Reviewed by Stephen K
TITLE: Looking In
SERIES: Unconditional #1
AUTHOR: Michael Bailey
PUBLISHER: Independent
LENGTH: 237 Pages
RELEASE DATE: September 3rd , 2017
BLURB:
David Barrows world fell apart at the age of eleven after his mother died. Years of physical and emotional abuse followed, leaving him scarred in body and mind, mired in the belief that he is unlovable. He spends his days working in a comic shop, and his nights alone wrestling with the ghosts of his past.
As a Marine, Adam Duncan has sworn to protect and serve, and there is no one he is more protective of than his brother and nephew. When tragedy strikes, threatening the security of his family, his protective instincts kick in. But how can he fight an enemy he can’t see?
David and Adam feel the connection between them, but David has built walls around his heart that no one has bothered to break through, until Adam. Adam can see what a special man David is, and is willing to do whatever it takes to break down those barriers. Can he make David see he doesn’t have to keep living his life…Looking In?
REVIEW:
Trigger warning: Much of this book deals with the after-effects of parental abuse. Some abuse is recounted in detail.
OK… I’ll admit it… I rolled my eyes a bit when the main characters first met. An electric current seeming to pass between two strangers when they first meet? I was worried that this would be just another insta-love cliché, but instead, what we get instead is an instant attraction that I could buy. The first time the guys meet they exchange names. Phone numbers come later and only after a number of texts do they start to open up to each other. To me that felt realistic (and incredibly sweet) but then I’m a sucker for broken winged bird stories.
Some critics have stated that, to them, Adam didn’t “feel” like a Marine. I gotta disagree with that. Everyone is different, but many of the sweetest guys I’ve ever met have tried to foster a “tough guy” image. It felt here like Adam was tired of trying to project an image, and was comfortable enough in his own skin to be willing to be seen as vulnerable. To me the ability to allow yourself to be vulnerable requires a strength of character and a sense of self worth that not everyone can muster.
David had had an abusive childhood and, as an adult, is lonely and withdrawn. Though seeing his timidity, Adam keeps telling David that he is strong. While this felt a bit odd, in reflection, it would be exactly the right thing to do. David had been worn down by an abusive father telling him that he was worthless. Reassurance was exactly what was called for.
In addition to the sweetness of two guys who seem perfect for each other coming together, there is some hot sexual activity here as well, but again the hottest parts of the sex are not the physical activities but the letting down of barriers and establishment of trust. I thought more than once that instead of getting the obligatory m/m sex scenes we were getting love scenes.
Yes, this is the maiden outing of Bailey as an author and there are a few things that I’d change about the way the story unfolds, but overall it was an excellent first effort and I’m eager to get started on book 2.
RATING: 
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