Say It Right

Warning: Contains Several Trigger Topics

⭐ ⭐ Provided by NetGalley in Exchange for an Honest Review ⭐ ⭐

Judging a Book by it's Cover:
Two guys in a fun, friendly embrace, fully clothed. Pink/Purple wash seems to coat the cover. Guy in back has scary, strange arm conformations (bad photoshop job maybe?). Read and really liked book one, so the synopsis had no impact on my decision to read this book.
Looking Deeper:
I'm so sad... I love this author and loved the first book in the series, but this one did not meet the build-up my brain hoped it would. Do not mistake me, A.M. Arthur wrote a great book with complex characters, and once more managed to capture the soul-deep struggles of life that is less than ideal or perfect. However, there are many darker subject matters that come into play in this particular book and those topics really cast some deep shadows onto Marc and Anthony (Note: Topic could also be considered triggers, dealing with homelessness, prostitution, rape, drug and alcohol abuse and addiction, detoxing and addiction recovery, and testing positive for HIV - while not necessarily containing scenes of all of the aforementioned topics, all are addressed or implied).
Marcos (Marc) is the co-founder of the All Saints shelter. Anthony was his best friend growing up. They lost contact eight years ago when Marcos was kicked out of his house for being gay. Anthony (Tone) began a slow downward spiral after that without truly and fully understanding why. It's not until Tone's sister shows up at Marc's door begging for help that the two's paths cross once again. The bond they shared as youth is all that holds these two men together, but they are virtually strangers to one another currently, have dark pasts, trust issues and daily struggles. They are complex characters, prone to human error, but there's a minuscule ember still heated enough to combust if only they'd trust in one another enough... it's a slow, almost painfully so, process. Overall, Marc and Tone felt more like friends with benefits than a romantically involved couple.
The secondary characters are a good blend of old and new. Allowing it to be able to stand on it's own, but is more enjoyable if read in order. Cast interaction is believable, dialogue felt natural. The plot moved along smoothly and at a good pace, but lacked the depth and dynamics I'm used to from this author. The shy busboy from Half-Dozen has my curiosity piqued. There were a handful of minor conflicts, almost all of which were resolved in various fashions. I'd like to have seen the reporting culprit found out and see the shelter no longer subjected to the random inspections. Predictability was low. There were no fun surprises. The epilogue wraps most ends up, other than identifying the person or persons responsible for reporting All Saints regularly, but that may be a continuing story line for the next book.
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Rating: [R] ~ Score: 4.05 ~ Stars: 4
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