Before Joey can decide what to do about it, he is swept into a terrifying scheme. Forced into helping a dangerous stranger in exchange for his family’s safety, Joey begins a perilous journey into the criminal underbelly of Skagit. He will do whatever is needed to protect his family.
Buck Swanfeldt had a secret crush on Joey James in high school. Buck’s social anxiety and two-year age difference made it impossible for him to approach Joey then. Life since high school has been challenging, and lonely. Eight years later, fate brings them together and Buck decides to act. He utterly fails. He would have left it at that, except fate seems to be intent on pushing Joey in his direction, and clearly, Joey needs someone at his back.
Dark, sordid secrets hiding in Skagit are bubbling to the surface, danger lurks in unexpected places. Buck has never been anyone’s hero but something about Joey has him throwing caution to the wind. Together the two men take on a dangerous force greater than themselves. But sometimes our worst enemy is ourselves.
*warning may need a tissue!
This book is a work of fiction intended for mature audiences only.
Wow, I liked this even more than the first one! The characters, especially Joey and Buck, were engaging and I was able to relate to them on a deep, personal level. The storyline that was carried over from book 1 was wrapped up here in a satisfying and realistic way. Joey was a bit TSTL at times but it worked for me because it's in his nature to care for others, even to his own detriment.
Buck, now... Buck has earned a special place in my pocket and in my heart. Buck's a gentle giant. He's so innocent and awkward and he stumbles over his words when trying to talk to Joey and I just love him so. There's an instant attraction between him and Joey that has Buck so far out of his comfort zone he doesn't know whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt. It was a delight to watch him gather up his courage to pursue Joey, who, frankly, didn't need any encouragement. Buck is hotness personified (think Thor with the temperament of Gentle Ben). He's so adorable I just want to eat him up!
One of the things I loved the most about this book is the realism. Even with a fantastical storyline of mobsters, kidnapping, trafficking and whatnot, everything rang true to me. The relationship was anything but rushed and the fact that Buck realized he needed time on his own to get his head on straight and actually seeking out therapy before pursuing anything further with Joey was so refreshing to read.
Now, the blurb warns that tissues may be needed. I didn't agree with that at first. In truth I didn't agree with that for 98% of the book. But, damned if I didn't cry at the end. They were happy tears, but I did experience some serious facial leakage.
Elle Keaton is proving to be a masterful storyteller and I'm eager to see what she does next. This author is one to watch for, folks. The lady has some serious talent.
Okay. Well the truth is, this book was on my review list. I read and reviewed the first book and loved it - but I've got about a third of the way into it and am struggling with this one. Sometimes, if I'm struggling I go and look at others' reviews, to see if I can work out what it is I'm missing - or sometimes to see if I'm the only one with the problem!
In this case, one of the first reviews that came up was that of fellow unicorn and FABULOUS reviewer, Jenni Lea. God-dammit, I must be wrong, because, as you can see, she adored this book. Now, I'm still struggling to get into it, but it's been on my review list for a while so I wanted to get my outta date reviews up to date. Rather than just DNFing and giving the broken-heart review (I don't like to rate if I've not finished unless there is a strong reason why I've DNF'd) I asked Jenni Lea if she'd mind me posting her (fabulous) review, along with my DNF one. Of course she didn't because she's amazing like that!
I'm not saying no to this book forever, but for now it's a case of it's not you, it's me. Read Jenni Lea's review and she'll tell you all about her lvoe for this book.
For more information see Goodreads.
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