I didn't like the first two books in this series. I actually downright hated the second one. I gave it two stars and forgot all about it. BUT THIS!!! I've loved every MM romance she's written so far. I don't know, but I think she writes trauma best when it's experienced by closeted, repressed queer men. Quick confession: even though I loved God of Fury, my favorite Rina Kent MM romance is Kiss the Villain. I know that's an unpopular opinion because I've heard a lot of negative things about that book, but Kayden and Gareth are just it for me. They hit the spot every time I reread their story. Going back to Marcus and Preston. I simply loved them. Thanks to Chloe Walsh and Releasing 10, I now have deep emotional trauma whenever CSA appears in a book. So you can imagine how I felt when I found out what happened to Preston when he was 7 years old. (I'd completely forgotten about what happened with the teacher when he was 11 because, like I said, I'd erased the first two books from my brain). Marcus was definitely what Preston needed. Someone gentle and patient, but also someone who pushed him toward healing and set healthish boundaries. I think the most important thing is that Marcus recognized Preston's demons but never enabled them. He could've let Preston continue down his usual self-destructive path. Instead, encouraged him to try to get better. To choose life, to choose him , instead of the quietness of death. Preston, my ray of sunshine, you're not rotten inside. You're not even broken, just bent. Love can lift you up, and working on yourself can help you heal. I hope you get everything you want from now on. Trauma played a part in shaping you, but it doesn't define you. It's true that the child you could've been no longer exist and never will, but you're not just that. You can decide who you want to be from now on. Cheers to the people who stayed. Lean on them.
