Series: Heaven and Hell Club
Volume: 3/?
Publisher: Colette Davison
Pages: 236
Read in: English
Review copy format: epub
Publisher: Colette Davison
Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance
Length: 60 669 words
Read in: English
Review copy format: epub
Rate:✮✮✮✮✮✮
Callum tries to start his life anew, although on his shoulders he carries not only the burden of his own mistakes, but also that of the crime committed by his father. When he gets a job as a bartender at Heaven and Hell club, instead of feeling relieved, he becomes concerned about the opinion of his intolerant mother and sister. Moreover, he discovers something totally unexpected about himself and this revelation changes his life forever.
And all thanks to Dylan, a pole dancer who hides his true self behind a high wall of pretended carelessness. It turns out, however, that the wall, although high, is not insurmountable, and the person who decides to jump over it is Callum himself.
And all thanks to Dylan, a pole dancer who hides his true self behind a high wall of pretended carelessness. It turns out, however, that the wall, although high, is not insurmountable, and the person who decides to jump over it is Callum himself.
"Forgiven" is the third volume of the emotional and truly brilliant "Heaven and Hell Club" series by Colette Davison. In the case of the novels written by this author, the characters' psyche plays a huge role and we see it also in this book. It should be noted that in "Forgiven", we can clearly see our boys' psyche on every page of the novel, as it is an integral part of their construction and presentation. Callum and Dylan are built taking into consideration their souls and the psychological burden of their childhood lives. Due to the fact that the author makes the problems the characters face a really important part of their characteristics, the subject of all emotional and psychological problems does not dominate in this book, but is simply part of it. I would like to add that I am really impressed with natural, real, simple and truly perfect way in which Colette Davison shows the characters, their psyche, which is to some extent broken, and the reasons behind it.
One of the problems shown in the novel that I've mentioned is the need for closeness and parental love that starts at a very young age and strongly influences human development and growth. In "Forgiven" we see some negative effects of the parents' lack of interest in the child, the lack of parental love or love of any other caregiver. The author emphasizes the fact that the closeness and love a child lacks during the childhood translates into their further development problems and has its consequences even when the person is much older. For some people it is quite obvious, while others do not even realize it, which is why I am glad that Colette Davison makes her readers so clearly aware of all that, while she's caring for the subtlety of the message, the reliability of the characters and their problems. However, no matter what I say, I am not able to fully show you the author's genius, so you have to read this book and see all that yourself.
Another really well presented problem, which mostly affects children while its consequences are often visible even during adult life, are the mistakes of parents for which a child repents. However, it is worth noting that in the case of some sensitive people, even adult children of parents who commit a crime sometimes feel they need repentance. I think that far fewer people are aware of this fact than is the case with the problem I've mentioned earlier. What I mean exactly in this case is that sometimes children are ashamed, to some extent feel guilty and have remorse while their parent who committed a crime feels nothing. In "Forgiven", the author focuses primarily on this side of the problem, although she also shows its other aspect, that is, the case of people who blame a child, a son, for the sins of his father. Either way, this is undoubtedly another important, very deep psychological problem that Colette Davison has perfectly shown in this story. Believe me, there are no words to describe how excellent the author did in this case. To fully grasp the genius of how she wove this problem into the construction of one of her characters, you have to read "Forgiven". I assure you that you won't regret it.
There's also one more thing I want to note. "Forgiven" deals not only with the problems. This novel is like a rainbow coming out after the rain, the sun looking out from behind the clouds. The book shows that by surrounding ourselves with the right people, we take the first step to leave the past behind us, take its weight off our shoulders. The past can't be changed and we can't choose our biological family, but the choices we make at the moment are our own. They decide what kind of people we are. Moreover, in "Forgiven" we also see that this one right person can heal deep wounds from childhood. The scars will remain, but they won't bleed, they won't ooze pus. So as you see, "Forgiven" is a novel about new beginning, healing the soul, power of friendship and love, our influence on others, which we are sometimes not even aware of.
To sum up, "Forgiven" is a wonderful, deep, touching and truly wise novel. Colette Davison perfectly showed the characters and their problems as a whole, thanks to which she gave us an insight into their psyche to an extent that we have not yet seen. To be honest, the author impresses me more and more with each new novel and "Forgiven" is yet another prove of this fact.
Headcanon: working on it
Fanfiction idea: working on it
AU idea: working on it
Here's some more about:
Book Title: Forgiven (Heaven and Hell Club Book 3)
Author and Publisher: Colette Davison
Cover Artist: Colette Davison
Release Date: September 17, 2020
Trope/s: Hurt/comfort, slow burn, first time bi-sexual,
found family, tattoos, and piercings.
Themes: Self forgiveness, sins of the father, fresh starts
Heat Rating: 3 flames
It’s the third book in the series but can be read as a standalone
Can love and acceptance help Callum forgive himself?
Blurb
Blurb
Callum’s past haunts him and he’s desperate for a fresh start. When his uncle takes him in and the manager of the Heaven and Hell Club gives him a chance, things might be looking up.
Then he meets Dylan—a cocky, make-up wearing twink who challenges all his assumptions about himself.
Getting to know each other changes everything, as they give each other the love and acceptance they’ve both craved throughout their lives. But will it be enough to ease their doubts, heal their wounds, and allow them to have their own happy ever after?
Forgiven is the third book in the Heaven and Hell Club series. It’s a hurt/comfort romance, with a slow burn relationship, a bi-sexual awakening, tattoos, and piercings in interesting places. It can be read as a standalone, but works better as part of the series.
Content warning: homophobic parents
Excerpt
Callum didn’t move until he heard the door shut, then he started the level again. It was easier now that he was alone. His inhibitions dropped away from him and he focused on slicing his beams of light through the coloured blocks. He’d selected easy mode, which was fun but not a challenge. He managed to hit every block the second time through the song, so upped the difficulty level.He had to move his body a little more on standard mode. The blocks came faster, the patterns were slightly harder. As they were more in time to the music, it actually made the level easier. He had to stretch to hit blocks when they were right at the sides or up high.He upped the difficulty again and found himself moving even more—only to reach the blocks, he wasn’t actually dancing or anything. The pace of the blocks was almost frantic, and he quickly bombed out of the level. He tried again and again, quickly losing track of time as he became determined to get to the end of the level. Once he’d finished it, he set himself a goal to hit all the blocks in the right direction.He wasn’t sure how many times he played it through. Being within the virtual world meant he was completely absorbed in what he was doing. He’d worked up a sweat, his heart beat faster and adrenaline made him buzz. He’d learnt the words to the song and was singing along to it. He was moving more now, his body reacting to the music as well as the blocks that flew at him. It was fun.It was only when his stomach rumbled that he wondered how long he’d been playing. When he got to the end of the level, he stopped and carefully took off the headset. Dylan was sitting on the sofa. Callum glanced around, but there were no pizza boxes in sight. He hadn’t smelt any food either, but he’d needed to be sure.“You never left, did you?”Dylan shrugged. “You look like you’ve been having fun.”Callum scowled. “You tricked me.”“Maybe, but it gave you the freedom to let loose, didn’t it?”Callum stared at the headset in his hands.“I told you the game would get you moving.”“I still can’t dance.”“You should have seen yourself, darling. You’ve got a good sense of rhythm and some moves.”
About the Author
Colette’s personal love story began at university, where she met her future husband. An evening of flirting, in the shadow of Lancaster castle, eventually led to a fairytale wedding. She’s enjoying her own ‘happy ever after’ in the north of England with her husband, two beautiful children and her writing.
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