Review & Giveaway: Surviving Raine by Shay Savage

 

Surviving Raine (Surviving Raine #1) by Shay Savage

Publication Date: May 19th 2013

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

 

About the book:

As the captain of a schooner catering to the elite on the Caribbean Seas, Sebastian Stark does his best to avoid any human encounters. Interacting with people isn’t his thing, and he prefers the company of a bottle of vodka, a shot glass, and maybe a whore. There’s no doubt he’s hiding from a checkered past, but he does well keeping everything to himself…

…until the night his schooner capsizes, and he’s stuck on a life raft with one of the passengers.

Raine’s young, she’s cute, and Bastian would probably be into her if he wasn’t suffering from alcohol withdrawal. As the days pass, DTs, starvation, and dehydration become the norm. Even the most closed person starts to open up when he thinks he’s going to die, but when she realizes their traumatic pasts are connected, it’s no longer the elements that have Bastian concerned.

He has no idea how he’s going to Survive Raine.

My Thoughts:
Surviving Raine was everything I love in a story and more! Action, suspense, romance, and FIERY HOT scenes!  Let me break down this story into a simple equation for you:

On the Island + a Kristen Ashley alpha male + danger X 10 = Surviving Raine. 

Sebastian Stark is pretty much a total jerk.  He pilots his own ship, taking passengers on luxury boutique cruises in order to make a living while drinking, whoring, and generally just being an ass.  What brought him to this existence?  Well, that my friends is all part of the addictive story!

When his ship is wrecked and he saves one of the passengers, the two of them must struggle to survive.  It’s an uphill battle because while Sebastian is a master at survival situations, he has no alcohol, and is about to go into major detox.  Couple this with the extreme situation they’ve just been shoved into, and things get very intense!

Raine Gayle, unfortunately, is a passenger Sebastian’s ship when it sinks, and now she’s stuck with him on a life raft.  She’s a college student who splurged on this vacation with settlement money.  Looks like she picked the wrong trip!

With being forced to rely on each other and nowhere else to go, Bastian and Raine become very close.   He is a big GIGANTIC ass to begin with!  Doesn’t mean he won’t have you cracking up, but this guy is a top notch jerk, and we get every wicked thought that crosses his mind because the story is narrated by him.  As time goes on and they open up to each other, we learn Bastian’s sordid, tragic, and dangerous past.  Raine take all this in stride, and you can’t help but love her with the amount of patience she shows.  She compares Bastian to the rescue pit bulls she worked with, the product of being starved of affection and love, a comparison that ticks Bastian off to no end, (lol!) but a very fitting one.  Her persistent care and compassion helps Bastian see he’s not the worthless human being he thinks he is.  

The romance in this was a slow cooker.  Not for Bastian’s lack of trying, although I don’t think it was romance he had in mind at first.  The man is horny as hell, and I swear his “cock,” as he so eloquently refers to it (about a million or so times!), is just as much a character in the book as he is! I have no idea if this is actually how men think, but, wow!  Don’t let my words fool you the romance was incredibly sweet and intensely HOT!  Oh man, the buildup!  Once Bastian lets a girl in, his devotion will melt your heart!  This quote melted mine:

“I want to be with you, and touch you, and hold you.  I have this overwhelming desire to protect you and make sure you’re safe. Every time I look at you, it’s like my chest gets crushed, and I just want to stare at you and hold on to you and tell you everything is going to be all right. Raine.  I don’t understand what you’re doing to me.”

My one and only complaint is Bastian’s constant cries of worthlessness in the end.  I understand why he has those feelings, but it was on and on in parts.  If that was lightened up a bit this would’ve been a perfect read for me.

I’ve been in quite a book funk lately.  Surviving Raine officially ended that!  This is my first Shay Savage story, but it certainly will not be my last.  Her writing had me super glued to my kindle.  A definite recommend!

 

4.5 Suns

 

 



I loved this story so much I had to make this into a giveaway!  Simply fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win an e-Copy from US Amazon or US Barnes & Noble.  The giveaway will end September 17^th 2013.





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