Review: The Truth as He Knows It, by A.M. Arthur (Rating: 4/5)

The Truth as He Knows It, by A.M. Arthur (Perspectives, Book One)
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (February 10, 2015)
Page Count: 289
Genre: Gay (M/M) Romance

Rating: ★★★★☆

“You got a lotta secrets stored up in that head, don’t you?”
“You have no idea.” (ePub page 130)

Like the title says, this is a novel about truths and secrets, and about finding someone to trust enough to bare your soul. On the surface, Noel and Shane seem like two normal guys; Noel is a police officer in a small town, and meets Shane during a disturbance call one night. Shane, working odd jobs to free him and his brother from a mountain of debt, is instantly attracted to the officer who helps him out. But they both have serious secrets buried in their closets, and they have to decide which truths to share and which to hide as the attraction between them boils over.

Guys like Shane got casual fucks, dead-end jobs and rusty old trailers. They didn’t get hot, put-together cops like his mystery savior. (ePub page 12)

One of my favorite things about A.M. Arthur novels is how she focuses on the characters and their relationships. Both Noel and Shane have only one person in their life that they really trust. Noel’s best friend and confidant is Tristan, who was attacked several years ago and suffers serious short-term memory loss. Likewise, Shane keeps his secrets– and his shame– secret from everyone but his brother Jason, with whom he shares a trailer.

At the heart of the novel though is this gorgeous relationship that builds between Shane and Noel. At first it’s just lust; they can’t keep their hands off each other long enough to go on a date, let along long enough to have serious conversations. But Noel keeps his past firmly tucked away, and Shane is being torn apart by the jobs he has to work to help pay off a debt that he blames on himself.

TISSUE WARNING! I was reading this at work (naughty, I know), and started tearing up at one point. You’ve been warned: you will get emotionally invested in these characters, and there are some seriously heavy emotions at play here.

It’s not all serious though. There’s a lot of humor, especially between Noel and Tristan, and the relationship is really lovely.

“I take it that turned into a date?” Tristan asked.
“Yep”
“What’s his name?”
“Shane.”
“Sounds like a porn star name.”
Noel nearly snarfed his soda. “This from a guy named Tristan?”
“Touché.” (ePub page 28)

I’ve said it again and again… I’m all about the relationships when it comes to romance novels, and A.M. Arthur always delivers on that front.

And keep an eye out for the next book in the Perspectives series, The World as He Sees It, which is out on October 20… and it features Tristan!