Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Joey
SERIES: Gates of Heaven #4
AUTHOR: M. Tasia
PUBLISHER: Boroughs Publishing Group
LENGTH: 146 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 28, 2020
BLURB:
COURTING DISASTER
Nothing in Joey Tall’s life is for real. Not his name, the background he supplied to his bosses at The Gates, or the energy and good health he exudes. None of it is true. And no one can ever know what’s really going on. Ever. Unpacking his secrets would truly end his life. Insult to injury, the incredibly handsome LAPD officer who’s been hitting on Joey is a dream come true. But no way in hell is he letting a cop into his life. He doesn’t have a death wish, and tempting fate is the last thing Joey’s going to do, no matter how much he yearns for a man he can’t have.
REVIEW:
Man this was a hard one. Ok, there are possible triggers. Unfortunately, Joey comes from a crime family, which of course, is involved in murder and such. And Sam’s family were famous and heavily into drugs and alcohol, which ended in overdoses. I don’t want to get into much more than that without giving away the story, but I do know that sometimes things like that are triggers for people.
For Joey, he just wants to do his job well and to keep going. But each day, trying to keep going is getting harder and harder to the point he just wants to give up and let go. And then maybe his life won’t suck anymore and won’t be so painful. He thought he had it made for the most part, until one night of a party, he was a little too noticed and got noticed by Sam. He had a date with Sam and loved it, but knew nothing could come of it. And it wasn’t until he was mugged and found by another cop, that things started falling into place and the truth started coming out. Unfortunately for Joey, everyone came to the wrong conclusion. When Joey had to be hospitalized again, that’s when Joey started sharing what was wrong and everyone immediately felt like crap. For assuming it was something else entirely. But when Joey hears Sam’s story, he understands why Sam assumed what he did. And forgave him. But just when their relationship seems to get off the ground, there’s another hitch in the works. The past Joey was trying to run from has caught up with him and is trying to take out Sam and his friends as well as himself. Sam just hopes he can get to Joey in time, before he loses him for real.
Sometimes I want to bang my head against the wall. I really do. Or have a way to scream at the people in the book or shake them or something. Communication!!!!!! I so understand Joey’s hesitance to explain his past, but he didn’t have to do that part. He could have at least explained what was wrong with him. And yet I get why he was scared there too. He was afraid no one would hire him or whatever because of his disease. I get it. But it frustrates me so bad. Because between Sam and Joey especially, communication could have solved a lot of problems before a lot of the problems started. But because of fear and the past on both of their counts, they couldn’t. And it saddens me, because as Finn kept saying, it was a safe place. They all have been through some kind of crap. We all know that. But sometimes we have to let go and tell what is really going on. It’s hard. Believe me. I am one of those people that HATES sharing anything because I feel ashamed myself. But in order to get by in life, we sometimes have to do what we hate. Communicate and allow people to help.
This was a hard story for these guys. With what they had to go through, had been through and would continue to go through. But they were learning. And they were taking chances and taking steps forward to make a better life. It may not be easy, but it could be very good.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
The review is missing.
Fixed. Ty