Line in the Sand

Title: Line in the Sand

Author: Ari McKay

Publisher: Torquere Press 

Publisher URL: www.torquerebooks.com

ISBN/BIN: 978-1-61040-800-4

Genre: {M/M} Contemporary Series

Rating: 3.5 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Dragon Minx

Alec Davis works for Hercules Security and his latest assignment is as bodyguard to Jonathan Baldwin, one of Hollywood’s popular young actors. Alec’s loyal and dedicated but for a man who believes in doing things by the book, keeping Jon safe may be difficult when he’s so grateful to his fans that he dives into crowds without thinking. Another problem is Alec’s attraction to Jon. It’s unprofessional but he doesn’t want to resign either and the situation is further complicated when Jon confesses the attraction is mutual.

Jon’s pre-filming vacation turns perilous when he and Alec are caught by a flash flood while rafting down a Central American river. Without communication and days from civilization, Jon takes ill and gets sicker by the hour. It’s up to Alec to find a way through the jungle and get Jon to a medical facility before it’s too late. He can’t lose the man he loves, not when they’ve just found each other.

Line in the Sand is the second release in Ari McKay’s Herc’s Mercs series. Since previous characters are only mentioned this release can be read as a standalone if desired.

The pairing of a bodyguard and a movie star isn’t a new idea in a romance. So you really knew what you were getting from the start with this novella length read. It’s approximately 137 pages so the plot has to move along quickly to get them from bodyguard to boyfriend and make it believable. That’s the problem for me—the believability. Don’t get me wrong, I like both Alec and Jon. They seem nice—and would make good friends to hang around with, but in the building of the relationship phase of the story, I didn’t feel it. It seems more like I was being told they liked each other. 

It wasn’t until the Central American vacation that I could see a change. It’s during this dangerous time in the jungle that I finally felt their emotions and how much they cared for each other. From this point on is what saved the book for me. There’s plenty of action, emotion, nicely done descriptions, and life and death situations. I just wish I could have enjoyed the first half as much as I liked the last.