What do you think?
Rate this book
Sanctuary
Sheridan Roberts has run his animal sanctuary on the remote Scottish island of Aurora for two years and been alone since his partner Scott ran off with most of his lottery winnings. He doesn't trust anyone, only his animals, and has been trying unsuccessfully not to notice his employee Elliot Fox.
Elliot is head over heels in love with his cold boss and just as passionate as him about animals. He believes he doesn't stand a chance but he's prepared to fight off other men to win a chance at Sheridan's bruised heart.
Elliot is head over heels in love with his cold boss and just as passionate as him about animals. He believes he doesn't stand a chance but he's prepared to fight off other men to win a chance at Sheridan's bruised heart.
136 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 8, 2011
2 people are currently reading
150 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
July 10, 2011
Sheridan was an a**hole toward Elliot the entire time they were together. He basically used him for just sex when he needed it. Then Scott came back and Sheridan slept with him. Then the next morning does the same thing with Elliot. After he was done, he told Elliot, "Scott stayed last night. I slept with him." Then he watched Elliot's heart break in front of him then turned and walked away. So he starts up heavy with Scott again while pretending Scott is Elliot. He also lets Scott work at the shelter and tells Poppy to break the news to Elliot. She tells him to do it himself because he's a coward. Elliot shows up for work and sees Scott there. Elliot punches Sheridan and Scott jumps on Elliot. Sheridan basically does nothing then walks away with Scott. Man, he is such a bastard! Elliot quits and moves away. He finally gets rid of Scott, like 2 weeks later, then shows up at Elliot's parents house and is like Scott is gone and Elliot is like ok. If I was Elliot, I wouldn't have forgiven him. He just showed up and Elliot was like ok. WTF?? I will never read this again. Man, I hate cheaters. If I would've known that I would not have read this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2013
To be honest, I was a little biased when I read the book. The reviews weren't that enthusiastic about this novel and the people I've talked to about it had nothing positive to say about it.
But even without that, I still think that I would have not liked this book. Mainly because the characters in the book were insufferable. The only decent person I found was Poppy, and not much was elaborated on her. Owen and Sheridan were practically dickheads- no brains and all air. Elliot reminded me of a female Bella Swan (Twilight protagonist), only he's much more horny and he has a pet love for animals.
But even without that, I still think that I would have not liked this book. Mainly because the characters in the book were insufferable. The only decent person I found was Poppy, and not much was elaborated on her. Owen and Sheridan were practically dickheads- no brains and all air. Elliot reminded me of a female Bella Swan (Twilight protagonist), only he's much more horny and he has a pet love for animals.
January 24, 2013
Looks like I was the first to review this novel on Amazon UK, although not the first worldwide as there are reviews on Amazon US which I didn't notice before purchasing. (Probably a good thing as I wouldn't have bought it through reading the other reviews).
This is a great read, Scarlet writes well. I enjoyed the writing, the characters and although there's not much of a plot, I'm a sucker for a happy ending. A short read, takes approximately two hours to get through, but that's probably because I wanted to know how the story would end and just kept reading and reading.
There's a bit of descriptive sex but that doesn't detract from the character development of the two protagonists, it only serves to realise their affection for each other, and their love. This is a "Love" story after all, not a porn novel.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
One annoyance I have, and this applies to all novels in this genre.....as a gay man, I cannot comprehend the prevelence of spontaneous, full-on gay sex. Does the passive partner really not have to "prepare" for his mate? It's never happened to me, it would never and has never happened, I wouldn't and couldn't let it happen out of respect for my partner. Then again, as a kid I could never understand how the Famous Five could be locked up in a tower or dungeon for days on end without having the need for a lavatory! Perhaps its the way my mind works? Dramatic license? :o)
This is a great read, Scarlet writes well. I enjoyed the writing, the characters and although there's not much of a plot, I'm a sucker for a happy ending. A short read, takes approximately two hours to get through, but that's probably because I wanted to know how the story would end and just kept reading and reading.
There's a bit of descriptive sex but that doesn't detract from the character development of the two protagonists, it only serves to realise their affection for each other, and their love. This is a "Love" story after all, not a porn novel.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
One annoyance I have, and this applies to all novels in this genre.....as a gay man, I cannot comprehend the prevelence of spontaneous, full-on gay sex. Does the passive partner really not have to "prepare" for his mate? It's never happened to me, it would never and has never happened, I wouldn't and couldn't let it happen out of respect for my partner. Then again, as a kid I could never understand how the Famous Five could be locked up in a tower or dungeon for days on end without having the need for a lavatory! Perhaps its the way my mind works? Dramatic license? :o)
March 12, 2013
I liked it at first, then i had some issues, because Elliot sometimes is too naive, i really can't believe he's 30/31 (don't remember), Owen who supposedly was more worldly was a little pathetic, I mean , man, if he hasn't noticed you in two years despite you being so forward about it, you have to take it as a sign, and Sheridan may not be a cheater but he was a son of a bitch, Elliot would have never jumped at him if he hadn't have done so first on the trip.
And for the love of all that's holy, I can't understand why he take Scott back, I mean, there's this honest, kind and cute man that's willing to give himself entirely to you, and you're supposedly in love with him and there's this douchebag that leave you, stole almost all your money and fucked half the country with it, who would you chose?, for me that's not a brainier but Sheridan's mind seems to work differently.
And I hate him that he supposedly loving Elliot allowed Scott to hit him and pin him to the floor, when Elliot comes to confront him, because he didn't have the balls to talk to him straight and tell him Scott was joining the refuge staff, and what's really pathetic is that it took Scott talking bad about animals and about hurt them to kick him off, like it was more important the fox suffering than Elliot's.
And for the love of all that's holy, I can't understand why he take Scott back, I mean, there's this honest, kind and cute man that's willing to give himself entirely to you, and you're supposedly in love with him and there's this douchebag that leave you, stole almost all your money and fucked half the country with it, who would you chose?, for me that's not a brainier but Sheridan's mind seems to work differently.
And I hate him that he supposedly loving Elliot allowed Scott to hit him and pin him to the floor, when Elliot comes to confront him, because he didn't have the balls to talk to him straight and tell him Scott was joining the refuge staff, and what's really pathetic is that it took Scott talking bad about animals and about hurt them to kick him off, like it was more important the fox suffering than Elliot's.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2012
I don't have the words to explain how much this book turned on me. Yes, Scott was a complete and utter douche bag the entire book, but I kept waiting for Elliot to break through to his ice-cold heart won over by Elliot's sweetness and caring. I was reading happily along until 79% of the way through the book. After that it was like a godawful nightmare that I couldn't escape from. This book just made me furious and I can feel my blood pressure is still up as I'm typing this. All I can say is Elliot deserves way better than "arsehole" Scott, but the fact that he took him back and was such a pussy letting Scott walk over him left and right makes me dislike him also. I can honestly say I wish I didn't read this book because all it did was make me unhappy all the way through. I have 3 other Scarlett Blackwell books on my "to-read-i-own" list but now I'm scared to read them. I better read some reviews first.
July 9, 2011
REALLY didn't work for me ... one of the most unromantic romances I've read in a while. I was cheering for Elliott (and what a downtrodden sap he was) to stand up for himself for once, but he never did.
July 30, 2011
I started out loving this story and Sheridan was sort of an asshole and I was like 'yeah, okay, whatever, you're damaged' but when they started sleeping together, Sheridan was just plain cruel afterwards.
Elliot was so sweet. He deserved better in the end.
Elliot was so sweet. He deserved better in the end.
January 27, 2012
abusive asshole uses you for sex, takes his ex back, throws you out leaves you jobless in favor of ex who betrays him. Then he wants you back because ex betrayed and left him.
I will Blacklist all SB books. i am just to traumatized by this.
I will Blacklist all SB books. i am just to traumatized by this.
March 21, 2013
Just no. Elliot deserves someone better. Sheridan fucked up big-time; I don't even see the appeal in him at all.
Good writing, and it had some potential - sex was hot, too - but then it crashed and burned.
Good writing, and it had some potential - sex was hot, too - but then it crashed and burned.
July 9, 2011
Elliot deserved a better ending! (without the arsehole)
April 19, 2013
Wow, what a bad story. Sheridan's an ass, Elliot is too naive to be funny anymore, Owen is a prick and not to forget the douchebag asshole off-on-off-exboyfriend Scott. The best characters in this story definitely are the animals and Poppy.
On the plus side, the cover is awesome
On the plus side, the cover is awesome
not-for-me
July 10, 2011TBNT See LaShonta's review for why http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
dnf
September 17, 2022Kindle-Sort-ReRead
Unpleasant characters...
Unpleasant characters...
July 9, 2011
3.5 stars
One of Scarlet Blackwell's trademarks for me is her (borrowing a friend's term) a**hat hero. What can I say, I enjoy reading them *grin*. In this story, the a**hat is the owner of animal house, Sheridan Roberts.
Elliott Fox has been in love with Sheridan for two years he works there. Elliot loves Sheridan's soft heart for animals, how his boss seems to be able to pick up strays everywhere. The classic Scarlet's push and pull is there, I can feel the palpable yearning from Elliott in each scene. Sheridan notices Elliott too, but he tells himself that his heart is too bruised after his partner left him, he just cannot give what Elliott what he wants.
How is Sheridan an a**hat then? There is a scene, in which Sheridan drunk takes Elliott -- and the fact that he has sex with Elliott but still refuses to give more. If you have read Ms. Blackwell's stories before, you will recognize this plot :). Of course, I enjoy the ending and I believe that Sheridan can redeem himself. He LOVES animals and anyone who can take strays as easily cannot be that bad :)
The writing is a bit confusing though, or is it the editing? Sometimes the point of view switches from Elliott to Sheridan without any warning. So watch out on that.
The whole animals get an extra 0.5 stars for me
One of Scarlet Blackwell's trademarks for me is her (borrowing a friend's term) a**hat hero. What can I say, I enjoy reading them *grin*. In this story, the a**hat is the owner of animal house, Sheridan Roberts.
Elliott Fox has been in love with Sheridan for two years he works there. Elliot loves Sheridan's soft heart for animals, how his boss seems to be able to pick up strays everywhere. The classic Scarlet's push and pull is there, I can feel the palpable yearning from Elliott in each scene. Sheridan notices Elliott too, but he tells himself that his heart is too bruised after his partner left him, he just cannot give what Elliott what he wants.
How is Sheridan an a**hat then? There is a scene, in which Sheridan drunk takes Elliott -- and the fact that he has sex with Elliott but still refuses to give more. If you have read Ms. Blackwell's stories before, you will recognize this plot :). Of course, I enjoy the ending and I believe that Sheridan can redeem himself. He LOVES animals and anyone who can take strays as easily cannot be that bad :)
The writing is a bit confusing though, or is it the editing? Sometimes the point of view switches from Elliott to Sheridan without any warning. So watch out on that.
The whole animals get an extra 0.5 stars for me
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 10, 2011I never write reviews but I can't decide if this should be one star or four so let's just say it was well written and very believable but not what you want to read in a romance and I was hoping that Elliott wouldn't take him back so that was a big let down
January 6, 2014
3.5 stars
Everybody hates this one, saying how dirty the top hero was to the bottom. However, he was straight up with him and told him his feelings and why, repeatedly. It's not his fault the little dude ignored him. Very redeemable cheater.
Everybody hates this one, saying how dirty the top hero was to the bottom. However, he was straight up with him and told him his feelings and why, repeatedly. It's not his fault the little dude ignored him. Very redeemable cheater.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2011
3 stars just because I love all the animals. It's really bad when I hate main character. And Sheridan? I didn't like him at all.
July 25, 2011
2 stars because it did involve an animal sanctuary and I'm a sucker. However, I found the characters hard to relate to and Sheridan was not very likeable at all. A douche in fact.
November 8, 2012
Bad, very, very bad.
For the life of me I couldn't see the attraction between the 2 MC's.
And after what Sherman did....bad, very, very bad.
For the life of me I couldn't see the attraction between the 2 MC's.
And after what Sherman did....bad, very, very bad.
October 7, 2017
An easy and quick read, even with asshole Sheridan and slutty Elliot. Okay, they both did have positive traits, but the one that came to front during the story was those negative ones. Also, prepare for a lot of drama from the MCs and two other characters.
February 27, 2018
I don't know how Elliot Forgives him so easily. He threw him away for Scott in a heartbeat. I cried for Elliot, so kind and loving and gentle. I thought Sheridan deserved Scot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2015
This book is hard to rate. I hated the actions of the main characters. Sheridan repeatedly hurt Elliot. He would sleep with him but then treat him like crap. Sheridan kept telling himself he was "protecting" Elliot and that he deserved a better person in his life than Sheridan. Unfortunately, he never told Elliot anything either leaving after sex or asking Elliot to leave.
Elliot also shared in the blame. He was 30 years old and while he might have limited relationship experience, he still could have stood up to Sheridan and said no. He kept telling himself that he loved Sheridan and didn't have the willpower to turn him away. Loneliness is a powerful emotion and, Elliot let it take way his pride and self preservation. He ended up feeling more lonely and lost after each encounter with Sheridan.
This is book is a good example of why a star rating system doesn't always work. I can hear my old literature teacher droning on about antiheroes and their roles in literature. Like in real life, books often have characters we either don't like or can't understand their actions. They make the book interesting but, they aren't necessarily someone we would want to invite to dinner.
It isn't fair to Blackwell to rate this book too harshly based solely on my dislike of Sheridan or Elliot. The book is well written and descriptive. I like the idea of the sanctuary dedicated to the humane treatment of animals both wild and domestic.
Elliot also shared in the blame. He was 30 years old and while he might have limited relationship experience, he still could have stood up to Sheridan and said no. He kept telling himself that he loved Sheridan and didn't have the willpower to turn him away. Loneliness is a powerful emotion and, Elliot let it take way his pride and self preservation. He ended up feeling more lonely and lost after each encounter with Sheridan.
This is book is a good example of why a star rating system doesn't always work. I can hear my old literature teacher droning on about antiheroes and their roles in literature. Like in real life, books often have characters we either don't like or can't understand their actions. They make the book interesting but, they aren't necessarily someone we would want to invite to dinner.
It isn't fair to Blackwell to rate this book too harshly based solely on my dislike of Sheridan or Elliot. The book is well written and descriptive. I like the idea of the sanctuary dedicated to the humane treatment of animals both wild and domestic.
July 19, 2014
I like the idea of a man brooding... and I like the idea of finding someone who's inner beauty exceeds their outer beauty. I just didn't really like the amount of time-- too damn long if you ask me--it took for the love to finally be reciprocated. There's only so much a person with low self esteem should have to take... especially in a romance novel. And why is there ALWAYS a nasty colleague/fake friend who tries to shit on everything? I hate those characters. But hey... I love animals. So, I'm still a fan of Ms. Blackwell.
I will move on to he next book. :)
I will move on to he next book. :)
June 10, 2013
Three and a half stars mainly because Sheridan was an idiot for taking back into his life a person that had stolen from him and used that money to travel the world screwing every one he could. Hope Sheridan has learned his lesson and will not take Scott bake again. And why did he give Scott back the money that was still left from what Scott had stolen? Loved the setting. Would like more set in that area. Fun read.
July 7, 2015
Negative reviews almost scared me off but I still decided to give this book a chance since I *love* Scarlet Blackwell. And I don’t regret it. Yes, Sheridan wasn’t one of the nicest people, but he also wasn’t a real asshole. Just a lost, confused man who couldn’t let go of the past and open himself to something new. I liked this story, I liked Elliot, and animals made everything even more enjoyable to me. Four solid stars :)
July 18, 2011
At times cute, at times believable.
It was all so very rushed and some things just made no real sense without filling the gaps.
So I did get why things happened like they did, but I would've loved to get some more details, more reasoning for the emotions, more background information that was showed, not shortly spelled out.
Frustrating, easy read.
July 31, 2011
I might have given this 4 stars if it weren't for the use of lines such as "throw another shrimp on the barby and crack open some cold tinnies". Australians do not commonly use the term shrimp -- they are called prawns -- and we are not all swilling beer at every given opportunity. The "Australian" character, Sheridan, is also obnoxious. Poor Elliot!
July 17, 2011
This isn't your typical romance. The hero is an a**hole and half the time I wanted to punch a hole through his teethe. BUT as a typical story of Scarlet, it is a good one. The only thing I hated was the ex-lover, he really wasn't needed there. Sheridan was already an a**hole without him lol...
January 22, 2015
Why everyone is fighting over Sheridan baffles me. Why Elliot forgives him so easily baffles me even more. The characters don't seem to change or grow at all. I loved the animals, and other than the characters lack of development it was an enjoyable read.
November 19, 2016
While reading this story I couldn't help but notice the horrible transitions from POV's and it really irked me. Sanctuary has the potential to be a cute short read if the writing was better. Sadly that is not the case so my rating is a 2.5/5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews