Warning: This book includes mature content such as: sexual content, and/or drug and/or alcohol use, and/or violence.
Series: The Escapade #2
Published by Selfpublished on 4 August 2014
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Romance
Pages: 250
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
HE DOESN'T RECOGNIZE HIMSELF
David Moorehouse has spent his life hiding behind masks. Nice guy. Best friend. Reverend's kid. After finding his father dead on the floor, he's been stripped of his job at the family church and his identity as the quiet, nice guy. The life he knew is over, and he doesn't know what to do next.
HE KNOWS ANGER BETTER THAN ANYONE
Ricky Slade is itching for a fight. By the time he meets David, he's struggling to save his business, his best friend, his drug-addict brother, and his own sanity. He's got no patience for his business partner's judgmental sibling showing up and getting in his face.
Their furious heat turns into a fiery inferno, but Ricky's fresh off a bad breakup, and David is getting guilt-tripped by his family and his ex. Every time they fight, they fall into bed, but will that be enough when things around them come apart?
Be advised, this book contains: two small town, blue-collar men with big egos and bigger trucks, more emotional baggage than they can carry, and highly-charged man on man action.
*I received a free ARC of Stripped Away from Ellis Carrington via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*
Stripped Away is hot, complicated and heartbreaking! Dave has a hard time dealing with his father’s passing away, especially because the late pastor has shown his true colors of womanizing, embezzling and having a secret family known only after his death.
My Stripped Away review:
Stripped Away is an amazing story about Dave, how he’s dealing with his dad’s death, and meeting his brother Greg for the first time at the funeral. Stripped Clean, the first book in this series is about Greg, and he as well as the readers already knew about Dave, and how the pastor had lead a double life, even if we didn’t know the full extent of things. Of course, Dave is not exactly a happy camper, and it certainly doesn’t help his mood when Greg and his friend Ricky show up uninvited to the funeral.
It is clear pretty soon that Dave has been leading a double life, too, as Stripped Away is about how he has been hiding his homosexuality from his father and the community as a whole. In the beginning, I found him to be a little stuck up, but he grew on me very quickly, especially because he was really trying to do what was best for everyone, his mom, his ex-boyfriend, his best friend, and even Greg and Ricky.
There is lots of chemistry between Ricky and Dave in Stripped Away, even if Dave is doing what he can to stay away from the big hard man, especially because Ricky has only ever had girlfriends before. As they get to know each other, that chemistry gets stronger, and even if Jeremy the ex shows an interest in Dave, he didn’t seem important at all.
I enjoyed all of the characters in Stripped Away, of course, I already knew Greg and Carlos quite well, but Ricky, Dave and Olivia were nice additions. Written in third person past tense, it also helped me to get a good feel for these characters, and I really hope there will be more stories in the series, maybe one with Olivia as the main character?
Some of my favorite Stripped Away quotes:
He put more ‘oomph’ into his step but everything felt shaky and disconnected, like any moment he could float up into the cloudless sky if he let go of that handle.
Olivia was the one person he’d always been able to be himself with. Only now, he wasn’t sure who ‘himself’ was. Maybe he’d never known. Maybe when he thought he’d fooled everyone, he’d only fooled the guy in the mirror.
Then there was the fact that the part of him raised to honor and obey his parents seethed with guilt each time he thought of leaving his mother.
Looks like something I might enjoy, great review !
You should read the first book in this series first, because that one was really good, too 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Red Iza.
I haven’t read a M/M book as yet, but this sounds good. It’s great to see Dave grew on you!!
Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace
I have enjoyed several M/M romances, and I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy the same ones, Naomi 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Sounds good! I really love M/M stories and I’m very happy you liked this one so much, Lexxie. I’ll be sure to check it out 😉
I really enjoy Carrington’s writing style, and the characters are ones I want to know more about 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Silvia!
I know how much you loved Stripped Clean, Lexxie. I’m glad the followup was an enjoyable read as well. It seems like the author does a great job of creating characters who hide themselves from the world – and slowly let their true selves shine. Great review!
Happy Thursday! **BIG HUGS**
Yes, it’s true that these characters have been hiding big parts of who they are, both from the world and themselves. I really enjoy this series a lot 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Brandee! *BIG HUGS*
I feel so giddy just imagining the romance between Ricky and Dave. it seems like they really complement each other. I’m pretty interested as to how Ricky fell inlove with Dave when the former only dated girls before. I think that the denial stage was both funny and painful.
Are there lots of steamy scenes between these two? Hahaha.
Lovely review, Lexxie. I hope you have a nice day ahead. xoxo
Twitter: talksupeblog
i would read this coz its Ellis and your first rec was a winner!