REVIEWED BY Jess
Hello Forever by Sarina BowenMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ahhh, what can I say...I am a sucker for anything Sarina Bowen and ITS NEVER OVER by Nealy Wagner or HELLO FOREVER by Bowen is all that I wanted it to be.
Writing from a pseudonym's perspective must be difficult for a writer. Especially when the subject matter can be considered taboo for some. BUT NOT FOR ME. I love M/M romances and Bowen is the Queen in my opinion when it comes to matters of the heart, be it male or female.
It really pains me to hear that love cannot be rejoiced just because of someone's sexual orientation. Why the heck does it matter who you love? Who you care for? Who you want to spend the rest of your life with? Falling in love when you're a teenager and just starting to get a grip on who you are is never easy. Figuring out you're gay when your deadbeat dad is a homophobic bastard, makes things a heck of a lot worse.
Cax has known for a very long time that he is gay. But he has never been able to tell anyone for fear of rejection, harassment, and judgement. Finding solace at a Church group as a teenager always made him feel better, especially when he becomes friends with the beautiful Axel. Cax always had to hide who he was, except for when Axel came into the picture. Though it was a brief reprieve, it was always welcome-Church group never lasted long enough for Cax. Axel, the emotionally stronger of the two, had a wonderful mother growing up, who fostered him and provided him with the tools necessary to accept who he was as a human being. Never having to really hide from anyone, Axel wasn't ever in the closet. He came out in high school and lived his life to the fullest. The same cannot be said for Cax, though he wished it could have been that way. Having his mother pass away from Cancer when he was young and a military maniac for a father and three brothers to look after, he never spent any time taking care of himself.
After a wonderful, yet life changing experience at Church group one summer when they were 16, Cax and Axel were torn apart. For 8 years there was no contact. Even though the feelings they had for one another never went away. Feelings for someone who you are emotionally tied to that strongly are nearly impossible to disappear, despite the years in between. Running into each other after all that time, and not much had changed for Cax, but it had for Axel and he was going to fight for what and WHO he wanted.
Axel is my hero. The awful things that happened to him, the hurt, the slander, it didn't sway him from his feelings for his love at all. He kept at it, he left space when needed, and he was there, physically and emotionally whenever he needed to be. Cax never once took Axel for granted, he was in a horrid situation caused by his heinous father and he did what he thought necessary to protect his brothers. But eventually, enough was enough, and Cax did what he had to do to fight for what he believed in, for love and for the future of his life.
BOWEN has a knack for creating the most believable and tangible characters. She tackles hard to hear subject matter with grace and class and ALWAYS delivers with her superb writing skills. I adored hearing about Josh and Caleb and I truly look forward to the next installment-hoping to have a happy ending for Jason!
I will take any opportunity there is to read anything by Bowen, she is one of the greats for me.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review
Reviewed by Jess for Joandisalovebooks blog
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