Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Code Red

SERIES: The Sierra View Series (book #2)

AUTHOR: Max Walker

PUBLISHER: Walking Press

LENGTH: 204 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2017

BLURB:

Caleb Forester, a charming nurse with a trademarked smile, is having a fine time at life. He left a terrible situation and found himself in a much better one at Sierra View, and for that, he was constantly grateful. He would have been perfectly fine without any waves rocking his boat.

Everything was just… fine.

Red Miller is the actor everyone wants to see on the big screen. Aside from having an overflowing bank account, Red was rich in charisma and sex appeal. From the outside looking in, anyone would have thought the action star and billionaire heir lived a great life with his girlfriend and millions of adoring fans.

The tidal wave came the day Red and Caleb first met, wiping out both their boats and showing them there was much more to life and love than they let themselves believe.

Caleb must now reckon with his past while Red with his future. When outside forces from all sides start pushing in, they both must find the strength to stop from crumbling or end up breaking from the pressure.

Code Red is the second book in the Sierra View series, although they can be read in any order. It’s a full-length, steamy gay romance and has no cliffhangers.

REVIEW:

I couldn’t wait to read about Caleb after I read “Code Silver”.

Caleb Forester is a nurse at Sierra View. We first met him in “Code Silver”, where he was friends with and worked along side Dr. Dean Harper. He was the officiant at Dean and Noah’s wedding even. Now Dean was gifting him with one of his secret desires…a chance to act in a major motion picture. The director wanted an actual nurse for the scene and Caleb’s top model good looks made him the perfect pick. But when he discovers he is going to be “starring alongside the hottest actor in the industry”, Red Miller, he is beyond himself! From the moment that both men laid eyes on each other there were fireworks erupting from the chemistry. They talked after the filming but Caleb knew that Red is straight and is a half of a Hollywood Power couple. Red is so far in the closet that there is no door to ever come out. Not only would his blockbuster film career be on the line but so would his relationship with his billionaire father, who was profoundly homophobic and had let it be known since Red was a small boy. When a chance second meeting occurs, after Red is injured doing one of his own stunts for the project, at the hospital Caleb is a nurse at. Red invites Caleb and his friends to a party at his home. Red realizes that he only has one more chance with the man that is tilting his world. But Caleb has already lived through the heartache of one deeply closeted lover… can he chance his fragile heart again?

I just knew I was going to love Caleb but what I found was I think I loved Red even more. The poor little rich kid really resonated with me here. Yes, you can have all the money in the world, gorgeous looks to make you named the best looking man of the year and is adored as one of the most wonderful actors in the world but if you are beyond lonely and living a shell of a life it isn’t worth it! And that was Red’s existence until Caleb came into his world! Caleb showed Red what a life was worth living for and that gave Red all the faith and courage he needed!!!

And in true Max Walker fashion, there are bad guys! At first I thought it might be Red’s father, Michael, or Selena, Red’s beard of a Hollywood girlfriend. I was really thankful how they both played out in the end. And I knew I hated both Peter, Red’s homophobic agent and Jackson, the ex boyfriend of Caleb that did such a number on him. But the one I truly came to despise was Sandy, the drunken step-mom of Red’s. She was one nasty piece of work!

A little side note…these guys were so well written that when I was at Universal Studios last week I was looking for Red to go from the sound stage to the star trailer that was across the side street. When I said something to that affect my daughter laughingly asked who Red was and then proceeded to remind me that my book characters aren’t real! But when an author does such a great job of pulling you into the book they do seem real and you forget.

I truly didn’t want this story to end because I knew what was to come. We will continue to see Red and Caleb in future books just like we got glimpses of Dean and Noah but we won’t get more of their story which is what I wanted. I really cared about these guys. And yes there is another story to come…Crow, Red’s assistant and close friend is next. I think that you can tell that I really loved this story and highly recommend it. This is Max’s best book yet and that’s saying a lot!!!

RATING: 

BUY LINK:

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