Book Review: A Fall of Light by LJ Greene

It’s been fifteen years since Greg was outed by his fundamentalist father at age sixteen and sent from home, with devastating consequences for both he and his younger brother, Asher.

Welcome to the September 25th stop on the blog tour for A Fall of Light by LJ Greene with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, more reviews & guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

About the Book

A Fall of Light
by LJ Greene

Published 4 September 2023

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Page Count: 267
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

LJ Greene brings to life one of her most compelling characters: the sensitive, eccentric, bass guitarist, Greg Van de Meer. A Fall of Light weaves together the strands of Greg’s private and public lives—a shattering personal history, a love affair with potentially disastrous consequences, and family bonds that are stretched to their breaking point.

It’s been fifteen years since Greg was outed by his fundamentalist father at age sixteen and sent from home, with devastating consequences for both he and his younger brother, Asher. Now unlaid ghosts from the past are stirring. With his band’s success on the world stage, Greg’s life takes a complicated turn when he develops a friendship with Louis Angel, an ex-Marine with a secret of his own, and finds himself facing familiar threats from an unexpected source.

Strained loyalties, a private affair, and Greg’s own guarded history collide dangerously until a visit from an old foe forces him to confront past wounds and present beliefs. Allegiances are called into question and he must decide whether the secrets he’s fighting to protect are worth the life he’s finally ready to have.

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Excerpt

He’d forgotten. Not just what it felt like to be touched by a man, but how much a part of him those desires truly were. He’d spent so much of his life in wary vigilance, rarely being able to fully enjoy his sexuality or even the fruits of his life. And he’d had so many blessings, but he was always wary. It was exhausting to be so wary.

He closed his eyes, and just for a moment, let himself imagine what it would be like to surrender to another person’s care. No, to Louis’s care, specifically; not some other’s. To Louis’s willingness to take care of him, to lean on him, as he seemed to want Greg to do. To be himself—fully himself—and to trust Louis to accept him, warts and all.

Louis’s face was now turned away, half buried in the white mounds of his pillow, his sleep-warm arms clutching it.

I’m afraid, he explained to him, in his thoughts. I’m afraid I’m going to fall . . . to get used to this, he corrected himself firmly, and you’re going to decide that being with a man—or being with me—isn’t what you imagined it to be. “I told you,” he whispered softly aloud, “I’m not a casual person. And I’m afraid that I won’t be able to be casual about you.”

A soft snore was his only answer. He leaned over, breathing in the musky sweetness of that firm, smooth shoulder, and pressed a small, loving kiss there.

My Review

My Rating: 3.5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐.5

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I was granted complimentary access to A Fall of Light by LJ Greene as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with Goddess Fish Promotions. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Please also take my slightly lower rating with a grain of salt. I’m demisexual and rarely take a chance on romances because bedroom scenes can be very off putting to me, but sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised by M/M and W/W romances and I love to support LGBTQIA+ stories. Alas, this one does have bedroom scenes that didn’t work for me, but probably do work for plenty of romance readers.

This book tackles a lot of important issues faced by countless people in the world, but especially the LGBTQIA+ community, including religious corrective actions, homelessness, and general peer abuse.

Greg is a passionate person who doesn’t do anything half way, and that includes love, but past traumas have joined this romance as the third wheel nobody asked for, and Louis isn’t as into any of this as Greg is. It’s a roller coaster of emotions, twists, turns, and heart wrenching stories of past tragedy.

Though I haven’t read anything else in the related series, I understand this is a deep dive on a side character from Greene’s other books, so I’m sure dedicated fans of her work will love the opportunity to get to know this character on a deeper level.

About the Author

LJ Greene is a self-professed obsessive multi-tasker who writes boring stuff by day and lets her inner romantic fly by night.  This California native is married to the most amazing man and has two beautiful children, now old enough to read her books but still not interested because of the ew, gross factor. She’s an avid reader of all genres with an embarrassingly large ebook collection, and a weird penchant for reading the acknowledgements at the end of a novel.  She’s also a music lover with no apparent musical talent, a travel enthusiast, and a cheese connoisseur.

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Giveaway Alert!

The author will award a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.

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