Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Let There Be Light

SERIES:  Twin Hearts Duet #1

AUTHOR:  A.M. Johnson

NARRATORS:  Teddy Hamilton and Aaron Shedlock

PUBLISHER:  Tantor

LENGTH:  8 hours, 25 minutes

RELEASE DATE:  April 23, 2019

BLURB:

His world was water and rhythm. Hard work and drive kept Royal O’Connell one step ahead of his competition. His spot on the swim team, keeping his scholarship, was the only plan that mattered.

His world was ebony and ivory. Natural talent and ambition set Camden Morgan apart from the other music majors. His dedication scored him a full ride.

Normally, their paths would have never crossed…but when Royal meets his best friend’s new roommate, his big plan and Camden’s controlled environment faces a variable that could destroy it all: attraction.

The world they live in had no room for error. That undeniable pull between them was dangerous, and neither one of them could’ve prepared for the choice they’d have to make.

Love isn’t always an easy road, and when everything they’ve worked for is on the line, they’ll have to decide if being together is worth the risk.

Contains mature themes.

REVIEW:

“I never want to stop kissing you. Like this could be enough, and I’d die a happy man.” I chuckled, but when he didn’t respond I asked, “What about you? How do you feel?”
“The truth?”
“Yeah.”
“Like I can finally breathe.”

Let There Be Light is kind of… perfect. Gorgeous. This is one of my favorite books ever! A.M. Johnson’s writing is glorious. I truly don’t know if I can articulate the effect this book had on me. The writing is eloquent and expressive. Johnson’s command of metaphoric writing never verges into the overkill of purple prose with its overly flowery, elaborate language. Her style is descriptive and evocative of the heightened emotions of first love. It speaks of acceptance, joy, and hope, and touches upon fear, anger, and sadness. It’s lyrical and poetic. It’s the difference between “Camden’s smile tiptoed across his face” and “he smiled”, or “All the boys had been covered in Kool-Aid grins” versus “they smiled”. Everything in this book goes the extra mile. It’s not something the average author can achieve.

This is a gay awakening / demisexual awakening story between two young men who have little in common. It starts with Royal, a star swimmer, and his twin sister, Indie, beginning their freshman year of college in Oregon. Royal is serious about both his studies and swimming, and works hard to maintain his scholarship. Kai, the swim team captain, becomes Royal’s best friend, and that’s how Royal meets and becomes enchanted by Kai’s roommate, Camden. Camden is a sophomore music major and piano prodigy and Royal is immediately intrigued from the start.

Johnson shows us the world inside Camden’s soul. He sees everything as it relates to music: the footsteps and clicking of heels on the sidewalk, the pulse of the campus energy, rain falling, and tree branches groaning. Camden’s passion for music is engrained, but he pays the price in loneliness. Royal is the first person to ever see Camden’s true self:

“Your loneliness is what makes you beautiful. Makes you hear things no one on this planet can hear. Your loneliness, Camden, it’s what sets you apart, makes you someone I’m lucky to have because you’re letting me in. You’ve changed me, too.” My voice trembled as he skimmed the tip of his nose across my skin. “There isn’t a minute in the day when I can’t hear your song in my head, when I’m not thinking about you, about this, about how I want you more than I want to dive into that pool every day.”

Royal’s discovery of his own sexuality is taken in stride. He’s shocked and puzzled but never ambivalent or disgusted. That’s just how I like awakenings – no denial only acceptance without serious angst. His self-acceptance is refreshing. To my delight, there are no misunderstandings or miscommunications in this book. Thank you for that, Ms. Johnson!

“Gray-green eyes stirred a swarm of butterflies inside my stomach. What the hell? It was like I was attracted to him. Was I attracted to him? His scent weaved its way into my lungs, clean and… Holy shit. I was attracted to him. I was attracted to him.”

There are several side characters I particularly enjoyed, including some of Royal’s swim team members (Corbin delivers the comic relief) and extended family. Indie and Kai, whose support for the couple never wanes, add further depth to the story. Indie and Camden form a close friendship. There are characters who display awful homophobia so keep that in mind if it’s a trigger for you.

With fewer and less explicit sex scenes between these two virgins, this is not a particularly steamy book. However, those that were written – whether it’s kissing or more – are perfectly in tune with the tone of the story: emotional, important, and beautiful. Johnson is conveying how moving and sensual just their kisses are. Even the hand holding scenes made me squee!

“Did he feel it, too? The hand of fortune, tugging at our bones, reaching inside of our bodies and rearranging the elements as if to say he was made for you and you for him.”

On the flip side, I should share the negatives of this book:

Okay, nothing to say there. If I was forced to say something, the epilogue is too short. However, a great bonus epilogue and a scrumptious short story about the boys’ lives in the future more than make up for it. They are available on the author’s website.

I’ve both read the book and listened (three times in the last few days) to the exceptional audio book narrated by Teddy Hamilton and new-to-me Aaron Shedlock; this might be the best Audible credit I’ve ever spent. Hamilton is outstanding, as usual. I’ve listened to his recordings of many MM books and I feel he’s at his best here with a more subdued and understated, gentler tone in his delivery. It’s perfect for the pure and honest prose. Shedlock, as the primary voice for Camden, is sometimes whispery, raspy, or hushed. It’s appropriate for a young man who’s used to being quiet, sometimes not talking for days before Royal came into his life. Both voice actors excel with their portrayal of deep emotion and their delivery of internal dialogue.

If you have the opportunity to listen to the audiobook, I highly recommend this masterpiece. The ebook it’s fabulous but Hamilton and Shedlock bring the story to life, enhancing the book greatly. I wasn’t planning to review Let There Be Light; I had a break in my review schedule so I picked it up just for fun. I got a few pages in before I decided to buy the audio and I’m so glad I did. I was floored by the narration, listening to it several times, and just had to share it with other readers. If you haven’t read/listened to this book yet, you’re missing out on excellence. Put it on the top of your TBR pile today.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

Audible