Title: Pieces of Me
Series: Missing Pieces: Book Two
Author: N.R. Walker
Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited
Length: 196 Pages
Category: Contemporary Romance
At a Glance: Walker keeps building more warmth upon already heartwarming moments. These books are nothing less than a breath of hope at a wearying time.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Blurb: Justin’s recovery is slow, but any step forward is a win in Dallas’ eyes. Having always been a source of strength for Justin, even before the accident, Dallas is trying to find his feet again as he struggles to get some normalcy back in their lives.
But now, with added financial pressures and Justin’s ongoing medical needs, Dallas isn’t sure how much longer he can be the strong one.
As missing pieces of Justin’s memory return, Justin realises the physical side of their relationship is another piece of the puzzle he desperately wants to put back together. And as he gets to know Dallas all over again, he realises what his mind can’t remember, his heart can’t forget.
Review: I said in my review of N.R. Walker’s Pieces of You that I felt it was one of the most romantic—if not the most romantic—books she’s ever written. After reading Pieces of Me, I’m going to go ahead and up that to include the whole series.
Justin has entered the long and arduous recovery and rehabilitation phase now, safe at home with Dallas, even though that home is unfamiliar to him, and he struggles with the fatigue and the aftereffects of the traumatic brain injury that left him with, among other things, debilitating headaches, all while beginning to process flashes of memory that pierce the fog which still prevents him from fully recalling the past five years. The memories are snippets of various unconnected scenes that are affording Justin firsthand experience of the love that he and Dallas share, even as it’s still somewhat difficult to connect himself to those moments, but those events do go well beyond what, up to this point, he has only witnessed through photos. There’s a great difference between seeing a picture as evidence of happiness than actually feeling it himself.
Dallas’s ongoing care and commitment and deep and abiding love continue to sustain Justin and offer him support and security. One of the best parts of these books, at least so far, has been that Dallas and Justin talk to each other, even if the conversations are not always comfortable. They share what they’re thinking and feeling, despite the thoughts and feelings being complicated. The financial strain Dallas is struggling through, the worker’s comp and insurance red tape that’s taking an eternity to process, is the one thing he’s bearing alone, though, not wanting to place his own worries about their finances on Justin’s shoulders. When it does ultimately come up, rather than this setting Justin back, it allows him to engage as Dallas’s partner and support system, which was what Dallas needed, though he didn’t realize how much he needed it at the time.
Among the mental, emotional, and physical recovery that Justin continues to work through is their love story. Justin gets the gift of falling in love with Dallas for the second time, and Dallas has some epiphanous moments where he understands that he, too, has been given a second chance to treasure not only what they had but what they’re rebuilding together. There’s a found family aspect growing here as well, as Walker keeps building more warmth upon already heartwarming moments. Justin and Dallas are easing into a friendship with Jimmy, the man who was driving the truck that speared Justin’s van, along with his wife Nancy, which could go on to heal some of the broken places that were hurt long before Justin’s accident.
There is little doubt that Justin and Dallas are heading into the final leg of their journey steeped in the deep and abiding love that has carried them this far. These books are nothing less than a breath of hope at a wearying time.
You can buy Pieces of Me here:
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