~ Outside ~

Author: Nicky James
Title: Outside
Series: Death Row Chronicles 2
Pages: 252
Relase date: 2020 March 13
Add it on: Goodreads
Buy it on: Amazon
Rating: ★★★★⍣ (4,75)


Blurb: 

Twenty years ago, the crash gates slammed shut on Bishop Ndiaye’s life when he was sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit. His life became a waiting game while he sat on death row in one of the country’s worst prisons waiting for his warrant to be signed and his inevitable walk to the death chamber.

But it never happened.

Anson Miller’s arrival into Bishop’s life changed everything, and with nothing more than a hope and a prayer and a kickass lawyer, Bishop fought for his freedom and won.

But how do you reintegrate into a world you no longer know?

Twenty years has brought a lot of change.

Bishop needs to relearn the world, but it isn’t easy when his face has become front-page news, and his story is whispered in every crowd.

Not only does Bishop find himself suffering from severe trauma after his prolonged sentence, but he’s discovered the world on the outside may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

Some days, it’s like he’s exchanged one prison for another.

As if that’s not overwhelming enough, Bishop walked out of prison into the arms of a man he knows he loves, but he’s never explored this part of himself before and hardly knows where to begin. Navigating a relationship, technology, anxiety, and people is overwhelming. The cracks in Bishop’s foundation start to show, and the big man doesn’t know where to turn for help.

Was this whole ordeal worth it?

Maybe he was better off on the inside.

My review: 

When you think everything is perfect and the characters are the happiest ever - don't. We talk about Nicky James ffs.

This book was so not what I thought it would be, but not in a bad way. I never, ever thought about the way how Bishop would live outside. I, the naive one, thought just like I said - everything pink and unicornc everywhere. Then comes the real world and I have to wake up - yes, it's real.

And this is the best thing about Nicky's writings. Everything IS real. You want fluffy unicorns, you get the real world instead. The real, dark and bad world, where the people hates and fears ex-cons. Where you can't go shopping for bananas, because people fears. And they don't care that your fear is bigger and theirs are false, it just happens.

I hurt so much for Bishop. The everydays struggles were so much and so hard. And at some point I hated Ansen, becaues he was blind to Bishop's stuggle. Especially when he texted with acronyms - insert eyeroll here!-. 

I loved reading this book, because it gives so much and it turns your world upside down. You'll think about your life, and see everything from a different angle. You imagine yourself in Bishop's place and thinks what would you do. 

I don't know how Nicky did it, but it was so perfect. Bishop was perfect. And the road Bishop went throug was long and painful, but there was Ansen, the light in the dark. 

Their love was a bit in the background, this book was mostly about Bishop and how to live outside, but the romance was still there. And how good those scenes were. I love how Nicky writes those romantic and erotic scenes. I always struggle with breathing and my body is always hot as hell, even if there only just a kiss! SOOOOO good!

Loved reading the Death Row books, both the first and second. It's a unique and perfect series. Just the typical Nicky James. You get the HEA, but you need to suffer for it.