Roaring Waters

***2.5 because someone is bound to like it

This is the third installment in this series but can be read as a stand alone. There is reference to the characters from the previous two books and the history for these two was set up in the prior installment but the author does a fairly good job of rehashing the important parts. That's the good news.

As much as I kicking and screaming liked the first two I kind of hated this one. Once again the whole mystery aspect of the story is just kind of decorative but I'd resigned myself to that and was just hoping to see more of Justin & Marcus and maybe enjoy a new couple. Sadly one half of that new couple is Damien Fitzgerald. Let's just say that if he ended up dead by the end of the book I wouldn't have been unhappy.

Damien is a renowned investigative journalist who travels far and wide to bring scumbags to justice. He and Justin were once an item but have long since just been good friends and when Damien's nerves are frayed to shreds over a menacing stalker he allows Justin & Marcus to offer him refuge at The Warfield. Marcus takes on the the stalker case and feels that Damien needs to be kept hidden. Robert Wyler, bartender at the hotel, and a friend, offers to help and ends up taking Damien to his isolated cabin. We all know what comes next and that's fine. My problem again is Damien. He's insufferable and annoying. He spends half his time unreasonably yelling at Robert or swishing out of rooms and slamming doors. I'm sure he's meant to be justified due to a harrowing sexual experience in his past and I felt for him but his behavior is inconsistent on the sexual front and during non sexual interactions he's just a plain snob. It's okay to lead the Whole Foods life but if you're at the County Fair you eat the fried Twinkie with a smile. Damien only eats salads and other healthy things and looks down on those who don't. Ugh.

On the sexual front Damien was the victim of an abusive sadist, within what he considered a consensual BDSM relationship. Since then he's shied away from any kind of domineering lover. Totally understandable. Robert is a big guy who, because of his size, people assume is the Dom type and he absolutely is not. And yet there are a couple of scenes where Damien seems to be turned on by Robert holding him tight and then there's Robert's voice being the only thing calming him during panic attacks. Sadly none of this is satisfactorily explored. Disappointing. I found myself wishing that a different writer could take this couple and their story and write about them without the bells and whistles of the mystery. No such luck.

It's not malicious and it's competently written but I can't recommend it.