REVIEW: Hushed by Kelley York

Hushed by Kelley York

Genre: Contemporary Thriller

Release date: November 11th 

Published by Entangled:Embrace

Synopsis:

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn't protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he's never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn't matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another - Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who's ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer's committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn't get what she wants... And what she wants is Evan's death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

My Vivian, Archer and Evan:

  * 4.5 STARS * Review:

"To stay or let go. To keep going and see where his past decisions took him, or try grasping that second chance. Do monsters get second chances?"

Archer has always been a little bit obsessed with  his friend Vivian. He is determined to do anything for her, even kill people who hurt her in the past. Than he meets Evan, nice and shy guy. Archer quickly becomes fascinated with him, espcecially when he realizes that Evan is the only one who gives not just take from Archer. But can Archer ever overcome his obsession with Vivian and see her true colors?

"Didn't his heart have enough stitched and cracks to last a lifetime? Breaking, healing, breaking. And yet he put his trust in the few people that matterd, set himself up for being struck down again and again."

Hushed is unusual and extremely captivating book. It is harsh, dark and depressive story full of violence and conflicting feelings. But most importantly, this psychological thriller will leave you thinking about what happened for days!

It is very difficult to cathegorize this book, as it is difficult to describe Archer. A secluded kind of person, quite messed up with dark thoughts, intelligent but misunderstood by others, Archer makes very unusual but interesting narrator. He is not a hero in literal sense, nor he is villian. He was like a ticking bomb and I was waiting all the time for him to go off. He and his dark thoughts were what made this book a winner for me.

Those who are reluctant to read m/m story, I completely understand. I was avoiding this genre for a long time and decided to give this genre a chance only because it was supposed to be a "light" version. Since Hushed is intended for YA audience, nothing was too graphic and it all felt pretty natural to me as a m/m newbie.

Highly recommended if you are looking for something out of ordinary romance stories, yet still something intense and very emotional!