Marshall Ellerbee hat sich gefangen: Seit einem Jahr ist er trocken und arbeitet mit verhaltensauffälligen Kindern und Jugendlichen in einem Wellness Center. Als sein Berater von den Anonymen Alkoholikern stirbt, gerät Marshalls Leben erneut ins Wanken. Denn an seine Stelle tritt ausgerechnet Kyle Young, der beste Freund von Marshalls Ex Eric. Kyle hat Marshall nie verziehen, dass Eric seinetwegen im Rollstuhl sitzt, ist nun jedoch gezwungen, mit ihm zusammenzuarbeiten. Auch Marshall möchte lieber auf Abstand gehen, da er sich unwiderstehlich von Kyle angezogen fühlt. Kyle kennt sich mit Suchtkranken aus und hat geschworen, nie etwas mit einem Alkoholiker anzufangen …
I liked this one more, than it's prequel. Less sappy and more to the point and I've been interested in Marshal's fate since the first book. Sure Kyle behaved like an ass when the main conflict happened, but still he apologized and did a little groveling, so I forgave him. Marshall's journey to redemption was flawless.
Now I'm waiting for the hot paramedic Dane's story!!! )))
First let me start with saying this was one of the stories I was really looking forward to coming out one day! The first book I read from this author had me absolutely captivated with her portrayal of Cade and Eric, the main characters of “Five Star Review”. So what a great thing to find out it was start of a series.
In this second part of the Review series, we meet Marshall and Kyle, both of whom we know from the first book. Kyle is Eric bests friend and and Marshall we know as Eric his nemesis.
The story will lead you through the life of Marshall. It tells us what happened to him in the past and how he started recovering from his alcohol addiction. It takes us to the point where he is now, working at the centre that helped him get back on track.
It’s at this centre is where Kyle comes back into Marshall’s life. Kyle steps in as a therapist when Seth, Marshall’s sponsor & co- worker from the centre tragically passes away.
There is no denying the immediate attraction between of them but there is a lot of background. Slowly we watch the progress of them getting together and Marshall making amends for things that happened in the past including facing Eric and Cade. The author takes us on a fascinating trip with this story.
What I particularly liked in this story was the re-acquainting with both Eric and Cade. Those two characters touched me deeply with their story and I love how the author wove parts of them into this story.
Marshall and Kyle’s union, when they finally get there, is intense and hot and a real pleasure to read but you almost feel that there is going to happen something. When it does, I noticed that I lost part of the concentration and focus. I had a hard time with how Kyle was handling the situation and although believable, it went far.
What I do feel is that the end could have been expanded, the reunion was quick and instant and the story ended quite abruptly. Thankfully there is an epilogue but still it would have been nice to have read more.
A very nice surprise and bonus was the re-introduction there of Dane, a medic we met when Eric and Marshall ended up in the hospital in the beginning of the story.
Dane is a fantastic man and a great friend to Marshall, being there when he really needed him.
My hope is that there will be a third review story revolving around him as one of the main characters.
Although I did have some issues with this story, in the end I still give it a solid 4 stars and if you fell in love with the first story and the characters of Eric and Cade like I did, I definitely recommend you to pick up this book and give it a try.
I am so glad the author wrote Marshall’s story. I love when authors redeem characters. Forgiving Marshall isn’t an easy thing to do after what we learned he did to Eric in Five Star Review, first book in this series, but I think I have. Eric forgiving him wasn’t surprising since he has such a beautiful soul. However, his best friend is another story. That’s who is playing Marshall’s love interest in this book. Drama and tension from the start, right?
Marshall is twelve months sober. Found a job he loves and dealing with working through his guilt. Marshall has found a happy place until his coworker dies and is replaced by a face from past. A face that has a very good reason to hate him. Kyle was Marshall’s ex-lover’s best friend. Things are awkward at first but both men agree they have to work together. Marshall apologizes and explains he’s been sober for a year. They become friends and Kyle gives Marshall the push he needs to finally face Eric. Circumstances force them to live together. The more time they spend together the more the attraction they have for each other becomes obvious. They give in and it’s amazing but they have so much to overcome. More than just Marshall’s past. Kyle has his own issues to deal with and those are proving to be the hardest to overcome.
I liked this book more than the first book. I think the characters and the situation seemed more realistic than the first couple’s story in the series. There was plenty of drama but it was toned down and focused more on the tension between the MCs. Marshall’s journey really did make me think about if I would actually be able to forgive someone who caused that much harm. I would have said no but it was kind of a wake up call seeing things from Eric’s perspective. I enjoyed that aspect of the story. The chemistry between Kyle and Marshall was hot. The love story was sweet but not necessarily easy.
There were a few repetitive phrases that kept popping up throughout the book. Enough that I noticed it and it was kind of distracting. I think the gut punches and borderline too sweet moments balanced well. Hopefully we get Dane’s story. He was sexy and intriguing. This could probably be read as a stand alone. You get enough back story to follow with no problems. Sweet, fun and sexy with a message of redemption. Definitely worth a read!
After reading Five Star Review and meeting Marshall, it was clear that he was a tortured soul. All the horrible things he did to keep Cade and Eric apart were done out of his unhappiness and inner turmoil. I so wanted to see what had happened to Marshall and was thrilled to bits when Lara said he was getting his own book.
Marshall had lost Eric, who had been his long-time best friend and lover, due to his own actions. When we catch up with him, he is a recovering alcoholic with a year of sobriety under his belt. He accepts a job at The Wellness Center in an effort to continue his healing. His sponsor has a heart attack, leaving Marshall with no one to turn to if he feels he needs to drink.
The center hires a counselor to replace Marshall’s old sponsor and it turns out to be someone Marshall has a history with. Kyle is the new counselor. He is also good friends with Eric and he has always hated Marshall. The two men are forced to work together.
Kyle’s opinion of Marshall doesn’t change until Marshall commits a completely selfless act and saves Eric’s life. Kyle then begins to believe that maybe Marshall is capable of change and that he really is different this time. They begin to build a romantic relationship.
Any big change in the life of someone newly sober, whether good or bad, can be a threat to that sobriety. The ups and downs of a new relationship can wreak havoc on someone newly clean. It is recommended to addicts that they not make any big life decisions within the first year of sobriety for just that reason.
In Reviewing Life, Lara Brukz gave me what I had been hoping for since I realized just how much pain Marshall was truly in. She let us see the kind man hidden under the layer of protective anger and just plain meanness. She revealed a caring man capable of love who was desperately sorry for his past actions. Lara Brukz gave Marshall what so many characters don’t get; a chance at redemption. It was delightful to see the changes in him. This book stands alone or can be read after Five Star Review. To really understand the level of change Marshall undergoes, I recommend reading them in order. I highly recommend this book!
Okay sometimes continuing on with a series when you weren't very keen on the previous book can surprise you, this one sure did me. I went in hoping the issues I had with Five Star Review were ironed out but not expecting much and I'm happy to say they were! This time I had no issues with the writing it was a whole lot better and the story flowed more smoothly, at least it did for me.
There were a few little niggles but nothing I couldn't look past. The story was sweet with a tiny bit of angst and a slow burn romance. I loved Marshall and Kyle which is another surprise because I hated Marshall in the first book and couldn't see how the author could possibly redeem him but she did. Yup I'm in love!
You can't read this story without reading Five Star Review (if you can) or you'll miss how Marshall goes from being a total ass to someone you want to hug and protect in Reviewing Life.
I'm kind of like a dog with a bone or maybe it's a bit of OCD when it comes to books. Once I start reading a story no matter how bad I won't stop until I've read it all, it may take me a while but I'm determined to read to the end. I'm always hoping it will magically get better. I don't think I've ever DNF'd a book, I've come close but I just can't do it. I know people will think that's crazy but I've gotten use to it being one of my many flaws.
Marshall Ellerbee ist ein trockener Alkoholiker, der seinem Leben endlich einen neuen Sinn gegeben hat. Doch noch immer plagen ihn Schuldgefühle. Denn im Suff verursachte er einen folgenschweren Autounfall, der seinen Geliebten Eric in den Rollstuhl brachte. Inzwischen hat Eric sein Leben wieder in Griff und sogar einen neuen Lebensgefährten. Marshall hingegen ist allein und muss nun auch noch mit dem Tod eines engen Freundes und Mentors fertig werden. Ausgerechnet Kyle, der beste Freund von Eric, nimmt nun dessen Platz ein. Und Kyle ist kein Freund von Marshall. Aber bei der ganzen Vorgeschichte ist das kein Wunder!
Dabei hat Marshall wirklich hart an sich gearbeitet. Seine neue Arbeit gibt dem Leben Sinn und macht ihm Freude. Ausserdem ist er trocken und geht zu den Treffen der anonymen Alkoholiker. Doch Kyle ist nicht überzeugt. Einmal Säufer, immer Säufer. So fällt es ihm wirklich schwer den neuen Marshall zu akzeptieren und an ihn zu glauben. Die Zusammenarbeit erscheint erst kaum machbar, doch Kyle bemerkt sehr schnell wie gut Marshall mit den Kinder im Center zurecht kommt und wie er in seinen Aufgaben aufgeht. Und offenbar ist Marshall wirklich ein besserer Mensch geworden. Doch wie weit kann Kyle sich auf einen trockenen Alkoholiker einlassen? Kann er ihm jemals wirklich vertrauen, wenn es um seine eigenen Gefühle geht?
Während Marshall im ersten Teil der Serie – wo es um Eric und Cade geht – wirklich kein Sympathieträger ist, kann er in seinem Buch schnell das Herz des Lesers erobern. Marshall ist wirklich wie verwandelt und auf einem guten Weg. Kyles Mißtrauen und die Distanz, die er aufbauen will, ist absolut verständlich. Nicht nur wegen Eric, dessen Leben durch Marshall zerstört wurde. Kyle hat einen wirklich guten Grund dem Ex-Säufer nicht zu trauen und will sich selbst einfach nur schützen.
Es rührt wirklich an, wie Marshall um Kyle kämpft als er sich seiner Gefühle bewusst wird. Doch es scheint ein Kampf gegen Windmühlen zu sein und man fürchtet wirklich, dass Marshall sich wieder in einer Spirale von Alkohol verliert. Doch hier tritt dann Marshalls Läuterung und Stärke zu Tage. Gleichzeitig versteht man auch Kyle, der einen sehr schweren Verlust erleidet. Durch diesen Verlust ist er völlig aus der Bahn geworfen und tut alles um auf Distanz zu Marshall zu gehen, was durch die gemeinsame Arbeitsstelle äusserst schwer ist.
Eine sehr intensive Geschichte, bei der ich wirklich mitgezittert und mitgelitten habe. Marshall hat eine tolle Geschichte bekommen und es wäre toll mehr von diesen Jungs zu lesen.
This story will make more sense if you read the first book, Five Star Review, before hand. This is Marshall and Kyle’s story, but so much of their past and issues involve Eric that it helps to know Eric’s version of events.
Marshall is trying to get his life back on track after years of devastating addiction to alcohol has left it in shambles. He has burned all of his bridges and spent so many years drunk that he has no friends and is relearning how to interact with his family. I felt for Marshall and his struggles and his desire to be a good man who lived a sober and healthy life. He knew he had made mistakes and that he had to earn people’s trust and forgiveness. He was genuinely trying to be that man.
Kyle struggled to see beyond his anger and disgust with Marshall’s past and find a way to forgive him for what he had done to Eric. He wants Marshall in his bed and quickly falls for the man that Marshall has become. Unfortunately his own past and issues prevent him from being able to trust that they can have a future and he makes some big mistakes and treats Marshall badly. I struggled with seeing Kyle as the great guy he was supposed to be in this story.
It was good to see such a painful story for both Eric and Marshall find some resolution and peace. Whether Marshall deserved Eric’s forgiveness is debatable, but the freedom from carrying the weight of it that Eric surrendered by forgiving Marshall was very well deserved.
Honestly, by the time we were coming to the end of these men’s story I was more upset with Kyle than I was with Marshall. There were some very ugly and unacceptable things in Marshall’s past. That is never in question, but I do believe in second chances and a person seeking to change themselves and their life. You cannot truly change another person, but if you are willing to put in the time, energy, pain and tears, I do believe that you can change yourself.
I thoroughly enjoyed Lara Brukz’s first story in the series, Five-Star Review. That novel featured Eric Carillo and Cade Montgomery’s story. But Marshall figured largely in that tale as the ex-lover who, driving drunk, put Eric in the wheelchair and the lifestyle that isolated him in his loft. His attempts to re-enter Eric’s life after the accident only caused more pain and heartache through a scheme hatched by a drunken Marshall. In another story, it would have been easy to write Marshall off as the villain he certainly was, but in Brukz’s hands, Marshall was also a person in great pain, drowning in alcohol, destroying his life and others in the process. Eric could never bring himself to hate Marshall, although he hated what the man had done and who he became under the influence of alcohol. Brukz created a character who could be redeemed but not in that story. I think many of us who read Five-Star Review wanted to see what happened to Marshall and now we have our answer in Reviewing Life.
In Reviewing Life, Lara Brukz gave me what I had been hoping for since I realized just how much pain Marshall was truly in. She let us see the kind man hidden under the layer of protective anger and just plain meanness. She revealed a caring man capable of love who was desperately sorry for his past actions. Lara Brukz gave Marshall what so many characters don’t get; a chance at redemption. It was delightful to see the changes in him. This book stands alone or can be read after Five Star Review. To really understand the level of change Marshall undergoes, I recommend reading them in order. I highly recommend this book!
A Review Story series continues with the villain of the last book, Marshall Elllerbee trying to pull his life together after the events of the last story and his alcoholism have trashed his life. Brukz takes a damaged man and makes a monster not only worth of our compassion but someone we understand and start to root for as he gets his life together.
Highly recommended along with the first book in the series.