Scars by Lynley Wayne
MLR Press
Contemporary M/M
ISBN: 978-1-60820-7619
Reviewed by Lisa

On his third tour of service Jace lost everything. The only survivor of an ambush his last memory of that night was the sight of Sean, his best friend since early childhood, laying on the ground torn in two.

Six months later Jace continues to struggle with the aftermath of that night. His face and torso are a patchwork of scars that make people flinch when he passes by. Jace also suffers from debilitating nightmares as well as severe panic attacks. Daily he visits the shrink at the V.A. in the city, unable to call or visit his family back home in Indiana.

Rarely able to sleep more than a few hours at a time Jace prowls the streets where he lives. On this morning he hears an obvious fight as he passes a darkened alley. Damaged or whole Jace can’t ignore the cries of pain he hears and chases off a pair of bullies who leave a waif thin young man lying in the dirt. From the moment the straight, fragile soldier gazes into the emerald eyes of Nathaniel his life begins again.

Author Lynley Wayne digs into the characters’ deepest, darkest corners and delivers with Scars. Poignant, tender, and sometimes painful, Scars packs a punch that resonates from the first page to the last. Wounded inside and out to the nth degree, Jace is hollow one moment and the next every nerve is exposed. Meeting Nathaniel is Jace’s salvation, period the end. Their emotional journey is literally a minefield while the physical awakening is intensely erotic. A twist at the end almost teeters into overly sentimental territory though it does add an extra dimension when all is said and done. Scars leaves a lasting impression on your heart and hits the mark, bulls-eye.