Teddy’s Truth is a heartbreaker. K.D. Ellis takes what could have been just a simple love story and weaves it into a complex tale of family dysfunction, crime, and personal growth. It is kind of easy to see how this story unfolds and cringe for what you know must be coming for Teddy. It doesn’t help when we get to see what happens almost immediately and then any chance Teddy had for happiness gets blown away.

I will warn you that there are secondary character deaths, beatings, and torture. Then there is the inclusion of the same type of torture, beatings, and rape of Teddy. Ellis does not take the easy road when describing what happens when the cartel takes over your life.

Teddy’s Truth takes place in two parts. This first part of the book takes place when Teddy turns 18 years old. We meet Teddy before the surgery. When he is just crushing on his friend’s brother Ian and all he dreams about is graduating from high school, getting his surgery, and going on to become an architect. This is not to say that he is living the dream life at the beginning as Teddy is suffering from abuse, the effects of alcoholism, and poverty. Never mind having transitioned while in school and with the only support of his bestie Shiloh. The highlight of course is Ian.

Ian lives across the street with his mother and siblings. He works and goes to school. He plays hard, but works harder. He is struggling to keep his family together and healthy. Unfortunately his brother Lucas, and Teddy’s friend, is on a path of self-destruction. 

It is during all of this that Ian notices Teddy in a real way and not an abstract “he’s my brother’s friend” viewpoint. There is a lot of cuteness in the early days of their romance which does not last as the cartel ends up directing their lives with devastating consequences.

Ellis balances the romance and crime in a way that really works. In the midst of a nightmare, we get to see how both Teddy and Ian change and become better people. This can be hard to balance with the details of violence and Ellis somehow manages to keep you hooked and believing that maybe love can conquer the hopeless.

I didn’t even realize how long Teddy’s Truth was because I was so entranced by the danger, love, and quirky humor in the story. The “Out In Austin'' series is introduced with a gritty, funny, and shocking romance that will be hard to top. I cannot wait to see what Ellis has in store for us.