Defenseless — A.J. Rose

'This story is powerful, it's so much more than a category can describe. I was taken through such a gamut of emotions. It painted a very real picture of a couple finding the strength, the love, and the sheer will to live, love, and laugh again after surviving something so tragic. A must read in my opinion. Good on ya, A.J. Rose.'— Reader Review—From Award-winning author AJ Rose, Defenseless is a gut-wrenching, heart-stopping story of love through adversity.Kyle Decker knew dating Jesse McGovern would change his life. Young and in love—and with the Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality—the world is theirs to conquer.But their victorious Pride celebration ends in a savage attack, brutally demonstrating they're far from equal. Instead of wedding planning, Jesse and Kyle face an arduous recovery and a shattered sense of safety. Their once-promising future is suddenly something to survive.While Jesse struggles with the emotional and physical aftermath of a permanent injury, Kyle's single-minded focus on Jesse is the only thing keeping his demons at bay…for now. What was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love is now full of lies and resentment.With their dreams tattered and forever changed, trusting anyone—even each other—is daunting. So how can they have faith in twelve strangers on a jury?They've already learned the hard way it only takes a moment to become truly defenseless.Content Warning: Defenseless contains scenes of graphic violence, both extreme and covert homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. Reader discretion strongly advised.