Review: More Than Words by T.T. Kove (More Than Anything #2)
Note: This ARC was provided by Less Than Three Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Eighteen-year-old Alex Eknes has had enough. He doesn't see the point in having to endure everything he has to at home and in school. When he's knocked over and his books are sent flying by yet another person who doesn't acknowledge his presence or even offers an apology, it's par for the course...until Andreas Lister lends a helping hand. Andreas is the best friend of his number one tormentor, but he's nothing like that bully. He's the first person to see beyond Alex's scars. What looked like nothing more than a one-time thing quickly becomes something that Alex never quite expected. But disappointment is an all too familiar occurrence in his life and he can't help but wonder when things with Andreas will come to an eventual end.
More Than Words is the second full-length novel in the More Than Anything series from T.T. Kove, who has now become one of my favorite authors in the gay romance genre. This story overlaps with the events in the first book and features two eighteen-year-olds, Alex Eknes and Andreas Lister, both of whom were introduced in book one as well. Alex is what's known as a cutter and is someone dealing with a less than ideal home life, what with two siblings who upped and left as soon as they were legally allowed to and parents who care too much about blaming each other for their miseries than to care for and about their only remaining child. Andreas's entry into Alex's life is the catalyst for positive changes that give him hope.
I'm thrilled that Alex and Andreas finally get their story told in this sequel because they certainly piqued my curiosity in More Than Anything. Alex has felt invisible all his life and the first person to see him is Andreas, a guy who he would never have thought would have noticed someone like him. Cutting has always been Alex's coping mechanism, but being with Andreas makes him want to handle his anxiety differently. The story doesn't make everything seem simple or easily fixed, and I'm glad for that because then nothing is glossed over nor trivialized, making what Alex goes through come off as far more realistic and allows those who are going or have gone through the same thing to relate to Alex's story much easier.
I love how T.T. Kove is able to write these deep, thought-provoking stories of young men who would be considered broken or damaged but are still fixable with the help of love, hope, and persistence. The situations that the cast of characters find themselves in make you stop and think about what you would do in their shoes. While I would have wanted a bit more delving into Andreas's past, especially since his father did take his own life, I still enjoyed myself immensely. Will Ben's story be up next, whether with Tarjei or Nik, next or maybe Leo and Glenn? Of course, both stories and hopefully more are things I would seriously welcome because the series has memorable characters. I'm giving More Than Words five stars. ♥
Release Date: 12 August 2015
Date Read: 10 August 2015
Learn more about T.T. Kove here.
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