Finding Forgiveness

Format:
Kindle Unlimited & Audible.

Publisher’s Synopsis:
He was only there for a business deal…
A couple of days…that was all it was supposed to take for property developer Roman Blackwell to decide if the strip of land just south of Dare, Montana would be the perfect spot for his next luxury resort. He wasn’t interested in repairing his frayed relationship with his half-brother who’d moved to the small town a few months earlier and he definitely wasn’t interested in doing anything more than scratching an itch when he checked out the gay club near his hotel. But when his plans for a quick hook-up are waylaid after he steps in to save a young man being brutalized, Roman finds himself building an emotional connection he never saw coming.

One bad decision changed everything…
College student Hunter Greene has spent 18 months trying to forget the one night he gave in to temptation and made a decision to hide one lie by telling another. But the guilt of knowing he shattered another young man’s life to protect his own secret shame is slowly destroying him and he knows that soon even his spiral into a dangerous pattern of self-destructive behavior won’t be enough to keep his entire world from imploding. But the last thing he’s looking for is someone to save him.

But fate works in mysterious ways…
Forced to return to the town he grew up in, the last person Hunter expects to run into is the mysterious savior who changed everything with one soul shattering kiss. While he can’t deny his attraction to Roman, Hunter knows that he’ll never be free to act on it and once Roman discovers the terrible secret he’s hiding, it won’t matter anyway.

Because some things just can’t be forgiven…

Point of view:
3rd person. Alternating perspectives, not by chapter but clearly defined.

Rellim’s Thoughts:
This is the fourth book in the Finding Series. While technically this can stand on it’s own, characters from the all three previous books play secondary roles in this book and it would be best to read/listen to those first and in order.

Normally I put content warnings at the end – but this book opens with a graphically described gang rape/dubious consent scene and it plays a prominent role in the book. As does self-harm.

I’ll be honest, when re-reading/listening – I tend to skip that opening scene because it’s just too much for me. However, as a whole, this is a solid addition to the series. I’m a fan of age gap and redemption themes. Like almost all of Kennedy’s characters – Hunter and Roman are working through a lot of personal demons and find solace in each other. At almost 7 hours, this is also significantly longer than the other books which really gives us time to get to know the characters, their relationship, and weave in updates from the characters in the previous books.

While there is a 5th book, Finding Hope, the ending for Finding Forgiveness feels like it was originally written to be a conclusion to the series. It’s an excellent one at that, very much an HEA for all the men of Dare, Montana.

Notes: While Finding is it’s own series, some of the Finding characters & events are interconnected with the Escort, Barretti Security, and Protectors series. Visit Sloane Kennedy’s website for a list showing how several of her series tie together and different reading/listening order options. You don’t always have to be familiar with the other books to enjoy them individually, but I really enjoy the entire “world” she has created. My personal preference for reading order is chronological/timing.

Narration:
Updated 7/29/2020 for audio review: Michael Dean’s narration is consistent with his other performances in the series. Roman & Hunter have unique voices as do the secondary characters. Dean seems to keep the same voices for each character throughout the series which is really nice.

About the author:
Although Sloane Kennedy always dreamed of being a writer as a teenager, she didn’t take the plunge until 2015 when she released her first novel. Since then, she has released nearly 30 books including the Amazon best-selling “Pelican Bay” and “Protectors” series. While she initially began writing M/F romance, she found her true passion writing gay romance and nearly all of her most recent releases reached the #1 spot on Amazon’s Gay Romance bestseller list and several have made it to Amazon’s overall bestseller list. Sloane was born in Germany but grew up in the U.S. and although she currently lives in Wisconsin, the place where she has always felt most at home is Seattle and many of her books take place in the Emerald city. When not writing, a menagerie of 2 dogs, 3 cats and 2 horses takes up what little time she has left in the day!

You can connect with Sloane Kennedy here:

About the narrator:
Originally from Chicago and currently based in New York City, Michael Dean has performed around the country and the world on stage, television, and film. He studied acting at the University of Arizona and the University of Kansas City Missouri. As a narrator he has voiced over 450 titles.

You can connect with Michael Dean here:

Published by rellimreads

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