Review: This series Rocks!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 24, 2014
In this second book of J. Vaughn’s ‘Rough Boys’ series, the author really kicked up the suspense, resulting in another winning story. While the initial book fulfilled my sweet tooth, this one served my yen for both Key Lime pie and bittersweet chocolate terrifically. Be warned, this review may contain spoilers if you have not read book one, ‘Rough Boys: Runaway’, the books must be read in sequence. That said I devoured the first book, completing it at about two o‘clock in the morning. I immediately purchased books two and three and despite the fact that I had to be at work in less than five hours, I stayed awake for another hour to read the beginning chapters of ‘Redemption’. Yeah, the series is that addictive. The three boys and their friends sort of became my friends and I had to know what happened next.While Ty is still the buoy that keeps this series afloat, ‘Redemption’ begins with Dani and his lover Nigel, the sexy drummer of the band Leather. After some heavy drama in the last book, the two lovers finally got together and the morning after, Nigel tears himself from Dani’s side to check in for band practice. He promises to return to Dani in about three hours. Unfortunately Murphy’s Law prevails and in a wham-bam-thank you-Sam minute, these two are on the outs.  Will rocker on the rise, Nigel, be able to win back heartbroken Dani a second time? Well, I sure was rooting for them, when they‘re together steam seems to rise from my Kindle.Meanwhile Ty is still living on the streets and falls ill. Delirious and disorientated, he ends up on Tim the drug dealer’s doorstep. Tim encourages Ty to stay with him and despite Ty’s apprehension about Tim’s sadistic sidekick, Brady, Ty agrees. It doesn’t take long before Tim begins plying Ty with free drugs. Depressed and conflicted about possibly being gay—because he can’t stop thinking about Abe, the male nurse—Ty accepts the drugs. All too soon, Tim wants payment. Not money—no Tim wants Ty to sex him for drugs. Will Ty succumb to Tim? To the drugs? To the incessant inner voices that tell him he is a loser? This storyline is epic and heartbreaking. Reading the angst-ridden drama that followed I had to constantly remind myself that the title of the book is ‘Redemption’.Kaeden manages to admit that he finds Leather musician, Sean, attractive, but refuses to have anything to do with the drug-taking rocker. Kaeden is a purist, eats healthy, and takes care of himself and can’t abide anyone who abuses themselves with drugs. When he stumbles upon Sean in the bathroom, shooting up, he is horrified. Sean quits cold turkey, but Kaeden can’t afford to care and begins accepting clients at Sally’s again. Soon Kaeden meets a client by the name of Mark who seems to be everything he is looking for in a lover. When Mark meets Dani’s approval, Kaeden uncharacteristically leaves for a Vegas weekend with him. But is Mark really all that he seems? And why can’t anyone locate Kaeden when the weekend ends?While the above seems like it would fill the book, it barely serves as an intro. A vast number of marvelous events occur in this stimulating story, but it is quite easy to read thanks to good, solid writing. The author’s scoop-of-the-moment style had me easily and eagerly devouring page after page. Expect to have your heart leap up and down, get bounced around, and then rebound as drama and cliffhangers rule this second book. In addition to a vast amount of drama, new characters are introduced, most notably Sean’s cousin, Erin, a teenager with a love for playing rockabilly music.This is a great series and I can’t imagine anyone who is a fan of Yaoi not loving it. Graced with seriously beautiful, uke-like boys, buff, hot, seme playboys, and detailed slice-of-the-wild-life episodes, the series is a Boys Love lover’s dream. Male/male romance fans will especially enjoy its multiple romantic pairings. There is plenty of peril, danger, and devastation courtesy of a multitude of villains, including Richard Iverson, Ty’s father. But the book is called ‘Redemption’ for a reason and when the light at the end of the tunnel shines it is scrumptious and beautiful and very befitting of that word. Of course it doesn’t shine equally on all of the boys. Expect another cliffhanger that leads to white knight romance in the third book.Thank you, J. Vaughn, for pushing all the right buttons that had me eyes wide open, reading straight on until dawn.“Heated, Happy, Joy”