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The Haven #1
How to Save a Life
Reporter Kevin Price has a knack for tripping over his own feet. And everyone else's. He's in over his head undercover at the Haven, a swanky gay sex club, determined to find out why members of the club keep vanishing. Five minutes inside and he can no longer deny the truth about his sexuality. He turns to the one man he can't get out of his head, the sexy ex-cop handling security. Too bad Kevin doesn't trust cops. Not since the only night he let himself be with another man.
Walter Simon doesn't do the club scene anymore. Not since he found love and lost it. That doesn't mean he'll let anyone hurt more innocent gay men. Even if that means going head-to-head with the klutzy, closeted, much-younger reporter. Kevin has information about the disappearances. Better to keep him close. And safe.
Neither is at the club to hook up or fall in love. Now they must work together amid their growing passion in order to uncover the truth before more men disappear.
Walter Simon doesn't do the club scene anymore. Not since he found love and lost it. That doesn't mean he'll let anyone hurt more innocent gay men. Even if that means going head-to-head with the klutzy, closeted, much-younger reporter. Kevin has information about the disappearances. Better to keep him close. And safe.
Neither is at the club to hook up or fall in love. Now they must work together amid their growing passion in order to uncover the truth before more men disappear.
314 pages, Paperback
First published January 14, 2013
40 people are currently reading
1079 people want to read
About the author
Sloan Parker
17 books655 followersAward-winning author Sloan Parker writes passionate, dramatic stories about two men (or more) falling in love. She enjoys writing in the fictional world because in fiction you can be anything, do anything—even fall in love for the first time over and over again. Sloan lives in Ohio with her partner and their neurotic cats. Her greatest moments in life are spent with her family, her friends, and her characters.
To contact Sloan, find out about her books that are available for purchase, and read free stories, visit: www.sloanparker.com. If you'd like to be notified of new releases and get exclusive sneak peeks, be sure to sign up to receive Sloan Parker's newsletter via her website.
To contact Sloan, find out about her books that are available for purchase, and read free stories, visit: www.sloanparker.com. If you'd like to be notified of new releases and get exclusive sneak peeks, be sure to sign up to receive Sloan Parker's newsletter via her website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
January 26, 2013
For my TLDR I am stealing Simsala's perfectly apt status update:
"You know a book is boring, when all you can think after reading a line like "He and Kevin needed to talk again. Soon. About what they were to each other, about where this was headed" is . . . Oh no, please don`t!!!"
**
I liked Sloan Parker's last book, but this one wasn't a winner for me. I found it very slow going, and I was fed up to the back teeth with the endless discussion and analysis about the MCs relationship; is Walter too old, does Kevin need to play the field, this is something more than a casual fling, right, you feel it too, yeah? It was like Parker was channeling Sean Michael. OK, not that bad, but it was repetitive and annoying.
Additionally, I would have preferred if this was either an actual mystery, where we have to work out who the Protector is, or a thriller where we know who the Protector is and enjoy the cat and mouse and Kevin and Walter work it out. For the first 30% this is a mystery, but then we find out the identity of the Protector and it became stupid. Yes, stupid. Nothing happens! I'm perplexed about who this book is for. And the solution to how and why the Protector is doing this is ridiculous.
The Protector kidnaps pretty young men and holds them to satisfy his devient desires. All right!! Then could you show me some deviency, please? Or at least tell me what he's doing with them? Instead of just mentioning at the end of the book that the men are generically traumatised? And why does every twink at Haven want to have sex with Walter? The Haven is a kink club, but Walter has no kinks. He's the most boring MC ever. How you make a hot 48 year old cop boring I do not know, but Parker manages it. I mean, I like Walter, I'd totally hire him for his security services, but he is not interesting. Neither is Kevin. Kevin is written as a klutz because this saves Parker having to actually give him a personality.
I found the book very difficult to finish, and I didn't enjoy the experience. It felt like a slog. I didn't care if the MCs had an HEA or got killed. YMMV.
I completely agree with MandyM's review and Simsala's review: Sims nails the plot problems. Gah! What a waste of good money.
"You know a book is boring, when all you can think after reading a line like "He and Kevin needed to talk again. Soon. About what they were to each other, about where this was headed" is . . . Oh no, please don`t!!!"
**
I liked Sloan Parker's last book, but this one wasn't a winner for me. I found it very slow going, and I was fed up to the back teeth with the endless discussion and analysis about the MCs relationship; is Walter too old, does Kevin need to play the field, this is something more than a casual fling, right, you feel it too, yeah? It was like Parker was channeling Sean Michael. OK, not that bad, but it was repetitive and annoying.
Additionally, I would have preferred if this was either an actual mystery, where we have to work out who the Protector is, or a thriller where we know who the Protector is and enjoy the cat and mouse and Kevin and Walter work it out. For the first 30% this is a mystery, but then we find out the identity of the Protector and it became stupid. Yes, stupid. Nothing happens! I'm perplexed about who this book is for. And the solution to how and why the Protector is doing this is ridiculous.
The Protector kidnaps pretty young men and holds them to satisfy his devient desires. All right!! Then could you show me some deviency, please? Or at least tell me what he's doing with them? Instead of just mentioning at the end of the book that the men are generically traumatised? And why does every twink at Haven want to have sex with Walter? The Haven is a kink club, but Walter has no kinks. He's the most boring MC ever. How you make a hot 48 year old cop boring I do not know, but Parker manages it. I mean, I like Walter, I'd totally hire him for his security services, but he is not interesting. Neither is Kevin. Kevin is written as a klutz because this saves Parker having to actually give him a personality.
I found the book very difficult to finish, and I didn't enjoy the experience. It felt like a slog. I didn't care if the MCs had an HEA or got killed. YMMV.
I completely agree with MandyM's review and Simsala's review: Sims nails the plot problems. Gah! What a waste of good money.
January 18, 2013
1,5 stars
The half star is for the first 20 pages that had me laughing out
loud and the really nice cover...
Now I know why How To Save A Life cost 7,99 USD.
Not because it`s a long book or for its outstanding quality(!).
No, it`s because an evilly snickering plot-worm gets delivered right with the book (not cheap, the little guy...). Prefered meal....action-scenes!
I`m really sorry to say that but the suspense/mystery part was - from chapter 20 on - a disaster. Unrealistic, full of plotholes (the worm!) and inconsistencies.
And how the book managed to make me first liking the MCs and then - through the course of the story - getting me to the point where they just grated on my last nerves...that was memorable.
These charas were not just unrealistic but borderline TSTL. AND they pulled the age-gap discussion through up to the last page...whine, whine, whine....GOD!!!
The sex scenes...I think `lukewarm` puts it nicely...
Don`t click on the spoiler tag if you want to read the book!!!
If the only thing that keeps me reading a book is waiting for the next hiccup to keep me entertained (and awake) something is seriously wrong.
Overall a very disappointing read...
The half star is for the first 20 pages that had me laughing out
loud and the really nice cover...
Now I know why How To Save A Life cost 7,99 USD.
Not because it`s a long book or for its outstanding quality(!).
No, it`s because an evilly snickering plot-worm gets delivered right with the book (not cheap, the little guy...). Prefered meal....action-scenes!
I`m really sorry to say that but the suspense/mystery part was - from chapter 20 on - a disaster. Unrealistic, full of plotholes (the worm!) and inconsistencies.
And how the book managed to make me first liking the MCs and then - through the course of the story - getting me to the point where they just grated on my last nerves...that was memorable.
These charas were not just unrealistic but borderline TSTL. AND they pulled the age-gap discussion through up to the last page...whine, whine, whine....GOD!!!
The sex scenes...I think `lukewarm` puts it nicely...
Don`t click on the spoiler tag if you want to read the book!!!
If the only thing that keeps me reading a book is waiting for the next hiccup to keep me entertained (and awake) something is seriously wrong.
Overall a very disappointing read...
January 20, 2013
I really liked this book...up until Chapter 20 or so, when the romance to mystery ratio started to lean more towards the mystery.More about that later.
I found the romance part well done, and Kevin is just adorable. Well, drawn, three-dimensional, with just enough quirks to make him sweet (not too much to make him TSTL, at least for the most part) and enough maturity to make him believable--Kevin was my favorite in the book. And I enjoyed meeting Matthew, Luke and Richard again.
Buuut, Walter....his main defining character trait appeared to be his hang-up about the age difference between him and Kevin. A veritable obsession, it overshadowed anything else that might've made Walter more relatable. It got really annoying after a while, and tiring too. Even Kevin commented on that.
On top of it all, even if Walter had issues with guns after the incident that ended his police career, I didn't quite buy that he'd carry his gun around in a locked case, particularly when heading into a dangerous situation.
Which leads to the various incredulities and convenient solutions that kept popping up mainly in the mystery part of the book. Mostly small matters, actually, even neglectable ones if there'd been only one or two of them. In summa, though, these things added up to a noticeable bother.
Another problem I had was with the pacing of this story. While the pace was decent in the beginning, it slowed down to almost a standstill later--and during the most crucial scenes, of all things. The fact that the action scenes happened practically in slow motion greatly lessened my overall enjoyment of the story.
What somehow balanced the plot's weaknesses for me was the generally pleasant-to-read writing. There were several decently paced and comprehensible scenes too, and those were gripping, suspenseful or heartwarming to my heart's desire. Not to mention the sex scenes, which were generally well done too.
So I'm of mixed feelings about this book. I really liked parts of it and couldn't help shaking my head about others. I'd recommend it with a caveat to those who can overlook the kind of shortcomings I've mentioned above.
I found the romance part well done, and Kevin is just adorable. Well, drawn, three-dimensional, with just enough quirks to make him sweet (not too much to make him TSTL, at least for the most part) and enough maturity to make him believable--Kevin was my favorite in the book. And I enjoyed meeting Matthew, Luke and Richard again.
Buuut, Walter....his main defining character trait appeared to be his hang-up about the age difference between him and Kevin. A veritable obsession, it overshadowed anything else that might've made Walter more relatable. It got really annoying after a while, and tiring too. Even Kevin commented on that.
On top of it all, even if Walter had issues with guns after the incident that ended his police career, I didn't quite buy that he'd carry his gun around in a locked case, particularly when heading into a dangerous situation.
Which leads to the various incredulities and convenient solutions that kept popping up mainly in the mystery part of the book. Mostly small matters, actually, even neglectable ones if there'd been only one or two of them. In summa, though, these things added up to a noticeable bother.
Another problem I had was with the pacing of this story. While the pace was decent in the beginning, it slowed down to almost a standstill later--and during the most crucial scenes, of all things. The fact that the action scenes happened practically in slow motion greatly lessened my overall enjoyment of the story.
What somehow balanced the plot's weaknesses for me was the generally pleasant-to-read writing. There were several decently paced and comprehensible scenes too, and those were gripping, suspenseful or heartwarming to my heart's desire. Not to mention the sex scenes, which were generally well done too.
So I'm of mixed feelings about this book. I really liked parts of it and couldn't help shaking my head about others. I'd recommend it with a caveat to those who can overlook the kind of shortcomings I've mentioned above.
January 23, 2013
3.85*
Kevin is a reporter and he is on a mission to find out why young men have been disappearing from the gay club 'Haven'.
Walter Simon is there for the same reason, the owner of the club needs him to help figure up what is going on with shipments missing and a young man missing.
The first 60% flew by and held my interest. I like Kevin, he's a klutz, something I can identify with,anyway he is also dealing with coming out to himself and his feelings for Walter, his guilt over his brother and he's funny.
Walter, I liked him in 'More' and I liked him here, I did get a little tired of his :" you are too young, I am too old, go..no, don't go..no..go...maybe not...but I'm old.... "That got old, fast!
I had some niggles with the way Walter and Kevin dealt with the Protector, the hotel scene and later on, I just thought for being in security and having all those bodyguards on Kevin and having connections...the Protector outwitted, outsmarted very easily.
But, my enjoyment of the story was enough to overlook things that might be way more annoying to others.
I'm hoping Seth and Vargas get a book and get it soon! ;)
Kevin is a reporter and he is on a mission to find out why young men have been disappearing from the gay club 'Haven'.
Walter Simon is there for the same reason, the owner of the club needs him to help figure up what is going on with shipments missing and a young man missing.
The first 60% flew by and held my interest. I like Kevin, he's a klutz, something I can identify with,anyway he is also dealing with coming out to himself and his feelings for Walter, his guilt over his brother and he's funny.
Walter, I liked him in 'More' and I liked him here, I did get a little tired of his :" you are too young, I am too old, go..no, don't go..no..go...maybe not...but I'm old.... "That got old, fast!
I had some niggles with the way Walter and Kevin dealt with the Protector, the hotel scene and later on, I just thought for being in security and having all those bodyguards on Kevin and having connections...the Protector outwitted, outsmarted very easily.
But, my enjoyment of the story was enough to overlook things that might be way more annoying to others.
I'm hoping Seth and Vargas get a book and get it soon! ;)
Read
October 5, 2017The re-release of HOW TO SAVE A LIFE (THE HAVEN BOOK 1) is now available at Amazon, All Romance eBooks, and Smashwords. Coming to B&N, iTunes, and other stores soon.
Book Description:
Reporter Kevin Price has a knack for tripping over his own feet. And everyone else's. He's in over his head undercover at the Haven, a swanky gay sex club, determined to find out why members of the club keep vanishing. Five minutes inside and he can no longer deny the truth about his sexuality. He turns to the one man he can't get out of his head, the sexy ex-cop handling security. Too bad Kevin doesn't trust cops. Not since the only night he let himself be with another man.
Walter Simon doesn't do the club scene anymore. Not since he found love and lost it. That doesn't mean he'll let anyone hurt more innocent gay men. Even if that means going head-to-head with the klutzy, closeted, much-younger reporter. Kevin has information about the disappearances. Better to keep him close. And safe.
Neither is at the club to hook up or fall in love. Now they must work together amid their growing passion in order to uncover the truth before more men disappear.
Book Description:
Reporter Kevin Price has a knack for tripping over his own feet. And everyone else's. He's in over his head undercover at the Haven, a swanky gay sex club, determined to find out why members of the club keep vanishing. Five minutes inside and he can no longer deny the truth about his sexuality. He turns to the one man he can't get out of his head, the sexy ex-cop handling security. Too bad Kevin doesn't trust cops. Not since the only night he let himself be with another man.
Walter Simon doesn't do the club scene anymore. Not since he found love and lost it. That doesn't mean he'll let anyone hurt more innocent gay men. Even if that means going head-to-head with the klutzy, closeted, much-younger reporter. Kevin has information about the disappearances. Better to keep him close. And safe.
Neither is at the club to hook up or fall in love. Now they must work together amid their growing passion in order to uncover the truth before more men disappear.
January 17, 2013
Okay. Back on track. Remember how good MORE was? I do, and I'm looking forward to this with a passion. Bring on Walter and Kevin!
I loved How to Save A Life. It is an excellent book to back up MORE but it is a standalone as well. If you have read MORE, great. If you haven't it doesn't matter.
This book has a mix of suspense/mystery, great characters, both primary and secondary, not as much sex as in MORE, but it's still very erotic, all with a good amount of humour. It had me turning those Kindle pages. Well written from a technical and creative standpoint I recommend How to Save A Life highly. Spoiler free review at On Top Down Under Book Reviews - http://bookreviewsandtherapy.blogspot...
I loved How to Save A Life. It is an excellent book to back up MORE but it is a standalone as well. If you have read MORE, great. If you haven't it doesn't matter.
This book has a mix of suspense/mystery, great characters, both primary and secondary, not as much sex as in MORE, but it's still very erotic, all with a good amount of humour. It had me turning those Kindle pages. Well written from a technical and creative standpoint I recommend How to Save A Life highly. Spoiler free review at On Top Down Under Book Reviews - http://bookreviewsandtherapy.blogspot...
January 16, 2013
Kevin Price is a klutz. If he's not tripping over his own feet, he's tripping over someone else's. He's an accident waiting to happen. He is, however, a very good investigative reporter. He goes undercover at The Haven, a popular gay sex club, to investigate the disappearances of several men. The police (who Kevin has zero respect for) aren't taking the disappearances seriously so Kevin is determined to find out what happened to them and to expose the club publicly if it turns out that the owner is involved. He is convinced that he is. There is talk of drugs, thefts and other things that could also bring the club down.
Kevin is gay but is deep, deep in the closet. He has had one sexual experience with a man and has promised himself that there would never be a repeat. The night of this one experience is the night a major tragedy occurred so a promise was made to himself to stay away from men and to deny those feelings and urges. He is only in the club for a few minutes before he can no longer deny his sexuality to himself. After (literally) stumbling over ex-cop and security specialist Walter Simon, that closet door practically slams shut. Walter is at the club to help the owner with his own investigation of the disappearances when Kevin trips over his foot and practically lands in his lap. When it turns out that Kevin has more information about the missing men than Walter does, he agrees to work with Kevin to find answers. What Walter doesn't expect is to start feeling something for a man again. He lost his partner, Gary, five years earlier and never thought he would find another man that he might want to share his life with. The one thing that Walter cannot get beyond is the fact that he is 19 years older than Kevin. Walter is 48 and Kevin is almost 30.
Walter and Kevin are in a race against time to find the missing men. With each step forward in the investigation, they are forced several steps back. The kidnapper is always one step ahead of them as he is leaving no clues. More men are disappearing directly under their noses. The young men are making their way to one of the club's private rooms only to disappear without a trace. No one can figure out how they are being taken from the crowded club as they go up the stairs to the private area and never come back down. There is no security footage showing who these men are going to the rooms with. Walter and Kevin are baffled. As they work their way through the investigation, they get closer. The night they meet something happens between the two men in the bathroom of the latest missing person's apartment. This was hot as hell.
If you've read Sloan Parker's first book, More, (and if you haven't, why not?) then you have been introduced to Walter. He played a huge part in bringing together Luke, Richard and Matthew who all met and fell in love at The Haven. Walter spent time at the club during that time but he never participated in any of the 'activities'. His character was extremely reserved. The reader learned very little about him other than the fact that he worked in the security industry and that he did not do random hook-ups nor was he looking for any type of relationship. It is obvious (at that time) that something had occurred in his past that kept him from opening up in all ways. For him to fall so hard and so fast for Kevin was shocking. He wants the man from the minute he lays eyes on him and it scares him. As the relationship slowly progresses, it terrifies him that much more. The massive age difference between the two causes serious problems for Walter. Kevin does not understand what the big deal is. Walter, on the other hand, is convinced that if he allows himself to fall too hard for Kevin that Kevin will walk away because he's so young and that he may want to get out there and explore with other men. Then there is the fact that Walter will grow old and he does not want to hurt his younger lover as time takes its toll on his aging body.
The mystery of this book was quite interesting. You find out relatively early on who the kidnapper is but not who he works with, even if (looking back) the other person was pretty obvious. I didn't see it until much, much later. There are a few uncomfortable parts of this story in regards to the victims though the author does not give graphic details. You do not need the details laid out in order to get the gist of what is going on in the background. The author handled that part of the story very well and with sensitivity. I applaud her for that.
Walter and Kevin are slowly developing a relationship. Kevin can no longer deny his feelings and he knows beyond doubt that he is 100% gay. He is gradually falling in love with Walter but Walter can not seem to get beyond the fact that he is old enough to be Kevin's father. This almost destroys them before they even become a true couple.
I absolutely loved this book. More was my very first full-length M/M novel so I have a special love for this author's work and for the characters in it. Richard, Luke and Matthew (who will go down as one of my all-time favorite m/m characters) are in this book sporadically. I always love catching up with favorite characters so it was a pleasure to see them again. While you do not have to read More in order to get this book and it really does make a very good stand-alone, I would recommend it if you would like to see a little bit more about Walter. As mentioned above, he played a big part in bringing Richard, Luke and Matthew together so you get introduced to him and can get an idea of who he is. There is a secrecy about him in that book that made me very eager to read this one. You also will understand more in regards to Richard, Luke and Matthew and what led to their unique relationship.
Everything comes together very well. The mystery of the disappearances is explained well. Walter and Kevin have to work for their happily-ever-after but they definitely find it. The sex, while infrequent compared to More, was written perfectly. It's not on every other page but when it is there, it's hot. I am a huge fan of books where the two main characters have a substantial age difference. Kevin and Walter's was perfect for this reader because it had the typical problems of those types of relationships and Walter made those known... often.
I had every intention of buying and downloading this book on the day of release as I do this with every book Sloan Parker puts out. I was lucky enough to receive a copy from the author when I won a contest on her blog a few weeks ago. I want to extend a sincere thank you to her for that and for the gift card that I also received as a result of the contest.
Overall, an excellent read. I enjoyed revisiting my favorite characters from More. I loved watching Walter finally find the man who would help him to overcome the losses of his past and his insecurities over having a much younger lover. Then there's Kevin, who has battled intense guilt over a tragedy that was not his fault and who denied who he was for a long time as a result. It was also great so see the bad guy finally be brought to justice and the way this was done was handled perfectly. There is a bit of humor here as well as the seriousness (Fred, Wilma, Bam Bam... lol) and then there is the klutziness of Kevin that I thought was cute (as well as his ridiculous boxers).
Another outstanding read by one of my favorite authors. I can't wait to see where she goes from here in the series as I have already fallen in love with quite a few of the secondaries in this one. She gives the reader an idea of who the characters will be in an upcoming book in the series. I can not wait to see those two have their happily-ever-after. I am curious to see how that will work considering what one of those characters has been forced to endure. I have no doubt that this author will do it well.
Kevin is gay but is deep, deep in the closet. He has had one sexual experience with a man and has promised himself that there would never be a repeat. The night of this one experience is the night a major tragedy occurred so a promise was made to himself to stay away from men and to deny those feelings and urges. He is only in the club for a few minutes before he can no longer deny his sexuality to himself. After (literally) stumbling over ex-cop and security specialist Walter Simon, that closet door practically slams shut. Walter is at the club to help the owner with his own investigation of the disappearances when Kevin trips over his foot and practically lands in his lap. When it turns out that Kevin has more information about the missing men than Walter does, he agrees to work with Kevin to find answers. What Walter doesn't expect is to start feeling something for a man again. He lost his partner, Gary, five years earlier and never thought he would find another man that he might want to share his life with. The one thing that Walter cannot get beyond is the fact that he is 19 years older than Kevin. Walter is 48 and Kevin is almost 30.
Walter and Kevin are in a race against time to find the missing men. With each step forward in the investigation, they are forced several steps back. The kidnapper is always one step ahead of them as he is leaving no clues. More men are disappearing directly under their noses. The young men are making their way to one of the club's private rooms only to disappear without a trace. No one can figure out how they are being taken from the crowded club as they go up the stairs to the private area and never come back down. There is no security footage showing who these men are going to the rooms with. Walter and Kevin are baffled. As they work their way through the investigation, they get closer. The night they meet something happens between the two men in the bathroom of the latest missing person's apartment. This was hot as hell.
If you've read Sloan Parker's first book, More, (and if you haven't, why not?) then you have been introduced to Walter. He played a huge part in bringing together Luke, Richard and Matthew who all met and fell in love at The Haven. Walter spent time at the club during that time but he never participated in any of the 'activities'. His character was extremely reserved. The reader learned very little about him other than the fact that he worked in the security industry and that he did not do random hook-ups nor was he looking for any type of relationship. It is obvious (at that time) that something had occurred in his past that kept him from opening up in all ways. For him to fall so hard and so fast for Kevin was shocking. He wants the man from the minute he lays eyes on him and it scares him. As the relationship slowly progresses, it terrifies him that much more. The massive age difference between the two causes serious problems for Walter. Kevin does not understand what the big deal is. Walter, on the other hand, is convinced that if he allows himself to fall too hard for Kevin that Kevin will walk away because he's so young and that he may want to get out there and explore with other men. Then there is the fact that Walter will grow old and he does not want to hurt his younger lover as time takes its toll on his aging body.
The mystery of this book was quite interesting. You find out relatively early on who the kidnapper is but not who he works with, even if (looking back) the other person was pretty obvious. I didn't see it until much, much later. There are a few uncomfortable parts of this story in regards to the victims though the author does not give graphic details. You do not need the details laid out in order to get the gist of what is going on in the background. The author handled that part of the story very well and with sensitivity. I applaud her for that.
Walter and Kevin are slowly developing a relationship. Kevin can no longer deny his feelings and he knows beyond doubt that he is 100% gay. He is gradually falling in love with Walter but Walter can not seem to get beyond the fact that he is old enough to be Kevin's father. This almost destroys them before they even become a true couple.
I absolutely loved this book. More was my very first full-length M/M novel so I have a special love for this author's work and for the characters in it. Richard, Luke and Matthew (who will go down as one of my all-time favorite m/m characters) are in this book sporadically. I always love catching up with favorite characters so it was a pleasure to see them again. While you do not have to read More in order to get this book and it really does make a very good stand-alone, I would recommend it if you would like to see a little bit more about Walter. As mentioned above, he played a big part in bringing Richard, Luke and Matthew together so you get introduced to him and can get an idea of who he is. There is a secrecy about him in that book that made me very eager to read this one. You also will understand more in regards to Richard, Luke and Matthew and what led to their unique relationship.
Everything comes together very well. The mystery of the disappearances is explained well. Walter and Kevin have to work for their happily-ever-after but they definitely find it. The sex, while infrequent compared to More, was written perfectly. It's not on every other page but when it is there, it's hot. I am a huge fan of books where the two main characters have a substantial age difference. Kevin and Walter's was perfect for this reader because it had the typical problems of those types of relationships and Walter made those known... often.
I had every intention of buying and downloading this book on the day of release as I do this with every book Sloan Parker puts out. I was lucky enough to receive a copy from the author when I won a contest on her blog a few weeks ago. I want to extend a sincere thank you to her for that and for the gift card that I also received as a result of the contest.
Overall, an excellent read. I enjoyed revisiting my favorite characters from More. I loved watching Walter finally find the man who would help him to overcome the losses of his past and his insecurities over having a much younger lover. Then there's Kevin, who has battled intense guilt over a tragedy that was not his fault and who denied who he was for a long time as a result. It was also great so see the bad guy finally be brought to justice and the way this was done was handled perfectly. There is a bit of humor here as well as the seriousness (Fred, Wilma, Bam Bam... lol) and then there is the klutziness of Kevin that I thought was cute (as well as his ridiculous boxers).
Another outstanding read by one of my favorite authors. I can't wait to see where she goes from here in the series as I have already fallen in love with quite a few of the secondaries in this one. She gives the reader an idea of who the characters will be in an upcoming book in the series. I can not wait to see those two have their happily-ever-after. I am curious to see how that will work considering what one of those characters has been forced to endure. I have no doubt that this author will do it well.
January 18, 2013
4-4.5 stars: A very solid m/m romance suspense/thriller that I had a really difficult time putting down once I got into it. (Seriously. I woke up in the middle of the night and lay there, thinking, “I could tryyyyyyyyyy to go back to bed…OR I COULD READ SOME MORE.”)
The story follows Kevin, a reporter going undercover to join a sex club geared towards gay men to find out why some young men connected to the club have gone missing. Very closeted Kevin’s awkward presence in the club quickly draws the attention of ex-cop Walter, who is working on the club’s security and also investigating the disappearances. Things happen, they decide that working together might solve things faster, they follow the clues, more men go missing, the villain is crazy-looming, and along the way, they find the intense attraction to each other is impossible to ignore, something that totally clashes with their personal life goals—Kevin’s is to lie about being gay and Walter’s is to continue to feel old and be alone.
What I liked:
Kevin and Walter’s relationship was great and it was a nice progression over the book. Even though there is almost a twenty year age difference, something that older Walter obsesses about, they still fit very well for each other, and their moments together were fun to read. Their chemistry is sweet, sexy, funny, and tender. And as individual characters, they were both sympathetic and interesting, and you get both their POVs in the book (as well as the Villain’s.)
(I still think it’s hilarious that both MCs were so ogling each other constantly during the beginning of the investigation. Like how can they get ANYTHING done if all they do is eye-fuck each other? But then the author inserts some self-awareness later in the book when one of the characters lambasts himself for not focusing on the case more. By that time I was already sold to the story and characters, but I appreciated that Parker included it. It felt consistent with her characters acting logically and thinking things through, which leads to one of my other favorite things…)
LOGICAL ACTIONS! I was continually surprised when different scenarios would pop up and the characters did logical responses.
Like, “You’re lying about your intentions and motivations about joining this sex club. Do you a) continue the charade that you’re so awesome at or b) communicate honestly?” They did B! WOW!
Or “The Villain is planning an attack. Does it a) take the heroes by surprise because they’re so busying ogling each other to notice clues or b) do they figure it out ahead of time? B! And they respond logically to the threat! Wow!!
OR how about one of my favorites—“You’re fighting with your lover who has said the wrong thing to push you away. Do you a) stomp away, yell “Have it your way! I’m leaving!”, slam the door, and then walk in the rain and have emo-separation-time for chapters on end, preferably so it draws you into the villain’s clutches or b) you force the issue right then and there and talk about it? B???? REALLY??? WOOOOOOOW!
For me personally, the book kind of had a shaky start because of all the sudden sexual tension in the beginning, and so I thought it would be littered with too-stupid-to-live moments, but overall, characters made smart decisions, and it just felt refreshing.
Along with the all that rational thinking, there was also quite a few twists and turns in the mystery. Even though there were a few things I could forecast, there were others that were surprises, and I appreciated for a longer book (over 300 pages), there was usually always something going on with the plot that progressed things further in an interesting way.
The pacing was also solid and I liked how the author would sometimes jump ahead. Sometimes this led to over-exposition as the narrative explained what happened in the interim, but I liked the book’s pacing overall and felt it kept momentum up well.
This book is a companion to Parker’s m/m/m romance suspense More, but you do not need to read More to enjoy this. (I haven’t, and didn’t feel at all punished for it.) For those who have read More, that book’s MCs pop up here as side and background characters. (One of my few niggles is that some of their appearances did feel superfluous, but fans of More will probably really dig it. It did make me curious to check out their book as well.)
One heads-up: For those who dislike violence, there are rape/non-con references that happen to some side characters, but nothing is on page. I’m glad the author skated around most of the details. It would have been a much darker read otherwise.
Even though it took me a while to get into the flow, I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend it to anyone looking for a romance/thriller to read. I think this might be the beginning of a series, and some side characters are highlighted in a way that make me think they may star in future books. If there are more books, I’d check them out.
(And if there is any more with Walter and Kevin, I would definitely be on board. No worries—the HEA is solid, but I would not say no to reading more. They had really fun chemistry and were not a bad crime-solving duo.) :-)
The story follows Kevin, a reporter going undercover to join a sex club geared towards gay men to find out why some young men connected to the club have gone missing. Very closeted Kevin’s awkward presence in the club quickly draws the attention of ex-cop Walter, who is working on the club’s security and also investigating the disappearances. Things happen, they decide that working together might solve things faster, they follow the clues, more men go missing, the villain is crazy-looming, and along the way, they find the intense attraction to each other is impossible to ignore, something that totally clashes with their personal life goals—Kevin’s is to lie about being gay and Walter’s is to continue to feel old and be alone.
What I liked:
Kevin and Walter’s relationship was great and it was a nice progression over the book. Even though there is almost a twenty year age difference, something that older Walter obsesses about, they still fit very well for each other, and their moments together were fun to read. Their chemistry is sweet, sexy, funny, and tender. And as individual characters, they were both sympathetic and interesting, and you get both their POVs in the book (as well as the Villain’s.)
(I still think it’s hilarious that both MCs were so ogling each other constantly during the beginning of the investigation. Like how can they get ANYTHING done if all they do is eye-fuck each other? But then the author inserts some self-awareness later in the book when one of the characters lambasts himself for not focusing on the case more. By that time I was already sold to the story and characters, but I appreciated that Parker included it. It felt consistent with her characters acting logically and thinking things through, which leads to one of my other favorite things…)
LOGICAL ACTIONS! I was continually surprised when different scenarios would pop up and the characters did logical responses.
Like, “You’re lying about your intentions and motivations about joining this sex club. Do you a) continue the charade that you’re so awesome at or b) communicate honestly?” They did B! WOW!
Or “The Villain is planning an attack. Does it a) take the heroes by surprise because they’re so busying ogling each other to notice clues or b) do they figure it out ahead of time? B! And they respond logically to the threat! Wow!!
OR how about one of my favorites—“You’re fighting with your lover who has said the wrong thing to push you away. Do you a) stomp away, yell “Have it your way! I’m leaving!”, slam the door, and then walk in the rain and have emo-separation-time for chapters on end, preferably so it draws you into the villain’s clutches or b) you force the issue right then and there and talk about it? B???? REALLY??? WOOOOOOOW!
For me personally, the book kind of had a shaky start because of all the sudden sexual tension in the beginning, and so I thought it would be littered with too-stupid-to-live moments, but overall, characters made smart decisions, and it just felt refreshing.
Along with the all that rational thinking, there was also quite a few twists and turns in the mystery. Even though there were a few things I could forecast, there were others that were surprises, and I appreciated for a longer book (over 300 pages), there was usually always something going on with the plot that progressed things further in an interesting way.
The pacing was also solid and I liked how the author would sometimes jump ahead. Sometimes this led to over-exposition as the narrative explained what happened in the interim, but I liked the book’s pacing overall and felt it kept momentum up well.
This book is a companion to Parker’s m/m/m romance suspense More, but you do not need to read More to enjoy this. (I haven’t, and didn’t feel at all punished for it.) For those who have read More, that book’s MCs pop up here as side and background characters. (One of my few niggles is that some of their appearances did feel superfluous, but fans of More will probably really dig it. It did make me curious to check out their book as well.)
One heads-up: For those who dislike violence, there are rape/non-con references that happen to some side characters, but nothing is on page. I’m glad the author skated around most of the details. It would have been a much darker read otherwise.
Even though it took me a while to get into the flow, I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend it to anyone looking for a romance/thriller to read. I think this might be the beginning of a series, and some side characters are highlighted in a way that make me think they may star in future books. If there are more books, I’d check them out.
(And if there is any more with Walter and Kevin, I would definitely be on board. No worries—the HEA is solid, but I would not say no to reading more. They had really fun chemistry and were not a bad crime-solving duo.) :-)
Read
January 24, 2023I have really enjoyed the other Sloan Parker books I have read so was surprised to find myself disappointed in this particular story. It is not a bad story, just average and I was expecting fabulous!
The characters were slightly lack-lustre. I found Kevin rather annoying and struggled to see him as 'adorable'. His clumsiness was perhaps overdone. The guys at the club found Walter attractive and he was continuously being propositioned. The way his character was portrayed in the book just did not back this up. He was a nice heroic guy but that was about it.
The story moved slowly at times and contained some unnecessarily convoluted and confusing elements (). At some points I just wanted the story to get a move on and found myself skim reading in the second half of the book.
I enjoyed this book more for the relationship development between Kevin and Walter, rather than the storyline of the missing men. Although their hunt to find the missing men was important to the plot and critical to how their relationship developed, a quicker resolution would have been preferred.
The characters were slightly lack-lustre. I found Kevin rather annoying and struggled to see him as 'adorable'. His clumsiness was perhaps overdone. The guys at the club found Walter attractive and he was continuously being propositioned. The way his character was portrayed in the book just did not back this up. He was a nice heroic guy but that was about it.
The story moved slowly at times and contained some unnecessarily convoluted and confusing elements (). At some points I just wanted the story to get a move on and found myself skim reading in the second half of the book.
I enjoyed this book more for the relationship development between Kevin and Walter, rather than the storyline of the missing men. Although their hunt to find the missing men was important to the plot and critical to how their relationship developed, a quicker resolution would have been preferred.
January 23, 2013
The first time you come out, when you have your first sexual experience, the first time you feel that the road to happiness is right down the street your brother dies. He dies for being in the wrong place and the wrong time. He dies because he’s been looking for you. He dies because he’s been mistaken for gay. He dies because you killed him… And that guilt hunts Kevin for eight years. He hides his true self so deep in the closed, he tries to kill it. Now he’s a reported for the crime beat, he hunts down the ugly and dig for the truth. People have the right to know and they have the right to feel save. That is why he will go to the last place he wants to be and pretend he one of them. He will go to The Haven.
When you’re a cop you’re used to be in control of situations. You’re used to that feeling of being able to keep people safe. Being able to keep them alive. But when you fail to keep alive two young men during a robbery gone wrong, when you fail to keep the love of your life alive and safe, when you start to doubt everything you are, everything you’ve done, then all you are left is a n empty shell. The last thing you can do to redeem yourself is answer a call from your longest friend and try to find and save the men that have been kidnaped from his club. The Haven. Walter’s last chance.
The last thing Kevin expected when entering The Haven was to find himself, to fall in love, to save his life.
The last thing Walter expected when he entered The Haven was for the love of his life to trip on him, to heal him, to save him.
What a wonderful plot concept. This should truly have been a very nice ride. Romantic and adventurous, full of love and mystery. But it was not. It was far from that.
I loved how this story started, I loved Kevin, his awkwardness, his innocence, and he was quite funny and adorable. His pain and past were qualities, at least in the beginning. And Walter, a 48 year old sexy man he had me hooked so fact on his character, he seem strong and appealing and his emotional baggage gave him a better sex appeal. However as the story unfolded they both became tiresome, their age gap become a constant topic for them to focus and at some point the frustration I felt was nearly suffocating me. It made me wonder how many times they would take one step forward and two backward. They managed to get over Kevin’s reasons for hiding himself, they managed to make Kevin admit that he was gay (finally) and be ok with that, they managed to open themselves and fall in love with each other, but that age gap issue, or dear, it was drawn till the very, very end. Not cool. So the romantic part of the story was at best, ok, not too bad, but not as hot as I expected. There was simply no intensity between them unless you count the overdone sentimentality.
The mystery-suspense plot though, the whole detective-criminal thing that would had me forgetting everything else was definitely not good. The holes there were massive. It was like watching one of them cop movies on TV the make you groan every five minutes due to unrealistic events taking place. The bad guy had the kind of freedom no one has in real life. The good guys were at best extremely weak. And dear lord I could count on and on the things that went amiss with the plot, with the worst being how the psychotic kidnapper going in and out of The Haven from passages the owner, who had the place renovated from top to bottom, had no idea off. It was just bad and had me really struggling through it. By the time this story reached its end my first view of Walter had changed dramatically. That strong man turned into a weakling no ex-cop deserves. And Kevin, oh dear, some of his actions were too stupid to swallow.
I suppose you would really need to not care about specific details while reading this book in order to like it. As it is I’m a sucker for details and can’t let them easily slip my attention. After all this is supposed to be a suspense-mystery novel and as such it did not meet my standards for a good one.
When you’re a cop you’re used to be in control of situations. You’re used to that feeling of being able to keep people safe. Being able to keep them alive. But when you fail to keep alive two young men during a robbery gone wrong, when you fail to keep the love of your life alive and safe, when you start to doubt everything you are, everything you’ve done, then all you are left is a n empty shell. The last thing you can do to redeem yourself is answer a call from your longest friend and try to find and save the men that have been kidnaped from his club. The Haven. Walter’s last chance.
The last thing Kevin expected when entering The Haven was to find himself, to fall in love, to save his life.
The last thing Walter expected when he entered The Haven was for the love of his life to trip on him, to heal him, to save him.
What a wonderful plot concept. This should truly have been a very nice ride. Romantic and adventurous, full of love and mystery. But it was not. It was far from that.
I loved how this story started, I loved Kevin, his awkwardness, his innocence, and he was quite funny and adorable. His pain and past were qualities, at least in the beginning. And Walter, a 48 year old sexy man he had me hooked so fact on his character, he seem strong and appealing and his emotional baggage gave him a better sex appeal. However as the story unfolded they both became tiresome, their age gap become a constant topic for them to focus and at some point the frustration I felt was nearly suffocating me. It made me wonder how many times they would take one step forward and two backward. They managed to get over Kevin’s reasons for hiding himself, they managed to make Kevin admit that he was gay (finally) and be ok with that, they managed to open themselves and fall in love with each other, but that age gap issue, or dear, it was drawn till the very, very end. Not cool. So the romantic part of the story was at best, ok, not too bad, but not as hot as I expected. There was simply no intensity between them unless you count the overdone sentimentality.
The mystery-suspense plot though, the whole detective-criminal thing that would had me forgetting everything else was definitely not good. The holes there were massive. It was like watching one of them cop movies on TV the make you groan every five minutes due to unrealistic events taking place. The bad guy had the kind of freedom no one has in real life. The good guys were at best extremely weak. And dear lord I could count on and on the things that went amiss with the plot, with the worst being how the psychotic kidnapper going in and out of The Haven from passages the owner, who had the place renovated from top to bottom, had no idea off. It was just bad and had me really struggling through it. By the time this story reached its end my first view of Walter had changed dramatically. That strong man turned into a weakling no ex-cop deserves. And Kevin, oh dear, some of his actions were too stupid to swallow.
I suppose you would really need to not care about specific details while reading this book in order to like it. As it is I’m a sucker for details and can’t let them easily slip my attention. After all this is supposed to be a suspense-mystery novel and as such it did not meet my standards for a good one.
November 15, 2014
I was feeling real bad giving a interesting story 3 star so I just decided to justify myself for my conscious sake and here I go...
Did I like the story: yes
Did I like the dialogues:yes
Was it Romantic:To a extend
Was it hot:To a extend
Did I like the sidekicks or supporting characters:Yes very,What I most like about some of them were,they are not new.I know them from a previous book of the author and it somehow gives a live feel to the characters.I love that in a story.
Yes now I figured it out...it was Steven Seagal.
Puzzled?Let me explain.
I don't like that person and I don't know why every time I read Walter Simon thats the personality floats into my mind.I know crazy but couldn't help my brain.Walter Simon was basically a good for nothing ex cop who whined continuously about age gap between him and Kevin Price the other MC.Gawd he was unbelievably lame in important situations with only one good quality for redemption,he loved dogs.All the huffs and buffs about him being excop and strong etc while introducing him was unfounded when the situation of crises arrived.It really pissed me off.
On the other hand Reporter Kevin Price was everything I never expected
him to be after reading the blurb.He was suppose to be clumsy but he saved everyone who was kidnapped and himself were the expected candidate Walter Simon reached late to rescue them.Funny
I don't like lame cops specially as a hero!
Walter Simon you are the lamest ex cop EVER!!!
Did I like the story: yes
Did I like the dialogues:yes
Was it Romantic:To a extend
Was it hot:To a extend
Did I like the sidekicks or supporting characters:Yes very,What I most like about some of them were,they are not new.I know them from a previous book of the author and it somehow gives a live feel to the characters.I love that in a story.
Yes now I figured it out...it was Steven Seagal.
Puzzled?Let me explain.
I don't like that person and I don't know why every time I read Walter Simon thats the personality floats into my mind.I know crazy but couldn't help my brain.Walter Simon was basically a good for nothing ex cop who whined continuously about age gap between him and Kevin Price the other MC.Gawd he was unbelievably lame in important situations with only one good quality for redemption,he loved dogs.All the huffs and buffs about him being excop and strong etc while introducing him was unfounded when the situation of crises arrived.It really pissed me off.
On the other hand Reporter Kevin Price was everything I never expected
him to be after reading the blurb.He was suppose to be clumsy but he saved everyone who was kidnapped and himself were the expected candidate Walter Simon reached late to rescue them.Funny
I don't like lame cops specially as a hero!
Walter Simon you are the lamest ex cop EVER!!!
February 3, 2013
As usual, I've read these books out of order, but I also think it works as a stand-alone book, I certainly enjoyed it!
Just a short review this time. I loved Walter (crap name, but hey, mine's not much better) and Kevin as a twosome. Kevin was a very engaging and endearing but clumsy klutz. Walter was an ex cop, quite bitter due to the controversy surrounding his leaving the force AND also due to the death of his partner Gary.
I loved how the author worked the gay club into the plot, but most of all, I loved how the two MC's shared lots and lots of really hot kisses
BEFORE they jumped into bed together. It made a refreshing change to find two men in a book that DIDN'T have sex straight away!! Yes, I'd sort of worked out that Henderson was up to no good in some capacity, but wasn't the really bad guy a total creep
!! Gave me the willies just to think about him!
Just a short review this time. I loved Walter (crap name, but hey, mine's not much better) and Kevin as a twosome. Kevin was a very engaging and endearing but clumsy klutz. Walter was an ex cop, quite bitter due to the controversy surrounding his leaving the force AND also due to the death of his partner Gary.
I loved how the author worked the gay club into the plot, but most of all, I loved how the two MC's shared lots and lots of really hot kisses
BEFORE they jumped into bed together. It made a refreshing change to find two men in a book that DIDN'T have sex straight away!! Yes, I'd sort of worked out that Henderson was up to no good in some capacity, but wasn't the really bad guy a total creep!! Gave me the willies just to think about him!
September 25, 2018
I kept going back to try to read this book and then something else would grab my attention and I was off and running into something else. Bad move on my part. This story rocked!
Walter and Kevin met when Kevin tripped over Walter’s foot while trying to be “undercover” in a gay club. Kevin wasn’t too Inconspicuous since this was his maybe second stint realizing he was gay and Walter had his number right away.
The serial kidnapper lead into the following book and the guy was an actual creep. And I loved how he was finally caught. It was perfect that the ones who he hurt were involved in his demise.
I loved that there wasn’t drama with Kevin and Walter. There was suspense and questions but other than a littler bit of push, Kevin and Walter were solid.
Great story 😊
Walter and Kevin met when Kevin tripped over Walter’s foot while trying to be “undercover” in a gay club. Kevin wasn’t too Inconspicuous since this was his maybe second stint realizing he was gay and Walter had his number right away.
The serial kidnapper lead into the following book and the guy was an actual creep. And I loved how he was finally caught. It was perfect that the ones who he hurt were involved in his demise.
I loved that there wasn’t drama with Kevin and Walter. There was suspense and questions but other than a littler bit of push, Kevin and Walter were solid.
Great story 😊
March 18, 2018
It was a good 3 1/2 stars. The mystery/crime aspect of the book was a little over the top and dragged some towards the end but I liked the couple.
Recommend
Recommend
June 8, 2013
This required an incredibile amoung of disbelief. I simply could not relate to the characters or find them in any way believable.
Where Kevin was supposed to be a klutz, all adorable and brilliant, I found him irritating and obnoxious. Where Walter was meant to appear strong but with a soft side, I found him undecided and much too hung up about his age. The straw that broke the camel's back: the scene towards the end when Walter tries again to break up with Kevin because he can't see them together on the long run, doesn't want to burden Kevin with having to take care of him and outlive him. The scene was over in less than 5 minutes with Walter confessing he didn't really want Kevin to go. And Kevin, after initially all but storming out of the apartment, replies he wouldn't ever leave Walter. What a conundrum both of them were.
Found nothing to like in the story and finished it simply because I dared myself to read till the end. Complete opposite from More which was the reason why I tried this book. Such a let down. :(
Where Kevin was supposed to be a klutz, all adorable and brilliant, I found him irritating and obnoxious. Where Walter was meant to appear strong but with a soft side, I found him undecided and much too hung up about his age. The straw that broke the camel's back: the scene towards the end when Walter tries again to break up with Kevin because he can't see them together on the long run, doesn't want to burden Kevin with having to take care of him and outlive him. The scene was over in less than 5 minutes with Walter confessing he didn't really want Kevin to go. And Kevin, after initially all but storming out of the apartment, replies he wouldn't ever leave Walter. What a conundrum both of them were.
Found nothing to like in the story and finished it simply because I dared myself to read till the end. Complete opposite from More which was the reason why I tried this book. Such a let down. :(
February 25, 2013
Hell yes! Sloan Parker rocks my socks every time. I was a bit skeptical of Walter's story esp since im not a huge fan of may/december but it worked for me, especially since i feel like a 30 yr old (Kevin) is much better equipped to handle dated a man in his 40s than the 20 yr olds we usuall see in a may/december. I also have mad respect for how Kevin's story was treated. He wasnt a big douche trying to prove his masculinity by sleeping with several girls... he'd been with one girl for 8 yrs and admittedly they weren't very intimate. I totally respected the character more for that cuz its all to often a way writers choose to make their character seem more MANLY and VERILE... Let's make an admittedly gay man go fuck 120 women just cuz he's a closet case......knowing most closet cases just avoid sex in general in this day and age since it's not like we hav marriage and kids shoved down our throats the same way we once did.... but i digress
Kudos Sloan! I love everything you do. Cant wait for whatever you got coming our way next :)
Kudos Sloan! I love everything you do. Cant wait for whatever you got coming our way next :)
January 17, 2013
I did not expect this to be so suspenseful. The mystery plot of the disappearing guys was central to the romantic narrative, which of course makes for a better read.
Kevin and Walter were excellent heroes, both brave and protective of each other. I found some of the prose too sweet but the balance with them desperately trying to find out what was happening at The Haven club meant that these sweet loving moments were few. The sexy scenes were just that, building slowly in intensity. Kevin's inexperience and awkwardness complimented Walter's world weariness and loneliness beauitfully.
Absorbing with lots of detail and an epilogue that let us know what happened to all the characters. I am a bit fond of that.
One distracting error: At one point Walter thinks about help he is getting from 'Tucker' when I am pretty sure it should be 'Richard'.
Kevin and Walter were excellent heroes, both brave and protective of each other. I found some of the prose too sweet but the balance with them desperately trying to find out what was happening at The Haven club meant that these sweet loving moments were few. The sexy scenes were just that, building slowly in intensity. Kevin's inexperience and awkwardness complimented Walter's world weariness and loneliness beauitfully.
Absorbing with lots of detail and an epilogue that let us know what happened to all the characters. I am a bit fond of that.
One distracting error: At one point Walter thinks about help he is getting from 'Tucker' when I am pretty sure it should be 'Richard'.
January 24, 2013
Walters story from More and an age difference theme. Kevin is a reporter and Walter an ex cop. They become embroiled together in a case at Haven, the club where Richard, Matt and Luke met in the prequel - ' More'. Young men are going missing and the clubs future could be in jeopardy. Kevin is a klutz but endearing. He's gay but a virgin and his attraction for Walter is instant, Walter has been staying away from relationships but Kevin attracts him even though he feels he's to old for him. So of course the more they are together the more the attraction turns lusty and harder to fight for the both of them. Add in the the backstory of the missing boys, a fiendish baddie and some great sexual tension and chemistry and overall this is a very satisfying book. Some numerous moments with Kevin's clumsiness lighten up the story. I liked it! 4.5*
May 15, 2013
I had no deep emotional response to this book, but I did like it. It felt a little light and fluffy for a mystery with kidnap/torture. It was easy to read and I could feel the HEA coming from the beginning. And I was strangely ok with that.
March 24, 2019
Good
4 ⭐️
Re read
I really enjoy Walter and Kevin’s road to HEA. I liked Kevin and his klutzy ways. Walter did drive me a little nuts with his constant worrying about the age difference even when Kevin told him it didn’t matter to him, but on the whole a good story.
4 ⭐️
Re read
I really enjoy Walter and Kevin’s road to HEA. I liked Kevin and his klutzy ways. Walter did drive me a little nuts with his constant worrying about the age difference even when Kevin told him it didn’t matter to him, but on the whole a good story.
April 2, 2013
This review was originally posted at Rarely Dusty Books
Genre & Keywords: M/M Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, Abduction, Violence, Gay Club, Reporter, Ex-cop, Coming Out, Age Difference
~~~~~
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2.5 out of 3 flames
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I’m a huge fan of Sloan Parker’s work and she hasn’t disappointed me with any of her previous stories so far. However, her latest release, How To Save A Life, is my least favorite of her novels. It has in my opinion a few flaws that mainly come down to the pacing, some unlikely events and a general lack of focus. Of course there are also some much more positive elements, the major one being Parker’s fluent writing style, which made it possible to still enjoy How To Save A Life despite the things that didn’t work so well for me.
How To Save A Life is categorized as a romantic suspense novel, a genre I love. The suspense part in this story is focused around a series of disappearances of young gay men who are all members of the sex club The Haven. The romance arc shows the developing feelings between the young reporter Kevin and the older ex cop Walter who both investigate those disappearances.
These elements make for a great premise and, furthermore, they are only just a few of the elements you can expect when you pick up this novel.
The suspense plot line is much more complex than I expected, with secrets, corruption and links to the past, among others. I enjoyed the complexity very much. At the same time in the romantic story line the heroes have a few issues of their own to deal with, like past trauma’s, a coming out of the closet, and a problem with an age difference. All very good topics for a romance which I enjoy reading about as well.
However, all these things combined make for a full novel. And this is not even all there is. We also get the little extra of the villain’s point of view (and, very shortly, even that of one of the victims), which adds some thriller elements to the story.
All these aspects considered, I had a hard time figuring out what to focus on while reading this novel. Usually, I admire the balance Sloan Parker so easily seems to find between the different topics she deals with in her novels. This time however, there appeared to be too many topics and not enough balance. I was in particular confused about what genre I was reading most of the time. In some instances I thought the focus on the romantic (and erotic) parts was out of place and took too long, given the state of the investigation that the main characters should be concentrating on. Especially, during the first part of the book I felt that the romance parts sometimes overshadowed the urgency of the investigation, and things went too slowly.
Maybe this feeling was caused by the villain’s POV, of which we as readers had the knowledge while Kevin and Walter didn’t. So they weren’t aware of the evil things he did to his victims, but still, they knew the victims might be alive and needed to be rescued. And Kevin and Walter also knew that they were the only chance the victims had, since they hadn’t involved the police yet.
So, perhaps without the villain’s POV I would’ve felt differently about this particular issue, but another reason why I think his POV worked confusing for me, was that getting in the head of the bad guy added the elements of a psychological thriller to the story, without it becoming a real thriller. For me, his perspective felt superfluous in the sense that it didn’t add much but only removed the sting from the investigation arc. It took away a bit from the suspense (while I’m sure it was supposed to add to it) because we already knew things that Kevin and Walter didn’t know yet. Without the villain’s POV the focus would’ve been more solid on their discoveries regarding the missing men, and the novel wouldn’t have gone back and forth between romance, mystery and psychological thriller, like it did now. So, I think that the story would’ve been a lot stronger when Parker had only focused on the two more prominent genres, romance and mystery, like she did in Take Me Home.
I came to this conclusion partly because the weaker parts of the plot are in my opinion linked to the thriller elements and the related action the villain brings in. One of the scenes that didn’t quite work for me was the one where Walter and Kevin are in a motel room being ‘visited’ by the villain. I try to stay spoiler free here, but they fight, and during that motel room fight some very unlikely things happen, which made me shake my head in disbelief. Let’s say I expected something different from an ex cop as smart and burly as Walter. This and other action scenes also felt somehow stilled, the events not happening fluently, as if the players in the scene were waiting (and stopped acting) when it was the other player's turn to 'act'. While trying to visualize these action scenes I had difficulty with it, because of the inactiveness or improbable actions of the characters in some instances.
Also, everything that happened with Kevin after the mentioned motel scene was rather predictable and sometimes bordering on unrealistic, which didn’t prepossess the more thriller-like parts in my favor either.
One more aspect (in a way also related to the choice for the thriller elements), that wasn’t as perfect as I’ve become used to in Parker’s books, is the pacing. I love that she writes (extended) novels, because I always look forward to plunge in her narratives and stay there for a long time. But this time I found myself checking the page number more than once because I felt that things should’ve gone quicker (or later slower) than they had. In general I thought that the novel was too lengthy, sometimes bordering on long-winded, especially there where the pacing was slow. Later on in the story the pacing picked up significantly, but that’s when some of the events became less likely. I guess I was looking for more balance in this regard, so that I could completely forget that I was reading, let alone feel the urge to check the page number.
I’m aware that some of the things that I pointed out above are related to my personal preferences, like the fact that I’m not much of a fan of thrillers, but I wouldn’t have made these points if I hadn’t thought they were still valid points, based on how they are executed.
And like I said, there are also enough things that I enjoyed in How To Save A Life. One of the things that I admire Parker for is her writing style. She writes with care, in a clean and evocative style, with eye for detail. She gives the same dedicated attention to character development and to making her characters three-dimensional and authentic. Even while this novel is less of a character driven story than her other titles, she succeeds in making her characters well-developed and lovable.
Especially Kevin has earned a special place in my heart. He faces his fears with a vengeance instead of running away or hiding from them once he's discovered what's important to him. His excellently executed coming out is only one example of how bravely he deals with things. He's also somewhat of an adorable klutz; he's passionate about people and his beliefs; and although he's the younger, inexperienced partner in this relationship he seems to be the wiser one at times too. He brings lightness and humor into the equation as well, if it were for his funny underwear alone. I really loved the banter between Walter and Kevin, for example in the bedroom.
The novel ends with a classic gathering of all the characters that played a part in the story, whether they had a smaller or bigger role in solving the mystery, or none at all. This ending is entertaining and suits the mystery arc of the story. And in this scene we get a big hint which pairing we presumably will see in the second book of the series, and I must say that I think it will be an interesting one. Also, the presence of Matt, Luke and Richard from Parker's debut More, who occasionally showed up individually in the previous chapters, but show up all three together here, was a joy of recognition in itself and made this ending even more special. I have very good memories of reading their story, and although it's absolutely not necessary to read More for a better understanding of How To Save A Life, I can recommend reading it highly. And of course, it is the book in which Walter is introduced, but like I said, both books can easily be read as a stand-alone.
Overall, reading How To Save A Life was a slightly different experience than I'd come to expect from Parker's previous work. Compared to other stories in the genre it's still an above average written novel, but compared to other titles from this author herself I can't help but feel a bit disappointed - in particular about the execution of the suspense arc. Still, there are many elements and moments left to enjoy too. However, to a reader who has never read anything by Sloan Parker before I would recommend one of her other titles first. Any of her other novels show this author's brilliance much better!
~
Genre & Keywords: M/M Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, Abduction, Violence, Gay Club, Reporter, Ex-cop, Coming Out, Age Difference
~~~~~
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2.5 out of 3 flames
~~~~~
I’m a huge fan of Sloan Parker’s work and she hasn’t disappointed me with any of her previous stories so far. However, her latest release, How To Save A Life, is my least favorite of her novels. It has in my opinion a few flaws that mainly come down to the pacing, some unlikely events and a general lack of focus. Of course there are also some much more positive elements, the major one being Parker’s fluent writing style, which made it possible to still enjoy How To Save A Life despite the things that didn’t work so well for me.
How To Save A Life is categorized as a romantic suspense novel, a genre I love. The suspense part in this story is focused around a series of disappearances of young gay men who are all members of the sex club The Haven. The romance arc shows the developing feelings between the young reporter Kevin and the older ex cop Walter who both investigate those disappearances.
These elements make for a great premise and, furthermore, they are only just a few of the elements you can expect when you pick up this novel.
The suspense plot line is much more complex than I expected, with secrets, corruption and links to the past, among others. I enjoyed the complexity very much. At the same time in the romantic story line the heroes have a few issues of their own to deal with, like past trauma’s, a coming out of the closet, and a problem with an age difference. All very good topics for a romance which I enjoy reading about as well.
However, all these things combined make for a full novel. And this is not even all there is. We also get the little extra of the villain’s point of view (and, very shortly, even that of one of the victims), which adds some thriller elements to the story.
All these aspects considered, I had a hard time figuring out what to focus on while reading this novel. Usually, I admire the balance Sloan Parker so easily seems to find between the different topics she deals with in her novels. This time however, there appeared to be too many topics and not enough balance. I was in particular confused about what genre I was reading most of the time. In some instances I thought the focus on the romantic (and erotic) parts was out of place and took too long, given the state of the investigation that the main characters should be concentrating on. Especially, during the first part of the book I felt that the romance parts sometimes overshadowed the urgency of the investigation, and things went too slowly.
Maybe this feeling was caused by the villain’s POV, of which we as readers had the knowledge while Kevin and Walter didn’t. So they weren’t aware of the evil things he did to his victims, but still, they knew the victims might be alive and needed to be rescued. And Kevin and Walter also knew that they were the only chance the victims had, since they hadn’t involved the police yet.
So, perhaps without the villain’s POV I would’ve felt differently about this particular issue, but another reason why I think his POV worked confusing for me, was that getting in the head of the bad guy added the elements of a psychological thriller to the story, without it becoming a real thriller. For me, his perspective felt superfluous in the sense that it didn’t add much but only removed the sting from the investigation arc. It took away a bit from the suspense (while I’m sure it was supposed to add to it) because we already knew things that Kevin and Walter didn’t know yet. Without the villain’s POV the focus would’ve been more solid on their discoveries regarding the missing men, and the novel wouldn’t have gone back and forth between romance, mystery and psychological thriller, like it did now. So, I think that the story would’ve been a lot stronger when Parker had only focused on the two more prominent genres, romance and mystery, like she did in Take Me Home.
I came to this conclusion partly because the weaker parts of the plot are in my opinion linked to the thriller elements and the related action the villain brings in. One of the scenes that didn’t quite work for me was the one where Walter and Kevin are in a motel room being ‘visited’ by the villain. I try to stay spoiler free here, but they fight, and during that motel room fight some very unlikely things happen, which made me shake my head in disbelief. Let’s say I expected something different from an ex cop as smart and burly as Walter. This and other action scenes also felt somehow stilled, the events not happening fluently, as if the players in the scene were waiting (and stopped acting) when it was the other player's turn to 'act'. While trying to visualize these action scenes I had difficulty with it, because of the inactiveness or improbable actions of the characters in some instances.
Also, everything that happened with Kevin after the mentioned motel scene was rather predictable and sometimes bordering on unrealistic, which didn’t prepossess the more thriller-like parts in my favor either.
One more aspect (in a way also related to the choice for the thriller elements), that wasn’t as perfect as I’ve become used to in Parker’s books, is the pacing. I love that she writes (extended) novels, because I always look forward to plunge in her narratives and stay there for a long time. But this time I found myself checking the page number more than once because I felt that things should’ve gone quicker (or later slower) than they had. In general I thought that the novel was too lengthy, sometimes bordering on long-winded, especially there where the pacing was slow. Later on in the story the pacing picked up significantly, but that’s when some of the events became less likely. I guess I was looking for more balance in this regard, so that I could completely forget that I was reading, let alone feel the urge to check the page number.
I’m aware that some of the things that I pointed out above are related to my personal preferences, like the fact that I’m not much of a fan of thrillers, but I wouldn’t have made these points if I hadn’t thought they were still valid points, based on how they are executed.
And like I said, there are also enough things that I enjoyed in How To Save A Life. One of the things that I admire Parker for is her writing style. She writes with care, in a clean and evocative style, with eye for detail. She gives the same dedicated attention to character development and to making her characters three-dimensional and authentic. Even while this novel is less of a character driven story than her other titles, she succeeds in making her characters well-developed and lovable.
Especially Kevin has earned a special place in my heart. He faces his fears with a vengeance instead of running away or hiding from them once he's discovered what's important to him. His excellently executed coming out is only one example of how bravely he deals with things. He's also somewhat of an adorable klutz; he's passionate about people and his beliefs; and although he's the younger, inexperienced partner in this relationship he seems to be the wiser one at times too. He brings lightness and humor into the equation as well, if it were for his funny underwear alone. I really loved the banter between Walter and Kevin, for example in the bedroom.
The novel ends with a classic gathering of all the characters that played a part in the story, whether they had a smaller or bigger role in solving the mystery, or none at all. This ending is entertaining and suits the mystery arc of the story. And in this scene we get a big hint which pairing we presumably will see in the second book of the series, and I must say that I think it will be an interesting one. Also, the presence of Matt, Luke and Richard from Parker's debut More, who occasionally showed up individually in the previous chapters, but show up all three together here, was a joy of recognition in itself and made this ending even more special. I have very good memories of reading their story, and although it's absolutely not necessary to read More for a better understanding of How To Save A Life, I can recommend reading it highly. And of course, it is the book in which Walter is introduced, but like I said, both books can easily be read as a stand-alone.
Overall, reading How To Save A Life was a slightly different experience than I'd come to expect from Parker's previous work. Compared to other stories in the genre it's still an above average written novel, but compared to other titles from this author herself I can't help but feel a bit disappointed - in particular about the execution of the suspense arc. Still, there are many elements and moments left to enjoy too. However, to a reader who has never read anything by Sloan Parker before I would recommend one of her other titles first. Any of her other novels show this author's brilliance much better!
~
January 5, 2018
3.5 - mystery not to mysterious, and there was a bit of the same theme over and over (Walter’s age, Kevin”s klutziness) but still some fun, and super sexy moments, with just a smidge of angst.
January 31, 2013
Two strangers, to each other, arrive at the Haven at almost the same time. However, neither security company owner Walter Simon nor reporter Kevin Price is at the club to have sex. Young men started disappearing from the rooms reserved for sexual pleasure; the men would enter the rooms never to be seen again. Now it is up to Walter and Kevin to work together and uncover the facts.
How to Save a Life is the first book in The Haven series. This series is a spin-off from More. From the very beginning the intricate plot pushes all of the reader’s curiosity buttons. The detailed description illustrates the club is loaded with security, so the first question that comes to mind is how is it possible to simply vanish undetected? As the story progresses, elements of suspense is added answering the questions of who and why. There are a number of separate factors at work, yet all the puzzle pieces fit together in a logical pattern.
The engaging main characters are not to be missed. Walter and Kevin is a perfect match, especially in personality traits. Both men have tragic events in their past that still rule their personal lives. Both Walter and Kevin genuinely care about people, particularly gay men in trouble. The main irritation between Walter and Kevin is their twenty year age difference. Walter fears Kevin’s happiness will be negatively affected being in a relationship with an older man. Kevin’s mature attitude is to take each day as it comes and be grateful for their time spent together. Walter and Kevin are highly intelligent, exceptionally passionate as well as being extremely loveable.
Sloan Parker has created a stunning saga that I enjoyed immensely. How to Save a Life has all the emotional ingredients anticipated in a well-written romantic whodunit, intense drama along with a spine-chilling psycho killer. The sinister side of this tale is balanced with the amusing and amorous dialogue that will arouse decadent visuals of scorching intimacy scenes.
How to Save a Life is the first book in The Haven series. This series is a spin-off from More. From the very beginning the intricate plot pushes all of the reader’s curiosity buttons. The detailed description illustrates the club is loaded with security, so the first question that comes to mind is how is it possible to simply vanish undetected? As the story progresses, elements of suspense is added answering the questions of who and why. There are a number of separate factors at work, yet all the puzzle pieces fit together in a logical pattern.
The engaging main characters are not to be missed. Walter and Kevin is a perfect match, especially in personality traits. Both men have tragic events in their past that still rule their personal lives. Both Walter and Kevin genuinely care about people, particularly gay men in trouble. The main irritation between Walter and Kevin is their twenty year age difference. Walter fears Kevin’s happiness will be negatively affected being in a relationship with an older man. Kevin’s mature attitude is to take each day as it comes and be grateful for their time spent together. Walter and Kevin are highly intelligent, exceptionally passionate as well as being extremely loveable.
Sloan Parker has created a stunning saga that I enjoyed immensely. How to Save a Life has all the emotional ingredients anticipated in a well-written romantic whodunit, intense drama along with a spine-chilling psycho killer. The sinister side of this tale is balanced with the amusing and amorous dialogue that will arouse decadent visuals of scorching intimacy scenes.
October 9, 2013
I've read a lot of duds lately. I'm happy to say this isn't one of them. The characters are well developed, the storyline is exciting and an HEA to boot. There are some dark parts referred to but nothing that is explicit. The sex between the two MCs is good and for those that don't like a load of sex messing up a good story, you can ret easy with this one. Actually, that's why I rated it a star lower, I like more and more descriptive sex, I like descriptive dark stuff and I usually want my heart string tugged at a little more. This is a May December romance.
June 4, 2016
4.5 stars. A well-written m/m mystery romance, I would like to read more by this author.
I don't think the cover has much to do with the story but I've seen far worse. Got a little tired of the age gap angst, Kevin is 29 and Walter is 48 but a fit guy. It didn't help that my imagination kept dredging up the old FBI guy from 'Dexter'.. And what kind of a name is Walter, I don't know any Walters under 80!
'His phone rang again, and he checked the display. Perfect timing.
Guys walking into a sex club did not get calls from their mommies.'
I don't think the cover has much to do with the story but I've seen far worse. Got a little tired of the age gap angst, Kevin is 29 and Walter is 48 but a fit guy. It didn't help that my imagination kept dredging up the old FBI guy from 'Dexter'.. And what kind of a name is Walter, I don't know any Walters under 80!
'His phone rang again, and he checked the display. Perfect timing.
Guys walking into a sex club did not get calls from their mommies.'
January 27, 2013
This book was recommended to me and it is my first foray into the male/male genre. Even though I am new to the genre, I found this book a fantastic first-read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is well constructed and executed, I really liked the characters and I found it riveting to the end.
I know that some people seem to have a problem with the mystery component of this book. I personally found it easy to follow.
If you're interested in the male/male and/or mystery genre, this is a great book well worth a read.
Ash.
I know that some people seem to have a problem with the mystery component of this book. I personally found it easy to follow.
If you're interested in the male/male and/or mystery genre, this is a great book well worth a read.
Ash.
September 16, 2015
3.5 stars. First of all, I value all the reviews of my friends on Goodreads and really wasn't sure that I wanted to read this book because of the reviews for this one. You guys are spot on sometime when you review a book. BUT. This time I think some of you guys are wrong. I liked the two MC's Walter and Kevin. One coming to terms with that he is gay and the second trying to not get his heart broken by falling in love. I enjoyed the plot that Sloan choose for this book, sure it could use more sex, why not. But for my first Sloan Parker book I liked it, I want to read more.
April 30, 2014
Very good Mystery/Thriller. I enjoyed the characters and the club. The thriller was a little creepy at times. I loved how Kevin and Walter opened up to each other and shared things they had never shared with others.
Walter was obsessed with his age, but I am his age and I probably would be too if dating a 30 yo! Because Kevin had never really been with a man, and Walter had been alone for a while, their sex was beyond hot!
Good Read!
Walter was obsessed with his age, but I am his age and I probably would be too if dating a 30 yo! Because Kevin had never really been with a man, and Walter had been alone for a while, their sex was beyond hot!
Good Read!
January 23, 2013
4.5- rounded up to 5.
I am not usually looking for the mystery in a mystery, but the action in this book was really great. I really liked the MC's and even Walter's constant worry didn't bother me. I think their relationships concerns were very reasonably dealt with, and I didn't feel like they were beating a dead horse. I really can't wait to see wehre book2 goes!
I am not usually looking for the mystery in a mystery, but the action in this book was really great. I really liked the MC's and even Walter's constant worry didn't bother me. I think their relationships concerns were very reasonably dealt with, and I didn't feel like they were beating a dead horse. I really can't wait to see wehre book2 goes!
November 15, 2014
Good read with solid characters. I never fell in love with Walter and Kevin as a couple though. The after the kidnapping piece is resolved really, really hit me wrong. Maybe if I had felt more connected to either MC I would have felt differently. Still a solidly good book though.
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