Review
An e-copy of the book has been provided by the author, Damien Benoît-Ledoux, in exchange for an honest review.
Advertised as part of a series but written as its own singular story, Love’s Hope is a novel that follows a similar path that its predecessor began—religious constriction. I would say that it wasn’t as trigger warning intensive as the first book but it does contain some hate that readers might want to consider.
“With you church people, it seems that in God’s eyes, there’s sin, and then there’s being a homosexual. Sin can be forgiven, homosexuality, well, not so much.”
After reading Skyler Phoenix it was now a question of how this sequel will follow up with the story. In trying to use a similar tangent the story felt entirely the same. There were new characters introduced but the tone flowed in alignment with the first book. Focusing with the same catalyst, the book felt restricted and less entertaining. I would have enjoyed it more if I read it on itself [scratching any knowledge of its prequel] rather than being part of a standalone type of series; although, it is undeniable that the topic of choice really hit home with the ever prevalent prejudice. In addition, there were weird placement of character background stories that felt like they were only included on the fly for the added zazz but wasn’t particularly necessary.
Setting aside some proofreading that I believe were overlooked, the easy flow of the writing style was carried over in this book. It was accessible with not a single flowery word. The directness of the writing made it so simple to digest even with its serious tone. What I found to be overwhelming, though, was the repetitiveness of some passages. It became more of a non-fictional placement of educational information with verbatim rather than being something of an undertone that coalesces with the story.
“Anyway, rich people want something for their donations, even the ones that are supposed to be sacrificial or come from the heart.“
Love’s Hope, with its choice of theme, was a truly strong read. However, the strong similarity with the first book made it relatively underwhelming for me. It felt like a weaker, toned, and more nurturing version of the first one. And although I think that that is a part of the beauty of the book with its wonderful progression, I still think that a different method and story trajectory could have been used to extrapolate a more interesting story.
About the Author
Damien Benoit-Ledoux is an author and freelance editor. His mind is a magical and nerdy place where fantastic heroes defend amazing worlds from dangerous villains who run amuck in an epic struggle to take over the universe. Recently, the brightest and best from this colorful cast of characters have made their way into notes, plots, stories, and novels for you to read and enjoy.
Damien strongly believes the real world we live in should be a place where LGBTQ equality and respect are second nature and never questioned. When he’s not working or spending time with his husband, their son, and their dog, Damien weaves this philosophy into the exciting lives of his characters and the fantastic space battles and romances they endure so they’ll stop taking over his dreams at night.
And finally, he wants you to remember a very important thing: No matter how bad your day is at work, it’s always important to be grateful that you don’t work for a Sith Lord.
