Review: Without You by Marley Valentine

“WITHOUT YOU is an understated and laid back story.”
~ Under the Covers

I admit I was swayed to read this book thanks to seeing it all over Instagram on release. The sexy cover of course helped. And it just so happened I was in the mood to read a m/m romance. I didn’t read too much into the blurb and jumped in blind. This was my first time reading this author as well.

WITHOUT YOU is an understated and laid back story. There’s a sweetness to it too. But I feel like the emotional punch that should’ve been there, especially with the subjects it was dealing with, was just missing/lacking.

This is a sibling’s ex and gay-for-you story. Deacon and Julian have known each other for a long time. They grew up next door to each other and Julian was Deacon’s little brother’s best friend. Rhett was the link between them. As they grew older, Julian and Rhett started dating and Deacon moved away. Now grief brings them back together after Rhett’s death.

I tend to prefer some angst when it comes to the gay-for-you trope and this book felt very simple in that sense. You also have the grief and the nature of how their relationship developed. It seems like this had the foundation for being such an angsty emotional read, and it just didn’t deliver that. Now, if you’re looking for something more simple then it would fit that.

Overall, I wasn’t as invested in the story but it was still an ok book to pass the time and a fast read. Although, honestly, I’m not sure that I’ll go looking for more books by this author.

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[about-author author=”Marley Valentine”]