“The only way I’ll ever let you go is if I’m six feet under.” I glide the tip of my nose down the length of his nape, enjoying the hitch in his breath and the way his body shivers against mine. “It’s till death do us part, baby. And we’re both still here.”
As this story starts, we witness husbands, Leo and Jesse experience the worst day of their lives as their family suffers an unimaginable loss. Things pick back up about a year later and we see how their loss affected their lives and their relationship. The rest of the story is told in alternating timelines – then and now. We’re shown how happy they were at the start and through major milestones in their relationship and it’s contrasted by how broken and lost they are in the present day and not knowing if they’ll be able to find their way back.
He is my rock, and my rock is cracking, and it’s all my fault.
Ultimately, this was a beautifully told story but you’re going to have to work for the good stuff. If you’re concerned about triggers, please visit the author’s website to review the warnings because I imagine the subject matter will be very difficult for many readers. It’s heartbreaking for sure and the fallout from the loss was not easy to read. I’m glad we had the “then” chapters interspersed with the “now” chapters. Even if it made the “now” situation even sadder seeing how things once were, seeing these happier moments helped break things up. Everything they were going through felt realistic, it felt like a totally believable way for a family to react in that type of situation. Jesse, ever the protector, was just trying to hold his family together even as he was approaching his own breaking point. Then there was Leo, he didn’t want to hurt his husband, but he was so lost and couldn’t find a way to turn things around. There were some truly heartbreakingly beautiful moments between these two men as they worked to put themselves back together again.
He is fucking beautiful, and in this moment I hate him for it. I hate him for being everything I love and everything that hurts.
This was actually the first book I’ve read from Marley Valentine but I really enjoyed her writing. This was by no means a light read but I really enjoyed reading it. I’m definitely going to check out some of her other books – particularly Without You since the characters from that story made an appearance in this book! If you’re feeling brave and/or looking for a book that’ll beat your heart up a little before patching it back up, you should definitely give this one a shot!
We aren’t just bound together by marriage vows, we are tethered. Like magnets, my soul couldn’t detach itself from his no matter how hard I tried.
The Book Boyfriend Addict 