Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Breaking With His Past
AUTHOR: James Lee Hard
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 194 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 3, 2016
BLURB:
After serving five years in jail, Logan is ready to start over and forget all about his past. But things are not that easy, especially when people can’t see past the ex-convict, and getting a job is harder than ever.
Meanwhile, Kyle has finally come to terms with his own sexuality and does the hardest thing he’s ever done in his life: getting a divorce from his wife, Jessica, with whom he has a toddler named Ryan. He leaves both behind in a bid to rebuild his life and to become the father he dreams of being to his son.
It’s in this hurricane of life-changing events that Logan and Kyle end up meeting each other by chance in a small town far away from their previous lives. The spark between them is immediate and strong, but they both try to fight it, coming up with excuses not to pursue it.
While their friendship evolves, they find themselves even more attracted to each other. But will Logan trust he can find love with another man while his past is still so present? And is Kyle ready to invest in his first gay relationship at the same time as he’s fighting for his son’s custody?
Set in a small town with quirky characters and all the peculiarities that only a small town can offer, Logan and Kyle embark on a journey that could change their lives forever. But will they feel free to follow through?
REVIEW:
One thing I have found with James Lee Hard’s books…you are never going to find a light, fluffy, easy read but you will be rewarded with a hard fought battle for love to win over against hard odds. James didn’t disappoint this time either.
Logan has never had an easy life. A mother that was a neglecting drunk, no father, poor, from the wrong side of town, a youth mixed up with the wrong crowd, gay. No, he never had it easy and then he spent five years in prison for his misdeeds. He is finally out and trying to build a better life. He has had plenty of time to reflect on his shortcomings. He finally gets a huge break when he is moved to a small town and hired to be a wood craftsman building custom furniture. Something that he has a real talent for.
Kyle is moving into a home, that he inherited, far from his past life in the city. He knows he broke is wife’s heart and trust when he finally told her the truth…that he was gay. All he wants now is to make this house a home to live in and for his almost two-year old son, Ryan, to visit him.
When Kyle makes it to the local custom furniture store he has a chance meeting with Logan and requests that he build his furniture. “Breaking With His Past” is the story of these two men taking a chance on each other and breaking into a new life.
First and foremost, I really was taken by not only Kyle and Logan, but Kyle’s ex-wife-to-be, Jessica. The author wrote each of these characters in such a way that you just wanted them to be happy, even if being happy conflicted with one of the other’s happiness. They are all wonderful people who have tough circumstances, usually out of their control, make huge effects on their lives.
One of the characters that took me by surprise was the holier-than-all homophobic church lady. Her story was exasperating for most of the book but I really felt for her in the end. The way that she and Logan kept crossing paths wasn’t that surprising in such a small town but how these paths wound to the end was interesting and unique. I didn’t see most of it coming with her.
The one part that had me frustrated was Logan’s lack of trust with Kyle on his background. Kyle trusts him with everything. I know it would be hard, what with where Logan came from, but he needed to step up a whole lot sooner. I was beginning to be pissed at him.
As I stated, James’s books aren’t just sweet little love stories. They are of men who persevere through tough obstacles and keep on pushing until they get what they want/need. I truly enjoyed this newest novel and highly recommend it. It is obvious that I am a James Lee Hard fan. Can’t wait for his next book.
RATING: 
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