Nic Starr

First let me start by saying that I enjoyed this book. I liked both the characters of Mark and Rick and was therefore engaged in the story. The plot was interesting with some love, some sex and some drama all set at a good pace.From the previous book [b:Rediscovering Adrian|8591931|Rediscovering Adrian (Men of Riverside, #2)|Serena Yates|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1288623396s/8591931.jpg|13461544], we knew that Mark was in trouble. He had gone to see his brother Adrian and was obviously in a bad position, under the control of suspected criminal Tony Mondello. In the previous book, Adrian was focused on his own problems and his boyfriend Peter's shooting and didn't let anyone know of Mark's situation.This book takes us back in time to see how Mark and Rick fell in love. It is sweet how Mark arranges their 'accidental' meeting after crushing on his brother's friend for many years ("It made him feel like a stalker, but how else was he going to get Rick's attention?") Rick was friends with Adrian so knew Mark but it wasn't until he saw this grown up version of Mark that his interest was definitely sparked. They make a really cute couple.The drama begins when Mark starts working for Tony Mondello. Due to Tony's threats, Mark is forced away from Rick. The story line was interesting as Mark sacrifices everything to protect the man he loves. What I struggled to understand was why Rick let him go - he took what he saw at face value and in typical romance fashion didn't bother to get an explanation. It was strange that he didn't think it weird that Mark didn't return to get his stuff from the apartment, after the one time he knocked on the door. Surely any normal person would make contact?Anyway, my real issue was the blurb. I felt it gave away too much of the plot. It tells of the 'seeming act of betrayal', 'Tony Mondello, decides he wants to be Mark's lover', 'Mark must choose between his own safety and the life of his lover'. I would have preferred these things to have evolved through reading the story.The resolution between the men was also a bit too easy for my liking "We've agreed that it was all a misunderstanding, so I see no reason why we shouldn't go back to normal." but I loved Rick's grand gesture throwing himself in front of a bullet and the HEA with totally sweet proclamations of love.3.5 stars