“Sometimes the most horrendous thing a person can see is all the hidden things inside them, the things they’ve covered, the things they choose not to look at. – C. JoyBell C.
Author: Con Riley
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages/Word Count: 220 Pages
Rating: 5 Stars
Blurb: San Diego is a city of second chances for Jamie Carlson. His new career as a photographer is taking off, and with the support of a loving surrogate family, he’s finally putting his party years behind him. The Bailey family helped him solve his drinking problem, but there’s no easy solution to staying sober now that Belle Bailey’s dying. Her last wish is a challenge Jamie can’t overcome without help.
Solving problems is Daniel Priest’s specialty. More than twenty years older than Jamie, he’s successful and experienced. He makes his living resolving corporate crises—but his personal life has been far from perfect. Now that his marriage is over, Daniel’s determined to make up for lost time. One night with Jamie isn’t nearly enough for him.
Daniel’s honest offer of help is more than Jamie expects from a one-time hookup. Even so, fulfilling Belle’s last wish is a tall order. Repairing her damaged family as she requests proves difficult when Jamie has to face his own past as well. Jamie could risk his hard-won recovery by admitting why he hit rock bottom in the first place. If he wants a future with Daniel, he’ll have to address those reasons head-on.
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Review: When I read Salvage, the first book in the series, I was so not a fan of Jamie. What we got to see of Jamie was an irreverent brat who seemed to not take anything seriously, and he seemed like a user to the nth degree.
Once I got a bit into Recovery, I realized I couldn’t have been further from the truth in my opinion of Jamie. When Jamie experienced a brutal assault, he turned to alcohol to numb the pain in his soul, and it took Alec Bailey and his wife Belle to help Jamie begin to heal. The Bailey family has taken Jamie in and made him a member of the family, much to the consternation of their son Owen. Owen has never forgiven Alec for the years he was suffering from alcoholism, and he has no sympathy for Jamie.
While attending a launch party for Alec’s new magazine Jamie meets Daniel and there are some pretty serious sparks between them. Before he and Daniel can get to the good stuff, Owen interrupts their evening with devastating news about Belle. Jamie leaves Daniel, without a second thought, to run to the bedside of his surrogate mother, thinking he won’t see the man again.
When the extent of Belle’s sickness is revealed, she decides she is going to be with her daughter in L.A. to see the birth of her first grandchild. All the men put their own lives on hold to fulfill her last wishes, and Daniel is very pleased to find out that Jamie is not only in town but that he wants to spend some time with him.
Over the course of the book Jamie has to fight his alcoholism, find a way to say goodbye to the only mother he has ever loved, and figure out how to be the man Daniel deserves.
When I finished reading Salvage, I thought to myself, “That was a great book.” Then I read Recovery, and I found Ms. Riley had completely outdone herself. This was not only the story of a recovering alcoholic but the story of a man coming to terms with every facet of his life. Jamie works his steps in the program, and he has to come to terms with the mistakes he has made in the past and find a way not to repeat them in the future.
I sincerely hope you will give this book a try, but I feel I must warn you that there should be copious amounts of Kleenex on hand while you follow Jamie on his journey. This is definitely a must read book; you will kick yourself if you miss it.
You can buy Recovery (Salvage Stories: Book Two) here:
