The Darkness Within

Scars and Stripes Trilogy, Book 2

By: Raquel Riley

Narrated by: Lance West, Curtis Michael Holland

You can't give your heart away until you first learn to love yourself.

Nash

A mission gone sideways. My world turned upside down on a dime. Held prisoner in the dark tunnels below ground, cut off from the world, I was hanging onto life by a thread. Wanting to end my suffering, but afraid to let go.

Then I was rescued. Dragged into the light. My first breath of freedom in twenty-two days. But I was still trapped in my nightmare inside my head. A prisoner of war.

Brewer

His mind may be broken, but his soul is still intact, and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. As his sponsor, I promised to help him find his way, to show him how to love himself again. I'm breaking all the rules of recovery by falling in love with him. But when you find the person you're meant to spend the rest of your life with, you don't want to waste another day apart.

The Darkness Within is the second book in the Scars and Stripes Trilogy. This hurt/comfort MM romance deals with heavy topics and a forbidden love that defies all the rules. A high-angst story with a hard-earned HEA and cameos from book one, Proof of Life.

©2024 Raquel Riley (P)2024 Podium Audio

Good with one exception

If when reading or listening to fiction you are able to break from how something might play out in the world world, that’s fine. However, I had a real problem with Brewer, and frankly how I believe he acted completely inappropriately. In the position as Nash’s therapist, as well as his addiction sponsor, he never ever ever should’ve allowed himself to become involved in a personal relationship with Nash. That is one of the primary tenants in therapy as well as being an addiction sponsor. With that exception, it was good not great. I thought the narrators were very good.

Needs 2 voices

Needs 2 people reading. Hard to keep track of who is supposed to be speaking.

Everything!

This series! This book! The tears, the laughs, the hotness, ugh, it's so freaking good! So emotional, heartbreaking, and heartwarming, it's all the feels! I just love all the characters, side and main, they're just so wonderful. Especially Mandy, there's just something so special about him! Not to mention this book was beautifully written, I was captivated right from the start, and that stayed true the whole way through. I absolutely loved Brewer and Nash's story. It was a fantastic addition to the series, and I can't wait for more! Lance West and Curtis Michael Holland nailed this performance, absolute perfection!

Nash & Brewer

Wow. What a ride. This was a hard, painful, real look into such a difficult topic. Raquel gave us a beautiful story. An important one. Was Nash and Brewer's love story beautiful? Yeah. But the love story of Nash loving himself again was more beautiful in my opinion. I loved how Brewer knew how much he cared for and loved Nash, but also approached helping Nash in a way that Nash had to love himself and do everything for himself... Not Brewer or their relationship. Love is important, Brewer's love, the B!t¢hes support, his housemates support. All so important, but the love he has for himself the most important. This was a heartbreakingly beautiful story! Definitely worth a read.

The audiobook narration was also soooo good! You could feel the emotions of the narrators, bringing life to such a hard story.