By Any Other Name by Tia Fielding
By Any Other Name by Tia Fielding
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Blurb…
Dru and Thom have been together for three years, and despite Thom’s occasional bouts of insecurity and Dru’s fear of rejection, their relationship is rock solid. Then Dru’s long-lost friend, Skye, suddenly reappears, shocking them both. Skye suffered years of inconceivable abuse before escaping it, and while he’s back on track, he has nowhere else to go as he begins to rebuild his life.
Dru, Thom, and Skye each want to belong somewhere, to belong with someone—or someones—with no fear of being hurt, set aside, or left behind. It’s a challenge with daunting odds, especially for Skye, who’s never loved before. He’s determined not to come between his two friends who so clearly belong together, and it will be up to Dru and Thom to conquer their fears and convince Skye to stay.
So what did I think?
I really enjoyed this story of three men – Dru, Thom and Skye – who come to mean so much to each other. Unlike some menage books, this story has less focus on the sexual elements of the relationship and a huge focus on the emotional side.
One of the characters has been severely traumatised, spending years under the control of an abusive man, followed by two years in therapy. The way the story presents the character of Skye, who still has issues, seems very realistic and it is good to see that he is still undergoing therapy. He is a man who is aware of his problems and making a conscious effort to move forward and escape his past. I appreciated that, although Skye had never properly lived alone in the world, his character was still presented as a competent, strong man.
The situation means that Skye has to reluctantly move in with Dru and his lover of three years, Thom. Skye does not try to come between the two men and they both handle him beautifully, offering the right level of comfort and support to him.
Once again the development of the situation seemed realistic and not forced, as both Dru and Thom come to have feelings for Skye and he starts to mean something very special to both men. I think it was easier to understand Dru’s initial feelings for Skye because he had never had proper closure from his initial boyhood feelings for his friend but the reasons for Thom’s evolving emotions were also clear.
Although Dru knew Skye first, the relationship appeared balanced as each character shared something special with another, for example Thom and Skye shared their love of books.
Although I hugely appreciated the emotional journey of this book, getting the men to the point where they acknowledged their feelings for each other, it pretty much ended there. I would have liked to see more time with them actually starting the relationship and maybe just a bit more sex as I think they would be gorgeous together!
To find out more about Tia Fielding and her books visit her website.
Buy “By Any Other Name” at Amazon.