Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Anthony Talbot is in Anchor Point to visit family, but after two days of strife, he needs a break. A local gay bar is calling his name.

 

When Chief Noah Jackson sees that red head stroll into the club, he immediately wants him. They’re perfectly matched, and before long, they’re burning up the sheets. Noah can’t get enough. Anthony can’t stay in Oregon for long, but as soon as he leaves, he’s counting down the days until he can fly back for more. And between his increasingly frequent visits, there’s always phone sex, sexting, webcams . . . anything they can get.

 

But Noah’s got a carefully crafted façade, and Anthony can’t help noticing the slowly forming cracks. The scent of alcohol in the middle of the day. The extra drinks at dinner. The hint of red in his eyes. Anthony knows what it means. He doesn’t want to believe it, but he’s seen this before, and there’s no denying it. If Noah doesn’t get his downward spiral under control, he’s going to lose both his career and the first man he’s ever really loved.

 

Book Review

The men of ‘Anchor Point’ are definitely worth getting to know. I have greatly enjoyed the two previous books in this series, so I was happy to see the author releasing this third installment. Even better was discovering that Anthony is Clint’s ex-brother-in-law, who has no love for Clint and is more than fully acquainted with alcoholism, as he watched Clint ruin his sister’s life. I was really looking forward to Noah’s story as I knew there had to be more to him than I'd seen so far. And I knew the author was going to bring me complex characters, real life issues, seriously hot sex, and a fabulous ending. Why wouldn't I be excited?

There have been a couple of times in my life where my drinking consumption straddled the possibility of becoming an alcoholic. Luckily it never got that far, but I can understand, and empathize, with someone like Noah. Seventeen years in the Navy, barely surviving DADT, and never having a relationship strong enough to help him weather all of the storms, has certainly contributed to where he is in life, and in his career, currently. Unfortunately, Noah doesn't see his drinking as being a problem - much like most alcoholics.

I'm not going to talk about the intense heat these two men generated or how it went from a few days, to going back and forth every other weekend. I'll just leave it at: Noah and Anthony have got some serious flames and the possibility of having so much more, if they can maneuver through Noah’s drinking and both of their issues. I did love the way the author wrote their burgeoning relationship. It was lovely to see the slow, scary, slide into love. She also did a fantastic job handling Noah’s alcoholism and all the little tricks he did in hopes no one will discover his secret.

“Either the booze goes, or I do.”
Rage boiled in my gut. “So you think that since we’re dating, you can dictate how I run my life?”
“No.” He shrugged. “You can live your life however you want. So can I. And I choose not to live it with someone who’s controlled by a fucking bottle.”
“Then get out.”

Definitely an intense ending, even though it turned out to be happy for both men. I really enjoyed this novel, although to some degree, I kind of felt as if Noah never really got to rock bottom, not that that matters in the long run, since he accepted he had a problem and then worked hard to get through it. I would have liked to have seen more of Noah’s struggle, especially in the beginning after Anthony walked out, but being friends with recovering addicts has shown me plenty of hardship, tears, and remorse. I really hope this isn't the final book because I really think Will needs his own story (hint, hint).

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Riptide Publishing for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 291 pages/77200 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	19-June-2017
Price	$5.99 ebook, $17.99 paperback, $23.98 bundle
Buy Link	http://riptidepublishing.com/chiefs-mess