Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Trust the Connection
AUTHOR: Brigham Vaughn
PUBLISHER: Two Peninsulas Press
LENGTH: 597 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 20, 2018
BLURB:
NOTE: This story was previously published as a two-volume serial under the titles of “Connection” and “Trust”. Minor updates have been made but the story is essentially unchanged. This is a re-release.
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Scars run deep but run loves even deeper.
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Forced out of the closet and the only home he’s ever known, twenty-year-old Evan Harris is left jobless and homeless. A desperate phone call to virtual strangers gives him a temporary place to stay in Atlanta. But he feels completely unprepared for the big city and too shy to go after what he wants: a relationship.
Physically and emotionally scarred from a devastating car accident, thirty-six-year-old Jeremy Lewis struggles to reconcile the popular, outgoing man he used to be with the recluse he’s become. Resigned to being alone, he’s unprepared for the changes Evan brings to his life.
Loneliness draws them together, but it isn’t enough.
Evan must overcome his insecurities and become the man he’s always dreamed of being. Jeremy must battle PTSD and allow someone to get close enough to see his scars. Or else they’ll both miss out on the love of a lifetime.
REVIEW:
I’m not going to lie, when I first saw how long this book was, I was a little nervous. Not that I don’t like long books, don’t misunderstand me, but I’ve had some that were long and were so boring, I had to put it away. So sometimes they make me nervous. But this one. Shew. You better grab tissues before you read this one. It is so damn good but it’s going to take you on the emotional ride of your life. Big time. But it’s worth every page. I could not put it down.
Evan’s home life wasn’t the greatest. His father was an asshole and a drunk, who since losing his job, refuses to get another and just drink and gambles away his and his mother’s paychecks. Working for his uncle and Aunt is no great prize either. When he should be moving forward as a funeral director or something else, his uncle just keeps him around as the errand boy. And the homophobic stuff that comes out of all their mouths is so bad. He has to hide himself tightly. But he got caught by his uncle when a sales rep was hitting on him and the guy tried to kiss him. He was fired, and then kicked out of his home by his father. He had nowhere to go. So he called his only friend, who he wasn’t even really close to, to see if he could help. Russ and his boyfriend, Stephen, immediately told him to get his butt to Atlanta and they’d help him.
For a few weeks, it was rough for Evan. He felt in the way, even though, they reassured him he wasn’t. But when he finally found a job, where they accepted him as gay, he knew it would be better. But then he met Stephen’s ex, Jeremy, who was in the car accident Stephen feels guilty about, and he’s immediately hooked. Jeremy is too, but he’s fighting it tooth and nail because he’s insecure about his scars and still panicky about a few other things. He’s also quick to anger and feels like he’s not good enough for Evan. They try to just remain friends but the chemistry is too strong and one night the passion escalates. It’s fine until Evan touches Jeremy’s scars and he flips out. And it’s goodbye. Evan is heartbroken and is barely coping. He tries to date another guy, but he’s not Jeremy. And Jeremy is miserable. It takes a talk from Russ, more like an ass chewing, to get Jeremy’s ass in gear and he’s determined to try to be the man worthy of Evan. It may take the rest of his life but he’s going to try his damnedest. But between his PTSD and some other things, and Evan’s past coming to the future, things are strained and Evan doesn’t know how to make it right anymore.
You know, Russ’s dad is the only parent in this book that is accepting of his child being gay and I feel the same way he does. It’s bullshit the way parents turn on their own children. I raged at the injustice of what Evan, Jeremy and Stephen all had to go through in their lives with their families. Even made worse when Jeremy had his wreck and Jeremy’s parents treated Stephen like shit. For 15 years, Stephen felt guilty over that. But what I loved about this book, is all the second chances and chances of redemption this book has. Stephen got a new life with Russ, Evan got a new start because of Stephen and Russ, and Jeremy got a new lease on life with Evan. Stephan and Jeremy finally got to make amends and things started to change. I don’t want to give away too much. I have enough already, but it really is such a great story. It makes you laugh, cry and rage but these characters are doing their damnedest to make life worth living. Despite what they had to love with growing up. Despite their pasts. Despite the depression or fears and doubts. They kept putting one foot in front of the other and kept moving. It didn’t mean life wasn’t shitty or that times weren’t rough or the fights weren’t brutal, but they did their best to make amends and move forward. In a lot of ways, Jeremy had the most work. Considering what he had been through, it’s understandable. But even at his lowest, he still didn’t end it. He might have had to get a kick in the pants to get moving, but he did. He kept trying. And that made all the difference.
RATING: 
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