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booksafety 's review for:
Never Stay Gone
by Tal Bauer
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.
His first kiss in his whole life, and it was with the boy he loved with every atom of his being.
This book was somehow way out of my comfort zone while also being right in the middle of it. If you’re new here, Tal Bauer is my favorite author, but he also scares the shit outta me a lot, and I’ve been avoiding this one because of the second chance.
Me vs second chance:

Anyway. While the second chance aspect hurt, I didn’t die! A miracle. It was fucking sad as shit and I legit hiccup cried a couple times, but it was somehow also low angst? Don’t ask me to explain. While Shane was indeed a bit of an idiot at times and I don’t really agree with his reasoning for leaving Dakota, I didn’t end up disliking him like I feared I would.
Dakota broke my heart, especially any and all flashbacks to the past. Literally all he ever wanted was to love Shane and support him in whatever he wanted to do. It might be 13 years later, but nothing has changed. I mean, they’re not 18 years old anymore so they’ve changed as people in some ways, but they were still perfect for each other.
You’ve changed, Dakota.
Yeah, well, a man changes when his heart breaks all the way through.
Everything is big in Texas, even the drama and murder mysteries. I had a slight idea about whodunnit eventually and I was right, but it was also way more complicated than I thought so it was fun figuring out the full picture. Tal is the king of romantic suspense, and I’m willing to do heinous things just to have him write another one.
If any other author tried to write the way Talifer does I would likely call it melodramatic and sappy — and not in a good way — but when Tal does it, it’s epic and romantic. No one else does what he does.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Second chance
Law enforcement
Romantic suspense
Murder mystery
Texas Ranger MC
High-school boyfriends
Southern boys
Small town
Closeted MC
First times
Hands-free orgasms
Serial killer mystery
Crying during sex
Mortal peril
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Graphic details of decaying corpses
Details of past gunshot injury and shootout
Some details of underage sex between MCs (past)
Alcohol consumption
SC with a drinking problem
MC assumed cheated on by fiancé (not other MC)
Pregnant murder victim
Mentions of parent death (past, cancer)
Homophobic parent
Past physical abuse by parent
Explicit sexual content
Smoking cigarettes
MC’s ex fiancé murdered
Gun violence
On-page murder
MC severely injured (gunshot wound)
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: Shane is engaged to a woman for a while, but he doesn’t love her romantically. They are not intimate in any way during the book and haven’t been for a good while before the story starts. They end their relationship before anything happens between Shane and Dakota.
The book opens with Dakota in a club, making out with another man in a bar hookup. They don’t get past kissing/touching/grinding before they’re interrupted.
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual
Genre: Romantic suspense
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile (no on-page switching in present time)
Main characters’ age: 31 and 31
Series: Standalone (as per now)
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 361
Happy ending: Yes
“I loved you with everythin’ I was, Shane. Every beat of my heart belonged to you. All I wanted was to be by your side. I didn’t want anythin’ else out of this life ’cept to love you for all of it.”
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?igsh=MWZ3azhkdDc2Y2ludg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
His first kiss in his whole life, and it was with the boy he loved with every atom of his being.
This book was somehow way out of my comfort zone while also being right in the middle of it. If you’re new here, Tal Bauer is my favorite author, but he also scares the shit outta me a lot, and I’ve been avoiding this one because of the second chance.
Me vs second chance:

Anyway. While the second chance aspect hurt, I didn’t die! A miracle. It was fucking sad as shit and I legit hiccup cried a couple times, but it was somehow also low angst? Don’t ask me to explain. While Shane was indeed a bit of an idiot at times and I don’t really agree with his reasoning for leaving Dakota, I didn’t end up disliking him like I feared I would.
Dakota broke my heart, especially any and all flashbacks to the past. Literally all he ever wanted was to love Shane and support him in whatever he wanted to do. It might be 13 years later, but nothing has changed. I mean, they’re not 18 years old anymore so they’ve changed as people in some ways, but they were still perfect for each other.
You’ve changed, Dakota.
Yeah, well, a man changes when his heart breaks all the way through.
Everything is big in Texas, even the drama and murder mysteries. I had a slight idea about whodunnit eventually and I was right, but it was also way more complicated than I thought so it was fun figuring out the full picture. Tal is the king of romantic suspense, and I’m willing to do heinous things just to have him write another one.
If any other author tried to write the way Talifer does I would likely call it melodramatic and sappy — and not in a good way — but when Tal does it, it’s epic and romantic. No one else does what he does.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Second chance
Law enforcement
Romantic suspense
Murder mystery
Texas Ranger MC
High-school boyfriends
Southern boys
Small town
Closeted MC
First times
Hands-free orgasms
Serial killer mystery
Crying during sex
Mortal peril
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Graphic details of decaying corpses
Details of past gunshot injury and shootout
Some details of underage sex between MCs (past)
Alcohol consumption
SC with a drinking problem
MC assumed cheated on by fiancé (not other MC)
Pregnant murder victim
Mentions of parent death (past, cancer)
Homophobic parent
Past physical abuse by parent
Explicit sexual content
Smoking cigarettes
MC’s ex fiancé murdered
Gun violence
On-page murder
MC severely injured (gunshot wound)
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: Shane is engaged to a woman for a while, but he doesn’t love her romantically. They are not intimate in any way during the book and haven’t been for a good while before the story starts. They end their relationship before anything happens between Shane and Dakota.
The book opens with Dakota in a club, making out with another man in a bar hookup. They don’t get past kissing/touching/grinding before they’re interrupted.
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual
Genre: Romantic suspense
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile (no on-page switching in present time)
Main characters’ age: 31 and 31
Series: Standalone (as per now)
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 361
Happy ending: Yes
“I loved you with everythin’ I was, Shane. Every beat of my heart belonged to you. All I wanted was to be by your side. I didn’t want anythin’ else out of this life ’cept to love you for all of it.”
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?igsh=MWZ3azhkdDc2Y2ludg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr