacon and Julian are unlikely lovers, but when they do decide to act on their feelings, it’s a powerful love. I love the way Deacon has no fear about falling for a man for the first time. And the way they each take care of each other is heart-melting.
This story is absolutely beautiful. Deacon and Julian are fantastic. This story takes you on one amazing journey. The feelings you get is perfect. I want so much more of them. The writing and flow of this book is perfect. I absolutely recommend this book.
Without You was a beautiful story between two men, where each of the men finds exactly who they need in the other. This comes as a huge surprise for both. No matter how I felt throughout the book, the end left me with such an amazing warmth in my chest which I love experiencing.
The prologue introduces us to Deacon, who has just buried his baby brother Rhett. Rhett had lost a long battle with cancer. My heart ached for Deacon from the very first page. We also meet Julian, who was not only Rhett’s best friend but also his boyfriend. They had a future planned and even though things have changed, he is still a very important part of Rhett’s family.
Deacon was the big brother but he is treated like the shameful, black sheep by his mother when he was anything but. I would have been so proud to have a son like him. He was very successful and carried an amazing heart within. He loved his brother dearly. I bristled a little in his treatment of Julian in the beginning because he felt his family accepted and loved him more than they ever had with Deacon. They butt heads at first until they find common ground with their grief. From that common ground, a beautiful friendship is born leading to more and along the way, healing begins.
Julian has always known he was gay but Deacon has only ever been attracted to women. Getting to know each other better, a surprising attraction sparks to life. The primary trope in this book was “gay for you”. I’ve read that storyline many times but this story didn’t really pull it off successfully. There was a lot of connection missing that I really needed in order to feel what I usually do in other similar books I’ve read. This was a sweet love story. Some of the hot scenes were a little rushed while others were perfect and had me fanning myself. There was just a disconnect in the story that had me feeling like I was missing something but not really sure what. If there had been just a little more depth, it would have been perfect. Especially when the backbone of the story was two men feeling so much grief along with other angsty aspects, I expected to feel so much more. I was bored through a large part of the book but then again, I love all the angst I can get. This won’t be the last time I read a Marley Valentine book. Others may read this and completely disagree with me which is more than fair.
I do believe if someone has never read MM romance before, I think this could be the perfect place to start. I desperately wanted to finish this with a 5 star review but that was not meant to be. I will say that the ending was perfection and I finished it with a huge smile on my face.
Emotionally wrung out
Yes, fantastic story, great characters, captivating story telling, hot and steamy, hea, yada, yada, yada…
On a personal note, I always try to get my students to connect to things they read, and this was so emotional and such a personal connection. I know what the characters were going through. I felt their anguish and the feeling of disappointing parents and trying to do better and maturing emotionally to deal with family and loved ones. I felt the pain and worry of trying to be someone you’re not and realizing that no one has noticed you’re not the person you used to be. So many emotions to relate to it this book, which is why it’s such a great read.
I was absolutely blown away by Julien and Deacon. It was a refreshing love story for me to read. So glad I took a chance on it.
I recently finished reading this story and I loved it! This story deals with loss and finding love again. My heart broke for Deacon and Julian. Marley managed to put it back together.Told it both characters’ point of view, you get to feel what they are going through. The way their feelings for one another change as they get to really know each other and fall in love. This story is angsty, slow burn with a HEA that will make you smile. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
This is my first Marley Valentine book and I don’t even know how to begin describing how amazing this excellently written story is. The author gives her readers a story of loss, crippling grief, a boy damaged by his family’s dysfunction and the beautiful awakening and self-discovery that leads two horribly hurt and scarred individuals towards each other and their safe and love-filled haven. I am amazed by the depth of emotion the author pulls from her readers and recommend this book with all my heart! 🙂
3.5 STARS!!!
This was a sweet and steamy M/M romance read with loss, love and family drama. I loved Deacon and Julian together. I loved the touching moments between them and I was happy that they didn’t let anyone stop them from doing what was best for them. I absolutely hated the way Deacon’s mother treated him and I wish that his father would have stood up for him. You would think that after what happened she would start to treat him better, but no and it was inexcusable. However, I loved his sister Victoria, her husband Hayden and their daughter Lia. I also enjoyed Christy and Wade a lot. They along with Victoria had me laughing a lot. This was a good romance read that wasn’t light but it was worth reading. At the end of the book you can sign up for a bonus epilogue and it was a must for me. I do wish that it was included in this book instead of signing up for the newsletter but it was okay because I was already signed up for it.
Would I recommend this book? Yes.
Would I read more books from this author? Absolutely!
Overwhelming in emotions, this book utterly gripped me. I fell so hard for Deacon and Julian. This was an impressively written piece of art.