Book Description:
FREEING: a full length companion novel to the USA Today bestseller, Fading.
Knowing who you are and accepting who you are come at different prices.
Jase Kinrick grew up in your typical, all-American household. But after the death of his sister, his parents shut down, forcing him to deal with everything life throws his way alone. Terrified of the person he’s discovering himself to be, Jase has his way with every willing girl to try and rid himself of what he fears he is—gay.
Escaping California and moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, Jase frees himself to the reality that he likes men. Never staying with any guy long enough to get to know them, he doesn’t realize that he’s still hiding from who he is until he meets Mark. Scared of having real feelings for another guy stirs up the questions and fears he’s fought hard to bury.
To strip away the barriers to the heart of what is real, and to be okay with what lies underneath, will be Jase’s moment of truth. But he’ll need Mark to lead him there.
Our Review:
**ARC Received for honest review**
Reviewed by Donna ~ 5 Stars
ac·cep·tance
n.
1. The act or process of accepting.
2. The state of being accepted or acceptable.
3. Favorable reception; approval.
4. Belief in something; agreement
I was worried going into this, just a teensy, weensy bit…after all Fading was absolutely brilliant, how could EK Blair match it or even top it? How could you also tell the same story without spoiling the original? I needn’t have worried. Freeing is so much more than just a rehash of Fading, it is it’s own unique story and one, once again amazingly told by EK Blair.
“It isn’t about deserving; it’s about accepting. None of us deserve anything. Everything we have is a gift, and you have to learn to simply accept what God gives you.”
We all know that Jase was the best friend of Candace and he was gay, he was also in a relationship with Mark and we all know the relationship that he had with Candace. Well this book takes this all on to the next level and then some! We also get a look at Jase’s background and his parents. This is a book about a boy that just wants to be loved and accepted. He wants to be able to feel happy in his own skin, he wants to be happy with his life choices and not feel dirty or strange or abnormal or even worse abhorrent. This is Jase’s story!
EK Blair is an amazing writer, her stories captivate you from the very beginning, her writing is fluid and she creates characters that you cannot help but love and feel for. I had recently expanded my reading material to M/M and have read some amazing books, so the fact that this was about Jase and Mark was not intimidating at all, I couldn’t wait to get started.
“My pieces feel like they are stripped bare.” I catch his eyes when I look back up and tell him, “I’m not sure I even have enough of them.”
“Maybe I have what you’re missing. But if you keep holding back, you’ll never find out. You’ll never know how well we can fit together if you don’t try”
I fell in love with Jase in Fading, he was such a pillar of strength to Candace and the relationship that those two shared was so endearing, they were truly soul mates. He was selfless, loveable, dependable just a total amazing guy. Jase’s problems very much stem from himself, he is having a hard time dealing with the fact that he is gay, whilst he has accepted it somewhat, he still hasn’t “come out” to his parents, he continues with his “non-committal” relationships or one night stands, as he feels that if they are one off’s they don’t really mean anything. After his sisters death, he shoulders the responsibility of being the only child left of his parents, with that comes added pressure and deemed responsibilities, but deep down he knows that they would never accept him for who he is, hence his reluctance to tell them the truth. The way he talks to his sister for guidance is heart breaking. He knows that if she were alive, she would tell him what to do, she would accept him, he misses her, a lot!
Mark, such a loveable character, he has been through what Jase is going through, he handles him with kid gloves, he is a lot more understanding than most would be and certainly more forgiving. Jase tries to push him away in his own way, but Mark is steadfast, after some apologies and sincerity, he understands and he helps Jase, he guides Jase and most of all he centres him. His parents are totally amazing and the way that they also help Jase was brilliant to read. They are just what Jase needs and wants. The chat with Mark’s dad on the roof was brilliant! Mark gently makes Jase understand that he deserves love, to love himself and most of all he can give love back.
“No doubts. No questions. He’s freed me in a way I didn’t think was possible. I didn’t know I could open myself up this way to another man and be so exposed. But he doesn’t judge. He has only ever given me the benefit of the doubt, letting me stumble at my own pace. And even though I am scared shitless about meeting his family, I want to because there isn’t anyone else I want to be with. He’s it.”
This book was unputdownable for me, it was a tub of pringles…once I popped I couldn’t stop! I devoured it, I was captivated by Jase’s story, I didn’t want it to stop and I didn’t want it to end. These two books have left their mark on my heart and memory, they are one I will not forget and I cannot wait to see what this author has up her sleeve next! Whatever it is, you can be sure it will be well written!!
Alternative Point of View:
Ryan Watches Candace at Jase’s Apartment
Running my hand through my hair, I knock on Jase’s door.
“Hey,” he says when he answers.
“Hey, man. You guys ready?”
“Mark is still at Aiden’s place going over some of the new songs.”
“How’s that been going,” I ask as I sit down on the couch and flip on the TV.
“You wanna beer?” he asks, distracted, from the kitchen and as soon as I say, “Yeah,” I turn my attention to his front door when I hear it opening.
Her.
She looks shocked to see me sitting here. God, what is it about this girl that draws every piece of me in. I can’t take my eyes off of her. Wet hair piled on top of her head, no make-up, and wearing sweats. Definitely not what I normally go for, but nothing about this feeling in my chest is normal. She’s beautiful.
“Hey, is everything all right?” Jase asks her, and she finally peels her eyes away from me, and the bastard inside wishes he would’ve just kept his mouth shut.
She walks over to the chair while stammering, “Umm, yeah . . . I mean, no.”
“What’s that mean?” he questions as she flops down, clearly aggravated, and I wonder what happened between now and when I saw her this morning at her work.
“Nothing, never mind,” she sighs softly.
Leaning forward, I watch her as her attention is fixed on the TV. She’s small and petite and suddenly my mind fucks with me again as I get a flash of that night. That girl. That tiny girl.
“You okay?” I ask her. I speak more for the sake of ridding my mind of the games my head is trying to play on me. I know it’s not her. What are the chances?
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she answers without ever shifting her eyes from the TV, oblivious to the affect she’s having on me. She’s gonna be a hard one to crack.
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