Author: A.M. Arthur
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages/Word Count: 138 Pages
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Blurb: No one in Jeremy Collins’s life ever stays. His parents, sister, and wife are all dead. Now he has taken Cole Alston into his home to help him recover from years of abuse at the hands of his ex. Jeremy hopes Cole, who he loves, will stick around, but after eight years of Cole not being allowed to make his own choices, Jeremy doesn’t think he has the right to ask. As Jeremy keeps his concerns and desires to himself, his best friend Bethann calls on him for a huge favor–claim he’s the father of her baby so she isn’t ostracized in their small town for sleeping with a married man. However, doing so would be tantamount to denying his relationship with Cole. Rumors fly before Jeremy can explain to Cole that he said no, and suddenly the whole town is in his business. Rather than reassure Cole, Jeremy’s explanations have the opposite effect. Something is going on in Cole’s mind that Jeremy doesn’t know about, and in order to get Cole to talk, Jeremy will need to confront his own deepest fear.
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Unearthing Cole when I read it, so I was jazzed to find out that there was a sequel. I will be honest and say that Understanding Jeremy wasn’t all I’d hoped it would be, but don’t get me wrong, it was a great story and I loved getting to see the guys again. I wanted to string Bethann up by her jealous little toes, and I feel that situation was not only handled well but also quickly. There were no ridiculous misunderstandings, so thank you for that, A.M. Arthur!
What this book really boiled down to for me was getting to see Cole and Jeremy’s continued story from Jeremy’s POV this time. There was a ton more information about Jeremy’s past, and I loved getting to know him better.
The real crux of the story was whether Cole was truly in love with Jeremy and if he was going to stay. These two guys both needed a swift kick in the behind, in my opinion. They were both so unsure where they stood with the other, and they both had so many questions they never asked each other. Eventually this all comes to a head, and there is a definite “now or never” moment for Cole and Jeremy. I will say that I adored this book, and I loved how they worked through their issues. This isn’t one you will want to miss, and I can recommend it, even though I feel it didn’t quite live up to the first book.
You can buy Understanding Jeremy (Discovering Me: Book Two) here: