~ Worth Keeping ~
Abused horrifically as a boy, Nick Mathers has come to terms with his existence as a man. Mostly. Other days life seems a little much. Especially when Nick knows he’ll always be alone. On those days his thoughts turn black. He walks the Norfolk coast and considers the frigid embrace of the waves. And then, one stormy night, he finds someone who’s tasted just that. The beautiful stranger on the beach is near death, and Nick rushes him home to slowly nurse back to health. As he does, he finds a love unlike any other.
Owen Butler’s body is as warm as the sea was cold, his heart as big as an ocean. And Owen is a man who swears to repay the favor. Nick can yet be saved from himself, and he will see that he is indeed a man ... worth keeping.
Tams 4 Star review ****
Nick Mathers.. dark and brooding, artist and light house keeper in his small corner of the world. To say his past is the stuff of nightmares is an understatement. Violated and abused as a teen, his own mother was the enabler. And then in his confusion he mistook a controling and domineering man for love. His body, both inside and out, carry the weight of the hard life he's lead, and he remains isolated in his light house, pondering ending it all. Until he meets Owen.
Owen Butler is no stranger to heartache himself. His lover was killed in random act of violence and he's never quite recovered. He does a little more than ponder an ending, and winds up washing ashore on Nick's light house beach. The energy between these two is electric, and they act on it immediately. Nick decided long ago that he was better off alone. His scars run way too deep to even consider a lover. His emotions are so out of sync that his mind sometimes blurs the lines between reality and the past. And he refuses to hurt anyone, or let them in.
Both men are stubborn, strong willed and determined. Owen has fallen in love and will do whatever it takes to gain Nick's love in return. The push and pull at times is extreme. The question is, can they find a balance between the push and pull. When your entire life has been a series of nightmares, self loathing and pain; can you find a way to love again? Owen is more than willing to draw him a map!
I'm reminded of a movie quote with these two, "Don't say we may not be right for each other. Because the way I see it, we may not be right for anybody else!"
This is a dark love story with a lot of mystery and suspense. I loved the six degrees of separation aspect to the story line as well, in the end, all things were connected. People, places and things that were seemingly random throughout, actually converged for a tumultuous ending. There was passion, steam and just the right amount of angst for these two lovers as well. The shower scene alone makes this book a must read! The fact that the story itself is well written and the characters have depth and a certain reality to them is just a bonus.
Nick Mathers.. dark and brooding, artist and light house keeper in his small corner of the world. To say his past is the stuff of nightmares is an understatement. Violated and abused as a teen, his own mother was the enabler. And then in his confusion he mistook a controling and domineering man for love. His body, both inside and out, carry the weight of the hard life he's lead, and he remains isolated in his light house, pondering ending it all. Until he meets Owen.
Owen Butler is no stranger to heartache himself. His lover was killed in random act of violence and he's never quite recovered. He does a little more than ponder an ending, and winds up washing ashore on Nick's light house beach. The energy between these two is electric, and they act on it immediately. Nick decided long ago that he was better off alone. His scars run way too deep to even consider a lover. His emotions are so out of sync that his mind sometimes blurs the lines between reality and the past. And he refuses to hurt anyone, or let them in.
Both men are stubborn, strong willed and determined. Owen has fallen in love and will do whatever it takes to gain Nick's love in return. The push and pull at times is extreme. The question is, can they find a balance between the push and pull. When your entire life has been a series of nightmares, self loathing and pain; can you find a way to love again? Owen is more than willing to draw him a map!
I'm reminded of a movie quote with these two, "Don't say we may not be right for each other. Because the way I see it, we may not be right for anybody else!"
This is a dark love story with a lot of mystery and suspense. I loved the six degrees of separation aspect to the story line as well, in the end, all things were connected. People, places and things that were seemingly random throughout, actually converged for a tumultuous ending. There was passion, steam and just the right amount of angst for these two lovers as well. The shower scene alone makes this book a must read! The fact that the story itself is well written and the characters have depth and a certain reality to them is just a bonus.
Susan Mac Nicol is a self
confessed bookaholic, an avid watcher of videos of sexy pole dancing men, self
confessed geek and nerd and in love with her Smartphone. This little treasure
is called 'the boyfriend' by her long suffering husband, who says if it
vibrated, there'd be no need for him. Susan hasn't had the heart to tell him there's
an app for that...She is never happier than when sitting in the confines of her living room/study/on a cold station platform scribbling down words and making two men fall in love. She is a romantic at heart and believes that everything happens (for the most part) for a reason. She likes to think of herself as a 'half full' kinda gal, although sometimes that philosophy is sorely tested.
Lover of walks in the forest, theatre productions, dabbling her toes in the cold North Sea and the vibrant city of London where you can experience all four seasons in a day , she is a hater of pantomime (so please don't tar and feather her), duplicitous people, bigotry and self-righteous idiots.
In an ideal world, Susan Mac Nicol would be Queen of England and banish all the bad people to the Never Never Lands of Wherever -Who Cares. As that's never going to happen, she contents herself with writing her HEA stories and pretending, that just for a little while, good things happen to good people.
Susan Mac Nicol author links:
Susan is offering up ONE e-book from her backlist to THREE lucky winners!
Also, don't forget Susan is the Author of the Month here at TTC for June. Be sure to hop over to the AOTM feature page for all her author links as well as the links and blurb for all her MM books.
How do you pick just one? LOL I have loved them all. I can't wait to read this one as well.
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