FREEING (FADING SERIES BOOK #1.5)
By: E.K. BLAIR
BOOK GENRES: Coming of Age, New Adult
RELEASE DATE: Sept 13, 2013
**THIS IS A FULL-LENGTH COMPANION NOVEL TO FADING**
BOOK SYNOPSIS:
FREEING: a companion novel to the USA Today bestseller, Fading.
Knowing who you are and accepting who you are come at different prices.
Jase Kinrick grew up in your typical, all-American household. But after the death of his sister, his parents shut down, forcing him to deal with everything life throws his way alone. Terrified of the person he’s discovering himself to be, Jase has his way with every willing girl to try and rid himself of what he fears he is—gay.
Escaping California and moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, Jase frees himself to the reality that he likes men. Never staying with any guy long enough to get to know them, he doesn’t realize that he’s still hiding from who he is until he meets Mark. Scared of having real feelings for another guy stirs up the questions and fears he’s fought hard to bury.
To strip away the barriers to the heart of what is real, and to be okay with what lies underneath, will be Jase’s moment of truth. But he’ll need Mark to lead him there.
MY REVIEW:
We first met Jase in Fading, as the loyal and loving best friend to Candace. Although Freeing could be read as a standalone, you should read Fading first for the background story, and because it is a fantastic book. Freeing is truly a companion novel and tells Jase’s story as he struggles with his sexual identity. The author does a wonderful job at exploring the heartbreak and emotional suffering that Jase experiences as he struggles for self-acceptance and the acceptance of his family. Ms. Blair treats this topic with beauty, sensitivity and grace.
Freeing is not so much a M/M erotic story as it is a true romance, with the perfect amount of steam for the story. Jase just wants to have a life with a loving relationship but he struggles with a tremendous amount of guilt. Thank God he has Candace, who sticks by his side no matter what!
“It isn’t about deserving; it’s about accepting. None of us deserve anything. Everything we have is a gift, and you have to learn to simply accept what God gives you.”
Jase wants to be true to himself, but his family has made it almost impossible to do so. His life is a series of casual hookups with no real emotional connection. He then meets Mark, and the two are immediately attracted to each other. But Mark senses that he must go slow with Jase. Finally, Jase sees what he has been missing in his life all along:
“Wanting to put an end to this war I’ve been battling inside of myself, I surrender my heart and trade it for his.”
I loved reading the development of Mark and Jase’s relationship, and the struggles that Jase endures. Ms. Blair also does a fantastic job at writing their love scenes together!
“It was him that opened me up, that freed me of everything I was so scared of.”
I loved this book. And now I cannot wait for Ryan’s story!
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