Secure Your Copy Say It Right (All Saints, #2) Engineered By A.M. Arthur Released Through Interactive EBook
is apparently bookin the series, but I had no issues reading this as a standalone,
If you've read the first book, you probably remember Marc who's a former homeless exjunkie, selling himself to survive, Having pulled himself together with a lot of help, he now runs the LGBT shelter with Tate,
Eight years ago, Anthony led a mostly charmed life, in unrequited love with his best friend Marc, until Marc was gone, kicked out of his home atfor being gay.
Lost without his best friend, his confidant, Anthony turned to alcohol and heroin,
Now Anthony is a junkie himself, and after a couple of failed attempts to get clean, he's on the verge of an overdose.
A late night visit from Anthony's sister spurs Marc to find Anthony and get him off the streets, But there are rules. Anthony must stay clean, or Marc will kick him out, And aftermonths, if Anthony stays off the drugs, they may go on a date,
This is a rather somber story, and both men keep secrets, Marc hates being touched, for reasons that aren't clear to those around him, and Anthony struggles without the drugs to kill his pain,
There wasn't a whole lot of physical affection between them for quite a while, which made it difficult to connect with the love story, and even though they eventually got together, there was what seemed to be manufactured drama toward the end, with Marc lashing out almost inexplicably toward Anthony, which nearly derails their budding romance.
While I can to some extent understand Marc's issues, I had a hard time forgiving him for the pain he puts Anthony through.
The main focus of the story is on drug addiction and recovery, and those parts were really well done, The author let us see deeply into Anthony's struggles with sobriety, and Marc's fears of relapse himself, and the lingering pain from the abuse he suffered.
Also explored are the realities of life on the street, and the difficult choices so many young people have to make to survive,
As I said, this is a rather somber story, and while we get a happy ending, it's a hard fought for one,
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley, A positive review was not promised in return, SAY IT RIGHT is just as good as the first in the series, It has a bit of a darker tone, but an unputdownable read,
Anthony and Marcos were the best of friends from elementary school all the way to high school, When Marc came out to his family he was kicked out onto the streets, Marc and Anthony weren't able to keep in touch and he really was all alone, doing what he had to do to survive,
Fastforward years later, and Marcos is clean, off the streets, and running a shelter for homeless LGBT teenagers, He's built a life for himself he can be proud of, But when Anthony reenters his life, things get a bit turned around for him,
Anthony didn't handle Marc's leaving too well and ended up on the streets as an addict, When Marc finds him, he helps him get clean and stay clean, But trusting is hard for Marc, especially since he has his own addictions and burdens to carry,
I really loved them together and the way they helped and balanced each other, They had to relearn each other and how to be best friends, The only difference is this time their feelings are known, They know they love each other, but have to hold off, Make sure Anthony really is on the road to recovery before starting a romance,
I understood and respected the waiting, but the wait was a painful one, Marc and Anthony had so much chemistry and tension, I was so ready for them to move forward with their relationship, When they did they were really great together, so totally worth it,
Besides the romance, there's a lot to love about this book, There is lots of time with Tate and Jonas from the first book, and a whole list of loving and supportive secondary characters, Anthony's journey to recovery wasn't all about Marc, he really went out and made a difference for himself and others,
I really hope there's more for this series, I've loved both books so far and would jump at the chance to read more,
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Bookof Arthur's latest series was an entertaining read, but I must admit that I preferred book, "Come What May," a bit more than this story.
At, Marc has been sober for nearlyyears, having overcome homelessness, prostitution and his battle with shooting up heroin, then cofounding an LGTB homeless shelter with Tate from book.
Former high school soccer star Anthony, Marc's exbest friend, also had his life upended when Marc was kicked out of his home atfor being gay.
Without Marc, Anthony was lost and ended up turning to drugs as an escape,
After anyear separation, Marc rescues Anthony from the streets and helps Anthony kick his own heroin addiction,
This story expectedly felt much more serious and somber than the first book, with Marc's "big secret" as to why he's so closed off and hates to be touched, keeping his friends, along with the reader, from really getting very close to him.
My biggest issue with this story was the lack of a physical connection, as I'm a sucker for cuddle time and tender touches.
Yes, Marc's been abused, so I understand his aversion to hugs, comforting your partner and such, but I'm still not a big fan of books with physically and emotionally withdrawn MC's.
When the former best friends begin to date, once Anthony hasmonths of sobriety under his belt, earning back some of Marc's trust, they do get physically intimate however, those scenes still came across as a bit distant in this story, especially compared to book.
Also, toward the end of the story, the Drama Llama did make a brief appearance, with Marc which felt a bit manufactured and extremely out of character for Marc.
The story definitely kept me engaged while reading, but once I'd finished, I just had an odd sense of not feeling completely satisfied, so I'd rate this one at around.
stars overall.
My ARC copy of the story was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.
I was very hesitant to begin this story as I seem to have read a grand series of books lately involving HIV positive MC's and/or drug addicts.
This book has both and I wasn't sure I really wanted to read another book about these two dynamics, However, I really wanted to put this series behind me before the end ofas I've had these books for what seemed like forever, So, I picked it up, began reading and was pleasantly surprised, While I believe the author wrote true and realistic to both of these heavy issues, she didn't dwell on them to the point that they weighed the story down into a too dark place.
This helped keep the story thriving for me as the others I've read recently were the reason I wasn't sure I wanted to be put back into this deeply troubled and depressing world.
The author keeps things relevant without dragging the reader through the darkest depths of these subjects,
Both MC's have some serious baggage, Both have a lot to still overcome, Together, they give each other the support and love and encouragement neither found elsewhere in the world around them and they compliment each other in the most endearing of ways.
Marc stays true to himself and his own personal needs as he helps Anthony become strong enough to battle his demons, Each man learns to put behind themselves the ugly of their pasts and build a stronger and brighter future with each other as they always hoped for when they were young and secretly in love with each other.
What surprised me most here was that I completely enjoyed this story despite the limited intimacy between the MC's, Don't get me wrong. These MC's do share some very sexy times together, However, they are not the primary focus in the story and this doesn't take one thing away from how enjoyable this book is, In fact, it seems perfectly placed and not forced, Overall, the story is very well paced and put together, Despite my initial reservations, I was very pleasantly surprised and pleased with this book, Dopo aver apprezzato il primo volume, ero curiosa di ritrovare i personaggi dellAll Saints House, il rifugio per ragazzi LGBT senzatetto, che viene gestito da persone splendide.
Tutte loro hanno toccato con mano il dolore e la disperazione, ma si sono rialzate e ora vogliono aiutare ragazzi bisognosi cercando, per quanto possibile, di migliorare le loro vite.
Anche se questo volume si può leggere autonomamente, mi piace pensarlo come una specie di seguito, che riparte poco dopo la fine del primo, in cui abbiamo già avuto modo di conoscere Marc, il migliore amico di Tate e suo socio nel gestire il rifugio.
Di lui si era intuito che avesse un passato difficile, fatto di sofferenza e scelte sbagliate, e qui abbiamo modo di scoprire il suo drammatico vissuto e il coraggio che ha avuto nel risollevarsi.
Laltro nostro protagonista è Anthony, suo amico dinfanzia e primo amore, dal quale Marcos è costretto a separarsi bruscamente, ancora adolescente, dopo esser stato cacciato di casa per il suo orientamento sessuale ed esser finito a vivere per strada.
Tony non fa una gran figura nelle prime righe a un passo dalla morte per overdose, viene salvato da sua sorella e da Marc, a cui lei aveva chiesto aiuto.
La strada della disintossicazione non è semplice né indolore, intanto che i due giovani hanno modo di riscoprirsi e di chiarire dei malintesi del passato, ma mentre un amore mai morto torna a farsi sentire, ci sono mille dubbi e obiezioni su una possibile relazione fra loro.
Questo libro tocca nuovamente tematiche delicate e sofferte, dallabuso fisico alla prostituzione, passando per dipendenza da droghe, alcol e per molti altri argomenti che, seppur narrati, non sono descritti in modo eccessivo, pertanto non dovrebbero urtare la sensibilità dei lettori, anche se lo ammetto alcuni accenni mi hanno fatta indignare e poi intristire, perché la vita è davvero ingiusta e a volte il destino è crudele anche con gli innocenti.
Pur toccando il fondo con i protagonisti, questa è soprattutto una storia di rinascita, un lento percorso di guarigione e un inno ai sopravissuti, alle seconde possibilità e alle realizzazioni personali.
È una storia damore sofferta, ma anche dolce e delicata, fatta di piccoli gesti premurosi e affetto, Non sono presenti molte scene esplicite, ma quelle lette sono piacevoli e coinvolgenti, ed è tutto parte di un percorso che trova il giusto coronamento,
Ad affiancare questi protagonisti ci sono i precedenti, Tate e Jonas, innamorati più che mai, con tutta la loro adorabile famiglia di zii e sorelle che abbiamo già apprezzato.
In aggiunta, conosciamo altri preziosi, nuovi personaggi, pronti a sostenere e ad aiutare chi è in difficoltà,
Anche se questo volume ha toni un po più cupi del primo, mi è piaciuto altrettanto e lo consiglio, Non è una storia da passatempo, ma fa riflettere e arricchisce il lettore, non solo per la storia damore, ma per gli altri messaggi che dà.
Stars
This was an emotional and heartwrenching story that grabbed me from the beginning and never let go, I loved the reunion between Marc and Anthony and how they were able to overcome all their issues to finally get the happiness they deserve.
I thought the author handled the addiction elements with respect and really made me as a reader understand where the characters were coming from, It was also great to see cameos from other A, M. Arthur stories pop up.
I received an eARC of this book from Carina Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, Say It Right is the second story in A, M. Arthurs All Saints series, all about the staff who work at a teen LGBT shelter, Some of them, including the hero of this book, Marc, have personal experience with the difficulties encountered by many teens when they come out to their family.
With backgrounds of addiction and dependency, working the streets and surviving day to day, most of the teens who come through the shelter and the adults who work there have had their share of hardships.
Yet the author manages to take this background and still create an uplifting story with a sexy and heartwarming friends to lovers romance,
When Marc came out to his family, they kicked him out, Not only did he lose them, but he had to leave his best friend Anthony, an aspiring soccer star with whom hed been friends since they were young boys.
Marcs experience on the street was grim, but with the help of a former priest Father Davis, who worked as a drug and alcohol counselor, he got clean and sober.
Father Davis helped him get an electrician apprenticeship, which led to other home repair skills and odd jobs, and he was able to give back by getting a job with All Saints House.
When Anthonys sister comes to Marc for help, Marc is shocked to find out that after he was gone Anthony spiraled into depression and addiction himself.
With a heavy heart, Marc is able to find Anthony and get him off the street, Bringing him home to his house isnt the best plan, but its the only one he has for the man who used to be his best friend.
But Marc has an ultimatum for Anthony hes got to get clean or get out, He cant afford to backslide into his own addiction problems, He can help Anthony, but it will take a long time for him to trust him, As Anthony pulls himself out of the mire, he finds things to look forward to, Marc is part of a supportive community, and they are willing to help Anthony too, As Anthonys life improves, he is able to reveal the truth to Marc that he is bisexual and had feelings for Marc in high school.
And Marc has his own truth that hed secretly been in love with Anthony in high school too, Can these two young men find healing and hope with each other
Id read the first of the series and really enjoyed it so I was looking forward to Marcs story, having been introduced to him as a secondary character in Come What May.
In this story, we get a fuller picture of the difficulties hes faced and how far hes come with the help of friends, especially Father Davis who saw beneath the addiction to the strong and capable man underneath.
Its admirable that Marc is willing to work at All Saints House after his own personal experiences, but its his way of paying it forward.
Having Anthony around again is both a blessing and a curse, The man Anthony is now is not the boy Marc once knew, And Marc cant afford to ruin all the hard work hes done for his own sobriety, But as Anthony gets over the initial withdrawal and Marc can see the effort he is putting in to stay clean, the other thoughts come back.
The ones about the attraction he had towards
Anthony as a teen, When Anthony starts to act and appear more like the person Marc knew and confesses his bisexuality, its easier to think of starting a relationship with him.
But Marc is smart. He sets a time limit ofmonths for Anthony to stay clean before theyll go on their first official date, The result is a slow burn romance between the two as they share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, They become intimate but as friends, not as lovers, It doesnt mean there arent a few slip ups here and there, but the wait is definitely worth it, There are some steamy scenes between them as Anthonys life is finally moving in the right direction and Marc can admit to himself that a future with Anthony could be in the cards.
I really enjoyed seeing how Marc and Anthony coped with the challenges of rebuilding their friendship and a relationship, The story is told from both points of view and it was heartening to see Anthony take control of his life once again, As well, the circle of friends and support that surround Marc and Anthony add some lighthearted and amusing scenes, The situations come across as very realistic and despite the serious topics, I didnt find the story depressing or melancholy, Rather, its a testament to human strength and compassion as these two longtime friends find each other again, and start to build a future together.
This review appears at Straight Shootin' Book s: sitelink co
Note: a copy of this story was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review,
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