Terrence: A Short Story (Under Ground #0.8) by Alice Rachel
Review by Lauren
source: copy from Xpresso Book Tours
Purchase Links – Barnes n Noble and Amazon
Official Summary (find on Goodreads): Bullying is nothing new to Terrence Young. The teasing and harassment are constant. His family is less than understanding as well. To them, Terrence chose to be gay and complicate their lives. Their little rejections sting and cut him deeply.
But when the Deviance Act is passed, Terrence’s life takes a turn for the worse overnight. Under the new law, a mere look, a simple touch, or a small kiss in public could mean death. Terrence attempts to hide his orientation to survive. That is until a gang attacks him in a bar and Chase Martinez interferes.
Chase is gorgeous, kind-hearted, and he’s a rebel in the Underground—all qualities that attract Terrence so much there is no stopping the fall. Loving Chase might be dangerous, but Terrence is done living in fear and letting others dictate what is right for him.
Review: Terrence is a short story within the Under Ground books. This is the first book I’ve read but I am very much curious about the other characters and the world that they live in, so I might have to check out more. While it says this is a short story, Terrence is essentially a novella. It’s a quick read all around though!
Terrence lives in a world where the Deviance Act exists, which means that anyone who identifies as LGBT+ can be killed on sight. It’s absolutely horrible. Terrence tries to keep his head down, but he’s not someone that can really hide who he is, so he’s often bullied and beat up. Even his father and sister don’t seem to care about him, making comments about him not being a real man and wishing he could just stop pretending he’s gay.
If being #LGBGT was punishable by death...would you risk it for love? #bookreview Share on XHe meets Chase, who is part of the Underground, and also happens to be bisexual. The two get along really well though Chase is wary about starting a real relationship. One thing to note about this story is that while the characters are adults, the physical aspect of their relationship doesn’t go much further than what most YA books have. There is build up and then a fade to black. This isn’t a complaint – rather it’s something to point out if you are wary about books being too explicit. That’s definitely not the case here.
The book does end in a cliffhanger, but I reached out about this and the author noted that some things had to stop at the end of this story so as not to spoil other books/stories. I was given the following information:
Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)
A paperback copy of Terrence’s Story and an Amazon $25.00 gift card
If this doesn’t work, use this link to enter.
Oh wow, the Deviance Act sounds absolutely terrifying.
Great review! This sounds like a quick and intriguing read! Glad you liked it! 🙂
Wow Deviance sounds good and I am a fan of cliffhangers! Thanks for sharing.
I like the cover a lot.
For What It’s Worth
Wow, what a concept for a novel. I really like the sound of this one.
What a powerful tweet. That really caught my attention and made me think.
Awesome review, Lauren. I like the sound of it, especially the message behind it. So powerful.
Sounds like an interesting series!
Hi from Deanna’s World. Glad to visit as part of the #getsocial17 event.
Always like your reviews. Like the tweet too 🙂
Very well written review. Short reads can be fun, especially for busy schedules
That tweet was extremely thought provoking. Great review!
Wow!! That tweet is so thought provoking and powerful!