by NR Walker
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.”
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.”
Gosh, we LOVED this book! It is
heartbreaking, achingly tender, sweet and so redeeming. When we first met Yanni in Spencer Cohen #2,
we despaired how he would ever find his way to be whole again, and we hoped and
hoped.
This is book #4 in the Spencer Cohen series, and you really have to read
the other books to really appreciate Yanni and Peter. This is not a sweep you off your feet story,
or a love will heal all story, it is redemption, it is taking back your life,
it is finding value in yourself and believing in love again. Amazing.
NR Walker creates real life characters; these are not caricatures, but
real people who struggle with their demons and live real lives. Yanni’s story does not shy away from hard
topics – Yanni was horribly abused by someone who said they loved him, Yanni
was abandoned by his family for his sexual choices, and Yanni is broken. But, Peter sees who Yanni really is, Peters
sees that friendship is a lifeline for them both and doesn’t give up. He is constant, caring and accepts Yanni’s
past, and hopes to be part of his future.
Yanni’s Story is slow slow slow burn, but it works so well. It is a story about Yanni taking back his
life and that includes choosing to love and to feel intimate with someone. And aside from the other critics we felt it
worked really well. Honestly if Yanni
had jumped into bed with Peter, don’t think it would have felt authentic. They
have chemistry and that is undeniable that they both feel it, but they can
enjoy it and not rip each other’s clothes off.
They also have this daddy kink between them that is sexy sexy sexy. It isn’t in your face, but there is an
undercurrent of Peter wanted to take care of Yanni, to provide for him and to
nurture him. We aren’t huge daddy kink reader, but Peter and Yanni fit together
that it doesn’t seem like a huge stretch.
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