Ashton and Val have monumental issues between them from page one, and the differences between them, their mutual stubbornness, and their history (including family issues between their parents) did not make it seem even remotely possible they would ever figure it out. Yet the emotions between them, the friendship and even love they clearly share keeps pulling them together. But after they got physical, Val is scared and runs, and Ashton is more lost than ever and indulges in exactly the kind of behavior that pushes Val even further away. Looking at them from the outside it is clear they could be a great couple: Ashton needs to be loved and accepted, and Val is the only person who has ever given him both. Val has an ambivalent love-hate relationship with Ashton, but can’t get over some of Ashton’s coping behaviors – even though he knows where they come from.

Val is an amateur boxer, but he is being pushed into becoming a pro. There is nothing else he knows how to do well, so he perseveres even though he hates it. Added to this professional dilemma is his issue with his personal life. The way Val sees his relationship with Ashton (other than the friendship he will “admit” to) is not conducive to improving their situation: “Having a crush on a billionaire’s kid who’d turned into a pseudo-celebrity model had been okay as a teenager, but having it continue into adulthood was pathetic.” Val needs to get over his resentment and be honest with himself if he ever wants to move forward. How does it happen? It’s a mix between protectiveness, loyalty to Ashton, and personal growth that results in Val beginning to change. It is painful and takes a long time, but I found it a spellbinding and rewarding process to watch.

Ashton is the son of a billionaire father who rejected him, a member of a family who uses him only to further their business interests, and so emotionally damaged that I wasn’t sure he’d manage to pull himself out of it. Many of his behaviors are protective (or so he thinks), but they actually worsen his situation: looking for “love” in all the wrong places and with people who are sharks after his money or his celebrity or his body, means Ashton’s loneliness grows worse almost by the day. His family is using him in the worst way, and he can’t figure out how to stop it – isn’t even sure he wants to. Ashton needs Val with him as a partner, but he has no idea how to go about it, is afraid of being rejected or not taken seriously, and lacks the courage to even bring it up. And much of Val’s behavior makes Ashton pull back into himself even more: “But him acting like it was his job, like he failed when I did something risky or ill-advised, made me feel like his primary goal was keeping me safe. And I didn’t want that.”

Both Val and Ashton have multiple self-destructive behaviors, and I found it hard to watch them hurt themselves and each other throughout most of the book. But there was always the potential for it to get better for them, and I eagerly looked for signs of hope as I kept reading. As is probably clear from my description, this story enthralled me and wouldn’t let me go. The “reward” at the end – when both these guys figure things out professionally and personally - was worth every second!

If you like character-driven stories about two wounded, flawed men who are in love but won’t admit it, if you believe that self-destruction can be healed with the right combination of support and self-recognition, and if you’re looking for a very unusual romance that looks hopeless for most of the story, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. It is different from the first four in the series because the issues are more serious, but it has the same type of multilayered characters, depth of emotion, and suspenseful development of a relationship as previous volumes. Amazing continues to be pretty much the only/best way I can describe these books. And I am grateful that the author plans more volumes in the series – it says so in the acknowledgements!


NOTE: This book was provided by Riptide Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )