Naked Truth

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Synopsis

After years of being sexually trafficked and abused, Liam Newman finally feels more in control of his life. He likes his job as a go-go dancer, lives in a nice condo, and has an amazing boyfriend in Justin Evans, even though Justin's new job leaves far less time for them to be together. But when one of his fellow dancers approaches Liam, asking if he'll introduce him to his porn star "brother" and help him get into the industry, Liam can't in good conscience send someone he knows down the same road of exploitation that he so recently traveled. He knows he has to come clean to the guy about it being himself in the porn videos he saw, but it isn't easy. With help from Justin and a new friend he meets at their apartment's gym, who understands what Liam has been through, he manages to work up the courage. Liam finally tells the truth, only to discover that the ex-boyfriend who'd exploited him is still uploading old videos of him, leaving him feeling like he'll never be able to escape his porn star past. However, Liam's emotional crisis over this leads to Justin making positive changes to his work schedule to be there for him, and a little bit of closure on his past life helps Liam take steps forward in his relationship with Justin.

Review

Naked Truth is the third book in D.P. Denman's Saving Liam series that continues the story of Liam and Justin a short while after the second book left off. Both Liam and Justin love their new condo, although Justin's promotion to hotel manager keeps him busy and their schedules don't really match up. That means they can't spend as much time together anymore. For the most part, Liam likes his job as a go-go dancer at the strip club where he works. Although the women pawing at him can be a little annoying sometimes, it doesn't freak him out the same way it would if strange men were doing the same. When one of the other dancers approaches him about talking to his "brother" about getting into porn, Liam realizes he's probably going to have to come clean about his sordid past in order to keep another person from going down the same road of exploitation he experienced in the industry, but it's a struggle. Liam chances to meet a guy at the gym in their apartment building. They hit it off and become great friends, leading to Liam and Justin being able to spend quality time with the new friend and his husband. When his fellow dancer hits Liam up again about the porn referral, Liam finally comes clean, only to discover that Cord (his ex-boyfriend and abuser) is apparently still posting old scenes of him and passing them off as new. It troubles Liam greatly to know that he may never be able to fully leave that life behind, which leads to some positive changes in Justin's work schedule as he realizes that he needs to be there for Liam more. Eventually Liam gets a small bit of closure on his past life, as well, which helps him to move forward in his relationship with Justin.

Although I'm a little uncertain as to how much time has passed between books two and three, little has changed in Liam and Justin's lives when the story opens. They still have the same jobs, but are struggling a bit to find enough time together because of their different work schedules. Liam has continued his work as a go-go dancer, something he's comfortable with, because he feels that if anyone recognizes him from his porn star past, it will be less of an issue than it would be in another job. I was happy seeing Liam making a new friend, someone who has a troubled past himself and can relate to some of the things Liam has been through to the extent that he's comfortable sharing. Liam gradually becomes a little more confident in himself. In the previous book, he never would have been okay with sharing his past with anyone, but when his fellow dancer starts making noise about getting into porn, Liam screws up the courage to tell him the truth. He's also slowly becoming more confident in his relationship with Justin. One thing that has changed is that Liam has become more sexually assertive than he used to be. He and Justin have a fun and active sex life with Liam topping. Someday Liam wants to bottom again, but the thought still makes him anxious, something that he starts to work through in this installment. However, a lot of old memories get stirred up when he discovers that Cord is out there still posting "new" videos of him that were filmed a long time ago. This becomes something that he must try to get past. Overall, Liam had a lot of growth in this book, but there are still a few things he'll have to figure out before he and Justin hopefully get a solid HEA in the final book.

For his part, Justin is still the perfect, supportive boyfriend, maybe a little too perfect, but I'm hardly complaining. He's always understanding of all of Liam's hangups and struggles. He's content with bottoming for now, loving all the things that Liam does to him. Although he'd like to be able to top again someday, he never pressures Liam for anything he's not comfortable with, always taking his time to be sweet and gentle. The one area where he maybe falters just a bit is in letting his work get in the way of seeing when Liam is upset and struggling, but once he realizes how much Liam really needs him, he makes the necessary adjustments to be there more. Justin is simply a sweet, kind, loving, romantic guy who wants to be everything Liam needs. He loves him more and more with each day that passes and wants to make their relationship more permanent, although Liam is going to have to decide if that's what he wants, too, since he's a bit wary of commitment.

Overall, Naked Truth was another enjoyable installment in the Saving Liam series. I liked seeing Liam growing and changing throughout the book and how Justin is still there by his side, giving him unrelenting patience and love as he faces the new challenges that crop up. The one area where I thought the author could have made the story stronger is when Liam discovers that Cord is still posting videos of him. The emotional aspects were very much on point, but all along, I've been craving a comeuppance for Cord (and maybe Liam's rapist, too). However, while she does give Liam a tiny bit of closure, I thought that perhaps allowing him to face his abuser in some way would have been more interesting and satisfying. Instead, I felt like she kind of took the easy way out, without truly giving Liam finality. I'm not sure if she's saving this for the last book or not. I certainly hope so, as it would really give me a sense of Liam being able to genuinely move forward without any encumbrances to hold him back anymore. This is the only reason I knocked this installment down to a four-star rating. Otherwise, everything else was great. I liked that Liam and Justin found new friends in Blue and Brady (from the author's Blue series). I also loved that Liam finally gets over one of the big hurdles he's been trying to surmount. Naked Truth very much left me looking forward to the final book, Bare Threads, in which we'll find out whether Liam and Justin take the next steps in their relationship and whether Liam will finally get real closure on the past.

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Themes

Beta Heroes
Tortured Heroes