hanging the starsStory Rating: 4.25 stars
Audio Rating: 4.75 stars

Narrator: Greg Tremblay
Length: 7 hours, 41 minutes

Audiobook Buy Links: Audible | iBooks
Book Buy Links: AmazoniBooks


Angel Daniels is barely hanging on. Trying to take care of his younger brother, Roman, as well as keep his bakery afloat and manage the Moonrise Motel, Angel is doing everything he can just to keep his head above water. So the kid bursting in his back door and attempting to rob him is just one more thing. It goes from bad to worse when someone shoots up the bakery. And it seems all entangled with the company who wants to buy his place. The company that just happens to be owned by his ex-boyfriend.

West Harris isn’t fairing any better. He’s deliberately staying out of Angel’s life and letting his partner handle the deal. But when there is an attempt on his life, West heads back to Half Moon Bay to recover and his and Angel’s lives clash once again. There’s so much history between them, but the connection they had as teens is still there. Seeing each other again is the catalyst they both need to try and make a go of things this second time around.

But things aren’t easy. Angel is doing his damnedest to do right by Roman, and he has to think of his kid brother first. West is doing everything he can to get Angel to see that he’s ready for the long haul, and that what happened between them all those years ago was just a matter of circumstances. But someone is still threatening both their lives, and each attempt comes closer to taking them out. If they can make it out alive, they just might be able to have what they’ve always wanted.

I really enjoyed listening to the first book in this series, Fish Stick Fridays, so I was eager when I got a chance to listen to this book as well, even though it’s a different narrator this time. I couldn’t wait to see the next part of the story, having met West in the first book, as he is Lang’s twin brother. It was definitely an enjoyable listen, and a good story to boot.

Right from the beginning, I was drawn in. Not only because of the action, which gave the start of this book an urgent feel, but because we got an immediate sense of both Angel and West. And as each man dealt with the after effects, we really got to see the heart of each of them. Angel is struggling, determined to do the right and good thing, and my heart went out to him. West is grumpy, kind of jerk, but he knows it and embraces it. He’s also got a heart of gold underneath, and I could see immediately how these guys would work together. I really liked seeing the growth each MC went through as they learned to lean on each other and work through their past, both what happened between them before and what they dealt with on their own.

The chemistry between the men was fantastic, and though it was just a little bit of leap for me when they first got involved again, I was happy to go along with it. Seriously, they spark and burn and their connection is palpable. These guys not only still care about each other, but they need what the other brings to the relationship. I loved that about them and was drawn in as their relationship unfolded. This part of the book totally worked for me in every way.

The mystery side of things did not work as well for me though. It felt like a string of incidents without much connection. Yes, logically, I knew there had to be a connection between each thing, but I didn’t feel it. On top of that, after that first scene, there was a distinct lack of urgency for me. I didn’t feel that worry and fear I should have when each thing happened. And then when the climax came to a head, I was not all that surprised by it. So while I got it, and it worked on a basic level, I was definitely hoping for more in this area.

But listening to this one in audio was a real treat. Greg Tremblay has a way of embodying characters and making them come to life. I love how he doesn’t skimp on even secondary, once seen characters. Each and every person on the page had their own personality and voice. Especially impressive was when West and Lang were in a scene together. As identical twins, Tremblay understandably made them sound incredibly alike, and yet I still knew, each and every time, which man was speaking. I listened to this is pretty much one straight shot with only a few breaks, and the time just flew because I was so absorbed in Tremblay’s narration.

So I really liked this one, and can easily recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Ford’s style and likes to see two men come together once again and work out their past to find their HEA. Especially if you have the time to listen to it.

A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.

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