Island Affair by Cait Miller

Title: Island Affair
Author: Cait Miller
Length: 90 pages
Publisher: Ellora's Cave

Blurb:  When Robin decides to spend his vacation at a gays-only resort on a beautiful island to escape from his suffocating hometown, falling in love wasn’t on the agenda. John is handsome and unashamed and Robin finds himself swept away. However, the enigmatic Scotsman harbors a dangerous secret.

Their island affair explodes with a passion neither man expected. As they realize something stronger is blossoming between them, events conspire to separate them and both men are irrevocably changed. Robin returns home to pick up the pieces of his life, slipping back into the small-town closet and putting the island behind him. John has other ideas, but staying together might be the least of their worries.

Reality has a way of making you work for your happily ever after.


Review:

John and Robin's relationship starts off with a bang, as John's attempt to keep Robin from falling in the pool means he cracks his own head on the edge and nearly drowns. Not an auspicious start, however John is fascinated by the young man who turns out to be much less experienced and shy than John, however before long they're spending their time together in and out of bed at the resort. John finally has to explain why he has four body guards. Seems he stopped a crime in progress and now is in protective custody until he can testify against the crime boss who ordered the hit. He hates it, but Robin's presence on the island helps distract him, however before long it's time for him to head back, leaving Robin who tells him it was only an island fling and it's over as he's not prepared to step out of the closet in his small Texas town.

At the last minute Robin changes his mind but it's too late, however Dan, the body guard promises to tell John, but the men after John don't give up and when they see Robin wearing John's shirt, well, it doesn't go well for Robin. However John doesn't find out any of this until weeks later after the trial because Dan kept it secret and John goes to find Robin and made amends.

I really enjoyed John and Robin together. John is from Scotland originally although living in New York now and I swear I could hear his accent. It was written with just enough "accent on the page" to let you hear it without being impossible to read as sometimes accents are written. He's older and more experienced than Robin but the passion and sex between them was very hot. I also liked the fact that they had to deal with the residual effects of the attack on Robin, including epileptic attacks. It wasn't just happy happy no problems when they got back together, also dealing with the homophobic small town was part of the challenge.

The only thing that kind of threw me off was Robin was often referred to as Rob. I know it's a personal thing but I've never known anyone named Robin who went by Rob. I associate that with Robert. *shrug* Personal thing. I know this is the author's first m/m as she's published several m/f stories but I think she did a fine job and I liked both characters a great deal.