He can’t have the family he wants, but he may get the love he deserves.
Isaac didn’t expect to find love at his family’s Christmas dinner, but that was before he met his sister’s new fake boyfriend. Tall, muscular, and tattooed, Logan is what Isaac would love in a partner—and also everything his parents would hate in one. Not that they know Isaac’s gay.
That doesn’t stop him from dating Logan—unbeknownst to his parents, and with his sister’s approval after she fake dumps him. The pair dive into a whirlwind romance of motorcycle rides, cheesy puns, and hot sex. They meet each other’s friends and fill their time with happiness and laughter. It’s all perfect.
Until Isaac suggests they move in together, and Logan asks Isaac to come out to his parents. Isaac wants to, but he’s scared; he doesn’t want to lose his family. Unfortunately, he can’t see that his real family has been right beside him all along.
Hard Truths is my first of Alex Whitehall’s works, and I am happy to say that I enjoyed it a lot!
From the very beginning, I was drawn into Isaac’s life, delighting in the flirting between him and Logan, his sister’s boyfriend. When Isaac figures out that his sister, Sue, is not actually dating Logan, but rather pretending, it is a super cute and funny moment.
What follows is a sweet romance, interwoven with Isaac’s self-discovery, while dealing with “hard truths” he needs to face.
I find both Isaac and Logan to be lovable, smart, and funny; in addition to being very real and flawed.
Isaac’s story is not an easy read, since his parents are awful to him, both verbally and physically. They are racist, homophobic, and all around horrific people.
There are different types of family, which is a major theme throughout Hard Truths. Isaac is hard-pressed to believe he can create his own, the way Logan has, with a group of accepting friends. Instead, he continues to assume his birth family, warts and all, are the only family he can ever have. Thus he holds onto them with all of his strength, despite their deplorable treatment.
To be happy, Isaac will need to learn how to let go of them and their toxic behavior, and accept a group of friends as more important than his biological family. I love this subject matter, as many LGBTQ people do in fact end up creating their own families, full of friends who accept them.
One of the best lines is when a friend tells Isaac, “‘family isn’t those people who love you because they’re obligated; it’s the people who love you because they love you.’” I find this to be relevant for everyone, but even more so for those in the LGBTQ family.
Hard Truths is well written, with genuineness, relevance, and honesty. Alex Whitehall does a fantastic job creating a heartbreaking, emotional, and thoughtful journey in this story. Despite the horrific tone, they manage to provide a lot of sarcasm and clever lines throughout, making it lighter.
A copy of Hard Truths was provided to Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, by Riptide Publishing, at no cost and with no expectations in return. We offer our fair and honest opinion on behalf of our readers.
No comments:
Post a Comment