Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: Show Me Wonders
SERIES: Water, Air, Earth, Fire #3
AUTHOR: Riley Nash
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 331 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2022
BLURB:
Wait for me. Never let me go.
I fell in love with Jackson Moreno in hell, the only two survivors trapped in a catastrophic tunnel collapse. But when rescue comes, I discover he has secrets darker than I could have guessed. He disappears from my life as quickly as he came, and I can’t afford to chase after him when I have to raise my daughter alone.
I fell in love with Jackson Moreno six years later, on a bright summer afternoon, cleaning the lobby of a small-town bank. But he’s still running, and I’m struggling to keep my little family afloat.
I fell in love with Jackson Moreno in three feet of snow, surrounded by garbage and filth, after we lost everything. Because sometimes a tatted bad boy and a shy dad who loves knitting are destined to be together, no matter how many years and miles and memories pull us apart. No matter how many times we have to start over.
If we refuse to be broken, I believe someday we’ll find each other for the last time.
An epic, moving story of second chances and love that defies all odds, featuring a double gay for you relationship full of first times, hurt/comfort, a demisexual main character, and mental health representation!
REVIEW:
Show Me Wonders is an engrossing, many times sad, second chance love story of two men meeting under the direst of circumstances. Oliver and Jackson are the only survivors of a train tunnel collapse where they are trapped in darkness for days, slowly giving up hope they’ll ever be rescued. What’s compelling is that the relationship they build is based on their shared experience – the fear, despair, hope, injury, and attraction – all without being able to see each other. They can’t form opinions or judgement based on appearance. Interestingly, with the loss of one sense, the need for touch and comfort increases when they face mortality. In two men who don’t identify as queer, feelings arise from their close proximity. And trust is a necessity when their survival depends on each other, a trust Jackson doesn’t feel he deserves given his past.
The story jumps ahead six years to when Oliver and his daughter Megan – his everything – are living across the country. If you remember from Make Me Fall, Gray had a lawsuit involving a man stuck in a collapsed train tunnel. That man was Oliver, who now lives with Megan in Iowa near Gray and Jonah.
Oliver continues to battle debilitating anxiety and panic attacks. He’s too messed up to form any relationships after Jackson. Jackson is the only person – man or woman – that’s ever felt right to him. Then the men run into each other again. The attraction is still strong but there are so many barriers in their way.
Riley Nash’s writing is not as tight here as in her other books. There’s a big plot hole – why didn’t they use cell phone flashlights to see in the dark while trapped? There are other instances that require suspended disbelief, too, where the coincidence is too great. Nothing affected my enjoyment of reading this story, though. Coincidence can be attributed to fate, an underlying theme in the book. Another theme is blind trust – literally. I liked the demisexual representation and the gay or bi awakenings. The fluid nature of sexuality intrigues me.
At two-thirds of the way through the book I still had no idea how the conflict was going to play out. Oliver and Jackson were still so far from attaining their HEA, but they get there eventually in a satisfying ending. This book should appeal to readers who enjoy hurt/comfort and second chances tropes and an original plot. Highly recommended.
RATING: 
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