What a fantastic, multilayered, and emotionally moving book! First, there are two men who were best friends as kids but were separated at thirteen when Morgan’s father, a total drunk, moved him out of the state. Morgan and Richard never forgot each other and meet again twenty years later. Second, they battle real-life problems, have to build the trust between them all over again, and face danger from an arsonist while they try to figure out their lives. Third, Morgan is a dedicated firefighter – need I say more? And fourth, Richard is a former Marine who had a tough time while deployed in Iraq, returned without the use of his legs needing a wheelchair, and now battles PTSD, guilt, and feeling useless. All of these elements are woven into a tension-filled story that had me captivated from beginning to end.

Morgan has had a nomadic childhood, thanks to his abusive, alcoholic father. But he is determined to make something of his life, and his strength, courage, and talent as a firefighter enable him to help others the way he always wanted to. When he ends up rescuing Richard from a fire, he can’t believe he has finally found his childhood friend again. Morgan has never forgotten him, and the fact that he is now in a wheelchair is secondary to Richard being alive. Morgan sets out to help Richard recover, but he wants more than to rebuild their friendship. He will do whatever it takes, and his unwavering support combined with unflinching honesty and an ability to make Richard face the truth qualify as tough love -and are exactly what Richard needs.

Richard is a mess, if only internally. He is physically strong, but only sees the fact that he can’t walk and needs a wheelchair to get around. The guilt he feels over what happened while he was in Iraq is eating him alive, the nightmares rob him of sleep, and the feeling of being helpless and useless is not something he finds easy to deal with. Richard adores Morgan as much as ever but doesn’t want to burden him with the “half a man” Richard now thinks he is. Watching him suffer through anxiety attacks and trying to rebuild his life was hard, but I cheered him along every step of the way. Morgan was great and just the right catalyst to get Richard to reconsider what he was doing with his life, but Richard is the one who has to do all the hard work. It’s a good thing he is as tough as he is!

Aside from all the personal issues, relationship problems, and dealing with having lost everything in the fire Morgan saved Richard from, they also have an arsonist to contend with. Figuring out who he is, what his motivation might be, and catching him adds considerable suspense to this novel. And then there is a set of great secondary characters, especially fire inspector Angus, his husband Kevin, and their dog, Mitzi. It all makes for a very rich reading experience.

If you like intense novels with real-life problems, if you want to know more about two men who were best friends as boys only to have to rebuild their relationship after years of separation, and if you’re looking for a read that is as suspenseful as it is moving, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. I loved it!


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )