Re-read Dec/19 - 4 stars (original: 4 stars)

Troy leaves his band's world tour when he finds his brother doing drugs. He charters a plane home, except the plane doesn't make it to the destination. Instead, it crashes somewhere in the Pacific. Of the three people on board, Troy and the co-pilot, Brian, are the only survivors. They manage to make it to land with some supplies before the plane is washed away.
At first, Troy is expecting to get rescued, but as the days pass without seeing anything he becomes more despondent. Fortunately he has someone there who can understand what he is going through, and who seems to have an idea of what they need to do to survive.
They slowly build a trust and a friendship, and then it turns to something more.

This felt pretty realistic on the "stranded on an island" issue. Other books and movies have all this miraculous food, where Troy and Brian had coconuts, fish, and papayas(?) *note: may have been mangoes, but I'm too lazy to look it up. After they crashed, they didn't manage to rescue all this random stuff before the plane disappeared, nor did any flotsam (from the wreckage or otherwise) show up and save the day. Brian and Troy made do with what they had, and that was it.
I enjoyed watching the trust level build between Brian and Troy, as they let their truths be known to each other. The way the friendship grew, and then attraction out of that, was interesting. When they finally are rescued, I believed that they really had feelings for each other, and that it wasn't a "fraught with danger, we are the only people in the world" kind of relationship. ( )

3.5 stars.

It took me some time to warm up to this one. I was so damn BORED for the first 30 %… ( )

3.5 stars ( )

The story itself was okay...and predictable. None of it was true to life. The physical scenes got a bit tedious because they stretched the imagination to even see how all of a sudden this could or did happen. I don’t think who they are attracted to or are not attracted to would be the main concern if you found yourself stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash ...and how convenient that that particular island was deserted. I know it’s fiction, but I just found it too much and too unbelievable. ( )

Captivating love story

Keira Andrews tells the story of Brian and Troy with both depth and passion. Oftentimes books lack a balance between the mental and physical aspects. Beyond the Sea is proof that the perfect balance is achievable. As I read this, I fell in love with Brian and Troy. Their personalities and how they interacted with each other, drew me in. This carried over into their physical relationship. With the sparks that flew, it’s a miracle the island didn’t go up in flames. Hot shaves, smooth chins, and hairy chests will be forever imprinted on my memory. ( )