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Trusting Tanner
Maybe tomorrow it will be better…
Zander Baker has spent years forcing a smile onto his face to make the world believe he is a happy man. In reality, it’s a façade for the battered person he truly is. Living a life imprisoned in an abusive relationship, Zander doesn’t know how to break free. Ordinary enjoyments are not within his reach. Not only has he lost all his friends, but over the last seven years, he’s lost himself as well.
Tanner Mathews has recently returned to the city and needs to start life all over again. New job, new friends and a new relationship are top of his list. When he meets his niece’s new preschool teacher he is drawn in by his good looks and shy personality. Sadly, Zander is involved with someone else. Settling for friendship, Tanner soon realizes there is a lot more to Zander than what he shows the world. As their friendship struggles to grow, and details about Zander’s life come to the surface, Tanner finds himself unexpectedly falling in love. His heart aches for Zander and all he wants to do is help the man break free.
Can Tanner help Zander reclaim his life?
Will his feelings for his friend interfere with his intentions?
What happens if it all goes wrong?
Will love conquer all in the end?
*TRIGGER WARNING* Domestic abuse
Zander Baker has spent years forcing a smile onto his face to make the world believe he is a happy man. In reality, it’s a façade for the battered person he truly is. Living a life imprisoned in an abusive relationship, Zander doesn’t know how to break free. Ordinary enjoyments are not within his reach. Not only has he lost all his friends, but over the last seven years, he’s lost himself as well.
Tanner Mathews has recently returned to the city and needs to start life all over again. New job, new friends and a new relationship are top of his list. When he meets his niece’s new preschool teacher he is drawn in by his good looks and shy personality. Sadly, Zander is involved with someone else. Settling for friendship, Tanner soon realizes there is a lot more to Zander than what he shows the world. As their friendship struggles to grow, and details about Zander’s life come to the surface, Tanner finds himself unexpectedly falling in love. His heart aches for Zander and all he wants to do is help the man break free.
Can Tanner help Zander reclaim his life?
Will his feelings for his friend interfere with his intentions?
What happens if it all goes wrong?
Will love conquer all in the end?
*TRIGGER WARNING* Domestic abuse
202 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2016
93 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
Nicky James
75 books2,238 followersI live in the small town of Petrolia, Ontario, Canada and I am a mother to a wonderful teenage boy (didn't think those words could be typed together...surprise) and wife to a truly supportive and understanding husband, who thankfully doesn't think I'm crazy.
I have always had two profound dreams in life. To fall back hundreds of years in time and live in a simpler world, not bogged down by technology and to write novels. Since only one of these was a possibility I decided to make the other come alive on paper.
I write mm romance novels that take place in fantastical medieval type settings and love to use the challenges of the times to give my stories and characters life.
I have always had two profound dreams in life. To fall back hundreds of years in time and live in a simpler world, not bogged down by technology and to write novels. Since only one of these was a possibility I decided to make the other come alive on paper.
I write mm romance novels that take place in fantastical medieval type settings and love to use the challenges of the times to give my stories and characters life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
February 6, 2017
2.5 stars
This book felt off somehow.
Zander has been in an abusive relationship for the last 7 years. He knows he is unhappy, but he’s scared to leave. When he meets tattoo artist Tanner, he knows he is in trouble. But Zander is able to suppress his attraction and the two of them become close friends.
It’s not long before Tanner figures out Zander isn’t allowed to have friends, and that his boyfriend is not treating him well…
If you are giving me a book with abuse, let me feel how hopeless the relationship is. But I didn’t feel it in this. We get told a lot that Paul is awful, but scenes with him were few. He was indeed a bastard, but I didn’t feel the emotional connection Zander had with him. Like why did he stay, he didn’t even like the guy. There was no love at all. But I also didn’t feel the overwhelming fear Zander must have felt to leave. It was all so meh.
There were a lot of inconsistencies that made me like this story even less.
When you say the name Zander it’s not clear how it’s spelled. I would say people would assume Xander and not Zander. But Tanner immediately starts calling him Z. Which felt weird to me.
At one moment Zander says his friend Angie knows things about him because they have been friends for so long. Well, I wouldn’t consider a year long.
I was quite puzzled when Zander and Tanner were standing facing each other when this happens:
His hands reached out and gentle fingers traced their way up my thighs to hook around my waist.
Now to be able to get to someone’s thighs you have to either be VERY short or you would have to bend your knees, which would be quite awkward…
There were a few grammatical errors that even I, as a non-native English speaker, noticed.
Also Zander was with his abusive boyfriend for 76% of the story. His reasoning for not reporting him was that he was scared, but that he also didn’t want to be alone. It takes Tanner telling him he loves Zander for Zander to finally leave. So Zander only wants to leave his boyfriend of 7 years who hits him and tried to kill him, if he has someone else lined up? Wow, that’s…. I have no words..
And since Zander has been in an abusive relationship for 7 years, I would expect it takes time to mentally heal from that. But no, after two weeks he feels happy, free and jumps into a relationship with Tanner.
It wasn’t all bad. I did kind of enjoy it. Although I skipped the sex scenes, because I couldn’t suspend my disbelief any longer with all this magical healing through dick.
This book felt off somehow.
Zander has been in an abusive relationship for the last 7 years. He knows he is unhappy, but he’s scared to leave. When he meets tattoo artist Tanner, he knows he is in trouble. But Zander is able to suppress his attraction and the two of them become close friends.
It’s not long before Tanner figures out Zander isn’t allowed to have friends, and that his boyfriend is not treating him well…
If you are giving me a book with abuse, let me feel how hopeless the relationship is. But I didn’t feel it in this. We get told a lot that Paul is awful, but scenes with him were few. He was indeed a bastard, but I didn’t feel the emotional connection Zander had with him. Like why did he stay, he didn’t even like the guy. There was no love at all. But I also didn’t feel the overwhelming fear Zander must have felt to leave. It was all so meh.
There were a lot of inconsistencies that made me like this story even less.
When you say the name Zander it’s not clear how it’s spelled. I would say people would assume Xander and not Zander. But Tanner immediately starts calling him Z. Which felt weird to me.
At one moment Zander says his friend Angie knows things about him because they have been friends for so long. Well, I wouldn’t consider a year long.
I was quite puzzled when Zander and Tanner were standing facing each other when this happens:
His hands reached out and gentle fingers traced their way up my thighs to hook around my waist.
Now to be able to get to someone’s thighs you have to either be VERY short or you would have to bend your knees, which would be quite awkward…
There were a few grammatical errors that even I, as a non-native English speaker, noticed.
Also Zander was with his abusive boyfriend for 76% of the story. His reasoning for not reporting him was that he was scared, but that he also didn’t want to be alone. It takes Tanner telling him he loves Zander for Zander to finally leave. So Zander only wants to leave his boyfriend of 7 years who hits him and tried to kill him, if he has someone else lined up? Wow, that’s…. I have no words..
And since Zander has been in an abusive relationship for 7 years, I would expect it takes time to mentally heal from that. But no, after two weeks he feels happy, free and jumps into a relationship with Tanner.
It wasn’t all bad. I did kind of enjoy it. Although I skipped the sex scenes, because I couldn’t suspend my disbelief any longer with all this magical healing through dick.
September 30, 2016
*I received an ARC in exchange of an honest review.*
Hmmmmm.... So where do I start? It is SUCH a cute and sad story. I loved Zander and Tanner (what's with the rhyming names in the recent books, BTW?) and I loved the supporting cast - Angie and Brad. I wish Anna had more of a role because I just adore kids, but it's okay. She wasn't Tanner's daughter, so it's okay. Anyway, getting back. Z made me cry when he had that episode with his asshole boyfriend, and then T made me sob with his frustration over Z's actions. I was too obsessed and irritated when I wasn't getting told the why of Z's staying in the fucked-up relationship, but then when Angie explained it, I got a new insight into that situation.
The book needs a DEEP edit. There are just way too many typos in this copy. Because I loved the story, right from the first sentence, I sincerely hope that it gets improved and all the wayward commas can go to their allotted positions.
Amazing read, at the end. Just had a rough road adding pauses upon second reading of some sentences. *sighs*
Hmmmmm.... So where do I start? It is SUCH a cute and sad story. I loved Zander and Tanner (what's with the rhyming names in the recent books, BTW?) and I loved the supporting cast - Angie and Brad. I wish Anna had more of a role because I just adore kids, but it's okay. She wasn't Tanner's daughter, so it's okay. Anyway, getting back. Z made me cry when he had that episode with his asshole boyfriend, and then T made me sob with his frustration over Z's actions. I was too obsessed and irritated when I wasn't getting told the why of Z's staying in the fucked-up relationship, but then when Angie explained it, I got a new insight into that situation.
The book needs a DEEP edit. There are just way too many typos in this copy. Because I loved the story, right from the first sentence, I sincerely hope that it gets improved and all the wayward commas can go to their allotted positions.
Amazing read, at the end. Just had a rough road adding pauses upon second reading of some sentences. *sighs*
October 14, 2018
Nicky James es una de las autoras que he descubierto en los últimos tiempos a la que más he leído, quizás no me parezca tan maravillosa como a otros lectores, pero me gusta como escribe, sus historias suelen ser originales y los sentimientos están a flor de piel. Sin embargo, dudé mucho en empezar este libro porque uno de los protagonistas sufre una relación abusiva y las críticas no parecían muy favorables, fundamentalmente porque no se entiende al personaje que sufre los abusos.
Una vez terminada puedo decir que Trusting Tanner es dulce, emotivo, con dos personajes fáciles de querer. Los abusos físicos son mayormente fuera de página, lo que yo personalmente agradezco porque no hace falta cebarse en los detalles para transmitir al lector el miedo de la víctima y el terror de vivir una situación así. Por otro lado, creo que cuando las personas sufren este tipo de situaciones no hay una reacción "correcta", cada uno lo vive y reacciona de una forma diferente y no somos el exterior nadie para juzgar a esas víctimas. Es por eso, que no me planteo en ningún momento si entiendo o no cómo se comporta Zander, es su sufrimiento y cómo él sabe responder a su situación personal. Puedo empatizar con su soledad, su sufrimiento y su miedo a quedarse solo después de la vida que ha tenido y la que está teniendo. Sin embargo, el comportamiento de Tanner sí me ha resultado más difícil comprenderlo a veces, más de una vez es totalmente infantil (no me voy a meter en una relación bla, bla, bla: meh).
Resumiendo, me ha gustado.
Una vez terminada puedo decir que Trusting Tanner es dulce, emotivo, con dos personajes fáciles de querer. Los abusos físicos son mayormente fuera de página, lo que yo personalmente agradezco porque no hace falta cebarse en los detalles para transmitir al lector el miedo de la víctima y el terror de vivir una situación así. Por otro lado, creo que cuando las personas sufren este tipo de situaciones no hay una reacción "correcta", cada uno lo vive y reacciona de una forma diferente y no somos el exterior nadie para juzgar a esas víctimas. Es por eso, que no me planteo en ningún momento si entiendo o no cómo se comporta Zander, es su sufrimiento y cómo él sabe responder a su situación personal. Puedo empatizar con su soledad, su sufrimiento y su miedo a quedarse solo después de la vida que ha tenido y la que está teniendo. Sin embargo, el comportamiento de Tanner sí me ha resultado más difícil comprenderlo a veces, más de una vez es totalmente infantil (no me voy a meter en una relación bla, bla, bla: meh).
Resumiendo, me ha gustado.
May 30, 2023
Book safety, tropes and tags down below.
Man, Nicky sure knows how to write real, gritty stories. This book deals heavily with domestic abuse, and how hard it is to get out of those situations. I really appreciated that it wasn’t glorified in any way, and it wasn’t reduced to some cheap ‘climax’ with a huge violent showdown at the end. This story was heavily focused on Tanner and Zander trying to build a friendship while Zander was stuck in his prison.
“He closed the door behind him, and I stood there staring at its wooden surface. The whole world looked like a happier place beyond that door, and I was nothing more than a trapped animal stuck behind it.”
Fear can make us do things that may seem irrational to those around us, and at the same time feel like the only option you have. It definitely tugged on the heartstrings to see Tanner try to navigate their friendship when he didn’t understand why Zander stayed. I loved how he never gave up on Zander, even when he was being pushed away. It’s not easy being a supportive, yet passive in these kinds of situations. Throw in the crush he’s hiding, and things get even more difficult.
There were a couple of scenes where their chemistry was so tangible and sweet that it made me grin silly-wide (storm night and ghost stories).
This was a really slow burn, but it couldn’t have been any other way, in my opinion. It made me smile and cry, and my heart was pounding at times. Nicky James is very talented, no doubt about that.
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Man, Nicky sure knows how to write real, gritty stories. This book deals heavily with domestic abuse, and how hard it is to get out of those situations. I really appreciated that it wasn’t glorified in any way, and it wasn’t reduced to some cheap ‘climax’ with a huge violent showdown at the end. This story was heavily focused on Tanner and Zander trying to build a friendship while Zander was stuck in his prison.
“He closed the door behind him, and I stood there staring at its wooden surface. The whole world looked like a happier place beyond that door, and I was nothing more than a trapped animal stuck behind it.”
Fear can make us do things that may seem irrational to those around us, and at the same time feel like the only option you have. It definitely tugged on the heartstrings to see Tanner try to navigate their friendship when he didn’t understand why Zander stayed. I loved how he never gave up on Zander, even when he was being pushed away. It’s not easy being a supportive, yet passive in these kinds of situations. Throw in the crush he’s hiding, and things get even more difficult.
There were a couple of scenes where their chemistry was so tangible and sweet that it made me grin silly-wide (storm night and ghost stories).
This was a really slow burn, but it couldn’t have been any other way, in my opinion. It made me smile and cry, and my heart was pounding at times. Nicky James is very talented, no doubt about that.
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December 21, 2022
3,5 stars. It’s pretty obvious this is one of Nicky’s earlier books and she has grown a lot as an author since. But it was still an enjoyable read.
March 26, 2018
Hmm.
This is very slow burn friends to lovers romance between Zander, a man in seven year abusive relationship, and Tanner, tattoo artist who becomes his friend.
Both heroes are good guys. Their friendship and falling in love is tender.
I appreciate the subject matter of one of hero's being in a relationship with domestic violence but think there could have been a great deal more psychological nuance. Also, Zander needs to go to therapy or a support group and I wanted more time after Tanner and Zander were a couple to really work through the after effects of living with abuse for so long.
So, just too broad of strokes for me though I likes the leads.
This is very slow burn friends to lovers romance between Zander, a man in seven year abusive relationship, and Tanner, tattoo artist who becomes his friend.
Both heroes are good guys. Their friendship and falling in love is tender.
I appreciate the subject matter of one of hero's being in a relationship with domestic violence but think there could have been a great deal more psychological nuance. Also, Zander needs to go to therapy or a support group and I wanted more time after Tanner and Zander were a couple to really work through the after effects of living with abuse for so long.
So, just too broad of strokes for me though I likes the leads.
September 9, 2019
It's me, not the book... Or not... I hope Nicky James's other books aren't like this one.
January 15, 2020
Fabolous. I loved it.
There was a lot glossed over, because I think the author didn't want this book to be very graphic. So we didn't see when we only saw the result and we were told what happened. And most of the time it was verbal abuse rather than physical but it happened a time or two. And Paul is a guy who uses his size to his advantage, but that wasn't all. He likes the power. He liked ordering Zander around, he basically managed his life, forbid basic things, like having friends and going out. The only joy in his life was playing Warcraft online. Yeah his a gamer all right.
At the beginning though, Paul the boyfriend was like a ghost. Zander mentioned him a few times, but we didn't see him. And Z only said negative things about him. Not once did he mention having any feelings towards the guy, other than fear. Their sex life wasn't mentioned at all, and I thought they must not have sex then, and I found that weird, because what Paul gets out of the relationship then? And then I thought, Paul probably doesn't love Z either, he just pleased to have someone he can unleash his anger on.
So in comes Tanner, who is immediately smitten with Zander. Only he gets shut down, because Z has a boyfriend. So they become very good friends, mostly online while they're gaming. But when Paul leaves town for weekends they meet up and have fun.
And I don't want to give away the rest.
My only problem which actually cost 1 star, is that Zander only mentioned his attraction to Tanner at the beginning. And then not once. Sure he had other problems to focus on. I get it. And then when the whole drama went down, there was only 20% left for the two of them to romance each other, and I found that progression too fast, I also found the ending a bit cheesy.
On the other hand Tanner had a whole book to fall in love with Z, and I believed it.
I really liked Angie, Zander's co-worker and friend, who also becomes Tanner's friend of course. She was there for Z too, and.. well I generally liked how her involvement was handled.
Overall I really enjoyed it. The tension was building up nicely, even though we didn't see Paul go off the rails (it wasn't on-page), the aftermath was more important.
There was a lot glossed over, because I think the author didn't want this book to be very graphic. So we didn't see when we only saw the result and we were told what happened. And most of the time it was verbal abuse rather than physical but it happened a time or two. And Paul is a guy who uses his size to his advantage, but that wasn't all. He likes the power. He liked ordering Zander around, he basically managed his life, forbid basic things, like having friends and going out. The only joy in his life was playing Warcraft online. Yeah his a gamer all right.
At the beginning though, Paul the boyfriend was like a ghost. Zander mentioned him a few times, but we didn't see him. And Z only said negative things about him. Not once did he mention having any feelings towards the guy, other than fear. Their sex life wasn't mentioned at all, and I thought they must not have sex then, and I found that weird, because what Paul gets out of the relationship then? And then I thought, Paul probably doesn't love Z either, he just pleased to have someone he can unleash his anger on.
So in comes Tanner, who is immediately smitten with Zander. Only he gets shut down, because Z has a boyfriend. So they become very good friends, mostly online while they're gaming. But when Paul leaves town for weekends they meet up and have fun.
And I don't want to give away the rest.
My only problem which actually cost 1 star, is that Zander only mentioned his attraction to Tanner at the beginning. And then not once. Sure he had other problems to focus on. I get it. And then when the whole drama went down, there was only 20% left for the two of them to romance each other, and I found that progression too fast, I also found the ending a bit cheesy.
On the other hand Tanner had a whole book to fall in love with Z, and I believed it.
I really liked Angie, Zander's co-worker and friend, who also becomes Tanner's friend of course. She was there for Z too, and.. well I generally liked how her involvement was handled.
Overall I really enjoyed it. The tension was building up nicely, even though we didn't see Paul go off the rails (it wasn't on-page), the aftermath was more important.
November 11, 2016
This book had a lot of potential, but it fell short for me. For one thing, the editing was horrible. Wrong words, missing letters, incorrect tenses, it was just a big mess.
I liked the story though, and I really felt bad for Zander and for Tanner, but in the end, I thought that it was all resolved a bit too easily. We see very little of the actual abuse from Paul, so I was left wondering if he hit him, right up until we saw the marks on Zander, waaay on in the book. While I don't necessarily like reading about abuse, I think it would have packed more of an emotional punch (bad choice of words, sorry!) to have seen the time Paul choked Zander, or the last time he hit him.
Zander finally agrees to press charges and gets a restraining order, and that's it? He moves on with life, and Paul lets him? I was just expecting more, more than just one accidental meeting in a coffee shop. I expected more from why Zander stayed with him, it felt like there was some big secret that never happened, and I expected Paul to keep trying, with harassing phone calls, or showing up at Zander's job. All in all, I just expected more, and was let down when I didn't get it.
I liked the story though, and I really felt bad for Zander and for Tanner, but in the end, I thought that it was all resolved a bit too easily. We see very little of the actual abuse from Paul, so I was left wondering if he hit him, right up until we saw the marks on Zander, waaay on in the book. While I don't necessarily like reading about abuse, I think it would have packed more of an emotional punch (bad choice of words, sorry!) to have seen the time Paul choked Zander, or the last time he hit him.
Zander finally agrees to press charges and gets a restraining order, and that's it? He moves on with life, and Paul lets him? I was just expecting more, more than just one accidental meeting in a coffee shop. I expected more from why Zander stayed with him, it felt like there was some big secret that never happened, and I expected Paul to keep trying, with harassing phone calls, or showing up at Zander's job. All in all, I just expected more, and was let down when I didn't get it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2019
3.5 Stars!
March 15, 2023
This book felt so slow, despite being under 200 pages. Part of it is that Zander is with his abusive boyfriend for most of the book, and I felt that I didn't actually get that much relationship time with Zander and Tanner (sidenote: I definitely wouldn't have minded names a bit more distinct from each other). It also took a really long time for Paul to appear on-page, which felt weird because for a long time we just got characters talking about how bad Zander and Paul's relationship was without the reader actually getting to see it for themselves. I don't know if it's because the author didn't want to make the book too dark by showing the abuse on page, but since his abusive relationship is the main conflict of the book it just felt weird. And I expected a larger part of the book to be about the aftermath and healing and learning to trust someone again after leaving the abusive relationship, but that part wasn't really present in any meaningful way. After Zander finally left Paul things it barely even felt like there was an adjustment period or anything, despite such a huge change in his life.
I also felt that Tanner was pretty shit at dealing with the guy he was in love with being in an abusive relationship; he does absolutely zero research on what to do in the situation or how to help Zander, and confronts and provokes Zander's abuser even though that will obviously create a dangerous situation for Zander at home (which Tanner should know by this point, as Zander has explicitly talked about it). I could understand his emotions about the situation, but it felt like such an incredibly short-sighted and harmful thing to do, regardless of whether it was justified.
I also felt that Tanner was pretty shit at dealing with the guy he was in love with being in an abusive relationship; he does absolutely zero research on what to do in the situation or how to help Zander, and confronts and provokes Zander's abuser even though that will obviously create a dangerous situation for Zander at home (which Tanner should know by this point, as Zander has explicitly talked about it). I could understand his emotions about the situation, but it felt like such an incredibly short-sighted and harmful thing to do, regardless of whether it was justified.
October 14, 2017
I absolutely love this author....She's fast becoming one of my top favourites....I knew going into this that it was going to be a hard read.....Ok....It wasn't as dark as her Healing Hearts series but damn I wanted to grab hold of Zander and hug him so tight....I wanted to punch Paul until he was a blob and kiss Tanner until he was mush......I loved Tanner from the start and Zander too.....Zander so deserved Tanner.....He was a friend throughout (barring one stupid mistake)....but who wouldn't do that to help a friend...We see red when we know our friends are hurting.......Paul treated Zander like dirt......But the way Tanner was there for him was beautiful....I read this with my heart in my mouth waiting for something to happen.....I think I need therapy after this one.....I can't wait to read the rest of this authors books and this one is going to look so pretty in paperback next to the rest x
April 16, 2018
I've read domestic abuse relationships before and empathized with the victims, but I really didn't have the patience for Zander. Maybe it's because the book was sooo slow burn, and so much time seemed to be passing without anything really happening, but he kind of just got on my nerves. Good read, but maybe the timeline needed to be tighter for me to really care.
August 24, 2017
Hated this book. HATED it. If you read Tyler May's The Struggle Within, adored it, and were hoping for something similar, I do NOT suggest reading this book. It'll piss you off!!
September 19, 2016
This is my first book by Nicky James and received an ARC for honest review.
Life takes different paths. Regardless of those paths, each experience teaches us something. Sometimes good, and sometimes so horrible, we feel stuck.
This book is about friendship. Standing by your friends and being that shoulder to cry on, a constant positive, a rainbow at the end of a bad day.
Abuse of any kind is wrong. No one is deserving and everyone has worth. Sometimes, it's not until the unthinkable happens that enough is enough.
The writing of this book is powerful. Detailed scenes, amazing portrayals of emotions, and an HEA ending.
Very happy to have read and recommend to all.
Life takes different paths. Regardless of those paths, each experience teaches us something. Sometimes good, and sometimes so horrible, we feel stuck.
This book is about friendship. Standing by your friends and being that shoulder to cry on, a constant positive, a rainbow at the end of a bad day.
Abuse of any kind is wrong. No one is deserving and everyone has worth. Sometimes, it's not until the unthinkable happens that enough is enough.
The writing of this book is powerful. Detailed scenes, amazing portrayals of emotions, and an HEA ending.
Very happy to have read and recommend to all.
October 7, 2018
Working my way through Nicky James' backlist. This story has a lot of what I like about Nicky James' work (strong storyline, compelling characters) but I wish the ending included a few more resolution. You get a strong sense that Tanner and Z will get their HEA, but it's not clear if Z's troubles are truly behind him and even though he's a fictional character *I* worry that he's living only a few blocks away from Paul. Can we get an epilogue where he moves farther away--oh, and he's married to Tanner? It would add to my piece of mind. :)
October 3, 2016
Dealing with domestic abuse as a child made this a hard story to read. It was powerfully told. Nicole did an amazing job of showing how difficult it is for not only the abused but the other people in their lives also.
The fear and inability to leave Zander felt because of it was very realistic. As was the never ending frustration and powerlessness felt by Tanner.
Excellent but hard story to read. Having tissues handy would be a good thing.
The fear and inability to leave Zander felt because of it was very realistic. As was the never ending frustration and powerlessness felt by Tanner.
Excellent but hard story to read. Having tissues handy would be a good thing.
October 26, 2016
This book was fantastic. The only thing holding me back from 5 stars is the editing. It wasn't horrible but every few chapters seemed to be missed. I thought the author did a great job dealing with the topic of getting out of an abusive relationship. I'll definitely be checking out her other books. :)
January 11, 2019
I have mixed emotions about this book. The characters were likable and compelling and the plot had good bones, but... there were ways it missed for me. Having spent many years in therapy from being in emotionally abusive relationships, I am particularly sensitive to portrayals of messy, unhealthy relationship dynamics. Long term domestic abuse involves a very complex and complicated relationship dynamic. For me, to fully enjoy a story which features a physically and/or emotionally abusive relationship, it needs to be told with thoughtful insight and nuance. Though I didn’t feel Trusting Tanner handled the portrayal poorly, I didn’t think it was handled as deftly and insightfully as I would like. This is definitely a me thing and I am certain that many people wouldn’t be bothered by the details of the story that caused me to lower my rating.
2.75 stars
2.75 stars
December 12, 2021
Unfortunately, this book didn't really work for me. It didn't quite hit the dramatic, angsty spot I wanted it to. I found a huge portion of this book kind of meandering and I didn't really connect with the two main characters and thought they were pretty flat.
Weird side tangent, the amount of casual alcohol consumption in this book was really uncomfortable to read. The word "beer" is mentioned 47 times in this 200 page book. And don't get me wrong, I absolutely don't mind alcohol in general or anything and I usually don't mind if books mention characters drinking a beer every now and again, but the amount that it was mentioned in this book was so noticable that it really irked me.
Weird side tangent, the amount of casual alcohol consumption in this book was really uncomfortable to read. The word "beer" is mentioned 47 times in this 200 page book. And don't get me wrong, I absolutely don't mind alcohol in general or anything and I usually don't mind if books mention characters drinking a beer every now and again, but the amount that it was mentioned in this book was so noticable that it really irked me.
June 24, 2018
Banner and Zander
This story will ma k e you want to scream. Domestic abuse is not only a hetero problem, it can happen in any relationship.
Dander has been with his partner for seven years. All that time he has been abused. The problem was he knew he was unhappy, but he thought that was his only option.
Banner enters his life and they form a friendship.
There is no cheating, but Tanner falls in love with him.
It takes some trust and understanding for Dander to take control of his life. Beautifully written and even when you want to scream at Zander you feel every thing he is going through.
Good read.
This story will ma k e you want to scream. Domestic abuse is not only a hetero problem, it can happen in any relationship.
Dander has been with his partner for seven years. All that time he has been abused. The problem was he knew he was unhappy, but he thought that was his only option.
Banner enters his life and they form a friendship.
There is no cheating, but Tanner falls in love with him.
It takes some trust and understanding for Dander to take control of his life. Beautifully written and even when you want to scream at Zander you feel every thing he is going through.
Good read.
August 25, 2019
This book ...shew.. it deals with abuse. If all kinds. And the partner being afraid to leave. So if any of that gets to you be careful. Thankfully Zander had a support system to finally get him out of that situation but some people don't. It's an HEA but it's still a rough read. It's good. Don't get me wrong.
November 11, 2022
Ok but didn’t quite hit the spot. Probably should have read some reviews before getting into this one. Have enjoyed other work by this author far more. This had some nice moments and I really liked the characters nerdy/gamer interests but this felt kind of like a draft. It had some really good bones and I think could have been great.
May 21, 2018
Ok but not as good as mountain refuge. Not my fav reads when a character spends 70% of a book in a relationship with another person, for me it took long for Zander to get up the courage to leave Paul. It was what I would call a slow, sweet burn romance, was just only okay.
June 24, 2017
3☆
I just wanted to see more of Zander and Tanner they finally get together near the end of the story so I just loved to read more about them being a couple .
I just wanted to see more of Zander and Tanner they finally get together near the end of the story so I just loved to read more about them being a couple .
January 6, 2018
*3.5 stars*
April 11, 2020
I'm always afraid to start a Nicky James book, but in this case there weren't so much tears while reading. This book was not so light let me tell you, it was hard at some point. Because it's always hard to read when someone suffers.
Zander's life wasn't full of sunshine, and I hurt him. Being in an abusive relationship is hard and escape from it is the hardest. But Nicky did an amazing job(again) writing this story, and it was so real and so good.
Tanner was a really kind and lovely person, I loved reading about him and the way he fell in love with Zander. And poor Zander, he was so blind to those feelings.
I loved reading their story with all the little romantic scenes, when they were geek and played all night long. Those moments, when Tanner tried really hard to know Zander better and did everything for him. It was really a lovely romance.
Loved both Zander and Tanner and I couldn't wait for them to be together and especially for Zander to be finally free of his abusive relationship.
Loved this book, and highly recommend it.
Zander's life wasn't full of sunshine, and I hurt him. Being in an abusive relationship is hard and escape from it is the hardest. But Nicky did an amazing job(again) writing this story, and it was so real and so good.
Tanner was a really kind and lovely person, I loved reading about him and the way he fell in love with Zander. And poor Zander, he was so blind to those feelings.
I loved reading their story with all the little romantic scenes, when they were geek and played all night long. Those moments, when Tanner tried really hard to know Zander better and did everything for him. It was really a lovely romance.
Loved both Zander and Tanner and I couldn't wait for them to be together and especially for Zander to be finally free of his abusive relationship.
Loved this book, and highly recommend it.
May 12, 2017
The author did an amazing job with conveying domestic abuse. I've read this book over and over and each time, I can see myself in Z which is good and bad. I was happy to see them get a happily ever after. Well deserved and such an amazingly well written book.
October 12, 2016
I just couldn't make myself like either main characters.
This book just didn't have any spark to me. Sure Zander thought Tanner was hot the first day Tanner dropped his niece off at the daycare, but that was the only time he felt anything for him. He just wanted to be friends, and that's pretty much the way the whole book was. There was no romance at all until the end of the book. The only back story you got about Zander was very sparse. The book only alluded to the abuse Zander was enduring after I read more than 3/4 of the book. And then Tanner. He was so oblivious about how his "trying" to help Zander was making Zander's life worse. When he confronted Paul, all I could think was "really, how stupid could you be." Then later when Zander got the crap beat out of him, Tanner still didn't get it that he caused this to happen. Funniest of all was that it wasn't until the end of the book that Zander realized he had feelings for Tanner. There was no chemistry between them at all. A great deal of the book just didn't make sense. I liked Angie's character.
This book just didn't have any spark to me. Sure Zander thought Tanner was hot the first day Tanner dropped his niece off at the daycare, but that was the only time he felt anything for him. He just wanted to be friends, and that's pretty much the way the whole book was. There was no romance at all until the end of the book. The only back story you got about Zander was very sparse. The book only alluded to the abuse Zander was enduring after I read more than 3/4 of the book. And then Tanner. He was so oblivious about how his "trying" to help Zander was making Zander's life worse. When he confronted Paul, all I could think was "really, how stupid could you be." Then later when Zander got the crap beat out of him, Tanner still didn't get it that he caused this to happen. Funniest of all was that it wasn't until the end of the book that Zander realized he had feelings for Tanner. There was no chemistry between them at all. A great deal of the book just didn't make sense. I liked Angie's character.
October 11, 2016
Decent read
3.5☆
This is a tough one. On the one hand the story was really good but sometimes the spelling would throw me off. Things like "I'm felling in love with him." I was nervous about this book bc the subject of abuse is never good. However, I think the author pulled it off. The story itself takes place over a seventh month period. I would say this book is more about friendship than anything. This is a story about Zander and Tanner. Zander has been in a loveless relationship for seven years with Paul who is also his abuser. Tanner and Zander meet at the daycare Zander works at. From there they develop a friendship that keeps Zander sane from his everyday life.
"I wanted to shake him and tell him to love himself because he was worth so much more. I wanted to scream at the unfairness of what I saw every day in his life." I think this quote from the book sums up the story.
3.5☆
This is a tough one. On the one hand the story was really good but sometimes the spelling would throw me off. Things like "I'm felling in love with him." I was nervous about this book bc the subject of abuse is never good. However, I think the author pulled it off. The story itself takes place over a seventh month period. I would say this book is more about friendship than anything. This is a story about Zander and Tanner. Zander has been in a loveless relationship for seven years with Paul who is also his abuser. Tanner and Zander meet at the daycare Zander works at. From there they develop a friendship that keeps Zander sane from his everyday life.
"I wanted to shake him and tell him to love himself because he was worth so much more. I wanted to scream at the unfairness of what I saw every day in his life." I think this quote from the book sums up the story.
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