Chasing the Horizon

July 13, 2014 by d.blue

Title : Chasing the Horizon

Author : Scotty Cade

Publisher : Dreamspinner Press (BUY HERE)

Genre : M/M, Contemporary

Length : 200 pages (e-book)

Published : June 13, 2014

Rating : ★★★★1/2

Blurb:

Sequel to “Sunrise Over Savannah”

Needing a lifestyle change, Garner Holt, an uptight workaholic psychologist, buys a sailboat and trades in his prestigious job in New York City for a life on the water. After engine failure and six weeks in Savannah, Georgia for repair, he arrives in Key West, Florida early one morning and encounters a half-dressed hooligan walking along the docks of the marina. Garner immediately thinks this barefoot and shirtless man with a shaved head, multiple tattoos, and piercings in every orifice is going to rob him. He prepares for the worst. Instead, the stranger passes Garner by and climbs on a boat two slips down. With the threat of danger gone, Garner is surprisingly intrigued.

Hawken Bristol is used to being on the receiving end of stereotypes. He sees the fear on the stranger’s face, recognizes the rigidity in his stance, but is too tired from his wild night of partying to engage the frightened stranger. A few cat and mouse encounters around town lead to an uncanny attraction. However, after Garner helps Hawken dock his boat in a windstorm, sparks start to fly. But this new liaison brings up old baggage that threatens to derail everything they have going.

Review:

In Chasing the Horizon, Garner Holt (who is first introduced in Sunrise over Savannah) has arrived in Key West. Garner is living as carefree a life as someone who has been described as uptight on more than one occasion can live. What he finds when he arrives is not what he was expecting. Hawken Bristol is a rough looking character to most people. Big, bald, tattooed and pierced, he makes quite the impression and not always a good one. This is how Garner and Hawk meet – with Hawk seeing Garner as an uptight guy and Garner labeling Hawken “Mr. Clean” for the shaved head.

They end up seeing each other around town and the attraction they have for one another is electric. After Garner helps Hawk out during a storm, the attraction between them ignites, although both men admit that they are not the relationship type. They agree to enjoy it while it lasts with no strings attached. Famous last words.

Garner is a man that runs – physically runs – from relationships. He apparently has not had successful relationships in the past and prefers to avoid them. Hawk keeps himself emotionally distanced by never having sex with a guy more than once. No strings, no commitments, no heartache. These two think they have it all worked out. Except they really hit it off and Hawk breaks his once only rule. This could be the start of something they both have full intentions of avoiding.

With Garner being a psychiatrist, he wants to know what makes Hawken present himself as the bad boy. What we find is someone who is much deeper than his outward appearance. Although Hawk had a rough start in life, it has actually turned out pretty good. He has his charter boat and a best friend, Justin, who becomes an important part of the story and instrumental in how these two men work things out. I loved the way the characters get to know one another. There are moments of conversation mixed in between some of the more passionate moments that made the depth of their connection feel more realistic, even though they had not known each other for very long.

For those who have read the first book, Hank and Thompson make appearances throughout this book. We are given enough information to know who they are and how they are part of Garner’s life without reading their book, but when I finished Chasing the Horizon, I wanted to know more about their story.

Chasing the Horizon definitely met my expectations for an enjoyable romance. There are likeable main characters that have a great chemistry between them, some very passionate encounters, a well rounded secondary cast of characters, mild angst and a happy ending.

This is my first Scotty Cade book. After reading the author bio, I could see his love for sailing shine through in this book, so if this is something you enjoy then that will be a bonus. I also like that I have found another author that loves happy endings. I am looking forward to reading more of his work which will most likely start with Sunrise over Savannah.

Rated 4.5 stars by Deb