Last Stop by Lou Harper
M/M Romantic Suspense
June 12, 2012
E-book
Samhain
Reviewed by Helyce
Sam Mayne has very little excitement in his life and that is just the way he likes it. He runs a diner in a small Montana town and he’s pretty content with the easy going, quiet of the town. So he’s totally unprepared for Jay Colby, whose constant chatter and effervescent personality is like a bright ray of sunshine in a package that Sam just cannot resist. He knows it’s not a good idea to get involved with Jay in any way, but the more time he spends with him, he finds himself drawn to Jay and he doesn’t want to let him go.
Jay drifts along in life where the wind takes him. He moves from town to town, doing whatever is necessary to get a ride or a meal. When he finds himself needing to move on again and he lands nearly right at the door of Sam’s diner, the ‘help wanted’ sign in the window just seems like fate. When he meets Sam, their attraction is instant and Jay just sees that as a bonus. Jay falls easily into Sam’s routine and when their relationship turns sexual, Jay discovers a side of himself he never knew existed.
But when Sam’s past catches up with him, he knows he needs to let Jay go before he gets hurt. Jay is stubborn though and no matter how much he tries Sam can’t shake Jay; after a while he just stops trying. As the danger to both Sam and Jay gets closer, can Sam outwit the man that’s after him and keep Jay safe?
I really liked this story, though I did have a small issue with the dom/sub aspect the author included in Sam and Jay’s relationship. Sam is older and clearly the dominant in this relationship. Jay is kind of a twink and seems naturally submissive though his character is also strong-willed and he fights for what he wants and doesn’t let Sam tell him what to do in all things. I honestly feel that this story and the relationship between Sam and Jay would have worked just as well without the dom/sub aspect. It just had a sort of added on feel to it and I think the story would have been just as strong without it. That’s really the only negative I had.
I loved the character of Sam. Do not let his calm and quiet demeanor fool you; he is totally spring loaded and ready to act at a moment’s notice. He may seem settled, living and working in this town way off the beaten track, but he has a plan because he knows that it’s inevitable that his past will catch up to him. It’s just unfortunate that it does when he’s finally met a man like Jay and he starts to want more out of his life.
Jay is Sam’s opposite. He can fill the quiet with a constant stream of story after story. His colorful personality brings so much to Sam’s otherwise dull, drab days. Jay falls fast for Sam and just as he’s getting comfortable and thinking that this time things could really be different, Sam tries to get him to leave and Jay is having none of it.
When they are forced to run, Sam heads to Los Angeles where he has some contacts from the old days and he is able to put into place a plan he’d prepared should something just like this occur. Of course, he didn’t expect to have Jay with him. Watching Sam struggle with his feelings for Jay, while at the same time wishing he was far away from the imminent danger was at times heartbreaking.
In the final conflict when danger literally comes knocking at their door, Sam and Jay will find themselves in dire consequences. If not for Jay’s stubbornness and quick thinking things could have turned out very differently. An action filled ending that will have you in a panic even as read through hoping against hope that all will be well.
Rating: B
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