Aftermath

If you are someone with delicate sensibilities, for the love of all that is holy, do not read this book. This book was at times harrowing, funny, sexy, and one of the most touching love stories I've ever read.
There is no way to tell you anything without giving something away. But it will consume you for long after you finish. I just love this writer. She really knows how to make you invest in her characters. It's one of my all time favorites.

Cam and Austin' relationship is so unexpected, more than a friendship. They are in tuned with one another after a harrowing, hellish experience both eventually come to acknowledge their feelings for each other. This book is unexpected because you see how they developed in getting to know each other. I loved their honest, organic personas. You will not be disappointed to read a love story that is deeply sensual and bonding with family ties and true acceptance.

Plot was already described in other reviews, I just want to add my praise for powerful writing style and wonderful characters. I could not doubt the bond between the men, and more importantly I bought that they have a future.

I could do without a wife (as if the least of unlikeable wives in m/m is not long enough), but at least she was not a caricature, and was not evil, just selfish and selfish people do exist.

Considering the subject matter, I truly thought this book would be riddled with angst. Not so much. In fact, I would say that there was the perfect amount of angst in this one. The way Cara Dee wrote this, she kept the angst from being overwhelming, without losing any of the emotional response the reader has to the tragedy that takes place in these men's lives. Overall, an excellent read.

Ms. Dee I congratulate you. A topic and story line that could easily fail mainstream reader's expectations was written with a skill not many achieve. This book grabbed and kept my attention. The interaction between the main characters and the back story that was revealed throughout the book kept it alive and vibrant. The intimacy between the characters was well written. I loved this book.

Once I started reading this gripping story it was impossible to stop. The way Cara Dee tells the story of these two men's horrific ordeal, while walking you through the shift in their relationship is nothing short of amazing. The character depth led to an emotional attachment that has left me drained...in a good way. I can't wait to see what she releases next!

This was a very intense book. What these men experienced, the way the author flipped between pov and past/present was extremely effective. I can see how the men were drawn together. This is not light easy reading but so worth the money and time to read it. I highly recommend it

7 men (all strangers) dealing w/their kidnapping for no apparent reason, & horrific abuse by an unknown psycho. Two cell mates find how much their lives have changed & their slow recognition of what the base human experience of taking care of each other in the extreme 5 months of sheer torture has taken them.
Very graphic but very good.

The entire premise of a straight guy falling completely for a bi guy with Aspergers just because they were prisoners is unbelievable to me. Not necessarily the prisoner aspect, but their relationship. I don't see why Cam is so great. And the torture scenes are dark and disruptive. I've read a lot better in this genre.

Cara has outdone herself. Aftermath is an incredible story of fear, hope, and not settling for content. Two imperfect men who are perfect for each other, just trying to survive minute by minute after the most horrific ordeal. I could have read about these characters forever, and i hope we have a sequel!

I won't summarise the story because many reviewers already did this. The story itself wasn't bad as far as the genre goes. My comments are more on the technical side and style. I find that more and more authors are using italics to show flashbacks and or a different thought or even an aside. But if written well, italics are not necessary and can in fact confuse the reader.

Dee used italics for her flashbacks, of which there were a lot -- a lot! -- and she used it in and around the characters' thoughts and speech. Because the italics were associated with flashbacks, using it in regular narrative was a little distracting as I had the inclination to check back to see if somehow I was reading a flashback. And why is it necessary to show the flashback in italics? It should be obvious from the descriptions and the narrative that the reader is being placed in another time and place.

Then there were the flashbacks. I started skipping them and found that without reading even a line, I was able to fully understand the story and better appreciated the characters' experience. Flashbacks aren't always good, especially when they run throughout the story like a second tale. These went to almost the very end and in my opinion weren't needed. It would have been more beneficial if Dee revealed the back story through actions, words and even during the counseling sessions. This is one time when less would have been more. The story is good enough told at half the length and with no flashback or maybe very little. It probably would have been good to begin the narrative at the end of the back story and then show this through their actions, reactions and interactions. It's beneficial to give the reader a little bit of mind exercise and let them put things together; not in the sense of a mystery but more like, I'm a little smarter than colour by numbers. I use this to refer to the way the characters would think of something and the flashback would take up from there. It seemed a bit juvenile, as if the reader wouldn't be able to make the link.

In the end, I gave it three stars because it was an acceptable if not good story, except for the flashbacks...and the italics.

This tale of severe trauma and its aftereffects were saliently expressed by the author. The suspense of the flashbacks and coming back to the now were skillfully done. I kept on my seat wondering what happens in the next flashback. The interesting aspect of this story is how trauma brings out other underlying disorders creating other issues. The important message I drew from this story is understanding that some things can't be fixed. Instead, one learns how to heal.

Our two main characters(Cam and Austin) were an interesting pair. They were likable, humorous and bizarre. Definitely, their connection was understandably despite the appearance of neediness. I did appreciate an author who when two males "get together" there is an option to demonstrate versatility. A lot of m/m romances portray a male couple as either top or bottom as if its the only option.

So, why didn't I give this book a higher rating than 3 stars? Frankly, I object to a writer who has to rub my face in endless details of sexual performance. It verges on the obscene taking away decent imagination. Come on, can't you gently infer lovemaking giving it a noble expression? I look askance at the widespread belief by many m/m authors that the reader demands erotic titillation. Personally, I don't think so. Anyhow, I still say the subject itself is worth the read.

The entire premise of a straight guy falling completely for a bi guy with Aspergers just because they were prisoners is unbelievable to me. Not necessarily the prisoner aspect, but their relationship. I don't see why Cam is so great. And the torture scenes are dark and disruptive. I've read a lot better in this genre.

The cover almost turned turned me off,but the story line was fresh and intriguing. The bond between Cam and Austin was wonderful to share. The story developed at a good pace to a very satisfying conclusion.

I think this story is in the wrong category. There are elements of M/M in it, but I found little that was romance. Two characters, both men, are forced into a relationship by the events the author has created for them. Watching that happen was almost as painful as reading their descriptions of the kidnapping and captivity which was the story. You can decide for yourself, but I returned it.

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 8/10

PROS:
- The book captures both men's mix of emotions quite well: anger at the slightest provocation, relief at being free, fear that they will be imprisoned again, etc.
- This is an example of the "straight man unexpectedly turned gay" storyline that actually works. I believed in the closeness of Austin and Cam after their ordeal, and I saw the development of romantic feelings out of that emotional closeness as something natural rather than forced.
- The way the two storylines--past and present--come together is very well done. The two stories peak at the same time, except one is a physical climax and the other is emotional.
- I loved that there was no backtracking in the men's romance--no regrets or second thoughts. They experience enough angst dealing with the memories of their kidnapping; they don't need any added stress from relationship problems.

CONS:
- The writing is a little clunky at times, with simple wording and awkward phrases. Dee's use of transitions is especially clumsy: the flashbacks could have been incorporated into the story much more smoothly, and some sections have an almost clinical feel to them, occasionally leaving me with the impression that I was reading a school essay.
- Jade, Austin's wife, is horrible without any depth or justification for her bitterness.

Overall comments: The writing itself could have been better, but I thought this was a very moving story. I had heard that the torture scenes in the book are nearly unbearable. But I am very susceptible to unpleasantness in books, and I wasn't overwhelmed by the captivity scenes here. They weren't fun, of course, but I didn't have to skim any of them.

AFTERMATH. The only word I can really think of to describe Austin and Cameron in the beginning is ‘survival’ because they are in fact trying to survive. Once the stories foundation is set, it’s nothing but a roller coaster of intense action and intense feelings. I would not recommend this book to the faint of heart. It’s filled with shocking intense twists and turns that I never saw coming! You just never know what to expect next. This book was hard for me to read because of the torture all the men went through but, I continued because I needed to see this madman burn in hell and I knew that all of Cara Dee’s books end in a HEA.

If you read the synopsis for a particular book then take a look at the reviews, there's a reason why this particular selection has consistently received 4 stars or more, it's just that good. I'll be honest, I don't usually care for storylines that flash back and forth from the past to present day but I got used to this about 1/3 of the way through the story. I became intrigued with the outcome and what was to follow. There are times in this book you'll want to cry or you will cry and at other times you'll cheer for Austin and Cam to work things out and put all the emotional and physical trama behind them. Speaking of Cam, what a character! The words Cara Dee gives him are at times sarcastic, rude, bold and sometimes funny as hell. The storyline is well developed, the insight into each character's personality is well explored and the sexual angst is palpable. I can see myself reading this selection again sometime in the future.

Wow, what an amazing story. This mm contemporary tale occurs after a horrific event for both main characters. There is a dark side to this story but it has handled well. I love everything this amazing author has written. Off to read outcome.

Loved this book. Stumbled onto it on Kindle Unlimited and downloaded it on a whim. So happy that I did. Very well written and it kept my interest with the bouncing between present and past timelines. Can't wait to search out other works by this author! I very highly recommend this book.

Aftermath is an amazing read, Its gritty and emotional. Cam and Austin go through hell and back. What you read about is the aftermath of their lives from the hell of being kidnapped. Cara Dee is an amazing writer. I was hooked from start to finish.

I found this story very compellin. Many books in the M/M genre can be light on story details and long on sexual encounters. the detail and sexual balance was perfect. I highly recommend this book for anyone, not just M/M fans.

This was so much different than what I expected. The story is very interesting with flashbacks and some bumps on their way to happiness. Now I'm gonna go and find out if she has written anything else. I'm hooked!

I. Love. This. Book!

I tried to enjoy reading this book; however, that didn't happen.

I had difficulty understanding the relationship the author crafted for her main characters - Austin and Cam. Their day-to-day painful struggles with terrible memories of captivity was an interesting approach to exploring this form of behavior - captive vs captor. After four chapters of flashbacks, I wasn't ever convinced that I knew who or what I was reading about. The ultimate bonding of the two characters was easy to understand; however, I had great difficulty understanding the failure of the marriage and resulting poor relationship with child then develop a sexual relationship between the characters. Sorry! I got very confused and many times lost in the narrative - the intent of the work needs some review.

I would not recommend the text in its current form. My reading group discussed this text with an overwhelming vote - AVOID this text.