Review: Light of Day

Light of Day by Sue Brown


This sequel didn’t appeal to me quite as much as the first book did.
Not that there was anything wrong with this book. It was smoothly written and well-paced, and I found it estimable that things didn’t just immediately fall into place for the loving couple. Both had to compromise, and both did, once they realized they had to in order to make the relationship work for both of them. I also found the character development nicely done. Both men remained true to what they were made out to be in the first book, while maturing over the course of the story, in a way that fit their respective personalities and made them plausible as a couple.


But therein also lay part of my problem with this book. Max is at once the more realistic person and the dreamer he always was. For a start, while he was pining away for Robert, waiting to hear from him, Max didn’t bother with making himself findable for Robert. It was pure coincidence that Robert stumbled upon Max’s friend Chris one day, which put things in motion for them eventually. And once they worked out their future life, I couldn’t help thinking Max ended up with the heavy end of the haul due to his incorrigible blind confidence.

Robert on the other hand struck me as quite the opportunist. Once he’d won Max back, Robert just expected Max to play along with his closeted act, with no prospect for an openly shared future? No wonder Max put down his foot at that. And it wasn’t Robert’s conscious decision to leave his wife for Max in the first place; here, too, the hand of fate was needed to push him forward. Despite Robert’s eventual promises, I couldn’t take him entirely at face value. In the end, Max put more trust in Robert than vice versa, leaving their relationship somewhat off-balance to Max’s disadvantage.

However, I’m aware that the very things that bothered me about Max and Robert might be what others appreciate the most about them, so I’d advise to take what I said above as my personal taste and opinion – with the smallest grain of salt.

So did I love to meet Max and Robert again? Sure. Was I was pleased to see them reunited in a loving relationship? Absolutely. But while the first book went straight to my heart with its sad beauty and unveiled realism, this offer appeared shallow in comparison. They had their problems, they struggled, but too many lucky coincidences were needed to work in their favor, and in the end they shoved it all into place with a shrug and wrapped it with a nice bow.

All in all, this wasn’t as intense and moving as the first book, but it was still an enjoyable, satisfying read, and certainly inevitable for those who wanted closure for Max and Robert.

Originally written for reviewsbyjessewave.com



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