Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Wanting to start over after breaking off a relationship with his married boss, Caleb Robinson is happy to move from Los Angeles to Thornwood, Colorado. He can barely find the town on a map, which is just the kind of place Caleb needs. He's not looking for a relationship, and Thornwood looks to be the perfect place to get lost in his art. But when Thornwood’s local police officer, Trent Williams, knocks on Caleb’s front door, both men have an instant attraction to each other, and Caleb’s plans for solitude might have to change.

But he soon learns that Trent is a legendary one-night-stand man for a very special reason. His boyfriend has been kept on life support for the past five years after a serious skiing accident. Even though Simon isn’t expected to wake up and Trent says he’s trying to get past him, he won’t entertain anything that comes close to commitment. As compelling as their attraction is, Caleb doesn't want to be just another hook-up, and he won't be the other man. But Trent isn't sure he can risk the pain of losing someone else he cares about, no matter how intense the chemistry between him and Caleb.

Book Review

When two men meet and are attracted to each other, but one wants a no-strings-attached affair while the other wishes for commitment but will settle for being friends, trouble is bound to follow. This is what the two men in this novel face. Caleb is a graphic designer who left LA to escape a three-year relationship with his cheating married boss, and he longs for a committed relationship with an honest partner. Trent is a small town cop whose former lover has been in a coma for five years, and he can’t bear to think about a relationship at all, for fear of losing that man, just like he lost Simon. The result is a great story with believable characters, emotional depth, and lots of (sometimes painful) growth for both men. They each have their own set of issues they struggle with, but being together, despite all the ups and downs, turns out to be better than being apart.

Caleb is desperate to get way from his past, so he moves from LA to a small town in Colorado. He has bought a former horse ranch and loves the big house, but has no clue about living “in the mountains” as his sister calls it. His first encounter hearing noises outside at night, thinking it must be a bear and calling his new cop friend for help, only to find out it was raccoons, made me laugh. But he is determined to make it work. And when I found out more about the lying ex as the story unfolded, I could see why. It’s pretty sad that Caleb only wants “someone not to lie to him” and to make sure that doesn’t happen, he does his best not to have a relationship at all. But Trent is tempting, and Caleb has to fight hard to remind himself to stay away.  

Trent is scarred from losing his boyfriend, Simon, of one year in a ski accident – not to death, but to a coma. His family decides to keep Simon on life support – and that is where he still is five years later. While Trent realizes it is over, and moves on physically to one hookup after the other – he has a much more difficult time emotionally. Not that he understands this until he meets Caleb, for whom commitment is as much a “must” as it is a “no go zone” for Trent. How is he supposed to deal with potentially losing another man if he lets himself fall in love?

If you like character-driven stories with lots of psychological issues and personal growth, if you want to know more about two men who figure out that they are better off together than on their own, and if you’re looking for a read that is emotional, fascinating, and ends on a hopeful note, then you will probably like this novel.

 

 

 

 

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

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 200 pages/63387 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	21-September-2015
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/one-more-time-by-caitlin-ricci-2706-b