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Eden

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Search and rescue pilot Rayne Lee is leaving the Coast Guard and heading to Eden, Alaska, to reconnect with the foster sister he hasn't seen since childhood. In addition to piloting the helicopter that brings travelers and supplies to and from the town, Rayne takes a second job leading eco-friendly tours of the breathtaking Alaska scenery. However, his plan for a peaceful, new life is thrown into chaos when he discovers one of his fellow tour guides is Brandon Weaver -- an infuriatingly gorgeous former rescue swimmer who was kicked out of the Coast Guard after a mission Rayne led turned into a disaster.

Brandon Weaver thought Eden, Alaska, was the one place he could go to escape the memories of his failed military career – and the disappointment of his father, a well-respected admiral, who always wanted Brandon to follow in his footsteps. But leaving the Coast Guard behind isn’t as easy as he hoped. His parents are planning their first visit in years, and his new coworker is his former commander Rayne Lee, who didn't lift a finger to help Brandon in the hearing that cost him his career. And worse, Rayne is just as handsome as he was years ago.

Rayne's guilt over the incident and Brandon's anger at his dismissal make their reunion a tense one...until their old attraction becomes too difficult to ignore.

Eden is a m/m, second-chance romance featuring an emotionally stunted helicopter pilot, a cocky rescue swimmer turned tour guide, found family, an adorable giant dog, and learning that sometimes confronting the past is the only way to find the perfect future.

228 pages, Paperback

Published August 4, 2022

27 people are currently reading
153 people want to read

About the author

Avon Gale

27 books1,351 followers
Avon Gale lives in a liberal Midwestern college town, where she spends her days getting heavily invested in everything from craft projects to video games. She likes road trips by car, rock concerts, thunderstorms, IPAs, Kentucky bourbon and tattoos. As a queer author, Avon is committed to providing happy endings for all and loves to tell stories that focus on found families, strong and open communication, and friendship. She loves writing about quirky people who might not be perfect, but always find a place where they belong. In her former life, Avon wrote fanfiction at her desk while ostensibly doing work in non-profit fundraising for public radio and women’s liberal arts education, and worked on her books in between haircuts and highlights as a stylist. Now she’s a full-time writer, delighted to be able to tell stories for a living.

Avon is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.

Enjoy fantasy with a bit of a kinky, darker edge? Check out Avon's fantasy books, co-written with author Fae Loxley, under the pen name Iris Foxglove!

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5 stars
57 (26%)
4 stars
97 (45%)
3 stars
49 (23%)
2 stars
8 (3%)
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2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
Profile Image for ~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semicolons~✡~.
3,601 reviews1,142 followers
September 23, 2022
I love Alaska and stories set in Alaska (see my recommendations below), and have enjoyed Avon Gale's past work, especially the charming Scoring Chances series.

Unfortunately, this book was a total dud. Maybe it's the collaboration with co-author Emily Rossman, but the intensity, humor, and strong relationship development I've come to associate with Avon Gale's books were MIA.

I kept hoping the pace would pick up, but I was bored and tempted to DNF the entire time. I skimmed some chapters, including the sex scenes. I mean, the MCs had zero chemistry, so why bother?

Even the ending, a weak HFN, didn't deliver.

Extra star for Moose, the cute Newfie.

I'm in the minority with my rating, so make of it what you will.


My favorite m/m romance novels set in Alaska:

Wild by Adrienne Wilder

Snowblind by Eli Easton

The North Novels series by Cara Dee

Frozen Hearts series by Annabeth Albert

Sawyer's Ferry series by Cate Ashwood
Profile Image for Teeny.
1,638 reviews47 followers
dnf
January 20, 2024
DNF @ 58%

I was very fortunate to get an ARC of this from the authors. As grateful as I am to read this before release, I've been struggling with it for close to 4 days. It hasn't clicked with me and up to the 44% that I started skimming and the 58% that I DNFed neither Brandon nor Rayne have convinced me (nor shown me) that they have chemistry.

Especially with what happened between them in Coast Guard I was expecting more sparks and fireworks flying. Yes Rayne is an introvert and a quiet person but Brandon is an extrovert and I was hoping he would at least take the bull by the horns and work out at least their past.

Up till the point that I DNFed Rayne and Brandon barely had much time together on page, what time they had they weren't alone or for any respectable length of it and it was mostly seeing things through their eyes in their musings. So things were also slow with too much telling instead of showing.

I'd have loved to have some imagery as well since the book is taking place in Alaska and both of them work for an eco-tours agency so that was an opportunity lost right there.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Profile Image for Ami.
6,254 reviews489 followers
August 31, 2022
4.25 stars

Loved this! It has been a while since I read a book in one sitting. I did this with Eden this morning; spent about 2.5 hours to finish. I was immediately taken into the idea of second-chance romance in a remote Alaskan town.

I loved that there was believable progress between Rayne and Brandon, since they didn't really had the opportunity to talk about what happened two years ago when Rayne's testimony made Brandon dishonorbly discharged from Coast Guard. Brandon clearly still feeling the hurt while Rayne felt guilty. I loved that they didn't immediately jumped on their apparent tension and sparks by going at it.

I loved their characteristics as well... Brandon was the more sociable person while Rayne was rather inept at it. The difference between the two men made for opposite-attract deliciousness.

I would love to get more scenes of the heart-to-heart talks between the two but it wasn't to the point I would strongly grumbled for it. I loved Moose the gentle dog. I loved the secondary characters. I loved that action near the end too.

I read Avon Gale's books before but Emily Rossman is a new-to-me author (and this is actually Rossman's first novel). Yet, I thought the writing partnership went smoothly as I didn't notice one perspective to be better written than the other. I hope the story continues. Would love to read about the gorgeous fisherman, Nick.
Profile Image for Grace.
3,344 reviews216 followers
September 27, 2022
I thought this was a decent read, but it didn't blow me away like I wanted it to. Gale's occasionally a miss for me, but generally I quite enjoy her work, and something about this one felt a little bland and forgettable. The history between the characters was certainly interesting, but I just didn't totally connect with the way it was dealt with here--I felt like it was a LOT messier on both sides than honestly could probably realistically be overcome. The remote Alaskan setting was lovely, but I never felt totally sold on what made this place home for both the MCs given neither of them grew up there, nor seemed to have grown up in any kind of wilderness. Basically, throughout the book there is a lot of stuff touched upon in a surface kind of way--Rayne's growing up in foster care and new relationship with estranged sister, Brandon's fraught relationship with his father, both of their pasts/histories--but that we never get into in any real amount of depth, so I felt a little distanced from both of them. This was a fine read, but something about it just wasn't quite real enough for me.
Profile Image for Bizzy.
621 reviews
August 28, 2022
I liked the premise but unfortunately the execution didn’t work for me. The MCs didn’t have a conversation that wasn’t about work logistics until nearly halfway through the book, and then they just jumped straight into having sex despite the serious animosity and history between them. I could maybe have bought this if the characters had spent some time thinking about how they were avoiding the past, or wanted to move on from it, or even if it was just hate sex, but instead they became boyfriends without ever really talking about their past or thinking about how they needed to clear things up if they wanted to have a future.

The book squandered a lot of opportunities to create tension and chemistry between the characters. They kept leading tours together in the beautiful Alaskan wilderness, except we only ever saw them do a few activities together, and nothing that developed their relationship beyond both of them repeating the same thoughts about each other over and over (He’s hot! He’s too good at everything! He’s annoying!). Much of the book was the characters on their own or with side characters who didn’t matter, doing things like laundry, exercising, and talking to the local hot fisherman about how he should be a model. If the book was going to spend so much time on things other than developing the main characters, I wish it would have focused on the Alaskan scenery and outdoor sports, but most of the book felt like it could have taken place in the outdoors basically anywhere.

Also, it’s frustrating when authors don’t do the necessary research to make their books work. Here, Brandon was dishonorably discharged from the Coast Guard for disobeying an order (and possibly for having done so in the past as well?), but a DD requires felony-level conduct and is usually preceded by time in military prison (and follows a court martial, which is a much more intensive process than the one hearing that apparently took place here). Getting a DD is extremely serious, the equivalent of a civilian having a felony on their record. The authors could have learned enough about military discharges by reading the Wikipedia article to have written this more accurately (giving him an Other Than Honorable, perhaps), instead of making a major error that’s distracting for readers who know how these things work.

Similarly, it was incredibly distracting that “wetsuit” was always written as “wet suit,” which kept giving me the mental image of someone in wet formal wear. If you Google “wet suit” you’ll see the correct spelling immediately. If the book had otherwise been really compelling, these might not have bothered me so much, but I was already struggling to stay engaged so these obvious errors kept pulling me out of the story.

I’m sorry to give a low rating to a debut book, especially because Rossman has good ideas that could have made for a great book if it had been more polished. I hope she’ll keep writing and continue making improvements. (I know Avon Gale was a co-writer but I didn't feel much of her presence here.)
Profile Image for the kevin (vaguely alive).
971 reviews178 followers
October 3, 2022
Unfortunately this book just did not work for me. Here are a few of the more glaring issues:

1. Alaska....??

This books greatest sin: it’s set in Alaska, with two wilderness tour guides, going on wilderness tours, and there is almost no description of the scenery! I read this because Alaska is gorgeous!! This quote is the extent of what we get, essentially:

and he found himself taking plenty of photographs and even sketching the view from the beach as the group talked and laughed around the fire. He didn’t often sketch in public, because he despised people asking if they could see what he was doing, but the landscape was too gorgeous and inspiring to pass up.


“it is pretty”

ok? tell me how it’s gorgeous!! describe it!!! oh my god. this book could be set anywhere with some water.

2. Dishonorable discharge

Brandon is given a dishonorable discharge - this is like a felony! This is so extra. Go read this review if you want the details because I am of the same opinion on how absurd it is he has a DD.

3. nick the supermodel

Why do they talk about the model-hot fisherman Nick so much? out of nowhere “wow nick is hot” ok? why. Good for nick tho

4. boring

truly, this is boring. The MCs barely talk about anything outside of work for like half the book, and never really have a conversation of substance until the very end, when secondary characters force it. they are cardboard. they have no chemistry.

5. the ending.

pls no. the level of cheese!! shut up

Overall, this just didn’t work. When it wasn’t a snooze, it was absurd in a not good way.

HRT-signature-3

Read more reviews on my blog: 
https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/
Profile Image for Merrikat.
66 reviews
August 23, 2022
4.5 -- I liked this. Good chemistry, fun characters and an engaging secondary cast of characters. I don't usually read contemporary but I love Gale's fantasy series and when I was offered an ARC I jumped on it. While it's not my usual genre, I did really enjoy the book and all the found family feels that went along with it. I liked Rayne and Brandon's story, and if you're looking for a good contemporary rom with some snarky boys who figure out how to get along eventually, I'd say this is a great choice. Enjoyable for sure, and while I was a bit hesitant given I typically dislike any kind of military romance, these two were former Coast Guard search-and-rescue operatives and that worked well. I read this in two sittings and enjoyed it, and found the writing smooth and easy as seems to be the case with Gale's collabs.
Profile Image for R.J..
Author 307 books2,720 followers
January 18, 2023
highly recommended

Brilliant characters. Well researched. And a wonderful love story. I so hope there will be more books set in Eden.
Profile Image for Katharina.
630 reviews24 followers
August 24, 2022
4.5

Oh man, I loved this one. I love books set in Alaska (or Northern Canada). I love enemies-to-lovers. I love second chance romances. I love Avon Gale's writing.

The only detraction (for me) here is that I have to compare all Alaska books to Northland by Cara Dee, and this one does not measure up 100 percent . It just wasn't as immersive (and a little too short).
But it comes damn close and that's a pretty good standard to meet.
Profile Image for Smutty  Sully.
896 reviews251 followers
October 25, 2023
2 I can't-believe-Avon Gale-authored-this stars
Don't be like me people, read the reviews first!
Profile Image for Eesh.
1,278 reviews91 followers
August 31, 2022
It feels like it's been ages since I read an Avon Gale book, and I liked this one. It was a slow burn and pretty low key. Some humour and some tension to keep things interesting because there were times when the story seemed to be moving a tad slow. And I wished we'd had clarity from the start about what happened during the mission-gone-wrong. But for the most part, I liked the story, the characters were good and had good chemistry, I liked how their conflict was addressed, and the setting was beautiful. Would recommend for a relaxed read.
Profile Image for ash.
610 reviews31 followers
September 12, 2022
This was fun! A quick read with engaging-enough leads and a nice little cast of secondary and tertiary characters and some nice place-making. I wish there'd been a little more personality coming through in the sex scenes, but the plot pacing was excellent (I was so ready for that rescue by the end!), as was the management of the 'we have to reckon with our past before we move forward' which in different hands would've likely fumbled into the kind of miscommunication and melodrama in which I am wildly disinterested.

Also, I appreciated that though this was technically a post-military story that both of the leads had non-douchey reasons for having been in the Coast Guard and that Rayne specifically discusses not having wanted to do the more evil work and that playing a role in why he retired. I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I wasn't familiar with Gale based on the military mention in the summary, so this was really the best case scenario for me personally under these circumstances.

I did miss Gale's signature goofy characters from their hockey books (but also understand why they wouldn't quite have worked here) and there was a weird repeated usage of "on top" when the characters meant "topping" but generally a good time all around.
Profile Image for Pjm12.
2,043 reviews41 followers
October 1, 2022
Once the MC s get over their shock, anger and guilt when they meet up again, everything pretty much falls into place. Which is nice. Great dog, great (found) family, great town to live.

Enjoyed it a lot.
1,304 reviews33 followers
September 5, 2022
Safe proper and respectable m/m romance.
209 reviews3 followers
August 25, 2022
I'll admit this story did not capture me. I enjoyed Avon Gale's scoring chances series. Coaches Challenge remains one of my favorite books. Her characters jump off the page, making her dialogue sharp and witty. Since she has begun co-writing, the magic is slowly disappearing. This story asks the reader to believe Braddon was dishonorably discharged from the US Coast Guard due to his actions and the testimony of Rayne. Somehow he manages to put all the humiliation aside and act on his long-term attraction to Rayne, who arrives in Eden, Alaska, to work with Brandon. I struggled with this love and lust triumphs all scenario.
In the story's early stages, our heroes were often not together, and there seemed to be a load of eco-tours, kayaking, and heated glances across a room. I'm still unsure how they managed to put all that baggage behind them. Raynes's friend Zack certainly did, and he articulated it perfectly. I suspect Avon wrote to suit the developing skill set of the new author Emily Rossman. The story lacked punch is the only way I can describe it.
Profile Image for Rachel.
190 reviews20 followers
August 8, 2022
Take a trip to Eden, Alaska and meet one of your new favorite book couples. Stubborn Rayne & Brandon will frustrate you, sure, but also make you swoon and sweat- even in Alaska. 😏

In my opinion, one of the best, most romantic things an MC can do is take a heroic, brave, and emotionally vulnerable stand for the person they love, and this story delivered on that big time! 💙

I hope this is the start to a series(?)- I'd definitely love to read more about the gang in Eden... Nick the fisherman perhaps?

Overall, a great 4-4.5 star, fun & sexy read from one of my favorite authors Avon Gale, and newcomer Emily Rossman.

(I received & read an ARC of 'Eden')
Profile Image for AliciaJ.
1,333 reviews113 followers
November 14, 2022
This was a slow burn romance, but it was so worth it. I wasn't sure how the author was going to have these two work through their issues to get to an HEA, but she managed it and made it believable too. I loved the setting as well. Usually stories set in Alaska always seem too gloomy to me, but not here. Having the two MCs be tour guides and getting plenty of detail about the trips really made me feel like I got a better picture of the wilderness there and that the place is truly beautiful, not always dark, gloomy, and cold. I almost wish that this was the start of a new series because I'd love to revisit some of the other characters and see them find happy endings as well.
Profile Image for isa (queenofswordsandwords).
585 reviews8 followers
January 13, 2023
i was on a bookhangover from avon gale's scoring chances series so i decided to pick up this one.

small town, alaska, both mcs are previously from the coast guard and have a complicated past linked to a dangerous mission that got one of them fired.

they're now both working as excursion guides for tourist groups. we get lots of kayaking and wilderness. and an excellent giant dog.

this was a fun time except for the fact that the end was too perfectly tied up. every conflict (external) gets resolved magicaly and it felt a bit unrealistic.
Profile Image for aries turtle.
144 reviews
August 29, 2022
Ah yes!!! Finally. A good read.

I am a sucker for second chances trope, and the mutual pining? Unresolved tension? Yes please!!!!

And because their jobs involves safety risks, I was waiting for the life-and-death crisis moment where they get to the I love you don’t die stage then they’ll live happily ever after and I was not disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for CJ.
532 reviews2 followers
October 24, 2022
Nice read

This was a nice light read. Brandon and Rayne they were just perfect, because them there self were not perfect. The story was nice and I got the conversation they needed to have near the end.
This is really a light read and every character is nice. It just makes you smile.
Hope Zack and Nick get a story.
Profile Image for Sara.
2,348 reviews40 followers
August 24, 2022
Super interesting backgrounds of the main characters and I enjoyed the mild amount of tension in how they were connected in the past. They were able to resolve their differences beautifully. Moose is a scene stealer. :)
Profile Image for Max.
539 reviews71 followers
October 6, 2022
This was... fine. It did give me Annabeth Albert vibes, but overall I enjoyed this read. I would have liked a little more depth and character development from Rayne and Brandon, and the end was a bit cookie cutter, but this was a cute read.
Profile Image for Dallie.
368 reviews
January 9, 2024
I loved the awkwardness and the terrible communication skills with genuine attempts at communicating. I loved the setting, and Moose! This could have been frustrating either way the main characters having two very strong opinions about past history, but I think it actually went very well.
Profile Image for ConM.
951 reviews9 followers
September 6, 2022
This was a nice, low angst romance with a little adventure. I lived the Alaskan setting,
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews

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