Here's Andi Jaxon's "The Substitute." It's the fourth novel in her New York Gods series.
["Competing with my step-brother for my roommates attention makes me hate him so much more than I already do.
I saved his life the same night I burned mine to the ground and now the guy who’s haunted my dreams for months is my new roommate. This should be great except I met him on the worst night of his life and all he sees is that I’m a hockey player.
Only made worse when my cocky, confident, infuriating step-brother, Savage, decides to flirt with Tobi to get under my skin.
Jealousy eats at me when I see life coming back into Tobi’s eyes when he smiles at his phone.
Savage knows it too, pushing me into competing for Tobi until my head is so twisted I don’t know what or who I want anymore.
Now I have to see his pretty face at my door and on the ice.
I can’t have my dream and both of them. The media will eat me alive.
Right?"]
This book hurt from sooo many angles. From the very first page, to very first meet ugly (then the re-meet-ugly). The backgrounds and baggages. The hurt-comfort (a looot of hurt). The traumas constantly popping up and being pushed back down.
At least they finally got to the comfort part of the hurt-comfort. They got to the fluff and the sweetness. They got to the vulnerability and trust. They got through the ugliness and to the beauty. It was far (sooo far) from easy. The triggers and the grievances (and the families) didn't help. But their love made them stronger, made them want to be better. These three deserved the HEA.
Trigger Warnings: abusive father, homophobic father, parental threats of financial abuse, parental domestic abuse discussed, parent with CTE, parent with depression (discussed not detailed), religious trauma mentioned from the past, religious school trauma/abuse mentioned in the past, implied conversion therapy (no details), hockey-related violence, mentions of skipping meals because of depression, MC has a hard time eating when he’s depressed, major depressive episode shown, racing thoughts/beginning of a panic attack, full panic attack, general trauma, suicide ideation in the past discussed, MC Contemplating suicide, past contemplation of suicide discussed, MC struggles to do basic self care because of depression, body dysmorphia, MC has body image anxiety when with a partner, MC mentions having PTDS from childhood, and more.
#booksprout #indieauthorcreative #arc #arcteammember
#onguard #theretreat #thepenalty #thesubstitue #thechallenge #newyorkgods #newyorkgodsseries #jrgray #andijaxon #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
No comments:
Post a Comment