“Everything we shared, all the moments we stole, pretending there was nothing else in the world except the two of us—how could I not fall head over heels for you? And for the world you gave me glimpses of, what life would be like if I was cherished by you?”

Nothing makes me happier than reading a romantic suspense novel by Tal Bauer, graphic, gory details included. Actually, maybe even because of the gory details. I love that he doesn’t shy away from all the grit and gore in his books. It’s one of the things that sets his suspense books apart from everyone else.

I avoided this book for such a long time, purely because of the second chance trope, but I had nothing to fear. This was about as painless as it gets with this trope.

I guessed who the bad guy was pretty much right away but it was all because of a hunch or just a wild guess. I had a lot of fun finding out all the other details as the story went on, and I was, as per usual, impressed by the mystery.

Sean and Jonathan aren’t Tal’s most memorable couple, but they were both sweet and good men. I enjoyed how there was a bit of (unofficial) D/s exploration as well. The president, a former high-ranking military man, wants to be held down and dicked to death? Literally always hot.

My only gripe with this book is the fact that the blurb lists age gap as a trope, yet their ages aren’t specified and it’s not in any way a part of the story. I love the age gap trope a lot so that’s just annoying, lol.

But yeah, it’s Talbert, so of course five stars and of course I recommend.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Second chance
President
Secret Service agent
Murder mystery
Romantic suspense
Oval office blowjob
D/s dynamic in bed
Rough sex
Felching
Blindfold during sex
Age gap

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Mention of past suicidal ideation
Believed suicide of side character
Suicidal thoughts
Gun violence
Death of MC’s friend — graphic details
Grief
Detailed autopsy
Explicit sexual content
Injured MC — explosion
Throat-fucking
Mild bondage
Occasional spankings during sex
Unsafe sex
MC severely injured
MC hospitalized
On-page death of bad guy

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, single
Genre: Romantic suspense
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: Not specified
Series: Standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 288
Happy ending: Yes


“I never thought it was possible to want anyone like I wanted you—because I never thought it was possible for a man like you to exist.”

“I know I let you down the last time. But I promise, I’m going to be the man you need. So don’t bury what you need or hide when you need it. I’m here, and I’ll take care of you.”

“What was your dream?” I didn’t think I’d ever known. We’d never talked about dreams. We’d been too scared to ask each other about future plans, too timid to find out if we weren’t already inside the castles of each other’s hearts and hopes.