SCARRED
J.M. SNYDER
ISBN# 1-60154-007-8
February 2007
Aspen Mountain Press
http://www.aspenmountainpress.com
E-Book
$4.99
119 pages
Gay/Futuristic
Rating: 4 cups

Dae is a mild-mannered diner owner whose main concern in life is protecting his sister Delia from the violent regulators who are terrorizing their city. Dae has spent most of his life living with the war and its aftermath, and he is personally aware of the regulators’ violent proclivities. McBane, a violent, abusive regulator, pays frequent visits to Dae, scarring him both physically and psychologically.

Then Dae meets Coby, who is a regulator but seems honest and upstanding. Unlike most regulators, he is caring and kind. Dae has never known tenderness, and his encounters with Coby are gentler than any he has ever experienced. Coby shows genuine concern for the violence that Dae has experienced at McBane’s hands.

The sex scenes, which are gently erotic, are secondary to the story of Dae and Colby’s budding relationship, and become more passionate as the two men learn to trust one another. Dae’s sister Delia, who is acutely aware of her brother’s victimization, serves as a concerned mother figure. Though she may irritate Dae with her doubts about Coby, her love for her brother is obvious and their close relationship is realistic.

Ms. Snyder is very aware of the trust issues faced by victims of abuse. Dae’s feelings of helplessness lack of self-worth, and problems opening up and learning to trust Coby are very true to life. As the title implies, Dae is scarred, both physically and emotionally, and this is the story of his healing. Ms. Snyder’s message is powerful: that learning to love and trust can heal all wounds, even the deepest and most violent.

Maya
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books