Twenty-one years ago, a four-year old child was kidnapped from his front yard. He was never found. Until now.All Nat Walker wants is to make his late father’s dream of running a father/son woodworking shop come true. And he had the perfect building in mind—until the new guy in town came in and bought the place right out from under him. The fact that the new guy is adorable means nothing. For all … means nothing. For all Nat cares, he can take his new dance studio and waltz back to New York City.
Professional dancer Quinn Carroll couldn’t be happier that he made the move to the small town of Lakeshore, Oregon. Sure, it’s not New York, but now he’ll be living closer to his adoptive brother. And since his studio will be the only one in the area, he should get enough business to keep him busy. Besides, there’s something about this place that seems familiar…
He doesn’t expect to fall hard for the local, grumpy woodworker who won’t even smile at him.
Or find out that his entire life is a lie.
more
thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and still, I have trouble reviewing this book. Not that it was bad. On the contrary. It was really good, and it had a very interesting storyline with lots of surprising turns of events. Right from the start, I was holding my breath, waiting to learn how the story would unfold. No, it was more how I could typecast this story. I felt tugged into several directions. It is a sort of enemies-to-lovers story mixed with mystery, but neither left me completely satisfied.
When Quinn and Nat meet, it is grumpy looks at first sight, but they turn quickly into heated looks. Nat is holding back, but his attraction to Quinn is undeniable. Their dancing around each other is short and sweet, and the first kiss is scorching. Then Quinn hears some life-changing news, and his world won’t ever be the same. He needs time to adjust to this new reality.
I felt that the mystery surrounding Quinn and the romance between him and Nat were told more or less separately and that the romance was on the background a bit. I must say the author did a great job revealing what happened to Quinn. It was very emotional. Every time she added some more elements, and with that, the feelings were multiplying and changing. The same goes for how Nat deals with his father’s death and his presumed role in that. Both events have a great impact on their budding romance, but I felt they dealt with it more on their own than together. While a lot of their own thoughts and emotions about the events were detailed and considerate, their feelings about each other were more off page. So their romance was told in leaps and bounds without the smooth, more natural way of evolving I would have liked.
What was clear, though, was that no matter what happens, family is important and it doesn’t matter how that family comes about. The story had some very nice side characters, from the young to the older, old and new. And in the end, Quinn and Nat have everything they need right there.
All in all, I found it was a captivating story, and I am looking forward to reading the next book.
I loved this one, and I can’t wait to read the sequels. All of the characters here are caring and supportive. I was afraid we’d have to get through most of the book before the mystery was solved, but the “big reveal” occurred about 1/4 of the way in so that the remainder of the book showed all the characters dealing with it. Nat and Quinn’s relationship had a satisfying resolution here, but the overall story arc and potential for the secondary characters whetted my appetite for the future books in the series.
This book was a sweet and often funny romance growing between Quinn and Nat, along with some serious issues regarding each man. Nat was plagued with grief and guilt over the death of his father. And Quinn, who had always known he was adopted, found out that he was actually abducted as a child. Meeting his two birth brothers and trying to figure out how to have a relationship with them without damaging his adopted family, was often more than Quinn could handle. In the midst of their often chaotic feelings, Nat and Quinn found solace in their feelings for each other.
I really enjoyed this story, which was full of so many people feeling guilty for things beyond their control. I am interested in following the series to learn more about the individual characters and more about Quinn’s kidnapping. I was satisfied with the ending but also ready to learn more.
I am amazed at the variety in this author’s work and how she does it all so well. Hockey romance, cowboy romance, holiday romance, etc. This book is much more angsty than her other work that I’ve read and I enjoyed it but it was a higher angst level than I usually like. I’m not the most patient person and after a while I just wanted to say “let’s move on” which is totally not appropriate and so insensitive considering the circumstances for the MCs and everyone else involved. So the rating is more a reflection of my reaction than the quality of the book so take that for what it’s worth.
The overriding themes here are ‘what makes a family’ and ‘guilt’. Those themes intertwine to create a heart wrenching story. Nat squeezes your heart from the beginning but it is the transformation in Quinn that is the most compelling. He goes from irrepressible and lighthearted to burdened and flailing with the exposure of a life altering situation. The multiples levels of guilt he feels are suffocating him. In combination with Nat’s situation it’s a lot to take in, especially since in neither situation are they guilty of anything.
And then, as in al, good romance books, the power of love comes to the rescue but in a plethora of new and different ways. I’m hoping there are more books to come in this series. Shay needs to find his HEA and we need to meet Ian. There is a very bizarre scene towards the end with Evan (and his “friend”) that I assume will be the subject of a future book because otherwise there was no point in inserting it. I’m also wondering whether we will find out more about the missing parents and the ongoing mystery of what happened to Dylan.
A missing child returns twenty-one years later? A romantic suspense and M/M? Count me in!
I was so ready to fall in love with Nat and Quinn, and I did! I loved them together—loved how they fell in love with each other. Both a little bit bruised—especially Quinn, who goes through so many different emotions! And Nat who’s trying to come to grips with what he wants out of life and his future. And I loved them together, that their relationship was immediately so strong and an “adult” one with little angst and foolishness.
But, somehow the mystery of Quinn’s return and the circumstances surrounding his kidnapping fell short for me. It seemed as if the plot dragged a bit, even though there was so much happening with the individual characters and THEIR stories. I would have loved to see a bit more resolution on some lingering issues.
However, I am curious enough and enamored with the rest of the cast of characters including their brothers, that I will absolutely check out the next book in the series!
Argh! Ok, so I have tried to read this book 4 times now.
I have given myself a break, picked up something different, came back and still, I just can not force myself to finish after 72%.
I was so excited by the blurb, it sounded incredible and had so much promise, which is why I gave it so many chances.
Firstly, I am not too big on third-person, so that was a bit of an issue but definitely not a deal breaker.
This story seemed all over the place and rushed and I found it repetitive in a lot of places which left e more than a little frustrated.
Speaking of frustrating . . . !!SPOILER!!
Before y’all bite my head off, I know this is M/M, BUT… Am I the only person who was frustrated that EVERYONE had to be gay? Like Quinn is gay, his twin is gay and biological brother is gay. So of course, his adopted brother has to be gay too? SMH, it’s ok not to be gay too, just saying 🙂
before you
Then you have the relationship between the main characters, Quinn and Nat. I don’t understand it. I honestly think there was too much going on and their relationship took a major backseat. You don’t get to experience their relationship grow, it just goes fro nothing to complete in the span of a few pages. Its just not believable to me, and I’m the queen of Insta-love stories.
I don’t want to go on and on about all the things I didn’t like or how it didn’t work for me. at the end of the day, the storyline had potential, sadly for me, the execution wasn’t pulled off.