Review - Pieces of Me by N.R. Walker

Kindly note: This sequel starts directly after the ending of the first book, and picks up with the same characters right where they left off. If you haven’t read the first installment of this series, be prepared for spoilers.

When last we left our two lovers, Justin had just had a sort of breakthrough. He still has no memory of Dallas, but the meaning of the dreams his subconscious has been giving him is finally clear: Dallas really is where he is supposed to be. As the days go by, he starts to get a few more memories back, a few of them even with Dallas. But it’s frustratingly slow progress for Justin, and as some memories start to return, there’s some nagging feelings that he’s not giving Dallas what he needs, not to mention the financial burden his accident is putting on Dallas’ business.

As in the previous book of the series, Pieces of Us, this one quickly becomes a real page-turner. I believe it’s mainly the combination of generally short chapters, along with a narrative style that takes you through the day-to-day lives of the characters. It’s like a very addictive soap opera, without the preposterous over-the-top dramatics. It all entices you to keep reading to find out what happens next, and tell yourself you’ll read “just one more chapter” until half the book, and half the night, is gone.

The characters remain consistent with the previous book, and as before the focus is entirely on Justin and Dallas and the small circle of friends around them. Once again, Dallas comes off almost too good to be true, in the way he sticks by Justin and remains mostly unruffled by the ups and downs of his boyfriend’s recovery. However, one of the unusual things about this story is that Justin actually notes, more than once, that Dallas is doing far more than most people would in his same situation.

On one level, the story is all about Justin’s recovery from his serious accident. It’s all described in detail and seems quite believable, although I suspect for the most part it represents a best-case scenario for someone with such traumatic injuries. Reading about Justin’s recovery is a big part of what keeps you reading. But this is also a romance. A very unusual one, where the two main characters are already together, but due to a traumatic accident, one of them is a stranger again, and now they’re trying to find their way back to what they had.

“Pieces of Me” is available from Amazon.