Why I read this book: I was struggling with the book I was currently reading. I found I just couldn’t get into it, classic case of right book wrong time. So Marc suggested I try this. I am so glad he did cause this was just what I needed.
Blurb:
Thompson and Caroline Gray were living their dream until Caroline’s untimely death just two years after they’d bought the Thundercloud Marina. When Caroline died, she left Thompson alone and emotionally disconnected—until Thompson’s longtime friend and towboat owner Hank Charming tows Garner Holt, a recently retired psychiatrist, and his boat into the marina for repair. Thompson and Hank are both drawn to the sailboat captain, but for very different reasons.
Since high school, Hank has secretly carried a torch for Thompson, even though Thompson remained committed to Caroline, even after her death. Hank is totally caught off guard when his initial attraction to Garner makes him realize this stranger might be the one to help him move on with his life. Thompson establishes a platonic friendship with Garner and starts to see the psychiatrist as his only lifeline to sanity. Life improves until Thompson sees Hank and Garner together, and old feelings Thompson thought were long buried begin to resurface. Garner quickly identifies the unresolved feelings between Hank and Thompson and decides to tap his professional skills and work behind the scenes to help Thompson and Hank see what has been right in front of them all along.
My Thoughts:
When Marc suggested this I was somewhat hesitant. I enjoyed the last series I read from the author. It was insta love and that was what I was looking for at the time. But I didn’t want that this time. I needed a slow burn, a struggle for a HEA. This one delivered.
This is truly a beautiful love story. And not at all what I was inspecting, first because the blurb is somewhat misleading. Yes this is a story about three men, and yes they are all intertwined but there is no ménage to this story. I loved the way the author wrote each character and their interaction with each other. It doesn’t just focus on the romantic relationship between Hank and Thompson. But focuses on the old friendship between Hank and Thompson, and the new friendship that both Thompson and Hank build with Garner.
Garner & Hank
From the beginning you could feel the friendship forming. Did I want to see them as a couple, yea I did. I could feel the chemistry they had for one another. And I thought this is just what Hank needs. But as much as I would have liked to see them together it just would not have worked. And they both knew that and knew the reasons behind it.
Garner & Thompson
Garner is just what Thompson needed to come into his life. The friendship they forge is epic. It is one that you know will last and stand the test of time. One that Thompson will forever be grateful for. A friendship that helps pull him out of the darkness.
Thompson & Hank
Now here is where the beautiful love story takes place. Hank has been in love with Thompson since high school. And you can see it, clearly. I hurt for both Hank and Thompson, but for very different reasons. You can feel the pain radiating off of Thompson for the loss his wife, yet things are not always as they seem. And the undeniable hurt Hank feels as Thompson pushes him away after her death. But when Thompson finally takes the steps to let go of some of his guilt and grief he sees what was right in front of him the whole time. He sees the unending friendship and the devoted love that Hank never let waver.
The slow build up in this book is perfect and just what I needed. And I can not wait for Garner’s book, which will be out this summer. Yes this in one that I will reread often. A truly beautiful love story.
Where to buy:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Dreamspinner
Rainbow Gold Reviews 