HIS TRUTH
RILEY HART
M/M ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 03.29.18
COVER DESIGN: X-Potion Designs
BLURB
They were only kids when they met for the first time. Leo Mancini was the son of a judge. Roman Cipriani the son of a criminal. So different, yet as they shared stolen kisses and secret moments, they fell in love. One day they would run away together, have the future they deserved, because no one loved Leo like Roman did, or Roman like Leo did. But before they could make their dreams come true, their future was viciously stolen and their lives changed forever.
Roman has spent the last twelve years repressing the trauma in his past, trying to pretend it didn’t exist, until even he believed his own lies.
Leo won’t let himself forget what happened because he doesn’t ever want to be that person again. He won’t become the man his father wanted him to be or the guy who gets hurt when he lets someone in.
But in that split second when their eyes meet again, everything changes. Despite Leo’s anger and Roman’s denial, the connection they shared as teens is still there, too powerful to deny. Now, when their moments don’t have to be stolen, they cling to what they’ve always craved—each other.
Roman and Leo aren’t kids anymore, though—they can’t lock themselves away from the world and pretend nothing exists but each other. A trauma like Roman suffered doesn’t just go away, but now that Roman accepts his truth, can the two of them escape their demons before they destroy Roman and Leo a second time?
5 ++ Stars!
While Leo’s father provided him with anything he needed or wanted financially, he was neglectful and hard on Leo, definitely emotionally abusive to him.
Roman’s father, on the other hand, was just a complete monster. He bullied and beat his son and forced him to sell drugs for him and participate in other criminal activities. When he discovers Leo and Roman’s relationship, well, it isn’t pretty and that’s putting it mildly.
In the aftermath of being discovered, Leo and Roman lose contact, but now, 12 years later, they come face to face again.
This is tough, I loved the book but I’m not sure I have the right words in me to make my review do the story Ms. Hart wrote justice, but I’ll try.
My heart broke for both of these young men. Roman and Leo are both broken, but they have coped with the aftermath of their decade long separation completely different. Leo is now an out and proud man living off his meager wages as a bartender. He refuses to be anything like his father. While Roman went to college and made himself a success and escaped his neighborhood, but he has also lived as a straight man for the past 12 years. Running into one another at a club completely turns both their lives upside down.
My favorite types of characters are the broken ones and my favorite trope is second chances, so Riley ticked all my boxes with His Truth and she did so perfectly. Although heartbreaking at times to read, I absolutely loved watching Roman and Leo reconnect and fall in love with each other all over again. I enjoyed watching Roman learn how to live as his true self instead of the persona he’d created over the last twelve years.
The love these two men shared shone through on each and every page and only grew in intensity as their love grew. I was really pleased with the way Ms. Hart handled Roman facing his past and coming to terms with being an openly gay man. It felt realistic. The chemistry between Roman and Leo was out of this world and the sex was smoking hot! (Nobody does filthy talk like Riley Hart)
All in all, this was an emotional, yet very enjoyable read, filled with heartbreak, sweetness, friendship and love. Very recommendable!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
4.5 Stars!
Only a few pages in and I was crying. Roman and Leo completely broke my heart and I couldn’t put their story down.
At 16 years old, Roman and Leo suffered a trauma that forever changed the course of their lives and altered who they’d thought they were and who they would become. 12 years later, a chance meeting flips their lives upside down once again and they are forced to face the pain and fear of their past, present and future. But things have changed since they were those unknowing teens and picking up and starting fresh is hard to do when you have a pain as deep as theirs.
This was an incredible journey Roman and Leo are forced to take in order to exorcise the demons of their past and to hopefully figure out who they are once and for all. It’s also a story of forgiveness, love and acceptance. It’s not a sweet, romantic book about second chance love. His Truth is beautiful in its own way as it explores homophobia, abuse, self-worth and fear. There are moments that made me cry and moments that made me smile. There were scenes where the chemistry between these men permeates off the page and others in which I was able to feel the pain they were experiencing.
Roman is such a lost soul. He’s sweet and sensitive yet broody and vulnerable. I loved the dichotomy that was him. He could be so brave and so dominant yet so fragile and hard to read. What he is put through by his father and brother made my heart ache for him.
Leo was the picture of tough and independent yet he was quite a bit more fragile when it came to Roman. It was very interesting to see how he’d changed so much from the schoolboy to the man.
Together they were awesome. There is a lot of pain between them that make things hard but the way they seem to be drawn to one another really made up for it. These two men truly needed one another.
Overall, His Truth was very well written and I would recommend it wholeheartedly.
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***
EXCERPT
It was close to ten when Roman’s phone rang. His pulse kicked up, and when he saw Leo’s name on the screen, he fumbled ridiculously picking it up. It was Friday night, so he’d assumed Leo would be at work. He hadn’t expected to hear from him. “Hello?”
“Hey, Tough Guy. What are you doing?” Roman wasn’t sure why, but his pulse sped again at the old nickname. He listened but didn’t hear music or anything in the background. “You didn’t have to work tonight?” he asked.
“I’m on break. I borrowed the keys to someone’s car, so I’m sitting in it. Needed some quiet. How was work?”
“Work was work. I had too many meetings and a few unhappy clients.”
“Sounds like your day was about as good as mine.”
They were quiet for a few moments. Roman wasn’t sure what to say. There was something different about Leo right now, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. “What did you do today?” he finally asked.
“Nothing important.”
Leo’s words sounded like a lie. No, he knew they were a lie. He’d always been able to tell when Leo was having a bad day or wasn’t being truthful with him. “I don’t believe you.”
There was a soft chuckle on the other end of the line. “I never could lie to you. I went to see my parents. It was a shitty day. I don’t want to talk about it. Where are you?”
Curiosity almost made him refuse to answer Leo’s question, but somehow he knew now wasn’t the time to talk about it. That wasn’t what Leo needed. “Lying in my bed.” At ten on a Friday night. He really needed to get a life. What would Leo do after work tonight? Would he bring someone home with him? The thought made Roman’s gut churn, but it wasn’t as if he had any claim on Leo. They hadn’t discussed anything.
“Have you done what I told you to do?” Leo asked, confusing him.
“What was that?”
“Finger yourself. Get to know your body.”
Roman immediately tensed up and hated himself for it. There was nothing wrong with masturbating. He’d jerked off too many times to count. Most people did, but this was different.
“Do it for me now, Ro,” Leo said, obviously not needing Roman to answer him.
“What? No.”There was a voice in his head telling him it wasn’t a big deal. Phone sex. People did it all the time. He felt like a novice when it came to being sexual. He’d worked hard to please Amy or other women he’d been with, but he wasn’t the kind of man who had phone sex or anything like that.
“Yes. You can do it. I don’t have much time, though. Let’s see…If I can make you come before I get back to work, what do I get?”
Roman didn’t answer. The truth was, he couldn’t imagine putting a finger up his own ass while he was on the phone with Leo.
“The only way to move forward is to let go of the past.”Leo’s words burst through his thoughts. They were true, another truth Roman needed to accept.
“Are you wearing anything?” Leo asked.
“Just my underwear.”
“Take them off for me. You have such a beautiful body. I couldn’t stop looking at it the other night.”
It was clearly a distraction, but…fuck, Roman thought maybe he wanted this too. Wanted to let loose and just do the kinds of things people dating did. He didn’t want to think about things that hurt or things that were hard, and he knew Leo didn’t either.
Roman did his best to turn his brain off, took a deep breath, and pulled his underwear down his legs. He kicked out of them and then pushed the blanket down so he was completely bare in the middle of his bed. “Okay, they’re off,” Roman told him, realizing he really wanted to do this. “How should I lie?”
Riley Hart is the girl who wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s a hopeless romantic, a lover of sexy stories, passionate men, and writing about all the trouble they can get into together.
She loves reading, flawed characters, and hanging out with her husband and children, who she adores. She and her family live in Southern California, soaking up the sunshine while also missing seasons. Not a day goes by that she isn’t thankful she gets to wake up and do what she loves.
Life is good. Riley also writes young adult and new adult under the name Nyrae Dawn.
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