Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: Point of Contact

AUTHOR: Melanie Hansen

PUBLISHER: Carina Press

LENGTH: 327 Pages

RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2018

BLURB:

Only love can heal an impossibly broken heart

There’d forever been a thread running through Trevor Estes’s life—his son, Riley, strong and constant like a heartbeat. But when Riley is killed in combat, everything in Trevor’s life unravels into a mess he doesn’t know how to mourn.

Then Jesse Byrne, Riley’s friend and platoon mate, arrives on Trevor’s doorstep with a box of Riley’s things. Jesse’s all-too-familiar grief provides an unlikely source of comfort for Trevor: knowing he’s not alone is exactly what he needs.

Trevor never imagined he’d find someone who fills his heart with hope again. As the pair celebrate Riley’s memory, their unique bond deepens into something irreplaceable—and something neither man can live without.

But diving into a relationship can’t be so simple. Being together means Trevor risking the last link he has to his son…leaving Jesse to wonder if he’ll ever be enough, or if Trevor will always be haunted by the past.

REVIEW:

Have you ever read a book that made you cry so much you were physically sick? Well, this book did that to me and I think it’s a no brainer that I am never ever going to read the “before” part of this book again. Ever.

If you love angst and pain and grief so powerful that you need to remind yourself repeatedly that it’s only fiction, well then, here is the book for you. I’m not joking. I cried so much that I actually had to pop some asprin and go lie down, because I was absolutely wrung out and just done.

But I’m going to have to admit that it was all worth it. This book was flawlessly executed, and I know that Melanie Hansen is one of those authors that people generally love, and her Goodreads page looks like a constellation because there’s so many stars flung at all of her books, but to be honest, I’m not her greatest fan. I know she’s a great writer, but usually her books just don’t do it for me. I was hesitant to read this, but age gaps and military men are always going to sell a story to me. So I took the plunge, and while I may need to be hooked up to a drip to rehydrate after all of those tears, well, I also can’t recommend this book enough.

First and foremost, this story is about grief. Riley Estes, whom the author most cruelly gets us attached to before his death, is the only child of Trevor, and the best friend of Jesse. The book is separated into two parts, before and after. I spent the entire first part of this book trying my best not to get attached to Riley, who is undeniably a perfectly lovable guy. The whole time I was reading my stomach was in knots and there was a constant sense of dread, because you’re just waiting for his death. You know it’s going to happen, you just don’t know exactly when or how. Meanwhile, I was also trying not to like Carl, Trevor’s fiancé, and again, a totally likable guy, because you know that Trevor will somehow find his HEA with Jesse. The stress that this book puts you through is ridiculous, yet at the same time you love every minute of it because it’s making you feel, and those emotions are intense. And let me tell you right now, there’s no preparing yourself for Riley’s death. Holy crap. I cried so much that my dog became upset and concerned. I was a mess.

The romance between Jesse and Trevor was extremely slow burn, which was entirely appropriate for this story. I was actually wondering how the author would manage to pull it off. I think by the time they were ready for something together my mind had put them firmly in the boxes of Riley’s dad and Riley’s friend and I couldn’t picture either of them as sexual beings. Their lives and my focus were all about Riley. But the author does it. And it’s like a flash of lightening, from zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye, Trevor and Jesse are suddenly on, and by god it worked!

I think one of the things I appreciated most about this book was the fact that nothing was easy. There was no “finding closure” and moving on. Carl (Trevor’s fiancé) wasn’t some asshole who couldn’t be bothered dealing with Trevor’s grief. Not once did Ms. Hansen choose the obvious or easy solution to get the story written.

If you intend to read this story, and I am totally recommending that you should, you might want to wait until you’re home alone, because I can assure you, it ain’t gonna be pretty. Maybe stock up on tissues, eye drops and those electrolyte drinks too. You’ll thank me later.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon

Carina Press