Reviewed by Cindy
TITLE: Ilya
AUTHOR: Barbara Elsborg
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 341 Pages
RELEASE DATE: October 17th, 2024
BLURB:
Two desperate men, one stolen necklace and a daring escape—what could possibly go wrong?
Ilya hadn’t imagined that attending his sister’s wedding would mean being imprisoned in the family home. For the last month, he’s been put through conversion therapy by a ruthless bastard, employed by his father, who’s determined to beat the gay out of him. Ilya plans to make a break for it while the wedding is in full swing. Fate is on his side when he catches a guest stealing his stepmother’s necklace. Ilya blackmails the thief: he’ll hand over the necklace for a ride out of there.
A tragic mistake in Julien’s past led to his life and future disintegrating. Now he can’t break free of the gangster he feels forced to work for. So when the cocky young Russian propositions him at the wedding, he has no choice. He needs that necklace back. His life and that of others depend on it… But Ilya’s presence upsets Julien’s plans at every turn. He can’t afford to make mistakes, but somehow he finds himself saddled with this flirty problem who’s pushing all his buttons. How can he make Ilya understand he’s not gay?
Except the more time they spend together, the more Julien questions a lot of the choices he’s made. Maybe they can keep each other safe. Either that or they’ll die trying.
Warning : Homophobia, conversion therapy, violence, guns, injury, death of a sibling
REVIEW:
Wow, this story turned out to be far more emotionally engaging than I was expecting.
Ilya is sweet and funny and stronger than he gives himself credit for. But he’s getting to the end of his rope and when Julien sneaks into his fathers house, he knows it’s the only chance he’s going to get. I love how he finds a way to find some hope when it would be so easy to just give up.
Julien is so endearing. Forced into a life of crime, he knows he’s nearing the end of his “contract” but he’s pretty sure that when it ends, so will his life. He keeps trying to convince himself that he’s straight, but Ilya bring out something in him that just keeps growing and maybe it’s starting to feel okay too. And why deny what he’s feeling if it’s all going to end soon anyway?
There’s an instant connection between these two, as much as Julien tries to fight it, and it’s one that won’t be denied. I felt at times that they both thought it was all hopeless but for some reason they just couldn’t stop trying.
There’s a few side characters that show up, but most of the drama revolves around Julien and Ilya and their fight to find a way to have a future.
I will say that Julien’s parents were my favorites, especially his mom. We could all use a mom like her in our lives.
I will also say that this author knows how to write a smoking hot sex scene that fits perfectly into the story. I appreciate it when the sex is just a part of the story, without sex being all there is. There’s some witty banter as well as some heartfelt discussions while these guys are finding their way.
There’s a couple of bad guys who also got off to easy for my taste but I guess we can’t ask for everything.
These are great characters that I fell for right away and I was cheering them along for the whole journey. I have no problem giving this story a hearty 4 hearts.
RATING: 
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