Rating: 3.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Clive left behind his family and the world of corporate business for the beautiful South American island of Santa Juanita. He is successful as the local dive master and lives a simpler life. He has an unlimited selection of hot men to choose from for casual sex, and he feels he has everything he needs.
Eight years ago, the love of Trevor’s life was fatally shot on the streets of New York and died in Trevor’s arms. His life changed instantly and he cannot move on. He left behind his career, changed jobs, and now works as a VP for a medical manufacturing company. Trevor’s intense work schedule leaves him with no time or desire for any other personal relationships. When he takes his first vacation in years, he meets Clive and feels things he hasn’t felt in a long time.
Trevor can’t move on and Clive is all about keeping it casual. What good is a real connection to each other anyway when the men live a world away from each other?
This story starts out really entertaining and promising. By chapter four, the men still do not know each other’s names. In their minds, they refer to each other as Hookup and Surfer Boy, and there is a parrot that mostly speaks in curse words and phrases that are appropriately timed. The men have on page chemistry and it is just all kinds of light-hearted fun. Along the way however, there are areas that remain fun, but then others that become less entertaining. We get glimpses of Trevor’s story early on and Clive’s story takes a little longer. His story is sad, but nothing groundbreaking.
At the halfway point of the book, I did not feel that much was happening. Some of the narration is simplistic, while other areas offer a lot of detail that is not as interesting. When Trevor wants to go diving, there is a long scene of Clive assessing Trevor’s diving abilities. We get to hear the names of all the different pieces of equipment and what some are used for, and see him take a swimming test. It reads as very dry and did not advance the overall plot. There is also a local folklore story described in detail. While the story on its own is interesting and I understand the parallels and angle the author is looking to achieve, it went on too long for me and did not seem to match up with the tone of the rest of the book. When a stranger comes looking for Clive, it is set up to be a big reveal. It is clear all along who is looking for Clive and the outcome in that area offers a predictable way for Trevor to find his footing again.
The overall outcome is also predictable. Trevor makes huge life decisions very quickly and once the decisions are made, the story is over and has an unfinished feel. However, while ultimately this book is not at the top of my list to recommend, it did have its moments.
A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.
