Published March 24th 2015 by Samhain Publishing
Falling is easy. Landing without breaking your heart? Impossible.
Harper is no longer behind bars, but it doesn’t feel like it. Ten years serving time for a crime he didn’t commit have left him shut down, numb, and a frozen wreck over the simplest of choices.
He’s acutely aware of the dark-haired young man checking him out in the supermarket, but he’s too deep in panic mode to even meet the guy’s gaze. Afraid the slightest move will trigger a fall that will never stop.
Fresh off a long-term relationship with a controlling man, Malachi is stuck living with relatives who think he’s a waste of oxygen. The tall guy in the long, gray coat is the first bright spot he’s glimpsed in a long time…though the man’s unblinking stare at a bottle of shower gel is a touch alarming.
Hard experience tells both of them to turn away before lust turns to hopeless attraction, and inevitably to disaster. But once their sparks connect, the arc of electricity is too strong to deny. Even if the cost is too much to bear.
Warning: Contains an ex-con with disaster written all over him, a boy toy who’s trouble with a capital T, a damp old British house, compulsive meddling, and enough hot sex to cure the severe case of nervous babbling.
My Thoughts
Hot chemistry and witty dialog! What else can I ask for when jumping into a Barbara Elsborg novel? As always, Elsborg inevitably pleases me with her engaging novels and easy to love characters.
Harper Shaw has just completed a ten-year term behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. This has left him jaded and completely closed off. He trusts no one and simply hopes to get on with a quiet existence reconstructing his family home to its original state. However, even making the simplest of choices and attempting the most common of progress, he finds that he can’t leave his past behind him and just move on.
When he collides with Malachi Jones, he knows his world is about to change once again. However Malachi has his own demons he’d like to keep hidden as well. After escaping a seven-year relationship from a man that was controlling and powerful and having to put up with his brother-in-law that treats him like the garage that should be taken out, he simply wants to appreciate a relationship that will help him move on and feel something real.
Together, Malachi and Harper face not only those that won’t let Harper move on from his past, but also the threat that he might be set up again to return to prison. Together they battle their own moments of mistrust, but they keep coming back to the connection they have with one another, which seems to be stronger than all of the elements against them.
Harper was an absolutely easy character to fall for right from the beginning. I sympathized with his skittish reactions and lack of trust towards those around him. I was glad to see him open up to Malachi about his past, his fears and most of all his hopes. I hoped from the beginning that he would get his rightful ending, but I knew it would come at a high price.
Malachi was an absolute gem. I immediately fell for this character and his witty, lighthearted ways. It was fun to see Malachi break down Harper’s walls, but he did so in a way that brought out the gentle easy-going layer that was buried deep within him. The sacrifices Malachi made for Harper were heartwarming and convinced me how much he truly cared for Harper.
The powerful element in this novel, which is signature for all of Elsborg’s books is the dialog between the characters. I love, love, love witty sarcasm that’s delivered with heart and sensitivity. There were so many one liners that had me smiling and laughing the whole way through, but what I loved most of all was how reluctant Harper was to Malachi, but through his words and actions he broke down those walls brick by brick. I appreciated every reluctant laugh Malachi pulled out of Harper and I enjoyed seeing these two fall for one another. Lovely!
“You don’t need to be afraid. We’re not defusing a ticking bomb here, or doing brain surgery. It’s just sex. If you fall, I’ll catch you. Promise. Now hurry up and kiss me before zombies rush in and eat you. If that does happen, make sure you keep them busy while I escape.”
Great novel that I’m excited will continue with new characters to focus on. Count me in!
4 Suns
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