Guest Review: Pieces of Us (Missing Pieces #3) by N.R. Walker

As Justin's recovery moves forward, Dallas dares to hope their lives are settling into their new normal. His money worries have eased, business is picking up, and best of all, Justin now laughs more than he frowns.

Justin's memory still eludes him, but with each snippet or flashback, small pieces of his old life start to slot into place. He remembers more of Dallas and how perfectly happy their lives used to be, and with each passing day, Justin realises he can have that again.

But when someone from Justin's past turns up, he discovers that not all the missing pieces are good, and sadly, he and Dallas also learn just what it means to live with a traumatic brain injury. If Dallas and Justin have to fight for their Happily Ever After, then Dallas will stop at nothing--nothing--to give Justin the life he always wanted.

". . . as I tried to put the puzzle of myself back together, it was the pieces of us that made me whole."

Reviewer: Annika

Here we are again, at the end of a series, leaving new friends to live their happily ever after. And after all that Dallas and Justin have gone through, they are well deserving of some happiness. Their road has been bumpy and difficult, but never once did they falter in their love for each other.

When I first picked up Pieces of You I was so sure I was going to be a mess through all three books, that they would gut me and put me back together – in the best of ways of course. So after the first book I had such high hopes for the coming two. Hopes that sadly wasn’t realised all the way.

In this final book it’s been almost three months since the accident and Justin has made major progress since he woke up. A bit of a one track mind, maybe – but judging by Dallas’ comments, true to his former personality so it still fits. They are both adjusting to their new normal taking it one day at a time, living and working together. And for the most part they are happy – very happy.

Pieces of Us suffers from the same monotony as the second book, not to the same extent, but to the degree where personally I would have liked to see them as one book instead of two. I think that the flow of the story would have been a bit better, kept the reader more engaged, because as it was I didn’t really have a problem putting the book down and go do RL stuff. And that’s not something I’m used to with Walker’s stories. And that’s probably unfair to her, to put her on that pedestal, but there you go.

I’m of two minds in regards to the ghost that came back into Justin’s life. Ever since they were mentioned in book one I expected a visit, I expected the drama that would inevitably come with it. Now this reappearance made two things happen, one that I hate, and one that was good. Anyway, this visit obviously caused drama, it was dealt with quickly and mostly felt like a plot device. I do not like drama for the sake of it, it’s just so unnecessary. On the other hand, this visit also showed us the reality of living with a TBI, the consequences of certain things. It felt real, it was humbling and it also needed to be there. At the same time I wished it had been triggered by something else. But that might just be me.

Despite my niggles, I did enjoy reading this book and visiting Dallas and Justin again. They are a lovely couple and their story was heartwarming and inspiring. The love that they shared shone through everything, it was plain for everyone to see - and feel. And to see them happy again it was so worth reading this series.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

Guest Review: Pieces of Me (Missing Pieces #2) by N.R. Walker

Justin's recovery is slow, but any step forward is a win in Dallas' eyes. Having always been a source of strength for Justin, even before the accident, Dallas is trying to find his feet again as he struggles to get some normalcy back in their lives.

But now, with added financial pressures and Justin's ongoing medical needs, Dallas isn't sure how much longer he can be the strong one.

As missing pieces of Justin's memory return, Justin realises the physical side of their relationship is another piece of the puzzle he desperately wants to put back together. And as he gets to know Dallas all over again, he realises what his mind can't remember, his heart can't forget.

Reviewer: Annika

Pieces of Me takes up right where we left Dallas and Justin in the first book. Like many (all?) of Walker’s trilogies it does not stand on its own, each book is a part of a whole story. In this book we follow Justin’s recovery at home, we see him start to emerge from the mist, little by little. In theory this should all be well and good, but I felt like nothing really happened in this book, it felt like filler and could easily have been shortened to half without us having missed anything.

For me this book didn’t pack the same emotional punch as the first book and it was far less angsty. I think I also want to go as far as to say it also was far less interesting. We followed their daily routine, and I do mean daily routine. They did the same thing day in and day out without many variations. It’s obvious that Walker did extensive research on TBIs and amnesia because Justin’s recovery felt real. How conversations tired him out, how things didn’t really exist for Justin until they suddenly did. It was all very credible and, at the same time I I’m also questioning if we had to be there for every minute progress and detail? As an example, did we really need to know about every single time Justin had to go to the bathroom? Then there were moments like this where I just melted:

"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm gonna put a reminder," he said. "Every hour, think about sex. If I need to retrain my brain, I should start tonight."

I do feel like Dallas is just a liittle bit to perfect and too good to be true. He always there every second of every day whenever Justin needed him. Knowing just by a glance exactly what he needed. He was there for everyone no questions asked, never asking anyone for help. At the same time I never felt like anyone were really there for him. His life was upended just as much as Justin’s was, in a different way for sure, but irrevocably changed all the same.

Still, no one really asked him how he felt, how he was coping with it all. Sure it was like the doctor said in the first book, during Justin’s recovery everything needed to revolve around him. But that doesn’t mean Dallas ceases to exist completely. Sure the guys took care of the shop the best they could, but what about emotional support? Even mountains need someone to stay strong. So while Justin couldn’t think much beyond himself, others could and should have seen Dallas.

There were some minor conflicts in this book, but they were solved quite easily. Like the money problem. Sure we know things were tight, really tight. Yet at the same time we didn’t feel Dallas’ frustration or desperation. It was a cloud hanging over for sure, but it never grew into something more. It almost felt like it was added as a break from all the naps and cuddles.

The love between the guys were there, no question about it and I loved rediscovering it alongside Justin. Knowing it wasn’t all gone. Their progression felt natural and real, their love genuine and strong, different but just as fierce as before the accident.

I'm not sure what the third and last book will bring, but I hope it's not more of the same - or unnecessary drama, because that would be such a let-down for a series that started out so strong.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Guest Review: Pieces of You (Missing Pieces #1) by N.R. Walker

Dallas Muller has everything he never expected he’d have. He owns a successful motorbike mechanic shop in Newcastle, and he’s madly in love with his boyfriend of four years, Justin Keith.

Justin has always struggled to find where he fit in, never realising his true worth or what it means to be loved—until he met Dallas. Living and working together might be too much for some, but Dallas and Justin wouldn’t have it any other way.

When a terrible accident tears their world apart, Justin’s left with no memory of Dallas or their relationship. Trying to put the pieces back together is almost impossible when some pieces are blank and some are missing altogether. Dallas has to let Justin find his own way back to him and just hope that their love will light the way.

Reviewer: Annika

I want to say that I was prepared for this book, that I knew what to expect but I wasn’t and I didn’t. I guess I should have read the blurb and have some inkling of where this road was headed. But I saw N.R. Walker and that was all I needed to know. I’ll blindly follow along anywhere she goes. Which is why I was a sobbing mess reading this book. Gah it hurt. Obviously not as much as Dallas did, but it wasn’t easy.

Anyway, we have Dallas and Justin. They have been working together, living together and loving each other for about four years. They are happy and in each other they have everything they want out of life – well they do have the bikes too, but it’s a passion they live and share. One rainy day their quiet lives are upended when a car accident lands Justin in hospital with some broken bones and a traumatic brain injury. The extent of which is revealed when Justin wakes up a few days later – and the past five years of his life had vanished from his memories, and with it Dallas, the man he loved was erased too.

Pieces of You was beautiful and addictive - I’m jumping right into the next book after finishing this review. There was a lot of pain, but also a lot of love. A love that on the surface might be forgotten, but it’s there under the mist if you only look closely enough.

Amnesia stories have always fascinated me, like so many others. But more and more I start to dread the stories – for the pain they bring for the one with the amnesia – but also for the loved ones they’ve forgotten. I can’t even begin to imagine how much it would hurt to have one miracle – getting your loved one back against all odds, yet at the same time not. Seeing them, knowing them and at the same time knowing that they don’t know you or your shared history.

I ached for and with Dallas, I admired his patience but most of all I admired his strength. How he never broke down completely is beyond me, sure he had his moments, but fewer than expected and not to the extent that frankly he deserved. He too lost something in that accident, something that he might never regain.

Pieces of You isn’t a complete story, Dallas and Justin’s journey is far from over. I’d say that this book was the wrecking ball that made their world crumble, we see them take those first stumbling steps out of the rubble trying to make sense of the pieces of their shattered lives. I’m also thinking that the next book might find them sorting through the rubble to see what can be salvaged and what needs to be rebuilt.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Ethan by Ryan Loveless

Carter Stevenson is looking forward to a fresh start in a new high school on the other side of the country. It’ll give him a chance to escape his reputation for twitching and stuttering. He’ll have the summer to himself in his new home in California, and in the fall, he won’t get involved in any activity that puts his Tourette’s center stage. He won’t stand out as different.

But his new neighbor, Ethan, isn’t just going to change his plans. He’s going to change Carter’s life.

Ethan Hart is recovering from a traumatic brain injury, but it doesn’t dampen his enthusiasm or love for life. As soon as he sees Carter, who moves like the music Ethan sees between the clouds and the grass, he’s determined to become his friend, and then his boyfriend. And even if his parents say their romance can’t get physical, Ethan won’t let it stand in the way of falling in love.

Stepping into the spotlight was the last thing Carter ever wanted, but Ethan, along with a group of friends who like him just the way he is—tics and all—starts to change his mind.

Adapted as a YA edition of the award-winning novel Ethan, Who Loved Carter by Ryan Loveless. 

Ethan is a YA take on Ryan Loveless' novel Ethan, Who Loved Carter. It is pretty much the same with the exception of the MC's ages, and I admit I thoroughly enjoyed both versions of this novel, possibly enjoying this version a tad more than the original. 

I enjoy characters who are not mainstream carbon copies of every other character out there. Carter has Tourette's syndrome and is conscious of his tics. Ethan on the other hand is confident despite his brain injury. I loved him. I loved that he was accepted and had a wide group of loyal friends. It made a change form the concept of jock or nerd or boy-next-door. He was happy in his own skin, even though he does wonder sometimes what he would have been like had he not been injured and carried on the way he used to be. 

I found both families in this book utterly likeable. Accepting and understanding  for the most part, especially the parents. Ethan's brother loved Ethan but we were allowed to see him when he struggled with Ethan's limitations and his less than conventional approach to life. This is real. We can love someone but find the impact they have on our lives difficult at times. Accepting and understanding and learning to deal with this is a valuable lesson. 

This story is thoughtful and well written and I am so glad I have had the pleasure of reading it. There was only one part that I didn't feel crossed from the first novel to this so well, and that is when circumstances meant Carter was left 'looking after' Ethan when his parents had to go away. It didn't work for me. It put their relationship in an uneven position, at this point (and only at this point) did it feel like Carter was in a position of trusted responsibility towards Ethan, which then made the relationship feel a little uncomfortable. I'm not sure I've worded that all correctly, but i hope my meaning is understood.

All in all I highly recommend both these reads, and for those people who have reads Ethan, who loved Carter, I would say read this too, it is a great way to re-look at their relationship.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

Find on Harmony Ink Press or Goodreads!