As I Say by Matthew Dante

I love As I Say. Two school enemies grow up and maintain the opinions they have of each other. Then they are kidnapped and forced to battle each other to see who walks away and who doesn't. These characters are both so likable it's impossible to favor either. 

From the blurb:

Sometimes the only person you can trust is the one person you despise the most…

Caleb and Preston have hated each other for years. It began in high school with Caleb bullying Preston, then escalated when Preston began fighting back – well, if you call passive-aggressive, sneaky little tricks, fighting – then yes, Preston retaliated against the man who brought him nothing but misery.

In a cruel twist of fate, the unthinkable happens. Caleb and Preston are kidnapped and forced into a deadly competition for their lives. It’s a battle between good and evil, brains vs brawn.

Their captor has made it clear – there can only be one victor in this game. One will leave the game standing, the other will leave the game in a body bag.

It’s only through these nightmarish trials that we are able to see what’s truly in a man’s heart.

Will Caleb and Preston be able to put aside their hatred for one another and work together to survive this deadly competition? Or will their fates be decided by whoever wins this sick man’s game?

This is an MM Dark Romance. Read trigger warnings before reading.

Reedkaye's Review:

Never say never. Start with two school enemies and what happens when they grow up. Mostly they stay with the same attitude toward each other until some event changes them. These two, Caleb and Preston are as different as can be. They were raised totally different. They came from totally different economic backgrounds. Their home life sadly was on opposite ends of possibilities. Then they are both kidnapped. They are set up to battle each other to see who walks away and who doesn’t.  

This story is hard not to add spoilers to the review so all I can really say it is nothing as expected. The challenges they face is totally different. The punishments for loosing is not expected. And the reason behind the whole thing is way different than I would have imagined. 

I follow this author and As I Say is another reason why. This story is not the usual. It held my attention from the start and surprised me quite a few times as the story unfolded.

Rating: 5 Stars

As I Say is available to buy as an ebook, paperback, or to read with Kindle Unlimited subcription.