Tyler feels alone except for the unexpected connection he has to Marcus, the doctor and cofounder of Guardian Hall, a safe haven for veterans. But, there is something special growing between Marcus and Tyler, and they honestly embrace their feelings as they both struggle with their pasts.
From the blurb:
He couldn’t save his team. Now Tyler has nothing—and no one.
Corporal Tyler Mason is haunted by the friends he lost in war, the sole survivor because of a mission that cost his team their lives. Rejected by his twin sister, who can’t bear to face him, and having pushed his parents away beneath crushing guilt, Tyler arrives at Guardian Hall, desperate to disappear into silence. He wants to vanish—erase every trace of who he was—but somehow, the people of the Hall look past the scars and silence, seeing strength in his survival and hope where he sees only failure.
As co-founder of Guardian Hall, Dr. Marcus Stirling has spent years helping others rebuild—but despite everything he has seen, he carries the weight of his own mistakes and the hard-fought sobriety he has achieved. He’s seen so much, but nothing prepared him for the broken man standing on the roof that night, burned, scarred, and barely holding on.
What begins as a fragile connection between doctor and patient slowly deepens, each moment drawing them closer until desire becomes impossible to deny. But love has never been safe. And when guilt, grief, and the shadows of the past close in, both men must risk everything for the one thing they never believed they’d find. Because even when there’s nothing left… hope can still survive.
Always Hope is a slow-burn, hurt/comfort, MM romance with a broken soldier, a recovering addict, ghosts that won’t let go, and a forbidden connection that might save them both.
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Trigger warnings for Always Hope: PTSD, survivor’s guilt, military combat loss, addiction recovery, grief, family estrangement, emotional discussions of suicide ideation, burn injuries, physical scarring, and mental health themes, including depression and self-isolation
SNik's review:
Second in series (Guardian Hall), but can be read as a standalone. Forbidden relationship. Age gap. Hurt/comfort. Slow burn. Dual POV. Heed content warnings.
Tyler lost his unit and his friends while in the Army, his burns a stark reminder of his survival and guilt, while he is trying to heal his mental and physical wounds at Guardian Hall he forms a connection with Marcus. Guardian Hall is a safe place for veterans to get a helping hand, and Marcus is the cofounder as well as a doctor and former addict, and he finds himself struggling with his attraction to Tyler.
This story continues the feels of the series as hurt/comfort is the central theme between Marcus and Tyler, as they navigate Tyler’s history and his feelings of grief, guilt, and despair. I appreciated that there is a good amount of honest communication between them about building a relationship, and it felt like Tyler’s effort to help himself benefited from Marcus’s support but wasn’t solely because of Marcus. I wish there had been just as much background for Marcus’s character, but overall I really enjoyed their story.
Always Hope is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
Always Hope is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
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