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Sing Out #5
A Better Man
He was a liar. A thief. A bully. Now he's trying to be something else...
After spending his teen years looking for trouble and finding ways to hide being gay, Derek has everything he never let himself want. A boyfriend. A steady job. A future. But the past comes calling, and family troubles and his own demons will put Derek's relationship with Conor to the test.
An unexpected road trip takes Derek speeding into the dark places of his heart and grappling with his own history of violence. He could lose everything he's fought so hard to win. True love is waiting for him, but first Derek has to decide the kind of person he's on the road to becoming.
Note: This book follows Sing Out 1-3 and should probably be read after them. It contains some scenes of violence, as well as discussions of past domestic abuse. There's also a LOT of swearing.
After spending his teen years looking for trouble and finding ways to hide being gay, Derek has everything he never let himself want. A boyfriend. A steady job. A future. But the past comes calling, and family troubles and his own demons will put Derek's relationship with Conor to the test.
An unexpected road trip takes Derek speeding into the dark places of his heart and grappling with his own history of violence. He could lose everything he's fought so hard to win. True love is waiting for him, but first Derek has to decide the kind of person he's on the road to becoming.
Note: This book follows Sing Out 1-3 and should probably be read after them. It contains some scenes of violence, as well as discussions of past domestic abuse. There's also a LOT of swearing.
- GenresContemporaryMusicians
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 27, 2017
4 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Hanna Dare
22 books114 followersHanna Dare writes what she loves to read: well-written, character-driven stories of men exploring their identities and discovering their own unique kind of happily ever afters… usually through sexytimes. Find Hanna on the internet enjoying pretty pictures, procrastination and caffeinated beverages.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 13, 2020
Three and a half stars.
So our heroes are now settled and living together in California. Conor is writing his own music and recording tracks while having a guest appearance on a tv show with spontaneous singing and dancing (think Glee). Megan is at college studying film and Derek has a job at a swanky custom bike repair shop, albeit at the moment he is just sweeping the floors.
But when everything seems to be going so well in his life things aren't always what they seem and shocking news from home surfaces all of Derek's demons.
I have always had a soft spot for Derek, even when he was a bully, so this chance to see things from his POV and accompany him on his road trip was a blast, although I love him most when he is with Conor and their love shines off the page.
Only really makes sense if you have read at least the first three books in the series, like others I didn't care for Jesse and didn't choose to read his story.
I devoured this and the third book in the series The Man Who Told the World over the weekend, I've been in a bit of a reading slump and these two books really turned that around.
So our heroes are now settled and living together in California. Conor is writing his own music and recording tracks while having a guest appearance on a tv show with spontaneous singing and dancing (think Glee). Megan is at college studying film and Derek has a job at a swanky custom bike repair shop, albeit at the moment he is just sweeping the floors.
But when everything seems to be going so well in his life things aren't always what they seem and shocking news from home surfaces all of Derek's demons.
I have always had a soft spot for Derek, even when he was a bully, so this chance to see things from his POV and accompany him on his road trip was a blast, although I love him most when he is with Conor and their love shines off the page.
Only really makes sense if you have read at least the first three books in the series, like others I didn't care for Jesse and didn't choose to read his story.
I devoured this and the third book in the series The Man Who Told the World over the weekend, I've been in a bit of a reading slump and these two books really turned that around.
July 13, 2020
Sing Out Book 5 is the fourth book of Conor and Derek's story (Book 4 in the series focused on Jesse and Grayson), and maybe not the last, although it could well end on this hopeful note. There's room for the story to continue, maybe focusing on there characters or continuing with these two. That makes me a bit nervous though, as Hanna Dare has so far struck pretty much all of the right chords, and sometimes it's just as satisfying to imagine how these two young men carry on a successful relationship, despite past baggage and all of the possible pitfalls upcoming.
These are well-written stories of small-town boys adjusting to big city life and their love for each other. There's convincing dialogue and just enough angst to make me really smile whenever the guys work things out. I've very much enjoyed this series.
These are well-written stories of small-town boys adjusting to big city life and their love for each other. There's convincing dialogue and just enough angst to make me really smile whenever the guys work things out. I've very much enjoyed this series.
February 27, 2019
Great series
Overall I liked all the books except I skipped the fourth because I did not care about Jesse and I feel like I did not miss anything important to Conner or Derek's story by skipping it. Would recommend to anyone. I liked the development of the characters and that nothing was instant, like real life things take time.
Overall I liked all the books except I skipped the fourth because I did not care about Jesse and I feel like I did not miss anything important to Conner or Derek's story by skipping it. Would recommend to anyone. I liked the development of the characters and that nothing was instant, like real life things take time.
December 28, 2020
(This review is going to be pertinent to the whole series, not just this book).
I picked up this series AGAIN. Because yes, this is actually my fourth time reading it. FOURTH! Does this make it my favourite MM series of all times? I don't know, probably. Because I love this so much against all odds, really. There are so many tropes in here that I usually hate. I never read bully-to-lover romances because I find they perpetuate a stereotype and a cliché that is not only trivial and stupid, but also dangerous. Romanticizing a bully doesn't work for me. Especially when the victim is secretly pining for their bully, but that's another story that thanks God is not relevant to this series :D Anyway, I usually really dislike this trope. And I dislike stories involving tv, showbiz, TALENT SHOWS FFS and, in general, also gingers (nothing against gingers: I am a ginger, and unfortunately reading about a ginger most of the times means that I'm going to listen to ginger-jokes even in my moments of escapism and I can't even).
Well. Even if this was supposed to be a recipe for disaster, it isn't. I love this so much I can't explain how much, so I'm just going to ramble for a bit now.
A few weeks ago, a friend linked to me a FB post that explained the difference between "trauma bonding" and "true love". She commented saying "this is for all the trauma bonding we have called true love in our favourite books", and she was right!
image:
I was thinking about this a lot while re-reading this for the fourth time. And I realized this is exactly one of the reasons why I do love this series.
Conor and Derek start their relationship exactly as "trauma bonding". They're broken, and hurt in their own ways, and they find an unhealthy way to help each other cope in the hopeless bleakness of their nowhere town. But the way they change, mature, and grow not only as individuals but in their relationship brings the whole "trauma bonding" thing up to "true love" during the course of the series. And what a ride it is! It's a joy to read. You have two characters starting off with every possible bad omen in this hopeless relationship while they're still teenagers, and you end up following them as young adults trying to be functioning, and actually trying! In healthy ways!!! Omg!!!
These are character-driven novels: Conor and Derek make up the plot on their own. Sure, things happen. But it's them moving the plot forward. They have so much agency, even when they make mistakes.
Conor is a character that kinda defeats the stereotype of the "victim", of the "sensitive ginger guitarist kind of guy" who loves the Beatles and sings indie music. He's so strong, so passionate, sometimes so selfish it's refreshing. He makes mistakes, owns to them, falls in love slowly, forgives slowly. He wants Derek to be a good person for himself and not for him, which I absolutely adored. You want the person you love to be happy with themselves first, and Conor, while never losing sight of his objectives and his career, was always there for Derek. Through little squabbles and fights and becoming adults together, but jesus this boy was a rock. Derek keeps saying that he doesn't understand how Conor got his father to drop the charges, but I do understand!! Just imagining him there with his determination, and the fierceness he shows for the whole series. Stunning.
But of course, my favourite was Derek. MY BOY. I don't think I'll be able to express how much I loved him, but I'll try. The thing is, I have rarely read of a character that takes upon himself the task of improving his life and his character and working towards his issues and actually succeeds. I mean, many MCs do. But here we are able to see the full path Derek takes: the mess, the confusion, the violence, the fear, the therapy. THE THERAPY! Super well written.
This boy who was so scared of everything, who lashed out because he didn't know what else to do, so desperate. I usually don't forgive bullies, but Derek tried so hard to be forgiven, with actions and words, that in the end I really did. And I really felt for him. Truly the road-trip he embarks on in this last volume of the series is a trip inside himself and his demons, and the way it pans out as a metaphor is beautiful and poignant and so relevant for this character, I was in tears by the end. Every fucking time.
There are a lot of things I love about these books. A lot, really. The side-characters, most of all, Maggie, Rachel and Megan (and also Conor's dad, cmon). I loved the discovery of sex these two embark on together, the excuses Derek came up with just to spend time with Conor in the beginning (and how desperate he was... baby), I loved Megan and Derek's friendship, the way she involved him in her life, the way abuse and its consequences are written, and have I said already I loved Rachel? Everyone should a Rachel as a therapist.
Anyway. Thank you, Hanna Dare. I will read this again in the future, because I love these babies like they were mine. I wish I could follow them more, see them becoming the splendid adults they're destined to be. But you gave me enough to imagine that, and you gave them the right foundations to now go onto their own journey alone.
I picked up this series AGAIN. Because yes, this is actually my fourth time reading it. FOURTH! Does this make it my favourite MM series of all times? I don't know, probably. Because I love this so much against all odds, really. There are so many tropes in here that I usually hate. I never read bully-to-lover romances because I find they perpetuate a stereotype and a cliché that is not only trivial and stupid, but also dangerous. Romanticizing a bully doesn't work for me. Especially when the victim is secretly pining for their bully, but that's another story that thanks God is not relevant to this series :D Anyway, I usually really dislike this trope. And I dislike stories involving tv, showbiz, TALENT SHOWS FFS and, in general, also gingers (nothing against gingers: I am a ginger, and unfortunately reading about a ginger most of the times means that I'm going to listen to ginger-jokes even in my moments of escapism and I can't even).
Well. Even if this was supposed to be a recipe for disaster, it isn't. I love this so much I can't explain how much, so I'm just going to ramble for a bit now.
A few weeks ago, a friend linked to me a FB post that explained the difference between "trauma bonding" and "true love". She commented saying "this is for all the trauma bonding we have called true love in our favourite books", and she was right!
image:
I was thinking about this a lot while re-reading this for the fourth time. And I realized this is exactly one of the reasons why I do love this series.
Conor and Derek start their relationship exactly as "trauma bonding". They're broken, and hurt in their own ways, and they find an unhealthy way to help each other cope in the hopeless bleakness of their nowhere town. But the way they change, mature, and grow not only as individuals but in their relationship brings the whole "trauma bonding" thing up to "true love" during the course of the series. And what a ride it is! It's a joy to read. You have two characters starting off with every possible bad omen in this hopeless relationship while they're still teenagers, and you end up following them as young adults trying to be functioning, and actually trying! In healthy ways!!! Omg!!!
These are character-driven novels: Conor and Derek make up the plot on their own. Sure, things happen. But it's them moving the plot forward. They have so much agency, even when they make mistakes.
Conor is a character that kinda defeats the stereotype of the "victim", of the "sensitive ginger guitarist kind of guy" who loves the Beatles and sings indie music. He's so strong, so passionate, sometimes so selfish it's refreshing. He makes mistakes, owns to them, falls in love slowly, forgives slowly. He wants Derek to be a good person for himself and not for him, which I absolutely adored. You want the person you love to be happy with themselves first, and Conor, while never losing sight of his objectives and his career, was always there for Derek. Through little squabbles and fights and becoming adults together, but jesus this boy was a rock. Derek keeps saying that he doesn't understand how Conor got his father to drop the charges, but I do understand!! Just imagining him there with his determination, and the fierceness he shows for the whole series. Stunning.
But of course, my favourite was Derek. MY BOY. I don't think I'll be able to express how much I loved him, but I'll try. The thing is, I have rarely read of a character that takes upon himself the task of improving his life and his character and working towards his issues and actually succeeds. I mean, many MCs do. But here we are able to see the full path Derek takes: the mess, the confusion, the violence, the fear, the therapy. THE THERAPY! Super well written.
This boy who was so scared of everything, who lashed out because he didn't know what else to do, so desperate. I usually don't forgive bullies, but Derek tried so hard to be forgiven, with actions and words, that in the end I really did. And I really felt for him. Truly the road-trip he embarks on in this last volume of the series is a trip inside himself and his demons, and the way it pans out as a metaphor is beautiful and poignant and so relevant for this character, I was in tears by the end. Every fucking time.
There are a lot of things I love about these books. A lot, really. The side-characters, most of all, Maggie, Rachel and Megan (and also Conor's dad, cmon). I loved the discovery of sex these two embark on together, the excuses Derek came up with just to spend time with Conor in the beginning (and how desperate he was... baby), I loved Megan and Derek's friendship, the way she involved him in her life, the way abuse and its consequences are written, and have I said already I loved Rachel? Everyone should a Rachel as a therapist.
Anyway. Thank you, Hanna Dare. I will read this again in the future, because I love these babies like they were mine. I wish I could follow them more, see them becoming the splendid adults they're destined to be. But you gave me enough to imagine that, and you gave them the right foundations to now go onto their own journey alone.
February 5, 2020
Hanna Dare’s “A Better Man” is about Conor’s school bully, Derek, a man Conor now loves. Finishing the third book in the series—“The Man Who Told the World”—it felt as though the music competition was done and so should Dare’s series of books. Instead, Dare adds two more books, one about Jesse Preston, a fellow contestant of Conor’s, a rhythm and blues singer. Beyond Jesse’s story, the major part of the book, this fourth book fleshes out Derek’s history as a character and his love for Conor. The fourth and fifth books add new conflicts and look not at competition to a national audience but what LA and the various entertainment industries do to successful competitors in such programs. In some ways, “A Better Man,” Derek’s story starting as bully and ending as possibly lifelong partner, says more about how contestants, friends, and family cope. The series is worthwhile. It can probably be read in any order, but is most suited to be read book one to five. Enjoy.
January 21, 2021
I'm really glad I read this one despite my worry it might be needless drama tacked on to a hea. This was the best book of the series imo. It had far less typos than the first three and the character growth in Derek was amazing. To be honest he caught my attention and affection from almost the second he was introduced. I knew he was going to be a damaged bad boy with a marshmallow center and I'm not ashamed to admit that's my kryptonite. The grumpier the better.
This book doesn't add any real or conflict or drama between the heroes, it's focused on Derek and how he's slowly working through his baggage to be a better man (boom title drop) and showing how a future for not only his relationship but life will be able to unfold without him blowing it up. We stan a man who can put in the work for emotional growth.
This book doesn't add any real or conflict or drama between the heroes, it's focused on Derek and how he's slowly working through his baggage to be a better man (boom title drop) and showing how a future for not only his relationship but life will be able to unfold without him blowing it up. We stan a man who can put in the work for emotional growth.
July 7, 2020
True love
Talk about getting lost in a book. The writing just pulled me into this series and made me fill like they're part of my family. I loved both of these characters and was anxious to find out how the next part of their adventure took them. We get to see from Derek's POV this time as he works thru his inner demons, which try to control his outcome. True love always prevails when you're willing to become a better person because of it. Connor opened up Derek's heart up so much that Derek wanted his old self gone.
The journey and growth between these two was wonderful to watch. It's a perfect ending to this sweet series.
The journey and growth between these two was wonderful to watch. It's a perfect ending to this sweet series.
Talk about getting lost in a book. The writing just pulled me into this series and made me fill like they're part of my family. I loved both of these characters and was anxious to find out how the next part of their adventure took them. We get to see from Derek's POV this time as he works thru his inner demons, which try to control his outcome. True love always prevails when you're willing to become a better person because of it. Connor opened up Derek's heart up so much that Derek wanted his old self gone.
The journey and growth between these two was wonderful to watch. It's a perfect ending to this sweet series.
The journey and growth between these two was wonderful to watch. It's a perfect ending to this sweet series.
March 29, 2022
I have been so pleasantly surprised by this excellent series as I don’t normally read new adult but I’ve been blown away here. Engrossing characters, beautifully written intense themes and mature sex scenes have had me hooked from book 1 to 5. I loved getting Derek’s point of view here, it was perfect to complete this series although I’d be more than happy to read more about these guys. I’d also love Glenn’s story please! I think the author could do amazing things with him. My heart really fell for Conor and Derek, especially Derek and this book gave me all the feels. Highly recommend for all readers of m/m romance.
August 3, 2024
While I really like this book, it’s hard to say it’s exactly necessary. The first three books told a very good, very complete story and while this one opens up the world a bit with a different POV and dives into the difficulty of being a good man, it’s hard not to see it as an extraneous epilogue, more character study than anything else. It’s still very well written, finally tuned, and wonderful to read.
July 23, 2022
Beautiful!!!
From the first book to the last Conor and Derek will take you on quite a journey that will test these young men and the reader wanting more.
From the first book to the last Conor and Derek will take you on quite a journey that will test these young men and the reader wanting more.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews