Title: Blind Passion
Author: Penny Brandon
Publisher: Self-Published (2nd Edition)
Length: 221 Pages
Category: Contemporary
At a Glance: In the end, Blind Passion simply did not stand the test of time very well and, because of that, fell short of being a book that could hold my interest.
Reviewed By: Sammy
Blurb: Attraction for Adam was not a handsome face, a striking smile, or beautiful eyes, but a scent that would drive him to distraction or a voice that could make his heart beat faster. When the combination of the two walked into his life in Luke, Adam couldn’t help but want him. But how was he supposed to know if Luke felt the same attraction? He had no prior experience, no past encounters, nothing to help him. Not even his sight.
One look at Adam and Luke wanted him. Sensual, gorgeous, kind, with a strength that Luke was drawn to, Adam was everything Luke desired. Being in Adam’s arms, showing him the pleasure of a man’s body, being touched, held, and desired in return, had Luke wanting more, had him wanting what he knew he couldn’t have.
It didn’t matter to him that Adam was blind, but Adam deserved more than someone like him. Luke was a man with a broken past and falling in love with Adam was a foolish thing to do, especially because Adam would never love him back if he found out what Luke was hiding.
Review: Blind Passion was no doubt a sweet romance with two equally interesting yet fragile characters when it was initially released by author Penny Brandon in 2011. However, unlike some novels whose messages or themes may be universal, m/m romance has made huge strides since then—particularly when it comes to content. These days it’s refreshing to see that many authors in this genre are focusing on the story, character development and emotional bonding over just sex. Please don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a well written sex scene as much as the next person, and when that moment is surrounded by a plot that is interesting and well developed, you have an exciting novel to enjoy. Unfortunately, I cannot say that about this book.
The story is a fairly simple but interesting one. Adam has been blind from birth, and other than an odd connection to his brother—one that has faded over time—he has never really been able to visualize the everyday things most of us take for granted. Therefore, his other senses have enabled him to not only keep track of others around him but mark them with a particular scent or timbre of voice. Such is the case with Luke. Knowing little about him other than he is working off community service hours by assisting Adam with grading, etc., Luke quickly becomes tantalizing in many ways to the blind teacher. Adam is drawn to the quiet assistant and wishes for nothing more than to understand the pain that he can often hear in Luke’s voice. But it’s when Luke touches Adam that the world explodes with light and colorful images that arouse Adam physically and emotionally. Now both men must work beyond their own doubts and fears to see if they can trust to share with each other those secrets which hold them prisoner.
If I would have picked up this novel several years ago, I am sure my review would have been very different. For instance, I might not have questioned the fact that although this was set in Australia there was not one iota of “Aussie-isms” used which, for someone who has traveled to that beautiful country and has good friends who live there, was a bit unsettling. I do believe that there was a time when many publishers encouraged authors to avoid dialects and colloquialisms indicative of their homeland—thankfully, that has changed over time. But while remarking on that might be considered nit-picking, I am fairly sure that what appeared to be a lack of understanding of how a blind-from-birth person maneuvers in their world would not be.
On more than one occasion, Luke drags Adam, sans cane, to brand new places, and we are expected to believe that Adam is able to walk, simply by holding Luke’s hand, into shops that he has never experienced. Not only that but apparently Adam is also an expert rock climber, as he is able to scale a wall without much problem when Luke decides to take him to the local club. A wall, Luke himself admits he was unable to conquer the first time even though he is a fully sighted man.
Honestly, were this story more than a series of sex scenes stapled together with a bit of dialogue and angsty self-doubt, I could have forgiven a lot. But this idea that these guys were literally hard for each other several times a day, and doing it like rabbits most of the time while knowing each other for barely a week, was just a bit much. That and the declarations of love, the constant worry that they were not good enough for each other and the shallow plot that seemed to exist only to be the vehicle for another sex scene—I truly was tempted to throw in the towel on this one long before finishing it.
In defense of this author, I will say that this was no doubt a pretty standard and successful novel for 2011. But, if one is going to re-release a novel that is dated into a genre that has greatly evolved, then perhaps one might want to update it a bit, put in some of the spirit and fun that Aussie’s are known for, and give the story more meat and less sex overall. For what it’s worth, that is the novel I could have really enjoyed. In the end, Blind Passion simply did not stand the test of time very well and, because of that, fell short of being a book that could hold my interest.
You can buy Blind Passion here:
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