Kati’s review of His Every Breath by Fae Sutherland & Chelsea James
When rough-and-tumble Trace Collins allows his buddies to drag him to a gay strip club for his birthday, he doesn’t expect to find his soul mate. But it’s love at first sight for Trace and he is immediately enthralled by the sexy young Adonis who’s getting naked on stage. Trace is determined to make that man his.
Riley Beckett doesn’t want anything to do with romance or love. Past hurts and a jaded attitude make Riley a tough nut to crack, but Trace is no quitter. He’s determined to win Riley’s trust and show him what real love means. Persistence pays off when Riley finally begins to thaw and it looks as though “happily” might just meet “ever after”. There’s only one thing standing in their way—the devastating secret Trace is keeping.
Trace Collins can’t believe his buddies have dragged him to a gay bar for his birthday. But when he lays eyes on Riley Beckett, stripping on stage, he falls immediately and irrevocably in love. He can’t believe it, he’s become a cliché! Trace goes back to the club, night after night, watching Riley dance, and becoming more and more fascinated by this young guy who is so gorgeous. Finally, Trace makes his move, stepping up and paying Riley and exorbitant fee for a private dance. It’s there that he tells Riley of his attraction, and his hope to get to know him better.
Riley has been burned before. He’s been hurt and betrayed and devastated. All of this combines to make him jaded and completely focused on his career. He wants nothing to do with Trace. Soon though, he decides that he’s interested enough to see where things go. He allows Trace to woo him, thinking he’ll never let him into his heart. But as Trace perseveres, Riley becomes more and more entranced by this handsome, attractive man who wants everything from him. Just as Riley begins to trust, he finds out that Trace is keeping a secret. A big one. Will he be able to overcome his sense of betrayal and love Trace? Or will he walk away, and pursue his career as a dancer?
This is a very sweet romance. Trace is absolutely dreamy, and pursues Riley so actively and single mindedly. It does occasionally feel a little stalkerish, but his overall charm kind of negates it. In real life, I probably would have called for a restraining order, if I’d been Riley. But in the romance, it comes off as determined, and quite sweet. The passion between the two of them is organic and feels real. But Riley put me off some. Mostly because the way he was written made him quite overly feminine. In fact, with a couple of changes to the sex scenes, and Riley pretty much could have been female. This was my biggest complaint with the book. Part of what I love about m/m romance is that we get a glimpse inside that ever elusive male brain, and truly, Riley read completely female to me. The thing is, the romance worked for me, but it would have worked just as well as a traditional romance. His Every Breath is a sweet romance that misses the mark because of protagonist who I felt was completely unrealistic.
2.75 out of 5
This book is available in e-format from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here.
You can read more from Kati at Katidom.
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