"Brilliantly written" A review of Past Hurts by Jessie G #mmromance #amreading

Abandoned by his mother and raised by a judgmental, homophobic father on the unforgiving streets of Overtown, Davin Monroe knows a lot about survival and little about love. As heir to the family business, Alaric Bennett’s innate strength makes him the pillar upon which the family problems fall but leaves him emotionally abandoned by those that need him.

One chance meeting and five beautiful years together do not prepare them for the dark, depraved jealousy threatening their hard earned happiness. Now a killer has forced Detective Monroe to face the past and the only man his heart has ever wanted. With only one shot at redemption, Alaric is determined to uncover to truth and bring his lover home.

When discovering the one secret that has kept them apart for eight years unravels an entire hidden life can Alaric and Davin survive the revelations that follow?

*This book is an m/m romance with D/s elements and contains flashbacks to sexual assault.*

BOOK REVIEW

I have to start by saying that this is a great story combining so many different elements. It's a murder/mystery, a police procedural and of course an m/m romance. I think the author did a great job in balancing all 3 elements that you don't feel lost at any point in time.

Davin is a great cop. I loved him. If you're a victim of crime or related to a victim of crime, he is the kind of cop you'd want investigating your case because he doesn't stop until he gets justice for the victims. Unfortunately the downside is that it takes a toll on his personal life. He is also a man carrying a lot of baggage. His mother abandoned him as a child, his father who raised him was homophobic and he was the victim of a horrific crime before he joined the police force.

This is where Alaric comes in. Alaric was Davin's boyfriend eight years ago before Davin was attacked and things took a turn for the worse for both of them. I'm not going to bother with spoilers here. You're going to have to read it to find out what happened between them.

Here is what didn't sit right by me. Alaric and his family. I struggled to like them let alone love them. They claimed they loved Davin but for eight years none of them bothered to reach out to him. Then the minute he walks through the door they are all hugging him like nothing's happened. I found that quite creepy and just fake. Never mind that Alaric was stalking him for those eight years. That's a whole other kettle of fish. 

That aside, this is a brilliantly written book. Davin is such a great character, he carried the story for me and I fell in love with him right from the first page. The police investigations and the mystery surrounding the crimes being investigated kept the pace of the story at a level I enjoyed and I loved the way the story unravelled. Once I started reading this I didn't want to put it down. Go and grab a copy.

*Disclaimer: This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.