Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Asylum
SERIES: Pride and Joy #2
AUTHOR: Robert Winters
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 430 Pages
RELEASE DATE: April 2nd, 2018
BLURB:
Death threats drove him from his country. Can he ever find asylum from his past?
Hernán had family, college, and a future in El Salvador. Until a vicious gang targeted him as gay. Threatened with murder, he braved a nightmare journey toward a new life. Now, haunted by his trek, he hides from immigration trouble as well as his enemies. He prays to pass in Provincetown unnoticed.
But a handsome man with a secret like Hernán’s is vulnerable to predators.
Colin is in town for a wedding when he falls into the harbor. The man who rescues him is dark-haired, dark eyed and gorgeous. He’s also a target because of his immigration status. Colin owes a debt, and wants to repay it by helping his savior escape the monsters who would exploit him.
Hernán yearns to trust the kind man who offers him sanctuary. Will his demons destroy his chance at a future with Colin?
Asylum is a standalone gay romance novel but contains spoilers for the prior novel, September. Trigger warnings for brief references to off-page sexual abuse of a child and adult
REVIEW:
I think it’s safe to say that Robert Winters can write a really good book. Asylum is the 2nd book I’ve read by this author and I really enjoyed this story. It’s unique in a way that I could appreciate and with the way things are playing out around the world the relevance was interesting. I think what I enjoy most about Robert Winter’s writing is the way he draws out his characters. I have felt a personal connection to every single character that I have read by him. My one complaint, however, would have to be the length of the story in general. While I loved reading and connecting with the characters there were times when the story dragged and I felt myself wanting to skim and this story is so involved you really can’t afford to miss anything. The ending was also a little sappy for me. I liked it because these two really deserved it but I can see it being a bit too much.
Hernan, an immigrant from El Salvador has known horrors most people couldn’t imagine. He’s finally found some semblance of peace in Provincetown but he always aware of the fact that it can be taken from him at the drop of a dime. Not really looking for a relationship, just ok with coasting along and doing what he needs to, he’s unprepared for the connection he finds with the man he saved from drowning.
Colin, in town for a bittersweet wedding, deals with his melancholy by drinking his sad mood away. When he loses his balance and plunges into the water, Hernan is the only one to see and jumps in to save him. What initially starts as a dramatic necessity quickly becomes a whole lot more between these two men.
Colin is drawn to Hernan. He can’t help himself; something in him wants to save him, like Hernan saved Colin. Colin has issues of his own he needs to come to terms with so these two relentlessly battle their demons while growing their foundation into something more.
Like I mentioned earlier this author is amazing at character development. I really loved Hernan and Colin together. It was a beautiful relationship they built. I’m looking forward to what’s next by this author.
RATING: 
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