Book 1,013: Make Me Stay (Safe Harbor #2) – Annabeth Albert

If there is a theme to Albert’s Safe Harbor series it is a little bit too much. Don’t get me wrong, they are not bad books, each one just has one or two too many elements for me. They’re still very well written character driven stories, there’s just too much going on for my personal tastes.

I’m not sure if this falls under the hurt/comfort or maybe (hurt/comfort)², but it is somewhere in that category. Both main characters have trauma they start to overcome in this novel. Then you throw in the murder mystery and the kinky sex, it’s a lot.

Holden is a former cop turned professor and podcaster after an injury sidelines him from the force and Cal is an ex-Navy diver whose specialty is recovery running from a dark past. They, of course, end up as roommates because Holden’s friends have been nagging him to get a roommate and Cal’s RV has finally given up.

Everyone has a tragic backstory in some way. What sets people apart is what they do with the tragedies that define them. Some stuff them down. Some try to make amends or find other personal motivations. And a few will try to use the bad stuff as inspiration to advocate for changes that might prevent future tragedies. (Loc. 1,913)

By the end of this book, the murder mystery was solved thanks to Holden (his podcast with Monroe from Bring Me Home) and Cal’s recovery of the missing body. That made one less thing to focus on in the story but gave plenty of opportunities for Holden and Cal to interact. I thoroughly enjoyed Cal’s gruff character; you knew where you stood with him. Holden was a bit more oscillating between over-the-top-go-getter and grumpy-AF-get-the-job-done, so they definitely worked together. I won’t go into why Cal’s as much of a mess as he is, it was more predictable than I would’ve liked, but I was glad that Albert talked about and explored therapy and PTSD support groups—such an important piece of veteran support that sadly lacks all kinds of funding.

I didn’t take naps and I didn’t catch feelings, but damn if Holden didn’t seem determined to break all my rules. (Loc. 898)

The sex scenes were, as per usual, well written and engaging. I even found myself appreciating the slight kink Albert introduced into their solo and couple play. I’m a big believer of “don’t yuck my yum” as the kids say and “you do you,” but I’ve often found in the few kinky-romances I’ve stumbled into they’ve been a bit too much for me. They’ve all been very informative, but not what I enjoy reading when they go hard and heavy immediately and it just keeps going. This one, however, introduced it slowly and they had the conversations you’re supposed to have and they played with it, experimented with it and it Albert’s writing just made it that much more intriguing.

You can be my return address, but I’m going to be your passport. Heck yes, you can come with me, but I’m taking you places. Hawaii. The Maldives. Maybe even Australia. (Loc. 3,092)

The funniest part of the novel to me was that even though both characters were gruff and disgruntled Albert still wrote the novel with humor and sweetness. There were still moments where I rolled my eyes saying, “OMG this is too much, but OMG yes please, more.” Like the line above. Albert really knows how to dole out just enough of it not to make it laughable, but enough to make the reader sigh and grin like a fool.

Recommendation: This one just edges out the final book in the series, Find Me Worthy, for my favorite. All three are well written and are somewhere in the middle of the pack of all of Albert’s works, but the two grumpy characters taking steps to work through their trauma and build trust with each other just got me. Cal and Holden are well written characters surrounded by the other protagonists from the series, the many memorable minor characters, and they both spout hilarious one-liners that kept me chuckling throughout the book.

Opening Line: “Come on, come on. I have a case to solve.”

Closing Line: “Even this cranky old SEAL chief  divemaster could see how that was damn worth celebrating.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)