kaje_harper's review
5.0
...
Damn.
Reading these books of The Lost and Founds is a bit like having a King weekend with Vin Vanbly. If you've come this far in the series, to book 5, you know what I mean.
They're never quite what I expect. These tales slip away from me, just when I think I have a grasp on what the story is and where it's going. They surprise me, tickling laughter and gut punching tears from me in ways that are logical, afterward, but so unexpected in the moment that the strength of my reaction is a total surprise. The emotional ride is intense, but it demands that I let go and not steer. The words are wise and silly and deep and playful, and seem to know more about where the resonances are than is possible.
They are frustrating. The ordinary, expected, and yes, well-loved, tropes of romance are set up and then knocked over or left hanging, like a balloon snagged in a tree halfway to the sky. But then later in the story a young man comes along who can just reach that balloon and he grasps it and his eyes light up and you realize that this - this - is why that bit of the story didn't fly into the heavens like it was expected to. Because it was there for a different reason, to bring joy to this person's face, to reveal something that needed to be seen... Pain is present, taboos pushed aside but by love, not disregard. (Do read the warnings page if you have triggers.) So much is shown to us. This is a story and an experience, a four-part collage of big stretches of plot and emotions that each had an arc, and made emotional sense together when I stepped back from the end of it.
This book opens with Vin Vanbly taking a new, somehow desperate-feeling chance with his life. He's given in to Mark, a young man who wants a sex weekend, a first time experience only Vin could create, to be loved (and left) as only Vin loves. But this kind of weekend and this relationship of a couple of intense sex-and-love days is not Vin's usual thing. He's not in control and the script is not his, there's no long surveillance prep, no delving into a man's psyche, no pre-planned surprises sprung to open the rusted-shut gates to a man's kingdom.
Why? Who is Mark, this young guy who at first seems like just a sweet, hot man a decade younger than Vin, but who gradually reveals a strength of mind, a purposeful playfulness, that's a match for Vin's own? How did they end up doing this un-Vin-like thing together?
Then, when I was really becoming attached to Mark, but at a very logical break in the story, the tale jumps back in time to a previous kinging, a different man, and a Vin leading up to the one who said yes to a sex-weekend with Mark. And that shift - a move I often hate -is somehow okay, because the burning questions of how/what/why made me eager to see what came before.
And then the book teases. It gives me the full story of another man, another Lost and Found king. The parts that tell me about Vin - why he's falling apart around Mark, how the play with words that was a tool is becoming a threat, where the desperation came from that made him change a decades-long MO for Mark - those bits are buried in this other story, nuggets in the drama. Such a good story, I flip between loving that part and searching for the clues to Mark, and the Vin who was with Mark. Damn you, Edmond Manning.
And then we flip again. And don't end up where I expected. (Why am I still expecting??)
The story moves forward in time in two leaps, skipping things I wanted to see, and yet revealing things I needed to see. We learn who Mark is by what he does and how he feels. We find out about Vin - his name, his past - many of the dark and bright secrets that were hinted at in briefly-glimpsed moments between the action of the other four stories. Not everything, because it would (or will, hopefully? Yes, Edmond?) take a dozen books to cover the life of Vin Vanbly. But we're told enough to close this book with a deep sigh, feeling that Vin is safe in our hearts and Mark's.
We were promised a HEA for Vin, and he gets it. The road to it is rocky, and many of the rocks are boulders Vin himself drags out of the rubble of his past and drops in his own way. But that rubble... he didn't create that, only lived in it. My heart ached for Vin, for the boy and man he was, and for a truthbomb reminder that is dropped - there is nothing special, nothing unique, in Vin's awful past. There are children out there, now, living that life. The book opens my heart wider to all of that, and it hurts. May they each find a Malcolm, a Mark, or a Vin himself, in their lives. And then sweet honey is dripped onto that wound, as Vin and Mark rework their love, together.
Such a great book. Thanks, Edmond, for bringing Vin to a safe harbor here. You do know you still have to keep writing, though, right???
Damn.
Reading these books of The Lost and Founds is a bit like having a King weekend with Vin Vanbly. If you've come this far in the series, to book 5, you know what I mean.
They're never quite what I expect. These tales slip away from me, just when I think I have a grasp on what the story is and where it's going. They surprise me, tickling laughter and gut punching tears from me in ways that are logical, afterward, but so unexpected in the moment that the strength of my reaction is a total surprise. The emotional ride is intense, but it demands that I let go and not steer. The words are wise and silly and deep and playful, and seem to know more about where the resonances are than is possible.
They are frustrating. The ordinary, expected, and yes, well-loved, tropes of romance are set up and then knocked over or left hanging, like a balloon snagged in a tree halfway to the sky. But then later in the story a young man comes along who can just reach that balloon and he grasps it and his eyes light up and you realize that this - this - is why that bit of the story didn't fly into the heavens like it was expected to. Because it was there for a different reason, to bring joy to this person's face, to reveal something that needed to be seen... Pain is present, taboos pushed aside but by love, not disregard. (Do read the warnings page if you have triggers.) So much is shown to us. This is a story and an experience, a four-part collage of big stretches of plot and emotions that each had an arc, and made emotional sense together when I stepped back from the end of it.
This book opens with Vin Vanbly taking a new, somehow desperate-feeling chance with his life. He's given in to Mark, a young man who wants a sex weekend, a first time experience only Vin could create, to be loved (and left) as only Vin loves. But this kind of weekend and this relationship of a couple of intense sex-and-love days is not Vin's usual thing. He's not in control and the script is not his, there's no long surveillance prep, no delving into a man's psyche, no pre-planned surprises sprung to open the rusted-shut gates to a man's kingdom.
Why? Who is Mark, this young guy who at first seems like just a sweet, hot man a decade younger than Vin, but who gradually reveals a strength of mind, a purposeful playfulness, that's a match for Vin's own? How did they end up doing this un-Vin-like thing together?
Then, when I was really becoming attached to Mark, but at a very logical break in the story, the tale jumps back in time to a previous kinging, a different man, and a Vin leading up to the one who said yes to a sex-weekend with Mark. And that shift - a move I often hate -is somehow okay, because the burning questions of how/what/why made me eager to see what came before.
And then the book teases. It gives me the full story of another man, another Lost and Found king. The parts that tell me about Vin - why he's falling apart around Mark, how the play with words that was a tool is becoming a threat, where the desperation came from that made him change a decades-long MO for Mark - those bits are buried in this other story, nuggets in the drama. Such a good story, I flip between loving that part and searching for the clues to Mark, and the Vin who was with Mark. Damn you, Edmond Manning.
And then we flip again. And don't end up where I expected. (Why am I still expecting??)
The story moves forward in time in two leaps, skipping things I wanted to see, and yet revealing things I needed to see. We learn who Mark is by what he does and how he feels. We find out about Vin - his name, his past - many of the dark and bright secrets that were hinted at in briefly-glimpsed moments between the action of the other four stories. Not everything, because it would (or will, hopefully? Yes, Edmond?) take a dozen books to cover the life of Vin Vanbly. But we're told enough to close this book with a deep sigh, feeling that Vin is safe in our hearts and Mark's.
We were promised a HEA for Vin, and he gets it. The road to it is rocky, and many of the rocks are boulders Vin himself drags out of the rubble of his past and drops in his own way. But that rubble... he didn't create that, only lived in it. My heart ached for Vin, for the boy and man he was, and for a truthbomb reminder that is dropped - there is nothing special, nothing unique, in Vin's awful past. There are children out there, now, living that life. The book opens my heart wider to all of that, and it hurts. May they each find a Malcolm, a Mark, or a Vin himself, in their lives. And then sweet honey is dripped onto that wound, as Vin and Mark rework their love, together.
Such a great book. Thanks, Edmond, for bringing Vin to a safe harbor here. You do know you still have to keep writing, though, right???
the_novel_approach's review
5.0
When the rumblings began to surface that Vin Vanbly’s real name was going to be revealed in the next installment of author Edmond Manning’s Lost And Founds series, I was intrigued. When there were further ripples in the kinging pond that readers might also find out more about Vin’s past—who he really was, how he came to be the guy that kinged others but never felt he himself would ever be worthy, I moved toward cautious excitement. Finally, when the waves crested and it was nearly verified Vin might actually discover his true love and maybe, just maybe, have a happy ever after? Well, it was then I began to beg to review this novel. I am happy to report that much of the above is true—I did get to review this book, we do find out Vin’s real name, and we do learn more about his past…the love bit? Well, I can’t give it all away, but suffice it to say that the underground movement that has been entreating Mr. Manning to please give Vin at least a moment of happiness in one of these installments—yeah, he heard them, and then some.
If you have read Edmond Manning’s Lost And Founds series, then you will have no difficulty following this book and remembering some of the many side characters that move in and out of the various chapters. If you haven’t read any of the others, then I fear this book will not have the impact it could have, and that would be a shame. I am not going to give the store away in this review. Rather, I am going to highlight why this book, like the others in the series, manages to grab hold of the imagination to the point where you become personally involved in the lives of each person that comes across its pages.
Vin is not just some character; he is your long-suffering best friend who deserves so much more than life has dealt him thus far. To understand this man is to realize that he lives to help others discover who they were meant to be, who they have always been and the only way he can do that is to love them with a single minded devotion while systematically breaking them down.
“Your beauty is that you see men for who they really are.”
These words uttered by soon to be King Fitch, aka Kevin, sums up exactly who Vin really is and why those whose lives he touches love him in return. It takes a selfless man to pursue bringing out the beauty in those around him. Don’t get me wrong, Vin has his fair share of flaws, perhaps the most noted is his inability to see his own self-worth. However, when you are single-handedly bent on restoring a lost King to greatness, your own needs often fall to the wayside. Vin is continually warring with his desires—not the least of which is to love and be loved, and to be found…worthy. The beauty of Come Back To Me is that we finally get to see that happen—love finds our Vin and it is so very sweet. Unfortunately, along that journey we are also made privy to the most intimate moments of Vin’s dark and quite often horrible past. And because of that we, are able to love him even more.
There are three distinct stories in this book. First there is a kinging—the aforementioned Kevin. Then we have Vin falling in love…more on that in a moment. And finally, the revealing of Vin’s past and how he came to have an older brother, Malcolm. The kinging is classic Manning style, just slightly condensed and yet no less captivating. Fitch (Kevin), is a man who has been used to loving and leaving a host of men, all while maintaining a perfect physique and a shallow heart. His glorious finding is a king’s story worth reading.
The story of Vin’s past is the most difficult to read, not just because there is violence and rape that is heard but not visually seen or described in the text, but because we learn of it while Vin allows his brother Malcolm to reveal that–plus so much more–to the man Vin has fallen in love with and yet is certain he will lose. Vin is sure in that idea because he is a person used to loss, from a very young age. It is a terrible thing when a man feels he has no family—no real place to call his home. You see, for Vin, four walls (which he does indeed own) do not make a home. Love does that, being “found” does that, building a life with someone does that. And until this novel, all that seemed to be beyond Vin’s grasp. Which leads me to the man who finally sees Vin—truly sees him and the scared young boy lurking inside. I can honestly say Vin being loved by Mark is the most exquisite writing I have ever read. The humor, the tenderness, the crazy role-playing and the premise of their initial meeting make Mark and Vin the most enjoyable partnership to read about. But remember this is Vin we are talking about—the guy who is certain he will never be found, never be good enough, never deserve the happy ever after he so desperately wants.
So, does he get it? Does Vin actually find love and keep it? I will give you one clue…cake. There, I have said enough. You must now grab this book and read it for yourself. I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. Edmond Manning is a consummate storyteller, and in my opinion this is his best novel yet. And honestly, what more could you ask for—a writer who continues to grow and excel in his craft? Come Back To Me is a novel that will exceed all your expectations and affirm the truth that sometimes the underdog gets the win—deservedly so.
Reviewed by Sammy for The Novel Approach Reviews
If you have read Edmond Manning’s Lost And Founds series, then you will have no difficulty following this book and remembering some of the many side characters that move in and out of the various chapters. If you haven’t read any of the others, then I fear this book will not have the impact it could have, and that would be a shame. I am not going to give the store away in this review. Rather, I am going to highlight why this book, like the others in the series, manages to grab hold of the imagination to the point where you become personally involved in the lives of each person that comes across its pages.
Vin is not just some character; he is your long-suffering best friend who deserves so much more than life has dealt him thus far. To understand this man is to realize that he lives to help others discover who they were meant to be, who they have always been and the only way he can do that is to love them with a single minded devotion while systematically breaking them down.
“Your beauty is that you see men for who they really are.”
These words uttered by soon to be King Fitch, aka Kevin, sums up exactly who Vin really is and why those whose lives he touches love him in return. It takes a selfless man to pursue bringing out the beauty in those around him. Don’t get me wrong, Vin has his fair share of flaws, perhaps the most noted is his inability to see his own self-worth. However, when you are single-handedly bent on restoring a lost King to greatness, your own needs often fall to the wayside. Vin is continually warring with his desires—not the least of which is to love and be loved, and to be found…worthy. The beauty of Come Back To Me is that we finally get to see that happen—love finds our Vin and it is so very sweet. Unfortunately, along that journey we are also made privy to the most intimate moments of Vin’s dark and quite often horrible past. And because of that we, are able to love him even more.
There are three distinct stories in this book. First there is a kinging—the aforementioned Kevin. Then we have Vin falling in love…more on that in a moment. And finally, the revealing of Vin’s past and how he came to have an older brother, Malcolm. The kinging is classic Manning style, just slightly condensed and yet no less captivating. Fitch (Kevin), is a man who has been used to loving and leaving a host of men, all while maintaining a perfect physique and a shallow heart. His glorious finding is a king’s story worth reading.
The story of Vin’s past is the most difficult to read, not just because there is violence and rape that is heard but not visually seen or described in the text, but because we learn of it while Vin allows his brother Malcolm to reveal that–plus so much more–to the man Vin has fallen in love with and yet is certain he will lose. Vin is sure in that idea because he is a person used to loss, from a very young age. It is a terrible thing when a man feels he has no family—no real place to call his home. You see, for Vin, four walls (which he does indeed own) do not make a home. Love does that, being “found” does that, building a life with someone does that. And until this novel, all that seemed to be beyond Vin’s grasp. Which leads me to the man who finally sees Vin—truly sees him and the scared young boy lurking inside. I can honestly say Vin being loved by Mark is the most exquisite writing I have ever read. The humor, the tenderness, the crazy role-playing and the premise of their initial meeting make Mark and Vin the most enjoyable partnership to read about. But remember this is Vin we are talking about—the guy who is certain he will never be found, never be good enough, never deserve the happy ever after he so desperately wants.
So, does he get it? Does Vin actually find love and keep it? I will give you one clue…cake. There, I have said enough. You must now grab this book and read it for yourself. I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. Edmond Manning is a consummate storyteller, and in my opinion this is his best novel yet. And honestly, what more could you ask for—a writer who continues to grow and excel in his craft? Come Back To Me is a novel that will exceed all your expectations and affirm the truth that sometimes the underdog gets the win—deservedly so.
Reviewed by Sammy for The Novel Approach Reviews
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