★★★★ Devlin and Garrick by Cameron Dane ★★★★

The Seeking Redemption series:

• Aidan and Ethan (book #1) – click here for review
• Devlin and Garrick (book #2) – in this review

Devlin and Garrick by Cameron Dane

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Blurb…

Devlin Morgan and Gradyn Connell have one thing on their minds when they meet in a bar one Friday night in San Francisco. One good, hard fuck.

After the hell he’s been through, Gradyn knows the young man sitting at the end of the bar–with his sweet nervousness and beautiful face–is just what he needs. And Gradyn has absolutely no problem getting up to say hello.

Devlin knows inviting muscle-bound, tattooed Gradyn to his motel room is the riskiest thing he’s ever done, but there’s something in the man’s warm green eyes that tells Devlin everything will be all right.

One explosive encounter in Devlin’s motel room is the plan. Only, it turns out one hot fuck isn’t enough for either man. Dinner afterward leads to another round in bed, and what follows is a weekend together that stirs more emotions than either Devlin or Gradyn ever expected to feel.

Fast forward five years. Devlin has never forgotten Gradyn but he has moved on with his life. That is, until he walks into his sister’s workplace and comes face to face with the man from his wild weekend in San Francisco.

Except, this man is calling himself Garrick Langley. This man is a shell of the man Devlin remembers and hardly looks like the same person. And the biggest kick in Devlin’s gut? This Garrick Langley pretends he doesn’t know Devlin at all.

No. Fucking. Way.

Devlin doesn’t care what this man looks like or that he has a new name. Garrick Langley is Gradyn Connell, and they both know it. Devlin is a lot more secure in his own skin now, and he wants answers. This Garrick had better look out because Devlin won’t stop until he uncovers every one of Gradyn’s secrets.

Note: This title contains male/male acts of loving, including oral, anal and rimming. Also includes scene with mild bondage and spanking.

So what did I think?

I REALLY liked this story – the plot, the mystery, the characters, the emotions, the sex…

It is the story of two men who meet and share one passionate weekend together which turns into six months of exchanging emails before the contact between them ends abruptly. Five years later they meet again to find each man has not forgotten the other.

I loved that the short time that Devlin and Garrick spent together made such an impact. I loved the emotional connection between them. I loved that they had never felt able to move on and give themselves fully to another. I loved that time had not diminished what they felt.

Devlin is the little brother of Aiden (from book 1 Aiden and Ethan) and lives in the town of Redemption. Garrick subconsiously headed there, and towards Devlin, when his life exploded. There is some mystery as to why he has shown up in town, why his looks and name are different and why he pretends to not know Devlin. I must admit to being slightly confused at the beginning but it all eventually becomes clear.

The story alternates between the present (the gradual reconnection of Devlin and Garrick filled with high emotion as the secrets from the past and true feelings are aired) to the past (their first meeting, the passionate weekend and emotional parting).

The secondary characters in the book are great, particularly Devlin’s sister Maddie and also Wyn and Grace. I liked the brief glimpse of how happy Ethan and Aiden are “Disgustingly happy as a couple for three years now, they made forever look attainable and inviting.”

The inclusion of the kids was really well done. I particularly liked the scene where Garrick is playing ball with the kids when Devlin appears and joins in. The scene was so natural and reinforced how nice each man is by their simple interactions with the kids. Little Chloe was gorgeous and such a wise little girl. Plus I loved her explanations of ‘transvesite’ and ‘transgender’. We need more mum’s to give their kids such honest and simple explanations!

I found the whole story really engaging with a perfect balance of the emotional and the physical love. I loved the way the sex scenes were written, so full of raw and honest passion and truly reflecting ‘making love’. I also loved Garrick’s use of the endearment ‘beautiful’ – so sweet.

To find out more about Cameron Dane and her books visit her website.

Buy Devlin and Garrick from Amazon.