Hold On Fate We Make Book #2-
Suspense, Gay Romance, LGBTQ Romance
Independent
Oct 15, 2023
Kindle
332
Amazon
Sixteen long years behind bars. Almost half his life. But finally, freedom and a future Dominic can see. Yet as he steps into the world, a whispered threat shatters his hopes of a fresh start. He’ll never be able to stop looking over his shoulder.
Ren narrowly survives the most dangerous situation of his life, but at least his attackers think he’s dead. Spending the summer stuck on his brother’s archaeological dig isn’t his idea of fun, but it beats being fussed over by his mother. It’s as good a place as any to heal physical and mental scars, and he has plenty of those.
The roar of Ren’s motorbike is his lifeline, the one thing that makes him feel truly alive. But a moment’s lapse in concentration and he knocks Dominic off his feet. The accident brings together two damaged souls whose pasts won’t stay buried. With danger on their tail, hanging on to hope—and to each other—won’t be easy.
Join Dominic and Ren as they fight to keep the shadows of the past at bay and their future bright. In a world where love is fragile, two hearts learning to heal may just discover love is worth the risk.
WARNING
Please note that one of the main characters in the story is in prison for murder. Sexual, physical and psychological abuse of a child is mentioned but no on-page detail is given. Sexual abuse of an adult is also mentioned but not shown on-page. Suicide is also mentioned in passing but not part of the story. There is some graphic violence.
Reviewed by Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
A story about two men both trying to forget their pasts, pasts that have left each of them damaged. This is Ren Scott and Dominic Hammond’s story and in book one we first met Dominic now we get to really know him and learn how his parents and the justice system nearly destroyed him.
At the age of fifteen Dominic killed his parents in a way that I won’t reveal. Dominic was sexually, physically and mentally abused by both his mother and father, but he accepted what was done to him to save his brother Billy. Unfortunately, when Billy was ten his father made it clear that he was next in line for the abuse and all the promises he made to Dominic were lies. He couldn’t allow what he went through to affect his younger brother, the one person he loved above all others.
Dominic was sentenced to twelve years, and he hoped that after six he would be released, but instead of being released after six, ten more years were added to his sentence putting him behind bars for sixteen years, half his life. His brother was put with a foster family that gave him the love his parents never did so Dominic had to be thankful for, only now he wonders if he could have protected Billy in another way. When Adem Kilic came to Dominic’s cell requesting him to be his partner, with knife in hand a fight broke out and Adem died when the knife hit his artery. The other inmates pointed to Dominic, it was his knife and he deliberately killed Adem, and the guard backed up that story. Another case of the justice system failing.
Ren is with the London Metropolitan Police and was sent undercover to find information on Levan, a criminal with his hand in every evil enterprise and finally put him behind bars. Ren spoke the language, was Levan’s type and was perfect for the job until Ren revealed himself. When Levan caught Ren reading papers in Georgian his cover was blown. While he was undercover Levan made him is sexual plaything and using drugs was something he couldn’t get away from. Ren suffered at Levan’s hands multiple knife wounds in his chest, a beating that left him wishing for death and then being thrown into the river.
Dominic finally got out of prison and Billy, now calling himself Col, took him in, Col’s story in book one. Ren’s injuries required surgery and finally he was released and went to stay with his parents. Whether he could ever return to his job was up in the air but for now he is not the same man he was both physically and mentally. So, it is hard to believe that Ren hitting Dominic with his bike would bring these two damaged men together.
Dominic was not seriously injured but Ren was determined to make it up to him. They spent time together and although both were attracted to each other neither were ready to move on with their feelings. Dominic is trying to adjust to being out and learning about the new world he has entered. He knows that getting a job will be difficult and he is still under the thumb of the justice system, can’t move without telling them, can’t leave without permission, so even if he was able to travel it is not a possibility.
When they finally begin to see a future for themselves and put the past behind them someone from their past is looking for revenge, Adem’s brother or Levan who wants to finish what he started, kill Ren.
My heart went out to these two men and what they suffered, and nobody deserves a HEA more than they do.
The end of the book left me at the edge of my seat, it was nonstop suspense. Violence, secrets, betrayal, sex, romance and two men who braved the horrors inflicted on them and came out on top.