"Born for Leaving," by Jude Munro

Contemporary MM ROMANCE

Book Blurb

"A Match Made in a Want Ad"
When they say be careful what you wish for, do you pay attention?
Neither did Oliver Tunstead.

Oliver wishes for nothing more than to get his mind off his crappy bartending job, pile of debt big enough to swallow him whole, and playboy ex-boyfriend/boss who refuses to back off. Too bad distractions, like the hot little convertible he has his eye on, cost megabucks. And Oliver is flat broke. Renting the spare bedroom in his rundown beachfront cottage is his only option to pick up the cash he needs--a risky proposition, as Oliver is the polar opposite of a people-person. When he responds to a bizarre ad in the Waterfront Gazette seeking summer housing, he gets more than he bargained for. But Oliver can cope... After all, how much harm can a single quirky tenant do to his tightly guarded life in three short months?

Where Oliver is a loner by design, urban cowboy Bodie is a loner by necessity. A family dispute long ago dropkicked him onto the path of a lifelong wanderer. This changes when Bodie moves into the tiny beachfront cottage and starts working the door at Oliver's bar.

Despite Oliver and Bodie's nearly paralyzing instinct to avoid commitment, they fall into a wary romance. And to their surprise, life as a couple is sweetly satisfying; that is, until their jealous boss devises a cruel plan to destroy the tentative bond they've built. True to form, Bodie hits the road, leaving Oliver to lick his wounds alone.

Can these wounded souls defy their urge to flee and fight for love?

My Review

I received a copy of this book via the author and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Where does one start when attempting to write a review for a book that changed their life? Okay, okay. Melodramatics aside, I mean it. Born for Leaving by Jude Munro hit me in a very special, emotional, and high-impact readerly spot. It was one of those books that gave me such an intense book hangover when it was over, I sought out another read as completely opposite it as possible—a psychological thriller with a lesbian lead—just to keep my mind from spiraling in circles. Because I couldn’t get this book, or its wonderful characters, off my mind.

I read this book in a single day. I started it, sadly, not expecting much. I had a slow day at the office and decided to grab a “read now” book off NetGalley so I wouldn’t have to wait for approval. And when I found a MM romance on the list, it was an easy choice. But almost from the first page, Munro drew me in. If you want a great example of just how well she accomplished this task, let me say this. I have never been—and likely will never be—a fan of first-person POV. It’s just not my personal preference, but I can still enjoy a story with it. However, I also happen to get a bit of the readerly chills when a story is present-tense. Again, purely personal preference, but it reads off to me. Finally, in my romance, I don’t like things one-sided. I want to see both parties experiencing the relationship. I want to have the emphatic, undeniable consent and confirmation of motives and feelings that comes with dual POV.

Which, if you’re following along, you can probably guess what comes next. This book was all three of my least favorite POV styles all rolled into one. First-person present single POV. Pretty much any other book and I would’ve spent the entire time cringing a bit, or might’ve simply DNFed to save myself and the author any unfounded issues due to personal tastes alone. But with this book… I legit didn’t realize it fell into this category until I was chapters upon chapters into the book. That’s how engrossing the story is, how relatable and personable Oliver’s POV is, and just how dang well this book is written.

Now, before I press on… I’m going to start with my biggest—and, really, only significant—complaint. This book should’ve come with some serious Content/Trigger Warnings and there were none in sight. I checked everywhere, just in case wires were crossed and NetGalley didn’t get the memo. But, nope, there’s nothing on Amazon, Goodreads, the author’s website… nowhere. Thankfully, I caught something in one of the characters’ reactions to a situation that made me think, “Hmmm. Something isn’t right.” So, I decided to go on a hunt for a review with spoilers. (I hate having to do that, but there are certain things I can’t step into blindly without causing me some serious mental and emotional damage, so I have to look out for myself. If I’m walking into a read well aware of what’s to come, I can handle almost anything. Just warn me first.) It was kind of a bummer to have to read so many reviews that basically told me what the story would be about, but I’m so grateful I did. Because, had I read these things blindly, the ultimate result of this read would’ve been a much, much different one for me.

So, that being said, if you don’t need or want Content/Trigger Warnings, then skip this paragraph. Because they do have some spoilery things to them, but they need to be out there. Clear as day. For starters, Bodie has a history of childhood molestation that dramatically affects him and is discussed in fairly great detail throughout the book. Second, Oliver is brutally raped on page. No, there isn’t any penetration, but the scene is violent, graphic, and plenty of other traumatizing and life-altering things occur. Had I not walked into that prepared… Anyway, Oliver also has a history with his mother of mental, emotional, and in some fairly disturbing ways very physical abuse. I’ll let you discover most of that on your own, but I’ll say this… she repeatedly forced him to get naked and show his body to her. Finally, Bodie is raped off page. He claims he “allowed” it to happen, but trust me, under the circumstances, it was rape. Period. Oh, and there are also quite a few violent and bloody scenes, two separate stalker-type characters, and some pretty intense themes of childhood abandonment.

Okay… I think (hope) I got ‘em all. Now, back to the positives… which is literally everything else. Since I went into this story aware of what to expect thanks to my personal digging, I was able to “appreciate” the painful experiences of the characters as part of the story, their challenges, and horrific but genuine stones on the path to their beautiful HEA.

I realize I’m rambling at this point, so I’ll try to sum up what I love in as few words as possible. Oliver—our single POV character—is a breath of fresh air. He’s struggling with a lot of repressed emotions due to some crappy parenting in his past, but he is trying to make his dreams come true and fighting tooth and nail to get them. Enter Bodie—broken, beautiful, badas* Bodie—who exudes charm, raw masculinity, and this painfully real side of childish intrigue and fear of the world. After the childhood he endured, and the solitary life he’s led since, it’s no wonder. But when these two get together, it’s like instant magic. The chemistry sparkles and pops and leaps off the page. And when that first sexy time scene happens, it broke me with its perfection, beauty, and bittersweet discovery.

I won’t keep going because I could talk for days about this book—in fact, I forced my bestie to download and read with me because I knew I wouldn’t be able to survive the read without someone to gush to. Thankfully, she did, and we finished within 20 minutes of each other. Then went into mourning together. Because we will never be able to experience Bodie and Oliver or their delectable romance for the first time ever again.

I would recommend this to everyone. Anyone. All lovers of love. It’s so well-written and takes you on such an emotional journey.

And to the author, if she were to ever read this review: I beg of you, do yourself, your readers, and these wonderful characters a huge favor by adding Content Warnings. Seeing as how this book is in Kindle Unlimited, it would be a quick fix. Having that information made this book what it was for me. Without it, I would be singing a very different tune right now. And would likely be damaged, mentally and emotionally. Oh, and don’t quit writing. Because I might be your newest and biggest fan! 💕

Jude Munro
SHE/Her

Like Jude Munro, her fictional characters in her gay romance novels are drawn to the beach. They've sunbathed on the sands of many alluring East Coast beaches, along with the fantastical beaches in Jude's books. They'll answer questions like "Who do you think you are, the sun god?" (which they often resemble) if they can hear you over "Boys of Summer" cranking on their headphones. To most of Jude's men, no shoes and no shirt is really not a problem. But even on the sunniest of beach days, the guys in Jude's books do have problems... as in, serious relationship issues. Many of which seem insurmountable. And each character must earn his day at the beach the hard way. (Yes, there is always a HEA).

Under a different pen name, Jude wrote a wide variety of YA LGBTQ novels for various LGBTQ+ publishers. Her books have been featured in Kirkus Reviews magazine, have won a 2019 IPPY GOLD award for Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction, a 2018 YA GOLD MOONBEAM Children's Book Award, a YA Readers' Favorite Award, a Reader Views' Book by Book Publicity Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction, a YA Indie Fab Award, a First Place Royal Dragonfly Award for Cultural Diversity, a First Place Story Monsters Purple Dragonfly Award for YA Fiction, and more.

Jude Munro will concentrate her efforts on angsty love stories for adults.

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So, what are you waiting for? Born for Leaving is available for your immediate reading pleasure! It’s also available on Kindle Unlimited!
Get your copy today!! 📖