Without You Paperback – 16 Mar. 2020

My heart wasn’t ready but I sure needed this.Okay, so I’ve put off this book for way too long and as much as I knew I would head over heels fall in love with Julian and Deacon I just wasn’t prepared for heart shattering and one of the most beautifully written love stories I’ve read. It’s not an understatement to say- Marley Valentine writes MM Romance that will make you FEEL ALL THE THINGS!!Emotions ran high at the start and it was a gut punch straight off the bat. In life sometimes we find love- honest forever love- when we least expect it; when we’ve lost something or someone that we built our lives around.Gahhh, my heart is bursting and I want to cry, the sad tears, the mad kind of tears, angry frustrated tears, but mostly happy tears... this book was everything and more than I could ever hope it would be. It should’ve screamed all kinds of wrong (dead) brothers boyfriend but these two couldn’t have been more right together. The healing journey they shared and the way they nurtured and supported each other’s growth is beautiful beyond words.“I love you more than my past,” he says. “I love you more than the obstacles the present has thrown in our way. Because you’re my future. And I’m going to love you forever because you’re my always.”Naturally I’m kicking myself for not reading it sooner but I think the timing of it was just right. I’m truly mind blown by the how Marley’s words play out with so much clarity, but what’s more is the raw emotions she elicits, the undeniable connection to each character and the tangible magnetic pull that tethered me as I hung to her every word.And oh the hotness!!! The chemistry went from a sizzle to explosive!! So so freaking hawtttt!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥Marley Valentine did it again with this heart felt, emotional and beautifully written story that is guaranteed to hit you in ALL THE FEELS!!✨5/5 YOU’RE MY ALWAYS STARS ✨

4.5 starsOh. My. Days. What a book. What a story. What a cover. What a couple. I just don’t have the words to do it justice, any of it. So, I’m just going to try and put into words how I felt.It’s rare that I’ll buy a book based solely on the cover, but as soon as I saw this cover, I knew I had to have it. It screams masculinity and vulnerability and love, and I needed it in my life.I don’t think I have been so moved and so captivated by an MM story since listening to Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. This book takes you on a wild, angst-filled ride of epic proportions. I was not ready for the level of emotion. These characters are suffering so much. I just wanted to wrap them in my arms and tell them everything would get better. I loved that this story focused on the journey they were going through, both were at such different stages of their life, yet drawn together by a unifying force. Their grief was so heartbreaking and watching each of them struggle through and grow, coming out the other side, was simply beautiful. The chemistry between them was off the charts and the way Marley incorporated the push and pull of emotions and how they interacted in those moments was truly wonderful. Add in the insecurities and family dynamics and it was pure perfection.Overall, it’s a story of following your heart and accepting what you can and can’t change. Doing what makes you happy and finding and keeping love. Even in the most unexpected places. I laughed. I cried. My heart hurt and it soared with happiness. I experienced so many emotions reading this story, but every one of those emotions was worth it to get to their HEA. As a side note, the final chapter just about gutted me.This was my first Marley Valentine book, but it will not be my last. A definite must read. I cannot wait for the audiobook so I can torture myself all over again lol.

This is my first,but definitely not the last Marley Valentine book.Two men who are caught in a circle if grief. Deacon the brother of a sibling taken too young, who is never enough for his mother and still lives in the shadow of his dead brother. Julian the life long friend, then boyfriend of the man his whole world still revolves around even after he is gone.Neither man seem to be able to connect with each other, Deacon, because his family still treat his dead brother's lover better than him and Julian because he can't move on without the love of his life and feels the pain and hatred Deacon feels toward him.Little by little they learn to except each other and their shared pain and turn it into something special.This is a beautifully written story of loss, pain, love and a mother who can't see the son she has left, through the pain she is in from losing the other. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Tbis was a great read, had me in ALL sorts of feelings.Spice was great! I was hooked and read in a day

I found this book via a recommendation from @peacelovebooks Grumpy Hereos youtube video. This is my first Marley Valentine read but I have already added a bunch more to my TBR.I cried from the very beginning and at the very end. This is such a beautiful book and Marley writes this relationship with such maturity in the way the relationship, death, grief and family dynamics are dealt with. One of my favourite things was that there wasn't a huge internal conflict for Deacon. People don't always struggle with their sexuality and it's great to see someone being so comfortable with this newfound revelation. Also, I really, really love that there was no unnecessary conflict thrown in 70-80% way through the book. The story flowed naturally and any conflicts were weaved in when necessary in very realistic and not forced ways.Death is painful and grief can be so debilitating but Without You shows there's such beauty and hope even in loss.

A good read but felt a little forced at some points. Both MCs seem to go from not really knowing each other to being deeply in love. Not sure how I felt about the couple after knowing how long he had been in his brothers life.An ok read but not a favourite unfortunately

No me esperaba una historia tan emocional porque no conocía a la autora, pero estoy impresionada con su gran trabajo, me ha encantado el desenlace entre Julian y Deacon, dos conocidos que se encuentran para lidiar con la pérdida de un ser querido pero que también encuentran su alma gemela.Oh god, y lo spicy que es este libro? ❤️‍🔥Seguiré leyendo a la autora porque me gusto mucho su manera de escribir.Qué encontrar:M/MDueloEmocional5/5 ⭐️3/5 🌶

This was a emotional one. To see them come through the pain and find each other was amazing. My heart broke for everyone’s loss and again for Deacon when he finally found his happiness and his mother was just so cruel. Julian and Deacon were so sweet together. I loved seeing how their relationship developed and that they took the chance despite the circumstances. The support and love was inspiring. Definitely a feel good read.

Without a doubt one of my favorite m/m love stories: the characters, the emotion, the realness - everything was just beautiful. I'm very glad I decided to read this book, and think I will read it over and over!

Oh Y’all!! So, I was super excited for this book. I was thinking GAH I mean you can read the blurb and it pretty much sounds like this book is gonna be all kinds of forbidden goodness right? But my friends, this book, this fantastic, beautifully epic book, was beyond any and all expectations I could have ever even imagined.The feelings and emotional journey Marley will send you on with this book is soul-stirring and powerful. The way this book will grab your heart on the first page, AHH😭 I’m just never going to be the same.Broken-hearted, defeated and devastated. Deacon and Julian have a story that will both decimate and then heal your heart and soul. This is a poignantly powerful story about the love and healing they found in each other. It was about two broken souls recognizing their perfect counterparts in the most unlikely of places, at the most inopportune time. The kind of inevitable love that even though it went against logic and reason, what should and shouldn’t have drawn them to one another bond them in ways neither could have ever expected. There was something cathartic when they were together, it was as if all was right in the world, it’s why they had to be meant for each other. They way they could tap into what the other so desperately needed at that moment and to be just that.I’m a firm believer that there is something to be said about the after effects of what happens to you after a book absolutely, utterly wrecks you. That cleansing feeling that only comes after you have bawled and sobbed until your huffing and snotty( not pretty but it happens) But when all is said and done and your author has broken you into a million pieces, you have cried all the tears until you have none left to cry, and she’s put you back together, you sigh and know that everything is as it’s supposed to be. She did it! She broke you, and she put you back together. Now, you do know you won’t be 100 percent the same, because long after these characters will stick with you, because that’s what those types of books do. THIS is one of those books, Deacon and Julian will be here in my heart long after I finished this book. Their story is the ultimate story of where love triumphs all, love wins. Love is EVERYTHING!*I voluntarily reviewed an advanced complimentary copy of this book!My Cr8zysockbookblock blog wrap up for this book!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐- I urge you to please take a chance on this book. If you never tried a MM or if MM isn’t your usual genre give this a go. Marley Valentine is a master and you will find yourself so caught up in this amazing love story you won’t care or it won’t matter whether it’s MM or MF it’s just a tragically beautiful love story.🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥-It is hot!! 🔥 There is so much temptation and at first the try to fight it between them, that it can’t help but to be off the charts hot?!?! Yup, so so HOTT!🌪Cliffhanger Warning- HEA 😍♥️😍

This book was just phenomenal. A touching story of two men who lost a brother for one and a partner for the other. Deacons and Julian’s story will definitely pull at your heart strings. Love and grief go a long way and we all handle it differently. This book definitely is a good example of this. Even though the ending has a HEA I cried my eyes out on the very last chapter. I’m very much affected by what the characters endure. If a book can bring me to tears then the author definitely accomplished the result they were hoping for. Loved this book. ♥️🙏🏻