Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Gage
SERIES: Trenton Security #3
AUTHOR: J.M. Dabney
PUBLISHER: Hostile Whispers Press LLC
LENGTH: 176 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 27, 2019
BLURB:
The forbidden is the sweetest lure.
Trenton Security’s Public Relations go-to was Hayden Gage. He loved his job, and it kept him distracted from the demons haunting his nightmares. His past wasn’t up for discussion, and Hayden wouldn’t allow it to intrude on his future. Yet, that was easier said than done when his best friend came to him desperate for help, and it put him right on the path to his one weakness.
Young didn’t equal lost.
Derrick Thorpe lived in the shadow of his father’s mistakes. Although he was adopted by Linus Trenton, he wanted to prove that he wasn’t like his biological father. When he was asked to go undercover to help at Trenton Security, it put him in close quarters with Gage. Being Gage’s was only an act, but when lines blur, what happens when the operation ends?
This book contains some subjects readers may find objectionable.
REVIEW:
I swear I thought I had lost it enough with Liv, Joker and Little and then along comes Gage. Well, hell, all those boys have just torn me a new one with their pasts and stuff, but Gage ranks right up there with the other 3 and it’s not a pretty picture. I don’t want to give too much away, but I have to warn you guys. If you’ve kept up with these series, you know that these guys have been through a hell of a lot. Gage’s is…..shew. This book deals with self harm/mutilation, suicide, physical, mental and emotional abuse, a child finding his mother dead, as well as other stuff, kidnappings, torture, and so much more. PLEASE, if any of this is a trigger for you, be careful. It’s not a pretty picture.
Gage has some pretty severe scars that he keeps hidden. Some can be seen and some can’t. No one but one person really knows the extent of how deep some of those run and now he’s needing Gage’s help to find his missing daughter. When Trenton Security is pulled in to find her and possibly stop some of the trafficking, old demons are creeping up on Gage at what is going on. It doesn’t help when the object of his affection, Derrick, his best friend Linus’s son, is going on the op with them as his boy. Something he’s wanted for years. But he’s terrified he is someone from his past and he doesn’t ever want to become that and hurt Derrick. It would kill him. Or if he found Derrick in a position he couldn’t handle because Derrick wanted out and didn’t feel like he had another way. Especially considering his past as being Thorpe’s son. But the op is in motion and he has no choice but to accept Derrick is there with him. And his fears are threatening to choke the life out of him.
Both Gage and Derrick have had one hell of a past. Gage is a little different in some things he experienced, but for the most part, they went through the same stuff. The thought of even wanting someone in their lives to be a boyfriend or husband, is a shock in itself. But both of them want each other. But I can’t say I blame Gage for keeping his distance. I came up in an abusive household myself and I was always scared I would pass that on to my kid. It’s hard to not become what you know. I’ve done my best to break the cycle, although I’ve screwed up a lot. And Gage was trying to break the cycle himself in his own way. Granted, it may not be the perfect way to do so, but after seeing what he’s seen and been through what he has, it’s all he knows right now. Thankfully, Derrick has had someone to adopt him, even though he was already 17 when he got out of his situation. But he’s had several years of love to help guide him through. And although Gage has friends, it’s not the same.
But what I’ve loved about all these stories, is when they’ve finally met the one for them, they’ve all wanted to be better than what they are. Not just for themselves, but for the ones they love. It comes for yourself first, obviously, or it can be disastrous. But they’re trying. They’re hoping for the first times for real in their lives for life to be better for them. It doesn’t mean the journey isn’t hard as hell. As Wren said in this book, It’s hard, dirty work. But the end results are worth it if you stick with it. And that is what has mattered and made the difference.
RATING: 
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