Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Safe Harbor
SERIES: Pine Cove
AUTHOR: H.J. Welch
NARRATOR: Nick J. Russo
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 8 hours and 29 minutes
BLURB:
Robin Coal wonders if asking his straight housemate Dair to be his fake boyfriend for his high school reunion will be the worst thing he’s ever done…or the best. But there’s no way he’s going home to face his abusive ex alone, and former Marine Dair is just the protection he needs. So long as he doesn’t find out about Robin’s secret crush, everything will be fine.
Mechanic Dair Epping never expected to spend a week sharing a bed with his adorkable friend; however, pretending to be bi is easier than he imagined. He knows he’ll do anything to keep Robin safe from his ex-boyfriend, but as the chemistry between them grows, the line between fake and reality begins to blur.
Could Dair actually be bi? Even if he was, would an ex-Marine really be interested in a computer geek like Robin? When his ex’s intentions turn dangerous, how far will Dair go to protect the man he’s falling for?
Safe Harbor is a steamy, standalone MM romance novel with a guaranteed HEA and absolutely no cliffhanger.
REVIEW:
Robin and his best friend Payton need a new roommate and they are having trouble finding the right person. But then Dair shows up. He’s on his own – well except for his menagerie of rescued pets 🙂 He has no family and he split form his long time girlfriend. He can cook too! The only worry is that since both Robin and Payton are gay, will Dair be OK with that? He is! Problem solved.
Robin’s 10 year class reunion is coming up and his twin brother is in charge. Their small town is several hours away from Seattle but Robin is supposed to attend. As it gets closer, he uses work and myriad other excuses not to go. But Payton has his number and she’s not letting him off the hook. He doesn’t want to go alone because of his abusive ex-boyfriend, Mac. When Dair offers to go with him as his pretend boyfriend to fend off any potential interaction with Mac, Robin is reluctant and apprehensive – because he’s had a crush on Dair from day 1 and has no reason to believe that Dair is anything by straight.
Dair is happy with his new living situation and he really likes Robin and Payton and he wants to support Robin. He agrees to go with Robin back to Pine Cove and they even take Dair’s latest rescue puppy with them. They figure they’ll stay at the hotel and will only have to be convincing with Robin’s family in small doses. But of course Robin’s mom insists that they stay at the family home. In Robin’s old room. AWKWARD!! But they make it work. Dair really like’s Robin’s family and his friends and the peaceful and beautiful town. He begins to think that this Mac guy really is the reason Robin doesn’t visit.
Then we meet Mac. What a piece of work! Honestly I was a bit surprised that anybody fell for his line, but he’s an attractive guy and I suppose people want to believe what they hear. We can tell right away that he’s an asshole. His passive-aggressive style with Robin provide a clear picture of why everyone in Robin’s circle can’t stand the guy – and neither can we. He subtly puts Robin down at every turn and tells Robin he’s never going to get a guy as good as him, etc. Dair tries his best to keep Mac away from Robin, but he’s not stuck to him like glue. He’s a total liar! It’s so disappointing that his pants didn’t literally catch on fire!
Of course in the meantime, Dair and Robin are getting closer and Dair really does care about Robin. They are doing a pretty good job of making everyone believe that they are together. Emery, Robin’s friend helps Dair get duded up for the big party and the reunion. He gets Dair to thinking about his sexuality and he’s beginning to think that maybe he’s not so straight. He finds Robin adorable and they have a good time when they go out together. Inevitably, they get physical in Robin’s childhood bedroom and things go from pretend to pretty real very quickly.
As they are getting closer, Mac goes in for the kill and does his best to tear them apart . He tries to make Dair think the worst of Robin. Meanwhile he continues to play on Robin’s insecurities – which he helped create – to try to get Robin back. We know it’s just to use and abuse him again. It’s obvious he’s only motivated by self-interest as he was absolutely horrible to him the first time around and he’s using every trick in the book to get between Robin and Dair this time. While eventually Robin and Dair talk it out, Mac has gotten his digs in to Robin.
Of course Mac can’t leave well enough alone and Robin, ever the optimist gets drawn into his web again, thinking they can part as friends and that he’ll just be able to move on with his life. But Mac continues to be a truly selfish jerk and causes a new calamity. Thankfully Dair and the rest of the gang don’t let it go and keep after Robin. This near miss, really puts things into perspective for both Dair and Robin.
I really enjoyed this story. Robin and Dair are very sweet together. Dair is surprisingly at ease with his gay roommates. He’s obviously got a lot of compassion with his love of animals and he’s protective of his friends. He’s been on his own since his breakup with his long term girlfriend, so he’s lonely and he bonds pretty quickly with his new roomies. And Robin’s ex! Can you say GASLIGHTING?? What a jerk! Honestly I really wanted him to suffer a lot more. I loved Robin’s family and his friends too. I also really liked Pine Cove and I’m looking forward to seeing more stories in this town of fun and quirky characters. Nick Russo is one of my all time favorite narrators and he does a good job with this story. There are a lot of characters and he does them all justice. I particularly liked his sarcastic voices for Robin’s BFF and his friends. Dair and Robin’s characters were both sensitively voiced as well. Recommended and I’m on to the next book 🙂
RATING: 
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