Reviewed by Tammy
TITLE: Beyond The Scars
AUTHOR: Louise Lyons
PUBLISHER: Wayward Ink Publishing
LENGTH: 176 pages
BLURB:
After years of physical and mental abuse, Tommy Chadwick finally finds the strength to leave Colin, his tormentor. But Tommy soon finds that escaping his violent boyfriend was only the first step on his path to recovery.
Now he must overcome feelings of worthlessness in order to rebuild his battered self-esteem.
Tommy’s lack of self-confidence prevents him from going out… at first, but then has him ricocheting from one man to another, desperately trying to please them in his search for love and acceptance.
After being rejected on New Year’s Eve, and then beaten after leaving the gay bar, he agrees to accompany his best friend, Sarah, to a martial arts club. There Tommy meets Marcus, a strong older man, who at first becomes his friend, introducing Tommy to new interests, and later, tentatively asks him on a date.
Will Marcus be the man to help Tommy put his past behind him and fall in love for real?
REVIEW:
Tommy Chadwick thought he had found the love of his life in Colin Woods, boy was he wrong! But, when you’re nineteen, lonely and gay you become just a little bit desperate.
After 2 years, 10 months and 19 days of mental and physical abuse, Tommy has decided to take back his life! He has everything planned, he’s going to leave while Colin is fishing with his friend, he has everything packed and he plans to be long gone before Colin gets home, until he slams his way in through the front door!
Luckily a policeman arrives and literally saves his life. After the officer escorts Tommy out of the flat he shares with Colin he advises Tommy to leave the area for a bit to let Colin cool down. Tommy spends the next few days coming to terms with the fact that he’s finally free. When he arrives back in town Tommy goes straight to the only friend he has left, Sarah and her mum Shirley. Tommy is determined not to let Colin destroy any more of his life than he already has, so he goes straight back to work and nearly collapses when the first person to call him is Colin, Tommy gathers his courage and tells him to go to hell! One of the older women at work recognises what is going on with Tommy and befriends him, as they start talking Tommy soon comes to realise that he’s not the only person that has been in an abusive relationship. Margaret’s daughter is also a survivor and knows exactly what to say and do to help Tommy to work through all of his emotional baggage!
As the weeks go by without any further interaction with Colin, Tommy’s confidence slowly starts to return. The first night Tommy decides he’s ready to go out to a bar he runs into Colin’s friend and just about has a seizure! As he gets to know Gary, Tommy falls into a “relationship” with him. And so goes the next several months, Tommy goes out, meets a man and either has a quickie in the bathroom or he’ll have a mini relationship with them. Tommy’s behaviour is quickly spirally out of control and even though he recognises he has a problem he just can’t quite stop until his last hook-up in the men’s-room of a club hurts him badly. Tommy’s left bleeding and torn up inside but that’s not what shakes him up! That happens when his hook-up tells him: “I date boys who’ll bend over in a toilet less than half an hour after meeting someone. I don’t want a slut for a boyfriend.
My jaw dropped. “But… you came to me…”
“I wanted to fuck. Happy New Year” That, is what finally got through to him. When Tommy left the club he was gay bashed by two drunks and for some reason he just kept telling himself he deserved it!
It was after the attack that Tommy was talked into taking self-defence classes with Sarah and her boyfriend. This is where he meets Marcus, they start-up a friendship slowly getting to know each other and when they realise they both own red Mini’s? Well now, that just confirms that they’re meant to be! Marcus invites Tommy along to his bi-monthly meetings with his Mini Owners Club and for the first time ever Tommy feels like he fits in. Tommy and Marcus do a lot male bonding over their cars and Marcus shows Tommy how to look after his Mini as well as giving him tips on the right accessories to make Tommy’s Mini shine!
Marcus might be twice the size of Tommy but he is also the gentlest soul Tommy has ever met and Tommy feels safe with him. He even managed to find the courage to confide in Marcus. When Marcus tells Tommy that he too has been in an abusive relationship, that’s when Tommy realises that size really has nothing to do with being a victim of abuse! Because they have suffered very similar history’s both Marcus and Tommy decide to take things very slow, get to know each other and then, if everything is going the way they both want they’ll take things to the next level.
All in all, Beyond The Scars is an incredibly emotional look into the lives of survivors of abusive relationships. It shows that everyone has their own ways of dealing with the aftermath and the way they get to the other side is as individual as the person. I loved this book and have no hesitation in recommending it as a must read to everyone!!
RATING:
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