Review: Cherished by Sara York
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 26, 2013
Dictionary.com defines cherish as "the act of treating something or someone with affection and tenderness. It involves embracing with interest, indulging, encouraging, and nurturing with care." Everyone deserves to be cherished. We all need someone in our lives to give us unconditional love and acceptance. Scotty Fuller of 'Cherished' by Sara York, does not want to be cherished because he believes that he doesn't deserve it. Hopefully, he can learn to forgive himself and open up enough to let someone in.Scotty doesn't do relationships; he thinks that there's no need because once a person gets to know him, they will leave. Scotty can't endure the subsequent pain so he keeps up his shields and doesn't get involved in the first place. Scotty has an unreasonable need to be in control at all times, both physically and emotionally. It's his way of managing his lurid past of abuse. He has never revealed his past to anyone. This seems to be working until he meets Wesley whose sincerity and honesty blows Scotty away; it has him questioning his rules. When he accepts a date with Wesley, he formulates a plan to get him out of his life as quickly as possible which involves taking him to a BDSM club, reasoning that if Wesley can't deal with his lifestyle, then he can't be in Scotty's life. It is really a cruel thing to do, but at this point, Scotty doesn't care. He's used to treating the men he's with like objects for his pleasure. Wesley's horrified reaction tells Scotty all he needs to know except, instead of making his decision to dump Wesley easier, it makes it infinitely harder because he's never known anyone as open as Wesley is. Almost immediately, he realizes that Wesley deserves so much more and begins to yearn for a way to keep him instead. When a crisis occurs, it shows Scotty how precious Wesley is and how much he is willing to compromise to make him happy.Wesley is adorable, cute, sweet, and naive. He's attracted to Scotty and, on a dare, asks him out on a date. He has no idea how controlling and cold Scotty can be, but he likes him and tries to impress him. His reaction in the club broke my heart and made me want to beat Scotty to a pulp. My only satisfaction came from the fact that Scotty realizes what a great guy Wesley is and regrets bringing him there. Wesley doesn't know how far much he can take of what Scotty obviously wants to dish out, especially in bed, and is miserable trying to sort it all out. He doesn't understand how Scotty can treat him so badly and seem to want him around at the same time. He knows that there are things Scotty is holding back and is discouraged by his lack of trust. Wesley finally gets to the point that he simply can't do some of the things Scotty expects. He's disappointed, but has to be honest with himself. Even when Scotty professes his love and need for Wesley, it still doesn't change the fact that they seem to be incompatible. It becomes a matter of possibly being too little too late.This is a complicated character-driven story about two men who seem to be opposites, but are inexplicably drawn to each other. Their journey toward that goal is littered with pitfalls which seem to be insurmountable, but they keep trudging on. It's a story of self-discovery and growth as each man struggles to find who they are and what they need. There are some disturbing situations and unexpected occurrences which kept me wondering what would happen next. If you like to read fluff, this is not it, but if you like a complex, thought-provoking tale with lots of angst, action, indecision, and tragedy, then this book may be for you. Thanks, Sara, for the intense story. Originally published at Rainbow Book Reviews.