Saving Michael by Ashley John - 5 Star ARC review
Blurb:
The Deputy Sheriff of Surf Bay has hit rock bottom. After pushing his boyfriend away with his drunken, violent behavior, Michael doesn’t have any reason to live anymore. Sleeping in his car and on his father’s couch, Michael is spiraling further and further into a dark pit as he drinks himself to death.
The local vet, Caleb, is young, attractive and full of life. His passion is saving the animals that pass through his surgery, but when the very place he loves is engulfed in flames, it’s up to the local, drunk police officer to save him from the fire. After being saved, Caleb invites Michael to his mother’s annual Christmas party to make his ex, Ace, jealous, but as Michael and Caleb get closer, Caleb knows there’s more to the dark void of sadness that fills Michael, than first meets the eye.
He makes it his mission to save Michael, but is Michael beyond saving? Michael witnessed something horrific as a child that changed the course of his life forever, but will he be able to bring justice to the memories of his past so he can have a future?
Tracy’s Review
This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review
Saving Michael
5 gut-wrenching stars
In Saving Micheal we learn what caused the downward spiral. He witnessed something horrible as a young child, his mothers murder and was never the same after.
Caleb is the local Vet. Caleb literally runs into Michael one Morning, and later that night Michael rescues the young Vet from a fire at his Veterinary Clinic. Caleb is drawn to Micheal. He wants to Save Michael. But is he too late? Is Michael beyond saving?
I'll be honest.. After the beating Michael gave Porter in Full Circle, I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book. In reality a Leopard doesn't change his spots. Once an abuser, always an abuser. It was very hard to be inside Michael's head. To read what Michael witnessed as a child and the way he was treated by his father, you can understand why he went down the path he did. To keep all that hurt and anger bottled up for years. To try and numb the pain with alcohol. To think that life is just too much, too painful and not worth living. I love broken characters, but depressed characters hit close to home and are sometimes very hard to read. I also know that anger is depression turned inside out, and the two go hand in hand. I know you lash out, most of the time for no good reason, at the people you love the most. Add alcohol to the mix, and it becomes a lethal combination. I can't imagine this was an easy book for Ashley to write. I was only inside Michael's head for a few days, he spent months there, writing this character, and he did a superb job at it.
Caleb is the polar opposite of Michael. He grew up in a loving family environment. He was and is still well taken care of by his parents. He has a great and loving relationship with his sister. He is accepted for who he is, and who he chooses to love. Caleb is a very happy go lucky kind of guy. He always has a smile on his face and can see the good in everyone. He sees the glass as half full, not half empty. He doesn't give up. He sees what he wants, and goes after it. He wants Michael and he hounds and pesters him until Michael eventually can't resist his charm anymore.
Michael is scared, because he is drawn to Caleb. Caleb awakens feelings in Micheal that he doesn't think he deserves to feel. He is terrified of hurting Caleb, and repeating the pattern his father set into place so long ago. He feels he is evil and unworthy of the friendship, and later, the love Caleb offers him. I eventually saw in Micael what Caleb was drawn to. I too wanted to save Michael. I wanted to protect him from the evil things he had witnessed as a child. I wanted to protect him from his abusive drunk, father.
This book is dark and sad, but don't worry, it isn't all doom and gloom. Caleb's character brings a bright shining light to it. These two characters balanced the story out nicely, so you didn't spend the whole book, frustrated, sad and angry. Caleb makes you want to smile and laugh. The secondary characters, Calebs family, especially his mother had me in stitches. She was hilarious!! Caleb and Michael have a great chemistry.
This book really touched me in a way not many do. Ashley yanked my heart out and ripped it up, then he put it back together for me. The story flows well and is well written. As I said I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this book, but it turned out to be the best by far in the series. I am looking forward to reading more by Ashley in the future!!
About Ashley:
Ashley John lives in the North of England with his fiancé Reece, and his cat Jeremy. Ashley is a lover of love and a lover of life, and that's why he writes Romance novels. He's a sucker for gripping love story. His characters are fighters, strong and complex, and they'll do anything to get the happy endings they deserve (and there are usually a lot of tears and heartache along the way!). Ashley is best known for his best selling George & Harvey series and The Surf Bay Series. When Ashley isn't writing, he uses his creativity to paint and draw, and when he's not being creative, he's usually taking a nap.
Finding Ashley Around The Web:
Buying The Surf Bay Series at Amazon
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