I lifted my gaze to tell Seth no but then I saw it. The thing I’d feared I’d lost. It wasn’t hero worship or the wayward emotions of an innocent child. And it wasn’t some distorted reflection of a man who no longer existed. All I saw was me…the way he saw me. –RonanTrauma surgeon Ronan Grisham lost everything the day the man he loved was stolen from him in a brutal attack. Driven by a thirst … attack. Driven by a thirst for vengeance, he turns his hatred into building an underground group that can do what he couldn’t that fateful day…take the lives of the guilty to save the lives of the innocent. But years later, he’s forced to confront the one link to his past that he can’t sever.
Seven years after the loss of his parents in a violent home invasion that left him permanently scarred both inside and out, 21-year-old Seth Nichols is trying to put his life back together so he can take over the reins of his father’s global shipping empire. But the last person he expects to come back into his life is the man he drove away with one innocent, stolen kiss.
With one brush of his lips, Seth managed to do to Ronan what no other had since the day Ronan watched the light in his fiancé’s eyes go out forever. He made him need again. But Ronan can’t need anyone, least of all his dead fiancé’s younger brother. Because even one touch from Seth could shatter Ronan’s carefully constructed world and Ronan knows there’s no coming back from that a second time.
But when a series of escalating attacks against Seth forces Ronan back into his life, Seth knows it’s his last chance to show Ronan he can be the man the broken surgeon needs. Only the Ronan who returns isn’t the Ronan Seth fell in love with so long ago…
Can Seth be Ronan’s salvation or will he end up destroying them both?
Full length novel (80k words)
Trigger Warning: This book does contain a possible trigger for some readers. Specifics can be found by utilizing the “Look Inside” feature or downloading a sample and scrolling to the page right before the table of contents. Please note that reading the trigger that is included may cause spoilers.
This is Book 2 in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone story – no cliffhangers.**
Book 1 – Absolution (M/M/M)
Book 2 – Salvation (M/M)
Note: This book contains M/M sexual content and is intended for mature audiences
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**********Contains Spoilers**********
I really enjoyed this book. It was heartbreaking what Ronan went through with the brutal attack on him and his Fiancé Trace, who was Seth’s older brother which resulted in Trace’s m*rder and Ronan hating any sort of touch. I’m glad that Hawke gave Ronan a way to get justice for him and Trace since the Army hadn’t done anything to the group of men after Ronan gave Hawke some extra time with his wife Revay before she passed away from being in a fire that was deliberately set so she was m*rdered. As well as Seth losing both his parents and being injured himself after being victims of home invasion at a very young age, then losing his Grandma and Trace not too long after his parents. I loved seeing Ronan finally open up to Seth which was completely overdue but it didn’t help that he has so much guilt over what happened to Trace since he begged Trace to meet him at their spot since they hadn’t been alone with each other for ages, whereas Trace wasn’t too keen since it was risky as no one could find out because of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. I liked getting more of Mace, Cole and Jonas again as well as Hawke and I’m looking forward to reading his book next, as he deserves another chance at love after losing his wife Revay when she was m*rdered all those years’ ago and Ronan gave Hawke a few extra days with her before she passed and I’m glad that Hawke helped Ronan . I’d definitely recommend this book, series, universe and author to everyone.
This book was full of angst and trauma and it broke my heart. Luckily, the beautiful romance between Seth and Ronan and their developing and blooming love made up for all the angst. This book was packed full of drama, action, angst, and love. There was also a lot of very hot sex scenes between Ronan and Seth that were just delicious.
The narration by Joel Leslie was perfect for the book. He brought it to life and kept me on the edge of my seat.
Both Salvation and Retribution were amazing stories. I enjoyed every page of their individual struggles and their beautiful love stories. The icing on the cake are the hot sex scenes, so so hot!!!
read 2017
God this book is Painful, these two men are so broken!!!
Ronan has been through hell, it was hard to read without crying.
He is so full of guilt and shame and is punishes himself for the loss of his fiancee.
He doesn’t think he is worthy of Seth love and he keeps running away, every time Seth gets too close.
The thing Seth has been through is so heartbreaking. After his loss of his parents and brother Trace, is Ronan the only one family he has left. They share one little kiss and Ronan runs for the hills.
Seth has isolated himself from the outside for the last 3 years, he is trying to be among people again and taking over the role of CEO in his father company.
And you would think he’d been through enough, but no, there is a new threat, and this is where Ronan comes back in Seth life.
Seth has been in love with Ronan for years, but he is afraid that Ronan only sees him as Trace’s little brother and Ronan are afraid if Seth finds out the truth about his brother’s death and who he has become after, that Seth doesn’t want him. Instead of telling Seth the truth, he behaves like a asshole. But Seth takes what he can get from Ronan, even if it’s going to cost him in the end.
There is a scene between them at the beginning of the book that is hard to read and it is not everyone who can/will read on after that and I fully understand that.
But I’m glad I keep reading, I think they were perfect for each other and of course we get our HEA and it’s a good one!
Ronan was so damaged from what happened in his childhood and what happened with him and Trace, he never thought he would find love again after Trace but he didn’t have to look far for Seth. It took Ronan an extremely long time to come to grips with wanting and loving Seth but once he finally did it was magical. Seth was damaged from his past as well and the connection he felt with Ronan he thought was always one sided until Ronan finally confessed his love. This was a perfect book two in this series.
** 4.5 stars **
I really don’t care for dead lover/husband/fiance trope but since Ronan is essential for this series I knew I needed to read this one to fully enjoy it. Trace (the aforementioned deceased fiance) was not on the forefront, so by the time I was half way into the story I didn’t mind him at all. I liked that Ronan acknowledged his not so stellar choices, that he was not perfect and was not put on the pedestal.
Ronan went through a horrible ordeal that should have never happened. It broke my heart when he recounted what happened. For the most of the story he carries a lot of guilt and grief since he actually never even tried to deal with it. I liked him for the most part but there was a little niggling that it felt to me that Ronan was using Seth and his love for him. But in the end I figured out that Ronan simply didn’t know how to release all the poison and anguish that have been a part of him for so long, and that Seth actually would be the catalyst to his healing and the start of new and happy life.
I liked Seth a lot and rooted for him. He went through so much when he was so young. When the adults that should have been there for him one day simply were not, he stood on his own two feet. He survived on his own, and I am so proud of him. I liked him for Ronan better than Trace. Trace was not right for Ronan at all. Things happen in mysterious ways, and all turns out as it should be. Both men had to go through pain, heartache and so much suffering in order to be together.
The stalker situation and subsequent attacks on Seth were scattered through the book and around 40% of the book the culprit was evident. But the twist in the end was unexpected. So that part was good. I loved reading about Seth and Ronan getting together and figuring things out. I really liked the appearance of Mace, Cole and Jonas, and how Ms Kennedy emphasized the possibility of all of them being one big family. I am really enjoying this series. I highly recommend this book!
This was the third time with the story and I still got more than the previous two. the characters are so thoroughly created. Being that this book was the second in the series I expected more. Boy did Sloane deliver. Having met Ronan in the previous book I thought I knew what I was getting. I got so much more. I wanted to mother Seth and as more of Ronan’s past was revealed, I wanted to mother him too. Such beautiful men inside and out. Both scarred so much worse inside than the ones on their bodies. Not only do you keep trying to figure out who is trying to harm Seth, you are wondering if Ronan will ever stop running and hiding from him. I enjoyed the twists and turns as the danger increased. Watching as these two men get to know the each other again after so long apart. The steam is hot and blends great with the rest. A real page turner that you love all the way through yet are sad it’s over.
i loved the book Salvation by Sloane Kennedy, love all her books, enjoying reading, and would love to see more