Come Back To Me

The Lost and Founds #5

by Edmond Manning

After years of lying, scheming, and dangerous manipulation, Vin Vanbly finally gets what's coming to him: love.

How can he survive unstoppable, uncontrollable love when his very nature demands he control everything? Clues about his one true love—tantalizingly hinted at in each of the books in The Lost and Founds series—come together in four life-changing stories.

In No Kings, a sex hookup with a parking lot stranger reveals more about Vin’s life as a Lost King and his destiny than he could have dreamed. In King Fitch, Vin meets the last king in his long legacy, one final weekend before he withdraws from the world to an anonymous Latin American jungle. The Lost Ones recounts a terrifying kidnapping by street thugs from Vin’s past. In King Malcolm the Restorer, Vin’s mysterious relationship with his older brother—and the soul-crushing secret which drew them together—is finally revealed.

Through it all, Vin Vanbly struggles to survive. But what if he is destined for more than mere survival? Is he finally ready to embrace the truth and remember who he was always meant to be? Once there were a tribe where every man was the one true king and every woman the one true queen…

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT, Fiction, M M Contemporary, Gay

360 pages, ebook

First published August 23, 2016

About the author

Edmond Manning has always been fascinated by fiction: how ordinary words could be sculpted into heartfelt emotions, how heartfelt emotions could leave an imprint inside you stronger than the real world. Mr. Manning never felt worthy to seek publication until recently, when he accidentally stumbled into his own writer’s voice that fit perfectly, like his favorite skull-print, fuzzy jammies. He finally realized that he didn’t have to write like Charles Dickens or Armistead Maupin, two author heroes, and that perhaps his own fiction was juuuuuuust right, because it was his true voice, so he looked around the scrappy word kingdom that he created for himself and shouted, “I’M HOME!” He is now a writer.

In addition to fiction, Edmond enjoys writing non-fiction on his blog, www.edmondmanning.com. When not writing, he can be found either picking raspberries in the back yard or eating panang curry in an overstuffed chair upstairs, reading comic books.

Reviews

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars*

WOAH, I have a LOT of feelings about this book! I'll try to break down everything for you guys in this review without spoilers!

First thing you should know about this book is that there is a lot of sex. I mean, Edmond Manning's books always have a lot of sex, but this book takes it to a whoooooole new level. And I LOVED it. Filthy mind (me) + filthy writing (Edmond) = A happy girl! If you are squeamish about lots of explicit sex (including rimming, fingering, licking, sucking, and whatever else your heart can dream up), then skip this one.

This book is unique because it starts off in one scene, then skips back and forth through time (more on that later). The beginning of the book, the first 25 or 30%, was my absolute favorite, and remains near and dear to my heart.

To say that I loved the first section of the story would be an understatement. I ADORED it. In fact, I was ready to call it a day and give five stars and put this book on my all-time favorites list. I could not put it down. Not only does the book take place in a location that I know like the back of my hand, but Vin meets Mark. I should bold that: Vin MEETS Mark. I loved Mark so, so, so very much. He can keep up with Vin like no other, and I just couldn't get enough of his humor, smarts, and tight, tight butt... I mean, tight... wits? I'm telling you guys, you will fall in love with Mark, and you will just DIE at how awesome this first section turns out.

Now, when I continued on and saw the time jump back a few months, I was... perplexed. I was riding such a high from the first part of the story, and I really just wanted MORE. But this is Edmond Manning, and I knew the story would give me what I needed, even if it was a roundabout way.

I liked the next part too, where we meet and get to know Fitch, Vin's last kinging subject. It was a fun, twisty chapter, and if you have read the other Lost and Founds books, you will have a very good idea of how it will play out, albeit in a more sped-up fashion.

The last sections of the book have so many of the answers that readers have craved about Vin. We finally learn his real name and we learn how he became family with his adoptive brother. We learn about Vin's childhood. There is something very interesting in learning all of that information about Vin. Vin becomes much more... normal. He becomes less mysterious. He becomes less of this mystical being and more of a guy with a very traumatic childhood. I felt a surprising mix of emotions learning all of this stuff about Vin. For one, I think I felt a tiny bit of what Vin was afraid of people feeling all along. Vin loses some of his power with learning the truth about him, and though I loved him on a deeper level, he becomes more ordinary after this story. Do I see him now as that child cowering and living through some unimaginable stuff? A little bit. But I also still see him as the extraordinary, insightful man that he also is.

I really loved the whole story, minus a couple small details, which I ruminated over for a few days after reading. For one, I really wish that the story was told in a more linear fashion. I tend to dislike time-jumps, but it is more than that here. I was so wrapped up with Vin and Mark that I felt cheated out of seeing their story unfold firsthand. I really wanted to see things happen more in real time, versus being told of what happened after the fact. I could have read (and loved) an entire story of just Vin and Mark getting to know one another.

My second quibble is something a little... more unusual. I loved the vast majority of the sex in this book, and though I think sex is a powerful and transformative thing, I have issues with the concept of sex healing deep wounds. I feel like at certain parts of the story, sex was the answer to problems. This is a theme we often see to a lesser extent in the Lost and Founds story. Vin uses sex to get closer and show his love to his lost Kings. However, here, especially in one instance that I found sort of odd (no spoilers, remember!), I wish sex wasn't part of the equation.

Overall, I was extremely happy with this story. Edmond Manning gave Vin something that I've been longing for him to have for a long time: his home.

*Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dedicated to Vin Vanbly: F**kin' Perfect by P!nk
And anyone else who's seen themselves in his mirror.

“I wanted you to see me like this. My worst. See if you’d still like me.”

Here's the thing; I love this series, but I did not love this book. Might be that I had high expectations: wishing, hoping, and waiting for Vin's story. His kinging.

The secrets are finally revealed and the truth behind many things alluded to during the series is laid out. There's ugly here, there's cruelty, and I had a hard time watching how hard earned Vin's compassion was.

I have no future because every string is wrapped so tightly around the past.

As much as I enjoyed this story, I had some issues with it. The disjointed structure was problematic. Three separate stories instead of a cohesive whole was not kinging that I was expecting. One story completely disrupted the timeline and served little purpose in advancing the story and could have been a short separate novella.

The covenant of being the insider with Vin during these stories is broken, and it's hard being on the outside wondering what's happening. If Manning was testing the reader to trust him, then I failed twice during this story. That fundamental change to the storytelling was disconcerting. Enough that I walked away from the book for a period of time.

This is the story of a nobody. Someone who probably shouldn’t even be alive.

There is a graphic quality to the erotic scenes that was not present in previous books, and if I'd never read another book in the series I wouldn't have blinked twice, but this was radically different. It is still that celebration for the human form and ability to feel in all its manifestations, but more explicit. Since Vin uses sexual congress as a form of connection, communication, and validation it shouldn't have been a surprise that his story would explore these themes more.

He said, “Not knowing someone’s king name doesn’t prevent them from being a king. A name doesn’t define you or make you something you’re not. Your king name is true, but not the truth.”

I love Vin; I just wish the story had been constructed differently. My recommendation for readers unfamiliar with Vin, do NOT start with this book because I don't think it will give one a sense of the series.

Overall, a MUST READ for Vin fans.

<<>>==<<>>==<<>>==<<>>==<<>>==<<>>

Buddy Read with Maya, Sofia, Don, Irish, and Jax

Dear Vin,

[Kaje Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

...
Damn.

Reading these books of The Lost and Founds is a bit like having a King weekend with Vin Vanbly. If you've come this far in the series, to book 5, you know what I mean.

They're never quite what I expect. These tales slip away from me, just when I think I have a grasp on what the story is and where it's going. They surprise me, tickling laughter and gut punching tears from me in ways that are logical, afterward, but so unexpected in the moment that the strength of my reaction is a total surprise. The emotional ride is intense, but it demands that I let go and not steer. The words are wise and silly and deep and playful, and seem to know more about where the resonances are than is possible.

They are frustrating. The ordinary, expected, and yes, well-loved, tropes of romance are set up and then knocked over or left hanging, like a balloon snagged in a tree halfway to the sky. But then later in the story a young man comes along who can just reach that balloon and he grasps it and his eyes light up and you realize that this - this - is why that bit of the story didn't fly into the heavens like it was expected to. Because it was there for a different reason, to bring joy to this person's face, to reveal something that needed to be seen... Pain is present, taboos pushed aside but by love, not disregard. (Do read the warnings page if you have triggers.) So much is shown to us. This is a story and an experience, a four-part collage of big stretches of plot and emotions that each had an arc, and made emotional sense together when I stepped back from the end of it.

This book opens with Vin Vanbly taking a new, somehow desperate-feeling chance with his life. He's given in to Mark, a young man who wants a sex weekend, a first time experience only Vin could create, to be loved (and left) as only Vin loves. But this kind of weekend and this relationship of a couple of intense sex-and-love days is not Vin's usual thing. He's not in control and the script is not his, there's no long surveillance prep, no delving into a man's psyche, no pre-planned surprises sprung to open the rusted-shut gates to a man's kingdom.

Why? Who is Mark, this young guy who at first seems like just a sweet, hot man a decade younger than Vin, but who gradually reveals a strength of mind, a purposeful playfulness, that's a match for Vin's own? How did they end up doing this un-Vin-like thing together?

Then, when I was really becoming attached to Mark, but at a very logical break in the story, the tale jumps back in time to a previous kinging, a different man, and a Vin leading up to the one who said yes to a sex-weekend with Mark. And that shift - a move I often hate -is somehow okay, because the burning questions of how/what/why made me eager to see what came before.

And then the book teases. It gives me the full story of another man, another Lost and Found king. The parts that tell me about Vin - why he's falling apart around Mark, how the play with words that was a tool is becoming a threat, where the desperation came from that made him change a decades-long MO for Mark - those bits are buried in this other story, nuggets in the drama. Such a good story, I flip between loving that part and searching for the clues to Mark, and the Vin who was with Mark. Damn you, Edmond Manning.

And then we flip again. And don't end up where I expected. (Why am I still expecting??)

The story moves forward in time in two leaps, skipping things I wanted to see, and yet revealing things I needed to see. We learn who Mark is by what he does and how he feels. We find out about Vin - his name, his past - many of the dark and bright secrets that were hinted at in briefly-glimpsed moments between the action of the other four stories. Not everything, because it would (or will, hopefully? Yes, Edmond?) take a dozen books to cover the life of Vin Vanbly. But we're told enough to close this book with a deep sigh, feeling that Vin is safe in our hearts and Mark's.

We were promised a HEA for Vin, and he gets it. The road to it is rocky, and many of the rocks are boulders Vin himself drags out of the rubble of his past and drops in his own way. But that rubble... he didn't create that, only lived in it. My heart ached for Vin, for the boy and man he was, and for a truthbomb reminder that is dropped - there is nothing special, nothing unique, in Vin's awful past. There are children out there, now, living that life. The book opens my heart wider to all of that, and it hurts. May they each find a Malcolm, a Mark, or a Vin himself, in their lives. And then sweet honey is dripped onto that wound, as Vin and Mark rework their love, together.

Such a great book. Thanks, Edmond, for bringing Vin to a safe harbor here. You do know you still have to keep writing, though, right???

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vin’s story at last, with a rhythm all of it’s own. A book which has seriously ruffled my feathers. I got the answers I wanted plus a dose of strong emotions, love, anger, sadness, happiness.

As always Manning’s brand of magic realism plays about with perspectives because in reality nothing changes for the lost kings except for how they decide to look at themselves and at their world and that my friends is a BIG thing because it changes the whole ballgame and turns them into found kings.

As a reader I’m ready for surprises, I’m an open reader ready for anything. Well Manning tested me and turned the tables on his characters and on me in such ways as to leave me unbalanced, strangely unsettled. I’m trying to pinpoint why this is but I cannot really put my finger on it. Maybe it is the effect of how Manning played with his writerly tools and made me feel like an ‘unknowing’ character in his book rather than the all seeing voyeur the reader usually is. Again another lesson in perspective.

Notes on the story itself:
*My heart goes out as always to Melvin - our grief boy - trapped, unloved and alone. I love his growth and what he has done with his life. I am as angry as Mark at Vin for leaving him so alone. What kind of love is worthy of the name if it means cutting out the unpalatable pieces.

**I do see that Vin followed the template set by Malcolm for his Kinging weekends, with the stories from Aunt Judy, with the love, the care, the teaching, the unfolding, the sex and then the separation. So seeing the beginning of that was good, it answered questions.

***I think this is one of the Kings with the most sex in it and I keep questioning why. For me less is sometimes more. I hope that I’m not missing something. Plus I'd love to see a Kinging without sex. (hinting at dear Edmond here)

****Manning wrote this as a collection, How he trickled out Vin's & Mark's story in the other pieces is masterly. But it did not present itself as a whole like the other books. I don't know why he did this. All in all it does stand separate from the other books and at the same is connected to them.

*****I got a burning question I need an answer too. The epilogue of King John shows the desecration of a tombstone (VANBLY) on the same night as Vin was having his family party in Come Back to Me so I’m all needful to know what’s happening with that.


Was it a journey well taken? For me certainly so. I might not love all the books in the same way, but all in all it’s been a great journey and I’m waiting for the end of King Daniel with anticipation.

Thankfully read with friends here.

[Trio · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a few days to contemplate what to say about this series I'm still at a loss for words. Fans of Edmond Manning don't need me to tell you what a phenomenal writer he is, such a gift for putting words together.

Vin's story, and the tales of the men he helps find their way, is so personal and beautifully intense. Not for the squeamish, I've had to take a break between each of these novels, but I'm pushing on to King Daniel because I've just gotta know how it ends.

Bonus - for fans of the Twin Cities Mr. Manning includes tons of mentions of the wonderful people and landmarks there. It's almost like visiting there without the plane ticket... but it makes me want to go back :)

[LenaRibka · Rating 3 out of 5]

OH MAN(ning)!..

I gave up



to understand what happened here...



First of all, for your information:
IT IS NOT A STAND ALONE. You can't read THIS BOOK, if you haven't read the previous books. I don't know who admit that you CAN read the sequels just wild through, how you like. NO, YOU CAN'T. FORGET IT. NO!!!



It is like to start to watch Game of Thrones from the season #4.
You want to know what this series is about, you have to start with the first book. Period.



OH MAN(ning)!..


NOW...
I have to talk about what made this book different.
*sigh* And what I didn't like.*sigh*

A little bit of my personal reading history to make you understand my feelings:

I have a special relationship to the first book, King Perry. It belongs to my ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOKS. I love it to pieces. I still remember EVERYTHING I felt while reading it. I remember how I re-read the chapters, just because I WANTED to experience this feeling again and again, even BEFORE I finished the whole book. I want you to know it, BECAUSE I'm not a re-read person at all. To re-read something I haven't yet finished, is not my STYLE. You have to offer me something totally totally special to inspire me for something like this.
King Perry is special for me. This book is one of the reasons WHY I love reading so much.

Later I found out how the kinging works...
Later I understood the concept behind the King Weekend...
Later I learned to accept it...
Later...

Later I found more Vin's secrets...
Later I wanted more answers...
Later I learned to understand Vin...
Later I suffered with Vin...
Later Vin became a horizon...
Later I started to consider myself an experienced Vin's expert (stupid arrogant I)...




Now...
I wish I skipped the book #5. I could understand what the book#5 is about.

WHO IS this stranger who pretended to be VIN?!

Vin is a shy guy with a very law self-esteem?! HOW could it be true?! You read the previous books, you have to know how King Weekends work. They are an ingenious result of very thoughtful preparations. He had a lot of helpers, people who do a lot of background job for him, and in the most cases not for money. They do it because of Vin. Vin has a magical aura, his personality is magnificent. He is friendly, open, helpful, kind, he is grounded, sensitive, emotional, vulnerable. Yes, he has secrets, disturbing, painful, he had an awful childhood. We learned about Vin's past piece by piece. Every next book revealed a little more of Vin's real personality and a bit more of his dark secrets. And the book #5 is not an exception.

BUT

I just can't accept him as someone with a VERY low self-esteem. Did I interpret totally wrong everything I read about him before.




Now...
Let's talk about SEX.



O-kay.

Sharon recommended to lay ready two boxes of Kleenex when you start read it. Because "you will cry yourself dry". Well, I'd recommend it too, but not for the same purpose.

To say that SEX was HOOOOT is a big understatement. Sex scenes were terrifically skilled written and very Kleenexing.
My problem here - Come Back To Me is not a pure gay erotic fiction.
Yes, I know, SEX was always an essential part of King Weekends. And Vin placed great importance on a sexual-emotional connection to his chosen Lost Kings. So why I'm complaining? Why sex became my biggest problem here? It was not SEX itself, it was its purpose. And yes, it was the amount of sex scenes.
Sometimes less is more.

Actually I like a refreshing idea of a new structure. Edmond Manning doesn't stop to surprise me. It is not the structure that irritated me, it is the content of the three main parts.

No Kings. Why no kings?One can book Vin via Internet to lose your virginity? I like Mark, I'm glad that it was him. But why did he agree? Because Mark was young and attractive?

King Fitch.
It was the most strange part. I didn't get it. Sex was hot written, but emotionally empty in regard to the story-line.

King Malcolm The Resorer.
THAT.WAS.WRONG. Even worse was to hear about it in such graphical details at this point in time. I don't want even to discuss this part. Gay Day experience?! ”Let's fuck and then we'll become real brothers.” Sorry, I can't even...




Edmond Manning is an exceptional writer. He writes like no one else. His stories are unique, his writing is provocative, compelling and beautiful.
Even if I am still trying to gather my thoughts and to find out where the journey brought me, even if I have the biggest issues with this book, I think that this book, in terms of writing, was the best in the series.



Maybe I have to read it once more to understand the message the author tried to deliver.
Maybe I missed something. Maybe....

[Jax · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been difficult to sort out my feelings for this one. We finally get answers about our beloved Vin Vanbly, but it comes at a price. I wasn’t happy with everything about this book and didn’t leave it with the same feeling of joy and contentment that I’ve felt for the rest of the series.

The first part was my favorite bit, a 5 star read and more in keeping with the good feelings generated by the other four books. I loved Mark and how he put Vin off balance. It was very funny and you knew it would be good for Vin in the long run, no matter how uncomfortable it made him. A bit of his own medicine! And I enjoyed the kinging in part two that helps Vin be open to a love he can keep for himself. The rest was.....grittier than I would’ve liked.

Because there are four distinct parts and each involves sex, there’s more sex than usual and some scenes are more graphic (and lengthy) than usual. The final 40% of the book was a difficult read for me. Part three was very unsettling and I don’t understand the choice to go that route, but I marveled at the skill of the writing to elicit such tension and it provided some valuable insight into Vin’s life. On the other hand, part four I would’ve rather not read at all. For me Vin’s rape and having sex with Malcolm, a straight man who we’ve thought of as Vin’s brother (even though they don’t see themselves as such at that point), was too off-putting to be worth any new information learned.

So, not the entirely pleasurable experience I was anticipating for the reveal of Vin’s story but it’s sure to invoke strong emotions and lively discussions. I know I’ll continue to think about it for some time.

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if – to find greater love in my life – I need to do something that makes me uncomfortable?

One of my most anticipated sequels ever. After getting to know Vin bit by bit in the previous four books, after growing to love him and hurt with him I so wanted to see Vin’s HEA. And I did. But getting there wasn’t the experience I … expected? imagined? hoped for? Let’s just say that parts of Come Back to Me I found very difficult to get through – they left me both unsettled and conflicted. I am still struggling to figure out why certain things were in the book and how they contributed to Vin’s story. I am aware my difficulties with this book are – in a big part – due to the limitations of my views, and I do trust this author to have thoroughly thought out every detail. However, I cannot say that reading this book brought me the range of emotions the other books in the series did.

I still think that Come Back to Me is a book that everyone who’s followed Vin so far should read. Like the blurb promises there’s so much love on its pages.

Thanks so much to Sofia, Vivian and Jax for the discussion. I needed it and enjoyed it very much.

[♣ Irish Smurfétté ♣]

Preordered, beyotches!

******************************************

Buddy read:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[KatieMc]

I'm a bit perplexed. Parts I loved. Some things just left me sratching my head. Let me codgitate a bit.

[AGandyGirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

”Only You.”

There is truly no way to put into words this book, these characters, this story or this journey. It’s simply an experience I will never forget. I have half of Book 6 to complete and I just don’t want it to end. 

This was just magicals. All my love. 

[Ulysses Dietz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's the review I did for Prism Book Alliance: http://www.prismbookalliance.com/2016...

I guess this is it for Vin Vanbly. Our peripatetic auto mechanic from Minnesota seems to have kinged his last king. In this fifth volume of the tales of the lost kings, one learns, at last, the whole story. Every question one has had about Vin and his eccentric mission is finally answered.

And it’s every bit as horrible as one might have imagined.

But, that aside, the book as satisfyingly wonderful as one has come to expect from Mr. Manning’s feverish imagination and brilliant, playful, powerful prose. (One does so like the letter p.) More than once I found myself sitting in a public place (on the train, in a restaurant) fighting back tears, even as I smiled over some clever phrase or amusing turn of language.

What is it about Manning’s writing that moves me so? There’s a huge amount of sexual activity in this book, as in all of the previous volumes. But for Manning, sexuality, particularly that between consenting adult men, is sacred. I don’t know how else to describe it. Manning brings an intense, highly secular, spiritual element into sex that simply transforms it. This is not to say it isn’t wonderfully sexy, for that it surely is. But it also stirs ups—and is fully intended to stir up—deep emotional resonance that further demonstrates the author’s ability to pluck those heartstrings linking the heart and the brain, even as he’s tickling your fancy with some very dirty activity. Manning’s prose is both heartbreaking and jizz-tastic. (I stole that word from the author.)

“Come Back to Me” is really four books, by the way. Each major section of this long book has the emotional heft of one of his earlier novels, and feels just as complete in spite of its novella-like length. The four stories are tightly linked together and they’re not uniformly told in Vin’s voice. The fact that Vin sometimes finds himself losing control of his narrative in the earlier books is a motif repeated here, because more than once he finds the narrative voice taken away from him entirely and given to someone else – someone who is very important to him and to us.

We meet Mark, and Kevin. We meet Malcolm, Vin’s brother, of whom we’ve heard before. We meet someone I cannot name, for that would spoil the surprise. We are reminded of other kings and queens, and we are reminded how profoundly Vin loves. In this last story of Vin and his kings, Edmond Manning loves the reader with all of his love. Those of us willing to accept that love are truly blessed.

Actually, there’s one more book in the Lost and Founds. Gotcha.

[Shell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edmond Manning never seems to pull his punches. He doesn't shy away from difficult topics or shameful secrets, rather facing demons head on and often airing them for the world to see--along with whatever bits of wisdom he/his character has gleaned from the experience. By daring to write in this manner,(and particularly in this series) the reader must be patient, just as we must be patient in life.

Come Back To Me is the reader's reward for their patience. Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore this series. It was recommended to me by a friend who said, "You're not going to know what's going on at first and you may hate Vin Vanbly, but stick with it and it'll be worth it."

Understatement of the century. Though each book in the series is unique, they all resonated with me in some kind of way. I could see myself, my feelings, in these characters, and often it wasn't in a good way. I recognized the faults these complex characters struggle with and cheered for them as they were forced to accept their true self.

I'm getting off track because it's difficult to review just this book without relating it to the entire series. Reading Come Back to Me felt as if I finally got to add a giant puzzle piece of the Vin Vanbly saga that I've been missing, hoping for, and waiting for.

And it didn't disappoint. For the first time we get to meet Vin's older brother, we get inside the head of someone other than Vin, and the book is about more than just a King Weekend.

I don't want to give anything away because I'd be super upset if someone spoiled this for me, but anyone already following the series will love this penultimate book. If you don't follow the series, be sure to visit Edmond's website, where he's listed the 4 (FOUR!) different ways readers can enjoy the Lost and Founds, AND THEN GET ON THAT.

[Elithanathile]

PRE-ORDERED! GIMME!!!

WOOHOO!! I own the whole series, aside from this one [which will be mine the minute it releases], and JUST the other day I was hoping AND wondering if there'd be more books to come. I haven't read the 4 I own yet; for now, I'm enjoying the super sweet anticipation of books I know I'll really enjoy, and cannot wait for this one to be in my hands as well :-)!!

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I think I'm dead. This book. This series. Gah. I'm almost afraid to read book 6. I love every since page of these books but this one was one of the hardest. Trigger warning are in place for rape, abuse, etc. It's not a pretty picture. In each book, it was briefly stated a few times about Vin’s past, but nothing prepared me for the whole thing. This books is broke down into 4 stories of Vin’s life. Including his final kinging. And a surprise Vin is not at all prepared for.

The first section, story, of this book, tells how Vin meets this sweet boy Mark. Mark doesn't want a King weekend. He wants help with something else. Vin puts him off for a while but Mark is persistent and Vin gives in. But at the end of their weekend, Mark wants more and Vin doesn't know what to do. He tells Mark they need to separate for a while for Mark to get over him but it doesn't happen. In the next story, Vin’s final kinging. He's ready to move on. He feels like he's going nuts and he needs away. Everything is closing in around him and he's had enough. He brings Fitch through his kinging a lot differently. Every King is different. But it along with the rest of the kingings have taken a lot out of Vin and he has no more to give. In the next section, Mark is back. The time Vin wanted to spend apart didn't work. Mark came for him. Moved for him. And Mark loves him. But Vin is so sure that it's not going to last. And finally, we have the last story. Mark and Vin have been together a while and Mark is tired of not knowing. But Vin literally can't tell Mark about his past. It makes him violently ill. So Malcolm steps in and Vin’s story is told. Or from where Malcolm comes into his life. But Vin is terrified Mark will see him different after this, and Malcolm feels like there is a rift now that wasn't between Mark and Vin. He hopes they can get past it.

Yeah this is definitely on of those times I wish I could crawl in a book and beat someone's ass. Vin’s life was horrible. Some of his own making, yes. But most, not. Vin is ashamed, scared to death of what Mark is going to think of him. But love goes through rough patches. What Vin had to realize is Mark doesn't lose his love for Vin. It gives him more. To know what he through, what he hides and buries. Mark pushes him to accept all the parts of himself and let go. Because Mark isn't going away. And Vin pushes. Hard. But it's time. Time for Vin’s transformation. And we even learn is real name. And nope, not telling. Read and find out! I guess what gets me the most about Vin, is he always thinks himself weak. Always has to be in control. Never let them see you sweat kinda thing. But it takes someone strong to overcome what he has. But it catches up to you if you bury it. And that's why Vin thought he was losing his mind. It was time to let go. I love that Mark never gave up. He refused. Giving Vin what he needed even when he didn't know he needed it. Mark is perfect for Vin. And I was so happy to see Mark take his place in Vin’s life.

This story will break every inch of your heart, but you will laugh as well. In this book, it shows the importance of letting go. The past is where it is. In the past. Holding on to it, keeps you from being who you are meant to be. Let go. And love.

http://lovebytesreviews.com

[~ Lei ~ Reading Is An Adventure ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★ ~ 5 Stars ~ ★★★★★ ~ 5 Star Series ~ 1st 5 Star Series in 8 Years on GR ~
Come Back To Me is four Lost and Founds vignettes that reveal many secrets.

No Kings 2005 ~ Vin picks Mark up in a parking lot and gets so much more than he expected.

King Fitch Vin kings his last man in 2005.

Lost Ones Vin's past comes back to haunt him in 2008.

Malcolm The Restorer The story of how Malcolm becomes Vin's brother is told in 2011.

“Once there was a tribe of men,” I say in a strong voice, audible to none but him, “a tribe populated entirely of kings. Odd, you may think, and wonder how any work got done in such a society with everyone making rules. But these were not those kinds of kings.”

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.
— Robert Louis Stevenson

So…I was having some difficulty starting this review. Because after finishing the book, just like after book four in this series, I’m nothing but mush. I went back and read my review of King John . That might’ve been a mistake. Oddly, or maybe not, I have a lot of the same emotions. I just hope I don’t plagiarize myself this time around.

I’m pretty sure the series as a whole is a study of the masculine archetypes as theorized by psychologist Robert Moore. I’ve done a little reading. Not much…some. It’s fascinating, and I need to carve out some time to do some more. I think what fascinates me most is seeing familiar unkingly traits of men I’ve dated (including the one I was married to) and wondering why the hell I gravitate toward the same unhealthy things over and over because they were definitely not at the apex of their archetypes. That’s probably gonna take some reflection in order for me to reach my own Queenship.

I digress.

Back to the King thing. Essentially, the theory is there are four masculine archetypes: warrior, lover, magician, and king. Lemme talk about the King one for a quick minute. I’m not going too far into it because I assume y’all have the Google. But, the thing to note is that the King is the pinnacle of all four archetypes. It’s a total centering or balance of all of them. It culminates at this apex into a strong sense of self, inner peace, positive energy, decisiveness, acting not reacting. My interpretation is that it’s total power over one’s self and in turn outwardly projecting inspiration, integrity, dependability, protectiveness, among other good things.

Got all that?

So these books. It’s Vin Vanbly, a Lost King, finding other lost kings and Kinging them over a weekend. He’s giving them the tools in super crafty ways of carefully planned experiences that lead them to their own kingly apex. Be the men they’re meant to be. He’s doing this glorious thing, but he’s a troubled man skirting the edges of crazy. His self-esteem is tarnished by a totally shit childhood. His life is a house of cards packed full of lies. And he’s most unreliable as a narrator — though his stories are captivating.

These stories are packed with little mysteries, mystical hoodoo, symbols, numerology, Easter eggs planted along the way in strange little places along with nuggets of wisdom tucked into bouts of lunacy. It’s sheer genius seeing all these things so carefully crafted and woven together into tales of these beautiful souls finding their kingship.

Come Back To Me is told in four short stories, some parts are told in different points of view because Vin’s not always able to carry the tale. They span several years and release a lot of secrets alluded to in previous books. This book opens the gates wider than ever, answers a LOT of burning questions while posing even more.

Here is where we see Vin torn down and built back up. His secrets start creeping out of dusty corners because there’s someone Vin can’t deny when answers are demanded. Skewed perspectives are placed under different lights — or lit up for the first time after being tucked away in the dark.

I feel honor bound not to spill the beans here, so I’ll carry on with some extra exuberance. This series is not your typical Romance. Sure, there are parts that are spectacularly romantic, and the love is abundant. Sex happens, sometimes a lot, and it’s gorgeous and weird and dirty and sweet. There is kindness like you wouldn’t believe. Everyone is flawed in messy ways that make them relatable or easy to hate for a little while…until we figure out how to love them — because Vin knows and leads us there.

With book four I sat with a spiral notebook and scribbled clues and random thoughts and ideas and tried like a super-sleuth to draw parallels and conclusions between theology, numerology, mythology, psychology, and probably a few other -ologies and that book. I learned I was on the right track with a few things. (Woot!). This time around I just sunk into the experience. Though, I have more highlights in this book than any other I’ve read on a Kindle.

The only conclusion I’m drawing this time around is that Edmond Manning a Super Nova King among the Kings and Queens of Pens (or keyboards, as it were). And that this series comprises some of the finest books I’ve ever read ever in my lifetime of reading.

A note in the front matter states that this book can be read as a stand-alone, or introduction to the series. I can see that’s probably so. But…personally, I’d say start at the beginning. Collectively, they’re full of adventures not to be missed. I think having the background of the others made this book a richer experience. Plus, come on!


Also posted on BackPorchReader.com.

[Diverse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Come Back to Me, book 5 in Edmond Manning’s The Lost and Founds Series, and did something I never have done before… I slept on it before I reviewed. Normally I have to be in the moment so I write my review immediately following the book. Not this time. This book is 100% different than all the other Lost and Founds. There’s a Vin Vanbly kinging, yes, but then there’s Vin’s story, Vin’s love, and yeah a question you’ve been dying to know gets answered.

I closed my kindle with a sigh and a smile. I closed it with a few questions but I know this isn’t the end of these books. There will be more. I’m happy though. Not because I heard Vin’s story but because I understand things better now. I love Vin even more than I thought possible. I love Mark, and Malcom, and all the kings Vin has given all his love to.

As I read I highlighted a few things. Things that wouldn’t give away the story but that I simply read over a few times just to bask in the feeling of the moment.

“Have you ever thought about traveling somewhere amazing, Marky?” He smiles, and his eyes are still closed, “Just did.”

And that is a pure, amazing feeling right there. I was like, “Yes, Edmond, you get it.” It’s something when you know an author understands what a good moment is worth.

Understanding Vin Vanbly is a journey in itself and yet he says things, lives in seconds that just leaves us speechless.

As we’re both drifting off, he says the words I’ve been dreading in a voice more air than sound. He says, “I love you.” I squeeze him, but can’t say them back.

His complexity is what keeps the reader riveted. You know when the time is right you’re going to hear his story and it’s going to turn you inside out, it’s going to hurt. And it does.

As each book in this series passes there’s one thing that Vin always says that gives me goosebumps, my veins tingle, my heart pumps, and I know it’s about to begin:

“Once there was a tribe of men, a tribe populated entirely of kings. Odd, you may think, and wonder how any work got done in such a society with everyone making rules. But these were not those kinds of kings.”

That right there is like a starting gun at a race. I squee a little, I wonder where this is going.
Come Back to Me, as Edmond promised, is everything you’ve been waiting for. It’s a sexual book that touches ALL elements of sex. The good, bad, great, important, elementary, and most important love.

It’s hard to write this review without spoilers because I want to gush with you readers and tell you the moments that made me cry, laugh, smile, sigh, and heal.

I adore this book and all the pieces that came together. How important every page from book 1 until now mattered.

I can’t highly recommend a book or series more than this.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

To make this review make sense I find I must divide my comments into two camps. Those who have read The Lost and Founds series and those who have not.

For those who have read King Perry, King Mai, The Butterfly King, King John and chapters one through eleven of King Daniel; Come Back to Me pulls it all together in a way for which you will find you are ill prepared. May I suggest you come to this book armed with two boxes of Kleenex (you will cry yourself dry), throat lozenges (screaming hurts) and adequate periods of time. You won’t want to put this book down but you will have to because your responses will dictate time required for recovery from your responses. Many was the time I put my Nook down and just sat there with my mouth held open. The revelations are many and simply amazing. The revelations about Vin Vanbly can best be well appreciated by those who have ridden the roller coaster ride that has been The Lost and Founds. I can promise you this, even though you have faithfully read everything written by Edmond Manning, you will never again be the same after reading Come Back to Me.

For those who have never read the books of The Lost and Founds series; Come Back to Me can be read as a stand-alone book and you will more than enjoy it, but you will walk away with more questions than answers. Moreover, you will not be able to relate to the state of catatonic shock suffered by your friends who have followed the series faithfully.

In short, Come Back to Me brings it all home in ways none of us were prepared for. So many questions formed when reading The Lost and Founds series are answered fully. The circle that is the life of Vin Vanbly and the lost and found kings seems completed. The more to come in the upcoming story of King Daniel and his promise to kill Vin Vanbly (for those of us who have followed King Daniel) will, in my humble opinion, provide the icing on the cake (Well I think it will, but with the intrigue that is the signature of Edmond Manning’s writing there will probably be ice cream too!!!) Speaking of cake and icing……. nah, you will just have to read the book.

My five-star bottom line is: if you read only one book this summer, Come Back to Me should definitely be it.

[Helena Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make that six stars.

I just deleted almost 1200 words of the review I started to write for this book. Yes, you read that right, I did say ‘started to write’. That version contained detailed descriptions of everything I loved about Come Back to Me and I fully intend to keep it, as a reminder for myself. It won’t do as a review for others though, especially not for those who haven’t read this book yet.

Spoilers are, of course, always bad. One of the great joys I get from reading a book lies in discovering the truth in the story, in the moments I didn’t see coming, and those surprises that touch me deeply. I rarely look at reviews before reading a book, because being deprived of that joy hurts. So this will have to be a review without spoilers. And that’s a bit of a problem because it basically means I can tell you little to nothing about this story, except to say that it was EVERYTHING I hoped it would be and also so much more than I’d dreamed it could be.

You see, the four stories contained in this book are nothing but revelations of the always suspected but never confirmed truths. It was filled with moments I didn’t see coming, and yet made perfect sense as soon as they happened. Moments that touched me deeply in so many ways and so many times, I honestly wouldn’t know where to begin.

I had hopes for this book. I wanted to at last get to know Vin better. While I knew his back story would hurt, I also knew I needed those details in order to fully appreciate Vin’s magnificence. I was right on both counts. I’ve been rooting for a happy ending for Vin from the moment he was first introduced, and with every subsequent book, with every goodbye after a King Weekend, my need for his happiness grew stronger. Does he get it? That’s for me to know and for you to find out, but I will tell you that the ending, like the rest of the book, was perfect.

These are the stories of Vin’s journey towards his own crowning. It comes with ups and downs. I saw Vin lower and more afraid than I’d ever seen him before and yet, it was exactly what I needed in order to see all of Vin, and, more importantly, everything Vin needed to finally see all of himself. At the same time, I’ve never known Vin to be this playful, easy-going, and, dare I say it, happy either. This book forces both the reader and the characters to experience all the emotions. I laughed, I cried. I love and I hated. I feared and lost myself, mesmerised by the story and the revelations it brought. I whispered, shouted and pleaded with Vin and his co-stars, urging them on and trying to hold them back.

No, I’m not going to tell you anything about the story except to say that I was delighted that Vin at last got to connect with the man who could see:

The ‘grief boy who lives behind Vin’s eyes.

Yes, I had high hopes for this book and I can honestly say, Come Back to Me exceeded every single one of those. And while books probably can’t be kinged, this one, like its prequels, stands out as royalty among printed works.

Edmond Manning has, in me, found himself a fan for life. Here’s an author who demands everything, from himself, from his characters and from his readers. But in return he gives it all. He makes me wonder, fall in love, and more than anything, he makes me want to be and do better. Vin for all his (perceived) flaws is one of the most inspirational characters I’ve ever had the honour to meet. Edmond Manning’s gift with words is unique. He tells stories that don’t compare to anything else, creates characters unlike any you have met before, and he always has one more surprise up his sleeve. The Lost and Founds books are a treasure. And I still have one more to title to read; King Daniel awaits my attention. I’m torn between being unable to wait before I pick it up and not wanting to read it at all because as long as I ignore it, the story won’t end. Dilemmas, dilemmas.

I’m going to end this ‘essay’ (yes, it’s over 1000 words again) by saying something I should probably have mentioned at the start. This book should not, under any circumstances, be read as a stand-alone. If you haven’t read the first four books, a lot of what happens in Come Back to Me won’t make sense to you, while this book would at the same time spoil those first four books for you. That’s not a bad thing though. All these The Lost and Founds books are stunning. Do yourself a favour and start with King Perry. Just be prepared to find yourself hooked.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read 5+ times

Don't read the blurb if you want to read this book. It deserves the full surprise.

This modern fairy tale revolves around family. This book is different than the rest of the series. It reads as an epilogue, although there's one more book coming after this one.
It's divided in 4 parts.

As I read it for the first time, I didn't like this book as much as the other ones:
- the dark elements of the story are very dark,
- the 3rd part is quite problematic regarding what you learn in the 4th part,
- the 4th part culminates in a formidable way but then ends abruptly and it crucially misses what comes next (it's actually described in the next book)
- the 4th part crosses a line for me (concerning sex).

I appreciate this book much better now, but the points above are still a problem. It's still a remarquable work, partly thanks to the fact that it's the best written book of the series. In this book you experience the roller-coaster of feelings you had while reading King Perry, but increased tenfold. I laughed, I yelled at Vin Vanbly, I cried, I was disgusted, I fell in love, etc. like with no other book before.

****

My review for King Perry still stands more or less for Come Back To Me:

This is not your usual romance. Don't expect this story to follow the usual development of standardized MM novels. Actually, you'll never guess what happens in the next pages. The narrator MC is also quite unusual, he's definitely not going to leave you indifferent. (2 parts are told from other characters in this book)

This is a modern fairy tale. It takes you through every possible feelings in a crazy roller-coaster. However, as with a lot of old fairy tales there's a lot of love but also deep darkness sometimes.

For all these reasons, you're going to love or hate this book. I absolutely loved it.

I really liked everything in this book, but I especially enjoyed :
- the writing,
- the masculine touch of the writer,
- the way the dialogues ring true and bring the characters extremely close to me.

The 1st person present tense is not a big favorite of mine, but the story wouldn't work as well without it and I got used to it rather quickly.

This is an amazing book, but it's even better when you have already read the whole series. (You have to read the previous ones before this one!)
There's an evolution of the MC's personality and there are plenty of unseen details that make the whole work shine even more.
It's best to read these books in the published order for the first time.

What did I forget?
- If you're interested about the sexy parts, the whole series explores many fantasies,
- Once started I couldn't drop it,
- Read this book with an open mind and an open heart : it's only a fiction,
- On a personal note, each time I read this book I feel a bit healed.

[karlakolumna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ....
Weird.

Like totally weird and strange..

Okay, to be fair, I did not read the previous 4 books in this series and, instead, started right off with book #5, because I got it free on instafreebie through the latest "Big Gay Fiction Giveaway".
That being said, I've got to admit that I didn't really get all these "kinging" or "King Weekend" or the whole "Lost vs. Found Kings" in the beginning. These references were lost on me, at first. But they weren't too important to follow the story, to get the gist of what Vin Vanbly does for his lovers, for himself. And anyhow, I got the impression that the strangeness of the plot, of the enigma that is Vin Vanbly was intended and not just a side product of me skipping the first 4 books.

So. Vin Vanbly is compulsive, strange, weird, doesn't really fit in. On the other hand he's generous, compassionate and empathetic and tries to 'give' his lovers - his conquests? - something that noone ever did before. He helps them to find themselves, overcome their pasts and/or other insecurities etc.
So yeah, I get (or think I get) what this book, this series, is about.
This book tells the reader (finally, as far as I can tell) who Vin Vanbly is. Where he comes from. What happened to him. And we see him fall in love. I guess, all of the above is a new revelation in the course of this series. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

But despite this, I gotta say, this wasn't for me. It was, well, too weird. Too strange. All this 'King' nonsense was just that, nonsense to me. I don't get it. Well, that's not true exactly. I do get it... why it's important to Vin Vanbly, what it says about him and his character & psyche. Vin Vanbly is not a character who can be 'judged' by ordinary standards, because he is extraordinary and as such not quite 'normal'.. He stands out. Doesn't fit in. Which is not a bad thing, mind.
But hell, I could not connect with him. The plot. Anything. The King nonsense grated on my nerves. The jumps in the storyline weren't helpful either, as I'm usually not fond of those within a book.

I do appreciate what Manning did here, spinning this tale of strangeness, beauty, love, hurt. Manning is, as far as I can tell from my limited experience, a great story teller.

Nevertheless, I'm sorry to say, this one wasn't really for me.

[Abstract Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

These series… so special

If you’ve found yourself here for the 5th time, there is no review needed for you. But the author deserves it. My god does Edmond Manning deserves it.

The Lost and Founds is magic. Magicals. Pure word wizardry and I am lost for words trying to describe how incredibly profound I find Edmond’s writing. It’s an initiation in its most unearthly form. It’s the kind of writing that reminds me just how much about the universe we don’t yet know.

Love everything about this novel and the series. 50% left of King Daniel to finish and I already know I will never be the same again.

Another gorgeous book that goes into the rare list of books that leave me gasping. My soul, my heart - I am forever changed.

[Kaye Hallows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhh! My favorite so far of the Lost and Founds because... you know why if you've read it! So much love and beauty and you just want to crawl inside the Mark story and live there forever! With every book, Edmond Manning reveals more and more of his true genius for crafting not just one story but the whole arc of Vin's life. All the pieces clicking right into place just when they need to and not one page before. He draws so much emotion out of the reader with every twist and turn of every king and not-king story. I'm all wrung out in the best possible way and reaching for that last book...
If you haven't read this series, you are seriously missing out on a whole, amazing world.

[The Novel Approach · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the rumblings began to surface that Vin Vanbly’s real name was going to be revealed in the next installment of author Edmond Manning’s Lost And Founds series, I was intrigued. When there were further ripples in the kinging pond that readers might also find out more about Vin’s past—who he really was, how he came to be the guy that kinged others but never felt he himself would ever be worthy, I moved toward cautious excitement. Finally, when the waves crested and it was nearly verified Vin might actually discover his true love and maybe, just maybe, have a happy ever after? Well, it was then I began to beg to review this novel. I am happy to report that much of the above is true—I did get to review this book, we do find out Vin’s real name, and we do learn more about his past…the love bit? Well, I can’t give it all away, but suffice it to say that the underground movement that has been entreating Mr. Manning to please give Vin at least a moment of happiness in one of these installments—yeah, he heard them, and then some.

If you have read Edmond Manning’s Lost And Founds series, then you will have no difficulty following this book and remembering some of the many side characters that move in and out of the various chapters. If you haven’t read any of the others, then I fear this book will not have the impact it could have, and that would be a shame. I am not going to give the store away in this review. Rather, I am going to highlight why this book, like the others in the series, manages to grab hold of the imagination to the point where you become personally involved in the lives of each person that comes across its pages.

Vin is not just some character; he is your long-suffering best friend who deserves so much more than life has dealt him thus far. To understand this man is to realize that he lives to help others discover who they were meant to be, who they have always been and the only way he can do that is to love them with a single minded devotion while systematically breaking them down.

“Your beauty is that you see men for who they really are.”

These words uttered by soon to be King Fitch, aka Kevin, sums up exactly who Vin really is and why those whose lives he touches love him in return. It takes a selfless man to pursue bringing out the beauty in those around him. Don’t get me wrong, Vin has his fair share of flaws, perhaps the most noted is his inability to see his own self-worth. However, when you are single-handedly bent on restoring a lost King to greatness, your own needs often fall to the wayside. Vin is continually warring with his desires—not the least of which is to love and be loved, and to be found…worthy. The beauty of Come Back To Me is that we finally get to see that happen—love finds our Vin and it is so very sweet. Unfortunately, along that journey we are also made privy to the most intimate moments of Vin’s dark and quite often horrible past. And because of that we, are able to love him even more.

There are three distinct stories in this book. First there is a kinging—the aforementioned Kevin. Then we have Vin falling in love…more on that in a moment. And finally, the revealing of Vin’s past and how he came to have an older brother, Malcolm. The kinging is classic Manning style, just slightly condensed and yet no less captivating. Fitch (Kevin), is a man who has been used to loving and leaving a host of men, all while maintaining a perfect physique and a shallow heart. His glorious finding is a king’s story worth reading.

The story of Vin’s past is the most difficult to read, not just because there is violence and rape that is heard but not visually seen or described in the text, but because we learn of it while Vin allows his brother Malcolm to reveal that–plus so much more–to the man Vin has fallen in love with and yet is certain he will lose. Vin is sure in that idea because he is a person used to loss, from a very young age. It is a terrible thing when a man feels he has no family—no real place to call his home. You see, for Vin, four walls (which he does indeed own) do not make a home. Love does that, being “found” does that, building a life with someone does that. And until this novel, all that seemed to be beyond Vin’s grasp. Which leads me to the man who finally sees Vin—truly sees him and the scared young boy lurking inside. I can honestly say Vin being loved by Mark is the most exquisite writing I have ever read. The humor, the tenderness, the crazy role-playing and the premise of their initial meeting make Mark and Vin the most enjoyable partnership to read about. But remember this is Vin we are talking about—the guy who is certain he will never be found, never be good enough, never deserve the happy ever after he so desperately wants.

So, does he get it? Does Vin actually find love and keep it? I will give you one clue…cake. There, I have said enough. You must now grab this book and read it for yourself. I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. Edmond Manning is a consummate storyteller, and in my opinion this is his best novel yet. And honestly, what more could you ask for—a writer who continues to grow and excel in his craft? Come Back To Me is a novel that will exceed all your expectations and affirm the truth that sometimes the underdog gets the win—deservedly so.

Reviewed by Sammy for The Novel Approach Reviews

[Diane Pohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful sequel

I'm biased,I'm a huge fan of this series. This book did not disappoint. I was really happy to know how Vin came to be, and how his story would end. Whenever I read Edmond Manning's work, I am overwhelmed by the way he uses language. I highly recommend the Lost and Founds series, and I'm anxious to read the final book.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm speechless. This is wonderful. I need to keep showering with all these emotions. I can't stop. I don't want to stop. Oh, Vin. You, wonderful King.

[Myguiltypleasure · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read. Thank you Mr Manning. Please write more.

[ItsAboutTheBook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review can be read at It's About The Book

Come Back To Me is the fifth book in The Lost And Founds series. It can be read as a standalone and not be confusing, however, there are answers to questions that are woven throughout the other books, and secrets revealed that would change the reading of the other books of the series if Come Back To Me is read before them.

Unlike the other books in the series up to this point, Come Back To Me is divided into four parts, with the second part jumping back slightly in time.

In the first part of the book, we meet up once again with Vin Vanbly as he begins a weekend. Not a King Weekend, however, because Vin’s time helping Lost Kings become Found has passed. This is a sex weekend. A capitulation to a young man’s request to lose his virginity, and an unexpected anomaly for Vin. Right from the start Vin is on the back foot when it comes to the splendid force of nature that is Mark. When the weekend ends, Vin walks away, as he always does. He gave all his love to the young man with his strange request, and now Mark is free to give all his love elsewhere.

It was pure joy to see Vin’s control whipped out from under him as he is forced to relinquish his expectations of what his time with Mark is going to be, what it is going to mean. I found the first chapter quite confronting, I wasn’t sure I liked this Vin. While that didn’t last long, the way the beginning was set up gave me the subtle reminder to leave my expectations at the door and just trust in the journey. To look for the truth behind the true. And Mark. Mark is incandescent. He is strong and vulnerable and funny and playful and sweet and a little weird, and I completely fell in love with him. Mark gave Vin a taste of his own medicine. He is Vin’s match and then some.

The second part tells of Vin’s final King Weekend. It’s obvious that these Kingings have taken a toll on Vin over the years. The word games he’s always used as a coping mechanism have become insidious as they shift from a way to make sense of the world to a dangerous distraction from it. This part is about more than just Vin guiding Fitch into his Kingship as he Finds himself and becomes King Kevin, the man he was always meant to be. It’s also the story of how Vin became the kind of man who would accept the request of a man a decade his junior for a sex weekend. It shows the almost unnoticed steps Vin takes towards the final path of his own important journey. There’s so much beauty and joy and love with each of Vin’s Kingings, but there’s also that thread of sadness of saying goodbye to a beloved weaving through the tapestry. All those amazing men Vin was meant for but who weren’t meant for him.

The third and fourth parts switch from Vin’s POV and for the first time we see him through the eyes of those who love him. As much as there’s insights that you can only gain from being inside a character’s head, there’s also some things you can only learn through the observations of someone else. I already loved these characters from the first time we got to meet them, and I love them even more for getting to see things from their perspective, and what they see in Vin – the fears and insecurities as well as a bottomless capacity for love, make me appreciate Vin even more than I already did. We finally learn the events that formed Vin, what transformed him from who he’d been to who he was now, and the inspiration for his King Weekends. The first part of Vin’s past is heartbreaking, confronting and impossible to turn away from. I love Vin even more, knowing everything he’s gone through in the past, and everything he went through in this book. All growth comes with some measure of pain. One of the things I love most in this book is the truths and insights. We all want those we love to see us as extraordinary, no matter how ordinary we are to ourselves and the rest of the world.

So many questions and mysteries are answered in this book, but there are still things left to be revealed (hopefully!). In one sense, these revelations take away a lot of Vin’s mystique, but I’m the kind of person who finds a deep fascination in the reveal of the magic trick. It might lose it’s mystique, but the magic is still there. The complexities threaded throughout the narrative, the layers of meaning woven into the tapestry of the story, give each reader the opportunity to pause, reflect and consider individual ideas and insights that most resonate with them. The reactions I had while reading this book were so visceral that I was often brought to tears and laughter, felt sick fear and overwhelming joy. There were powerful scenes, and a startling realisation that came from a particular scene that did not go where I expected it to; it was heartbreaking, but also true and beautiful.

[Turquoise Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a bit like a treat for us HEA seekers. Mark is perfect. The effect he has on Vin is amazing, but I really wish I could learn more about how they fell in love over the internet. What made Mark so sure of Vin even before meeting him?
The peek into Vin's life in Minnesota throughout the book is wonderful. I loved how Kevin's character evolved.
Parts of Malcolm's story got awkward not because of the content but because of the way it had been described. Being a story that was narrated through dialogues, it felt unauthentic in parts.
It's interesting how Vin's voice has changed through the years in the books. Also, what is the story behind his king name?!?!?
The abduction by street thugs storyline revealed a lot of interesting and heartwarming stuff but again it felt weird that it was unfolding within the context of an abduction.
Overall, I wished for more chapters/sections in the book by the time I reached the end.