Rating: 3.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Dean is a rancher who is out driving in the snow. He’d been meeting with a realtor checking out some property to possibly expand his and his brother’s ranch. Dean’s truck conks out in the middle of what is working up to be a huge blizzard. Deciding to get out and walk, he’s soon overcome with the cold and snow.
Colt is out with his nephew Coop and comes across Dean and brings him out of the snow into their truck. Colt and Coop bring Dean back to their house to get him warm and safe. There’s a nearly instant connection between Dean and Colt as they settle in for what’s going to be a serious storm.
Colt is a well known tracker and rescuer, and he’s called out to find two lost boys who headed out on their snow mobiles and didn’t return. Once he’s found the boys, Colt, Dean, and Coop settle into a routine while Colt recovers from an injury. Suddenly, Dean is called back to his ranch as his brother has gone missing. Colt and Coop come along for the ride so Colt can help.
Once everything is taken care of, Dean and Colt have to decide whether they are in it for the long haul, or if what they had was just two men keeping each other warm during the chaos.
I’m going to start by saying I liked Rescued just fine. At just 134 pages (per Amazon), it was short, sweet, and to the point. I enjoy rescue stories, and this fit that bill to a T. Colt rescues Dean from the storm, but when you think about it, Dean rescues Colt as well, just not from the snow. Instead, Dean rescues Colt from loneliness.
Dean and Colt have a good chemistry. As I said, their attraction was damn near instant, with smiles, sideways glances, and little touches being exchanged as soon as Colt and Coop get Dean into the truck. To me, it felt a little too quick, but with the length of the book, I understood it had to be that way. This all being said, just because the attraction was instant, it didn’t mean they jumped into a sexual relationship right away. Basically, they had to concentrate on just staying warm and keeping the fire and generator going. Also, there was Coop to consider because they all slept in the living room to be near the fire to conserve the gas for the stove and hot water. No matter how much they wanted to touch each other, they couldn’t very well be doing that in the presence of a thirteen-year-old boy.
Speaking of that thirteen-year-old boy, my biggest knock on Rescued has to do with Coop’s…maturity. I think that’s the word I’m looking for. He doesn’t have much of a filter or concern for privacy and control. Take this, for instance. After Dean’s clothes get wet, he has to climb into the truck with no pants or underwear, sitting between Colt and Coop.
The intimacy was a little much in the warmth of the cab, and the teenager’s eyes gleefully bugged out of his head.
Here’s another example. Dean is taking a hot shower when they get back to the house, and he’s daydreaming about Colt.
The shower was just what he needed for his sore and frozen muscles He didn’t want to get out of the thick stream of hot water, but he didn’t want to use all the hot water either. Just as he was about to get out, the door whipped open.
“Sorry, I have to pee. It’s too cold to go outside.”
Dean stood in the shower, amazed at Coop’s carefree nature.
Call me old fashioned, but that seems a little more than a carefree nature. That’s pushing some boundaries. Couldn’t he have held it a few more minutes? Maybe that’s a ticky thing, but it gave me a bit of a squicky feeling.
There was a nice bit of tense action while Colt was out searching for the lost boys. As I read, I was hoping he’d find them. I knew he’d find them, but there were a few moments when I was concerned. Those boys were out for well over a full day in snow as deep as three feet and extremely cold temperatures. Later, when Dean’s brother, Randy, went missing, the situation was similar…tense and even a little exciting. I thought maybe those scenes ran a little long, but the included details showed me the author did some pretty extensive research into the tracking/rescue process.
I’d like to take a moment to talk about the sex scenes. They were super hot, and there was chemistry to spare. I liked the time Colt took with Dean worshipping his body and talking dirty. I also appreciated the fact they didn’t jump right into the penetrative sex. Colt was injured, and the doctor said no to…strenuous activity. So, there was a lot of kissing, touching, and oral. Frankly, that was great. However, when they’re finally able to get into everything? Wow! It was loving, and the men were caught up in each other, but we’re not talking about slow and sweet. That came later (and yes, I went there with that pun).
If you’re looking for a nice way to spend an hour or so, Rescued is a nice distraction from the real world. The cold and snow will stave off the summer heat, for sure. I’m more than willing to check out some more of Dakota Storm’s work.
