Speechless – book review

Speechless
by Nicole Edwards
Release Date:  June 7, 2016
Publisher: Nicole Edwards Limited
Contemporary Romance M/M
Book #3 in the Pier 70 series
Number of Pages:  381
Kindle Edition
Source:  purchased from Amazon
Rating:  XXX
Read 3/5/17 to 3/6/17

I knew from the moment I met them in Reckless that I wanted to read a story about Teague and Hudson.  Somehow, I was not prepared for how much I would love them.  Both of these men just blew me away. 

The understanding and patience that Hudson seemed to have for Teague, even when Teague was acting like a bratty child, was beyond the call of duty.  But once I got to see inside of Teague, see the things he’s gone through in life, he just tore me up.  By keeping his personal life so private, even once he was getting sexually intimate with Hudson, was not doing Teague any favors.  It caused people (not just Hudson) to do things they didn’t even realize were hurting him.

Nicole Edwards strikes a wonderful balance between smart, sexy, sweet, fun, and dark in this story.  There are some serious issues that both the heroes have to deal with.  They both had moms that, quite frankly, let them down.  It’s a testament to how everyone reacts differently to things that Teague and Hudson look at their moms with totally different ideas of why things were done.  Sure, it also has to do with their ages and Hudson having a loving brother that never left his side as he was growing up.  But it also has to do with personality and chemical make-up.

I was grateful that the author made sure that the reader understands Depression is a medical condition, just like any other.  There is such a stigma about this disease even by those that suffer from its brutal claws.  And while the story goes about letting people know this is a disease, it doesn’t ignore the fact that friends (even those with the best of intentions) can sometimes look at you as if you’re going to break once they know you are suffering.  This story shows all angles of this terrible disease and I appreciate the effort the author went through to be sure of that.

As I said, there is a good balance to this book.  Although it’s dealing with a very serious issue I never felt as though it was too bleak or dark as to suck me under.  A lot of that has to do with Hudson and his need to take care of others.  He would say it’s a need to dominate, but that dominant side is also quite the nurturing side of him.  The way he allows Teague to slowly come to him with a mixture of demands and acceptance is a beautiful thing.  He realizes quite early on that the thing with Teague will never be able to remain casual and yet he know such an admission will scare Teague so he bides his time.  He pushes then waits, pushes some more and waits some more.  He is definitely a master of a slow seduction; which made the numerous quick interludes between the two men all the hotter for the anticipation.

If you’re a fan of the other series in Nicole Edwards’ library and have read Ethan, this story touched me the way that story did.  There are just so many emotions and a sort of protective instinct that is brought out by their stories.

5 stars