Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE: Pieces of Us

SERIES: Missing Pieces

AUTHOR: N.R. Walker

NARRATOR: Glen Lloyd

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 4 hours, 58 minutes

RELEASE DATE: January 28, 2021

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 realizes 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:

Just is home and continuing to recover.  He still has weekly doctor visits and lots of physio, but he’s able to work partial days and he’s making progress.  He’s forgotten a lot of things and he’s also struggling with the physical side of his relationship with Dallas.  He’s not able to remember their sex life, but he knows he would like to get back to some sense of normalcy.  Dallas doesn’t want to push him or even bring it up because his relationship with Justin is a lot more than just sex.

Meanwhile, the worker’s comp hasn’t come through and Dallas is robbing Peter to pay Paul because of the delay in processing the claim. He doesn’t want to trouble Justin, because stress isn’t good for his recovery.  He’s made so much progress but it’s still a bit tenuous.  The other guys at the garage, Davo and Sparrow and Justin’s doctors are helpful, but Dallas has a lot on his shoulders.  And once there is a decision on the claims, things will get much easier for everyone.

Just when things are looking up and Justin has made great strides, an unwelcome visitor from his past appears.  The stress that this puts on both men results in some backsliding in Justin’s recovery and self-recrimination for Dallas.  Luckily they have a support system that helps them see that the blame lies squarely elsewhere.  There are still going to be setbacks and victories, but as long as Justin and Dallas remain and united front, they will be able to get through anything life throws at them.

Oh the feels!  What a lovely ending here for Justin and Dallas. It’s clear that these two are meant to be.  I loved the whole found family aspect of this series and how the least likely candidates can be the ones to provide love and support.  And sometimes, if a blood relative is toxic and detrimental to your health, you have to excise them from your life.  Dallas was such a wonderful partner for Justin – loving him, protecting him, supporting him, no matter the ups and downs.  Despite the prospects and the unknown future, Dallas would not give up on Justin.  The unpredictable ways in which Justin’s memories would resurface I think is a good representation of how a TBI can manifest and how unlikely it is to know just how a person will react or what their recovery will look like.  The setbacks and the changes in the ability to deal with stress are common with TBIs and the more educated the people around the person, the better.  I loved Sparrow and Davo and Jimmy and his wife and all of the doctors and carers in this series.  The non-supportive people were well portrayed, sadly, and thankfully dealt with 🙂 Highly recommended!

Once again, I really enjoyed Glen Lloyd’s narration of this book.  This whole series does have quite a few characters, and rarely was I confused on who was speaking.  There are some extremely stressful moments in this series and in this installment in particular and I thought he did a masterful job.  I was so happy with the ending though, and could feel the joy and happiness come through in the narration.  Bravo!

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Authors Direct

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