REVIEWED by Caroline and Jen B.

TITLE: Someone to Hear Me

AUTHOR: T.A. McKay

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH:  307 Pages

RELEASE DATE: May 8, 2017

BLURB:  Kohan has a simple life but he’s happy. The only thing that’s missing is that special someone to come home to at night. That is until he literally bumps into Ares, a man who sparks his interest, but he rushes off before Kohan can talk to him. When he sees the stranger again, Kohan is determined that he’s not going to let him escape this time.
What Kohan doesn’t know is he’s falling for a guy that has been through more than he could ever imagine, and when Ares’ dark past catches up with him, there might be a chance that neither man will walk away unhurt.

We all dream of finding that one true love, the person who completes you, and when you find them you should hold on tight to them. But what happens when that dream turns into a nightmare, one that you can’t escape from? Ares is running from a past that almost cost him his life, a past that changed everything.
When he meets Kohan he’s scared of letting someone in, scared that history will repeat itself, but finally he sees that not everyone is out to hurt him. He sees that maybe someone could love him without causing pain.
But when the thing Ares is hiding from appears again, it takes him right back into that dangerous past and he doesn’t know if he will survive it this time.

My name is Ares, and the man I married is the person who will probably kill me.
I want to leave.
I want to escape.
I don’t want to die.
My name is Ares and I want Someone To Hear Me.

I have been debating on how to write this review and rate this book for a couple of days and I’m really not sure if it’s any clearer to me now than it was when I finished it.

Someone to Hear Me is quite a bleak and dark story that has vivid on-page abuse and rape. Ares is trapped in a cycle of abuse with a husband who is a bully and a tormentor. Micah thinks of Ares as his property, as his punching bag and as his prisoner – there is absolutely nothing redeeming about Micah’s character at all. Ares has gradually removed himself from his friends and family which is just the way Micah planned it and things would have remained in that status quo but Micah goes too far and Ares ends up nearly dead. With Micah in prison, Ares finally has a chance to live again but this time it’s his memories and nightmares that hold him prisoner.

Kohan is funny, he has a fun sense of humour, he loves his family and from the minute he bumps into Ares, he is smitten but really this story belongs to Ares and we don’t get to know Kohan too deeply. He has a strength and a sense of right about him that aids Ares in his recovery. For most of the story he was completely in tune with Ares and how he was feeling or coping – in fact, sometimes it appeared he knew there was going to be a problem before Ares knew himself.

Because of all of the above, and in particular how in tune Kohan seemed to be with Ares, I was completely blindsided when he walked away from a clearly upset Ares who was sporting a new bruise on his face – it made NO sense at all. Every single thing that happened pointed to something not being right but Kohan walked away and lost himself in a bottle for days – it just felt wrong and completely out of character for him.

For the most part, I liked the characters and the story and I always enjoy the touch of dark that this author brings to her stories. The way it ended felt jarring, but the fact that Ares ends up well on his road to recovery and finally able to live again made it all worth it.

Ares is a total sweetheart you just want to wrap up in a big hug and never let go.  He spent many years suffering from his then husband’s abuse, making excuses for it and enduring while his self worth was whittled away.  The final attack which took away his hearing and almost killed him is what ended up freeing him from Micah, who ended up serving a 7 year sentence.  Now, he is in a new town, trying to build back up his confidence enough to leave his home, actually talk to people and get a job without the panic attacks taking over.  It isn’t easy, but he makes baby steps and gets a job cleaning offices at night when he is least likely to have to interact with others.

Kohan is a reporter at the offices where Ares is working.  They run into each other, and Konah immediately sees something in Ares, other than attraction, which is also there, and he wants to know more.  Slowly, he earns Ares’ trust and friendship.  I loved watching their relationship blossom as Ares began to trust and shared painful tidbits about his past.  Kohan was extremely patient and was exactly what Ares needed.  This was my favorite part of this story – not so much hearing about all of the awful things Micah put Ares through, but Kohan’s support and how he was able to help Ares become stronger and more confident.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t last, as Ares’ past comes back to haunt him.  I found this part of the story a bit disappointing in that, while it did give Ares some final closure eventually, it felt unnecessary.  And after all of the buildup, it ended rather quickly.  There were also a few things that just didn’t make sense to me at this stage in the story.  For example, Kohan fought so hard through most of this story to be a part of Ares’ life, yet he walks away when it’s most important.

However, this was a wonderful story that was well written and kept me engaged through the end.  It was emotional and heartbreaking, yet sweet and full of warm feels as well.  Heed the warnings on this though, because it goes into detail about the abuse Ares suffered, but it is worth it to seem him happy and flourishing in the end.  I’m already looking forward to Ms. Ms. McKay’s next story and definitely recommend you check out this author’s work.