Incredibly Moving Gay Romance Book! In The Absence of Light by Adrienne Wilder

In The Absence of Light by Adrienne Wilder was an incredibly moving gay romance book. The characters had amazing depth, the story was intricate and well thought out, and the underlying message was inspiring. You can sum it from one quote: “Morgan may be autistic, but he is a normal man with a mental condition, not a mental condition who is a man.” I absolutely adored it. If you love a good contemporary gay romance, Adrienne Wilder is one of my new favorite authors!

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Incredibly Moving Gay Romance Book!

In The Absence of Light by Adrienne Wilder

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Title: In The Absence of Light

Series: NA

Author: Adrienne Wilder

Publisher: Adrienne Wilder (March 25, 2015)

ASIN: B00V7MU406

Genre: Contemporary, Male/Male, Suspense

Length/Format: 3101 KB/ 261 pages

Heat Rating: 3

Star Rating: 5

Other Books by Adrienne Wilder

About Adrienne Wilder:

Learn more about Adrienne Wilder by checking out the author’s website or following along on Twitter.

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About In The Absence of Light

For years Grant Kessler has smuggled goods from one end of the world to the next. When business turns in a direction Grant isn’t willing to follow he decides to retire and by all appearances he settles down in a nowhere town called Durstrand. But his real plan is to wait a few years and let the FBI lose interest, then move on to the distant coastal life he’s always dreamed of.

Severely autistic, Morgan cannot look people in the eye, tell left from right, and has uncontrolled tics. Yet he’s beaten every obstacle life has thrown his way. And when Grant Kessler moves into town Morgan isn’t a bit shy in letting the man know how much he wants him.

While the attraction is mutual, Grant pushes Morgan away. Like the rest of the world he can’t see past Morgan’s odd behaviors

Then Morgan shows Grant how light lets you see but it also leaves you blind. And once Grant opens his eyes, he loses his heart to the beautiful enigma of a man who changes the course of his life.

In The Absence of Light Review

A few days ago, I discovered author Adrienne Wilder and I am hooked. I was so impressed with WILD that when I finished it, I went right to Amazon and bought In The Absence of Light. I was not disappointed. This story had a well-rounded plot, characters with incredible depth and an emotional and heartwarming message. This is an incredibly moving gay romance book and one that is definitely worth a 5 star rating.

The Characters

Grant is a bit of a mystery at first. You get some basic information at the start of the book but bits and pieces keep coming out as the story progresses. I wasn’t sure where on the ‘good guy/bad guy’ spectrum he fell for a while. Somewhere in the middle, I think. Grant is a good guy at heart who didn’t always follow the letter of the law. He does have strong principles though, so when the business started getting a little morally questionable, he got out. Grant sees himself on golden beaches in a few years but needs to lay low for a bit. He does NOT plan on falling for a small town guy, especially one like Morgan.

Morgan is truly amazing and I would love to know the author’s creative process when it came to this guy. He is severely autistic but has overcome so many hurdles to emerge as a strong and independent man. Sometimes, his disability is just right there and it’s hard to see past. But then, the author gives you a glimpse of the man behind the disability. His strength and passion and uniqueness is just truly astounding.

The Setting

Small town Durstrand was portrayed in a very amusing and probably realistic way. Basically, everyone knows your business before you do. And there are some close-knit relationships among the town residents, as well as some long-standing hostilities. Small town folks are a suspicious lot and nosy as all get out. The author did a great job of portraying what life is like in many small towns.

The Plot

This is a bit complicated at times because there are several things going on at once. You have the romance between Morgan and Grant as well as the unraveling of both of their histories. They each have a past that not only shaped who they are as people but that will also come back and haunt each one of them as the story goes on. The FBI is keeping their eye on Grant and not all of the government players are on the actual side of the law. There are quite a few twists and turns and while it was a lot of information, it played out smoothly and really captured my attention without being totally over the top chaotic.

The Romance

Morgan is not shy about telling Grant how much he wants him but Grant struggles to deal with his attraction to a man like Morgan. Grant assumes that Morgan is not mentally or psychologically able to be in an adult, physical relationship. And OH, does Morgan set him straight! Once they start to delve into a physical relationship, things are incredibly heated. And it is clear from very early on that this isn’t going to be just a passing fling. There is heat balanced with tender romance that just tugs at your heartstrings.

All in all, In The Absence of Light, is an incredibly moving story. The balance between romance and suspense was perfect and just the right combination to keep my heart warm and my hands turning the pages. This is definitely a book you want to read!