Review: A powerful story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 9, 2013
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.Rating: 8/10PROS:- The book captures both men's mix of emotions quite well: anger at the slightest provocation, relief at being free, fear that they will be imprisoned again, etc.- This is an example of the "straight man unexpectedly turned gay" storyline that actually works. I believed in the closeness of Austin and Cam after their ordeal, and I saw the development of romantic feelings out of that emotional closeness as something natural rather than forced.- The way the two storylines--past and present--come together is very well done. The two stories peak at the same time, except one is a physical climax and the other is emotional.- I loved that there was no backtracking in the men's romance--no regrets or second thoughts. They experience enough angst dealing with the memories of their kidnapping; they don't need any added stress from relationship problems.CONS:- The writing is a little clunky at times, with simple wording and awkward phrases. Dee's use of transitions is especially clumsy: the flashbacks could have been incorporated into the story much more smoothly, and some sections have an almost clinical feel to them, occasionally leaving me with the impression that I was reading a school essay.- Jade, Austin's wife, is horrible without any depth or justification for her bitterness.Overall comments: The writing itself could have been better, but I thought this was a very moving story. I had heard that the torture scenes in the book are nearly unbearable. But I am very susceptible to unpleasantness in books, and I wasn't overwhelmed by the captivity scenes here. They weren't fun, of course, but I didn't have to skim any of them.