Hawaii and surfing are at the center of this story full of adventure, new discoveries, and interpersonal drama. The plot takes quite a few twists and turns before it becomes clear what is actually going on between the two men whom Palmer meets and what their role in his life will be. Expect lots of surfing, soul searching, and a main character determined to figure out what he wants in life – after his partner of nine years cheats on him and his old dream of spending most of his time surfing seems within reach.

Palmer has had a rough time, and while moving to Hawaii could be seen as “running” from his life as a science teacher, he has dreamed about living there for quite a while. Fulfilling his dreams is not easy, however. He meets Dill, another surfing enthusiast, and they get along well enough to become surfing buddies, even though Dill is an advanced surfer. Then Palmer meets Riku – a well known surfer who seems to hate him on sight – until Palmer comes to his rescue at a gay bar one night.

This opens the door to a more personal exploration, but Riku insists that Dill can’t find out. Between the mystery of why Riku has an issue with Dill, a few close calls when the waves get higher than Palmer is comfortable with, and a threatening tsunami, this story certainly kept my attention. The setting is beautiful and quite a few places that are mentioned reminded me of previous visits to Hawaii and made me want to travel there again.

If you like stories about men redefining their lives, if Hawaii is your thing, and if you’re looking for a read full of personal and natural drama, then you might like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by Deamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )