Title: Trust
Author: Shawn Lane
Publisher: JMS Books
Length: 85 Pages
Category: Contemporary
At a Glance: I had to suspend disbelief, but I found Trust to be a cute and quick second chance romance, with a bit of mystery and quite a few hot moments that I rather enjoyed.
Reviewed By: Lindsey
Blurb: Brad Callahan has lived with regret for thirteen years. In college, he broke Justin Lowe’s heart by cheating. Justin hasn’t spoken to him since, although his love for Brad never died.
When Brad’s paramedic unit is called to an accident, he finds Justin in the wrecked car. When Brad visits his former lover and well-known mystery writer in the hospital, Justin reveals he believes he was forced off the road and has been receiving ominous letters. Brad takes Justin home. Passion long held back ignites and they cannot resist being in each other’s arms.
But someone still wants to tear them apart, and Justin may never be able to trust Brad again.
Review: I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for a second chance romance, when one of the main characters screwed up horribly and then redeems themselves. I want to see that revelation of what they caused, what they lost, and love reading about what they will do to get it back. While Trust, being a shorter length, doesn’t delve quite as deep into the process, it was still sweet if a little bit rushed and unbelievable.
Check your reality and reactions at the door when entering the world of Brad and Justin. See, Brad cheated on Justin more than a decade before, while they were in college. Justin was devastated, to the point that he changed his number and moved to get away from the pain. Brad apparently got the metaphorical slap upside the head that he needed, and did a dramatic one-eighty with his life.
Flash forward thirteen years. Brad had his “a-ha” moment in college and is a changed man. He is an EMT and lives a pretty lonesome life and is angry at himself for the pain he caused Justin and losing him to his own stupidity. When Brad gets called to a car accident, who does he find in the car? None other than the man he can’t get over and never stopped loving—Justin. Though Brad is pretty dang sure Justin loathes him, still, he continues to check Justin daily while the man is comatose, because Justin has no one and Brad needs to be with him. Quite a way to cross each other’s paths, right? But, here is where I had to let go of reality and tag along on the surreal-ness of it all. Justin opens his eyes, and the hurt and pain I expected to manifest, the horror at seeing the man who broke his heart and cheated on him, the anger at the man who changed the way he trusted in relationships was…absent. He immediately latches on to Brad and goes to Brad’s place to recover, and in no time at all, they are on their way to mending their relationship. A bunch of sexy times are definitely on their list of how to make that one happen, and are used to avoid actually talking about their feelings more often than not. Which, now that I think on it, that part isn’t all that unrealistic.
Despite the implausibility of it all, I was looking for a cute and quick second change romance, and that is what I got. Yes, it was completely unbelievable; there is very little time to jump into the deep end and hash up old hurts and feelings and work through them in a realistic way. On top of it all, there is a portion of the plot dedicated to the mystery of Justin’s accident and threats he has been receiving, but in all honesty, I didn’t actually want a lot of deep tragic emotions or a high-tension and angst factor. I was looking for something much milder. When I signed up for this book, I read some reviews and saw it didn’t appear to be drenched in angst, rather just a wee bit sprinkled throughout. I was looking for something sweeter, something where there is an HEA and that left me with a smile on my face, and that is what happened here.
So sure, it’s a little fast paced and it tends to push what is realistic, but it is also adorable. Despite the shorter length, both Brad and Justin are fairly well developed. Brad was so thrown off by Justin’s actions and reactions. Justin was so confused by Brad’s life and comments he made. They both still loved each other and wanted each other but questioned themselves. They were sweet together. I honestly didn’t even need the whole mystery, which was not really a mystery because I figured that one out pretty quickly, but it still continued the flow of the story and kept the two outside of the bedroom.
Would I recommend this one? Sure, if the reader goes into it with open eyes, like I did, and knows what they are jumping into. Admittedly, it’s not a book I would always be in the mood for myself. I tend to prefer longer stories with much more angst, and if there is a mystery, one that keeps me guessing and on the edge of my seat. But that’s the thing about moods. That isn’t what I always want. Sometimes I need a lighter touch, a story that isn’t so heavy and just keeps me tagging along happily and ending with a smile. Trust may not be what I usually look for, but it hit the spot for what I wanted in this particular case, and that is what ultimately matters.
You can buy Trust here:
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