Rating: 4.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Stuck in a dead end job at the coffee shop at the airport, hating everything about it, and not willing to take a position at his father’s firm, Alex’s life is going nowhere. He barely sees his boyfriend. He is stuck in a rut of epic proportions. Until he meets Jake. The gorgeous stranger in the airport catches his interest and won’t let it go. After a steamy night together, Jake catches his flight and Alex is incredibly sad to see him go.
The connection between them is instant and intense. And though Jake is gone, and Alex technically has a boyfriend, he can’t stop thinking about Jake. When out of the blue Jake shows up again, they pick up right where they left off. Jake asks Alex to go away with him. But Alex doesn’t think he can. He’s got commitments and family, though the relationship is strained. This time, when Jake walks away, the pain in Alex’s heart is immense. He doesn’t know Jake’s last name, doesn’t have his number, and has no way of finding him. He stakes out the airport, waiting for Jake to show up again.
When he finally does, Jake says that his pull to Alex is strong, but this is the last time he’ll come. Alex has made up his mind, and he asks Jake to ask him the question again. This time, when Jake asks Alex to go away with him, Alex say yes. But the two men don’t know much about each other. Alex is still lost, and Jake’s live in the now attitude doesn’t help. Though they are having an amazing time in Venice, Alex still has decisions to make. When a miscommunication drives them apart, Alex thinks he has no choice but to go home. His life is even worse than it was before. But when a chance presents itself, Alex runs toward Jake. He has no idea if he’ll be forgiven, but he knows he has to try.
Oh, this book. Seriously, you guys, this is romanticism of the highest order. I loved everything about it and I was glued to the pages from beginning to end. The premise just sucked me in, and the insane chemistry between the two MCs drove the story in a way I don’t think I can even really describe. It has a bit of a fairy tale feel to it, and I just enjoyed it immensely.
A great deal of this book takes place in the airport and I thought it was a really clever premise. With Alex working there, and Jake being the consummate traveler, it really leant a magical air to the whole story. As this story was told through Alex’s POV, we really got a great sense of his longing and his despair with his current situation. I could understand why he felt he needed to do what he did. I loved the way Jake swooped in a carried Alex away, and how much Jake genuinely wanted to help Alex find his feet, make his own choices, and live the life he was meant to. Alex really deserved to have an amazing life and I wanted nothing more than for him to have it. I have to make a quick mention of the fact that technically, Alex is cheating on his boyfriend with Jake, for those of you who might be against that. Don’t let that deter you from reading this book, though. I promise his “relationship” isn’t exactly what it seems.
Jake is a bit more a mystery, but it was wonderfully done. Without having his full background, I was on the edge of my seat as pieces of him were revealed. He was a bit like a fairy tale hero, wanting to save Alex from a prison of his own making. And it was clear that he was just so supremely confident and happy in his life. But I also appreciated his layers and, when he showed his vulnerability, it made me love him even more.
Just about everything worked completely for me in this book. I have to admit that the big miscommunication bothered me just a tiny bit. I could see it building, and I knew it was going to happen. I wished it didn’t. These two guys were so perfect together, their chemistry was off the charts, and the sex was open-the-window-and-let-in-some-air hot. To have them felled by a misunderstanding was just ever so slightly disappointing. But thankfully, their time apart was short—on the page at least—and the ending was so completely satisfying that it made up for it. And the very last line of this book? So beyond perfect, so very Jake, and I was grinning when I read it.
If you’re looking to be swept away by a fantastic plot and wonderfully written words, then Port in a Storm is absolutely one you should read. Go on. You won’t be disappointed.