
A one-night-stand that refuses to end.
Ghosts from the past that return to haunt.
Special Agent Ben Diggs can't stand what has become of his life, so much so that he hits the road one night, maybe to crash his bike, maybe to drive off into the night and never be heard from again. But he meets Tanner Bagley, a rancher from rural Pennsylvania in a hick dive bar, and sparks fly. For the first time since everything went to hell, he feels alive again.
Ben runs from his emotions as a rule, and he flees in the middle of the night, trudging back to his dreary life in Baltimore and his failing job as an FBI agent. But then he's assigned with his team to investigate a murder in that same backwater township in Pennsylvania where he met Tanner, and it's a different set of sparks that fly when he has to face Tanner again.
As the bodies start to pile up, tensions flare, and Ben is stuck between teammates that question his every move and a devastatingly handsome rancher whose heart he bruised. The lies keep piling up, and Ben is forced to stake his career - and his very life - on the trembling hopes of his wounded heart.
Deep in the countryside, someone is hunting gay men in Middle Creek, Pennsylvania... Gay men all with ties to Special Agent Diggs' one-night-stand...
*** This novel is intended for mature audiences only and contains romantic and sexual material, including male/male romance and sexual situations, and is suitable only for audiences who have attained the age of legal majority. ***
Review: I have to say, I loved this story. These were very realistic characters. Ben is a closet case and has extremely low self esteem. He's been in the Navy and seen hard times in the Middle East. He's not really that into his job because of the frustration level. When he meets Tanner, he intends it to be a one night stand, something left in the middle of nowhere even after Tanner is very tender and sweet with him, a glimpse of what he's convinced he doesn't deserve. His issues aren't solely related to the war, though he does seem to have some PTSD. He's insecure, and his early actions are hurtful to Tanner. Tanner seems to be emotional in his own right. He's not closeted at all, but he has his hangups, mainly the desire for a true partner. They reunite under less than favorable circumstances and their journey to each other isn't easy. I love the realism of their situation and it has some very sweet moments, and some heartbreaking ones. I would love to read more from this author.