Review - Leave by L.A. Witt

Leave

by L.A. Witt

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Tags: Contemporary

Posted in Book Reviews on 23 September, 2026

Riley and Nolan have been roommates-with-benefits in their off-base apartment for a while. While the encounters are enjoyable, Nolan keeps Riley at arms length and disappears soon after they both orgasm. When Nolan is asked to be his little brother’s best man, a request he feels he can’t refuse, he reveals he was sexually assaulted when he was a teenager, although he won’t reveal details. Nobody in Nolan’s family knows, and the abuser is still around the immediate family, so being among them is a potential mine field. Riley has his own issues with his family. They’ve never really accepted Riley was gay, even though they’re not openly hostile. Riley comes up with an idea: He will go with Nolan and be his pretend boyfriend. That will give Riley the opportunity to confront his parents with the fact he really is gay, while he can then have Nolan’s back during the wedding festivities. What could possibly go wrong?

“Leave” spins an unusual story about abusive relationships that don’t fit the common perceptions of what those relationships look like. Both Riley and Nolan have issues in their pasts that color their current abilities to form healthy relationships. Nolan’s baggage is a little heavier than most, and his past is in itself a barrier to getting close to anyone. The two men’s stories are both very believable, and the way events bring them together seems very natural.

The point of view alternates between Riley and Nolan. Riley’s issues with his parents are more about frustration that they don’t seem to take his sexuality seriously. While not hostile, they keep suggesting he try dating women. He believes showing up with a “boyfriend” in tow will force the issue. It doesn’t hurt that he is developing real feelings for Nolan, even though the man keep him at arms’ length.

Nolan is deeply troubled by events that happened when he was in high school. Those events sent his life off the rails and caused him to put up mental barriers to keep from being in any situation that might trigger those traumatic memories. Nolan is well aware that his defenses have themselves been a barrier to forming relationships, which itself becomes a further blow to his self-esteem. Riley becomes the first person Nolan thinks he can trust, but still can’t convince himself the man will stick around once he knows the truth of what happened.

“Leave” is available from Smashwords or see Bookshop.org to purchase from an independent bookshop.