Tru Blue by Melissa Foster

He wore the skin of a killer, and bore the heart of a lover.

There's nothing Truman Gritt won't do to protect his family - including spending years in jail for a crime he didn't commit. When he's finally released, the life he knew is turned upside down by his mother's overdose, and Truman steps in to raise the children she's left behind. Truman's hard, he's secretive, and he's trying to save a brother who's even more broken than he is. He's never needed help in his life, and when beautiful Gemma Wright tries to step in, he's less than accepting. But Gemma has a way of slithering into people's lives and eventually she pierces through his ironclad heart. When Truman's dark past collides with his future, his loyalties will be tested, and he'll be faced with his toughest decision yet.

Publisher: Melissa Foster | Narrator: Paul Woodson  | Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins | Genre: Contemporary Romance | Ratings:  4 Cups

Seriously, why can’t I meet a guy like Truman in Wal-Mart? Le sigh.

 

Here’s what’s going on. To protect his brother, Truman confessed to a murder he didn’t commit. Now he’s out of prison and ready to get his life back on track. Although when his mother overdoses, he finds himself stepping in to raise his two young siblings he never knew about while trying to convince his brother to get clean. He knows he’s going to need help, but he didn’t think it would come in the form of Gemma, a beautiful woman he met at Wal-Mart. She’s good to his kids and he finds himself falling hard but he’s worried his past will scare her off because why would a woman like her want to be with someone like him.

 

I have no idea how long I’ve had this in my audio downloads or where it came from (giveaway, maybe?), but when I received Truly, Madly, Whiskey for review I went to buy this one to catch up (since they share characters) and found out I had it in my audiobook library. So, yay! for me, lol

 

I really enjoyed this one. It had some dark parts but there was humor and lightness to give it a nice balance.

 

Gemma and Truman were great together. He definitely had some walls up but she wasn’t going to stop until he let her through. There’s also some demons that he’s dealing with.Truman’s about one thing, protecting his family at all costs. And I loved how he stepped in to raise his siblings without batting an eye. He even went to prison to protect his brother. He’s all about honor, family, and protecting what’s his but he also knows when enough is enough. Gemma may have grown up with money, but she’s never really had that type of family. So all she wants is a place to belong and she sees that in Truman.

 

The romance was nice and steady with amazing chemistry. They actually took the time to get to know each other before falling into bed. They also talked to each other about things and important issues.

 

Oh and the kids will totally melt your heart. Just watching the way Truman cared for them and protected them earned him a spot on my favorite heroes list.

 

So, this was nearly a 5-Cup read, the only thing that made me lower it to a 4 was the fact the ending was so rushed. Given the it was finally revealed that Truman wasn’t a murderer, I was expecting to see it play out on the page but, instead, the story moved forward and just gave a recap of what happened.

 

Paul Woodson narration of this one was spot on. The depth of emotion and that haunted-ness he brought for Truman really added a lot to the narration and I liked that his female narration was soft rather than nasally.

 

Overall, I enjoyed this one and I couldn’t get enough. A little dark at times, but still a worthy read filled with worthy characters.

 

 

The Whiskeys

Tru Blue #1
Truly, Madly, Whiskey #2
Driving Whiskey Wild #3