StrandedRating: 3.5 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Eleven months ago, gun-for-hire Cabe was nearly put out of commission permanently by his lover, Brax. He survived a point-blank gunshot wound, but the loss of his only long-term lover nearly killed him. Cabe has been living low since the attack, mourning and furious—taking comfort only in the knowledge that Brax is dead.

Well, not so much. Cabe’s sent on his first mission since his recuperation—a favor, actually—and is NOT happy to learn his contact in the isolated cabin buried in the wild Alaskan wilderness is Brax.

Brax has wanted to be by Cabe’s side every second of the months of their forced separation. Can he get Cabe to listen to his reasons for the attack? Or, will they be forever separated by regret and anger? With a little help from one of their own, Cabe and Brax confess all—and reconnect physically…but is it enough?

So, I liked this one, but I didn’t love it. I am not sure if it was me, but there is really a lot of Alpha-maleness in this one, and while I like dominant men, I kinda felt this book lacked some emotional touchstones for me. I got Cabe’s betrayal. I felt Brax’s desperation, too, but they are so yelling and angry and mean at first. I got aggravated. Mostly the emotions didn’t kick in for me until two-thirds in. The whole reconnection romance felt flat, as a result. This engineered reunion was more of an ambush for Cabe, and he’s so dang prickly. He can’t forgive and forget nearly dying in a weekend, and while this is actually quite reasonable, Cabe’s anger and bewilderment was harder to latch onto, for me. Brax is a decent guy, it seems, but lack of communication is his strongest suit, and well, that doesn’t work for Cabe—or me, as a reader. I think there were some good strides in the closing third of the book that saved this one from being completely awkward. Cabe gets his head around his emotions, and makes a play to find Brax on his own terms. That, I really enjoyed. This is not a second-chance romance, IMHO. It’s a THIRD-chance romance.

Sexytimes were fast and furious, emphasis on the anger, but the last scenes gave a more mellow and touching romance aspect. It’s a Christmas story, too, so expect a merry one.

This book is one of three that are part of Riptide’s “donation” set. That means 20% of the proceeds from the book will be donated to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) National Help Center, a notable and worthy cause.

veronica sig