Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Rapture 
AUTHOR: E.M. Lindsey
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 245 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 8, 2023
BLURB:
It starts with a mugging, and ends with me being saved by the love of my life.
In short, my uncle died and left me everything—which is to say a barely surviving pub with no staff and thousands of dollars’ worth of repairs I can’t afford. It also seemed to come with some strange men, dressed in black, who won’t tell me what they’re looking for—or why they seem so interested in who I am.
But when the tall stranger who walked with a cane and talked with an accent literally saved my life, things got a bit more…interesting.
And a lot more complicated.
I’ve lived in the city long enough to know some secrets are best left buried, but the longer Alonso is around, the harder I fall for those dark eyes and jagged scars. I want to believe that the past is the past, but is there a future with a man who won’t let me in? And if he does open up, will I be able to accept who he was, and everything he’s done?
Rapture is a stand-alone, age-gap, friends to lovers romance featuring dark pasts, bright futures, an alley cat who thinks it’s a ghost, sleepovers, possessive lovers, praise, hurt/comfort, and a sweet, steamy happily ever after.
REVIEW:
Poe is a young man who returns home when his Uncle who took him in after his family kicked him out for being gay passes away. He inherits his uncle’s estate including a failing bar – the place where Poe had run to after his family rejected him. Uncle Thomas and his husband Karl had taken him in and he’s grateful for all that they shared. He hadn’t been as attentive and he should have been after Thomas’s husband Karl passed away and now he discovers the bar is pretty much a wreck. But he’s determined to not let it go.
He’s struggling but thinks he might have a way forward when he’s attacked and beaten in the alley behind the pub. He’s saved from further damage by an older Italian gentleman with a cane. Talk about a silver fox. The man, Alonso, gets him inside the pub and fixes him up a bit. Poe has left behind his job, his insurance and only has a meager savings to try to get this pub back into some sort of working order. For whatever reason, Alonso offers to help. Poe has no idea why.
Things continue to get stranger and stranger. It seems like he’s being watched. He has no idea why. He has no money, no possibility of getting any money, nothing that should make him a target. That he knows of. He appreciates Alonso’s help. They get closer and it seems like they are falling for each other, but Poe still doesn’t understand what’s going on. When he’s attacked again, things become clearer. Not necessarily in a good way. Alonso is once again there to save the day, but Poe is angry. And he wants answers.
Whew! Well this was interesting. I’m trying not to be spoilery here since there is a lot going on that is not covered in the blurb. But Alonso is a bit of a mystery. Poe has some real self-esteem issues. There is mention of him being on the spectrum and not picking everything up. He’s only got one real friend, a doctor who he met when he was in college and who has his back despite having a lot on his own plate. This is definitely a case of pretty much insta-love as Alonso confesses falling for Poe immediately and not being able to leave him alone. Poe has never had a real relationship before and he’s out of his depth with this one and struggles to believe that a man like Alonso would want him. Alonso’s somewhat checkered past leads him to the same conclusion. Essentially these two end up saving each other from rather loveless lives and futures. There is some violence and some confessions and some steamy moments between these two men. They have a lot to overcome in order to have some peace and a future. Alonso is truly Poe’s rescuer in more than one way. Fans of this author I’m sure will recognize some crossover characters here. Overall a romantic enjoyable read. Recommended.
RATING: 
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