AotM ~ Finding Peace by Sloane Kennedy ~ (Reviews+Giveaway)

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Blurb:

"I knew it would like this...like finding something I didn't know was missing." --Luke

Author Gray Hawthorne has it all and he’s on the verge of having even more. His bestselling detective novels are being turned into a movie series that will make him a household name and he’s rubbing a lot more than just elbows with Hollywood’s elite. Money, fame and good looks mean an endless supply of men, both groupies and celebrities alike, which suits Gray just fine. He’s smart enough to know that his 5 minutes in the spotlight will be just that and he plans to enjoy every moment. Until he gets the devastating news that threatens to steal everything away…

Army Ranger Luke Monroe lives and breathes the military. They’re the family he never had and a life without his brothers-in-arms is unfathomable. But the ultimate betrayal has Luke on the run and a twist of fate leads him to the small town of Dare, Montana to seek help from the foster brother who saved him once before. Only the brother he’s searching for isn’t the man he finds and he has no choice but to keep running. Until an encounter on the side of the road with a stranger changes everything.

The last thing Gray wants when he seeks refuge at his cabin in the secluded Montana mountains is company but a run-in with the mysterious and very straight Luke has Gray offering the damaged soldier a place to regroup. And since a physical relationship isn’t even on the table, Gray finds himself enjoying something he hasn’t had in a long time…a real friend.

But what happens when friendship just isn’t enough? When a man who’s only been with women begins to crave more?

With one man running from his past and the other running from his future, will finding each other be enough to bring them peace?

4 Stars! 

Finding Peace is the story of Gray and Luke. We met Gray in Dane and Jax's book but I know, for me, at least, it wasn't easy to tell exactly what kind of man Gray was. We find out that Gray has come to his cabin in Dare to deal with both being sick as well as a developing Hollywood scandal. He discovers Luke passed out in a ditch on the side of the road with a very bedraggled German Shepherd.

Luke is injured and on the run and after he realizes he's out of places to turn, he is relieved that Gray has offered him a place to stay. He had no clue, though, that he and Gray would grow as close as they do and they eventually find themselves falling in love. However, Luke has no idea how long things can last since he's hiding from the military and a man hell-bent on killing him.

This is a pretty entertaining story and I loved the fact that it was a quick, easy read. Both Luke and Gray are likable characters and surprisingly there is very little angst in this particular book. We get a few looks at other characters from the series but it's mainly focused on Gray and Luke and their story.

Gray and Luke pretty much transition from strangers to friends in a pretty short matter of time and then from there they evolve into something more. Luke doesn't go through any of the typical emotional ups and downs about his burgeoning attraction to a man. He pretty much realizes Gray is it for him and it has nothing to do with gender. Gray, for his part, knows right away how he feels about Luke so it is relatively easy for him to accept everything.

There's a touch of action towards the end as Luke's past catches up with him but again it's over fairly quick. Of course, Sloane gives us the lovely happy ending and we get to see the boys smiling and happy and ready to build their lives.

I definitely recommend Finding Peace.

5 Stars! 

A perhaps slightly shorter but great addition to the Finding series, that can be read as a standalone. Best of the series so far.

This is book 3 in the Finding series, but can be read as a standalone - but don't, because the entire series is just getting better and better with each addition, and for me, a beta-reader for this author, this is so far the standout book. I say so far, because from the brief glimpse there is of book 4, right at the very end of this one, I think SK has just upped the ante.

So, I read this blind, i.e. without reading the blurb, and I can tell you that the latter didn't do the tale justice. Though I'm pretty familiar with SK's writing style, I can't begin to imagine what she's going to drop into her tales, and I hand-on-heart couldn't have foreseen what she put Gray through. Poor, decent Gray who'd appeared in Dane and Jax's tale, but she ended the tale with hope.

It's a little less sexed-up from SK's normal tales, which is not a criticism, as the reasons for this will be clear when you read the book - both guys had issues to deal with, and yes, what sex there is, is pretty scorching, but also healing, connecting, emotional, soul-sharing and loving. I could go on, but SK does it so much better.

We'll get to see more of the leads in book 4 (which I needed, and am sure readers will need) which from what I know of SK, is likely to be available in the not too distant future. She's not set a firm date, but she does tend to write quickly - YEAH!!!!!

Disclaimer: I'm lucky enough to be a beta-reader for this author. No money was offered or requested for this review, the words of which are entirely my own.

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