Review: A Tarnished Strength by April Kelley

“A Tarnished Strength” is a perfect example of this.  Brad had an absolutely dreadful young life.  His Mom died.  His father was an abusive drunk.  He and his younger brothers endured unimaginable things.  All of this caused him to become an alcoholic in his own right, even though he did get custody of his siblings.  He also became the town…well…the town asshole.  He would beat people up and have drunken breakdowns.  Everyone either hated him or was terrified of him.  Winding up in prison was the best thing that could have happened to him.  He cleaned up and was ready to take on the responsibilty of a business and his brothers.  He also wanted to make amends, especially with the man who he beat so badly and got him convicted.  It was a hard road, and he’s still on that hard road.  People still hate and fear him, and he has to fight off the urge to take a drink every day.

Enter Kendrick.  He owns a local bar, and he really likes Brad.  His past is plagued with violence as well.  He came to Pickleville to escape a very abusive boyfriend.  Brad wants him as well, and they want to make it work, but…Kendrick is very skittish.  He knows that Brad is a changed man, but he tenses up every time a hand or voice is raised.  Brad would never hurt Kendrick in a million years, but they have to overcome massive odds to stay together and be in a loving relationship.

There.  I summed up everything for you, and I hope that I didn’t give away any spoilers…or at least too  many.  Anyway, I really liked these two men together.  Polar opposites trying to be together and stay together always make a good story.  Add to that some real romance, and “A Tarnished Strength” is very nicely done.  It’s a relatively short read, so it seems that they come together quickly despite their differences.  However, that works in the book’s favor.  This way, they’re able to really get to the meat of the situation.

What I also like about this series is the background characters.  From Brad’s brothers, to Travis and Jaron (the main characters in the first book, and owners of a local farm that seems to be the center point of Pickleville), there are crossovers of all sorts.  Plus, you’ll be able to pick out characters who will be the subjects of future installments of the series.  These are all gay stories, and sometimes I have to laugh.  Pickleville is quite a small town, but it seems like there are an awful LOT of gay men there.  It actually sounds like a very nice place to visit.

As I mentioned, this is book four of the series.  It can be read as a stand alone because there is a lot of exposition, but I recommend that you start at the beginning so that you can get an idea of what goes on.  You get your first look at Brad in book one (“Whispers of Home”), and you’ll be able to understand a bit of makes him tick before you get to “A Tarnished Strength”.  These are excellent, sexy stories with lovable characters that will grab your heart and squeeze it until the last page.  I recommend it completely.