The Truth Within (Pelican Bay, Book 3)
by Sloane Kennedy
I’m not a fighter. I never was. So how do I make the one man who might just be worth fighting for see that?
At twenty-five years old, Ford Cornell should have his whole life ahead of him but instead, the would-be artist is drowning in denial and just trying to get through each day. And the boy who once believed life was about following impossible dreams has finally come to accept that it’s really only about surviving a living nightmare… one of his own making.
But the bruises are becoming harder to hide.
So is the truth…
I refuse to fall for a guy who won’t accept the truth about who he is or what he wants. Not again…
They say bad things happen in threes.
For Sheriff Camden Wells, it’s more like fours… or fives… or dozens.
After an ugly lie destroys his career and the man he’d planned to spend the rest of his life with cuts him to the core with the ultimate betrayal, forty-year-old Cam is counting on his new job as sheriff of the quiet town of Pelican Bay to be the fresh start he needs. What he isn’t counting on is meeting a young man who makes him want to break all his own rules.
He wants me to accept something that will cause me to lose everything. I may not have much but it’s something and something is better than nothing… right?
Ford’s gotten used to his role as his older brother’s punching bag and being his mother’s never-ending disappointment. They may not be the Cleavers but family is family and Ford’s seen up close and personal what happens when you don’t have anyone in your corner… or when you go against family.
And there’s just no way he’s strong enough to survive that…
Nothing about us should make sense but maybe that’s why it does…
Two men… one living a lie and one knocking down the walls of the closet he was forced to live in for so long. When one white-hot encounter leads to another and then another, Ford and Cam are forced to accept that their need for each other isn’t going away anytime soon. But being together means one will need to go against everything he believes in.
So which man will bend and which will break? And what will the truth ultimately reveal?
Book Links:
Amazon US (on Kindle Unlimited)
Everywhere else
Goodreads
🌟🌟🌟🌟 4.5 stars
🔥🔥🔥🔥 Heat Level: 4, Oh My!
I was luck enough to score a ARC and I loved discovering Cam and Ford and returning to Pelican Bay. This book follows the story of the new town Sherif, Cam and younger Ford Cornell on their journey to finding each other, forgiveness and a journey of self discovering and strength.
This book deals with serious issues of homophobia and religion as well as domestic violence and drug use. The way Sloane Kennedy handles and addresses these issues is with great respect and knowledge as always. She has written a wonderful story with what I would call a coming of age story for Ford (even though he’s 24).
I found Ford’s journey powerful and so glad he was able to overcome his situation and come out the other side with strength, forgiveness and love. I loved the secondary characters introduced in this book and I hope we will be seeing much more of Theo (and Riley and Walter)! I found 79 year old Walter great comedic relief and loved his sass, and seriousness. I also loved that he found his own happiness in this book as well. I loved seeing characters from past books and always want more of the Kents and their men and as always Newt’s innocence is a treasure.
While this book can be read as a standalone I wouldn’t recommend it as all the other Pelican Bay characters make appearances.
This book is not as ‘dangerous’, suspenseful and deep as the previous two but I still loved it!! As with everything Sloane writes it takes you there and theses characters family, a highly recommended series, can’t wait for the next one!!!!!!
Thanks for reading! For great stories, reviews and more please visit https://bookstattoosandtea.wordpress.com 📚
Book, Tattoos & Tea 