…with anxiety, substance abuse, depression, and sexual identity /self acceptance are very real and palpable concepts for many of us. But, as much as I’ve come to care about these characters, sometimes their sinking into these whirling bouts of self doubt and depression (and the author’s willingness to allow them to luxuriate there, seemingly, indefinitely, but certainly for long stretches of time) really made this a tough read for me. And it detracted from their overall love story, which was unique, compelling and refreshing—but maybe that’s the point about having an honest conversation about depression and how it is chronically misunderstood by so many. It IS a disease. But, I dunno. If you’re looking to be uplifted in a M-M romance, this will be a tough slog for some, especially if you’re not conversant in the underlying themes—the resilience of the characters does not, for me, manifest satisfactorily until late in the third act. And, it took too long to get there in my opinion. Performances were great, however, as in the first series. 3/5.