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bfdbookblog's review
4.0
This is a new to me author and I was pleasantly surprised. The writing was brilliant at times, but it took me 6 days to read this. Maybe because it was long – almost 500 pages – maybe partially because of me, but it took a while to get through it. Even with all the drama that plagued these two, the story was believable. There was no unnecessary drama or over-the-top forced angst.
I love both characters, as well as the supporting cast. Logan may be a big bad arse ex-Marine, but he has a major soft spot for Connor. They have an instant attraction for each other that runs deep enough to bring them together after a long separation. Connor is a little sprite with a big personality. It shouldn’t have been surprising on his return that he handles things like a pro after seeing him in action at the beginning of the story, but it was. Connor and Logan working together only solidified and strengthened their personal relationship.
Logan’s dad is awesome, as are Donnie and the friends he brings with him to help save the day. Naser, Connor’s best friend, is interesting…both a little over the top and reserved. His book is next and should be another great book in this series. Now that I know it will take longer to read, I’ll plan accordingly!
I love both characters, as well as the supporting cast. Logan may be a big bad arse ex-Marine, but he has a major soft spot for Connor. They have an instant attraction for each other that runs deep enough to bring them together after a long separation. Connor is a little sprite with a big personality. It shouldn’t have been surprising on his return that he handles things like a pro after seeing him in action at the beginning of the story, but it was. Connor and Logan working together only solidified and strengthened their personal relationship.
Logan’s dad is awesome, as are Donnie and the friends he brings with him to help save the day. Naser, Connor’s best friend, is interesting…both a little over the top and reserved. His book is next and should be another great book in this series. Now that I know it will take longer to read, I’ll plan accordingly!
evelyn2015's review
4.0
3.5⭐️ I like to branch out and read new authors and I love giving male romance authors a shot.
The writing and plot were good and the side characters were super funny.
It just felt a little too insta-lust without any real romantic connection. The MC’s seemed to want each other simply because they were each other’s stereotypical perfect body type. Perfect twink meets perfect muscled protector. I just wish there had been a bit more emotional connection.
The writing and plot were good and the side characters were super funny.
It just felt a little too insta-lust without any real romantic connection. The MC’s seemed to want each other simply because they were each other’s stereotypical perfect body type. Perfect twink meets perfect muscled protector. I just wish there had been a bit more emotional connection.
jjt670's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
novelgossip's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this one and thought it had the perfect balance between tender and sweet romance but it still definitely brought the heat and spice too. Logan and Conner’s relationship was so so cute and I thought they complimented each other so well, I was rooting for them for sure. I really enjoyed the plot too, there was enough drama and intrigue going on to keep things interesting and I was invested the whole time. I’ll definitely continue reading the series
bee_thebibliophile's review
4.0
Sapphire Sunset is the first book in a new series about the characters we meet at the Sapphire Cove resort. It’s a MM, second chance, workplace romance that’s full of suspense and a good amount of steam.
Logan Murdoch starts his career on the security staff at Sapphire Cove after leaving the military to pay his father’s medical bills and get their lives back on track. But he never expects to meet a man who will rock his entire world his first night on the job. After spending five years apart with no contact, Connor Harcourt is back at Sapphire Cove and Logan is questioning everything. Logan is strong, dependable, dedicated to his job and determined to protect Connor at all costs, even if it means putting himself in the line of fire.
Connor was a new college grad the first time he met Logan, ready to start his professional career at Sapphire Cove, his family’s resort that he was set to take over from his uncle when the time came. But he leaves for New York after the night he meets Logan with a broken heart for more reasons than one. He’s outspoken, bold and an incredible event planner who feels a strong connection to Sapphire Cove and everything it represents. Connor makes his way back to Sapphire Cove in the midst of tragedy and comes face-to-face again with Logan years later and still feels the intense chemistry he felt five years ago.
I really enjoyed these two together - it felt like fate played a hand in bringing them back to the place they first met and forcing them together to combat a shared enemy and keep Sapphire Cove running. Once they talked through the past, they clicked in such a unique way and were both determined to be each other’s protector in any way possible. They wanted to save each other and, in doing so, both helped and created some new problems to overcome along the way. The suspense kept me on my toes and I liked that they addressed so many of the obstacles that came up together (with a few exceptions, of course).
The Sapphire Cove resort and all of its employees felt so real, I already can’t wait to go back! Really looking forward to Connor’s best friend Naser’s story to head back to the resort and spend some more time with Logan and Connor along the way!
Logan Murdoch starts his career on the security staff at Sapphire Cove after leaving the military to pay his father’s medical bills and get their lives back on track. But he never expects to meet a man who will rock his entire world his first night on the job. After spending five years apart with no contact, Connor Harcourt is back at Sapphire Cove and Logan is questioning everything. Logan is strong, dependable, dedicated to his job and determined to protect Connor at all costs, even if it means putting himself in the line of fire.
Connor was a new college grad the first time he met Logan, ready to start his professional career at Sapphire Cove, his family’s resort that he was set to take over from his uncle when the time came. But he leaves for New York after the night he meets Logan with a broken heart for more reasons than one. He’s outspoken, bold and an incredible event planner who feels a strong connection to Sapphire Cove and everything it represents. Connor makes his way back to Sapphire Cove in the midst of tragedy and comes face-to-face again with Logan years later and still feels the intense chemistry he felt five years ago.
I really enjoyed these two together - it felt like fate played a hand in bringing them back to the place they first met and forcing them together to combat a shared enemy and keep Sapphire Cove running. Once they talked through the past, they clicked in such a unique way and were both determined to be each other’s protector in any way possible. They wanted to save each other and, in doing so, both helped and created some new problems to overcome along the way. The suspense kept me on my toes and I liked that they addressed so many of the obstacles that came up together (with a few exceptions, of course).
The Sapphire Cove resort and all of its employees felt so real, I already can’t wait to go back! Really looking forward to Connor’s best friend Naser’s story to head back to the resort and spend some more time with Logan and Connor along the way!
readaholicdeb's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
After his dad is injured at work, Logan returns home to help him. His background as a Marine makes him the perfect fit to work security at Sapphire Cove. On his first night on the job he meets Connor, the handsome heir of the family that owns the luxury beachfront resort. The sparks fly immediately, and even though Connor should be hands-off the two share a kiss. Before their relationship can go further, Connor abruptly leaves. When a scandal connected to the resort takes place five years later, Connor returns to the resort to take over.
This MM romance is spicy, honest, and suspenseful. Logan and Connor are the perfect couple. Logan is the perfect book boyfriend. He is caring, sweet, bossy at times, and protective. The way he steps up to do anything he can to keep Connor safe was beautiful. Their relationship starts off with an insta-connection but the time apart slowed things down to the perfect pace.
There was something about this story that felt real. Things are fleshed out well. The scenes and characters are brought to life. I enjoyed the tension and the perfect dose of banter. I adored Logan’s dad from the beginning and wanted more scenes with him.
This workplace, second-chance romance brings two opposites together as they fight their attraction. This standalone with a heart-melting HEA is the first book in the series.
This MM romance is spicy, honest, and suspenseful. Logan and Connor are the perfect couple. Logan is the perfect book boyfriend. He is caring, sweet, bossy at times, and protective. The way he steps up to do anything he can to keep Connor safe was beautiful. Their relationship starts off with an insta-connection but the time apart slowed things down to the perfect pace.
There was something about this story that felt real. Things are fleshed out well. The scenes and characters are brought to life. I enjoyed the tension and the perfect dose of banter. I adored Logan’s dad from the beginning and wanted more scenes with him.
This workplace, second-chance romance brings two opposites together as they fight their attraction. This standalone with a heart-melting HEA is the first book in the series.
thewonderboy's review
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There is a lot to like about this book and there is no question that the author is a talented writer, I just didn’t love it like I thought I would in the beginning. I appreciated the setting and description of a paradise like beach resort, Connor’s best friend Naser, and the development of the relationship between Logan and his dad.
I appreciated having a more feminine gay man included as Connor and the discussion of how difficult it is for Connor to just be himself and how much easier some things are for “masc” and “straight passing” Logan. I thought it would have made for a more compelling story to explore this arc rather than Logan and Connor’s relationship because their bond felt flimsy.
I’m not one for instant attraction but I thought it was going to work here and we’d be rooting hard for them given the time jump and having to come together after scandal. Instead I found their relationship to be mostly the same from start to finish. Although they said it multiple times, I didn’t get the feel that each was unforgettable to the other and they couldn’t make any relationship work because they so desperately needed each other. A character points out that their relationship lacks intimacy and when they go on a date to build some, their conversations end with something sexual and doesn’t feel like things go any deeper.
I’m a fan of men loving men and expressing it physically (duh) but not when it feels as shallow as a day old mud puddle.
The stakes keeping Connor and Logan apart were intriguing enough and a bit of a decent mystery but felt contrived instead of strengthening their need for each other. Each time a conflict between them was resolved it felt like it was done with a sentence or two followed by more sex.
The romance and intimacy lacked tenderness and at times some of the phrases and dialog made me laugh or cringe and seemed like another side of a stereotype other parts of the book were trying to steer clear of. Many will enjoy these scenes and read this book for that the most and they won’t be disappointed, it just wasn’t to my taste. Most of Logan and Connor’s connection lied in the physical with very little emotional or intellectual bond fostered.
Again, I did enjoy the inclusion and discussion of gay shame and how many labels and stereotypes gay people have forced upon them by family, friends, themselves, and larger society and it made for some unexpected realism in a romance novel.
I actually was more interested in Connor’s friend Nasar than Connor and Logan. He popped off the page stronger in the brief scenes and role that he played as Connor’s best friend than either of these lead characters. Since this book was well written I’ll probably continue reading the series to see what happens with him. I would have enjoyed reading about Connor and Naser journey as friends and grappling with gay stereotypes and learning to love themselves over the pretty standard love story presented here.
I appreciated having a more feminine gay man included as Connor and the discussion of how difficult it is for Connor to just be himself and how much easier some things are for “masc” and “straight passing” Logan. I thought it would have made for a more compelling story to explore this arc rather than Logan and Connor’s relationship because their bond felt flimsy.
I’m not one for instant attraction but I thought it was going to work here and we’d be rooting hard for them given the time jump and having to come together after scandal. Instead I found their relationship to be mostly the same from start to finish. Although they said it multiple times, I didn’t get the feel that each was unforgettable to the other and they couldn’t make any relationship work because they so desperately needed each other. A character points out that their relationship lacks intimacy and when they go on a date to build some, their conversations end with something sexual and doesn’t feel like things go any deeper.
I’m a fan of men loving men and expressing it physically (duh) but not when it feels as shallow as a day old mud puddle.
The stakes keeping Connor and Logan apart were intriguing enough and a bit of a decent mystery but felt contrived instead of strengthening their need for each other. Each time a conflict between them was resolved it felt like it was done with a sentence or two followed by more sex.
The romance and intimacy lacked tenderness and at times some of the phrases and dialog made me laugh or cringe and seemed like another side of a stereotype other parts of the book were trying to steer clear of. Many will enjoy these scenes and read this book for that the most and they won’t be disappointed, it just wasn’t to my taste. Most of Logan and Connor’s connection lied in the physical with very little emotional or intellectual bond fostered.
Again, I did enjoy the inclusion and discussion of gay shame and how many labels and stereotypes gay people have forced upon them by family, friends, themselves, and larger society and it made for some unexpected realism in a romance novel.
I actually was more interested in Connor’s friend Nasar than Connor and Logan. He popped off the page stronger in the brief scenes and role that he played as Connor’s best friend than either of these lead characters. Since this book was well written I’ll probably continue reading the series to see what happens with him. I would have enjoyed reading about Connor and Naser journey as friends and grappling with gay stereotypes and learning to love themselves over the pretty standard love story presented here.
mjreutman's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jaredjustwantstoread's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5