Reviewed by JustJen
Title: See My Words
Author: Melanie Hansen
Series: Spectrum Nights #2
Heroes: Scott Ashworth/Rylan Mahoney
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 278 Pages
Publisher: Ninestar Press
Release Date: April 24, 2017
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Successful underwear model Scott Ashworth is lucky—his attack at the hands of an unknown assailant will leave no visible scars. His professional goals are still within reach, and best of all, his stepbrother Rylan Mahoney is back in his life, their teenage infatuation at last getting the chance to deepen into something more.
Thrown together by the circumstances of Scott’s injury, Rylan’s long-dormant feelings for him are quickly rekindled, though he’s haunted by the memory of Scott’s disappearance on the night of his eighteenth birthday and the six missing years that followed. Rylan pushes Scott for the truth, a firm believer in the maxim that secrets lose their power once they’re shared—but resurrecting old demons almost always comes with a price.
Before Scott knows it, his life is spiraling out of control, his toxic insecurities welling up to threaten the fragile relationship he’s building with Rylan. Learning to let go of the past and believe in himself will be Scott’s greatest challenge, or else he risks losing Rylan forever this time.
Review: First things first – you must read the previous book, Pieces of Me, first, or this story will just not work, in my opinion. I struggled a bit with it even having read Scott and Rylan’s beginning, but it definitely helps give insight on their issues.
This picks up where Pieces of Me left off, with Rylan taking care of Scott after his attack. Scott is one messed up dude, but it goes way beyond what is happening here. They say that adult behavior can be traced back to childhood events, and that is definitely the case with Scott. He grew up believing he was not worth anything but his good looks, which is pretty much all he had going for him and which he capitalized on to this day. But, inside, he still doesn’t believe he is worthy of much, let alone Rylan.
Rylan, on the other hand, knows where Scott has come from, has chosen to be there and pick up the pieces whenever he can. He puts up with a lot from Scott, and whereas the previous book delved deeper into Scott’s character, this one focuses more on his actions, which I made it difficult at times to care about him. The info and story was there, but the delivery felt a little off and didn’t suck me in as it did the first time. I spent much of this story wanting to smack some sense into Scott to get with the program, and half the time wanting to tell Rylan to just move on with his life and away from this unhealthy relationship.
But, they stick it out, as did I, and they eventually worked past a few issues. Their relationship is far from perfect and still has a long way to go, but things are definitely looking up for them. While I was not nearly as moved by this as I was by Pieces of Me, I think many will enjoy this emotional and well-written story about overcoming a crappy childhood and subsequent issues, being with your first love and finding happiness, love and support where you once didn’t believe it was deserved.
Overall Impression: I really liked it
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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