Genuinely great book one of the best MM books I've read to date, it starts off so pitifully depressing you feel like this book has ruined your day but it's such an incredible read and one I truly couldn't put down! ( )

This is my first by this author and I really enjoyed it. It's a clever premise that I hadn't read before. I really liked the main characters, and even the supporting ones. It was told well, and I thought about it even when I wasn't reading. (I saw the first bit coming from a mile off, but it didn't need to be a surprise to still pack a punch). I'm looking forward to trying more books by this author. ( )

A single moment in time and one person’s cowardice can ruin someone’s entire life. ‘Defined by Deceit’ is the story of Llewellyn, Llew for short, who is a young man of barely eighteen and ready to begin a promising life. He finds his hopes crushed by the boy he loves, gets convicted unjustly to ten years in prison, barely survives the cruelty doled out there, and comes out eight years later a changed man. Reading his story and what he went through as a young man, betrayed by a deceitful boy who had no idea what he was doing, was a heartbreaking experience. Seeing him struggle once he got out, trying so hard to make a new start only to find himself stopped at every turn, was almost worse. But to see his strength of character through all of the sh*t he had to go through was also amazing.

Llew is such a great guy. He is athletically talented, has already won several awards designing houses, and is looking forward to a promising career in college. He works hard to help Leslie, his older brother, build the gardening business Leslie took over when their parents died a few years earlier. And Llew is very much in love with his boyfriend, Moss, the mayor’s son. But the mayor does not approve of Llew “leading Moss astray”. When push comes to shove, Moss chickens out to protect himself from his father’s wrath - and seals Llew’s fate. Llew is a gentle, caring man, and he has an expectedly hard time in prison, to the point where panic attacks become a regular occurrence. If not for another inmate’s protection, he would not have survived. But then it gets even more difficult once he gets out and people won’t even allow him a second chance. His despair almost overwhelms him, and his perseverance and determination to make as much of his life as possible are the only thing standing between him and the disaster of ending up back in prison.

Shane is a tough guy who runs the construction company he took over from his father. He is like a force of nature, and does not tolerate BS or injustice. His only regret is that he never went to college – his father didn’t believe he needed an education to do a good job. When Shane runs into Llew outside the movie theater he is immediately drawn to Llew’s soulful eyes, and no matter what rumors come up as soon as Llew moves into town, and no matter what anyone else says, Shane knows he can trust this man. It’s a hard road – but Shane is as stubborn as they come and never gives up. What a guy!

This is such a great read! At first I wasn’t sure I’d survive it, in tears more often than not as Llew struggled for survival both physically and mentally. A.E. Via did not skimp on the emotions, and while it was very clear what brutality Llew was exposed to, the details were never overwhelming. That made it almost worse, because my own imagination worked against me quite effectively. The best part of course, was the slow emergence of hope once Llew and Shane meet. Not everything was perfect even then, that would have made it unrealistic, but for the first time I was able to breathe a little more easily. As for the ending? Sheer perfection on more than one front.

If you like gritty stories with a sweet ending, if you think two hardworking men who need each other to be happy should be given that chance no matter what, and if you’re looking for a read that is as heartbreaking, emotional, and touching as it is hopeful and romantic, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. I think it’s an emotional roller coaster of the best kind!


NOTE: This book was provided by Omnilit / All Romance for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )