Jessie Vega is the epitome of optimism. His carefully crafted attitude of hope and positivity protects him from a past filled with too much pain. When a ghost from a dark time resurfaces and nearly breaks him, he must tap into his inner strength or risk losing everything he's worked so hard to build.
But Jessie can't do it alone. He must fight to break through Aidan's ironclad defenses to reveal the heart of the man hiding beneath the tough surface and mend his damaged spirit. Only then can they truly heal and become strong enough to battle the demons that haunt them and threaten their chance to finally be together.
——--
***This book contains scenes and subject matter some readers may find distressing.***
——--
Although part of a series, this book can be read as a stand-alone.
Aidan – well here is one very complicated and complex man. Mind you what you see if what you get, that is how he came across to me. He doesn’t seem to trust anyone at all, unless they are family or a close friend.
Jessie – now here is a man with a hidden past, which comes back to haunt him, and it seems like it is Aidan that needs to save him, or does Jessie need to save Aidan??
In A Mended Man, you actually see Aidan start to fall apart. He is moved from his normal job onto a task force, working under someone that he doesn’t like. When he gets a call from a rookie once night, asking him to attend a scene, he is not happy but attends anyway. What he encounters there near enough brings him to his knees….. the victim is Jessie. It is now you begin to understand the feelings that Aidan has for Jessie, but also wonder why he hasn't acted on them.
When Jessie is taken to hospital, Aidan goes with him but is beginning to unravel. With everything that has happened to him so far in his life, it seems that Jessie being attacked and hospitalised seems to be the one thing to bring Aidan to breaking point. His close friends, who he trusts totally, then start appearing and you see Aidan begin to relax a little.
As Jessie recovers, he and Aidan grow closer, just being in each other’s presence seems to calm them both. However, there are a few misunderstandings, and Jessie is quite the independent person!! However, again Aidan comes to save the day for Jessie, when he finds himself him another spot of bother, when everything went wrong for Jessie when he was discharged from the hospital.
Jessie then stays with Aidan while recovering from his attack, and he begins to see glimpses of the real Aidan, the one that is usually kept hidden. He then has to work hard to keep seeing this Aidan, but I have to say you notice little changes with Aidan whenever he is with Jessie.
It is quite the struggle for Aidan to open up, but at Jessie's suggestion he seeks out help., and also Jessie seems to notice little things that will trigger Aidan into his PTSD flashbacks.. Slowly bit by bit, Aidan begins to show Jessie more of the man within him, but Aidan still believes that he is not good enough for Jessie. It is like Jessie doesn’t get a say in things, Aidan is making the decision for him. Can Jessie ever finally convince Aidan that he is staying, he is not going to go away, no matter what.
This series just keeps getting better and better, but I think this one is my favourite of them all (until the next one comes out). The storyline is one that will keep you hooked, once I started reading I could not put the book down!! I love the members of the Task Force that Aidan works with, they are a great addition to the story (and Jaime Reese I would love to see more stories from them!! Lol). We also see characters from previous books make an appearance, which I really make the series special.. It was also great to meet Cole again, and see that nothing has changed with him!!
If I could give this more than 5 stars I would, as this book I have already read it twice, and loved it even more the second time. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, even with the upsetting scenes, it was a totally gripping read. To me, it was an emotional read as you suffered with Aidan as he fought each of his inner demons, and we also saw a side of Jessie, that was for want of a better word nurturing Aidan. I really loved seeing how Aidan was again getting closer to his brother Ty, whom he turned to for advice at one point.
As I am an impatient person, I cannot wait to see if there is another books in this series, or even a book to give a round up with what has happened with all the characters since their book. I love this series, and it will always be on my read again list.
"A beautiful story of love making you whole again!" - Bike Book Reviews
"Heartbreakingly beautiful" - Amazon Customer Review
"As always the wait was worth it and Jaime delivers yet another stunning but very different book." - Sinfully Gay Romance Book Reviews