Life hasn’t been good to Jeb Birchman. When he attempted to
escape his abusive, zealot father, he found himself on the streets, making a
living the only way he knew how, the victim of more violent men—one of whom orchestrates
a series of vicious attacks that leave Jeb deaf. Now that he’s aged beyond his
latest client’s interest, Jeb knows he needs to escape his risky lifestyle
before it’s too late. Seeing one last chance for himself, he earns a GED and
enrolls in college.
Freddy Williams enjoys a life that couldn’t be more different from what Jeb has
survived. He loves sports, being a personal trainer, and hanging out with
friends. The son of deaf parents, Freddy is an outspoken advocate of the Deaf
community and works as an interpreter at his college. When he meets Jeb at the
bookstore, he’s struck by how attractive he is, and as they get to know each
other, he finds Jeb’s good heart just as appealing. By the time he learns of
Jeb’s past, it’s only a few steps behind them, and Freddy must make a choice
between school and his familiar routine and protecting the man he’s falling in
love with.
Book 1
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Dreamspinner Press
Reviews by the
Wicked Reads Review Team
Sarah –
☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars
This is a dark, gritty story and I thoroughly connected with the main
character’s fight to restart his life on his own terms. Jeb’s transition from
prostitute/houseboy to disabled college student is difficult and I loved his
determination.
While I loved Jeb’s character, I still can’t decide what I think about Freddy.
It felt too convenient that Jeb’s first college connection is a guy whose
parents are both deaf. And while Jeb feels older than his years at times,
Freddy feels really young and frat-boyish for much of the story. I understood
Jeb taking on parental responsibilities, but there are times Freddy isn’t
mature enough to sort his own emotions out let alone take on the weight of Jeb’s
brutal past. I liked these two together by the end, but some of the sex scenes
are oddly written and I struggled to feel any heat in the relationship.
The strength of this story is in Jeb’s personal struggle to accept his hearing
loss. His denial, his angst, his discomfort with the deaf community feel honest
and truthful. His battles with university bureaucracy and his determination to
succeed at college were very moving. These very human scenes make this story
and this character memorable.
I enjoyed some of the suspense and action, but my reservation with this book is
that there is just too much story here for one novel. Jeb moving from his dark
past and adjusting to life as a college student would have been enough of a
story on its own. Adding the corrupt politician, the corrupt cop, the revenge
seeking pimp, the abused child, the witness protection program, the bigoted
parents… my head was spinning by the midpoint and I struggled to keep
everything and everyone straight in my head. There are enough plot threads here
to support a series and the result is erratic pacing and storylines that aren’t
fully developed.
Avid Reader –
☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars
M/M Romance
Triggers: Click
HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger
warnings.
There is a lot going on in this story. It seems that there are three very
distinct storylines and sometimes they overlap and sometimes they stand alone.
Jeb is a sex slave. He has found the one way that he can survive. After leaving
his home – running away from his abusive father – he didn't have many skills. However,
he found that sex paid. After finding himself in a very compromising situation,
he's hurt, scared, and running for his life. Skip ahead, he's with Nolan, who
is an abusive jerk-wad. You can see that Jeb is used to being treated poorly –
it's something that he has grown accustomed to. The main issue he is having is
that Nolan has agreed to pay for his education, despite Jeb saying he cannot
"work" with Nolan anymore. You also have to factor in Max, Nolan's
son, whom Jeb watches over and protects.
Freddy is the next person to really come into the story. I found him to be
slightly confusing and frustrating. He wants to have a relationship with Jeb,
but comes from a very different life. His parents know sign language and he has
always known sign language. What he doesn't understand is how Jeb can survive
without that skill or the other helpful tools that other deaf students use (i.e.,
recording devices, note takers, etc.). When Jeb and Freddy come across each
other, Freddy is immediately friendly, which makes Jeb slightly suspicious. But
then, Freddy has so many mood swings that it is hard to track where he is
coming from and what exactly he wants.
Finally, you have Max. He runs to Jeb when his father goes too far. Max knows
comfort from Jeb and despite knowing what Jeb was doing for his father, knows
that Jeb will protect him too. This turns into more of the story than Jeb and Freddy's
romance. I think that this is the part of the story that I liked the most.
Nolan is after all people related to his lifestyle and that most definitely
includes Jeb and Max. When they are all in danger, there is even a slight
mystery to the story, which I liked a lot.
Overall, this love story was very up and down and I didn't think that Jeb and Freddy
had a lot of chemistry. It was almost that they were together due to
circumstance. It was just an okay story as a whole for me.
KI grew up in small-town nowhere pretending that meteor showers were aliens
invading, turning wildflowers into magic potions, and reading more than was
probably healthy. Ki had one amazing best friend, one endlessly out of grasp
“true love,” and a personal vendetta against normalcy.
Now as an adult living in Erie, Pennsylvania, Ki enjoys the sandy beaches,
frigid winters, and a wonderful fancy water addiction. Seriously, fancy waters…
who knew there were so many different kinds? It’s just water… and yet…
Ki shares this life with a Muse, a Sugar Plum, and two wonderful children.
Connect with Ki
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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided
a free copy of Trust Trade (Gem City Grit #1) by Ki Brightly to read and review.
Day 9
