Release Review: Silent is the Heart: Dianna Roman
Silent is the Heart
One cold night stole everything from Easton Bennick—his childhood, his voice, and the only person who loved him. A ward of the state, left with nothing but pain and no way to communicate it, Hampton Hills Rehabilitation Center feels like a sentence rather than a road to recovery, until Aaron Manicki.
Eight years ago, Hampton Hills was supposed to be a steppingstone in Aaron’s speech pathology career. Dreams shattered, he never imagined ending up right back where he started. Looking for new meaning in his life, Aaron’s curiosity takes him in search of the guarded boy he worked so hard to reach years prior. What he finds is not a shy teen, but a full-grown man with an unexplainable chip on his shoulder.
Determined to integrate himself into Easton’s world, Aaron finds his quest to reach Easton may be as much a road to self-salvation. If Aaron can get Easton to speak, will he be able to hear how silent is the heart?
An MM romance of second-chances, second-guesses, and first love.
This story is raw, poignant, and different, and takes you on quite an unexpected and emotional journey.
Easton Bennick is a young man who has been through tragedies and found a glimpse of something that gave him hope, but then lost it again.
Aaron Manicki met him when he was at his lowest and his positive attitude and attention gave Easton that hope. But then he left and took that with him.
Eight years later, Easton has made a life for himself. He has a successful tattoo shop, friends, and he’s recovered from his past as much as he can. And now Aaron's life has imploded, and he is back in town dealing with repercussions from his choices and having to start over with nothing. But Aaron has this need to find out how Easton turned out.
Easton is not sure he wants the intrusion back into his life or the painful memories. It’s awkward and Easton reacts strongly. But they come to build a tentative friendship, reconnect, and eventually allow their messy feelings to be known. I loved seeing these guys together because they both had been through so much and had been so hurt, but they fit together and started to help each other feel whole. Their connection is intense, real, and passionate.
But unfortunately, sometimes the painful ghosts from your past can intrude on your present. These two are finally starting to feel hope, trust, love, healing, and look towards the future but now they have to deal with their pasts again.
This book is heartbreaking at times And it really made me feel for the characters. But there were also times when I just wanted to shake sense into them and get them to see the big picture. They both have such trust and self-worth issues and have been hurt so much that it’s easy to fall into doubt and old patterns and coping mechanisms.
There are surprises and twists that I didn’t expect that added angst and drama. I was invested in their story from the first page and was rooting for them the whole time.
This is an intriguing, unique, first crush, second chance, hurt-comfort, small age gap, MM romance. I loved both Easton and Aaron, and I enjoyed seeing the growth in both characters. I really liked his friend Wolf, and I hope the little tease at the end means that he’s going get his book next.
Easton Bennick is a young man who has been through tragedies and found a glimpse of something that gave him hope, but then lost it again.
Aaron Manicki met him when he was at his lowest and his positive attitude and attention gave Easton that hope. But then he left and took that with him.
Eight years later, Easton has made a life for himself. He has a successful tattoo shop, friends, and he’s recovered from his past as much as he can. And now Aaron's life has imploded, and he is back in town dealing with repercussions from his choices and having to start over with nothing. But Aaron has this need to find out how Easton turned out.
Easton is not sure he wants the intrusion back into his life or the painful memories. It’s awkward and Easton reacts strongly. But they come to build a tentative friendship, reconnect, and eventually allow their messy feelings to be known. I loved seeing these guys together because they both had been through so much and had been so hurt, but they fit together and started to help each other feel whole. Their connection is intense, real, and passionate.
But unfortunately, sometimes the painful ghosts from your past can intrude on your present. These two are finally starting to feel hope, trust, love, healing, and look towards the future but now they have to deal with their pasts again.
This book is heartbreaking at times And it really made me feel for the characters. But there were also times when I just wanted to shake sense into them and get them to see the big picture. They both have such trust and self-worth issues and have been hurt so much that it’s easy to fall into doubt and old patterns and coping mechanisms.
There are surprises and twists that I didn’t expect that added angst and drama. I was invested in their story from the first page and was rooting for them the whole time.
This is an intriguing, unique, first crush, second chance, hurt-comfort, small age gap, MM romance. I loved both Easton and Aaron, and I enjoyed seeing the growth in both characters. I really liked his friend Wolf, and I hope the little tease at the end means that he’s going get his book next.
graphics from author's Facebook group
Dianna Roman
Romance author, Dianna Roman, believes in laughter, happily-ever-afters, unsung heroes and heroines, internal struggles, chocolate, coffee, fluffiness, talking to yourself, hard work, and above all, love.
She enjoys writing stories set in rural towns and about characters who don't have this thing called life quite figured out yet.
Dianna lives with her husband and daughter in the woods where sunsets and gardening are the reason her house may be a bit messy.
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