Breaker (Break, Burn, Build Book 1)

Jul 12, Clouds rated it it was amazing Shelves: Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest , I faced a dilemma: It took my 5 days to read Ship Breaker , because real life kept getting the way. Left to myself, I would have easily blitzed through this puppy in a single sitting — not even stopping to eat. The world as we know it has gone to wrack and ruin. He works for the Light Crew, scavenging copper wiring from the beached hulks of oil tankers.

This is gritty, likeable, fast paced and enthralling reading. Guess which was my favourite? This is about great human qualities — loyalty, trust, faith, determination, self belief, resourcefulness, and never-say-die attitude. The characters have depth and flaws — I cared about them. There are definitely elements in common, but not enough to be sure. My instinct said same world, but earlier in the timeline.

I loved Ship Breaker. After this I read: Aug 28, Michael rated it liked it Shelves: In Michael Springer's review of Ship Breaker , he uses a narrative account of his experience working at Rally's Hamburgers as a parallel to the type of work the book's characters are engaged in, and follows this lengthy digression with a political rant that goes on in one seemingly endless sentence for several hundred words. The actual time invested in discussing characters or events from the book come in a brief paragraph at the end, almost as an afterthought to the rants that have come before. This is fairly typical for the reviewer's style, although it's a vast improvement over his review of the children's book, In the Night Kitchen: That said, what can we say about the quality of this review of Ship Breaker?

If one were interested in deciding whether or not they'd enjoy the book, it's hard to imagine how the reviewer's multiple experiences wounding himself while cooking hamburgers will help us determine whether we ought to read it or not. Likewise, the reviewer's ravings about the madness of the political system in the United States, and his accusations that "all of us, every one of us on this website, all of my goodreader friends, are just pawns to the American Empire, forever blinded by the superficial bickering of political hacks while those with the money lurk behind the scenes, pushing an agenda that subjugates those in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and all of the middle east, those most of us would rather embrace than marginalize It seems that overstatement is the rule of the day, considering the reviewer chooses to portray his own mediocre job at a fast food restaurant which he admits he only worked at for two months with the slavery-like conditions experienced by the children in the book.

At their jobs extracting copper from abandoned ships, they ran the risk of death on a daily basis, whereas Michael's worst experience involves a fairly mild burn on his finger. In one of the few evaluative statements in the entire review, Michael states that, in comparison to Paolo Bacigalupi's previous novel, The Windup Girl , "This book gargles donkey cum.

When attempting to actually review the book in his final paragraph, Michael proves himself inept: He mentions the book is part of the science fiction movement known as "biopunk," but quickly moves on to other territory without defining this term, or explaining why this term matters in our understanding of the book. Perhaps, if the reviewer were to view this "review" as a rough draft, or a brainstorm for ideas, he might eventually develop something worth reading. However, the review seems to have happened as a stream-of-consciousness rant that only tangentially has any connection with the novel in question, and then attempts to flesh out a review at the last minute before fizzling out ambivalently.

If one is inclined to read a review of Ship Breaker on the goodreads. In comparison to these reviews that actually contain substance, Michael's review clearly gargles donkey cum. Dec 25, Morgan F rated it really liked it Recommended to Morgan by: Ship Breaker takes places in a gritty, grim future, where the divide between the rich and the poor is deeper than ever. The poor grow up like Nailer, a youth who lives in a little shack on a beach off the Gulf Coast with his abusive, drugged-up father.

Like everyone else on the beach, Nailer must work hard to survive, stripping washed-up oil rigs for the raw materials, but even hard work is not enough to guarantee survival in his dog-eat-dog world. Nailer can rely on hardly anyone, besides his c Ship Breaker takes places in a gritty, grim future, where the divide between the rich and the poor is deeper than ever. Nailer can rely on hardly anyone, besides his crew boss Pima and her mother. His father doesn't care, and even his own crewmates, blood-sworn to have his back, will betray him if it means being rewarded by the Fates with their own "lucky strike".

Nailer's beach has people from a hodgepodge of cultures and ethnic backgrounds. One thing I loved about this book was that the people came in all shades of colors, and none of the characterizations resorted to stereotypes. Unlike most books, white is not the default. Such a mix of characters also paved the way for an interesting culture, one that thrives on luck and "the Fates", with gods and deities from all religions, as well as some made-up ones like the Rust god. I just found this interesting because it emphasized the fact that everyone was poor, no matter their color or beliefs.

Everyone had to struggle, with no one being that much better off than another. One theme that this novel explores pretty well is how some people lose their sense of humanity in the face of adversity. No one in this book is nice. They are all willing to kill if they have to, but with each person having a different way of determining when they "have to". Nailer has more humanity than most. When a city-killer storm ravages the beach, it leaves behind the wreck of a clipper ship, a vessel for rich people. Nailer and his best friend, Pima, are the first to discover the ship, and are determined to scavenge all they can from it.

In one of the rooms they discover a beautiful "swank" girl, who appears to have been crushed by toppled furniture. Noticing the girl's gold jewelry, Nailer and Pima have no qualms about taking it from her, perhaps cutting off her fingers in the process in order to get her gold rings. Things become complicated when the girl turns out to be alive. Pima is all for cutting the girls throat and taking the loot. Pima is not a bad character. She is fiercely loyal to Nailer and the rest of her crew and family, but she has no sympathy for characters outside her circle of loyalty.

Nailer is more conflicted, convincing Pima that the girl is worth more alive than dead, for people are certain to come looking for her. Through out the novel, Nailer is torn between being "smart" aka doing what he can to survive and get ahead , or doing what is right.

He constantly finds himself doing what he can to save the swank girl, Nita, and returning her to her family, although that is difficult because they are being pursued by enemies of Nita's father, who want to use Nita as leverage, as well as Nailer's own father, a killer who wants revenge. The world that Ship Breaker is set in is one of YA distopia's best, as it is well-concieved and imaginative, while remaining plausible. The plot was extremely fast-paced, violent, and action-packed, and the writing had moments of insightfulness. But one thing that was missing from the novel was empathy.

I felt it lacked heart and an emotional punch. The characters felt more like roles than actual people. There was potential for some extremely heart-wrenching moments that was ignored, and the small romance between Nailer and Nita could have been fleshed-out more. I don't intend to be sexist, but I just believe this is because the author is male and this book is geared towards a male audience. Not that females can't enjoy it too, its just if they are hoping for some intense romance, they will be disappointed.

One more small quirk I had with this book was how Nailer learned to read so fast. I just found that highly unbelievable, and it took me out of the story. But overall, it was quite a good novel. It wrapped-up nicely, leaving room for a sequel I understand it's to be a trilogy , but no cliff-hanger. Nonetheless, I am eager for the next installment. Jan 12, Catie rated it really liked it Shelves: This is a quick but fascinating read set in a compelling futuristic world where climate change has plunged most of the world's coastal cities into the ocean and the majority of humans live in extreme poverty with a lucky few living the "swank" life.

The main character, Nailer, is a starving, scarred, and hardened young man eking out a living as a ship breaker. Due to malnutrition, he's still small enough to fit inside the tight claustrophobic wreckages of oil tankers where he scavenges for cop This is a quick but fascinating read set in a compelling futuristic world where climate change has plunged most of the world's coastal cities into the ocean and the majority of humans live in extreme poverty with a lucky few living the "swank" life.

Due to malnutrition, he's still small enough to fit inside the tight claustrophobic wreckages of oil tankers where he scavenges for copper wiring and other metals. When a massive hurricane a now common event sweeps through the small shanty town where he lives, a large wealthy clipper ship is wrecked. Nailer and his crew mate are the first to stumble upon it and are shocked to find one survivor aboard - a girl about their age.

This book is a gripping adventure that kept my heart beating and my eyes riveted the whole way through. It is also a moving story about navigating life - trying to stay smart and survive but also not lose your humanity to the harsh practicalities. I loved this one and I eagerly await the next installment; although, I have to say that for the short length of this book and the fact that it is 1 in a series, there was a satisfying amount of closure at the end.

View all 9 comments. Paolo Bacigalupi is destined to be one of the Grand Old Masters of science fiction in another couple of decades. His books are uniformly excellent and capture perfectly the aesthetic of modern SF. His pet theme is environmental and economic catastrophe creating an impoverished, post-oil world. Although it's never explicitly stated that Ship Breaker takes place in the same world, it is similar enough th Paolo Bacigalupi is destined to be one of the Grand Old Masters of science fiction in another couple of decades. Although it's never explicitly stated that Ship Breaker takes place in the same world, it is similar enough that it very well could.

The main character, Nailer, is a ship breaker, a teenager who lives his life crawling around in old vessels trying to salvage anything that will earn a little coin. It's a dirty, dangerous job, yet he considers himself lucky to have it, because the alternative is worse. The dystopian element is not an oppressive government, but a nonexistent government, in a world of drowned cities. When a storm washes an expensive ship and a pretty girl ashore, Nailer and his friends have to decide whether to help the girl or strip her ship and her for parts.

Obviously we know which way Nailer must choose for the story to go further. The rich girl turns out to have been fleeing from enemies of her wealthy and powerful family, and so Nailer is dragged along on an adventure that will take him far beyond any horizons he'd previously imagined. You can tell this is a YA novel by the fact that Bacigalupi tones down the violence a little but there are still some pretty gruesome deaths , and sex is only implied. The story is kept fast-paced and adventurous, with Nailer going from one close call to another.

I'd compare Ship Breaker favorably to one of Heinlein's juveniles; its science and worldbuilding is of course more contemporary, but the story is very much a boy's adventure, with a pretty girl who has plenty of will of her own as a motivating factor. Jul 04, Thomas rated it really liked it Shelves: I'm supposed to like science fiction books about violence, nonstop action, piracy, you name it. I liked this book for entirely different reasons. The world building amazed me.

This book's initial setting is in a trashy town on America's Gulf Coast, a region I know practically nothing about. It turns out I didn't need to know anything, as this story takes place in the future - with the Gulf Coast wrecked and parts set aside for ship-breakin More like 3. It turns out I didn't need to know anything, as this story takes place in the future - with the Gulf Coast wrecked and parts set aside for ship-breaking, the profession of our protagonist, Nailer.

Paolo Bacigalupi's descriptions are vivid and intense, drawing upon the jagged, rough concepts of ship-breaking and scavenging themselves. I thought a lot about the themes of Ship Breaker. Certain characters experienced a loss of humanity as they were forced to hurt or kill others, and others had to put their loyalty to the test when desperate decisions had to be made. In fact, it was the effects of the action on the characters, particularly Nailer, that made me like this book so much - rather than the actual action sequences.

That being said, I still felt a lack of connection with most of the characters. Nita reminded me of the archetypal girl who starts out as prim and proper but isn't afraid to get her feet dirty, and although Nailer showed more thought than other male protagonists, I just didn't empathize with him.

Tool interested me, but he left the story ambiguously, which aggravated me a little bit. I wonder if Bacigalupi intends to write a sequel to Ship Breaker. I felt as if some of the action could have been replaced with deepening the meaning behind the book, but overall a good read. Despite my reluctance to recommend this book to a specific gender, I admit that males might like this more than females you wouldn't think that based on Goodreads statistics, however.

Want to read more of my reviews? Sep 19, Skylar Phelps rated it really liked it. My first by Bacigalupi. For the most part, the prose and general writing was the best part of the experience. Obviously the author is highly praised and heavily awarded, so my expectations were fairly high and I thought he delivered a quality product. The setting is quite bleak and the story itself is pretty simple. There is lots of character driven conflict with alternating high and low points giving the reader an emotional ride. I was annoyed by some of the weaker dialogue moments, some bits were very unnatural and others didn't seem realistic during the dramatic or action scenes.

There were also several predictable events, the foreshadowing was a little heavy handed. But really I'm being nit-picky. The book was good and I'm interested in what comes next. Apr 01, Stefan rated it liked it Shelves: Nailer, a teenager, is one of many people who live in shantytowns along the US Gulf Coast, trying to eke out a dangerous living by working on disassembling crews, taking apart abandoned — and now obsolete — oil tankers.

The work is dangerous, and taking risks is almost a necessity, because if the young workers don't make quota, there are always other starving kids ready to take their jobs. Once the children get too big to crawl down the narrow ship ducts in search of copper wiring and other recy Nailer, a teenager, is one of many people who live in shantytowns along the US Gulf Coast, trying to eke out a dangerous living by working on disassembling crews, taking apart abandoned — and now obsolete — oil tankers. Once the children get too big to crawl down the narrow ship ducts in search of copper wiring and other recyclable metals, there aren't many options left to them At the start of Ship Breaker, Nailer finds an undiscovered oil reservoir in the ship he is exploring — a lucky strike that would be sufficient to feed him and possibly provide escape from his abusive father.

However, when he almost drowns in the oil, and one of his young crew mates finds him, she decides not to rescue him and leaves him to die so she can take advantage of his find. Even though Nailer manages to escape, this incident, set early in the novel, is a perfect introduction to the competing themes of "loyalty in the face of adversity" vs. After all, when Nailer finds a gorgeous clipper ship run aground during a hurricane, he faces the same choice: YA novels have changed just a tad, haven't they? Yep, although you maybe wouldn't guess so from the paragraphs above, Ship Breaker is actually the first Young Adult novel by Paolo Bacigalupi.

You can draw a straight line right from the author's excellent SF novel The Windup Girl, which also focused on the disastrous consequences of environmental change, to Ship Breaker. Even though the reading level is YA, and most of the main characters are teenagers, the grimness not to mention the violence is definitely straddling the border between adult and YA.

Be that as it may, Ship Breaker is a well-written, gripping SF novel. The story's scope continually broadens, from Nailer's initial find, to the arrival of the clipper, and ultimately to everything the ship's owner stands for. Likewise, the dystopian future gradually becomes clearer as Nailer becomes more aware of, and eventually ventures into, the world outside his beach shantytown. As mentioned before, the theme of loyalty is approached from different directions.

Just to name a few: Nailer's relationship with his abusive and addicted father; the connections with and between his crew's members; and maybe most interestingly, the concept of "halfmen," genetically engineered to be loyal to their owners. While I enjoyed Ship Breaker, and would recommend it to mature YA readers, I can't help but wonder if this story wouldn't have worked better as a regular, non-YA novel.

Some of the darker concepts, situated on the periphery of Nailer's story, are only broadly hinted at rather than described outright, which left me feeling frustrated and wanting to read more. If you told me there was a page adult version of this page YA novel, in which Paolo Bacigalupi really embraced the story's darkness and delved more deeply into the world's history and set-up, I'd be first in line to read it. Still, armchair-quarterbacking aside, Ship Breaker is a good novel with a likable protagonist, a gripping story, and a vision of the future that's sadly becoming more probable by the day.

If the grim realism of the environmentally ruined future described in The Windup Girl didn't bother you, and you're in the mood for something in the same vein but at a slightly easier reading level, definitely check out Ship Breaker. This review was also published at the Fantasy Literature website: I can get sacrificed but I can't get captured. To be captured would mean the end of the game Absolutely amazing and exactly what I wanted I didn't know I was in a mood for dystopian when I picked up this book.

I didn't know I was in the mood for ruined futures, destroyed cities, riots, and a main character who was stronger than he expected. But apparently I was. I was in the mood for blood, and guns, and sweat, and tears, and deaths, and rust and love, despite everything. So I absolutely adored Ship Breaker from the moment I picked it up. I loved absolutely everything. The fascinating and compelling plot that made it a must to read the next page, the characters who were complex, diverse and lovable well, most of them actually , the dystopian world that was so frightening that made my heart beat faster, the romance that was cute, blooming in a world full of bloodshed and unfairness and also the friendships and the meaning of family.

It made me cry tears of sorrow and joy, made me grit my teeth in anger, made me shake my head in disgust or bite my lip in anticipation. Bile rose in my throat from fear and worry, butterflies were let loose in my stomach with the warmth of feels and it made me see the world with a different eye. It made me see how unfair some things are, and how sometimes people have to struggle with forces more powerful than they could ever imagine, for the sake of love, and a better place to live. It made me admire the reckless, the brave and the different.

Those who have free will, and their heart beats for freedom and justice. Those who love, and live, and fight, no matter the cost. And it made me believe that it's not luck, or wits that makes a person survive. It's them, also combined with love, and a desire for freedom. What bothered me a little and I hope that it will be explained in the next book, is the fact that they did not explain how exactly the world ended like that. The author gave hints that it was probably due to the greediness that people have and their power to gain more and more, but it was never mentioned clearly.

Dec 11, Sonja Arlow rated it it was ok Shelves: The story takes place in an informal community make a living scavenging off old ships stranded off the US Gulf Coast. This is a lawless community where violence reigns supreme. A place where booze and drugs are bountiful and eating more than once a day is just a fantasy. This community of ship breakers almost had a Mad Max feel to it. Randy Harmelink marked it as to-read May 30, Chris Taylor marked it as to-read Jun 04, Betty Macy marked it as to-read Sep 21, Blow Pop marked it as to-read Jan 10, Stephen marked it as to-read Oct 02, Lori Franklin Hopkins marked it as to-read May 13, Michelle Quintana marked it as to-read May 13, Katelyn Kelly-Gonzales marked it as to-read May 13, Shawn'ta marked it as to-read May 13, Amanda Keathley marked it as to-read May 13, Sarah marked it as to-read May 13, J marked it as to-read May 13, Brittany marked it as to-read May 13, Kim Friant marked it as to-read May 13, Heather Schwandner marked it as to-read May 13, Jamia stewart marked it as to-read May 14, Pamela marked it as to-read May 14, Katie Harder-schauer marked it as to-read May 14, Sue marked it as to-read May 14, Cindy marked it as to-read May 14, Nikki Tegtmeyer marked it as to-read May 14, Adylure marked it as to-read May 14, Jayme marked it as to-read May 14, Jaedyn marked it as to-read May 14, Vicky marked it as to-read May 14, Laura Combs marked it as to-read May 14, Kaite marked it as to-read May 14, Pam marked it as to-read May 14, There are no discussion topics on this book yet.

JJ Sharpe lives in California with his wife and son. He loves surfing and writing. Is it really wrong to want to murder your boss?

Breaker by J.J. Sharpe

Dylan has worked for Gabe for two years. Two long years of sarcastic comments. Two long years of insults, and having to redo the coffee pot four times in the mornings to meet his exacting standards. Not surprisingly he has devoted a lot of time to increasingly inventive ways to murder Gabe. From stabbing him with a cake fork, t Is it really wrong to want to murder your boss?

From stabbing him with a cake fork, to garrotting him with his expensive tie, Dylan has thought of everything. However, a chance encounter opens his eyes to the attraction that has always lain between them, concealed by the layers of antipathy. There are only two problems - Gabe is still a bastard, and he makes wedding planners look like hardened pessimists. But what happens when Dylan starts to see the real Gabe?

What happens when he starts to fall in love with the warm, wary man that he sees glimpses of as the days pass? Has Dylan had the same effect on Gabe, and has his solid gold rule of no commitment finally been broken? With his heart taken Dylan desperately needs to know, but will he get hurt trying to find the answers? Kindle Edition , pages. London, England United Kingdom. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Rule Breaker , please sign up.

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Ship Breaker

I was completely captured by this book. The banter, the characters, and story had me in a trance. I didn't come up for air until I was half-way through with the book and that was only because my bladder was screaming at me. Books that can do this to me are rare and special finds. This is my first time reading anything by this author, but I will definitely be looking out for her other books.

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The banter in this book was on mark. I laughed out loud numerous times. I usually prefer double POV's, but it definitely wasn't needed here. I loved being in Dylan's head with all his sassy snark. What a great character. Gabe was another great character.

He had many issues and sometimes I wanted to throttle him, but then he would drop the walls and show his vulnerable side and I once again would be mush for this man. He was just one of those a-holes we can't but love. Gabe and Dylan for sure have some really sexy times together and just as many rocky times. I loved that they were messy. I liked that they had bumps and that it wasn't all smooth sailing. I also loved the sweet vulnerable moments they showed to each other. They had insane chemistry and are fantastic together.

They are now one of my favorite couples. Jude and Henry were great side characters and besties to our guys. I was hoping they would get coupled up but I've read that they will be involved with different people. Bummer for sure, but then again I am just happy that they will get their own book. Dylan's family was a great addition to the story. I loved how close they were and enjoyed their banter and the stories they told about one another. I liked how welcoming they were to Gabe.

His mom was really funny as was his brother. I can't say enough how much I enjoyed this book. I love a story that can make me laugh and make me lose myself enough to where I forget the world and all my problems. Pick this one up dolls! I just know you will love it! View all 34 comments. Aug 21, Judith rated it really liked it Recommended to Judith by: Heather the Queen of Smut Books. I was a bit sceptical going into this one,let's face it,it's a story line that's been done to death Dylan has been working for Gabe for two years and he's getting more and more infuriated with his grumpy boss.

Despite their seemingly hatred for each other there's a bubbling attraction and lust that's just waiting to be unleashed There was a lot I liked about this and a few things that infuriated me, -I absolutely loved the banter between them,especially from Dylan. This was British humour at it's best. I didn't skim any These two are deliciously filthy and Gabe likes the dirty talk.

And what's better than a bit of desperate office sex? And don't get me started on the scene with the Fleshlight I couldn't put it down once I started. Slight niggles, -the subject of Dylan being a doormat seems to be a contentious issue. Whatever you think of Gabe he made it very clear from the start that he wasn't looking for a relationship or commitment. The fact was, Dylan just wanted him any way he could get him in the beginning and thankfully he did man up.

This seems to be one people either love or hate. Personally I enjoyed it a lot and would definitely recommend it. View all 66 comments. Dylan was very good at his job, but wasn't strict on adherence to always following office protocols, like not confronting your hard-ass boss when he's being an unreasonable, temperamental douche.

And if Dylan had been wronged, he was a master at the subtle art of getting a motherfucker back. Sure, unless someone caught something on video, let's go with that. And that was after he'd had his morning sludge, I mean coffee. He also had a reputation of going through assistants like Kleenex. And then Gabe met Dylan, who somehow managed to remain in his employ for over two years, despite how they constantly and actively tormented one another. Both of these MC's gave as good as they got, so the story was rife with snark and banter , yet I still found myself wanting a bit more of both, because I freaking live for witty comebacks and slack-jawed takedowns.

For those first two years, the guys had managed to hide their mutual attractions pretty well, then a ski holiday just prior to an upcoming conference required that Dylan accompany Gabe and his dick-hole, model boyfriend on the trip to help finish up work preparations. During their time away, both MC's got to know a lot more about the other, enough for the UST to start bubbling over and masks to begin slipping. From that point on, the book is one big ole' rollercoaster ride of emotions running hot and cold , as Dylan began to develop feelings for Gabe, and Gabe did everything within his power to keep those feelings from taking root.

My favorite part of the book was the Christmas visit to Dylan's family farm , which I felt was the beginning of, well, the beginning for Dylan and Gabe to finally start coming together. Then there was some major high drama , which was not quickly, but thankfully worked through. With the help of a few friends. Loads and loads of patience. The steamy bits were pretty smoldering ; however, I couldn't really decide if there was just enough steam or a bit too much.

It was a fine line, and I wasn't entirely sure on which side the story had landed. But the eventual bareback scene? They showed just how much Gabe had grown to both trust and value Dylan for the amazing person and partner that he was. I'd rate this book at around 4. View all 49 comments. Sep 09, Heather K dentist in my spare time rated it liked it Shelves: Part of me adored this book! I couldn't put it down, and I read the majority of the story in one sitting. For one, the editing needed to be cleaner.

That is a pet peeve of mine in self-publishing, and I noticed the errors a few times while reading. But my main issue was that Gabe really treated Dylan like crap. I know he had his super special reasons , but he was really, really bad to Dylan, and I kept wanting Dylan to leave him and take a stand. However, I could get past Gabe being awful if Dylan had made him grovel and wait and suffer when Gabe got his act together Dylan was a total doormat, and while he was a really fun character with lots of spunk most of the time, Gabe was just not deserving of him.

I also didn't quite get Gabe's split personality. If you are going to make a character a hard-ass, let him be a hard-ass. Gabe vacillated between being a total jerkweed and no-nonsense business man and a mush. I just didn't quite connect the two as part of the same person. Though I was disappointed with Gabe and Dylan's relationship dynamic, I found the writing and the storyline to be really engaging. Like I said, I couldn't put it down, and I didn't quite want it to end.

For most readers, this will be a home run, but if you are sensitive to one-sided relationships, YMMV. View all 8 comments. I feel like I've been steamrolled. This little book just came out of nowhere, popping up on my feed. A LOT of great reviews, while some seemed to hate it. I knew when some of my friends who've got similar tastes to mine started posting about it, I had to dive into this one. Holy crap, people, this was totally my cup of tea.

Snarky banter at its finest, great writing, heavy steam, AND relationship angst!!!!!! Dylan is an assistant to a wealthy lawyer, Gabe Foster. He h I feel like I've been steamrolled. He hates him and plots his death regularly. Dylan would have us believe that as the narrator, but Dylan always protested way too much Did Gabe say things that were out of line? But Dylan gave him a run for his money right after he started. So that by two years later, as the book opens, it's snarky-banter-foreplay at its finest.

It's not in the bloody cupboard where it should be. But Dylan is staying far, far away from any temptation.

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Gabe is his boss, of course. Who has a boyfriend. Although said boyfriend is a completely vapid wanker, and neither Gabe nor Fletcher are faithful to the other. And Dylan, who only does relationships, knows that anything with Gabe would be a monumentally bad idea. After two years, a sequence of events lead to Dylan seeing sides to Gabe that he's never seen.

None of these seemed manufactured. It all seemed to unfold organically, and the UST was done so freakin' well, folks, I thought even I was gonna combust. Taking care of Gabe when he was sick, meeting his closest friend, learning about his awful childhood, it all led to a level of intimacy for Dylan that flowed right off the page. The long looks and eye fucking were done so well, I thought I'd have to get a hose for these two. Gabe plays hot and cold really well. Every time he and Dylan share a "moment," he backs off and uses cutting words to establish their place.

As boss and employee. But the UST can only go on so long. How much these two want each other is a tangible thing, and they do eventually wind up giving in and slipping between the sheets. Holy forest fire, Batman! I haven't read a sex scene done that well in quite a while. Maybe it was the build up and tension. Maybe it was the way the scene was written. Here is where the story got complicated and riddled with relationship-angst. Gabe was completely honest with Dylan from the beginning. He told Dylan he wasn't looking for a serious relationship, that it could only be one night of sex.

And Dylan was ok with that. I wish I could be the one for you. Maybe we can just make each other feel good while it lasts. Gabe is honest, and Dylan knows what he's getting into. This is where some readers got ranty in their reviews, and I completely get it. Some people didn't appreciate Gabe's actions after this point in the book, but it totally worked for me. It seemed authentic to his character, and the author clearly showed Gabe's development from his preconceived notions about love. He is so tender and affectionate one minute, and he pulls away the next.

He constantly tells Dylan that he doesn't want to hurt him, but does over and over again. He does this all the time, little moments of care and warmth in a sea of hot sex followed by indifference. But Dylan's heart is fully engaged. And because Gabe shows such a different side to himself with Dylan, he knows Gabe feels something. The shared moments of intimacy just can't be one-sided.

It's because of this that Dylan lets it go on as long as he does. But one "too intimate" moment shatters everything. It's a downward spiral from there, and you can literally feel the foundation of their relationship crumble. What could've happened is Dylan being a complete doormat.

But that just wasn't the case. I was so proud of the way he handled himself. There were some jaw-dropping moments, Gabe's actions or words followed by Dylan's backbone. This story was truly executed amazingly well. These characters were so fleshed out. It's easy to see why Dylan fell so hard for him. It's easy to see why Dylan stood up for himself. I felt every tender moment, every piece of Dylan's heart breaking The author shattered me and put me back together. The HEA is hard-won in this book, and the author didn't disappoint with this either. The last chapters and epilogue show things full circle.

I tore through this book in one sitting, and it goes straight to my "Best of " shelf. View all 29 comments. Sep 15, Gigi rated it really liked it Shelves: I now see why this book is so beloved by readers! It was witty and funny and sexy and smart and heartfelt. Christ, it was perfection. Best epilogue I've even read. This is a kick-ass romance. View all 11 comments. Aug 22, Nazanin rated it really liked it Shelves: