Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Deck the Hulls
SERIES: Silver Shoals #1
AUTHOR: Kat Cassidy
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 103 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 19, 2024
BLURB:
This Christmas, he’s hiding more than his identity…
Fresh from a life tangled with the Greek mob in LA, Adam Sgouros is starting over in witness protection—but he feels unmoored in his new small-town existence. When a sudden need to dispose of a body without drawing attention arises (Not his fault! He can explain!), Adam realizes his first Christmas in the sleepy, wintery little town of Silver Shoals is shaping up to be anything but merry.
Elijah Jensen has always been an optimist, but this year, even he’s struggling to keep his head above water. A head-cold from hell and a boat that’s falling apart at the seams seem determined to sink his holiday spirit, and all he wants is to get through the season without any more complications. Complications like a musclebound ex-gangster hijacking his boat (Accidentally! He can explain!)—and taking him along for the ride.
Stranded on the water by a snowstorm, this unlikely pair must navigate through a holiday filled with danger, unexpected warmth, and enough secrets to sink them both. Can Adam’s tough exterior thaw under the force of Eli’s unyielding optimism, or will the storm—and Adam’s past—prove too much to weather?
Set course for a low heat, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity MM novella with a comedic noir twist. Featuring a relationship between a cisgender male and transgender male main character, Deck the Hulls promises a small-town holiday romance full of festive mayhem, surprising sparks, and a love that just might break through even the iciest of hearts.
CW: Brief mentions of unsupportive family and past relationships, references to addiction and enabling, light gore.
REVIEW:
Adam Sgouros, aka Alex Simmons, can’t seem to buy a break. His first attempt at hiding courtesy of WITSEC ended in a disaster and now he’s been moved to the literal other side of the country. Cape Cod in winter is NOT his idea of a good time. But here he is. Working at a hardware store. His missed his family, only has one “friend” who is his coworker and is feeling pretty miserable and sorry for himself.
Eli Jensen has also moved across the country with his ex, to the ex’s home town of Silver Shoals. But their relationship has fallen apart and now he’s living on his fishing boat and is sick as a dog at the holidays. A holiday for one. At least that’s how he though it would go. Then he wakes up to his boat out at sea with a nor’easter bearing down on them and an inexperienced stranger who seems to have hijacked his boat. And that’s just the half of it!
Alex has made yet another mistake. And while he made some bad decisions before, this one might be the worst yet. YIKES! The thing is he really likes Eli and he sure wishes he didn’t keep making the kind of mistakes that cost him a chance at something – anything – real with someone. Eli is the first person he’s connected with in a very long time. And he’s gone and messed all that up. Surely. Definitely. Maybe?
I really likes this book but I really wish it had been longer. I feel like we just scratched the surface with these two. I would have liked to see how they navigated their different worlds and what that meant to each of them. I felt like I knew them a bit as individuals, but the couple time is really sparse. it’s a rather no heat romance with some hurt/comfort thrown in and very little time spent together beyond a very fateful boat trip. More time with them together post that drama would have been nice. Hopefully we will see more of them in future books in this series where the gaps will be filled in. That being said, I did really like both characters. They are definitely on their own separate journeys and it seems like they have found the one to be there to support each other. Looking forward to seeing what else is happening in Silver Shoals in the next book.
RATING: 
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