Safe and Sound by E.M. Lindsey, Wander Aguiar (Photographer)

When I was approved for this title, I was a little weary. I fell for EM Lindsey's writing with Love Him Free but had a really hard time with their latest books. I was not sure if I would actually like it or not, to be honest.

I have never been as happy to be as wrong as I was. I read this entire book in one day. I could not put it down.

In here we have Regan, who was so horribly treated his entire life that I wanted to wrap him up and keep him safe. Then there was Isaac, who was so honestly good that it made my heart hurt.

These two met when they were young and loved each other as only young people can. Regan believed in whitefanging very much when it came to actually having a relationship with Isaac, and pushed him away. Isaac, thinking that Regan just forgot about him, went on with his life.

What Isaac didn't know what that Regan was deaf and would soon end up in prison for something that he did not do. He was railroaded into pleading guilty - and I have to point out here that no one cared that he could not hear. They called him a liar and pretty much just locked him up and threw away the key. No accommodation was made for him at all, to the point that he didn't even know how long he was sentenced to cause he could not hear the sentence. Eventually a group that helps the hard of hearing came to help in the prison and taught Regan how to use sign language. Let me say that I am using the lowercase d on purpose, as Regan did not think of himself as Deaf, but as deaf.

Anyways, Regan gets out and starts to build his life back up in the same horrible small town that ruined it.

Meanwhile, its 20 years later and Isaac had become a famous writer. He had writers block so his publisher made him move back to his small town to see if that would help. Side note - I did not know publishers could do that. When he got back to town, he found out that both his parents and sister (who had actually treated Regan well during childhood) did not like him and was happy he went to prison. Isaac did what we all hope that characters do, he cut them off immediately. No hemming, no hawing, he just totally chose Regan without them even talking yet.

Regan does not suddenly become whole when they get together, prison life is not someone one can just forget and Isaac still has his own issues.

I honestly loved this story, I just wish it was set in the same Colorado town as the Irons and Works series just so Regan could be with people (outside of Isaac) who would treat him with respect.