Proof of Life
Scars and Stripes Trilogy, Book 1
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Proof of Life
Narrated by:
Lance West, Curtis Michael Holland
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Narrated by:
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Lance West
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Curtis Michael Holland
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By:
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Raquel Riley
About this listen
Love heals even the deepest wounds.
West
After giving twelve years of my life to the service, I didn't just lose my leg. I lost everything, including my career. When the dust settled, the only person still standing by my side in the rubble was Brandt—the single lifeline I had left to a world I didn't want to live in anymore.
With painstaking care, he healed my body and my mind. When he eventually started healing my heart, I realized I didn't just need him in my life, I needed him in ways I'd never wanted him before.
Brandt
Watching West struggle every day was tearing me apart. If he could only see what I do, he wouldn't see flaws and hopelessness. He'd see a courageous, selfless, brilliant leader. A guy with no filter who always makes me laugh. Someone who never asks questions before offering to bail my ass out of trouble.
He'd see the man I've come to love as more than just my best friend.
Proof of Life is a double bi-awakening MM romance between best friends with a heavy dose of healing and angst. These courageous vets prove that when all is lost, love heals even the deepest, most painful wounds. Book one of the Scars and Stripes trilogy.
©2024 Raquel Riley (P)2024 Podium AudioListeners also enjoyed...
West and Brandt have been brothers in arms since they first enlistened. Thry have been to hell and back with their team. Till they finally return without the others and have to find a way to cope with a live they do not know and maybe can't handle. The natural flow from team mates and best friends to more develops natural and slowly. I just loved how these broken men dare to cuddle up like they used to and find more to explore than they ever thought to find or expect. There acceptance of who they choose and need to love is wonderful.
I do appreciate the compassion, bravado, heart, hurt and soul shining true in the whole Balls group that has seen the good and bad side of live.
I can't wait for which person in the Balls group gets their story told next
I am now actually hoping to the ebook store to buy the next volume in the series.
Narration: Hats off to the narrators for being able to never make the story corny or contrite.
Triggers do able, please read authors notice before starting or purchasing.
I felt true heart in this one
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Just Awesome
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Original review - I had really been looking forward to this book and it was even better than I could have hoped. A wonderful double hurt/comfort, double bi-awakening packed full of realistic feelings. West's struggles with grief and the loss of almost everything about himself that he had known was so good, and Brandt was really there for him. I loved the Stitches with Bitches group and can't wait for the next book.
excellent
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West and Brandt have been best buds for over twelve years, since their training days. Neither has ever been attracted to men before, but Brandt has recently started to notice West ‘like that’ – although he’s not quite sure why, and doesn’t plan to act on it. But then their unit is attacked, they’re both badly injured and are sent back to the US prior to medical discharge. West has lost half a leg, and the author does a fairly good job of exploring his thoughts and emotions as he comes to terms with that loss, taking him to some fairly dark places. Brandt is there for him through all of it, reassuring and encouraging him and yelling at him when needed – but West never reciprocates. Very little attention is paid to Brandt’s injuries or his recovery or his mental state given he lost the same friends and colleagues as West did, AND that he had to wait around, helpless, waiting to find out if Brandt was going to pull through and come out of his coma. What really bugged me was how Brandt was there for West every single time, helping him physically, mentally and emotionally – but West was never there for Brandt in the same way. Brandt is constantly checking in with West – “I need proof of life” – asking him how he’s doing but I don’t recall West ever asking Brandt the same thing.
The romance – I use the term very loosely – is billed as a double bi-awakening, but again, it’s mostly on West’s side because Brandt had realised his attraction to his friend early on. But there’s no real relationship development; it’s more a story about two best-buds who start fooling around because they’re horny slowly working their way up from hand jobs to penetrative sex. For well over the first part of the book, West is all ‘what’s going on?’ ‘why do I feel this way around him?’ and ‘does this make me/us gay?’ (he’s never heard of bisexuality?) but doesn’t let any of that stop him from having sex with Brandt – which at first, he just kind of ‘lets happen’ – it seems he’s one of those ‘if you’re not actively taking part, it doesn’t count’ types. There’s some terrible dialogue and internal monologuing going on as well.
Ultimately, the romance is little more than a bunch of sex scenes and I felt very little chemistry or emotional connection between West and Brandt. The story of their emotional recovery is mostly glossed over and kind of just disappears in favour of yet more sex.
The best thing about the story is the Bitches With Stitches – a support group of other former military guys who meet once a week or so for their knitting circle.
The narration is a mixed bag. Lance West – as Brandt – is pretty good; he differentiates clearly between the leads and secondary characters, and does a good job in the more emotional scenes. Curtis Michael Holland, who is new to me, has a fairly good range of character voices, but is quite stilted at times, especially in some of the sex scenes, where he’s just reading the text rather than acting it.
The last few chapters really dragged and I kinda tuned out, tbh. Disappointing, and I won’t be continuing with the series.
Leads are barely 2-D and the romance is lacklustre
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