Reviewed by Roberta
TITLE: Ever The Same
AUTHOR: BA Tortuga
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 256 Pages
BLURB:
Audie Barrack is in it up to his elbows with a sick calf when his son’s school calls. Seems Grainger has gotten into yet another fight. When he walks into the principal’s office, he’s shocked to find his son has been fighting with a little girl named Randi.
A little girl with one blind dad and one dad who recently passed away.
Goddammit.
Dixon has lost his sight, his career, and his husband. Thank God for his brothers, Momma and Daddy, and his little girl, or he would simply give up. The last thing he needs is for Randi to start trouble at school, especially trouble that puts him in contact with another dad who might expect him to be a functional human being.
Dixon is struggling to live as a blind man, Audie is terrified someone might see he has a closet to come out of, and everyone from the school to both men’s families is worried for the men and their children. Unless they get themselves together and commit to change, neither of them stands a chance.
REVIEW:
Wow, I’ve only read a single BA Tortuga book, Terms of Release and I really liked that book, so I was interested in seeing if I could fall in love again with a book that would make me FEEL. It Did!!
Audie Barrack is this sweet, loving young man who as a teenager was in love with his best friend and in order for them to be together was to have a girl in the mix. The girl got pregnant and Audie ended up with a wonderful son, Grainger.. Audie wants to be able to live his own life, however, he doesn’t have a reason to. Until….
Dixon’s life is in a state of flux. Dixon was in a horrible car accident that killed his husband and left him blind. For the last year he has left his life in Austin and has lived with his parents, his younger brother Dalton and his young daughter, Randi. Dixon doesn’t know what to do with his life. Randi is truly the only thing that is keeping him going. Dixon feels so damn useless now. He had a life in Austin, his career and this wonderful life. Now, Dixon has no Ron and no life. Dixon is just stagnant and he needs something or someone to help him remember just what life is all about. Enter Audie and Grainger.
Now, the secondary characters…Audie’s mother is the kind of woman who has her beliefs and she doesn’t want to hear or believe that her son is gay. She refuses to consider it. That means, Audie has hidden who he was because it means not having to deal with his overbearing mother. Audie works on the family farm that came from his mother’s family. She holds that over Audie’s head. As you can tell, I didn’t much care for her. Dixon’s Momma…well, I’m unsure how I feel about her. She loves her son…that’s plain. I just think that the way she goes about it…not the best. Dixon’s father…he really brought it as a loving father and one who wanted his son to fight back. Dalton…Dixon’s youngest brother, Dalton….is was a typical teenager and yet…he loves his older brother and his niece. Grainer and Randi…I can’t even write about them separately. These two wonderful kids who brought their fathers together…they just ROCKED!! They were so well written and didn’t overshadow this story. They added the perfect element to the budding romance between Audie and Dixon. They were a huge part of Audie and Dixon’s thoughts and needs. Perfectly done.
There was a bit of sex in this story and I will say that he intimate scenes didn’t overwhelm the story and/or the relationship. The intimate scenes weren’t explicit, yet you could feel the emotion between the two of them. Sex wasn’t the basis of their relationship of being together, it only enhanced and enriched their relationship.
This was such a wonderful story! You get to see these two men who were not perfect, yet they were perfect for each other. Such wonderful fully dimensional characters in this story that allow you to truly see who they are and what they are about. Great secondary characters that truly helped our MC’s grow not only as individuals, but also as men and fathers. I will also state that I love the fact that Dixon’s blindness didn’t get “fixed”. He was blind and staying that way. He had to learn to deal and to learn to live his life as a blind man. I really, really liked that.
So, sit back and grab a cool drink and be taken on a wonderful journey of two men as they move from becoming two to one. This story was in turns fun and lighthearted to sad and hurtful. You take on so many emotions and yet, you’re pulling for these guys and just are sad when the journey’s over.
RATING: 
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