Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: The Truth Will Set You Free
AUTHOR: Carrie Davis
PUBLISHER: Naughty Nights Press
LENGTH: 164 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020
BLURB:
Losing a loved one will force one man to admit his truth or risk losing his heart forever.
A very special man, Nelson Bradshaw, saves both Drake Cooper and Lincoln Porter from life on the streets. As a legal guardian, Nelson becomes a parental figure, teaching them the value of their young lives and how it truly feels to be loved for who they are, faults and all.
Working side by side in Nelson’s advertising company, desire builds between Drake and Lincoln, finally exploding in one shared night that ends in disaster, leaving Drake lost and heartbroken.
Now, years have passed and tragedy can make you reevaluate what is important.
After their mentor is murdered, Drake and Lincoln discover their attraction is as strong as ever. However, before they can think of building a long awaited future together, they need to face the truth about their pasts.
REVIEW:
I’ve been fortunate to have read and reviewed a slew of very well-written, compelling romances lately, which makes it difficult to enjoy comparatively lesser books. The Truth Will Set You Free, unfortunately, is one that fails to measure up. The writing is underdeveloped and I just couldn’t connect with it.
First, a note: the book is listed as having 166 pages, but this has to be a mistake. It only took me an hour to read it, substantially less than a book of that size should. This puts it in the short story category, and in this case, the brevity doesn’t allow for feelings to develop on page. The plot is a good one, particularly since I have a soft spot for stories with homeless characters. Here the characters were homeless before the timeline in the book begins, though, so we don’t experience their trials and tribulations. Drake and Lincoln were rescued – years apart from each other – off the street by a kindly father figure who provided them with housing and jobs in his advertising agency. Years later, Drake and Lincoln sleep together but Lincoln insists he’s not gay and they don’t part amicably. A year and a half after that, the men are brought together after witnessing a horrific crime, and they go home together. This is where I started having problems with the book.
After a year and a half of awkwardness and avoidance, the men are joking and flirting. It seems there would’ve been more unease. The lightheartedness seems particularly out of place and it would be more realistic if the mood was somber after the trauma they endured earlier in the day. There is no emotional build up and no romance. The I-love-yous are shared right away but have no conviction without that build up. The book would’ve felt more authentic if Drake and Lincoln had hooked up without all the declarations of love, if it was just an evening of reuniting and casual sex as a way to share their grief and soothe the horror of the day’s events. The worst, though, is when they decide to move in together after one night in bed. How about a few dates first and some consideration?
I can see how readers who like an insta-love trope would enjoy The Truth Will Set You Free, but it’s not the book for me.
RATING: 
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