Title: Looking In
Author: Michael Bailey
Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited
Length: 237 Pages
Category: Contemporary
At a Glance: Looking In takes you on a journey of healing and love by gently wrapping its sweet story around your heart.
Reviewed By: Sammy
Blurb: David Barrows world fell apart at the age of eleven after his mother died. Years of physical and emotional abuse followed, leaving him scarred in body and mind, mired in the belief that he is unlovable. He spends his days working in a comic shop, and his nights alone wrestling with the ghosts of his past.
As a Marine, Adam Duncan has sworn to protect and serve, and there is no one he is more protective of than his brother and nephew. When tragedy strikes, threatening the security of his family, his protective instincts kick in. But how can he fight an enemy he can’t see?
David and Adam feel the connection between them, but David has built walls around his heart that no one has bothered to break through, until Adam. Adam can see what a special man David is, and is willing to do whatever it takes to break down those barriers. Can he make David see he doesn’t have to keep living his life…Looking In?
Review: Considering this was a debut novel by author Michael Bailey, I was impressed by the depth he managed to wrangle out of his two main characters and the suspense plot he wove throughout what was, admittedly, a love story from start to finish. The sweetness factor, at times, threatened to derail the rest of the plot and did stretch the boundaries of belief occasionally, but overall, I would give this novel a solid two thumbs up.
David Barrows is a surviving abuse victim. Having once attempted to end his life, he now is determined to live. Although his is a very quiet existence, and a rather lonely one, David tries his best not to start at shadows from his past that seem to fill his life despite his trying to evade them. When he comes to the aid of a rather confused customer, little does David know the man is about to change his life.
Adam Duncan has returned from his last tour in Afghanistan and is pursuing civilian life with his brother and nephew, when the unthinkable happens and the young boy gets gravely ill. Adam has always been protective of his family, so when everything begins to go to hell in a handbasket, he tries his best to cheer up both his brother and his nephew. Hitting up the local comics shop in hopes of finding some reading material to entertain his nephew, Adam is hopelessly lost until one of the employees offers to help.
The slight, quiet man rings every one of Adam’s bells, not only bringing forth his nurturing side but also digging up emotions that shock Adam with their intensity. Determined to get to know David better, and hopefully break through the wall the young man has erected around himself, Adam slowly begins to woo a reluctant and fearful David. Just when the two men are making progress, the past rears its head and threatens David’s carefully constructed life, and Adam’s as well.
I will admit that the schmaltz level in this novel was pretty high, at times, and yet this really was a lovely story. Yes, it could be argued that Adam didn’t often act like the ex-marine he was, but I enjoyed his character so much. His gentle but persistent way of ensuring David felt safe around him—the slow and steady methods he used to gain David’s trust, and the strength he exuded throughout the novel made him such a compelling person who really was a genuinely good guy you ended up rooting for long before the story ended.
David simply broke my heart. The dark and torturous life he had been exposed to and the fear that it could all happen again just poured out of David every time he took the page. This was a young man who had been broken and was trying his best to pick up the pieces of his life and move on, with little real success. Instead he lived in fear, and that took a daily toll on him. Adam’s interest in him was both a dream come true and another hope waiting to be dashed. When you discover just what happened to David at the hands of someone who should have loved him unconditionally, you begin to understand why he is so fragile.
The strength of this novel lies in the slow building relationship between David and Adam. It also owes its success to the suspenseful secondary plot line that eventually reveals David’s worst fears. Honestly, unless your heart is made of stone, there is no way you couldn’t like these two guys. While I felt the story dragged a bit due to both characters second guessing themselves far too often, I still enjoyed this novel for the tender romance it was.
Looking In takes you on a journey of healing and love by gently wrapping its sweet story around your heart. I look forward to reading more by this author.
You can buy Looking In here:
[zilla_button url=”http://authl.it/B075CQCTVS?d” style=”blue” size=”large” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon/Kindle Unlimited [/zilla_button]