Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: The Art of Hero Worship
AUTHOR: Mia Kerick
PUBLISHER: NineStar Press
LENGTH: 186 Pages
RELEASE DATE: October 29, 2018
BLURB:
College junior Liam Norcross is a hero. He willingly, even eagerly, risks his life to save a stranger as a murderous, deranged shooter moves methodically through the darkened theater on the Batcheldor College campus, randomly killing innocent men, women, and children.
The stranger he saves is college freshman Jason Tripp. Jase loses everything in the shooting: his girlfriend, who dies on the floor beside him, and his grip on emotional security. He struggles to regain a sense of safety in the world, finally leaving college to seek refuge in his hometown.
An inexplicable bond forms between the two men in the chaos and horror of the theater, and Liam fights to bring Jase back to the world he ran away from. When Jase returns to school, they’re drawn together as soulmates, and soon Liam and Jase fall into a turbulent romantic relationship. However, the rocky path to love cannot be smoothed until Jase rescues his hero in return by delving into his shady past and solving the mystery of Liam’s compulsion to be everybody’s savior.
REVIEW:
Once again this author has wowed me with an awesome story…despite the fact that she named her nasty drunken character Donna!
This story throws you straight into horrific violence as college junior Dom goes on a shooting rampage through a theatre where fellow students Liam and Jason are trapped amongst the blood and chaos. Jason is there with his girlfriend, and Liam is there with two classmates, but as their companions are murdered along with most of the other men, women and children in the theatre, Liam manages to drag Jason to safety. Unfortunately the killer recognizes both of them and isn’t happy that they escaped his bullets.
As much as the beginning scene of this book was horrible to read, I loved the way that the author wrote it. It was absolutely intense, and as the initial slew of bullets slowed and the killer began his hunt for survivors, I felt tense and on edge despite the fact that both MCs were obviously going to survive. I appreciated the fact the author drew out this aspect of the story long enough to establish a connection between Liam and Jase, and I think the way she did it was very smart. The interaction between our MCs during the initial shooting and then during the period they were sequestered in a hotel for their protection set the tone for how their relationship would develop. It allowed the reader to understand the dynamics between them, the way that Jase really does worship Liam as his hero, and the way that Liam feels that he is now responsible for Jase. I had read a previous review on this book that mentioned a D/s element, and I really didn’t understand how that would possibly work here. I was worried it was going to be one of those stories that tosses some kink into the bedroom and leaves you thinking – what the heck happened there? Like, BDSM is so in right now, lets just add that to this book. I should have known better than to doubt this author. Wow! Firstly, it really is D/s, and is focused on the domination rather than any kink. Having said that, OMG, Liam exerting control over Jason in bed is ridiculously sexy. Jason describes himself as passive, and I think that actually suits him better than submissive. Also their “first-time”, coming into this as newly awakened bisexuals, is endearingly awkward.
Though this book begins with so much violence, the main focus of the story is Liam and Jason, our two emotionally battered and bruised main characters, exploring how a relationship between them would work. The shooting forged a powerful bond between these two previously “straight” men. While dealing with the emotional turmoil of the theatre murders, they have to decide if they are prepared to redefine who they always believed they were and also deal with ghosts from Liam’s past. Jase has to accept that his hero isn’t perfect.
I’m so glad that I read this book, and I think the author was very brave to include something like a mass shooting, something that could possibly upset some readers. There was nothing gratuitous about the scene, it wasn’t included to add a bit of action to the story. While I’ve always been a fan of Mia Kerick’s young adult books, this one, with its slightly older characters, was of the authors usual high standards.
RATING: 
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