Rating: 4 Stars

Publisher: Self-Published

Genre:  Gay Romance/MM

Tags: Hurt/Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Humour, Firsts for Both

Length: 374 Pages

Reviewer: Kazza 

Purchase At: amazon (**Release date March 9th 2026)

Blurb:

Two men with broken pasts. One chance to rebuild a future.

When rising film star River Lawson suffers a devastating on-set accident, his world grinds to a halt. Currently unable to communicate and drowning in frustration, he goes home to recover—pushing away everyone who tries to help. With the role of a lifetime about to slip through his fingers, River is terrified he may never reclaim the future he fought so hard for.

Newt just wants a fair shot at a normal job, but his criminal record shuts every door before he can even step through it. Until the day he intercepts a thief and saves a stranger’s phone—only to be offered a surprising a well-paid, live-in position assisting someone who demands absolute secrecy. Just sign the NDA.

River and Newt aren’t prepared for the collision of stubbornness and vulnerability, or the unexpected connection that follows. As River battles his way back to his voice, Newt may become the one person who can hear what he can’t say—and the one he can’t afford to lose.

Warnings:
Terrible behaviour by family members, use of a homophobic slur, violent behaviour by minor character, brief mention of suicidal thoughts, traumatic brain injury, death of a sibling.

Review: 

**ARC COPY REVIEW**

River Lawson is a British actor whose star is on the ascendency. He’s on site in Croatia for his current film when he falls from a cliff he wasn’t supposed to be climbing. This causes a TBI and some other physical injuries. At first he cannot speak his native English, only a mish mash of the alphabet, and he is totally and utterly bewildered. When he’s back at home again in England, he goes through therapists and minders at the rate of knots. He has very few words but “fuck” and “off” are two of them. And he uses them. A lot. He’s understandably upset. His agent’s parents he cares about but they’re getting worn out.

Newt is fairly recently released from jail where he’s been for seven years because of an armed robbery. One he didn’t commit. His family is a crime family and they don’t like Newt terribly – he wasn’t the girl his mother wanted and they already had sons in the business. He stayed away from the family criminal activities, was an A student who had been looking forward to going to uni to get his psychology degree. His bother Phelan did commit the crime but because he had a record, and Newt was a juvenile at the time of the offence, his own family set Newt up to take the fall. No skin off their teeth that Newt went to jail. Now he’s released, he stays far away from his family. Phelan tried to connect with him while he was in jail but Newt repeatedly returned the unread letters. Sadly, he keeps getting knocked back for jobs. In spite of gaining his psych degree while incarcerated, no one wants someone who’s served time for armed robbery. If anyone asks does he have a record, he’s legally obliged to answer yes. 

Max, River’s agent – his previous guardian – is out one day when someone tries to steal his phone, Newt is there, stops the thief at personal risk, and finds himself in a new job. Max didn’t ask him if he had a criminal record. Only if he had the availability, maybe some skills, to help someone after sustaining a TBI with language. Newt does have some knowledge about the brain and language, about aphasia, courtesy of his degree, so it seems to Max he knows what he’s doing. To be honest, it came across like Max was happy to have someone who needed a job. Newt has to sign an NDA and then he can be a paid live-in speech therapist and general caretaker for someone Max knows. Someone famous. Max tells Newt that the guy he’ll be looking after is hell on anyone he hires. No one lasts but let’s see what Newt can do. Newt is fine with that, after jail it’s a breeze. Lovely home. Nice looking guy. One he’s never seen in a movie. He treats River like anyone else, with kindness and patience, and always with River’s injury in mind. He makes learning and improving speech and confidence around the spoken word interesting. Fun.

They get to know one another over time and, of course, River’s speech improves. His physical injuries are also getting better and better. There are trips out with River wearing a N95 or P2 – or whatever grade mask – to help keep his identity on the downlow. The trips are titrated by Newt in line with River’s recovery. Bit by bit Newt encourages and shows River how to be patient. Encourages him to believe that he’ll improve.

Shit. How am I supposed to resist you? Even if you’d never heard of me. River suddenly realised the significance of that. To not be recognised was something special and rare. Newt hadn’t come here excited to be meeting a movie star. 

In the background, outside the general reasons of wanting to recover, is the lead in an upcoming movie that the director wants River for. However, there is another actor circling if River’s injuries are more than his inner sanctum are letting on. Max doesn’t want anyone to know what’s happening with River. His long road to recovery. In the meantime, River is getting to use more and more vocabulary. 

“Strip,” River said.
“I’ve noticed that you’re very good at the words you really want to use.”
“Strip…now…fast…slow…sex.”  

In amongst recovery and the burgeoning romance, there’s also a mystery around what happened in Croatia. It appears it might not have been the accident people think. River falling off the cliff. He is also receiving threatening letters but Max intercepts those, has Newt give him all the mail. Then there’s River’s girlfriend, Dila. And by girlfriend I mean beard because it’s purely a mutually beneficial relationship – Dila is a recording artist, River a movie star, great mix ‘n’ match. It also helps Max hide River’s real sexual orientation, which is gay – too much to lose if he’s out as far as Max is concerned.   

What made things interesting is that River can’t ask questions of Newt for some time so there is no discussion about Newt having been in jail or his family. Originally, River is too angry and minimally verbal. As he starts feeling better River knows it’s odd that Newt hasn’t experienced a lot. Newt does worry that when River gets better he or Max will find out and he’ll be out of a job. This was handled so well between Newt and River. Both of them have different but psychologically complex backstories. It isn’t leaned into too heavily but it definitely adds emotion to the story. They are just there for one another and I loved that so much. Newt always wanted River to know where he came from and, as it turns out, River has his own story to tell Newt. 

His trust had been destroyed long before he was seventeen, but what Phelan had done, the brother he’d trusted, was the death knell to him putting faith in anyone. Until now. Even after he’d told himself never to trust again, Newt trusted River.

I know that without Max there is no Newt and River. However, I didn’t like him. I didn’t agree with any number of choices he made and the way he behaved. Not thoroughly checking out someone who’s going to live with a non-verbal young man that he supposedly loves like a son. It’s irresponsible. I didn’t feel comfortable with that. We know Newt is a sweetheart but Max didn’t know that. Later, he can see River and Newt have feelings and he’s… frustrating around that. I can’t add more to this without spoilers.  

The humour was pared back in this book and I truly appreciated that. It gave the MCs time to feel their way from disillusioned and scared to good. It also allowed them to find an organic joy with the healing. Both Newt and River are really, really lovely. I had so much love for the both of them. I was very happy for their epilogue. If you like Barbara Elsborg and you like the emotions she can elicit with her characters, you just know she’s going to do right by them, Take2 is a delightful, hopeful book where good guys finish first. 4 Stars!