Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: How Not to Break
SERIES: LOVESTRONG #4
AUTHOR: Susan Hawke
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 239 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 9, 2019
BLURB:
Take one former SEAL with a healthy dose of regret…
Nick St. Cloud is living with shame from the one time he let his lust override his sense of honor. He’s haunted by the memory of when he made love to his best friend’s eighteen-year-old son. The tragic accident that happened that same night has only compounded his guilt. A decade later, he’s doing his best to be there for Charlie’s son, but anything more than that just wouldn’t be right… would it?
Plus the younger guy who he’s tried to forget…
It’s been ten years. Ten long years. Does Shaw Michaelson feel bad about having seduced his dad’s best friend? Umm, maybe? Although he could’ve done things differently, Shaw can’t find it within himself to be sorry for the hottest night of his life with the one man he’s never been able to forget. The man he’s patterned every subsequent relationship after… yeah, Shaw totally has a type.
Equals a pair of men who deserve a second chance at a first time.
The two men are living in an uneasy peace within the same small town and circle of friends, being careful not to let the other get close enough to open old wounds. All their walls fall when a stalker begins terrorizing Shaw, sending him running to the one man he knows will keep him safe.
This is the fourth book in the LOVESTRONG series about finding love and being yourself in a small town. Intended only for 18+ readers, this is an mm romance full of all the fun, fluff, and feels you’d want from an S. Hawke book.
Note: Possible trigger warning for the mention of an animal being harmed off-page and the psychological trauma of being stalked.
REVIEW:
Note the possibility of triggers in the blurb.
I have been waiting for this story since I read How Not to Wait. With Nick and Shaw living in the same town, they were bound to constantly run into each other. Especially when Shaw frequently visited Nick’s gay bar with his friends. And Nick needed Shaw rubbed in his face a bit lol. For holding back.
Shaw has been half in love with Nick since he was younger, especially after their one night together, when Shaw gave Nick his virginity. Unfortunately, that was also the night his parents died. Nick has been racked with guilt ever since and has maintained a distance. But Shaw doesn’t want him to stay distant. He wants him in his life for good. But with Shaw’s stalker, he may not get his wish. The stalker is upping things and getting more dangerous. Shaw agrees to stay with Nick for his safety, and he hope maybe it will help things. As Nick is finally coming around, danger levels go off the charts. They have to get through this to move on with their lives, if the stalker lets them.
If I was Shaw, I don’t know if I could have waited for like 10 years for Nick to make his move. Of course, I’ve never really been that much in love, so maybe my opinion would be different if I had been. I would have at least given Nick a shake or two. Maybe a knock upside the head lol. It was more than obvious they belonged together. Everyone could really tell how they felt about each other. But for Nick, he had to be able to let go of all the guilt he felt. And get over the fact that Shaw is younger than he is. Shaw has more than proved he is all man and takes care of himself. Well, except for the whole burning the kitchen down incidents lol. That boy needs major help there.
But coming from Nick’s perspective, I can see things from his side too. Losing the friends who meant so much to him was a blow. But what made the guilt worse is what he was doing while they died. Granted, they were probably already gone, seeing as he passed the wreck on the way to their house. But it’s the point. Shaw was eighteen at the time, and a virgin. His little head had taken over. What broke my heart, though, was how much he really did care for Shaw. That’s what made it sad. And hard.
Despite their ages, they both had a little growing up to do. They both had to learn to let go of a few things and move on. They had to learn to live in the present and hold on tight.
I’ve loved every book of this series. This one just adds more to the overall package. I just hope it’s not over yet. There’s a certain young man I’m ready to see get his happiness.
RATING: 
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