Possible Triggers: PTSD, Extreme Emotional Trauma
Madden and Thane are products of two very different walks of lives. A brief meeting at a local club throws them together as they come to terms and try to recover from being caught up in a shooting that takes place only minutes after they get together. Thane rescues injured Madden...stays with him until the paramedics arrive, and even through the early days of his surgery...taking him to his home and caring for him afterwards...we knew that their lives would be forever changed. Thane is a firefighter who was previously a Marine so saving people was second nature to him. He lived through "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and he still lives a fairly closeted lifestyle, but that choice is mostly because he has never found a man he wants to settle down with. He’s quite pragmatic about who he is and how he lives his life and when he is very publicly outed after saving Madden’s life, he simply rolls with it and easily deals with the one odd jerk at his fire station. Madden's life was as different from Thane's as night and day. His parents shouldn't have been allowed to ever have pets, much less children...gay or straight. They unceremoniously closed him out of their lives when they found out he wasn't ever going to be bringing home anyone that was female, in his entire lifetime. That was after their attempt to “straighten him out” that left long lasting marks on him mentally. Marks that he carries with him and that does nothing for his recovery when the shooting causes his PTSD and anxiety problems to return in spades. He's a tattoo artist at Heathen Ink...a job that literally saved his life.... but nerve damage may take that talent and job away from him. What an interesting and supportive group of friends he has there. They are truly THERE for him in every way imaginable, as is Thane. It is so easy to see how Thane will be perfect for Madden's life. I have some mixed feelings about the last part of the book. I completely understood why Madden felt the way he did but to take the steps he did to go about "fixing" himself, and in the way that he did it, seemed callous and unnecessary. It wasn't at all fair to Thane, and Madden could have easily ended up losing him. Overall...it's a good story, with easy to like characters...especially Thane's parents...by an author that I really, really like. ( )

Thane and Madden, two gorgeous cool guys, meet at a club. There's so much sex appeal and flirting on both sides, that the sparks are lightning bolts. Then the sky falls in - a terrorist attack hate crime, and Madden is shot 3 times.

The first minutes of the book forecast a cheeky, vibrant romance. But it's actually a drama full of the sad reality of the post-attack recovery. PTSD. There's a lot of detail about Madden's mental recovery and the fallout for Thane.

Thane - what a great name - don't recall meeting anyone by that name in a novel, or anywhere, before.

There's a line in Ch 16 where Thane is described as a beautiful person, Madden as a real person. It true, it's the novel in a nutshell. It's both good enough and not good enough.

I enjoyed this novel but I'm withholding my usual 4 stars, holding my rating to 3.5 stars. Not exactly sure why. At times I thought: this novel is being saved by Cooper North, the narrator, who is such a pro and particularly good with the MM romance novels. ( )

UGH, so disappointing. I just adore the four bears series and was hoping I would love this just as much. Unfortunately, the writing is stilted and awkward and I just couldn't read more than 20%. ( )

Madden and Thane are both really great characters. Their story has lots of ups and downs. Their first meeting was traumatic which understandably left Madden terrified of many things that could have adversely affected his budding relationship with Thane. It was good to see that Madden and Thane cared about one another enough to work it out. Madden knew it had to learn to trust himself again and Thane was smart enough to give him the opportunity. The on page emotions and lust can be felt throughout the book which gives the story a very authentic vibe. ( )

Libro davvero bellissimo e coinvolgente dall'inizio alla fine. Ho adorato il modo in cui la storia è stata strutturata e il modo in cui viene affrontato un tema spinoso e delicato. Thane è meraviglioso come personaggio e la sua sensibilità e dolcezza riescono a scalfire pure il cuore più duro. Tenerissimo pure Madden che nonostante il dolore riesce a lanciare al lettore un messaggio fortissimo di speranza e voglia di rinascita. Mi è piaciuto moltissimo il rapporto tra i personaggi e la delicatezza con cui si avvicinano e aiutano a vicenda. Un inizio di serie con il botto :D