Book Review: Hushed by Kelley York

Hushed by Kelley York
Release Date: December 6, 2011
Publisher: Entangled Publishing; 260 pages

He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

I would like to thank Entangled Publishing for sending me a copy of this ARC to review. I’ve never heard of this book nor knew what to expect but I can assure you, it surprised the hell out of me. I took the PDF file with me to work and I did absolutely no work while I was there. I just sat in front of the computer so engrossed in this story.

I was so invested with this story that I sat at my computer until 4 am reading it until my eye sight became blurry. I knew it was time to get some sleep & finish it the next morning. I really didn’t want to but I had no choice – I need to be able to see the computer screen in order to read ;)

This book was so good I’m having trouble putting how I feel into words. It’s made me speechless. Which is saying a lot. I talk and talk and talk about great books I’ve read. I’ve already recommended this book to many of my friends. But let me start my review here. This is the first gay YA book I have read. Now, I’ve read books like The Mortal Instruments that have gay characters in them but they are not the main characters. (If you know me, Magnus & Alec are seriously my favorite pairing in Cassandra Clare’s series) No matter if the characters are straight or gay shouldn’t matter. It’s the love that’s between the two love interests that make the story. And the relationship between Archer and Evan is just . . . beautiful.

Archer is in love with his best friend, Vivian. He’d do anything for her. He has done so much for her that she doesn’t even know about. He’s killed for her. The problem with this relationship is Vivian doesn’t see what is right in front of her. She’s attracted to the wrong guys; the guys, who cheat, beat her and who knows what else. Then comes along the new guy he meets on campus, Evan. He’s very shy but sweet and affectionate. You can see that about him from the first meeting between Archer and him. It makes you like him right off the bat.

The build up between these two characters is slow and gradual but it’s real. It’s not love at first site or anything. In fact, Archer doesn’t know what he feels when it comes to Evan. He knows he likes being around him, loves his company but isn’t sure how deep those feelings go. Having Vivian getting into trouble all the time doesn’t help him trying to figure out his feelings.

Archer is such a tormented character. I seriously wanted to give him a hug so many times during this story. He’s got a place in my heart. He’s such a great guy but so damaged from things that happened to him earlier in his life. He’s a tough cookie.

*highlight to view spoiler* And may I just comment on how HOT that shower scene was?! Oh.My.Gosh. It completely blew me away. For some reason, I never expected that from Evan. From Archer, I definitely could've seen him initiate something like that but for Evan to be so bold, holy hell. I have a massive crush on this couple. And an insane amount of love for them. *spoiler*

I can’t even tell you how much I loved this. I’m so grateful Entangled Publishing sent this to me. It’s definitely one I’m going buy (I like having the physical books, yeah – I’m old school like that) and its one I’m going to recommend to just about anyone. That includes you. Kelley York is definitely an author I’m going to be keeping my eye on, especially for her future projects. Thank you Kelley, for writing such an amazing book.