Monday, October 19, 2015

The World As He Sees It by A.M. Arthur


Love knows no limits…but fear could keep them from seeing it.

Gabe lives a double life. As Gabriel Henson, he works multiple jobs to support his remorseless, alcoholic mother. As Tony Ryder, he does internet porn for extra cash and regular safe sex without complications.

Yet when he encounters a scared young man freaking out in a night club, he’s compelled to reach out. Ever since then, the memory of that young man has haunted him.

Tristan Lavelle lives his life thirty minutes at a time. After a traumatic brain injury three years ago, he gets through his day recording his life in spiral notebooks and sticky note reminders.

A month after Tristan’s embarrassingly public meltdown, another chance meeting with Gabe sparks a warm, emotionally fulfilling email relationship. Both men crave more, but fear of the next step stands between them.

Until Tristan gets the opportunity to take part in a clinical trial that could improve his memory—if the side effects don’t kill him. But for Tristan, the possibility of a real life with Gabe is worth any risk…

Warning: Contains two damaged but lovable heroes, secret-keeping friends with good intentions, and an abundance of inappropriate food innuendo.

Add to Goodreads


Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Samhain Publishing



Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica☆☆☆☆
3 – 4 Stars. I'm undecided, so I went with 4 stars.

The World As He Sees It encompasses patience for me. Gabriel is the most patient person I've ever seen written, bypassing Noel from book #1 (Both with Debbie – his mother – and Tristan). Tristan has short-term memory issues from a bashing that happened 3 years prior. He has no recollection of the past three years except for things that are with repetition (he can remember a weekly visit with Noel, but not what time he has eaten every day for over 1000s of days was a bit odd to me).

Gabe and Tristan met in book 1, and meet again in the beginning of book 2, where Tristan recognizes Gabriel's eyes. It's an instant connection, yet sweet in a way that insta-lust/insta-love seems to lack. It's on a cerebral and chemical wavelength.

I enjoyed the characters so much. The story is sweet and heartfelt, but I couldn't seem to connect as I had with Noel and Shane in book 1. The pacing is much slower, seeming to drag on with scenes of a similar nature shown several times over. I understand the slow pacing is to show Tristan's growth (I won't explain why as I refuse to ruin the story. Just read the book). But I lost interest in the slow movement of the storyline.

Gabe had one thought in mind: nurture. He was very patient and nurturing with his mother, and he couldn't save her from herself, so he moved onto Tristan. He, however, was very developed. The reader understood how he felt about all things.

I loved Tristan in book one and for the most part of book 2, but he seemed to have a one-track mind that annoyed me a bit. He was lonely, so that translated simply into sex. While having short-term memory issues, he still remembered 20 years of his life. Yet his actions and reactions were rather childish, almost like a 7 year old would behave with the excitement. So I had a hard time when his actions mirrored this while he was asking for sex. I had a difficult time connecting with Tristan. I felt his memory issues were written well, but at the expense of other emotions and inner monologue he would have had. He couldn't remember an hour ago, that didn't mean he didn't feel a vast array of emotions or was without thought.

Gabe and Tristan had good chemistry on the pages. Their conversations were complex, and you could feel Gabe connecting with Tristan. But I didn't feel it the other way around. Their sexy time was hot, but instantaneous.

Overall, The World As He Sees It was a great addition to this series, and I look forward to others to come.


Angie☆☆☆☆☆
OH MY GOD…..so I loved Tristan in the first book, how could you not? This book made me love him even more. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to only remember 30 minutes at a time and have to write everything down to re-read later. A little of the first part of the book is an overlap of the previous book, it relives the time Gabe and Tristan met at the club. You could read this book as a stand-alone but I think you get more out of it if you read them both. You will have back story on Noel and Shane and even a little on Gabe. I love how patient Gabe is with Tristan and how he isn’t willing to give up and the fact that he is even ok with things that never progress, he likes Tristan and he will take whatever he can get. This was a beautiful love story. I loved it and had to read it all in one sitting. I can’t wait for the next book in the series and I hope we get to see more of all the previous characters in it.

Characters: Well written and believable
Sex: Oh yeah!
Religious: No
Would I recommend to others: Yes
More than one book in the series: Yes
Genre: M/M Romance
Would I read more by this author: Yes


Shannan☆☆☆☆
When I finished The Truth as He Knows It I couldn't wait to start The World As He Sees It. I had to know what was next for Tristan. I fell in love with his character in book one and really hoped for his HEA. Memory loss like Tristan's wasn't something that I have read before. The author wrote the condition and the effects of his injury very well.

There is the insta-love factor but given Tristan's condition it was understandable and somewhat believable. I loved the inclusion of Shane and Noel. I liked seeing things with Gabe and Tristan from his point of view.

I don't know if there is more to this series, but I would definitely keep reading about these characters.


Ruthie☆☆☆☆☆
This is the second in a series, and whilst it could be read as a standalone, it follows directly on from the first and would give a fuller story if read together. I am assuming you do know the contents of the first when writing this review.

We know about Tristan's debilitating injury from book 1. He cannot hold memories for more than half an hour; a condition which has left him living in a residential home with just one friend, Noel to rely on for company. His parents pay for his care, but do not visit him ever, having disowned him after the attack he suffered at the hands of homophobes. He is however ready to have a normal life, if he can. Gabe, who witnessed and supported Tristan after a meltdown is more than keen to get to know him better – but can it really work? We take this hopeful and rather frightening journey with them both – and it is both romantic, and hot and steamy, as they find ways to move forward and together. Noel and Shane feature large in the story, so we catch up on their romance too.

All in all a hopeful, funny, moving read, which manages to combine a hot sexy story with some really deep and intense issues.


Also Available in the Perspectives Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Samhain Publishing

For reviews & more info, check out our The Truth As He Knows It post.



No stranger to the writing world, A.M. Arthur has been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long. She credits an early fascination with male friendships and "bromance" (and "The Young Riders") with her later discovery of and subsequent affair with m/m romance stories. When not writing, she can be found in her kitchen, pretending she's an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.

Connect with A.M.

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https://www.netgalley.com/


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The World As He Sees It (Perspectives #2) by A.M. Arthur to read and review.

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