Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Without You
AUTHOR: Marley Valentine
SERIES: Without You
PUBLISHER: Self- Published
LENGTH: 124 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 20 , 2025
BLURB:
From USA Today bestselling Author Marley Valentine comes an emotional and heartwarming follow-up to the much loved gay romance novel, Without You.
“From tragedy to forever. Happily ever after is only the beginning.”
Deacon was the elusive boy next door, the older brother who had no time for his family, the man who moved away.
I never imagined a world where he would also be the love of my life. The man who breathed air into my struggling lungs. But against all odds, here we are, five and a half years later, loving and living.
Now it’s our wedding day, and I’m building a life filled with everything I only ever dreamed of.
A husband.
A family.
REVIEW:
Oh my god. These two!!! This is one of the most poignant weddings I’ve ever read. Knowing where these two have come from and now making it here, this is of course a total tearjerker. I loved the way this novella is told in three parts starting with Deacon and Julian’s wedding after they have been together for over five years. This of course brings up a lot of feelings. About Rhett. About the bad things that have had to happen for them to end up in this place of complete and utter love and devotion. Victoria and Bill being their for Deacon is monumental for this day. Those that are missing are very bittersweet. Deac and Julian’s friends who are now their family are there to support them. Readers of this author will recognize them from her other books set in this world.
From the ceremony officiant and wedding guests and then other close friends who offer their support as Julian and Deacon move forward with their life after their marriage, it’s clear that these other families have their backs. A couple of years after their wedding, their lives have changed again. They are now fathers and this again brings up some painful memories from the past. Both Deacon and Julian have some baggage around some pretty disappointing past experiences with parents or parental figures. Deacon has had to make some hard decisions in the past and now that he’s a father, he’s second guessing himself. Julian is there to support him.
The next section is a check in again with this family. I’m not going to spoil it but it’s “chef’s kiss” to see this couple and their family and friends again. Everyone has grown and they are doing well 🙂 It’s a lovely revisit of the very special wedding day with some sweet additions. There is even an epilogue that perhaps is a spoiler for more ahead??? Who knows!
So I think Without You was my first Marley Valentine book. It was so heartbreaking in the BEST possible way. I loved both the book and the audio. This book brings us beyond so much pain and so much love and everything these two have overcome to be together. They are meant to be and they have reached this day together. When Victoria read the letter? UGH – pass the Kleenex! My only niggle here is that I never felt like the resolution with Deacon’s mother was fully fleshed out. But you know what? That may be more realistic. Sometimes we just have to set up the right boundaries and do the best we can with people that just can’t or won’t get it. Maybe it’s an imperfect middle ground. I loved seeing everyone else in past books show up here as well. This is really beautifully written and such an homage to this couple and family. Highly recommended. You won’t be disappointed.
RATING: 
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