Safe and Sound ~ E.M. Lindsey

The Story:

Twenty years after losing his hearing and being convicted of a crime he didn't commit, Regan Moulin is certain of exactly two things: One, that life will always be full of pain, and two, he will always be in love with his childhood best friend, Isaac McKinnon.

It doesn't matter that circumstance tore them apart, or that he hasn't spoken to Isaac since they were nineteen. He still loves him.

He's just learned how to survive without him.

But a few weeks into winter, a familiar face rolls into town—one that threatens to completely disrupt Regan’s life by offering him the cruellest thing he can possibly think of: Hope.

Isaac thrived exactly the way Regan expected him to, and he wasn’t supposed to show back up in their crappy little hometown with open arms, and a heart that still aches for Regan.

He wasn’t supposed to still want him.

He wasn’t supposed to be the only thing in the world that can still make Regan feel safe and sound.

But here he is, with all their childhood promises of forever cupped gently between both hands, and for the first time in Regan's life, within reach.

E.M Lindsey’s newest release, Safe and Sound, is not a peaceful journey, but it has a beautifully satisfying ending that makes all the angsty moments worth it. While Isaac has had a few bumps in the road, Regan's life has been unrelenting hell. Isaac's reappearance and determination to win back Regan gives Regan hope for the first time in a long time, but there are many roadblocks to their happily ever after.

Like most books by this author, Safe and Sound packs an emotional punch; the characters are so well developed and so sensitively drawn that it is impossible for your heart not to bleed for the ongoing trauma that is Regan’s life. Regan desperately needs something to go his way, and the sensitive but strong Isaac may just be the beginning of his change of circumstances.

Safe and Sound is a high angst story with many potential triggers, so I urge anyone with sensitivities to check the trigger warnings at the beginning of the story.

However, despite all the pain, setbacks, and hurdles Regan and Isaac must overcome, the beautiful ending makes it worth the very emotional journey. Safe and Sound is not a light read, but neither is it overwhelmingly bleak and depressing. There are many lighter moments and humour to break it up, and the pure romance and love between Regan and Isaac ensure there is always a ray of hope.

Safe and Sound is not a light read, but it is a very rewarding one. You may need tissues, but you'll also find yourself smiling through the tears. This is a story about unrelenting hardship, but also that there is often a light at the end of the tunnel, and sometimes it's just about having the right person lead you toward it. It is a story of trauma but also of hope.

I highly recommend this very emotionally satisfying story.

Safe and Sound is available as an ebook