Review: Drama, Second Chance for Love
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 3, 2013
Stripped Bare by Susan Mac Nicol is an emotionally charged, yet intimately tender love story about finding a second chance for love and opening your heart to the possibilities true love can bring, no matter how rocky the road can be. Matthew is still devastated after two years by the loss of his husband and the future they had planned, complete with adopting a child. When his employer's son, David is seriously injured, Matthew receives a call to go to him in the hospital. Assigned "damage control," he overhears a frantic man asking about David. Enter Shane, handsome, flashy, and so not the quiet and oh so proper, Matthew's type, but still, there is something about him that gets under Matthew's skin. But Matthew still has his ghosts that haunt him daily and he resists the charms of Shane, with effort. Will Shane be able to break down Matthew's walls with his quirky streak? Will Matthew be able to let go of the past long enough to see that his future just might be standing right in front of him? Will it take Shane almost being killed to fully open Matthew's eyes?Susan Mac Nicol has created very diverse, although sometimes clichéd characters that are realistic, engaging and fit so well together. The drama runs high, as she deftly weaves a tale of brutality, bigotry and pain. The struggles of each character are emotionally tense. I was drawn to both main characters, one for his quirky attitude, loyalty and fun-loving ways that hid deeper pain inside, and the other, so overly serious and damaged, unable to let go of the past. The dialogue was intense, well-done and believable, with the mental dialogue rounding out the story well and giving it more depth! The romance? Beautiful, sweet, and sigh-worthy, proving that love is truly a wonderful gift. Well Done!