A RED-TAINTED SILENCE by Carolyn Gray

Publisher: Loose ID
Date published: October 2006
ISBN: 978-1-59632-340-7
Genre: Suspense, Contemporary, GLBT
E-book
Reviewed by Miss April


CLICK TO PURCHASE! Brandon Ashwood has it all or does he? It takes nearly losing everything before he realizes he must believe in himself and fight for the one thing that is most important. Nicholas Kilmain is worth fighting for. Even against himself if he has to.

A RED-TAINTED SILENCE by Carolyn Gray is an intense story. I couldn’t put it down. It was by turns heartbreaking and glorious. It starts in the present and flips back and forth from the present to the past by way of Brandon’s journal. You learn so much about Brandon but something is missing or not right. All along you think of Brandon as the strong one and Nicholas as the victim. But is that right? Brandon saves Nicholas from a horrible kidnapping. He stays by his side constantly in the hospital. You discover how much Brandon has done to keep Nicholas safe and how much he will do. As a reader, I longed for Nicholas to understand and not reject him. He does understand but that’s when he and Brandon discover that the man that they thought was behind Nicholas’ kidnapping didn’t do it. Someone out there wants to hurt them and their friends. Brandon tries desperately to find out who it is. He never dreams that trying will cause him to become ill.

Nicholas has survived being kidnapped and tortured. Thanks to Brandon he is alive and his kidnapper is dead. He is back together with Brandon, his career is taking off and all is good. Then the bomb hits. Someone is after him or are they after Brandon? What is wrong with Brandon? Suddenly he seems sick and worried all the time. Nicholas is shocked when Brandon finally collapses. Nicholas finds out that Brandon is very sick and has been for a long time but not just physically. Something is wrong with him mentally as well. He doesn’t remember things and it is up to Nicholas to help him.

This is a stunning story about two men caught in a situation that is horrific. You can’t even imagine how bad until you finish the book. The way that they are there for each other and the love that they share is a joy to read. You are drawn into their world and you want things to be good for them. The secondary characters are wonderful as well, very compelling and helpful for the furthering of the story. If I had any complaint it would be the sudden point of view change about two thirds of the way through. It took me a few moments to understand what happened. It had to be in order to understand the full story but it did throw me at first. But seriously, that was my only complaint and it wasn’t much of one. I will be re-reading this one and so I give it a 4.5 rating.