N.N. Light’s Book Heaven Book Review
5 stars for Sins of Our Sons by Kristian Daniels
One night of passion leads two young lovers down a slippery slope of bitterness, deceit, and betrayal. Greg and Tyler are young and in love. They keep their relationship a secret from everyone, especially their parents. They sneak off for clandestine meetings and it all seems so innocent until one fateful night. Greg and Tyler don’t know what to do or how to make their parents understand. Suddenly, what was beautiful is now dirty and unclean. As they struggle to wade through a hurricane of resentment, distrust, and where they belong, a betrayal hits too close to home. Can they stay safe and together or will the sins of our sons destroy their relationship and love?
Sins of Our Sons is a moving coming-of-age story reaffirming the power of love. No matter what your view on gay love, Sins of Our Sons will make an impact on you. This book is character-driven and the main characters, Greg and Tyler, leap from the page and into your heart. Their relationship brings truth to what many gay couples go through. The anguish is poignantly portrayed through descriptive narration and deep POV. Kristian Daniels intricately details every aspect of what happens when someone comes out in a rural community. My heart ached for them over and over again. The other characters are well-portrayed and while I didn’t agree with their motives, they are in-line with views from parts of today’s society. A brilliant gay coming-of-age story that needs to be read by the masses, Sins of Our Sons will stick with you long after you finish reading. Highly recommend!
N.N. Light’s Book Heaven Book Review
5 stars for Stolen Heart by Kristian Daniels
My Review:
Gritty and raw, this book will grip the reader and not let go. There is something to be said for the resiliency of the human spirit. This tale could provide inspiration for someone to keep going no matter how the cards of life are dealt to them.
A very realistic and gritty story about the hard-knock life some face just because of their personal choices. In a perfect world, there would be an avenger who took care of those who did things to those who couldn’t defend themselves. Too bad a person writing fiction couldn’t add that aspect to a story.
Elliot is a hero for a streaming service. This story would be wildly popular and could even be made into a hit movie. A tale that is truly ripped out of the world’s headlines. If you like your reading edgy and emotive, then this book is for you. A gay coming-of-age story that will appeal to everyone who enjoys this genre. A strong beginning to what could be a memorable series.
Sins of our Sons
Cheryl_cajun rated it it was amazing
Shelves: acr, genre-lgbtq, mystery
Thank you for the ARC read, I voluntarily give this book an honest review. Fear of discovery to powerful, Prejudice and pressure, but the truth is going to shatter so many lives. Wow another emotional read by Kristian, the story telling gets you right in the feels. Revenge that has torn apart lives, making the bonds between these couples stretch to breaking.
Coming out in a small rural area. Where what should’ve been a thrilling feeling of discovery, is weighted down with shame and fear in these two young men’s lives. Greg is off to university in a year, leaving behind Tyler.
Trevor may have been forced to come out, that didn’t mean he had to stay in that environment to be bullied by those that should love him. Neil life is more complex as he caved to the pressure where Amanda is considered, the way he is going about is just wrong.
Stolen Heart by Kristian Daniels
BY THEPRAIRIESBOOKREVIEW on •
A poignant blend of romance and young adult drama, the novel is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking…
Daniels tackles the significant theme of identity with a serious message of LGBTQ and bullying issues in his deeply poignant, candid coming-of-age gay romance, which tells the story of a young man struggling with love, life, and sexuality. As a teen, Elliott Denison has struggled with his sexual identity. Growing up in a religious household, with over-protective, extremely strict parents is difficult. But things are worse in the school. Reserved and gentle by nature, Elliott, more than often, finds himself becoming the target of bullies. The only bright spot for Elliott is his friendship with Paul, who would go to any length to protect the former. Estranged from his parents, Elliott enters adulthood. His life changes soon after he meets the handsome, endearing Chase Harrison, and things begin to look up. But an anonymous hater has other plans. Daniels’s compassionate consideration of issues of LGBTQ bullying and harassment is both intuitive and insightful as he depicts the plight of his protagonist as a child and teenager fraught with his parents’ strict parenting while struggling with issues of self-worth, low esteem, and sexual identity. The adept combination of convincing characters, sharp psychological insights, and well-woven LGBTQ elements makes for a memorable experience. However, Daniels’s biggest strength is portraying his characters’ struggles with their relentless insecurities and inner demons. He focuses on the raw feelings of his characters, who remain broken amid their ongoing struggles. In a soft, searing voice, he examines the intricacies of human nature, love, relationships, duty, responsibility, and mortality through the eyes of his main characters. Elliott shines as the protagonist. His vulnerability, brokenness, and gentle nature make him heartbreakingly real and relatable. Chase is a thoroughly developed character, charming, candid, and likable. Paul is equally compelling. Daniels’s writing is assured, dialogue sharp, and the novel’s pace measured and leisurely. Intelligent, crisp prose pulls the reader deep into the intriguing storyline. Though bullying and teenage LGBTQ issues make up the major portion of the storyline, this is a story with psychological meat, what it means to love truly and selflessly, and about being true to one’s own self. This expert exploration of homosexuality, enduring friendship, family ties, love, guilt, regret, faith, forgiveness, and revenge will delight the lovers of gay romance.
Worth reading 😎
Stolen Heart by Kristian Daniels – Reviewed by Sam Bland | Reedsy Discovery
A touching story that is brave in exposing homophobia in its truest, cruellest forms.
This book contains sensitive content which some people may find offensive or disturbing.Read synopsis
Stolen Heart takes the reader on Elliot’s entire journey of childhood to manhood, with the focus being his gay identity. We see his sense of self as a closeted, timid teenager full of shame transform to his adult years as a man of pride, who still struggles chiefly because of the backwards opinions of those around him. As the focus of the story is on hate crime, LGBTQ+ rights and relationships, there are a few trigger warnings surrounding suicidal ideation, violence and graphic, sexual content that I feel must be highlighted before reading the novel.
Throughout the novel, there is an argument to be made that the story barely scratches the surface of Elliot’s life due to the lightning-quick pacing. For example, chapter headings include ‘Two Years Later’ and ‘Four Years Later’, which I feel makes the story become a little rushed. Experiencing Elliot’s life with him becomes confusing and more difficult to relate to because of the speed in which we witness him at his different ages. Personally, I would have preferred a more subtly woven narrative that gives the reader more of a deep dive into Elliot’s personal thoughts and feelings, rather than the briefer descriptions that we are presented with.
Although the novel also occasionally lacks subtly in terms of dialogue, for example with the staple religious insult of gay people as ‘sinners’, this is also a clever reflection of how language that seems so outdated is still relevant in the present day. Therefore, terminology like this is included to show how out of touch ‘religious nuts’ are in comparison to peaceful believers of religion. Daniels beautifully lays bare the hypocrisy of extreme religion, and this is shown through Elliot’s realisation that ‘for the first time, I saw how tightly their lives revolved around their interpretation of the bible. It destroyed our family, the very opposite of what the bible should do’. However, the story is in no way anti-Christianity; it represents learning to become a more accepting and tolerant person to be a journey that can be hard to undertake, but is ultimately very rewarding. There is a very real and raw feel to Stolen Heart in the way that it displays both positive and negative responses to living ones’ truth, but at the heart of the novel is the warmness of acceptance, hope and celebration.
I would recommend this book to avid readers of LGBTQ+ fiction, and beyond. Its message is heart-warming and important, and showcases a voice that needs to be heard in order to enact necessary change.
REVIEWED BY
Hi, I’m Sam! My life has been books books books from birth, to University, to beyond. I love to be a part of a community that has a genuine interest in seeking out these perhaps ‘undiscovered’ books and helping them get the appreciation that they deserve.
Stolen Heart
by Kristian Daniels (Goodreads Author)
Cheryl_cajun ‘s reviewDec 29, 2021
really liked it bookshelves: acr
Thank you for the ARC read, I voluntarily give this book an honest review. Warning of Drug use, abusive behavior and self harm is a just a few of the key points in this book. Keep the tissue handy! A emotional read that has physical struggle of that far reaches from a young boy growing up questioning not just himself but everything, as the ones that should love and support him are unwilling to the one job that should matter!
This starts off with glimpses of Elliott’s home lif. The adults that are to protect the young and parents that so wishes to please the church fearing cummituny, all should be shameful. Just goes to show just because they wear one face in public, in private they show their real selves. As for the children, whom watch and parroting the adults, it’s a leant behavior that isn’t just damaging to others but themselves as well. Self loathing is a build up of the years of abuse that leads to bullying of others. Some kind of being is working over time with Elliott and Chase, because WOW cue the water works!
