Title : Yanni's Story
Series : Spencer Cohen Book 4
Author : N.R. Walker
Genre : Gay Contemporary Romance, MM Romance
Published : August 29th, 2017
My Rating : 4 of 5 Stars
When Yanni Tomaras is kicked out of his family home, his parents’ final words are religious insults and an order to never return. Homeless and desperate, he’s lured in by Lance—charming on the outside, an evil predator underneath—who abuses Yanni until he finds the courage to leave.
Yanni should feel free. But by the time Spencer Cohen finds him, he’s resigned to being handed back to Lance and once again being caged by fear.
Starting school and a part-time job, Yanni begins to reclaim his life. But a love for silent films leads him to Peter Hannikov, a man with a kind heart but who’s twice his age. An unlikely friendship between them blooms into so much more. Neither man knows what he wants, at first. Finding out exactly what he needs is Yanni’s story.
“I’d spent years as a bird, caged with my wings clipped, tormented and beaten.
I thought I’d escaped when I’d left my abuser, but in hindsight, I could see that I was still caged, this time by fear and self-doubt.
Spencer and Andrew, and Andrew’s parents, opened the door to the cage that confined me.
But it was Peter who taught me how to fly.”
He was a pillar of warmth and strength and everything my soul craved. He was safety and comfort, a constant light in my dark.
I wanted him. I wanted to be his boy. For him to protect me always, keep me safe. Like a good daddy should.
***
I must admit that I have hard time putting the words to my review because I cannot find the right words to describe what I felt during & after I finished the book.
What I know for sure that I have constant glistened eyes full with tears almost the entire reading and non-stop heart wrenching feels that squeezed my heart for what happened to Yanni.
The story come in VERY slow pace and with over 6000 Loc shown on my Kindle? I must admit that it a bit 'intimidate' me at first.
But later I found out that the slow pace and the amounts of the pages are worth ALL the time.
Yanni's story had gained my curiosity since Spencer helped him from his abusive ex in the previous book. Since then I keep wondering, what had happened to this young guy and I want to know more about him. So when the author announced that Yanni will have his own story it's like a dream come true!
Yanni is a young man who struggling with post traumatic syndrome after being saved by Spencer from his abusive ex.
To gained back what had been taken from him, Yanni must fight a lot of demons and traumatic moment before he can stand in his own feet.
On his journey to the healing process, Yanni meet a lot fabulous and kind hearted people that loved him unconditionally like Andrew's parents. Mr & Mrs. Landon had put Yanni's under their wings since the first time Spencer brought him to their house. Treated him like their long lost son, give him full support and love.
His meeting with Peter Hannikov who twice his age had change his life.
Yanni craving someone that could make him feel secure and safe. Peter come to Yanni's life and embraced him with love and caring.
I like Peter. A LOT!
The way he treat Yanni through all the trauma and panic attacks really touched my heart. His patience and constant understanding was amazing.
Seeing how these two person with the age gap slowly growing the feeling from 'non-dates' to daddy/son relationship was really something. How they both fill the missing pieces for each other had warmed my heart. They absolutely perfectly made for each other.
I'm so glad that the author keep the slow pace and stick to 'non-dates' thing almost into half of the story and didn't jump into any sexual thing until the 'right' time. Because if it happen sooner I'll probably DNF-ing the book immediately. Because we all KNOW that the healing process from post-traumatic-sexual-abused victim will NOT happen in a short time. There's process and a lot of struggling moment to pushed down all the triggers that caused the trauma. And I think the author write all the process in realistic & good way.
Maybe for some reader all the sessions with the psychiatrist will feels way too long and a bit boring. But that not what I felt during the reading. Because I know that all the sessions with Patrice was actually the main key to understand what Yanni's been through, and 'help' us to 'understand' more about his struggles to gained back what had taken from his life & survive. And the sessions with Patrice hold the huge part in the process along with what Peter and The Landon's did to Yanni.
I'm a bit surprise when I found that Yanni's Story not only about May/December troupe but also Daddy/son. I found it a bit 'interesting' and also 'intriguing'.
I have read books with daddy kink before and most of all are erotica. So, it bit 'shocking' when I found that the author write about it. I'm a bit worried at first, but after I read it, relief washed over me because the author write all that happen between Peter and Yanni - daddy/son 'relationship' in 'elegant' way. And I love it.
Yanni's Story is a heart wrenching but also heart warming story about a young man who struggling to gained back what had been taken from his life and his journey to find his true love.
RECOMMENDED!
N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance.
She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.
She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words.
She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things… but likes it even more when they fall in love.
She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.
She’s been writing ever since…
