Readers drawn to angst-filled romances and characters that pull at the heartstrings will find themselves captivated by this story and the journey these two bruised men undertake. From the moment readers meet Diego and Healey their pain, fears, hopes, and dreams become ours. Though there are times their actions and attitudes will frustrate readers, you'll still find yourself rooting for them to get their HEA.

Diego and his mother were close-knit when he was a child. She was young when she had him and it made for a childhood full of hardships but also love. Her death left him reeling and he boxed up his memories of her as the pain of dealing with his past became too painful. His awkward first meeting with Healey though opens up the floodgates and pain regarding his mother, his disability, and his own self-perceptions can no longer be ignored. The closer he grows to Healey the more comfortable he becomes in his own skin. With Healey's support he no longer wants to keep his mother's history hidden but rather share her story with the world out of pride and it's a heartwarming change for him. Throughout most of the story Diego's a bit of a curmudgeon. He's angry and bitter when readers first meet him, angry over his mother's death and his disability. Though his anger and tendency to assume the worse made it a bit difficult to warm up to him I still found myself admiring him and easily relating to him in relation to my own quadriplegia. It's difficult to live with a disability and I appreciated his honesty in dealing with the everyday realities of being disabled. Issues regarding sex, bathroom needs, and the oddities of our bodies weren't sugarcoated, they were dealt with head-on in a respectful and realistic way. Diego's self-doubts in how he sees his body and his ability to satisfy were heartbreaking to see and it's why I adored Healey so much. Healey never saw Diego as lacking and it's through Healey's honesty that Diego was able to see himself in a more positive light and by the end of the story his smiles came more often and were just part of a very HEA.

Healey grew up in a loving family with a twin brother and a sister who also had a spinal cord injury. Though the death of his mother left a painful mark on his soul, his upbringing was much more assured than Diego's. From a young age it was clear he was super smart and it made for a childhood full of studying and seriousness. His years in college brought much of the same, but it also brought him Ford. Ford took him to the wild side, had him doing things that grew further out of control, until the day Ford's mental illness almost killed both of them. The accident left Healey scarred inside and out, but loyalty has him keeping the truth of that night buried. That pain is what drives him back home to Bluewater Bay and leads to his unforgettable and antagonistic first meeting with Diego. Despite all he's gone through Healey's retained his kind heart. It's clear the secrets from that night are weighing on him but it doesn't diminish his infectious happiness. He's a bundle of energy, snarky yet sensual in his banter, and once he commits to something he's all in. What he wants to commit to is seeing more of Diego and through his unrelenting charm, sweet smiles, and bold honesty he slowly wears Diego down. Healey's endearing in his quirks, overly talkative when nervous and very willing to experiment. He's a sexy scientist and I adored his ability to make Diego feel just as he sees him in his own mind. Though they're opposites in many ways I found them to be an entertaining couple with a relationship teeming with realism, heart, and soul.

From start to finish this was a romance that captivated me. Diego and Healey's relationship was emotionally intense with issues regarding sex and disability that ZAM dealt with realistically yet sensitively. Along with their erotically-charged connection, their banter out of the bedroom was just as sensual and rapid-fire and I enjoyed the random blushes their words brought me. The relationship between Healey and his twin brother Nash was another delightful aspect to this story that charmed me and put Healey in an even more endearing light. I enjoyed getting an update on Nash and his lover as well as the glimpses we got of the other colorful denizens of Bluewater Bay. It's a picturesque town, a place of safety and acceptance for many, and this tale is a wonderful addition to the series. Though the story went on a bit longer than necessary, and parts of the storyline were left a bit unfinished, I still found myself glued to this romance from the first page to the last. I especially want to thank ZAM for crafting a disabled character that was far from perfect. He wasn't a saint or an angel, but a man trying to live the life he was given with brutal honesty, and in that he left an indelible mark that I'm still cheering.