Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: How to Forgive
SERIES: LOVESTRONG #6
AUTHOR: Susi Hawke
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 202 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 16, 2020
BLURB:
Take one fabulous unicorn of a person…
Grayson Davis came back to their hometown after college to help a new generation of kids who might be reliving their own past as a bullied young teen and LGBT teens who are struggling to find their identities in small-town USA. Taking a job as a youth counselor at The Rainbow Kids Foundation is their dream come true… even if it means working for the very man who once bullied them. So what if they can’t forgive Clark Danvers for the past? They can peacefully coexist with Clark and that’s good enough for Gray. As for their personal life, well… who needs one? They have family, friends, and their crazy cat Spike. As for everything else? Well, there’s an app for that.
Add one flirty, pansexual biker who’s the opposite of an outlaw…
Canaan “Wolf” Matthews isn’t looking for love, let alone commitment. He’s busy running a club of bikers who do their part to rescue kids from bad situations, help abused spouses escape, and accompany social workers into the rough areas when it’s not a case for the cops but backup is a necessity. Meeting Gray while on his way home from a hookup—with the evidence clearly crusted on his shirt like a merit badge—isn’t quite the meet cute Wolf would’ve wanted when he found the one person who could make his little pan heart go pitter-pat. Like everything else in his life, Wolf decides to roll with it and see what happens.
To equal two people who might just be what the other needs.
Gray only wants to have fun with Wolf. No strings necessary. So why do they keep reaching out to the annoyingly cute biker when things get dicey for a teen who’s dealing with a situation that is far too relatable for Gray? Anxieties flare and forgiveness beckons as Gray starts to see their old nemesis, Clark, for the person he is today. Before Gray can plan a future, they need to make peace with their past. With Wolf’s support, can Gray finally learn how to forgive and find their way to a full and happy life?
This is the sixth book in the LOVESTRONG series about finding love and being yourself in a small town. Intended only for 18+ readers, this is an mm romance full of all the fun, laughter, and sweet feels you’d want from an S. Hawke book.
REVIEW:
I know this story is mainly about Wolf and Grayson, but it’s also so much about Gray and his relationship with Clark and all that had happened. It was a hard story to read in that it was emotional. I remember what happened to Gray, and then what happened to Clark and all that Clark went through. And it tore me up. And it broke my heart too, because it had to take so long for things to finally come to peace. But you can’t rush forgiveness. You can’t rush grief or trauma and things like that. So it was hard to watch on both ends that these two were going through.
Wolf had a hand in helping things though. The whole Matthews clan did and I found it ironic considering Clark was married to a Matthews. But all the Matthews had been through their own crap and it was hard on all of them. They all have a past that took a lot to get over. So they understand. When Wolf got caught up in looking at a great looking butt, he got a small shock when the person turned around and it was a beautiful looking man. Being pan, Wolf was happy as a pig in mud, but Gray was on to him quickly, especially when looking down and seeing the evidence of the previous night on his shirt. But Wolf was hooked. They played it casual for a long while, trying not to admit how they really felt about the other. But when danger came for Gray, things started to look a lot different in life, and Gray had to finally admit, it was time to forgive Clark and move forward with Wolf. That’s if he got out of this situation alive.
I can’t help but admire the Matthews clan. I really can’t. With Clark being one of them, being married to Rick, they knew the situation with Gray. And with Clark seeking forgiveness and making his apology, he did what he needed to do to move on. But I loved that no one held it against Gray that he couldn’t forgive yet. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but the PTSD would creep up or certain things would trigger him and it would set him off. Yes, it hurt Clark, but he understood it. And he didn’t hold that against Gray. He often wanted to cry, but he had grown so much. And with Wolf being a part of Gray’s life, Wolf was a calming ear that listened with no judgement or anything at all. They all knew it was going to take time. And when it was time, it would be worth it. And it was. Because it wasn’t a fake thing. It meant that Gray had searched every part of himself, he had seen evidence with his own eyes of Clark’s own bad past, saw the evidence of how much Clark had changed and what he was doing to continuously help change things for the better. And because Gray got to process and really see things as they were with no judgement, the forgiveness he gave was like sunshine to the world. It meant something. It meant that things were changing and for the good. It meant there was hope and that life was going to move forward. It wasn’t easy getting there. There were some bad circumstances involved in the book that made things worse. But it was worth it in the end. Because finally, they could both have peace.
There’s a message in this book that is repeated over and over and it’s so true. Forgiving someone is not for them, it’s for you. It’s purging yourself of the anger and hatred and everything else, so you can move on and find all the good. It doesn’t mean you have to forget. It doesn’t mean that it’s an easy process, but for your health and sanity, move on. They obviously have, most often. Most often after someone has really hurt us, they could care less anymore. Unless you’re stuck in a bad situation, in which I hope you find a way out. This was one heck of a book, but you better bring tissues. It’s an emotional but healing journey. And I’m glad this book was written.
RATING: 
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