After the tumultuous beginning of Seth and Bryce’s relationship during their cruise in ‘Open Seating’, I was curious to find out what would happen when they return home. Sharing close quarters on the ship might have made them feel close enough for them to decide they want to move in together. But Seth still has to deal with his former partner’s death and all that entails, and Bryce only just admitted his emotions are involved and their relationship is more than physical. When Mark’s death turns out to be a suicide, Mark’s life insurance refuses to pay. Seth appeals, based on his lawyer’s advice and Bryce’s insistence, but the insurance investigator turns out to be one of Bryce’s exes. Then the sh*t really hits the fan, and the suspense made me turn the pages as fast as I could. What a ride!

Seth has led a relatively sheltered and protected life so far, what with Mark taking care of earning money and providing a home for Seth. But now that Mark has died and there is an investigation into the reasons, threatening Seth’s financial future, Seth has to deal with situations he has no idea how to navigate. Rather than let everyone steamroller over him, Seth keeps trying, and no matter how often it looks as if he has been dealt the final blow, he keeps coming back and keeps fighting - Seth truly comes into his own. A lot of Seth’s strength comes from having Bryce in his corner, and it was wonderful to see how well they work together despite how short a time they have been a couple.

Bryce has a lot to deal with as well. He is facing Owen, the man who broke his heart many years ago and made Bryce decide never to fall in love again. But now that Bryce has opened his heart to Seth, he will not give up. He supports Seth as much as Seth helps him, and their love can grow despite all the adversity. They work together, and even though the danger isn’t over by the end of this second book, Bryce and Seth are solid.

Let me just say here that Owen is a real scumbag. Actually, he is more like a sociopath. He sees nothing but his own needs and survival, and he will not accept anyone else’s view. Owen is not someone I’d like to meet under any circumstances – and I wish he’d leave Seth and Bryce alone. Unfortunately, that does not look likely to happen anytime soon…

If you like stories about characters who are as different as can be yet clearly belong together, if you believe that anything can be dealt with if two partners work together and use each other’s strengths to their advantage, and if you’re looking for a read that is suspenseful, emotional, and contains lots of loving moments despite constant adversity, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. As for the cliff-hanger at the end – arghhh! I can’t wait to see what’s next for Seth and Bryce!


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )