Repaired Paperback – June 13, 2015

Repaired by Melissa Collins4 stars!!“I knew he was never going to be the person who completes me. He was the person who helped me realize that I was complete on my own, flaws and all.”I do love M/M books and I can’t for the life of me remember why I was so apprehensive when I dived into my first many moons ago. There is something about the connection in these books that melts my heart, everything is more intense and it is for this reason that I am an M/M addict. This was another one of those reads, that intense connection, it gave me the flutters and once again I was championing these two men.“I’d tried for so long to hide that same look, that same anger at being trapped in a life you’d give anything to escape.”Liam and Parker were as opposite as opposite can be, but then we all know that saying how opposites attract...even though their first meeting was far from smooth, even then I felt that sizzle, saw them fireworks and you just knew that if these two ever got together it would be intense and I was so right, this was intense.“You’ve got a simple choice here. Accept him for who he is and what he had or use who he is to push away from him. What you choose says a lot more about yourself than it ever will about him.”Liam was a runaway and throughout the book you are trying to figure out why and what he was running from, you have an idea but nothing is truly revealed until a pivotal moment and the build up to this stopped my heart. It was heart breaking. Liam was lucky, he was found, starving, dirty and desperate and was taken in by a man that had the hugest heart and became Liam’s one and only friend. He gave Liam a job and a job that Liam has remained in for over ten years. Their friendship is strong and he is the father type figure that Liam never had.“Running away is never the easy choice...it means you must have had a really good reason for doing so and you were brave enough to do something about it.”Parker is a lawyer, a lawyer that is a partner in his father’s firm. A man he doesn’t get on with, a man who hardly recognises him, a man who really despises him, a man who just sees him as a regret as a mistake. Parker tries so hard to make his father love him, respect him, it is heart breaking and when the real feelings finally come out, it was truly devastating.“All I could focus on was that the man before me, who was once so afraid of what the future held, was now grabbing it by the reins and making it his b***h.”Both of these men crave acceptance, they each have their issues, Liam more so than Parker but Liam is reserved, he is a hard nut to crack, he requires perseverance and thank god that Parker had the patience of a saint. Parker, in the beginning came across as the cocky, arrogant arse that you would expect from a lawyer, he does himself no favours, but underneath that false bravado is an extremely endearing man. Liam himself has a façade to break down and once Liam and Parker find the men underneath, sparks fly and they were truly amazing together. Sometimes you can just tell, you know that moment when you know they are “the one.” This really came across in this story; you knew this was the be all and end all for these two. Neither were looking for it, but it hit them over the head and in the heart anyways and while they have their issues to work through, they both took the time.“He didn’t only need to give up control, he needed to give it to someone who could be responsible enough to take it, yet caring enough to earn it.”I loved how these two discover each other, the time they take to “find” each other, that voyage of discovery. It is slow; it is intense and was truly beautiful. Issues that take time to break down, deal with and finally put away, that giving and receiving of complete trust, that handing yourself over, mind, body and soul. It was real, it was tangible, I felt every brick come down and with every one your heart beats that bit quicker. I was willing these two on, I wanted them to succeed.“Because you’ve made yourself a part of my life. Whether you know it or not, your quiet strength has helped me start to fix some of my broken pieces.”We have dark pasts that are dealt with sympathetically and empathetically, men that have never felt loved, never felt wanted and at times this was heart-breaking. This book may contain triggers for some but as I said above, it was not done for gratification, it felt like a real story, panning out before your eyes. My only little critique was that I felt one piece of the puzzle fell a little too conveniently, but overall this was an extremely addictive read. A book that once I started, I couldn’t stop until the last word was read. I had tears and I had smiles but at the end I knew that I read a great book, a story that I will remember and one that I loved wholeheartedly. I highlighted so much of this book; I love this author’s voice.

“Have you ever felt as if the life you’re living is supposed to be so much more than it actually is? Like it’s not the one you’re supposed to have, but you have no clue how to change it?”I really enjoyed this book! It had a great storyline with characters that you’ll just fall in love with and you’ll definitely be rooting for them to find a HEA! This was my first time reading a book from Melissa Collins and I was seriously impressed, I loved the writing style. I don’t typically read M/M romance but I’m certainly open to them and I really loved Parker and Liam’s relationship and their journey together. It was touching, heartbreaking, heartwarming, funny and super-hot! It certainly doesn’t hurt to have a book with two hot guys you can swoon over!‘He had a past he wanted to erase and I had a future I wanted to escape.’Having run away from home and from his horrible past at age 17, Liam Davis has made a new life for himself as a mechanic, working for the guy who essentially saved his life back when he was living on the streets. Paulie gave him a second chance and not only gave him a job but also gave him a new family. Despite having these great friends surrounding him and a job he loves, Liam still keeps everyone at arm’s length in an effort to protect himself and keep his past hidden. That is until hot-shot lawyer, Parker Ryan comes banging on the door of his shop one night after his car breaks down and needs repairing. There’s an instant attraction between the two but Parker’s abrasive and commanding personality sort of rubs Liam the wrong way and it’s definitely a rocky first encounter! But as they keep finding ways to spend more time together they begin to find things in the other person that helps soothe their demons and helps repair their cracks. Of course there are ups and downs along the way, and when the past and present finally collide, will they be able to rely on their relationship to help find their way through?‘Our time together helped me forget the person I’d been trying to hide for so long and it helped him become the person he’d wanted to be for far too long.’I fell in love with Liam right from the first chapter. Even before I knew any of the details of his past I just felt this overwhelming protectiveness of him. You’d think being this manly mechanic he’d be all confidence but he was so vulnerable and in many ways he was still that 17yr old scared boy who ran away from home. I so wanted him to let Parker in to help him heal and finally find love. When his past is finally revealed, oh my god, my heart completely broke for him. I felt sick on his behalf and I just wanted to wrap him in a big hug! The emotions of the horrific circumstances he suffered were so perfectly captured. As sad as I was for him, I also felt proud of him for surviving that!‘As we pulled up to the house, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d been charged with an impossible task. To both care for and control the man sitting next to me. The same man who clearly had a past he was desperately trying to hide.’It took me a little longer to warm up to Parker, the way he barged in and tried to boss Liam around and control everything didn’t leave me with the warm and fuzzies about him. He was definitely a jerk at first. But as we learn more and learn of what he’s had to put up with from his father and how miserable the poor guy was in his job, the ice around my heart for him began to melt. When he began pursuing Liam though, I totally fell in love with him too. The way he cared for Liam and was always there for him, well that just filled my heart right up with love for the guy! Since I really couldn’t protect Liam (you know, with him being a fictional character and all), I was glad that Parker was there to do it instead! He was such a perfect complement to Liam and together they were so strong and helped the other so much. I loved how through the help of the other they were both able to find themselves and figure out what they wanted from their lives.‘Maybe if I let him in, let him repair my cracks while I helped repair his, we might just be able to make it work.’The book was told from alternating POVs and I have to hand it to Melissa Collins for nailing both Liam and Parker’s ‘voice’! I can imagine it’s hard enough to write alternating M/F POVs and make sure they are distinct but it has to be even harder to write alternating M/M POVs and not have them sound the same. But as I read I never had to stop and say “wait, who’s POV is this again?” I always knew whose head I was in, the characters were that well developed. Over all I really enjoyed this story, it’ll definitely pull at your heartstrings and may hurt at times but just trust that your heart will definitely be whole by the end and it’ll be full of love for Liam and Parker!

I enjoyed Liam and Parker's story.Liam's story was so heartbreaking...and painful to read. Parker's experience was less horrific but still so sad. Both were men damaged by people that were supposed to care for them, and circumstances outside of their control.The book takes us on their journey...finding in each other the support and love needed to move past their harsh beginnings, 'repair' the damage, become the men they're meant to be, and have a future that they deserve.Recommended MM Romance Read.

Wow. I'm fairly new to the world of MM only having read a few but I'm a massive fan of Melissa's I knew I had to read this book just because it was Melissa's book but wondered how she would pull it off but as soon as I started reading I knew she hadn't gone wrong and I'd made a great decision in trusting she would pull this off with style as usual Melissa takes you through an array of emotions in her writing when we first meet Liam he is a 17 year old runaway with a hardened exterior if Paulie hadn't found him and taken him in it would have been a different story when he first meets Parker they eye each other off with their stubbornness something in both of them breaks and a steady friendship develops and Parker is able to crack that hardened exterior and from their the rest is history. A great read and as the subject of the story is a very emotional one that contains child sexual abuse I think Melissa has done a great job of delivering the subject matter. Congratulations Melissa you are fantastic author that I will continue to support for many years to come.

Yep Melissa does it again. Great story, throat scratching emotions at time, steam and sizzle and worth the read

Who would of though a flat tire would lead you to the love of your life ... and the crazy up and Downs of dredging up your past ... this story mAke me scream at my kindle, cry for the thought of ha ing to go through certain things at a certain age , and want to wrap my hands around some ones neck....

This was an excellent book. The characters and story line were the focus and the sex added to the evolving friendship and love between these two me. Both men showed bravery they didn't know that they had and it was a pleasure to see them growing together. Neither gave up when there were hiccups but allowed the relationship to grow. I highly recommend.