Short Take Reviews: Tru Blue | The Sinner | Dark Room Etiquette

 

Tru Blue

by Melissa Foster

Format: Trade Paperback

Source: Author

Truman (Tru) has been released from prison (for a crime he didn’t commit) and is working to craft a new life for himself. When he responds to his brother’s frantic call that their mother has overdosed, he arrives on the scene to find two children (a half-brother and half-sister) that he never even knew existed. Tru was determined to ensure their lives would be better – they would know safety, stability, and love, unlike his own childhood with a drug-addicted mother. Enter Gemma, who he meets the same night as he rescues the children, while trying to buy necessities for their care. Gemma is sweet and selfness and quickly steps in to help Tru. While I had whiplash at how lightning fast their relationship progressed – in the span of a week (or less) they were in a serious relationship – I couldn’t help but be taken in by the love Tru had for his siblings. His devotion, his protectiveness, and his care went straight to my heart. Beyond the insta-love and some occasional cheesy dialogue, I enjoyed this short and sweet story. 4 stars

The Sinner

by Emma Scott
Format: Kindle
Source: Kindle Unlimited

If you’re looking for a love story that showcases an all-consuming, soul-deep, everlasting love, look no further. Shy, introverted Lucy lives a solitary life and is still grieving the loss of her beloved father. When she finds a battered man (with black feathered wings) in the alley outside her apartment, her life takes a dramatic turn. Casziel is a demon (actually a demon prince) and tells Lucy he is seeking redemption and enlists her help. As Caz’s background and true motivation are revealed, the tortured (anti)hero showed a selflessness that was breathtaking in its purity. With mutual pining, redemption, and three epic epilogues, Emma Scott delivered a tale of a love so true that it could transcend time. 4 stars

Dark Room Etiquette

by Robin Roe
Format: Kindle
Source: Overdrive/Libby

Dark Room Etiquette left me seriously conflicted. My feelings about Sayer and his story did a gradual but dramatic shift over the course of the book. Sayer and his friends showed a shocking lack of empathy and I was appalled at their casual cruelty. I found them all loathsome. Then Sayer was kidnapped. What happened after that was a slow and disturbing descent into Sayer’s trauma and the psychological toll it exacted. By the time Sayer was questioning his own memories, his own identity (and even his sanity), I had moved from loathing him, to being horrified for him, to wanting to take his hand and lead him to safety. His struggle in the aftermath to reclaim a life he no longer recognized, and simply learn to be an individual again, was heartbreaking but hopeful. Robin Roe crafted a story that went much darker than I expected, and I found myself thinking about Sayer long after I turned the last page. 4 stars

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