No more running from love… Peter’s protective instincts—saving people is what he lives for—but he never anticipated falling for someone so hell-bent on running from him. On top of his physical wounds, Sean struggles with grief and guilt, and the mess his estranged father left when he died threatens to overwhelm him.
Saving Sean means Peter must let go of his pride and turn to friends and family. Asking for help is a bitter pill for Peter to swallow, but if he can’t, how can he expect Sean to accept his help—and his love—in turn?
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Peter and Sean were so interesting and there was definitely a lot for both of them to work through. I thought the pace was perfect and I liked that it wasn’t easy or pretty, but it was definitely interesting. I liked that we peeked into Sean’s family history and got to know more about some of the characters in the first book. I loved learning more about Theo and Morgan and getting to know Peter better. Every character added to the story and brought more interest to the story. I definitely recommend this book and series.
~ 4.5 Stars ~
Con Riley has long been a favorite author of contemporary genre romance. There is such an elegance to the way she crafts stories around relatably universal experiences—in this series, the running theme happens to be grief—delivered through characters who are immediately and immensely likable. Her people charm, provoke tender emotions, and always touch the heart of their audience. The Seattle Stories books are among some of the best examples of what it means to feel a deep adoration for fictional characters.
Peter Morse didn’t win Theo’s heart in book one of the series, After Ben. He isn’t offered a second chance to accomplish that in Saving Sean either. Rather, Peter is offered a very different gift—the gift of realizing that he didn’t lose love at all when he missed out on his chance with Theo. Peter simply hadn’t found love yet. Not the kind of love that means home, anyway. When Theo calls Peter out of the blue and asks for his help, it feels a little cruel, as Peter is still nursing feelings of loss over what might have been between them, but ignoring anyone in need is antithetical to who Peter is.
Doing a favor for Maggie, Theo’s assistant, wasn’t high on Peter’s list of priorities, it was altogether absent, but he grudgingly accepts the request to do a welfare check on her brother, Sean. What Peter discovers when he finally finds him is beyond anything he could have conceived of in his imagination. Not only is Sean laying injured on the side of the road, and not alone, but he runs away from Peter in a blind panic. When Peter tracks Sean down near his family’s isolated cabin, the shock Peter initially feels is exacerbated by the condition of the place. To say that the cabin is in a state of chaos is not much of an understatement. Sean and Maggie are grieving the passing of their dad, who suffered from an affliction which manifested as hoarding. Compounding Sean’s fruitless efforts to make his way through the labyrinth of his father’s mind, and what his father left behind, is the animosity and outright threats towards Sean from the folks who want him to sell his property to a developer in the hope of saving their town.
Peter’s empathy—or help, for that matter—isn’t something Sean is necessarily receptive to, even if it is something he needs. Sean may not understand what his dad was attempting to suss out, but he knows it was something and that was enough to entrench himself in a circular, infinite sort of mental hell, which makes Sean insecure at the least. How do you give up on something that might have been crucial, how do you simply throw away decades worth of research when it might lead to something important? Sean gets so bogged down in the dead ends and the long, meandering clues that lead to nowhere, or seem altogether insignificant, but how can he possibly know because he has no idea what he’s looking at, or even for. The claustrophobia of not only the cabin but of Sean’s thoughts and feelings is almost tangible, thanks to Riley’s care in detail and in relating how overwhelmed and overwhelming the situation is, and how Peter’s intervention may not have been appreciated at first, but was necessary.
Through several fits and starts, and with a little help from some familiar friends, Peter and Sean begin to wade through the mire and in doing so, they grow closer. Sean’s trust in Peter grows as well, thanks in large part to—and sometimes in spite of—Peter’s lack of brain-to-mouth filter. He has a tendency to verbalize exactly what he’s thinking and in doing so, Sean knows he’s getting the truth, always, whether he likes it or not. And that’s what he needed through it all, to believe that what Peter says is honest. Especially when Peter realizes that his home is wherever Sean happens to be.
Sandwiched between After Ben and Aiden’s Luck, Saving Sean is the only book in the series that has been significantly re-edited in its new release. The most important thing that didn’t change, however, is that it continues to exemplify Con Riley’s brand of romantic fiction. There is a special warmth and sincerity to her writing that touches the heart through her leading men, and then extends itself to the people—the friends and family—who are important to them. There’s a new Seattle Stories book coming this year, one that will also bring back the characters from Must Like Spinach (a book that I head-over-heels adore), and I can’t wait to visit with them again.
The flawed characters in this story pulled me in and kept me reading right to the end. They both felt very real, and I liked the way the author portrayed Sean’s struggle to find meaning in his father’s work, and the insidious way his father’s illness took over his life. The descriptions of both characters and setting are fabulous.
I loved Peter and his lack of verbal filter. His bedside manner is great, and I enjoyed seeing him being so capable at his job. I liked how his journey and Sean’s had parallels in their search to connect with their fathers, and understand them.
I enjoyed the conclusion of the story, which left me very satisfied, not just with Sean and Peter’s relationship, but also in the way Sean got closure and a way forward. I loved how Sean and Peter’s friendship and relationship grows over time, despite some rocky patches, and how they ground each other. I also liked that although the story is told from Peter’s perspective, and he’s one of the MCs, it isn’t him who figures everything out. On that note, Joel and Evan totally rock, and I loved the insight into how brilliant Sean really is.
I also loved the supporting cast, and thought they felt very real. I’m very happy that the next book is Aiden’s as I want to know more about him. This is very much a story about family, and not just the family dynamics within their circle of friends and wider, but found family as well, as I had a strong friends as family vibe from the ensemble cast. I liked all these guys, except for Vic, but suspect there’s a story there somewhere about why he’s like he is too.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I’m looking forward to more. I hadn’t read book one in this series first, yet still thoroughly enjoyed this story, although I want to play catch up now.
I enjoyed this but…
I’ve got to be honest… this was a great story but I kind of wanted to throw my ereader when I got to the end. Please don’t stop reading as I really do have very good things to say about this book.
I loved Sean and Peter. This is a standalone story but Peter was also in book one, After Ben, and I really, really wanted to see him get a happy ending. He’s such a caring and giving man so when a friend asks him for a favor, he doesn’t say no even though he really wants to. This is how he ends up going to visit Sean to see if he’s OK.
Sean is not OK – the blurb gives you the details. The house where Sean grew up is filled to the brim with stuff – boxes and boxes and stacks and stacks of paper; his father was a hoarder. This aspect of the story really hit home with me because I have a loved one who is in danger of tipping over into the hoarder category.
The story is so rich in detail about everything – the descriptions of where Sean’s childhood home is made me want to visit there – and the character writing is great. I enjoyed visiting with people from book one and I loved how Peter and his father finally got together to talk.
If you’re still reading, thank you. So why did I want to throw my ereader? Because of the abrupt ending to the book. I had the same complaint with book one but I think book two hit me even harder. I fully admit that I’m one of those readers who almost always wants more after a favorite book ends but really, this one just stopped way too abruptly.
Yes, the major issue of Sean’s childhood home was resolved and we pretty much know that Sean and Peter end up together so I guess there is a HFN (happy for now). But really? Would it have been too much to ask for just a tiny bit more in the way of even a short epilogue?
It’s a credit to Con Riley’s writing that I still want to read the next book in this series. If the writing wasn’t so good, I don’t think I’d want to read more books by the author. Book three is about Aiden and I’m excited to read it and see if we also get some more of Sean and Peter.
In her author’s note, Con Riley indicates that she will be publishing a fourth book in this series later this year and that characters from the first three books will appear; I hope that will satisfy my need to know more about Peter and Sean as well as Ben and Morgan from book one.
A copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
*****Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions*****
3.5 stars-
Saving Sean is the second book in the Seattle Stories series and while it features a prominent secondary character from After Ben, it can read as a standalone. I knew going in that Saving Sean would be an emotional read; and while that was certainly true, I wouldn’t consider this romance particularly angsty because there wasn’t a great deal of back and forth with this couple. Instead, the stress came from the characters’ circumstances. Saving Sean explored a wide range of emotions as both Peter and Sean confront and process some difficult memories and ties to their pasts. I enjoyed this story and couple a lot, but I was admittedly underwhelmed. I anticipated being punched in the feels a bit more after reading the first book in the series, and this was more of a contemplative story that didn’t strike quite as deep as a chord with me.
Peter and Sean were both complex, well- developed characters that complimented one another well. I quite liked Peter in After Ben, so I was more than happy to spend more time with him and see him get his very own happily ever. I liked the way the story progressed, keeping a predominantly steady pace both within and outside the romance with little pockets of conflict or excitement. I also really enjoyed how this book considered nontraditional ways a loved one may express or demonstrate their love. It served as a great reminder to consider and appreciate nuances in each relationship, and I liked that we saw the realization slowly take hold for Peter and Sean when they reflected back on their fathers’ choices. The connection between Peter and Sean happens quickly and though it doesn’t feel like insta-love, I never felt like their hold on each other wavered much. That said, I always felt a bit more removed from the story than I expected and the emotions never fully resonated with me, particularly in regards to Peter and Sean’s relationship. I’m not entirely sure if that was due to the quieter romance that was overshadowed by the other elements of the plot, or if it was simply that this didn’t hit me as hard as I wanted. Regardless, though it wasn’t quite as impactful for me as the first in the series, I would recommend Saving Sean to readers, particularly to those who want a solid romance that doesn’t have a lot of back and forth.
*eARC received via author*
If you wondered what happened to Peter (After Ben) when Theo chose Morgan, wonder no more. This is the follow up story and it’s a worthy successor to After Ben. Peter has kept in touch with Theo and they’ve stayed friends. He’s has been away from home leading courses for other first responders and he’s looking forward to the end of his journey home and his own bed when he gets a phone call from Theo asking for a favour. Will Peter personally check on Theo’s assistant’s brother who isn’t responding to messages and phone calls. Sean is a runner. Literally. His first response is flight. So the chase is on. Will Sean’s heart evade capture or is Peter the faster runner. This is a solid 4 star read with low angst (After Ben ripped me apart) and interesting characters who jump off the page. It’s a really enjoyable read and we get re-acquainted with characters from After Ben and also meet an important new character. One of the requirements for me to really enjoy a book, no matter what the genre, is believable characters and Con’s cracked it. Her people are real and you care about them. She’s one of my favourite authors and I’m already looking forward to whatever she releases next.