Tru Blue by Melissa Foster
Romance Contemporary
November 9, 2016
World Literary Press

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote:
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Are you that big?”

Truman (Tru) Gritt has spent his life trying to protect his family to the extent of going to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. When he is released from prison, he comes home to find his mother dead from a drug overdose, his younger brother in no better condition, and two siblings he had no idea even existed. Truman takes his two younger siblings and admonishes his brother to get help. Now a single parent, he is at a loss on how to raise a baby and toddler, until a young woman steps into help.

Gemma Wright is pure class from the top of her shiny salon done hair to her perfectly pedicured toes. Stepping in to help Truman one night at a local store, Gemma finds herself drawn to this seemingly hard man whose gentleness with his siblings makes her heart swoon. Truman isn’t looking for love right now but Gemma’s persistence pays off and soon he can’t imagine his life without her.

When Truman’s past rears it’s ugly head and all his secrets spill out, he finds himself once again having to choose between his family and his happiness.

Tru Blue is a standalone romance contemporary that exists faintly within Foster’s Love In Bloom series. This sweet, sexy, humorous bittersweet story centers on a man whose whole life has been spent trying to protect his family to the point of almost destroying him. A smooth steady pace starts us off directly in the present while interjecting with memories from the past to allow readers to understand just what Truman has gone through with his highly dysfunctional family.  

Truman is introduced as the stereotypical bad boy with a heart of gold. Once you get to know him, you realize that this bad boy is only bad in his looks and attitude. His hard, tattooed, stoic persona is in direct contrast with the sensitive artist and firm family man who resides within him.  His abusive childhood could have led him down a different path but his innate goodness helps to keep him on the up and up even after his stint in prison. Truman is the ultimate underdog who you will instantly want to champion and protect from the cruel, judgmental world.

“This incredible man should be too damaged to know how to love. Too broken to want to embrace life.”

Gemma is the direct opposite of Truman in almost every sense though their childhoods have some similarities. Both suffered from parental abandonment and abuse though Gemma’s was emotional than physical. A poor little rich girl whose parents spent more time with their social engagements than her. A lifetime of nannies and being cast aside leaves Gemma with a deep emotional void in her heart. Looking for the love, acceptance, and sense of family she was denied as a child, she rejects her family’s money and status, choosing to build and live her life on her own terms.

The main conflict balances well with the opposites attract romance. Heavily character driven, Foster relies on emotion and the hero’s courageous journey through the unknown to propel this story. Foster addresses numerous topics such as drug abuse, alcoholism, infertility, and class issues; intertwining them into the storyline to further appeal to readers’ hearts. The two younger siblings are the core of the story, representing in Truman’s mind, his chance at redemption and breaking the cycle of abuse and poverty he and his family suffered through.

Gemma and Truman’s meet cute sets the romance in motion with humor and a few heart pinching moments.The usual stumbling blocks that often make an appearance in new relationships are shown along with some unusual ones. Gemma’s unconscious prejudices are brought into the open while Truman fights with his own issues of low self-esteem and the fear he will ruin the two little ones now in his care. Strong narrative and engaging dialogue help to transition us through this. Neither protagonist is given an easy out. Foster lets us see everything; through thought and action.

Chemistry wise, this couple has it in spades. Sexy and steamy, the romance moves at a steady but slow pace to give them time to get to know one another and find out if they are compatible in all ways. Understandable as Truman has to not only think of himself but the two people who now depend on him for everything. The love scenes soft and sensual. They contrast well with this couple’s penchant for corny sexual innuendos.

“Does your one eyed python want to play in my grass?”
“My snake always wants to play in your grass.”

A cast of well developed secondary characters help to keep the story on track and not drift to deep into the dark. I loved meeting the Whiskey family and found their unwavering support of Truman admirable and very sweet. Lincoln and Kennedy, Truman’s baby siblings, are adorable. Foster does an excellent job of keeping them from becoming mere plot devices to evoke sympathy from the reader. Gemma’s best friend Crystal is a flamboyant voice of reason in Gemma’s life and is instrumental in helping Gemma see that some of her actions are more a result of her own fears then the actual matter at hand.

“But…he killed a man.”
“A drug-dealing rapist. Not exactly a pillar of society.”
“How does a person move past that?”
“How does a person, or how do you?”

The only thing that kept me from loving this book wholeheartedly was Gemma. I had a hard time connecting with her and she rubbed me wrong at times. Throughout the story she flips between adult and juvenile behavior. At times she is firmly an adult and at others she acts as I would expect someone in their late teens; from her constant running away when things weren’t perfect to her lack of respect for personal boundaries. It really bothered me when she told Truman he would have to keep explaining about how he was sent to prison until she was felt better about it. She doesn’t but the intent was there. There was also the knowledge that her main initial attraction to Truman was his kids. Did I doubt she fell in love with him? No. But I did wonder if she would have stayed through it all if it was just him.

Tru Blue is a story of love, loss, hope, compassion, and redemption. Fans of misunderstood heroes will enjoy the journey Foster takes Truman on as he struggles to find his footing in a world stacked against him and keep his brand new little family together. 

Grade: C+

Prior Melissa Foster Reviews

Recent Reviews:
Ramblings From This Chick

Pretty Little Book Reviews
Natalie the Bookaholic

Goodreads I Author Website I Kindle I Nook