After Arsenic and Rio

Title: After Arsenic and Rio
Author: D.J. Manly
Publisher: eXasty Books
Publisher URL: http://www.extasybooks.com/
ISBN: 978-1-55487-478-1
Genre: {M/M}, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Nymphs
Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Critter Nymph

Marshall’s life is finally something he can be proud of. When his past comes back to haunt him, he has many difficult choices to make.

Angelo has never been able to forget the young man he fell in love with all those years ago, but attempted murder is just too hard to forgive.

When I read Arsenic and Rio, I was totally drawn to Angelo and Marshall, but especially Marshall, who tried so hard to leave behind a life that was tearing him apart. When the story ended, I was devastated that the men did not find the happily ever after I so wanted for them.

When author D.J. Manly’s recently released sequel After Arsenic and Rio came out, I wondered if he would once again put these two men through another angst-filled journey. In some ways he did, while in others he did not. When a monster from Angelo and Marshall’s past rears his head, the men are forced to come face to face for the first time in years. Both men have changed as Marshall finds himself maturing and building a life he can be proud of and with Angelo spending time with the bottle. While I was happy to see how far Marshall had come since the first story, I was surprised by the fact that Angelo had become an alcoholic. Yet, even with everything in their past, the author has made it possible for the reader to see that these two still love each other.

The author’s ability to pull every last bit of emotion from his characters is one of the things that draws readers to his stories. When Angelo and Marshall are once again separated, we can see how it destroys Marshall and the reader knows exactly how he would react should anything happen to Angelo. For Angelo, this time apart is a learning experience and while the things he goes through would traumatize a lesser man, I was glad that he would now know what Marshall went through all those years ago.

As the story ended, I could not help but be overjoyed that these two men, who have been so in love and had many obstacles to overcome, would finally get the ending they so greatly deserved.