book recs, author services, general badassery
  • Blog
    • Free Romance Reads
    • Our Thoughts
    • 1-Click Wonders
    • Author on Authors
    • Chattin' with Authors
    • So You're New To...
  • Book Recs
  • Reviews
    • 5-Star Reads
    • Contemporary Romance
    • Historical Romance
    • New Adult Romance
    • Paranormal Romance
    • Romantic Comedy
    • Romantic Erotica
    • Romantic Suspense
    • Teen Young Adult
    • Hall of Shame
  • About
    • Contact
    • Review Policy
    • Guest Post Guidelines
    • Advertising on Romance Rehab
  • For Authors
    • Romance novel blurb help
    • Referral Program
    • Romance Remedy
    • Romance Author Services
    • Online Writer's Resources
    • Proofreading Test >
      • Proofreading Test Answers
  • Blog
    • Free Romance Reads
    • Our Thoughts
    • 1-Click Wonders
    • Author on Authors
    • Chattin' with Authors
    • So You're New To...
  • Book Recs
  • Reviews
    • 5-Star Reads
    • Contemporary Romance
    • Historical Romance
    • New Adult Romance
    • Paranormal Romance
    • Romantic Comedy
    • Romantic Erotica
    • Romantic Suspense
    • Teen Young Adult
    • Hall of Shame
  • About
    • Contact
    • Review Policy
    • Guest Post Guidelines
    • Advertising on Romance Rehab
  • For Authors
    • Romance novel blurb help
    • Referral Program
    • Romance Remedy
    • Romance Author Services
    • Online Writer's Resources
    • Proofreading Test >
      • Proofreading Test Answers
Picture

Finding Home

6/27/2017

0 Comments

 
NEW ADULT ROMANCE

Title:
Finding Home

Author: Lauren Baker and Bonnie Dee
Publication date: 05/25/2017
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 5 out of 5
 
Amazon blurb
Forbidden passion blooms on the gritty street.

Copy editor Megan works to make her journalistic dreams come true, but her piece on homeless teens brings unexpected consequences. A hustler with the street name Mouth rocks her to the core with his sad story, world weary air, and overwhelming magnetism.

Mouth aka Sean has dreams of his own, big plans to rise above his circumstances and forge a real career. 
When he’s beaten and his hard-earned savings stolen, he accepts Megan’s offer of a place to stay for a while.

​A passionate affair is the last thing either intends. The power dynamic is wrong, the gap in their ages is wrong, and yet sexual attraction crackles between them like a slow burning fuse. When it finally explodes the impossible relationship exposes Megan to criticism from all sides. Meanwhile, Sean’s inner turmoil reaches a boiling point of its own as he doubts his worth and wonders if he’s being used yet again.

Can real love grow from such a beginning or are Megan and Sean fooling themselves that an ill-fated love can last?

This is a previously published novel.

My Review
I’ll be super honest with y’all. There are a couple of things you’re going to need to be able to overlook if you want to enjoy this book. First of all, it’s gritty. The depiction of life on the streets for these kids is dark and sad and seems scarily realistic. Second of all, the hero is a street hustler. Most of his, um, clients are male. (Oral sex only, if that makes a difference to you.) And finally (and this one’s a biggie, folks), the hero is only 17.   
 
I was able to overlook the age difference between the hero and heroine. He’s a world-weary 17 and she’s a somewhat sheltered 23. In real-world years, their ages are about equal in my mind. (Plus, I’m a grumpy old lady who thinks everyone under 30 is just a kid, so there’s that.) Yes, it’s technically illegal for a 23-year-old woman to have sex with a 17-year-old. But he was more than willing, no one got hurt, no one was emotionally scarred or taken advantage of, so, hey, I kept an open mind on that one.
The grittiness of the beginning was a little tougher to stomach. I hated to think of kids that young having to live like that. I kind of wanted Megan to take all of them home, which would’ve made for a MUCH different book. But, all things considered, it wasn’t as dark as it could’ve been, so the bleakness of the early chapters wasn’t too off-putting for me, either.
 
I had a harder time getting past the fact that the hero had oral sex with strange men for money. If I had been Megan, I probably would’ve wanted a full STD screening before engaging in any kind of sex with Sean (since condoms aren’t foolproof), but hey, maybe that’s just my paranoia talking.
 
But once I was able to get past all of that, what I was able to see was a beautifully written, emotional, angsty (but not TOO angsty) love story full of sexual tension and personal growth for all of the characters.
 
I liked Megan a lot. Did she make a hasty, impetuous, and potentially life-threatening decision when she invited a street hustler into her home? Yes. But that didn’t put her in the TSTL (too stupid to live) category for me. She had a great upbringing, and as a result, she believed in the inherent goodness (for lack of a better word) in people. She believed in Sean. She didn’t want to change him necessarily, but she did want to enable him to be whatever he wanted to be. I found her actions highly admirable. She wanted to help, and she put her money where her mouth was. Not many people would’ve done the same in similar circumstances.
​

"Sometimes...I think maybe you saved my life.
And while I liked Megan a lot, I LOVED Sean. He was the real star of the book for me. He’s been through so much, seen so much ugliness in his life, but he doesn’t ever wallow in negativity or self-pity. He struggles with his emotions, self-esteem, and anger control issues, but he overcomes them and works hard to better himself. I loved that even while he was on the streets, he was driven enough to start work on his GED. I also loved it that he accepted Megan’s help. He didn’t want charity and it stung his pride to accept it, but he did it, because it was the right thing to do. I’ve seen far too many heroes in romance land whose stupid male ego and pride kept them from accepting help from anyone. (Which is just ridiculous) He also never lapsed into the old life, even when his relationship with Megan hit the skids, which was great. 
 
Their relationship isn’t easy. Pretty much everyone is against them. But it’s clear from early on that these two are meant for one another. And I won’t give anything away, but the ending of the book is PERFECTION. 
 
So, long-story-short, if you’re an open-minded reader who can handle a little taboo romance, this one’s for you. Lovers of fluffy, plain vanilla romance can look elsewhere.      
 
Full disclosure: We received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 
     
Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
Crushes it! No rehab needed. This one is clean and sober.

Other reading suggestions
I can honestly say that I’ve never read anything like this. With that in mind, I’d recommend checking out the Bonnie Dee backlist. And for a dark and twisty taboo romance about a prison escapee and his captive, try Prisoner  by Annika Martin and Skye Warren. ​​

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Romance Rehab newsletter sign up

    FOLLOW US 
    Reedsy Top Book Reviewer 2019

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017

Picture

BLOG
FREE Romance books
​Book Recommendations

Our Thoughts
1-Click Wonders
5-Star Reads
Authors on Authors
Chattin' with Authors
So You're New To...
What Not to Read
REVIEWS
​
Contemporary Romance
Historical Romance
New Adult Romance
Paranormal Romance
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Erotica
Romantic Suspense
Teen/Young Adult
ABOUT
Contact
Review Policy
Guest Post Guidelines
Advertising on
​Romance Rehab

​
FOR AUTHORS
Online Writer's Resources
Proofreading Test
ROMANCE AUTHOR SERVICES 
Romance novel blurb help
Romance Remedy program

Referral program

Romance author services
  • Book cover critique
  • Animated book covers and social media graphics
  • Beta reading
FREE Romance Rehab newsletter: ​Subscribe here
KnockinBooks LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
​© 2020 KnockinBooks LLC