The Truth About Him: A Novel

Bedrock ~ the hard reality of me… you… us. Everything I left Unsaid left us with Annie deciding she wanted to be with Dylan as soon as she got the pesky business of her marriage dealt with. Then she came home only to be accosted by her husband. The Truth About Him picks up where Everything I Left Unsaid left off. Her husband Hoyt is a real violent piece of work and he’s determined that she’ll be going home with him if he has to drag her kicking and screaming and over whatever dead bodies he has to leave along the way. When Dylan gets the call about what’s going down you can guess at what ensues. Can you say beat down? Let’s just say things get rather violent and Dylan is taken care of. Now Annie is free of her ex but the danger is still lurking around every corner in the form of Dylan’s family connections. And while you might think she should be running for the hills nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, we’re dealing with Dylan’s feelings of inadequacy “Are you okay?” she asked. Still she didn’t touch me, and I wanted her to as badly as I couldn’t stand it if she did. “Fine.” A lie so worthless there was hardly any point in it. She could see how not fine I was. How broken and shaken and fucked up I was.” “I was not the right man for her, but I wanted to be. And I was humbled by her choice.” Luckily Annie’s just a bit intuitive when it comes to Dylan’s deflections. “Somehow she got the sense that he was hitting bedrock. Not rock bottom, but the hard reality of who he was. She’d done it, or was in the process of doing it. And maybe that was the only way they stood a chance. If they burrowed down through the lies they told themselves, through the doubts and the fears, through the remains of the life they’d been living before—if they got down to the bedrock of who they really were—maybe they stood a chance. Everything else—it was a lie. Maybe not one that they said out loud. But one that they lived.” Bedrock is a tough place to reach while life is exploding around you. Coming to terms with your past, accepting who you and others in your life are today, letting go, learning to forgive others as well as yourself, giving into love and welcoming tomorrow with open arms… all of it takes just a bit of courage. Sometimes it takes just a bit of selfishness too. “I know it’s wrong. And it’s selfish and I don’t have any right to it, I don’t deserve it … but, I’m glad you’re here.” The Truth About Him was the perfect end to Annie and Dylan’s story. Ms. O’Keefe delves deep into the psyche of her characters. I dare you not to fall in love with them. I’m sure you won’t mind the heat and chemistry that fairly sizzles off the page on the wild ride that is The Truth About HIm. *****Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions*****

This book picks up where the first book, Everything I Left Unsaid, left off. While the first book in the series was good, I thought this one was better. It had a little bit more depth and plot to the storyline. While the first book dealt more with Annie’s story, this one was focused more on Dylan. Annie and Dylan continue to have their issues, but by working together they grow stronger. Annie starts to come into her own. She learns to stand up for herself and not be afraid to ask for what she wants. Dylan begins to have more of a presence in the world. He no longer hides in his mansion away from people. He also begins to build a relationship with his father. I enjoyed the ending. I think it was well done. It seemed like Dylan was able to deal with his issues with his father which gave them both a sense of family till the end. I have read a number of books by this author and have not been disappointed. I will continue to look forward to her books. Perhaps maybe she will give us stories involving the other characters (Max, Joan, Blake, Tiffany)?

This story picks back up with Annie waking up after being knocked out by Hoyt. The terror that Annie went through during this part was so wonderfully written, I felt like I was a part of it. And the explosive ending of the confrontation was awesome. I loved how it all played out. I really enjoyed how Dylan and Annie kept evolving in their relationship. Annie was starting to become stronger and Dylan was starting to soften. Such a great push and pull with each other. I loved the small glimpses into their younger years. I had disliked Dylan's brother Max throughout most of the book, but by the end I actually liked him. I think he needs his own book! And then there is Joan....shocker! As for Ben, I loved how Dylan was starting to soften up toward him. It was great to find out what all of Ben's motivations were in regards to Dylan. I really enjoyed the final confrontation and the way everything played out. And Dylan and Annie's happy ending was sweet. Overall this was a great book that I could not put down and I would highly recommend it!