Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: Pieces of Us
AUTHOR: N.R. Walker
SERIES: Missing Pieces #3
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 196 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 24, 2020
BLURB:
As Justin’s recovery moves forward, Dallas dares to hope their lives are settling into their new normal. His money worries have eased, business is picking up, and best of all, Justin now laughs more than he frowns.
Justin’s memory still eludes him, but with each snippet or flashback, small pieces of his old life start to slot into place. He remembers more of Dallas and how perfectly happy their lives used to be, and with each passing day, Justin realises he can have that again.
But when someone from Justin’s past turns up, he discovers that not all the missing pieces are good, and sadly, he and Dallas also learn just what it means to live with a traumatic brain injury. If Dallas and Justin have to fight for their Happily Ever After, then Dallas will stop at nothing–nothing–to give Justin the life he always wanted.
“. . . as I tried to put the puzzle of myself back together, it was the pieces of us that made me whole.”
REVIEW:
“After my accident, I spent a lot of time wishing for my memories to come back. I was missing pieces of my life, and pieces of myself were gone. But there was always you. And through it all, I realised the pieces of us were what kept me together.”
Mic Drop
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Perfection. I said Pieces of You was exquisite, and Pieces of Me extraordinary. Pieces of Us is exquisitely extraordinary, with a whole lot of heart melting thrown in the mix. I’ve used a lot of superlatives in my reviews of the Missing Pieces series, so I might as well add one more: Justin and Dallas are now on my all-time favorite couples list. They are so in tune with each other, so complete with each other. Dallas continues to give all of himself to Juss, never losing his patience or faith. Although Juss remains dependent on Dallas, he’s able to give more of himself now that he’s beginning to feel stronger and more stable. Their love and devotion deepens – if that’s even possible – and by the end, they have more faith that Juss will be healthy again, and that they can experience full happiness and contentment as they settle further into their new normal.
But for now, Justin finds that his new normal is still evolving and that he and Dallas must continually identify, avoid, and manage triggers that affect Justin’s neurological well-being. We finally see some (not much) self-pity from Juss. I think he’s entitled to it.
The angst meter is definitely cranked up in this installment. In chapter five, Juss learns of some potentially devastating news about his future. It’s agonizing and brings him great despair. Keep your fingers crossed for our boy. That’s not the only ugliness to appear, unfortunately. I feared at some point in the series angst from outside sources would arise, and it did. I kept waiting for the Big Bad to pop out from behind the bar they visit.
The bar scene turned out to be quite nice, as Justin, Dallas, Davo, Sparra, and their significant others meet to watch the footy. I adore Davo and Sparra and am grateful for the page time they get. They provide a truly caring, solid support system for our heroes.
This book could have an alternative title: Pieces of Me… Strewn Across the Bed After a Really Good Fuck. Yes, they get the go ahead to go all out in bed and Juss doesn’t waste a moment. He’s become a delightful sex fiend, just like the pre-amnesia days, according to Dallas. The sex is hot and dirty, but it’s not just sex, it’s lovemaking and … perfectly them. And you’re in for a charming convo with Dr. Chang about sex:
“Okay, so in the event of a stressful situation, what are some things you enjoy that could help relax you?”
“Sex,” Justin replied. “Please say sex.”
It’s such a relief that our boys are okay. That’s not a spoiler, we all knew there’d be a happy ending, we just didn’t know what they, and we, would have to endure to get there. That’s a journey you’ll have to discover on your own.
The heart-warming epilogue, two years down the road, serves up the perfect ending. Really, it couldn’t get any better. I could keep reading about Juss and Dallas, epilogue after epilogue after epilogue. One at five years, ten years, twenty-five years… Alas, my time with these men will have to wait for the audiobook. I hope your journey with Juss and Dallas is as extraordinary as mine. 5+ hearts/stars.
RATING: 
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