Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: A Hate Story

SERIES: Stories #2

AUTHOR: Abrianna Denae

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

RELEASE DATE: May 9, 2019

LENGTH: 230 pages

BLURB:

Rhys Manson and Noah Harris have spent the past five years pretending to hate one another.

When the assignment of a lifetime finds them in close quarters for three weeks, they try their best to navigate around each other. Until by pure happenstance, they find themselves face to face and are forced to see past preconceived notions.

Rhys and Noah share a connection they never expected, but all too soon the job comes to an end and they go their separate ways.

A devastating blow puts Noah back in Rhys’s orbit. Only this time they’re surrounded by the secrets they’re both desperate to hide. They avoid one another until the feelings between them become too much to bear.

As they open up for the first time in their lives they need to decide if they’re going to keep pretending, or if they’re going to turn hate into something else.

REVIEW:

Years ago, Rhys was rejected by Noah. When they work together again, the spark is still there, and they act upon it. The question is, whether they can overcome their complicated individual histories to find love and be together.

I picked up this book for review because Rhys was one of my favorite characters from book one. He was a steadfast voice of reason and loyal to a fault with an enigmatic side. Between the timeline of book one and book two, something has happened to him.

At the start of the tale, Rhys comes over as a bad-tempered asshole and not at all likeable. He is blunt, coarse and downright rude. But there is a reason for it, so stick with it. Jamie from book one is his support along with his partner Alex. Rhys shares a bond with Jamie that will endure anything, and he isn’t happy going out without Jamie being at his side.

A Hate Story is told in the first person with named chapters from Noah, Rhys and a special one from River. I didn’t read the final version, so won’t comment on grammar. However, there are autonomous body parts in this book as they were in book one. Therefore, I suspect that although editors’ frown upon them, they are part of this author’s writing style. So, love them or hate them, they’re in there.

Rhys and his friends have left college and Rhys has a photography business of his own. By his own admission, Rhys is good at what he does. He is surrounded by a group of terrific friends who he considers his family more so than his dysfunctional blood family. One of the aspects that bind the main characters, is that they are in therapy.

Rhys, Noah, Jamie, Alex and River all have their own therapists to help them deal with traumatic aspects of their lives. That’s a lot of people for one novel – possibly too many. I hoped that Jamie and Alex’s issues were concluded in book one, but parts of their dilemma carry over.

Anyhow, the therapy theme lends itself to the protagonists having mixed feelings that can do a 180 on a hatpin. To this end, the two books of the series share a formula. Whereas in the first book, the common phrase was along the lines of ‘I love you, but I can’t be with you’. In, I Hate You, it is akin to ‘I hate you, but I want to fuck you’, and ‘I want you, I want to fuck you, but I’m not going to. I’m too broken.” Then, not long after, they give in to want, have some rather hot intimate encounters and must cope with the fallout.

Rhys and Noah have complications in their lives, and I believe this is a story about finding the right support, whether it be friends or that particular love interest and trusting them enough to let them in. There are some wholesome family moments to offset the drama and some genuinely touching lump in the throat scenes too. I really enjoyed Jamie’s role and this is where I put a special shout out to Oscar the emotional support ferret. I loved him. He didn’t say anything but was always there when needed and was downright cuddly.

Believing they are broken, Rhys and Noah keep relationships at arms-length, afraid to let anyone in. For varying reasons, both men hate themselves, and they find in each other acceptance and a kindred spirit. They will also go out of their way to help a friend, even if it is emotionally hurtful. When pondering over these developments, I couldn’t help thinking they were broken saints – good hearts with a lot of shit to deal with.

The story is intensely detailed. No one is in any doubt of what is done or the reasons for it. The only secrets are what is broken and why. Rhys needs control, but there was one sequence that gave me a WTF moment. Rhys be a touch, self-complimenting. In one scene he says something about Jamie along the lines of (this is not a quote) – He’s lucky I’m such a good friend – lord knows nothing would get done if I left it up to him. Yet, he trusts Jamie to run his company while he’s away.

If you loved book one, then you will lap up this as it was filled with dramatic opposing gestures and plenty of denials. For me, it was a mixed bag as some parts I loved, and others were too detailed or contradicting, and it could be a little preachy. As expected, all the confessions and secrets are hinted at throughout the tale but aren’t revealed until the last minute. Once the story was finished, the build up made more sense and was more understandable. Nevertheless, the process of getting there, for me was at times frustrating alongside the moments where I shed tears.

Occasionally, this story can be an emotional mind-fuck, where feelings and actions turn around so quick, one can get whiplash. I guess they reflected the ordeal of the characters. If you are the kind of reader who lives for broken people, working through trauma and their associated triggers, then A Hate Story is your Holy Grail.

RATING:

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