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What if the edge of the world wasn't far enough to confront your biggest fears?
Damian has it all: first-class ticket home, whisky to drown his fear of flying, snark, and arrogance to push away everyone. Just not the wife.
Heartbroken flight attendant Gabe likes his flights uneventful. His training and gentle nature are enough to keep him from busting Damian's face in. Probably.
A plane crash forces lives and worlds that couldn't be more different to become one.
They fight each other, their biggest fears, a life so rough survival is just the beginning... can they win battles brewing far away, at home?
Damian has it all: first-class ticket home, whisky to drown his fear of flying, snark, and arrogance to push away everyone. Just not the wife.
Heartbroken flight attendant Gabe likes his flights uneventful. His training and gentle nature are enough to keep him from busting Damian's face in. Probably.
A plane crash forces lives and worlds that couldn't be more different to become one.
They fight each other, their biggest fears, a life so rough survival is just the beginning... can they win battles brewing far away, at home?
- GenresM M RomanceLGBT
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 21, 2022
8 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Maxime Jaz
13 books51 followersMaxime is a queer author who writes about guys falling in love in various places and times. Although the books could be labelled as queer romance laced with erotica, they do not fit a single genre, and are filled with drama, and sometimes darkness. Maxime likes to explore complex emotions, the journey to self-discovery, and living a life true to oneself, and their characters often struggle before finding happiness.
Maxime has an MA in language and literature, and a long international teaching career as teacher of English language and literature. Being multilingual, they also love incorporating various languages in their works.
On top of being an avid reader, Maxime loves horse riding, hiking with their dog and spending time with their family.
Maxime has an MA in language and literature, and a long international teaching career as teacher of English language and literature. Being multilingual, they also love incorporating various languages in their works.
On top of being an avid reader, Maxime loves horse riding, hiking with their dog and spending time with their family.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 5, 2023
DNF @ 1%.
I’m going to start off being grumpy about the Content Notes. They are really brief and end with:
Why? Just put them in the book. Put “flip to x page for more details” if you can’t actually put the details on the actual Content Notes page. Or actually list the URL. And what if I don’t have wi-fi? What if my plane crashes, “a life so rough survival is just the beginning”, where my e-reader survived the wreck, but I have no way to check the CWs for my book?
And then one page in, one, the POV switches to Stephanie. Who the fuck is Stephanie? Oh, the unnamed flight attendant who just got our MC a drink? If you can’t keep your POV straight for one page, I’m out.
I’m going to start off being grumpy about the Content Notes. They are really brief and end with:
For a more detailed list, please scan this QR code to be redirected to my website.
Why? Just put them in the book. Put “flip to x page for more details” if you can’t actually put the details on the actual Content Notes page. Or actually list the URL. And what if I don’t have wi-fi? What if my plane crashes, “a life so rough survival is just the beginning”, where my e-reader survived the wreck, but I have no way to check the CWs for my book?
And then one page in, one, the POV switches to Stephanie. Who the fuck is Stephanie? Oh, the unnamed flight attendant who just got our MC a drink? If you can’t keep your POV straight for one page, I’m out.
dnf
December 23, 2022No rating DNF at 14%. The verb tense changes keep throwing me out of the story.
November 22, 2022
(4.5/5 stars) This was a wild, but eventually sweet, ride. We meet main characters Damian and Gabe on an overseas flight. Damian is a snarky, sour first-class passenger who relies on alcohol to mask his insecurities. Gabe is a broken-hearted flight attendant just trying to make it through his shift. When tragedy strikes, these two are forced to not just tolerate each other's presence, but rely on each other for survival. This book as elements of adventure and dark romance as each of the main characters confronts his deepest fears. The third act did drag for me a tad, but overall I really liked this one. I'm a fan of Jaz's and think you should be, too! (Note: I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.)
December 24, 2022
Entahlah, bingung mau ngasih bintang berapa. Akhirnya kasih bintang 1. Kisah di buku ini mirip dengan bukunya Alessandra Hazard yg MCnya adalah kakak iparnya Derek Rutledge. Tapi buku ini sangat kompleks dan ribet! Bukan bacaan enteng.
Damien seorang billionaire berumur 39 tahun (kalau ga salah), sudah punya istri dan 2 anak sedangkan Gabriel seorang pramugara berumur 28 tahun yg baru saja putus dengan pacarnya, seorang pilot. Dari awal interaksi antara Damien dengan Gabe terlihat kalau Damien itu homophobic. Pesawat mereka kecelakaan, Damien dan Gabe korban yg selamat. Damien luka cukup parah, kaki atau tangannya patah sedangkan Gabe tidak luka berat. Dengan kaki/tangan patah, Damien masih bisa bertahan hidup dibantu pertolongan dari Gabe itu kurang masuk akal.
Dengan halaman segitu panjangnya, akhirnya bosan, baca ga sampai selesai langsung aja cari tengah-tengah buku.
Ternyata, pernikahannya Damien itu tdk bahagia, Damien itu tdk straight tapi bi, dia tetap di kloset dgn alasan karena dia seorang penerus nama keluarga, harus macho, menikah dengan wanita dan mempunyai keturunan dan bla bla bla. Akhirnya dia menikah dengan istrinya bernama Maddie tp ya begitulah tidak bahagia walaupun sdh dikaruniai 2 anak.
Damien dan Gabe ternyata harus bertahan di pulau itu selama 6 TAHUN! Sangat tidak masuk akal menurut ku. Selama 6 itu, mereka jatuh cinta dan "bersumpah setia dlm pernikahan".
Setelah 6 tahun, akhirnya mereka diselamatkan. Dimulailah drama baru berikutnya! Kembali ke kehidupan normal, ternyata Damien itu diasumsikan meninggal, istrinya menikah dengan pria lain (dokter bedah istrinya kalau tdk salah), ada kabar mengejutkan bahwa anak laki2nya Damien, bernama Kevin itu bukan darah dagingnya melainkan anak dari dokter bedah istrinya yg sekarang jadi suami barunya. Ketahuan pula bahwa sejak awal istrinya tahu bahwa KEVIN BUKAN ANAK BIOLOGIS Damien.
Dalam hati berpikir "kasian sekali Damien telah dikhianati oleh istrinya" tapi setelah itu pupus karena diketahui bahwa DAMIEN itu punya AFFAIR dengan pembantu/sitter/apalah namanya, bernama Maria dan Maria itu hamil anaknya Damien. Waduh, makin ribet saja? Memang! Jadi si Damien ini affairnya bukan 1x kejadian dengan Maria tapi beberapa kali, pada saat mereka hanya berdua di rumah maupun pada saat istrinya di rumah pun affairnya tetap jalan terus. Damien sih bilang kalau Maria is on the pill tp kenyataannya Maria hamil dan pada saat Damien kecelakaan, Maria resign(?) dan pergi dari rumah Damien.
Ternyata kisah affairnya Damien tdk berhenti sampai disitu. Dia punya affair lagi dengan wanita yg lebih tua bahkan Damien menyebutnya sebagai mistress. Tsk, tsk, tsk! Sama dengan Maria, affairnya juga bukan 1x kejadian tapi merupakan kejadian berulang tp bedanya tidak ada anak yg dihasilkan.
Saya sih tidak masalah dgn Damien yg mengalami kecanduan alkohol tapi yg jadi permasalahan adalah Damien tukang selingkuh! Sekacau apapun hubungan dan pernikahan dia dgn istrinya TDK MEMBENARKAN DIA UNTUK TIDUR DENGAN WANITA ATAU PRIA LAIN (PRIA dalam hal ini adalah Gabriel). Pada saat dengan Gabe msh bisa ditolerir tp dengan MARIA dan MISTRESSnya? KESEL yahh jadinya. Memang nobody's perfect tapi cobalah membuat MCnya tidak sebejat dan tidak sick in the head kaya Damien. Terus, sudut pandang buku ini aneh, kapan berubah sudut pandang antara satu karakter dengan yg lain ga jelas. Sudut pandangnya tdk hanya dari Damien/Gabe/Cassie (anak perempuannya Damien) bahkan Armando (anak dari hasil selingkuh dgn Maria) juga ada.
Seperti yg saya bilang, buku ini tuh RIBET! BANYAK DRAMA, SUDUT PANDANG GA JELAS, MC-NYA RADA STRES TUKANG SELINGKUH PULA!
Berpikir dua kali deh kalau mau baca buku dari author ini!
Damien seorang billionaire berumur 39 tahun (kalau ga salah), sudah punya istri dan 2 anak sedangkan Gabriel seorang pramugara berumur 28 tahun yg baru saja putus dengan pacarnya, seorang pilot. Dari awal interaksi antara Damien dengan Gabe terlihat kalau Damien itu homophobic. Pesawat mereka kecelakaan, Damien dan Gabe korban yg selamat. Damien luka cukup parah, kaki atau tangannya patah sedangkan Gabe tidak luka berat. Dengan kaki/tangan patah, Damien masih bisa bertahan hidup dibantu pertolongan dari Gabe itu kurang masuk akal.
Dengan halaman segitu panjangnya, akhirnya bosan, baca ga sampai selesai langsung aja cari tengah-tengah buku.
Ternyata, pernikahannya Damien itu tdk bahagia, Damien itu tdk straight tapi bi, dia tetap di kloset dgn alasan karena dia seorang penerus nama keluarga, harus macho, menikah dengan wanita dan mempunyai keturunan dan bla bla bla. Akhirnya dia menikah dengan istrinya bernama Maddie tp ya begitulah tidak bahagia walaupun sdh dikaruniai 2 anak.
Damien dan Gabe ternyata harus bertahan di pulau itu selama 6 TAHUN! Sangat tidak masuk akal menurut ku. Selama 6 itu, mereka jatuh cinta dan "bersumpah setia dlm pernikahan".
Setelah 6 tahun, akhirnya mereka diselamatkan. Dimulailah drama baru berikutnya! Kembali ke kehidupan normal, ternyata Damien itu diasumsikan meninggal, istrinya menikah dengan pria lain (dokter bedah istrinya kalau tdk salah), ada kabar mengejutkan bahwa anak laki2nya Damien, bernama Kevin itu bukan darah dagingnya melainkan anak dari dokter bedah istrinya yg sekarang jadi suami barunya. Ketahuan pula bahwa sejak awal istrinya tahu bahwa KEVIN BUKAN ANAK BIOLOGIS Damien.
Dalam hati berpikir "kasian sekali Damien telah dikhianati oleh istrinya" tapi setelah itu pupus karena diketahui bahwa DAMIEN itu punya AFFAIR dengan pembantu/sitter/apalah namanya, bernama Maria dan Maria itu hamil anaknya Damien. Waduh, makin ribet saja? Memang! Jadi si Damien ini affairnya bukan 1x kejadian dengan Maria tapi beberapa kali, pada saat mereka hanya berdua di rumah maupun pada saat istrinya di rumah pun affairnya tetap jalan terus. Damien sih bilang kalau Maria is on the pill tp kenyataannya Maria hamil dan pada saat Damien kecelakaan, Maria resign(?) dan pergi dari rumah Damien.
Ternyata kisah affairnya Damien tdk berhenti sampai disitu. Dia punya affair lagi dengan wanita yg lebih tua bahkan Damien menyebutnya sebagai mistress. Tsk, tsk, tsk! Sama dengan Maria, affairnya juga bukan 1x kejadian tapi merupakan kejadian berulang tp bedanya tidak ada anak yg dihasilkan.
Saya sih tidak masalah dgn Damien yg mengalami kecanduan alkohol tapi yg jadi permasalahan adalah Damien tukang selingkuh! Sekacau apapun hubungan dan pernikahan dia dgn istrinya TDK MEMBENARKAN DIA UNTUK TIDUR DENGAN WANITA ATAU PRIA LAIN (PRIA dalam hal ini adalah Gabriel). Pada saat dengan Gabe msh bisa ditolerir tp dengan MARIA dan MISTRESSnya? KESEL yahh jadinya. Memang nobody's perfect tapi cobalah membuat MCnya tidak sebejat dan tidak sick in the head kaya Damien. Terus, sudut pandang buku ini aneh, kapan berubah sudut pandang antara satu karakter dengan yg lain ga jelas. Sudut pandangnya tdk hanya dari Damien/Gabe/Cassie (anak perempuannya Damien) bahkan Armando (anak dari hasil selingkuh dgn Maria) juga ada.
Seperti yg saya bilang, buku ini tuh RIBET! BANYAK DRAMA, SUDUT PANDANG GA JELAS, MC-NYA RADA STRES TUKANG SELINGKUH PULA!
Berpikir dua kali deh kalau mau baca buku dari author ini!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2023
A beautiful story of love and strength. Fighting against adversity and themselves, these two men find a place to call home.
As always, Maxime's characters are imperfectly perfect. Damian, in particular, does so much to better himself.
I won't spoiler the story, but know that you’re gonna need a couple of boxes of kleenex!
As always, Maxime's characters are imperfectly perfect. Damian, in particular, does so much to better himself.
I won't spoiler the story, but know that you’re gonna need a couple of boxes of kleenex!
Read
May 27, 2025This has the potential to be a great story, but the execution is lacking. It felt like I was reading a rough draft, with meandering thoughts/sentence fragments. It was very hard to tell who was doing what because of pronoun usage and unclear POV. There were times when I would reread and still not know who was doing the holding, talking, etc. Regardless of this, it was definitely worth the read. I hope the author cleans it up a bit so it is easier to read.
February 13, 2023
(I received an ARC from this author in exchange for an honest review)
I really thoroughly enjoyed this. It reads, to me, as a HATCHET meets Gay Pulp Fiction (Erotica) but with a narratively satisfying and happy ending. The protagonists, Gabe and Damian, are stuck together on a remote island in the middle of nowhere after their plane crashes. Sole survivors. They don't exactly get along at first, but they soon learn to get along and eventually fall in love. LOTS of sex happens. So much sex. Years pass. There is a third act that I won't spoil, but it does leave you wondering how they're going to achieve their happily ever after with external forces at work trying to keep our protagonists apart. Fascinating but horrifying implications with some of the supporting characters, anxiety and self doubt, pasts being brought to light, and such. There is, importantly, discussions on topics of abuse (especially childhood abuse) and alcoholism, particularly in relation to Damian coming to grips with his own pretty shitty personality and seeking to become a better person.
I found myself really enjoying the premise and the execution from start to finish. Definitely reads a bit cheesy at times (Gay Pulp Fiction comparison for a reason lolol) but I'm certainly not complaining! I perhaps found it funnier than intended, but Damian and Gabriel's interactions with each other are really funny in the first act, and Damian's grumpiness was always humorous to me.
My main real criticisms almost certainly stemmed from it being an unfinished proof copy, namely issues of pronoun confusions in many of the sex scenes, but I'm sure with a finalized copy in hand and a future re-read, I will enjoy myself all the same.
And the sex scenes are thoroughly titillating
I really thoroughly enjoyed this. It reads, to me, as a HATCHET meets Gay Pulp Fiction (Erotica) but with a narratively satisfying and happy ending. The protagonists, Gabe and Damian, are stuck together on a remote island in the middle of nowhere after their plane crashes. Sole survivors. They don't exactly get along at first, but they soon learn to get along and eventually fall in love. LOTS of sex happens. So much sex. Years pass. There is a third act that I won't spoil, but it does leave you wondering how they're going to achieve their happily ever after with external forces at work trying to keep our protagonists apart. Fascinating but horrifying implications with some of the supporting characters, anxiety and self doubt, pasts being brought to light, and such. There is, importantly, discussions on topics of abuse (especially childhood abuse) and alcoholism, particularly in relation to Damian coming to grips with his own pretty shitty personality and seeking to become a better person.
I found myself really enjoying the premise and the execution from start to finish. Definitely reads a bit cheesy at times (Gay Pulp Fiction comparison for a reason lolol) but I'm certainly not complaining! I perhaps found it funnier than intended, but Damian and Gabriel's interactions with each other are really funny in the first act, and Damian's grumpiness was always humorous to me.
My main real criticisms almost certainly stemmed from it being an unfinished proof copy, namely issues of pronoun confusions in many of the sex scenes, but I'm sure with a finalized copy in hand and a future re-read, I will enjoy myself all the same.
And the sex scenes are thoroughly titillating
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2022
I absolutely adored this story from the first moments of beta reading it. Now in its final form I love it even more. I was really excited waiting for my pre-order to drop onto my kindle on the 21st and had to read it straight away! This is an unputdownable classic of love-in-adversity, my name for fiction where, alongside the romance and its emotional turmoil, there are very real dangers and outside threats to darken the path of true love.
The book starts in spectacular manner (no spoilers!) Edge of the seat stuff. Gabriel (Gabe) I loved from the start. Damien… not so much! But by the end I was wholly converted… and cried so much with him at a certain point in the story (which readers will recognise when they reach it.)
I am a huge fan of Jaz’s work. Her main characters, with all their flaws (and Damien is certainly flawed), are so vivid, so believable. I particularly appreciate the access to both men’s thoughts, as hatred and antagonism turn to love. Damien’s fight with alcoholism, his addiction to power and the resulting unfulfilling life of loveless excess is very compelling. His raw memories of failing his family are difficult to read. But all is not dark! There are lovely moments of humour and of softness as an unlikely pairing leads to the promise of lifelong love.
As always, Jaz defies classification and presents very real contemporary struggles and adversity, together with raw accounts of the inner demons which stalk so many in today’s stressful world. But above all, there is love, such love, to see her characters through the trauma and the pain.
The book starts in spectacular manner (no spoilers!) Edge of the seat stuff. Gabriel (Gabe) I loved from the start. Damien… not so much! But by the end I was wholly converted… and cried so much with him at a certain point in the story (which readers will recognise when they reach it.)
I am a huge fan of Jaz’s work. Her main characters, with all their flaws (and Damien is certainly flawed), are so vivid, so believable. I particularly appreciate the access to both men’s thoughts, as hatred and antagonism turn to love. Damien’s fight with alcoholism, his addiction to power and the resulting unfulfilling life of loveless excess is very compelling. His raw memories of failing his family are difficult to read. But all is not dark! There are lovely moments of humour and of softness as an unlikely pairing leads to the promise of lifelong love.
As always, Jaz defies classification and presents very real contemporary struggles and adversity, together with raw accounts of the inner demons which stalk so many in today’s stressful world. But above all, there is love, such love, to see her characters through the trauma and the pain.
March 4, 2023
So I really loved this book and there was only one thing that kept it from that coveted five star rating. The constant perspective switches became confusing when most of the characters were male and an abundance of male pronouns.
So now that the bad news is out of the way, on to what I loved about it.
The plot: top tier forced proximity survival situation turns enemies into friends then lovers. I laughed, I cried, I almost punched a hole in the wall when it looked like they were going to split up.
The characters: this writer writes realistically human characters. Even the antagonist feels human despite the fact that I hate his guts with the passion of a thousand suns.
The pacing: The romance felt like it developed naturally as they each got over their hangups and learned to survive together. I liked that the author didnt forced them together sooner just because it's erotica.
Marked for spoilers because the idea of there being an antagonist means they definitely have contact with the outside world at some point. Which some might consider enough of a spoiler to blanche.
So now that the bad news is out of the way, on to what I loved about it.
The plot: top tier forced proximity survival situation turns enemies into friends then lovers. I laughed, I cried, I almost punched a hole in the wall when it looked like they were going to split up.
The characters: this writer writes realistically human characters. Even the antagonist feels human despite the fact that I hate his guts with the passion of a thousand suns.
The pacing: The romance felt like it developed naturally as they each got over their hangups and learned to survive together. I liked that the author didnt forced them together sooner just because it's erotica.
Marked for spoilers because the idea of there being an antagonist means they definitely have contact with the outside world at some point. Which some might consider enough of a spoiler to blanche.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2023
I knew Home would become one of my favorite books ever after finishing the first few chapters; it's fantastic! I loved the characters and how different they were in their desires, pasts, and personalities, and the way their relationship develops from hate to love is so interesting to see. It has serious topics and dark scenes that feel realistic to the type of story you are reading, but they are perfectly balanced with the romantic scenes and the sweet interactions the main characters have throughout the book. The second half of the book was great; I enjoyed the characters introduced and how much love Damian and Gabe have for each other even with all the difficult things happening in their lives. It's a fantastic, dark, sexy, and romantic story that I'll definitely read again!
January 20, 2023
dnf
I stopped reading because of frustration with jumping between characters points of view from paragraph to paragraph. There were some passages where I had zero clue who was talking.
I’m sorry. I wanted to love this because these kind of stories are my favorite but my brain got very frustrated by the way it was written. Writing this for people like me. But definitely try it because it’s a great premise.
I stopped reading because of frustration with jumping between characters points of view from paragraph to paragraph. There were some passages where I had zero clue who was talking.
I’m sorry. I wanted to love this because these kind of stories are my favorite but my brain got very frustrated by the way it was written. Writing this for people like me. But definitely try it because it’s a great premise.
January 3, 2023
Cast Away with MM spice
An unconventional opening with a plane crash. The forced proximity trope plays out on a deserted island where the protagonists turn from enemies to lovers. The soft-hearted Gabe is pitted against an arrogant snob, Damian. Fans of Cast Away, Robinson Crusoe, or the Survivor show will like this.
An unconventional opening with a plane crash. The forced proximity trope plays out on a deserted island where the protagonists turn from enemies to lovers. The soft-hearted Gabe is pitted against an arrogant snob, Damian. Fans of Cast Away, Robinson Crusoe, or the Survivor show will like this.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews