Title: Only Forever
Author: Scotty Cade
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: November 30, 2016
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, Paranormal
Page Count: 151
Reviewed by: Crabbypatty
Heat Level: 2 flames out of 5
Rating: 3.50 stars out of 5
Blurb:
Master Captain Theodore Gourdin has always loved the ocean. But his devotion to maritime life left little possibility for a long-term relationship. After two failed marriages, Theo gave up on finding the person who completed him and decided the sea was his soul mate. When offered the opportunity to captain the newly launched megayacht Eternity, Theo jumped at the chance. With Eternity’s maiden voyage looming, Theo focused all his energies on hiring his crew and readying his ship. The last thing he expected was to finally lose his heart in the process.
After twelve years at sea, First Officer Heath Rawlins was restless and in need of a change. A gay seaman’s life could be a lonely one, but to Heath the positives far outweighed the negatives. With excellent recommendations and an impressive résumé, he was quickly offered a position on the private megayacht Eternity. Heath’s heart skipped several beats when he finally met the ship’s captain. He was handsome and charming. And… familiar? Had they met somewhere before? Highly unlikely. But as smitten as Heath was with the gorgeous captain, everything inside him screamed, Abandon ship! Rough seas ahead!
Ever meet someone and feel as if you’ve known them before? Heath Rawlins applies for a position on a private megayacht and when he meets Captain Theo Gourdin, both men have this instant zing of awareness and sexual attraction. They also share an almost mystical connection with the sea, with each man making his career on the water. As they begin working together, preparing the Eternity for its maiden voyage, Theo and Heath each have dreamed remembrances of a past life when they knew one another … intimately.
“Only Forever” had quite a few pros for me: I really liked the premise and the idea of reincarnation where two soul mates find each other throughout time. I also liked all the detail about the Eternity – its specs, interior, each crew members’ duties, safety procedures, etc. The author knew what he was talking about. In “real life” the sexual attraction between Theo and Heath seemed more like insta-lust, but in their dreams, there is such a sense of heartfelt want and overwhelming love for one another.
On the other hand, for a relatively brief story (150 pages), there were far too many scenes of Heath or Theo wondering if the other was gay / bisexual and if their feelings were reciprocated, which slowed the pace of the story, until they finally take the plunge around the 80% point.
The prologue and epilogue by SJD Peterson beautifully framed this story and while I loved the premise a bit more than the implementation, I would recommend this book.
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