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 "I can't tell if it's killing me or it's making me stronger."

movie star Hunter Reynolds is viciously attacked in an alley. his perfect face is ruined and his preference for men is exposed to the public. embittered by the events, he pushes everyone away including his live-in partner Taylor. while recuperating at the hospital, Hunter speaks with LA Herald reporter MacGyver Donovich who has been writing a series of articles on recent attacks on gay artists/entertainers. both men have demons to face, an attacker to bring to justice and a love to deal with.

for starters, this was a short read. the pacing was fast and the sex scenes were quite intense. with just over a hundred pages, there seemed to be a lot going on but i commend author Cassandra Dayne for managing to squeeze everything in and for not leaving the reader shortchanged at the end.

i did not have problems with the storyline, the characters and the writing. i do have a problem, though,  with a) the timeline, b) how this played out with regard to the testosterone-charged atmosphere that perpetually hovered between Hunter and Taylor or Hunter and Mac and c) some annoying onomatopoeaic words:

1. five days after the brutal attack and despite the "barrage of tubes and bandages," Hunter is well enough to: 
...There was no doubt about what was going on....The instant the door opened....Taylor was furious, his face beet-reed...'Goddamn the fu**er knows how to push my buttons!'...brushed his hands through his hair and groaned. 'Damn it. Why do I do this to myself?' (did i read it wrong or did Hunter and Taylor had a quickie inside the former's hospital room?)
2. Hunter is able to open his swollen eye after twenty-four hours which is plausible enough and is scheduled for release the day after. (what happened to the "barrage of tubes and bandages?" Hunter sure heals fast! what does this say about the hospital too? they must have ultra-modern equipment and drugs to fast-track the healing process. unbelievable!)
3. "Tick. Tock" "Slam! Whoosh! Pop!" "Clang" "Screech" "Wham! Whoosh!" "Bam!"  "Crack! Slap" "Pop! Crack!" etc. etc.  (i do not get it. this was way too distracting and i found too many of them all over the place. they only made me remember watching Batman cartoons when i was a kid)

as i mentioned earlier, i had no problems with the storyline, the flawed characters and the writing in general. the timeline was just not right and realistic enough. this, coupled with the excessive use of onomatopoeia, shattered everything for me.

*received a copy for review via NetGalley