Review: Emotionally Intense With Compelling Characters
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 30, 2014
As a fan of the m/m genre, and books that put you through the emotional wringer, I was immediately drawn to this story and its compelling characters.  Upon turning the final page I found much to recommend it, as well as one or two quibbles, but will definitely read more from this author as she had a way of vividly depicting the small town world these characters inhabit which helped draw me in.Nick had a terrible childhood of sexual abuse and betrayal by the one who should've protected him.  It's left him scarred both inside and out, with nightmares that visit him often, and unrelenting self-hatred and grief that have him constantly contemplating suicide.  One night has him finding a kindred soul washed up on the beach that changes his life completely and gives him the strength to fight for his soul.  When the story starts Nick is a broken man living in seclusion from a psychotic ex-lover who used his past to control him.  Being with a man who truly listens and cares for him has him slowly coming back to life.  He starts seeing the good things in life, learns the value of trust, and becomes a stronger more confident man who can save himself when the past comes back to haunt him.Owen too has been struggling with his past when he decides to end it all.  Fate has different plans though when he's rescued by Nick who ends up rescuing him right back by giving him a reason to move forward.  Owen's grief never felt as deep as Nick's as he hid behind a facade of humor and snarkiness.  He accepted Nick unconditionally and never rushed him to do more or be more than he could handle.  He ingratiated himself into Nick's life being the supportive lover but I didn't see as compelling of an evolution as I saw in Nick.  His past didn't make him who he is, it was more a brief visit to the dark side.From start to finish this was an intensely sexual read where sexual healing occurred through the many hot and heavy sexual encounters between Nick and Owen.  The scenes took on a more erotic and playful feel the more Nick worked through his past.  Along with a complicated yet appealing main couple came a cast of secondary characters, among them another gay couple Nick's adoptive father Don and a cute Capuchin monkey, that overwhelmed the story at times and made for a bit of a lag in the middle of the story.  Another disappointing part of the story was the reappearance of Nick's abusive ex Brad who was truly psycho and blazed a path of vile destruction throughout the book and whose comeuppance wasn't near satisfying enough.  Ultimately I wish this story had stayed focused on Nick and Owen and their mutual recovery and the shared happiness they found in each other's arms.  Their story was gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting and leaves me wanting to read more from this author.