Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Won’t Be Fooled Again
SERIES: St. Cross #2
AUTHOR: CF White
PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing
RELEASE DATE: Aug 27, 2019
LENGTH: 255 pages
BLURB:
It takes more than a shared past to make a future together.
When Kwesi—Kez—Zakari, cardiology consultant secretary at St. Cross Children’s Hospital, hears that his aunt’s building has caught fire, his settled life is turned upside down. Not only is his aunt now homeless, but he’s also thrust back in contact with someone from his past—someone he’s been trying to forget for five years…and failed miserably.
Callum Wright never seems to get things right. He needs to do one more wrong thing before he can get his life back in order. Instead, he undergoes a literal trial by fire, and choosing the path of good returns his old friend to his life. Kez’s council-estate-to-professional-world transformation reminds Callum of how he’s never been able to get anything right…least of all his feelings for the man.
Kez hasn’t got over the reckless act of betrayal that caused their separation five years ago. Atoning for the guilt he still harbours at having turned his back on his friend in the past, he helps Callum get his future in some sort of order—a difficult feat when all those quashed feelings resurface for a man who can’t, and shouldn’t, ever be trusted.
All Kez can do is repeat that this time, he really, seriously, most definitely, won’t be fooled again.
Reader advisory: This book contains references to drugs, threats of violence and scenes of fire and the aftermath of fire. There are references to male sex workers, homophobic insults and verbal abuse of a disabled character.
REVIEW:
Kez and Callum came from humble beginnings. Growing up, they were best friends, but events made them strangers. Callum went to jail, and Kez became secretary to Dr Rawlings, at St Cross Children’s hospital. A fire brings them face to face again. With no roof over his head, Kez offers Callum a place to stay.
Set in the UK, London. This is a story about doing the best you can with what you’ve got, wanting to be a better person, second chances, overcoming fire, and proving that no matter where you come from – love can beat all.
Told from the viewpoint of Kez and Callum, I found it refreshing to read a love story involving people who started with next to nothing. It warmed the cockles of my heart to see love be a light in the face of adversity.
For me, the story was a mixed bag. Some scenes were absolutely gripping. I loved the variation in characters and the vulnerability shown by people who were usually tough cookies. Kez and Callum, too, were great. Kez having a prosthetic arm added a different dimension to the story, which I found enlightening. Callum’s sensitivity/awareness of Kez being in his soul was delicious. However, the finite detail and elements of repetition unnecessarily extended the word count and made some scenes drag. The detail also occasionally, diminished the punch of a scene because I lost concentration.
It was grand to read a story set in the UK. There is a fair amount of London lingo. The meanings of a good portion of the expressions are obvious. But even I had to guess at a few parts, and I live about 150 miles up the road. In some cases, I had to go with the gist of a phrase, make my best guess, or google it.
Like I said, a bit of a mixed bag. I loved the part of the story that, for Kez, Callum wanted to be a better person. It was a shame that, for me, other elements let it down. Then again, if you are the kind of person who loves a read that will take you on every step of the journey, every tube stop and every opening door, then I would highly recommend this for your bookshelf.
RATING: 
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