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A review by cspoe
Swamped by Fear by Hank Edwards
5.0
Most. Stressful. Book. Ever.
I devoured this series so quickly that I didn’t even stop between books to write reviews, and instead am writing them all after having just concluded Book Six late last night. But with all of the titles lined up, I think I can point at this one and say it was my favorite. Relationship growth alone was brilliant. Hank Edwards so deeply touched on how important friendship is, and how much history Demmy and Cody have. He made them feel real, as if I’m sitting in the local bar with them, listening to antics from their childhoods, and sharing a round of beers. I’m not sure if I’ve read such an established friendship within the gay romance/fiction genre before.
And with that friendship, Cody is finally realizing, my God—Demmy is who I want and he’s been in front of me my entire life—their connection is so very precious and maybe not worth losing if their romantic feelings fall apart. The palpable fear is real and raw, and just made me ache for them both. Friendship to lovers is a challenge—fiction or real. And Edwards hit the nail on the head from beginning to end.
So despite these highs and lows with our beloved Critter Catchers, Demmy is whisked away to Florida to visit his folks, when he learns his mother is in the hospital. He was a surprise baby much later in their lives, so while her need for surgery is a shock to him, it’s also not entirely out of left field. Cody stays behind to man the business alone, but when he calls Demmy to check in, and his best friend is in tears, Cody’s old high school football rival Jugs agrees to act as stand-in Critter Catcher, while he and Aunt Amelia drive all the way down to Florida to be with Demmy and his parents.
Did I mention there’s a swamp monsters preying on the senior citizens in the retirement community? Because, oh yeah, there’s a swamp monster. And it’s been snatching the unaware, hauling them back to its hideaway, and eating them. And when the monster takes off with Aunt Amelia during a tropical storm, the only two that can rescue her are Demmy and Cody.
Legit, this is the only book in the series I had to physically set down and walk away from. There is a moment, which I won’t spoil—but holy God, Cody. We all need someone like him in our lives. Someone who looks at you with utter love and bravery and sincerity and says exactly what you need to hear at the exact moment it mattered more than any other.
Book Three makes the series.
I devoured this series so quickly that I didn’t even stop between books to write reviews, and instead am writing them all after having just concluded Book Six late last night. But with all of the titles lined up, I think I can point at this one and say it was my favorite. Relationship growth alone was brilliant. Hank Edwards so deeply touched on how important friendship is, and how much history Demmy and Cody have. He made them feel real, as if I’m sitting in the local bar with them, listening to antics from their childhoods, and sharing a round of beers. I’m not sure if I’ve read such an established friendship within the gay romance/fiction genre before.
And with that friendship, Cody is finally realizing, my God—Demmy is who I want and he’s been in front of me my entire life—their connection is so very precious and maybe not worth losing if their romantic feelings fall apart. The palpable fear is real and raw, and just made me ache for them both. Friendship to lovers is a challenge—fiction or real. And Edwards hit the nail on the head from beginning to end.
So despite these highs and lows with our beloved Critter Catchers, Demmy is whisked away to Florida to visit his folks, when he learns his mother is in the hospital. He was a surprise baby much later in their lives, so while her need for surgery is a shock to him, it’s also not entirely out of left field. Cody stays behind to man the business alone, but when he calls Demmy to check in, and his best friend is in tears, Cody’s old high school football rival Jugs agrees to act as stand-in Critter Catcher, while he and Aunt Amelia drive all the way down to Florida to be with Demmy and his parents.
Did I mention there’s a swamp monsters preying on the senior citizens in the retirement community? Because, oh yeah, there’s a swamp monster. And it’s been snatching the unaware, hauling them back to its hideaway, and eating them. And when the monster takes off with Aunt Amelia during a tropical storm, the only two that can rescue her are Demmy and Cody.
Legit, this is the only book in the series I had to physically set down and walk away from. There is a moment, which I won’t spoil—but holy God, Cody. We all need someone like him in our lives. Someone who looks at you with utter love and bravery and sincerity and says exactly what you need to hear at the exact moment it mattered more than any other.
Book Three makes the series.