Publisher’s description: No one knows me–not the true me shaped by my sordid past. I cover the scars on my soul as well as I hide the ones on my skin.
I’m living proof that only the strongest survive on these streets. But I paid a heavy price for my survival.
Now I’m ready to move on, to forget my past. In my dreams, I do it with Matt. I’ve had my eye on him ever since he joined Cooper Construction. Like me, he keeps his true self hidden, locked inside a shy and silent shell.
Somehow, I break through. Touch the untouchable. But when love strips us both naked, the truths we reveal may end up tearing us apart.
My thoughts bit: This is one of those love stories that is so much more than just a tale of romance. This is two people fighting fiercely for what they want as the past threatens to overtake them. This story is about being courageous, moving forward, embracing the past and about a million other things. It will wring out your heart then make you happy that you are a human being.
This is about two men with challenging pasts. When they find each other, they’re at different stages of their self-discovery. There are some things they can uncover together, but other things are going to take a hell of a lot of work. Robby has had a rough start. Even though he’s still young, he’s dealing with addiction and a past that has left emotional and physical scars. Robby has an innocent crush on his co-worker, Matt… at least it’s innocent until it seems that the feelings may be reciprocated.
Matt’s life is complicated by a past that has left him with a child he adores and a best friend that hates him. He’s given up school and most everything else to try and provide his son and the woman who gave birth to him. They have a complicated entanglement but Matt wants nothing more than to be the best father he can be and continue to provide for his son.
When Robby and Matt’s lives begin to intertwine, things get even more complicated. It’s challenging enough for these two men to deal with each other’s pasts, but their friends and chosen-family have their own ideas.
Of note: I adored the chosen-family relationship or Robby, Brick, and Kane. They may seem an unlikely trio, coming from such different backgrounds, but they are fiercely protective of one another… and candid with their advice-giving. What a joy it was to read about such healthy relationships between a group of men from diverse backgrounds.
This book is part three of the Cooper Construction series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. (There will be slight relationship spoilers). I’m now looking forward to going back to read the first two!
The warnings bit: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In this book: violence, mentions murder, sexual/physical/mental abuse, threats of violence, power imbalance in a relationship, expansive age difference in m/m relationship, mentions underage sex, descriptions of alcohol abuse.
I received an ARC of Robby by Jen Davis from Limitless Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Kinzie Things 