RELEASE DAY REVIEW: 'Sound of Silence' by Mia Kerick and Raine O'Tierney
Title: Sound of Silence
Authors: Mia Kerick and Raine O’Tierney
Published: January 23, 2018
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson
Genre: New Adult; Contemporary Romance
Length: 214 Pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; Coming of Age; Coming Out; First Time; Virgin; Disorder: Selective Mutism; Friends to Lovers; CW: References to Off Page - Child Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, Infidelity
About Sound of Silence
Renzy Callen exists on the periphery of life, and not just because of the horrific childhood event that robbed him of the ability to speak. Walling himself off from the rest of the world as a means of protection, he occupies his time with art, music, and an obsession with self-help groups—whether he needs them or not. His isolation protects him, and he’s immune to drama and emotional games… or so he believes. Everything changes when he meets Seven and Morning Moreaux-Maddox, the wealthy, jet-setting siblings who move from a life of sophistication in Europe to humdrum Redcliff Hills, Missouri.
Both Seven and his sister are impossibly beautiful and elegant, like the stars in magazines and high-fashion models on the runway. When Renzy is pulled into their push-and-pull of affection and rejection, he realizes there is more to both haunted Morning and cold, diamond-sharp Seven than meets the eye.
The three teens embark on a quest to learn the reason behind Renzy’s selective mutism, and something more than friendship blossoms between Renzy and Seven. It’s during this trip of a lifetime that the three realize the truth they seek might be found in the sound of silence.
4 HEART READ
REVIEW:
Both Mia Kerick and Raine O’Tierney are new authors for me and I’m so glad to have discovered them.
Sound of Silence is a completely enthralling and unforgettable tale and I am impressed with the beauty of the writing.
The characters are deep and intense, and I love the mystery aspect as the story unfolds and the three teens grow, until everything comes together in a powerful ending!
After suffering through a traumatic event in his childhood, nineteen-year-old Renzy Callen has withdrawn and completely isolated himself. Renzy hasn’t spoken a word in ten years and even his interactions with his family have dwindled to almost nothing. In Renzy’s words, it’s not that he “won’t talk” it’s that he “communicates differently” - so people who don’t accept this simply cannot connect with him.
When eighteen-year-old Seven Moreau-Maddox and his seventeen-year-old sister, Morning (yes, those are their actual names), move to Renzy’s small town the three of them make a connection. Seven and Morning are cultured, gorgeous, rich, and self-absorbed and damaged in their own ways. Both are victims of their parents’ neglect and reeling from a recent assault on Morning in the past year; these two need Renzy as much as he needs them.
Every chapter alternates between Renzy and Seven so we see their relationship growing in addition to the changes each of them makes. Seven finds his worth in “fixing” others, but has to learn to accept things for what they are (including himself). Renzy finds he needs to open up and let people in if he is going to have any kind of life at all. And Morning finds healing in discovering self-confidence and taking charge of her own life.
The mystery aspect of the story is fascinating and kept me on the edge of my seat.
The three young people embark on a road trip to figure out what happened to Renzy to make him stop speaking, and what they uncover is truly chilling. Through the events which unfold and their interactions with each other, they figure out how to accept their pasts and look toward the future.
I love how this story builds, and the way the alternating points-of-view between Renzy and Seven move the story forward. As details are discovered which help to explain Renzy’s damage, the other two characters learn how to heal their own lives. Sound of Silence is a beautifully written book and I’m looking forward to uncovering more tales by Mia Kerick and Raine O’Tierney.
A copy of Sound of Silence was provided to Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, by Harmony Ink Press, at no cost and with no expectations in return. We offer our fair and honest opinion on behalf of our readers.
Meet the Authors
Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—all named after saints—and five nonpedigree cats—all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.
Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.
Her books have won a Best YA Lesbian Rainbow Award, a Reader Views’ Book by Book Publicity Literary Award, the Jack Eadon Award for Best Book in Contemporary Drama, an Indie Fab Award, and a Royal Dragonfly Award for Cultural Diversity, among other awards.
Mia is a Progressive, a little bit too obsessed by politics, and cheers for each and every victory in the name of human rights. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.
For more from Mia be sure and visit her website!
Raine O'Tierney loves writing about first loves and friendship. She believes the best thing we can do in this life is be kind to one another, and hopes her stories always reflect that. Raine loves encouraging people to write and has been known to repeat the phrase "I believe everyone has a story to tell" endlessly, until she breaks down even the most stubborn non-writer!
Raine lives outside of Kansas City, Missouri, with her husband, fellow M/M author Siôn O'Tierney. When she's not writing, she's either playing video games or fighting the good fight for intellectual freedom at her library day job.
Contact her if you're interested in talking about point-and-click adventure games or about which dachshunds are the best kinds of dachshunds!
For more from Raine be sure and visit her website!
