Rating: 4.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

Jason Sinclair isn’t good at relationships, which is no surprise since he grew up with an eccentric father and a mother who was emotionally damaged. After leaving home at seventeen, Jason vowed to never return. Now, four years later, when his family’s housekeeper begs him to come home before his mother dies to say goodbye, Jason finds out that he can’t say no to the one person who was more of a mother to him than his own.

Arriving back in town, Jason is surprised by the number of people who are sniffing around waiting for him to sell the family property and run back to L.A. the minute his mother dies. Though that was initially Jason’s first thought, he finds himself wavering on selling the property after meeting the new groundskeeper, Adam Trent. As Jason and Adam find themselves falling for one another, Jason decides that maybe he will stick around.

This news does not go over well with those seeking to purchase the family property. A series of events occur that suggest that someone desperately wants Jason gone – one way or another.

There are a couple of different storylines going on here. First, we have Jason and his relationship with his mother, Velma. Growing up, Velma wasn’t a very affectionate or loving mother. The last straw for Jason was his mother’s views on his homosexuality. Determined never to return home again, he finds himself back in Larame Bay because he was asked to return by the one strong, loving female in his life – his housekeeper and his mother’s best friend, Belinda. Though Jason couldn’t tell Belinda no, that doesn’t mean that he is willing to give his mother a second change, regardless of the fact that she is dying of cancer. As the story unfolds, readers get to watch Jason and his mother begin to build a relationship from the ground up. While this part of the book is very heavy on the emotions, it is interspersed with humor as Jason is the king of one-liners.

Then we have the relationship between Jason and Adam. Jason and Adam have met before, back when they were little more than toddlers and Jason bit Adam hard enough to break the skin. Today, Jason is just about as pleased to reacquaint himself with Adam, especially after he finds out that Adam has a better relationship with his mother as he does. Yet, despite his best attempts to hold Adam at arm’s length, Jason’s hormones are trying to pull him a lot closer.

Then, we have the mystery portion of the book. As a mystery, this book rates right up there as one of top ten romance/mysteries I’ve ever read! With a cast of potential suspects, I was on the edge of my seat until the very end!

Overall, I loved this book. It had the right combination of emotional turmoil, sexy romance, and a mystery that will have you flipping the pages, one after another, as you try to figure out who the real villain is! Highly recommend!

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