Rating: 3 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novella
Niclas has been in love with Falk, his brother’s best friend, for years now. The tall, blonde, viking of a man is gentle, kind, and — like Nic — asexual. However, it can never be anything more than a crush. Falk never knows what to say to other people, let alone Falk. What Nic doesn’t know is that Falk has his own crush on Nic. When Nic’s brother sets up his best friend and his baby brother on a two-week vacation, combing the beach for lost treasures, it becomes harder for Nic to hide his feelings. Used to digging up buried treasures for the museum, will Nic be able to also dig up the courage to confess?
Nic is an autistic man who has trouble with social cues and subtlety, but that doesn’t mean he’s blind to the fact that a rival treasure hunter is being an ass to him. When Falk wants to interfere and make a scene to make the woman go away, Nic would rather just go to a less crowded beach and ignore her. He doesn’t want drama, he doesn’t want to one-up anyone, and he doesn’t want to make anyone unhappy. Nic just wants to comb the beach with his metal detector, find a few things, and live his life.
Nic is also far from helpless. However, he’s so clumsy it feels like too much — tripping five times in one scene, falling into the ocean a time or two. I don’t mind a bit of klutziness for humor, but it felt like a joke repeated too many times for me to take as a joke anymore. On the whole, though, Nic is a good guy who just wants to live his life.
Falk was a medic in the army and now runs a bodyguard business. He’s used to being in control, taking charge, and taking care of others. Nic, for all that he seems to need someone around him 24/7 to keep him from hurting himself, doesn’t exactly need a protector. What he needs, what he wants, is someone who will love him as he is, and that’s exactly what Falk intends to do.
Both men are asexual, wanting an emotional connection and some physical affection, without needing or wanting it to go beyond kissing, touching, and holding. It makes for a light, quiet read, as the characters don’t need the explosive chemistry; they just need to confess their feelings to one another. If you give it a try, I hope you enjoy it.
