Rating: 2.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
When firefighter Daniel Harris recuses a young homeless girl from a vicious fire, he can’t help thinking there’s something special about her. That doesn’t change when Daniel finds out she is actually a boy named Samuel Tate. Years of abuse and months on the run have left Samuel at the end of his strength. He can’t help trusting Daniel, but Samuel knows his past is never far behind him and he finds himself just waiting for the chance to run.
Milo and Daniel have been on and off again friends with benefits for more than six years. But too many broken promises, family drama, and other men have left a chasm of hurt between them. And with Daniel hell bent on protecting Samuel, regardless of the cost, Milo commits himself to do the same or he risks losing Daniel forever. As Milo and Daniel tirelessly work to both heal Samuel and keep him from harm, love blossoms between them. But making love last is no easy task and with Samuel’s past suddenly threatening the present, the three of them may have no chance at a future.
Saving Samuel sat on my TBR pile for far longer than I ever intended, so I was thrilled to pick it up for our Reading Challenge Month. It promised all the things I love — angst, ménage, and guys in uniform. Unfortunately the book failed to deliver on multiple levels.
Daniel, Milo, and Samuel are fairly detailed characters and the author has done a decent job of establishing their individual personalities and preventing them from being consumed by the ménage. Also, aside from Daniel’s insta-connection to Samuel, the plot and the relationship evolve at a steady, believable pace, which I enjoyed. It allowed the characters to come together naturally, despite the rather bizarre circumstances of their living arrangement.
Yet I failed to connect with any of the characters on a meaningful level. Daniel and Milo felt like they were going through the motions and, while I felt empathy for Samuel and his situation, he always felt like as a stand in to move the plot forward. There was certainly a lot of lust between the characters, but very little chemistry. The sex, which often felt excessive, read more like bad porn than a meaningful activity between partners. Part of this stemmed from a lack of connection between the characters, but in addition, the overall romance was rather boring. Everything about the relationship between Milo, Daniel, and Samuel tended to feel a bit too flat and thin.
Perhaps my biggest frustration with Saving Samuel concerned the resolution to the threat against Samuel. It was built up throughout the book and existed as an almost constant shadow to the happiness he was trying to build with Milo and Daniel. Yet when the conclusion came, it was too neat and pat. Everything was wrapped up in a matter of pages and I was left wondering what all the fuss was about. By doing this I felt the author minimized Samuel as a character and the suffering he endured. It left the end of the book feeling completed, but not particularly fulfilling.
I had high hopes for Saving Samuel, but the book failed to capture my interest and I couldn’t bond with any of the main characters. The book is well paced and the overall plot had potential. Yet a sloppy ending and a lack of believable romance between Milo, Daniel, and Samuel left me wishing Saving Samuel had stayed on my TBR pile. Unless you’re a super fan of ménage or angst, I’d recommend giving this one a pass.
This review is part of our September Reading Challenge Month for TBR Pile Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win one of this week’s fabulous prizes from NineStar Press. One lucky winner will receive a copy of all the NineStar Press releases for six months in ebook, and another will win a collection of seven print books. Commenters will also be entered to win our amazing grand prize sponsored by Dreamspinner Press. You can get more information on our Challenge Month here, and more details on TBR Pile Week here. And be sure to check out our prize post for more about the awesome prizes!
I’ve never heard of this book. The blurb sounds interesting. Too bad this book did not work out for you. For me feeling a connection to the characters is a must in a romance.
How unfortunate that the book did not resonate with you, Sue. (I’m happy that my selection from my towering TBR pile is working for me.) I’m curious ~ do you have a ménage book that you’d recommend?
Just b/c I can’t resist butting in, here is a list of all our menage reviews: https://joyfullyjay.com/category/menage/
I also am a big fan of More by Sloan Parker (contemporary). Or if you like fantasy I love the Free Men series by Kate Aaron
Thanks for your suggestions, Jay. I happen to have More already on my TBR stack, and I see that the first book of the Free Men series is currently free to Kindle readers. It’s my lucky day!
Oh awesome! I hope you enjoy!
I’d recommend Broken Pieces by Riley Hart or Five-Sided Heart by Max MacGowan.
Thanks for your two suggestions, Anna. They both sound good, so I’ve added them to my (rather lengthy) wish list. (This site is dangerous to visit!)
I apologize for getting to this thread late – I doubt there is much I can recommend that hasn’t already been tossed out by others, but Broken Pieces by Riley Hart, The Slave by Kate Aaron, Fun with Dick and Shane by Gillibran Brown (which will be reviewed later this month) and one of my absolute favorites is Falls Chance Ranch by Rolf and Ranger, which is actually available for free online.
Ooh thanks for adding your suggestions!
Thanks for reviewing and too bad this book wasn’t a great read for you. I have read Absolution by Nicole Colville and E.M. Leya and i loved that one and i would definitely recommend that one ( it isn’t a menage).
I read this last year and gave it 2* – for all the same reasons you explain in your review. It’s a shame because I’m always on the lookout for a new series, but this really missed the mark for me too.
Thanks for the review – too bad the book let you down. I don’t have this one on my TBR shelf and doesn’t sound like one I would add. Appreciate your thoughts on it!
Thanks for the review! I’m sorry that it disappointed you. It sounded like it had a lot of potential.
Hmmm…menage has never really been my thing. I read a few by Carol Lynne probably 8 or 9 years ago (Cattle Valley)
and they were OK but it just isn’t something I’m attracted to. Maybe I should choose a menage for one of the
challenge books. We’ll see. 🙂
Oh, that is a great idea! We have lots of reccs here too. If you go to the red bar and choose Reviews by Genre you can select menage and see all our reviews…
Thanks for the review — sorry the book didn’t work for you. I haven’t read it myself but I know all about “not connecting with characters”. It’s one of an important element, IMHO.
Conclusions like that turn me off too. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the story.
Thanks for sharing your review. Sorry this didn’t work for you.
Oh no, Sue! I’ve had this on my to buy list because, as you say, the set up sounds great. I haven’t read anything by NC before, but I love to find new authors, so I was interested in giving this one a shot. I’ll definitely take a pass. Thanks for saving me some money to buy a different book. 🙂
Thank you for the review, Sue. It is a pity the book is not that good, because the blurb sounded interesting. Anyway, I did not know about this book before reading your review, so I do not have to move it down in my TBR pile. LOL!
I’m so sorry! The only thing as frustrating as a chemistry-free pairing is a character who just exists for plot exposition. It’s a shame, since the friends-to-lovers part seemed promising…
Oh, I’d say Josephine Myles’ THE HOT FLOOR is a menage worth trying. The one thing that might make it not be for everyone is also what makes it really compelling: while there’s the usual intense sex and all that, there are a lot of disconcertingly honest scenes involved in trying to make everything work. (She’s not afraid to describe awkward and even kind of gross moments.) All the guys are very sympathetic, and even the workplace scenes are cool (one guy is a glass-blower)…
Oh yes! Excellent suggestion! I loved this one and super sexy. May be time for a reread!
Saving Samuel has been on my TBR pile for a while. I guess it is going to stay on the TBR pile.
Thanks for your review. I’ve read a couple others by this author before & they haven’t worked for me so I’ll be giving this one a pass.
I do love menage, but I’ll likely give this one a pass. So sorry you didn’t enjoy it!