This book grabbed me from the start and kept me invested. Two seemingly opposite men whose reaction is so strong that it is easiest to explain it as hate or at least strong dislike.
Creek is not doing well coming to terms with his new life minus one leg and his active duty Army career. He is bitter, angry, prickly, overwhelmed, determined, and fiercely independent. He has ties with his "brothers" but has never really been in a real relationship and has only hooked up with women. He has lost hope, his identity, and is unsure of what comes next in his future. It is easy to take out his annoyance and anger on the sunshiny amputee that he has to share time in physical therapy with.
Heath has a sunny disposition, a goofy grin, and a seemingly positive outlook. And he is farther ahead than Creek in his recovery and that just makes Creek want to compete with him more. He has had an easier time transitioning back to his career as a high school teacher and coach and makes no secret he is gay. But his happy facade also hides some deep personal pain, abandonment, trust, and self-worth issues.
From hating to be in the same room together to becoming irrationally obsessed with each other and not sure they like it, I enjoyed seeing them begin to look deeper at each other and find common ground. And their verbal reactions turn to strong, unexpected physical ones and to a connection neither of them ever expected. I loved these two together especially as they showed the cracks in their armor and allowed themselves to be vulnerable and begin to trust and feel.
This is an emotional, opposites-attract, grumpy-sunshine, bi-awakening, hurt-comfort story about hope, trust, support, healing, featuring firsts, friendship, and found family. I enjoyed this whole group from Creek's housemates and former teammates Nash, Bean, and Tameron, his brother Forest, their PT Kent, and Heath's friends Kaleo and Zayd. I am looking forward to more in this series. As a therapist, I appreciated the fact that the authors did not make their recovery and medical problems easy or quick fixes and dealt honestly with the effort required, pain, and setbacks. It added depth and framework to the story, but their connection, healing, and ability to persevere and overcome made it truly shine. Their writing styles blended very well to craft this beautiful story of love and self-worth.
Raven reads
E L-G
Golden Child