Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: The Articles of Release
SERIES: The Release Series #2
AUTHOR: BA Tortuga
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 220 Pages
BLURB:
Just released from the military, wounded warrior Eric Tremaine is trying to put his life back together like the doctors reassembled his shattered leg. He’s a man with no home, since his Louisiana family rejected him, so Eric winds up in Texas with his old Army buddy, Adam Winchester, and his lover, Sage.
When Eric decides to stop sitting on his ass feeling sorry for himself, he is introduced to trainer Troy Daniels, who lost both his legs in a teenage accident. Troy knows what it’s like to feel as if your body is your enemy. While Eric and Troy have a bumpy start, they soon find enough common ground to make a friendship, if not more. But taking it to the next level means finding out what they have to offer each other, and the world, before they can trust that the love they find together won’t cause more pain than pleasure.
REVIEW:
When I saw that BA Tortuga had written a sequel to The Terms of Release I was ridiculously excited and immediately claimed it for review. That meant I was going to be able to read the book weeks before the release date, because there was no way in hell I was going to wait any longer than necessary to get my greedy hands on that story. When I first read The Terms of Release last year I was undeniably impressed by this author’s ability to convey a story that was both unbelievably sad and packed full of hope, and I was optimistic that this story would similarly deliver intense feelings. I wasn’t at all disappointed.
Eric Tremaine intended to spend his life serving in the military but when a roadside bombing leaves him permanently damaged he finds himself cut adrift, back home in Texas, with no family or friends that he can turn to. Well, except for one ex-army buddy, and luckily for Eric, Win is more than happy to lend a hand while he finds his feet in civilian life. Win and his partner, Sage, invite Eric to live with them for as long as he needs, and while there he meets Sage’s PT trainer, Troy. Neither man makes a good first impression on the other, but it’s not long before they admit to their attraction and find themselves in bed and in a relationship. Now they just need to survive until they reach the “in love” part and they can live happily ever after.
From the moment Eric and Troy appeared on the pages of this book I was smitten. Eric is angry, broken and suffering from PTSD. He’s also jobless, homeless and directionless. Life could not shit on this guy any harder, but despite all the negatives that are dragging him down, he desperately wants to be better. Yes, he’s angry but he doesn’t just sulk and bemoan his fate, he asks for help and he fights to fix his body and his life.
Troy is just all kinds of awesome, but although he appears to have his shit together we get glimpses throughout the story, which become more obvious as he and Eric grow closer, that he may be more messed up than Eric. Troy is a double amputee, who refuses to allow his lack of legs slow down his daredevil lifestyle. Which would be brilliant, if he actually wanted to do all of the things he was doing. But as confident and outgoing as Troy is, he also feels the constant need to prove to himself and everyone else that he’s not scared to try anything. Whether that anything is actually safe or not.
Both of these characters are written in a way that most people will surely identify with. You don’t need to be a soldier or missing a limb to understand the reasons and emotions that have both men reacting the way they do. I just thoroughly enjoyed briefly being a part of Eric and Troy’s lives. I found everything about them absolutely interesting.
I also loved the way the author wrote Troy’s disability. I’m certainly no expert, so I’m not saying the details were right or wrong, but what I enjoyed was the way the author somehow wrote a story that focused on a disability which was a huge deal, without making it a huge deal. Does that even make sense? Obviously Troy’s lack of legs vastly impacted his life, but the story focused more on what he could do, rather than what he couldn’t. Because these days amputees are hardly languishing in wheelchairs, they’re kickass athletes and models and well, whatever the hell they want to be.
While this is the second book in The Release Series it can certainly be read as a standalone. However, I recommend that you read the first book before tackling this one. Win and Sage are the main characters from the first story and they have a huge presence in this book. You don’t need to know their story, but I can guarantee that after reading this you’re going to want to. I’d forgotten just how much I freakin adored Sage. Actually, as soon as I finish writing this I’m going to go reread their book so I can sigh all over him some more.
I’m not hesitating to recommend this book and I think those hurt-comfort lovers out there are especially going to want to read this one.
RATING: 
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