This is the first book I have read by this author, and I will try another. It was a good romance, and had a some strong points working for it.

First, I really liked that it was contemporary. The setting is Los Angeles, and the epilogue even mentions the California Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage and the ballot measure to ban it that is still to come. It made the story more real, with men that still have to hide their orientation to protect their jobs, and who realize that though the decision was groundbreaking, it didn’t fix the social issue. Anotehr positive is that the author spends a lot of time setting the story up and introducing the main character, Robert “Bear” Barrington. He’s a fireman, and part of the canine Search and Rescue team. His new partner is Dane. Both find the other attractive, but neither is sure of the other is gay. Both are part of a “macho” career field, and making an unwelcome advance could be more than just inconvenient. So, they spend time getting to know one another through a local baseball team, on the job and at company gatherings. The tension slowly builds.

Once the men are stranded after an avalanche, the tension breaks. The sex is frequent and hot once the main characters get together. But, this is where the story wobbled. Bear is very afraid of losing the career he worked so hard for and pushes Dane away. This naturally causes angst for the two men. I’ve read this in other gay romances, and it works fine. What I didn’t like was how a BDSM theme was suddenly thrown in and became a device to get the two men together. Frustrated at not having Dane, he visits a friend’s sex club to have anonymous submissive sex with a stranger. Huh? The author didn’t give any premise to Bear being into BDSM, and it made the character look like an ass for cheating on Dane. He obviously cares about Dane, but rather than take the risk of a relationship he decides to become a one-night sub? Even more ridiculous was his friend substituting Dane in for the masked dom. Surely Bear would recognize Dane’s body? And wouldn’t Dane be mighty ticked off? Luckily, after this weird intervention, the relationship moves forward albeit in secret. However, the story comes to an end all too quickly after this. The epilogue gives a hint of where they are, but it seemed as if the author intends a sequel and didn’t want to give anything away. But, it made this story feel rushed.

Overall, this was worth reading and had plenty of steamy sex, but the romance itself needed some work. Hopefully, future novels will address that. ( )