Ben's Beginning

New Beginnings #2

by Leona Windwalker

Filled with guilt and self recriminations over his identical twin Sol's kidnapping and abuse, Ben seeks counseling which reveals he too has scars from his own suffering during the ordeal. He desperately tries to make amends with Sol, Seth, and his foster parents, and to make himself a better man. Meeting sweet, funny, gorgeous Marty at the Crab Derby seems like fate is finally smiling on him when he returns to college in Atlanta and spies Marty at his favorite local coffee shop. Marty causes him to have to face questions he never knew he'd have to ask about himself, as he discovers Marty is not a girl at all as he'd first supposed. Marty's not only a very gender fluid male but the one person who seems to complete Ben's heart if Ben can only acccept both Marty and himself as the people they truly are.

When events from his past return, Ben's left wondering if perhaps karma has returned to pay him in kind and whether or not Marty will end up as collateral damage. Desperate to hold onto what they might have together, Marty enlists the help of family and friends to help Ben find his self worth. But is it enough? Marty hopes so. He simply can't imagine a happily ever after without Ben in it.

Word count: 60,925 wordsCover art by Kellie Dennis of Book Cover by Design.

Genres: M M Romance, Cross Dressing, Abuse, Gay, LGBT, Romance

243 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2015

About the author

Leona is a longtime staunch supporter of human rights and environmental causes. Her favourite genre to read is M/M fiction and she particularly enjoys science fiction, fantasy, and action/suspense subgenres—especially if they have a nice seasoning of romance. She has far too many books on her Kindle, has overloaded her phone with even more and, when not reading, writing, being driven to distraction by her children, or being overlorded by her three cats, can be found trying to locate the portal that the sock monster uses to steal socks from her dryer.

pseudonym for Loretta Johns

***Works by this author are protected by Muso. Please help support the author who is supporting her family by only purchasing legal copies***

Reviews

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. It was lovely to see Ben falling in love by Marty and how he dealt with his traumas because of his and his brother's past. Loved it

[multitaskingmomma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original Blog Post: Review Request & #Giveaway: Sunsets at Sea (A Sol and Seth Story) & Ben's Beginning (New Beginnings #2) by Leona Windwalker

Review by: multitaskingmomma
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

I guess all those who read Sol's Solstice managed to not only hate Ben, the twin brother, for getting Sol in the situation he is now trapped in, but also dreamed of him getting his comeuppance. Well, he does, sort of...

Ben's underlying feelings of guilt regarding Sol's current disability he may never surface from knows no end. He does everything he could to pay up for this guilt, like getting Sol a dog to help him through the days. It works for a while but then the guilt resurfaces. Ben does not realize it at first, but he is just as affected with what had happened to him and Sol. Fortunately, he gets the support of Seth and Sol and a psychiatrist who gives him the tools to fight his depression and anxiety. As he struggles to live in a world of guilt, he meets Marty. A sexy, feminine individual with a husky voice and personality that made Ben laugh. Who Marty turns out to be surprises Ben, but what gob smacks him is his attraction to him.

Marty loves dressing up to his feminine side and not embarrassed by it. He is also quite the assertive and independent young man who has a good head on his shoulders. Quite mature for a young man whose background could have spiraled him to becoming spoiled or dependent. His parents are hilarious and strangely weird and lovable. His brother and sisters are just as strange in their acceptance to the weirdness of his mother.

When Marty meets Ben and becomes the gay best friend, it was okay. When the friendship turned non-platonic, it was better than good. When Ben turns to him in love, life was a paradise. That is, until the snakes of bigotry come rushing in and Ben and Marty find themselves subjected to the pain of non-tolerance.

The journey Ben takes is a road he never expected to step on. His realization that he is the only one who can set his life to the course where he wants to take it was kind of painful but it was all worth it. By his side is Marty and that made his life complete. He finally gets the HEA he needed and this book is the closure of Ben and Sol's lives.

This was very well written, and I must say I am surprised this was better than the first installment. The only gripe I have was the typos that were glaringly impossible to miss and forget. Other than those few errors, and yes, they were few, I really enjoyed reading this. Especially when it gave me the closure I needed for Sol and Seth which continues on in this story.

Is there another book coming? I hope so. I do love the way this turned out. Totally enjoyable and made the first book more meaningful at the end.

[Anne Marie Crookes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read the first book in this series, but I never felt lost reading this one, as it was very well told. Ben is bent on becoming a better person and atone for the way his actions hurt his twin Sol. When he meets Marty, he thinks he's spending time with a "really hot chick". Upon his return to college, he realizes that Marty, another student, is a genderfluid man. They become friends. Ben has to come to grips with his sexuality, when his feelings for Marty deepen. He also tries to make peace with his past and relate better with friends and family. All while dealing with people from his past bent on causing him as much grief as possible.
While Ben had a lot of pain to deal with, while gaining self awareness, there was also warmth, caring, laughter and a sense that family should be about acceptance and love.
I really enjoyed the story.

[Kaila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was truly amazing.. It was amazing to see this broken and hurting young man become who and what he needed to be.. I loved seeing seth and sol again and loved watching ben and sol become better brothers.. i loved seeing how well ben took the change in who he was to love who he needed to love.. so many spots made me so sad because the hurt.. so much hurt.. but i loved that together ben and marty became something even better. this was truly amazing and im glad i got to review it

[Donene Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book, heavy on the sweet, light on the angst. There is angst, but it is not drawn out. I enjoyed reading it.

[Teal Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Ben is haunted by the events in his past, feeling guilty for his actions that led to his brother getting taken and hurt. He is trying to pay back, to change the person he was and become a better man, and seeing a therapist to help heal his own emotional scars.
When he meets beautiful, fun and intriguing Marty, he thinks she would be an amazing friend and possible date... if only they didn't meet on a trip and probably won't see each other again. But fate has other plans, because Marty goes to Ben's college and he does see her again. She is still beautiful and funny... only she's actually gender fluid- physically a guy but sometimes feels like dressing more feminine, sometimes more like a guy. Marty and Ben begin a friendship and as they get to know each other more, "straight" Ben starts to question his sexuality. Because Marty is beautiful, funny and Ben finds himself falling in love. But there are people from the past who are unhappy with the situation and pose a real threat to the two men. Will Ben survive everything that haunts him and embrace his new beginning with Marty? Or will he fall victim to the hate?

Well written, entertaining love story of two wonderful souls finding love and family. Ben recognizes his mistakes and strives not to repeat negative actions, he is learning about himself and striving to become a better person. He punishes himself for the past and doubts himself - very relateable. Marty is understanding and loving, and comfortable with who he is. Truly a great book.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my review of the audiobook:

3.5 stars
In this story, Ben was trying to cope with the guilt he felt after the events in book one. Ben met Marty, who I loved. Ben thought Marty was a girl, and he was very attracted. When he learned that Marty wasn't a girl, Ben was shocked at how little that mattered to him. He still wanted to be close to Marty. Meanwhile, as in book one, psychos showed up to try to ruin everything. This was the point where I wanted to shake Ben and tell him to stop being so damn clueless! He put himself in danger over and over, and he didn't learn from it. He was a good guy, but I found myself yelling at him as I listened to this story during my commute.
Thank goodness for Marty. For me, he stole the show. Whether he was feeling feminine or not, he was a big personality with a wonderful heart. I enjoyed the scenes with Marty and Ben spending time together, with or without their family members. It was nice to see more of Seth and Sol, too.
The performance was still just okay for me, though I do like the narrator's voice. I just wish he would loosen up and show more emotion. I'll try other books he performs to see how I feel about those.

[Alison Edmunds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had already started to listen to Ben's Beginning when I wrote my review for Sol's Solstice, so I knew that Matt Standley's narration had improved. This time there was a wider range of voices, the pace was slower and I enjoyed Marty's soft Southern accent. My only complaint would be that there was very little/no difference in the "baddies" voices!

I felt the story got stronger as the book progressed. Leading on from the first book, Ben's growth is lovely to hear as is his confusion as he falls for Marty. As before, there is quite a bit of angst from Ben's further two (yes...three altogether!) kidnappings and his subsequent emotional struggles. The support for him is in place from the lovely Marty, Sol and Seth, and other well-written secondary characters. By the end, it is possible to envisage happy futures for both Ben and Seth.

My one gripe (apart from typos in my written copy) is that Ben didn't seem to learn from the previous kidnappings. I wanted to shake him for being so gullible during the third one.

There were just enough mentions of Andy to keep his memory alive and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for his book.

[Robbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy ever after can happen to anyone

Read it before finding out it’s book 2, although I can’t imagine how book 1 would be similar at all. It’s easy to work out the backstory at the beginning. Loved the characters (with one obvious exception) and how, despite setbacks, things work out well in the end. Made my eyes water a few times too.

[Cathy Brockman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the New Beginnings series and is Ben's story. I will admit I lie the first book much better because I fell for Sol. This story is sweet and I admit I really liked Marty. This is a story about being yourself and how hard that can be at times.
The Narration was ok.

[Jeanine Beaulieu St Pierre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love

I loved this book,I read the first one that was great this one is wonderful the hard ship Ben was put through over and over was very overwhelming but he got through it with the love from Marty

[Li Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great

I enjoyed this book as much as the first it does have some triggers but you can find out what . It’s a great romantic story too

[Lisa1269 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating…
I loved this compelling read, Ben’s journey completely absorbed me as he worked his way through the paralyzing guilt and shame after Sol’s kidnapping. It was difficult to read at times, especially his journal entries while he documents his faltering steps towards self awareness, readily acknowledging his own flaws while admitting that it’s difficult to truly absorb that he needs to forgive himself. His honesty, as necessary as it was, is painful for an invested reader. When Marty enters the picture, it’s like a breath of fresh air, his beauty simply radiates from the very core of his being. These two characters are a fantastic complement to each other as they navigate their new relationship, and there is plenty of levity to balance the heavier aspects of this novel. I couldn’t get enough of this book.
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an Arc of this story and I must say that I was swept up in Ben's story. I was not expecting a book that delved into the emotions this one did. You get to see a character with flaws that grows and evolves through the story. It is a story of forgiveness and redemption that goes much deeper than just a love story, it weaves a heartfelt story of fight both inner and outer demons and coming out on the other side.