Runner

I really loved this book. It was easy to read and I loved Matt and Charlie. I love it – sweet, caring and loving. I would totally recommend this book.

This new book from Parker was such a creative premise to write from. To write from the perspective of Matt, with all his trauma, and his extreme OCD really draws in the reader. I honestly was hooked from the very first page.

Matt, having been through such a trauma literally turned everyone and everything away, including his family. What a tragic start to young adulthood. And to not have any human contact, and not search any out, what a sad existence. On top of it, he didn't even venture outside his own set of books, almost as if time literally stopped for him from that moment on.

I loved how Charlie came into his life. Not with any forcefulness, merely a presence who ran by his home...for months, allowing Matt to see him not as a threat, but almost as a part of the landscape outside his window. Happening at the same time every day, in the same direction, until one day he doesn't, and Matt's world turns upside down even more.

Their relationship took time, and I loved the fact that finally Matt was able to face his demons, fighting through every step of the way, because he wanted to be there, not merely because Charlie wanted him to be there.

At the end of the book, I found myself confused, not quite understanding the timing of how things happened, and in fact, I thought things happened in a different order. It left me wondering if I had missed a piece or if a chapter was moved. 

In the end, though, I really enjoyed this book, and I loved the way Matt kept fighting to find himself back in the world, with his family, with his love, and mostly with the person he wanted to become. Well done.

4 pieces of eye candy

There's a joy I have found in reading a Parker Williams book. I always know I'm in for excellent storytelling with real life issues and complex, strong, but equally vulnerable characters. The description for ‘Runner’ grabbed me right from the start. Mental illness is a serious issue and it's often relegated to the back burner, regardless of how many times society has paid for its disinterest in the loss of lives. I was prepared to care deeply for Matt and I knew I'd be rooting for him all the way.

Matt broke my heart. Something horrible happened to him when he was sixteen and his mind’s way of coping was to ensure everything, his belongings, his environment, etc., are always in their correct place. He suffers from severe panic attacks and lives far enough out of town that he never has to see people. When the runner shows up he throws Matt’s carefully constructed world into a frenzy. As the months go by, however, Matt realizes that Charlie has become a part of his routine and world. Thus begin Matt’s tenuous steps to friendship and actually talking to someone, other than his brother on the phone.

“I’d always thought of myself as strong because I didn’t need anyone. The lies we tell ourselves are the most damning ones of all, because after a time we start to believe them. The truth had always been too terrible to contemplate. My fears controlled me…. I had never been strong, not once since the incident.”

It takes an accident for Matt to realize how very much Charlie makes him feel safe and how much Matt has come to care about him. What progresses is one of the sweetest love stories I have read in a very long time. Seeing Matt rediscover himself and his joy in the world around him is beautifully done. Matt has many issues and Charlie isn't perfect, but the important thing is that they're perfect for each other.

A wonderful book that I'm so glad I got the chance to read. Matt and Charlie left a footprint on my heart that I'll not forget anytime soon.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews

I really enjoyed this book. Matt's story broke my heart a little, ok, more than a little.. I was immediately drawn into the story & became invested in Matt's life. I felt his pain as he struggles with his anxiety & feeling like he's letting his family down. His fear of change is real as he tries to adjust to have Charlie in his world.

I liked & enjoyed all of the characters in the book. The secondary characters really made the story. Clay is a great brother trying to help Matt the only way he knows.

This book has all the feels. A great journey about love, family, coping & healing. I happily recommend.

Oh wow! There are not many books that move me so much I would read over and over but this is one. It is very close if not the top in my favorites list of this year. I loved both Matt and Charlie and even Clay Matt's brother. And this cover? Oh yes!

Matt has had a bad experience in high school that wrecked his life. Now he lives way out in the country alone. He has a bad case of OCD and PTSD. He doesn't deal with people at all, lives off his land, growing his own food, canning, freezing, etc. I admire Matt a lot. and yet my heart goes out to him.

A Runner beings running on his road and disrupt his schedule. He calls his brother Clay the local sheriff to get him to get the runner off his property. Clay makes a deal that he would talk to the man if Matt gets his name forcing Matt to go out and talk to him.

Charley is a writer and has gotten out of a bad relationship. He and Matt become friends.

This story is very heart-wrenching. I was sucked in from the beginning and couldn't put it down! I loved all the characters; I loved Matt and my heart went out to him. I could relate to him and wanted to hug him. I admired Charley but there was a twist that shocked me and I cried for Matt. The storyline is beautiful, the story well written and I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone that loves M/M contemporary romance!