Reviewed by Susan
TITLE: Safe In His Heart
SERIES: Safe #2
AUTHOR: Renae Kaye
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 270 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2016
BLURB:
Andrew and Paul learned about God and Jesus in different churches and realize their views of spirituality are worlds apart.
Andrew was raised Catholic and was told his homosexuality was a sin. For his entire life, he hid the truth. He married and had children to present a façade to the world—that of a straight man. It’s not until he has an affair with Paul, who shows him a different side of Jesus, that Andrew realizes he can be gay and still believe in God. Paul’s Jesus is one of acceptance and love, and in Paul’s church, being gay is not a problem.
For Paul and Andrew, falling in love is the easy part of their journey. They must make it through the fires of cheating, being discovered, Andrew’s wife leaving, the necessities of childcare and family life, the demands of their jobs, and working on their commitment to each other. Only then can they be safe in each other’s heart.
REVIEW:
Andrew believes that he is in an impossible position. He is trapped in sham of a marriage with no foreseeable way out. While he wishes that he was not in this position, he cannot regret his two children who are his world. When he meets Paul he believes this is just another encounter that he can store the memories of for desperate times. He had not planned on Paul himself. Paul quickly becomes someone that Andrew is reluctant to walk away from. The pull he feels toward him is undeniable.
This is a man who lives in fear. Fear of discovery. Fear of losing himself. Fear that God is going to punish him for being gay.
Paul is in a much more stable place in his life. He is comfortable in his own skin. Out with his family and his coworkers, he has no desire to go inside anyone’s closet. So why does he keep saying yes to Andrew? Even as everyone around him advises and urges him to move on, that an affair with a married man can only end in heartbreak, he moves steadily forward.
When Andrew’s wife Kristy decides to bolt from the marriage, Andrew’s carefully constructed world threatens to fall apart. This is when Andrew’s personal assistant Erica steps forward in the story. I really enjoyed Erica. She recognises that Paul is a stabling influence in Andrew’s life and puts plans in motion to keep him there. Maneuvering both Andrew and Paul into the best possible situations to keep Andrew’s work life running smoothly. And between the three of them, they keep things somewhat stable, with Paul becoming a more and more important presence in Andrew’s home and his children’s lives.
The return of Kristy shatters the status quo and sets up a dramatic ending that had me staying up well past my bedtime. I really liked Paul. He manages to support and love Andrew without becoming a doormat to Andrew’s drama and needs. He stands up for himself and the children. At the same time Andrew did not become a character I disliked. I found myself sympathetic with his dilemma. I wanted to yell at him a time or two, but I was rooting for him to prevail.
It should be noted that the religious aspect of the story is front and center throughout the book. I did not consider it off putting or preachy and it even educated me a time or two. Fans of this author’s work should enjoy this installment in the series. She also gives a bit more of a tease on the future story for Ash and Devon.
RATING: 
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