Ski instructor Brett Derwent meets Tommy Hawks at a ski shop when he’s getting a student’s ski repaired.  They hit it off immediately and become friends.  Brett’s planning to go to college soon and doesn’t want to start anything more, but an attraction to Tommy blindsides him. 

Tommy Hawks has a lot to deal with.  His father is an abusive drunk, and Tommy has to work to help support the family.  Anything more than friendship with Brett is out of the question.  Or is it?

And when things go very wrong in Tommy’s life, will Brett stick with him?

As a portrayal of abuse, its aftermath, and how lives can be destroyed by it, Breaking Faith rang painfully true to me.  Tommy’s tendency to hide and deny what was going on, while frustrating, was realistic.  So was Brett’s anger at Tommy’s secrets and reactions.  The two young men’s budding relationship was lovely to read.  The secondary characters are extremely well-drawn.  The storyline had a lot of angst, emotion, and drama.  What happens with Tommy and his father is believable on just about every level.  Brett’s loyalty is tested and proven time and time again.  My problem with Breaking Faith was that it depressed the heck out of me.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy realism in a story, but this was a bit much for me.  I don’t want to spoil the story by saying exactly what happens, so I’ll say that while the ending might be happy to many people, I was left feeling sad.  I enjoyed M. King’s writing and would probably read something else by the author, but I hope it’s something a bit more cheerful.