Reviewed by Stephen K.
TITLE: Defined by Deceit
AUTHOR: A.E. Via
NARRATOR: Aiden Snow
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
LENGTH: 8 hours and 6 minutes
RELEASE DATE: June 15, 2021
BLURB:
Life isn’t always fair, and that’s something that Llewellyn Gardner knows about firsthand. His life was on the fast track until one night of extreme passion changed everything. Now eight years later, he’s still living with the aftershocks of that night. Everywhere he turns or runs, there’s another reminder. What the hell do you do when you try to drown your demons only to find out they can swim?
Shane Smith, Jr., owner of Smith Construction, could see the emotional turmoil within his new employee – it’s why he hired him. There was something about the gorgeous, misunderstood man with the overly expressive eyes that came to their small town with a past no one was willing to overlook. Shane could see the good in Llewellyn, and those eyes of his were a clear window to his soul. Shane wasn’t going to let the man live a future of solitude because his past had been plagued with deceit.
Llewellyn wasn’t sure what to think about Shane. After years of protecting himself from being tricked twice, he was now faced with worry again. What would happen to him if Shane didn’t believe his truth and walked away? Llewellyn wasn’t sure he’d be able to survive being left alone. Again.
Contains mature themes.
REVIEW:
First… This book needs a STRONG warning that it deals with trigger topics including Prison and Police violence. It also deals with the aftermath of serving a sentence for a sex crime.
The initial betrayal of Llew by his boyfriend Moss is devastating. (So much so that I needed a full day’s break after that part) No one can hurt you like someone you trusted and allowed yourself to be vulnerable with. That betrayal basically ruins any prospects Llew has for a normal life. That said, the talk between “Lew” and his brother Leslie in chapter 2 is wonderful. Chapters 3 thru 13 highlight just some the many problems facing crimes surrounding sex offenses in these dis-United States. That part of the book was very hard to listen to. But at least it makes what comes after somewhat sweeter.
This is very much a tale of redemption and recovery, though to be honest, don’t look for fairness in this book. There ARE kind people in this world and Llew is lucky enough to find a few, but many a weaker, unluckier man wouldn’t have survived.
The romance and the hotter bedroom aspects are here eventually, but it’s a long sad trail getting there. I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t get even more of a redemption with Moss, but then, the world isn’t always a fair place.
Tales like this do need to be told and no-one has a sexier voice than Aiden Snow, the narrator here. But even with a HFN ending, this is heavy going throughout. I’d suggest that this one might best be listened to in small doses with something frothier interspersed for when this one become too heavy on its own.
RATING: 
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