Reviewed by Anna Lynn

TITLE:  It’s Complicated

SERIES:  A Reservations Story

AUTHOR:  Kindle Alexander

PUBLISHER:  Kindle Alexander LLC

LENGTH:  420 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  December 7, 2021

BLURB:

Nightclub manager Julian Cullen runs Reservations with impeccable precision and a deep sense of pride. But repressed memories from his abduction two years ago surface, leaving him struggling emotionally. Julian vows to reclaim his previous life but doesn’t factor in the biggest distraction of all: the handsome cowboy hanging around the club intent on gaining his attention.

Entrepreneur Beckett St. Clair built an industry-leading survivalist training company through hard work and dedication. The tough as nails outdoorsman can navigate any situation or so he thinks…When a chance encounter with a guarded night club manager leaves him tumbling head over heels into uncharted territory.

One man is lost to his past, the other dreams of a future.
Both men will soon find out love is never easy…it’s complicated.

REVIEW:

Trauma can change a person’s life, especially one that involves abduction and abuse.

Julian Cullen had had the time of his life being an escort in his previous life but after being kidnapped, abused physically and sexually, his life change totally. He now has the fear of being unable to feel anything at all, in all levels of his life, albeit emotionally, mentally and especially physically. He lives a new life, a second chance at life, given to him by his good friend (and former client), Thane Walker. Thane owns the club where he now works as Manager, Reservations. It is a club created to be a safe place for guys like them. It is a safe place for meetings and hookups, but in order to get in, you need to be an exclusive member which entails a thorough investigation into a prospective member’s life. It is a safe place for Julian.  But deep down inside, Julian always wonders if he will ever get the chance to live his previous life again. Would he want to live his previous life again, before the abduction?

Beckett St. Clair hid his real person for a long time. He just came out not too long ago and now he wants to live a life to the fullest, hopefully with someone who is also the Love of His Life. And then he met Julian Cullen, the most beautiful man he has ever seen in his life. Julian is the opposite of him, Julian is vibrant and full of sass. Beckett finds himself not only infatuated, but most probably on his way to falling head over heels in love with him. But in order to be close to Julian, he had to apply for a membership with Reservations and he has to change how he looks. He even went as far as hiring a Personal Shopper for his new wardrobe so that he’d fit it in this world. He owns a Survivalist Camp company. An investment made in the past made it possible for him and his Dad to start the company that is now very successful.

But things are complicated. Julian resists the attraction between them. He insists that he is not the right man for Beckett because Beckett is too good, too kind, too perfect. Julian thinks he is damaged goods. He is not good for anyone, least of all, Beckett who is everything good in this world. Beckett thinks otherwise. Beckett things that Julian is perfect, in all his imperfections. Beckett thinks that he will never meet anyone else like Julian in all his life. He understands what Julian is going through, although not at first, but when Thane and Arik Layne roped him into having dinner with them and asked him to train Julian in self-defense, he knew that something really bad must have happened for these two men to be so protective of Julian.

This book pulled me up and pulled me down. It makes my heart soar to read about Beckett and how he finally found his truth and is trying to live it. It makes my heart ache (and I feel so angry) to learn about what Julian went through and how he navigates his life now, always challenging everyone around him, especially Thane, who has been there for him all throughout his ordeal and after. I understand where he is coming from, Julian is doing the things that he thinks will make him seem to live a normal life because deep down he knows that what he has gone through was not normal at all. His sass and sarcasm hides the vulnerability that he feels about who he is now. He feels out-of-his-depth, that what he is doing right now is not really who he is, who he could become. Being an escort was all he ever knew. Is it possible for him to make a new dream, have new goals, after what he has gone through?

Ms. Kindle Alexander has once again created a love story that will tear your heart apart, then put it back whole again, with all the feels along the way. They have created something beautiful with the world of Reservations which we have seen created in a previous book. It is great to read and learn about Arik and Kellan, Thane and Levi, and how they are all faring after all this time. I am so happy for Arik and Kellan, their book is my favorite of all! Well, there is also Havoc and Order! I cannot wait to read more from this series. Congratulations! Totally worth the wait!

RATING:

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