Despite Himself

I am giving this series five stars, not just this single book, but the whole series of three books. The characters are unusual, it is a delight to see them grow as you read. The love they share, though sometimes springing from pain, is beautiful to behold. The sex is minimal, but well-done, hot enough and never intrusive. But what I like most is how little these characters agonize over their same-sex attractions and the incredibly accurate and moving descriptions of each building his own new family around the people they love - one of the absolute marvels of the LGBT community - building families based on love and respect rather than on the accidents of birth. I also love how each book takes up the story of one of the couples from the previous book and that the older characters come back as "guests" and "friends" in the following book. But I am planning on an unusual review strategy: I'm giving the first book five stars, but giving the other two only four - even though they may merit five. Why? Because my patience has finally snapped at the execrable editing of most of the Kindle ebooks (particularly M/M fiction) I've been reading over the last few months. And these are no exceptions. I'm not sure who is responsible for editing what finally appears on our Kindles, but whether it's Amazon or the author, I don't much care. The fault is ultimately with Amazon - they took my money and they delivered the book to me. The editing flaws I'm finding are distracting and annoying - they take you right out of the book, and they're nothing that shouldn't be found by even a mediocre student editor doing a quick pass. I, honestly, get insulted by some of the flaws in this series and most of the other books I've been reading. This one has grotesque errors like "you're jacket is on the stand", "I'm giving this to he". In fact, they can't even seem to keep the name of one of the two lead characters consistent, vacillating between "Brian" and "Brain" - often in the same paragraph! I've read high-school fiction that was better edited and showed more care and commitment to the material and the reader than most of what I've read from the Kindle Store in the recent past. C'mon Amazon, you've been at this a long time, get it right!!! Until then, I will continue deducting stars for lousy editing. P.S. Don't let the editing prevent you from reading and enjoying the books in this series. They're wonderful, they're moving, and, despite the poor editing, very well-written.

First off, when I bought this book it was for free. It sat in my Kindle for over a month before I finally started it. Before I was finished I was thinking to myself, this should not be given away for free. In spite of the editing issues, (which in the grand scheme of things really aren't as numerous or as bad as they could be, I've seen more egregious errors, trust me) there was some really good writing here. There were some very descriptive scenes, and some that were just very well worded. ("I hear my name whispered into the sunrise"? Can I steal that? No? OK.) What I did not like about the book: Even though I don't understand abuse and think abusive people should be pushed off a bridge, I understood the reasoning behind the father's abuse: he was a mean drunk. But there was never any reason given for why the brother was so angry and abusive. He was a complete and utter a**, I do know that. And a total wackadoo. I did not like the mother, because though she was accepting of her son Logan and generally sweet to everyone, being that completely oblivious to something under your own nose I simply can't fathom. Even if my kids don't tell me I know when something's going on with them. This mother is practically aiding and abetting. And I especially hated the fact that even if no one wanted to go to the police, they should have at least taken Logan to the hospital, even if they felt the need to lie about what was going on. What if he'd gotten an infection in that cut on his neck? What if his ankle had been broken towards the end?!? But I did have a bit of an issue with not going to the police, because what if Brian found Logan again? Abusers do that, you know. Also, it was never mentioned what these young men did for a living, so I was left wondering how someone at age 20 or 21 could afford a house on his own... What I did like: I loved Logan. I loved Felix. I loved their relationship. I love William! His hyperactivity was hilarious, but he was such a good friend. I even came to really like Jerry once he accepted what was going on. (Did anyone else feel like there could've been something between Jerry and William?) Anyway, now that I know this is a series, I'm looking forward to the rest.

Downloaded as a freebie. Sweet, yet heart-wrenching at times, this tells the story of Logan and Felix. Felix is a good friend of Brian, a little older than Logan. Brian is abusive to his brother Logan. While on a holiday that Logan is forced to take with them, Felix and Logan find themselves falling for one another. Once Felix learns of Brian's abusive nature towards Logan, everyone else begins to realize Brian's true colors. There are some editing and style issues - including long paragraphs that go on for ages and a lack of indentation on my kindle. It's also 1st person narrative where the POV switches each chapter, and it's not always between the two main characters. The side characters (William and Jerry) and Brian also get POV chapters. It can get a little bit confusing, and not everyone seemed to have their own voice. I loved William! Great spastic character. Jerry left me curious and Brian was a bit flat. I wish there was more exploration into his character. Logan and Felix were both enjoyable characters, and their struggles pulled at my heartstrings. Overall, it was a good read that I really enjoyed.

Very sweet love story! It was short but the characters were well developed and I loved reading each individuals point of view without the author repeating scenes almost word for word. I've found that many authors are not able to master this skill but in this book it was executed well. I just wish Brian got the beating he deserved and their mother wasn't so clueless! One question. How could Brian be homophobic when his good friend, William, is gay? Other than that, I loved the book and look forward to the others in the series. i absolutely adore William!!

It of course has some dark all to real sadness to the book, but the uplifting joy I got from the rest of the book well made up for it. I loved the characters,, of course the main characters were adorable. Logan and Felix were perfect. But the character I just adored was William. His personality his intuition about his friends and his excitement and love for them,well just perfect. Off to buy the rest of the series. Thank you.

Very good story. But like other reviewers have noted, too many editing issues. I was also very frustrated with the lack of action from any of the supporting characters in the book regarding Logans abuse. However, when I think about it, in reality this occurs often. People witness abuse to others on a daily basis and do not get involved. They often think someone else will take action or speak up, but this doesn't always happen. Looking forward to the next book in this series.

Reading the first page I knew this would not be an easy book to get through, I am happy that I did because it truly is about love despite the pain of abuse, it is about believing that you deserve more than what is handed to you and that love in any form has the power to save us before despair destroys us forever.

I enjoyed this touching story of a young abused boy and how he deals with his family and friends. It's also a romance. I agree that the police should have been involved, but that was the author's decision.

I absolutely love this book! Just finished it and put straight into my favourites collection! I don't think I have ever been so emotional through a book before! Will definitely read more from this author!!

Despite himself is a good read very exciting keeps you on your toes to the end but it's good can't wait to read the next one

I am giving this series five stars, not just this single book, but the whole series of three books. The characters are unusual, it is a delight to see them grow as you read. The love they share, though sometimes springing from pain, is beautiful to behold. The sex is minimal, but well-done, hot enough and never intrusive. But what I like most is how little these characters agonize over their same-sex attractions and the incredibly accurate and moving descriptions of each building his own new family around the people they love - one of the absolute marvels of the LGBT community - building families based on love and respect rather than on the accidents of birth. I also love how each book takes up the story of one of the couples from the previous book and that the older characters come back as "guests" and "friends" in the following book. But I am planning on an unusual review strategy: I'm giving the first book five stars, but giving the other two only four - even though they may merit five. Why? Because my patience has finally snapped at the execrable editing of most of the Kindle ebooks (particularly M/M fiction) I've been reading over the last few months. And these are no exceptions. I'm not sure who is responsible for editing what finally appears on our Kindles, but whether it's Amazon or the author, I don't much care. The fault is ultimately with Amazon - they took my money and they delivered the book to me. The editing flaws I'm finding are distracting and annoying - they take you right out of the book, and they're nothing that shouldn't be found by even a mediocre student editor doing a quick pass. I, honestly, get insulted by some of the flaws in this series and most of the other books I've been reading. This one has grotesque errors like "you're jacket is on the stand", "I'm giving this to he". In fact, they can't even seem to keep the name of one of the two lead characters consistent, vacillating between "Brian" and "Brain" - often in the same paragraph! I've read high-school fiction that was better edited and showed more care and commitment to the material and the reader than most of what I've read from the Kindle Store in the recent past. C'mon Amazon, you've been at this a long time, get it right!!! Until then, I will continue deducting stars for lousy editing. P.S. Don't let the editing prevent you from reading and enjoying the books in this series. They're wonderful, they're moving, and, despite the poor editing, very well-written.

First off, when I bought this book it was for free. It sat in my Kindle for over a month before I finally started it. Before I was finished I was thinking to myself, this should not be given away for free. In spite of the editing issues, (which in the grand scheme of things really aren't as numerous or as bad as they could be, I've seen more egregious errors, trust me) there was some really good writing here. There were some very descriptive scenes, and some that were just very well worded. ("I hear my name whispered into the sunrise"? Can I steal that? No? OK.) What I did not like about the book: Even though I don't understand abuse and think abusive people should be pushed off a bridge, I understood the reasoning behind the father's abuse: he was a mean drunk. But there was never any reason given for why the brother was so angry and abusive. He was a complete and utter a**, I do know that. And a total wackadoo. I did not like the mother, because though she was accepting of her son Logan and generally sweet to everyone, being that completely oblivious to something under your own nose I simply can't fathom. Even if my kids don't tell me I know when something's going on with them. This mother is practically aiding and abetting. And I especially hated the fact that even if no one wanted to go to the police, they should have at least taken Logan to the hospital, even if they felt the need to lie about what was going on. What if he'd gotten an infection in that cut on his neck? What if his ankle had been broken towards the end?!? But I did have a bit of an issue with not going to the police, because what if Brian found Logan again? Abusers do that, you know. Also, it was never mentioned what these young men did for a living, so I was left wondering how someone at age 20 or 21 could afford a house on his own... What I did like: I loved Logan. I loved Felix. I loved their relationship. I love William! His hyperactivity was hilarious, but he was such a good friend. I even came to really like Jerry once he accepted what was going on. (Did anyone else feel like there could've been something between Jerry and William?) Anyway, now that I know this is a series, I'm looking forward to the rest.

Downloaded as a freebie. Sweet, yet heart-wrenching at times, this tells the story of Logan and Felix. Felix is a good friend of Brian, a little older than Logan. Brian is abusive to his brother Logan. While on a holiday that Logan is forced to take with them, Felix and Logan find themselves falling for one another. Once Felix learns of Brian's abusive nature towards Logan, everyone else begins to realize Brian's true colors. There are some editing and style issues - including long paragraphs that go on for ages and a lack of indentation on my kindle. It's also 1st person narrative where the POV switches each chapter, and it's not always between the two main characters. The side characters (William and Jerry) and Brian also get POV chapters. It can get a little bit confusing, and not everyone seemed to have their own voice. I loved William! Great spastic character. Jerry left me curious and Brian was a bit flat. I wish there was more exploration into his character. Logan and Felix were both enjoyable characters, and their struggles pulled at my heartstrings. Overall, it was a good read that I really enjoyed.

Very sweet love story! It was short but the characters were well developed and I loved reading each individuals point of view without the author repeating scenes almost word for word. I've found that many authors are not able to master this skill but in this book it was executed well. I just wish Brian got the beating he deserved and their mother wasn't so clueless! One question. How could Brian be homophobic when his good friend, William, is gay? Other than that, I loved the book and look forward to the others in the series. i absolutely adore William!!

It of course has some dark all to real sadness to the book, but the uplifting joy I got from the rest of the book well made up for it. I loved the characters,, of course the main characters were adorable. Logan and Felix were perfect. But the character I just adored was William. His personality his intuition about his friends and his excitement and love for them,well just perfect. Off to buy the rest of the series. Thank you.

Very good story. But like other reviewers have noted, too many editing issues. I was also very frustrated with the lack of action from any of the supporting characters in the book regarding Logans abuse. However, when I think about it, in reality this occurs often. People witness abuse to others on a daily basis and do not get involved. They often think someone else will take action or speak up, but this doesn't always happen. Looking forward to the next book in this series.

Reading the first page I knew this would not be an easy book to get through, I am happy that I did because it truly is about love despite the pain of abuse, it is about believing that you deserve more than what is handed to you and that love in any form has the power to save us before despair destroys us forever.

I enjoyed this touching story of a young abused boy and how he deals with his family and friends. It's also a romance. I agree that the police should have been involved, but that was the author's decision.