Creed was the main focus of Eli’s fierce temper. For ten years the two men left a trail of destruction in their wake, with rodeo, beer, and fists all they had in common. Until a judge had enough and sentenced them to house arrest—in the same house. They’d either learn to get along or they’d kill each other.
Trapped on Eli’s rundown Florida ranch, Creed discovers Eli’s secret, one that he shares. But he didn’t count on Eli learning all of his secrets, especially the one that would shatter their newfound truce.
Scarred to his bones, Eli avoided relationships like the plague. Yet something about the quiet Creed had always pushed his buttons. Falling in love with him was never part of Eli’s plan. When it happens he’s unprepared and out of his league.
When a shared enemy comes calling Eli can only think of keeping Creed safe. He never dreamed that their lives were linked or that Creed’s former life could destroy them both. Will love be enough to save them?
Comment: This story has been waiting to be read a few months after it was released in 2012. As always, most books are in the pile for a while before I get to them and this one wasn't an exception. This month, I decided to read it at last.
This is the story of Eli and Creed. They have been enemies in the competitions they entered from the beginning. Why that was so they aren't sure but it just was. Then, one of the times they fought it over at a late party, they are sent to prison. The judge, someone who knows Eli, forces them to work together at Eli's ranch as punishment and sentence.
The guys have trouble letting go of the animosity between them but with time and the forced cohabiting, they start to admit their lives might not be as different as they think until the day a common enemy comes and makes it all bad. Can they save themselves?
What a great blurb! I can't just dismiss and ignore a good blurb where the potential and expectation about how the romance will develop seduces me completely. If I remember well, the blurb really got to me and I imagined all kinds of sexual tension and falling in love in a romantic story I couldn't wait to try.
Well, there's the other shoe, though.
With such a seductive blurb to me, I really can't stress out enough how disappointing it was to see such a promising story going down the drain.
But here's the thing: The story is hard and full of angst and issues, but that's not the problem for me. In my opinion, the real problem in all this is the deceiving blurb that portrays an idea and then the story is very different than what I think I'll get.
I thought I'd read a sweet romantic story - sure with some angst or villain to balance things - but this is more a drama with really disgusting content.
This is a serious story. It deals with serious situations, emotions, problems, scenes and I think the blurb makes it all seem unreal, like this would be only a romance about two guys overcoming their mistaken animosity for an obvious attraction.
I don't mind that the author wrote a serious and dramatic story and that she focused on (too) many difficult obstacles to be conquered. But when I started it, I dare to say I was led to believe it wouldn't be so.
Anyway, as for the story itself, I liked some things but others were really too much and I can't tell if it's the author intend or if things just went that way... the truth is, Creed and Eli have had seriously complicated things happening to them and it seems they couldn't go past that. Both their pasts are full of hardships, some harder than others and I confess it all seemed slightly too much. The story starts deceivingly easy but it evolves to a complex line of problems. In a way I could say this adds matter to the content but this content is hard to get past and I often wondered if anyone could ever live with the things the guys did and just go through life like that. I really think the two guys dealt with everything too easily. I'd say counseling wouldn't be enough to help them.
Creed is hit more harshly with a past no one should ever face. How he manages to seem balanced in the end I can't say. Still, I understand his reactions, the self explanations to justify hie behavior, his answers in some situations. Rationally, it's understandable.
Eli seems more steady, both in life and in his head. But he hasn't got it easy and I felt glad he could reach happiness with Creed.
I wish I could they their love was brighter than the sun and extinguished all evil, but in reality I think their lives were hit too many times with bad things to be credible they could live on love alone. Nevertheless, it was good to see a HEA happened. One that could happen, anyway.
The plot has a lot to be said. I think it's really difficult to separate the fictional parts from the human reactions to those situations they went through which are surely very real if we were to know it happened in real life to someone. I guess I'd say this isn't a romance. To me, this is a dramatic fictional story which happens to be ended with a HEA although not one of those sugary ones we see in other - lighter - kind of novels.
It's not that bad, despite the disgusting parts, but I wish I weren't mislead by the blurb and the seemingly simple cover. I could have prepared myself for what was to come.
Grade: 6/10
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