Book Review: Billy’s Bones by Jamie Fessenden

Title: Billy’s Bones
Author: Jamie Fessenden
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: Review copy provided by publisher
Published: July 22, 2013 by Dreamspinner Press

Kevin Derocher was thirty-two when he walked into Tom’s office, newly married, a baby on the way, and the collar of his red flannel shirt pulled up to hide the bruises around his throat from when he hanged himself in his garage. After his initial consult, therapist Tom Langois believes he’ll never see Kevin again—but Kevin turns up three years later to make repairs on Tom’s new house.

Kevin and Tom become fast friends, and Tom begins to suspect Kevin may be interested in more than friendship. However, Kevin remains haunted by something from his childhood—something so terrible he blocked it from his mind. These suppressed memories make it impossible for Kevin to get close to anyone without panicking and lashing out, sometimes violently. But as his past begins to surface, it becomes apparent that Kevin may hold the key to a twenty-five-year-old mystery: what happened to Billy?

Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: Compelling storytelling with an unusual romance that has realism and complexity. This book deals with lifelong effects of childhood abuse so may not be a book for every reader.

The Set Up: Tom is a clinical therapist who sees Kevin, a suicide survivor, one time in his office. Three years later Tom needs a handyman and is surprised it’s Kevin who shows up. Kevin and Tom become best friends and Tom thinks Kevin may be interested in more. But Kevin has secrets that the therapist in Tom knows could destroy their relationship unless Kevin can start dealing with the secrets.

Why I Read this Book: I’ve been considering reading this book since it was released in the summer but the topic of childhood abuse made me have to be emotionally ready to read it.

What I Liked: The realistic optimism made this book for me. Kevin and Tom’s relationship development is slow and not without serious setbacks but it felt totally organic to these characters. Never is tension added for drama’s sake but instead because Kevin and Tom have huge issues they need to work out. Sure, sex is a big part of their issue but it’s only one in their relationship. For instance, Kevin rightly says to Tom that Tom can’t mother Kevin or treat him as less of an adult in their relationship. This relationship progresses in realistic yet optimistic ways that had me totally rooting for both men and their relationship. Kevin and Tom have such an intimate relationship and how they incrementally get there is one huge reason I enjoyed this book.

What I Also Liked: I wasn’t sure I could read this book so I gave myself a 15 minute reading window but I was hooked after 5 minutes of reading. I wouldn’t call the plot compelling because of the nature of the plot with Kevin trying not to remember his childhood horror but needing to. Still, I had to see how Kevin and by extension Tom would deal with Kevin’s past and how it effects their lives.

I have to also mention this book has some strong secondary characters and they’re women. This is too rare in MM romance, in my opinion, so it was a delight to read. Furthermore, they’re not stock characters but have lives and feelings of their own and make mistakes just as much as the men.

The setting of rural New Hampshire is also perfect for the story. My mom lives less than an hour away from the area described in the book and it felt like I was visiting her when reading this book.

What I Didn’t Like: This isn’t an easy read because of Kevin’s trauma and it’s not meant to be, in my opinion. The abuse is never prurient in nature and only as graphic as it needs to be to show Kevin’s development but it’s still not easy to read. It’s a sad reality that so many adults have suffered childhood abuse and I loved and appreciated that this book offers one such person his own HEA complete with a realistic-less-than-miraculous conclusion. I should also mention that the sexual intimacy is VERY appropriate for a character that has had severe childhood abuse. Don’t expect sexual antics like in most MM romance. Instead the relationship intimacy is shown in very profound ways for Tom and Kevin that I thought perfect.

Finally, I’m not sure how I feel about Tom being Kevin’s therapist for one session. I think the novel deals with this issue multiple times and never brushes it off, which is good, but I still feel a little squeamish about it. Tom is privy to Kevin’s suicide attempt and has intimate details about Kevin that he wouldn’t have had if he met Kevin in any other setting. This then sets a foundation for their future relationship that starts it in a therapy session and I am uncomfortable with that. Perhaps I’m allowing my training and day job to impose too much on this book but I’m not entirely comfortable with the men’s relationship beginning.

IMO: So long as triggering topics are okay for readers then this complicated book is a must read.

J9’s Rating:


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