exposedRating: 4.75 stars
Buy Links: 
 Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novel


Rafe Quintero lied to gain access to Daniel Andrews’ yacht in order to get a scoop on his personal life. Pro golfer Daniel walked out in the middle of competing on the PGA tour with no word. And Rafe is determined to find out why. Rumors have been flying around for years that Andrews is gay, but it’s never been confirmed. A gay man himself, Rafe is sure he’ll know when he meets the golfer. His plan: gain access by posing as a crew member, get close to Daneil by any means necessary, get the story, get out, and move on to bigger and better things career-wise. But Rafe’s plans rarely work out so simply.

Daniel is taking his yacht out for some peace and quiet, and so he can prepare himself for coming out publicly. Choosing to live in the closet for a number of reasons, Daniel is tired of living a lie. He’s ready to live for himself. The cruise was supposed to be a time to relax. The last thing he expected was the clumsy, incompetent, beautiful new crew member, Rafe. The attraction to Rafe is immediate, but Daniel doesn’t do casual, and he’s afraid to start something with Rafe. But as the attraction continues to grow, neither Daniel nor Rafe are able to deny it for very long.

A simple attraction that ended in sex was all it was supposed to be. But Daniel realized early on that whatever was between he and Rafe was more than simply scratching a itch. He wanted more with Rafe. Rafe knew he was falling for Daniel, but he had to get his story so he could get out of his current dead-end job and move on to a better career. Even as damaged relationships, too much alcohol, and a bigoted co-worker threaten to ruin his shaky relationship with Daniel, Rafe hopes to find a way to write his exposé and keep Daniel in the process, as hopeless as it may seem.

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I picked up this book – maybe a sweet love story, maybe sexy jocks, maybe a little of both. What I got was a wonderful, angsty story of ups and downs. This is one of those stories that you know the characters are bound for disaster from the beginning, but you can’t help watching it play out, hoping for the best, and loving the way it ends. It’s another emotional rollercoaster – angsty, sweet, sexy, confusing, frustrating, and completely charming.

I adore Rafe and Daniel. Rafe is a young, struggling reporter. He’s independent and stubborn. He’s clumsy and unpredictable. He needs a keeper if only to keep himself and those around him safe. He’s been on his own for so long and had to fight his way to where he is, so he’s not willing to let any opportunity that may better his life slip away. Rafe has a painful history but he’s risen from the ashes, even though his past still haunts him. Daniel is confused and misunderstood. He’s seen as cold and uncaring. He’s tired of living a lie and ready to be himself, but he is afraid to hurt those he loves. He’s torn between freedom and duty. Rafe is his saving grace, his grounding stone, his focus. He gives Daniel time to breathe and work his problems out.

The relationship between Rafe and Daniel is the best part of this book. It’s a struggle from the very beginning, push and pull. It’s explosive and passionate and completely sexy. Daniel and Rafe are complete opposites and theirs is a relationship of compromise, of give and take, but it’s an emotional, realistic relationship that I felt like sitting I was sitting on the sidelines cheering for. They are a beautifully imperfect couple.

I was engrossed in this story from the beginning. The writing is wonderful. It’s completely dramatic and angsty and lovely. The story is captivating. It is an emotional journey of ups and downs and I loved every single second of it, even if I felt like covering my eyes and peeking through my fingers at some of it. This author took me on a ride that I will not soon forget and then tied it all up in a nice, neat bow at the end. I highly recommend Exposed by Skylar M. Cates. I am definitely looking forward to reading more of this author’s work in the future.

Cover: I absolutely love this cover by Reese Dante. Showcasing not only the beautiful characters, but adding in the golf and newspaper aspects makes for the perfect cover. And really, aren’t Daniel and Rafe beautiful?

crissy sig