Review: Gritty, Raw and Real!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 19, 2014
What if one day you came to the realization that everything you'd been taught, everything you'd been raised to believe in was a lie? This is the realization Robert "Bobby Jack" Johnson is coming to. A born and bred Aryan white supremacist, the soon to be released prison inmate is rethinking his beliefs, especially since his heart was never truly in it - and the people he's been taught to hate seem to the ones who deliver help when he needs it most. Now he just wants his release day to come so he can grab his girlfriend and the infant son he's never seen and get far away from his family.Whitney isn't a racist, she's just defensive...to everyone. During a lifetime spent in the foster care system and on the streets, the young Black woman has known little kindness, and has learned she only has herself to depend on. She's not completely jaded though, and still has a heart big enough to help others, which is how she meets expectant mom, Jessi. It is while trying to help Jessi that she inadvertently finds an apartment and gets off the street. Whit knows little of Jessi's past, but is there for the birth of her son, Isaac, and becomes Jessi's instant support network...and rescuer. Jessi's lifestyle and descent into drug addiction leads her to prison and the loss of her son. After a bit of finagling, Whit gets custody of baby Isaac, and a whole new load of trouble.Part of that trouble includes Bobby Jack getting released from prison. He comes looking for his son, but not before he and Whit cross paths a time or two...and the last time he's just in time!Both concerned about Isaac's well-being, Whit and Bobby Jack begin a shaky friendship. The quiet but tough Black woman, and the pseudo-white supremacist whose body art glorifies the Aryan beliefs. The undeniable attraction between the two catches them both off guard, and simmers just below the surface. They both try to ignore it as Whit has to come up with a game plan for taking care of Isaac while wondering how long Jessi will be in prison. Bobby Jack has no intention of returning to prison and plans to break ties with his racist family after he finds out who hooked Jessi on drugs and deals with his overbearing father.This is not a pretty story. This is not a fun story. Many would find the dialogue (and most of the storyline) offensive. But that's why I feel it works. The author lays it right out in the open, much the way you would find it in the streets. The reader has to navigate through the story much the same way Whit and Bobby Jack must navigate their way to each other. They get help along the way from Mrs. Mays, Whit's mercenary land lady...who has a heart of gold; and Edward and Maurice - two very masculine, yet gay drag queens.You won't find the HEA (Happily Ever After) here. These two have an extremely long road to traverse with many obstacles along the way. But you do get the HFN (Happy For Now). Regardless of what Whit and Bobby Jack come up against, you know they will handle it together. And that's enough.