Beauty in the Breakdown by E.L. Esch
Loose Id
Contemporary M/M
ISBN: 978-1-61118-891-2
Reviewed by Lisa




Though only 26 years old, Luke Cleary has regrets, deep seated regrets that chip at his soul and tear at his heart.  Coming out to his parents as a teenager was a drama of major proportion and almost destroyed his place in the family.  It was an issue Luke and his father continued to argue about until the day, only a few short years later, that his parents died in a snow storm car accident.  He was never able to resolve things with his father, including his promise given as a teen that he never, ever tells his younger brother Selim that he is gay.

Hooking up with red-haired hunk Rowan Nails is an intoxicating experience, partly because the guy is so drunk and partly because they are magic together.  Deciding that he’d like to enjoy Rowan’s charms sober Luke finds out that the only way his new lover can bear another’s touch is when he’s drunk.  Rowan is honest enough to tell Luke of surviving an abusive relationship. Not whole, not yet.

The more time Luke does spend in Rowan’s company the more it seems they are meant to make it work out long term.  As they attempt to forge a healthy relationship Luke is unaware that his younger brother Selim also has important issues causing him and his best friend Gavin Oslo to reassess their future relationship.  The Cleary brothers are about to learn that honesty is truly the best policy.

Beauty in the Breakdown will blow readers away with its frank, cluttered, and realistic look at a messy, honest romance.  Uneven dialogue makes for an awkward beginning and may put some off, but stick with it, get into the flow of Luke and Rowan talking like two normal new lovers. It will be worth it.  Both men are tortured souls who desperately need to heal, alone and together.  Whether you agree with their choices in life, Beauty in the Breakdown is a unique look at gritty, human drama.