Review: Silence by Shawn Bailey

Title: Silence

Author: Shawn Bailey

Pages/Word Count: 22000 Words

At a Glance: This book just doesn’t tick any of the boxes of a great read.

Reviewed By: Jackie

Blurb: When Andrew Lansky, a mild-mannered erotic romance writer, receives a phone call from his mother, his life suddenly changes. His old friend Richard Julian has been killed in a car accident in Mississippi, and the news devastates Andrew. He hasn’t seen Richard in more than nine years. He had always planned to call him, but never did, and now he would never see him again.

With Richard gone, deaf twenty-four-year-old Brett Julian has lost the last member of his family, leaving him all alone in his world of silence. As another wicked twist of fate, Richard’s old friend Andrew shows up for the funeral and repast, awakening long-dormant feelings within Brett.

After reconnecting with Andrew and confessing his hidden desires for the man, will Brett finally have a chance at happiness? Or will his life get messed up again because his deafness keeps him from hearing what Andrew’s love has to say?

Review: After reading the blurb for this book I was intrigued and just had to read it. I liked the idea of Brett crushing on his brother’s friend and then being reunited years later. I also like that there was a pretty good age difference between them.

Andrew and Richard were great friends but had fallen out of touch. When Andrew finds out that Richard died in a car accident, he goes home for the funeral. While he’s there, he’s reunited with Richard’s younger brother Brett, and he is instantly attracted to him.

Brett is deaf and very self-sufficient, but without Richard, he doesn’t need the large house they shared, so Andrew offers for Brett to move in after he sells his house. Their mutual attraction doesn’t take long to catch fire, and before they know it they’re in a relationship…or are they?

Richard’s ex-boyfriend Troy is trying to get close to Andrew, and Brett’s friend James is putting the moves on him. Right about here is where the story lost me. Andrew and Brett have said they are in a relationship, and Andrew is clear that he isn’t interested in anything but friendship from Troy. On the other hand, Brett is giving the green light to James while being “in a relationship” with Andrew.

Silence just all around didn’t do it for me. I never felt like Andrew and Brett were on the same page in what they wanted or expected from one another, and I didn’t feel the romance in any of it. I would be interested in reading more from this author in the future, but this book just doesn’t tick any of the boxes of a great read.