REVIEW: 'Survivor' by T.M. Smith
Title: Survivor
Series: A Survivor Story #1
Author: T.M. Smith
Published: August 22, 2017
Publisher: Self-Published/TTC Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance; Erotic Romance; Suspense
Length: 186 Pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; May/December; Comfort/Hurt; Coming of Age; Law Enforcement; Friends to Lovers; HEA; CW: Off-Page Murder
About Survivor
Taylor Langford’s world is torn apart when he is only thirteen years old—his parents killed, leaving him alone, an orphan. With no living relatives, he'd certainly be another statistic if not for the intervention of the policeman who found Taylor hiding in the crawl space his mother hid him in that fateful night. Despite the tragedy and resulting anguish in his life, Taylor knows how lucky he is. Frank Moore is only a rookie with the Dallas Police Department when he and his partner answer a call in Devonshire, one of the city’s more affluent neighborhoods. They think the young boy in various pictures throughout the home has been kidnapped until they find him, shaken but alive. Officer Moore recognizes the pain in the kid’s eyes, having lost his own mother to cancer when he was just a boy. He intervenes, making sure Taylor is placed with a loving foster family. Over the years Frank becomes a permanent fixture in Taylor’s life. A decade later, the case remains unsolved and the once gangly, uncertain teenager is now a college graduate who knows exactly what he wants. He’s coming home to the man that helped mold and shape his life, the man he’s loved for as long as he can remember, Frank Moore. But Taylor isn’t the only person returning to Dallas and while Frank is distracted by his own conflicting feelings and the new bond growing between the two, the past creeps up on them, determined to finish what was started ten years earlier.
5 HEART READ
REVIEW:
T.M. Smith’s Survivor captivated me from the get go as it opens in the mind of “The Stranger”. Having just murdered a young couple he’s angered over not being able to find their son. Not giving the reader a clue as to why he’s so determined to locate the child you’re immediately taking to meet Frank and Caleb, two police partners sent in to investigate the scene.
When Officer Frank Moore finds young Taylor, scared and hiding, I knew immediately from his interactions with the boy I was gonna love this man…and as the story progressed I was not proven wrong.
Smith methodically allows Taylor and Frank to take you on a 10 year journey of how their lives become intertwined and in so doing develops age of consent, because for some this story may appear a little ‘taboo’. With a mere 10 years between the two Frank becomes a support and comfort to Taylor. In fact between Frank and his father, his police partner Caleb and his wife, and Taylor’s step-parents, the seven become “a mix matched family,” as Frank musses. As Taylor reaches maturity both he and Frank begin internalizing and analyzing their hidden desire for one another. Taylor is coming to realize that his feelings for the man who is his savior, confidant and friend are changing, “The man in the blue uniform with the kind eyes and a soft smile that had coaxed Taylor from the crawl space in the attic had become so much more in his mind’s eye,” he thinks. And Frank is beginning to think of Taylor as more than just the boy he has mentored, but a man he is attracted to. The confusion for both is immense and as they both ride out their conflicting emotions with other men, you begin to wonder how this connection is going to play out – in every sense. When Taylor makes up his mind there’s no going back for him. Holy shit he’s determined, driven, demanding, take charge, and his feelings are utterly raw. As he tells Frank,
“’See the way your body responds to me, Frank. That’s because you belong to me, Frankie. So do whatever you need to do to wrap your brain around that fact because, from this day on, I’m not going anywhere unless you’re going there with me.’”
And yet at the same time he waits for Frank to come to terms with this new path and to express his readiness in words, “What Frank needed was time and Taylor’s unconditional, unwavering support” he surmises.
Frank conceding to what his heart already knows is beautiful and their sex scenes leave you breathless with the genuine need conveyed. I couldn’t get enough of these guys.
Taylor is such a commanding, forceful presence who’s charming and possessive, while Frank is caring, selfless and a protector who will give all for his man.
But just as they begin to blossom and settle into a new comforting relationship the cold case of Taylor’s parents’ death begins to blaze when The Stranger returns. As Taylor cringes, “One by one, the images were laid out like a slowly moving silent movie, telling the story of the worst fucking day of Taylor’s life.”
The build-up of their well-crafted world culminates in a heart racing ending befitting everything that has pulled them together with twists and turns and questions that keep you guessing and then the author tags on a tidy epilogue creating possibilities…or not.
A good writer leaves you wanting more of their men, and side characters, and T.M. Smith has done just that with Survivor.
Each character having a poignant rapport that extends beyond the pages making it so easy to picture every scene as it unfolds. I was mesmerized from beginning to end.
A copy of Survivor was provided to Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, by Enticing Journey Book Promotions, at no cost and with no expectations in return. We offer our fair and honest opinion on behalf of our readers.
Meet the Author
A military brat born and raised at Ft. Benning Georgia; TM Smith is an avid reader, reviewer and writer. A Texas transplant, she now calls DFW her home. Most days she can be found curled up with a good book, or ticking away on her next novel. Smith is a single mom of three disturbingly outspoken and decidedly different kids, one of which is Autistic. Besides her writing, she is passionate about Autism advocacy and LGBT rights. Because, seriously people, Love is Love!
For more from T.M. be sure and visit her website!
