Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Law student, Aaron Hedlund, is on the cusp of a new career with a cute boyfriend. Life is easy and perfect, until he gets a call that shatters his plans.
 
When Ian Mitchell discovers that his sexy former student, Aaron, is back in town, he’s relieved to know that someone will help Aaron’s little brother recover from the death of their parents. But as Aaron struggles to keep the family together, Ian finds that getting close enough to help may be more temptation than he can handle.
 
And the biggest challenge of all is showing Aaron that fixing shattered plans can become a blessing, actually.

Book Review

'Actually' is a story about grief and hardship, about the courage to keep it together and keep going, and of hope and finding the love you need to be able to learn how to enjoy living again. The issues are portrayed with sensitivity and a realistic look at human nature when grief hits – the desperate need to keep going and the guilt of having survived.

Aaron has a lot to deal with. He loses his parents just after his second your in college. He returns home to take care of his younger brother Mike, but lives with the constant threat of Child Protective Services taking him away and destroying what is left of their family. Not only does he have to deal with his own grief (which he refuses to do because he just cannot handle it), he is suddenly responsible for raising a sibling. He has to make money and isn’t ready to give up his dream of becoming a lawyer, so he continues his studies. Something is going to have to give. When it does, it isn’t what he (or I) expected, and it only makes things worse for a while.

Ian is Mike's history teacher and one of those men who care about the kids they teach beyond the classroom. He was also Aaron's history teacher, and has a never admitted crush on Aaron. To complicate matters, one of the female English teachers is after him, yet he is not out at school for fear of reprisals. Ian's situation is clearly very volatile. While he has the best of intentions and can honestly say that he can and does keep the personal separate from the professional, it may not look like that from the outside. For Ian, it is all about being honest with himself and learning how to wear that honesty proudly.

This is a story about loss, and about finding new direction and redefining what 'family' means. About love despite everything that happened. It is also about balance and figuring out how to do the right thing without letting appearances get in the way. Lastly, it is about finding the courage to do what you know is right – never mind the consequences. If you like stories that deal with real-life issues, if you're looking for an interesting character study as well as a moving love story, and if you believe that standing up for yourself and being honest with the world is important, then you will probably like this book as much as I did.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Resplendence Publishing for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 29500 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	08-August-2012
Price	$3.99 ebook
Buy Link	http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8/487-201-118-440-17--actually-by-mia-watts.html