Reviewed by: Sue Eaton

TITLE: Skin and Bones

SERIES: London Love #3

AUTHOR: Sophia Soames

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 389 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 31, 2024

BLURB:

Hugo Burrows has life under control. He has a decent job, a long-term relationship and a flat in Canary Wharf. It’s all under control. It’s just becoming a little problematic trying to hold everything together. Keeping the bruises on his skin hidden away. A smile plastered on his face. Controlling the calories he allows himself to consume. And now his boss is on his back with too many questions, and the grumpy French head chef keeps staring at him like he’s a freak or something.

Everything is under control. It has to be.

Benjamin Desjardins may be the head chef at the Clouds Hotel, but he definitely hasn’t got anything under control. His relationship with his best friend is crumbling, and simply turning up for work seems to automatically cause never-ending chaotic disasters. Yet there is something about the new concierge that has crawled straight under his prickly skin.

Ben doesn’t need more complications in his life. In fact, the last thing he needs is to inconveniently, and reluctantly…fall in love.

REVIEW:

I really loved this book, it is high angst and deals with difficult subject matters (see trigger warnings), but at its core it’s a book about hope, overcoming adversity and realising that everyone deserves love.  The characters are complex and interesting, Sophia manages to capture how complicated emotions are and how difficulties in your youth can continue to impact your life in a toxic manner.

Hugo on the outside, the face he shows to the world, seems confident, capable and in control.  The reality is he is trapped in a toxic violent relationship and has fallen back into controlling his eating as his control over his life spirals.  He has battled his eating disorder since he was a teen and has been in therapy for years, he is equipped to deal with his eating habits but as his personal life gets more unbearable and out of control the more, he slides back into not eating.

Hugo loves his job as a concierge at the Clouds Hotel and is very good at it, the clients and staff all like him but the cracks are starting to show, and everyone is realising not all is well in Hugo’s life.

Ben seems to be the epitome of a Head Chef, all shouting and grumbling, striving for perfection and running the kitchen with discipline.  He has a deep friendship which borders on obsession with his best friend Mark, it is a weird dynamic, they’ve known each other since college and are used to turning to each other for all things.  Mark is now in a relationship and his and Ben’s relationship is shifting and changing leaving Ben to feel adrift and unsure.

Ben is a caretaker at heart, his experience when he was a teen has also impacted all facets of his adult life, he is still struggling to come to terms with how his life shifted so dramatically and the enduring impact it is still having.

These two broken souls go on a journey of self-discovery together and as they work to heal themselves, they are also helping to heal each other.  There are so many tender moments between them, and it is very clear that whilst they like each other and are growing closer, the work they are putting in on their mental health is for them, as individuals, and not because they are trying to fix each other.

I cheered when Hugo faced his abuser and showed such strength and determination, to not fall for their lies and false promises.  Hugo stood tall and spoke his truth to him, he is a warrior at heart and finally realises that he is worth so much more than that toxic relationship.

I really liked the insight into the chaos of the hotel, the staff who are so weird and zany, the ridiculous guests and their antics and requests.  The loyalty they show to each other and especially to Hugo is brilliant, they are more like a family than work colleagues.

This book was an emotional journey of self-discovery towards healing and putting your past firmly behind you in a healthy safe way.

RATING:

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