Title: Afraid to Fly
Series: Anchor Point: Book Two
Author: L.A. Witt
Narrator: Nick J. Russo
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Run Time: 9 hours and 22 minutes
Category: Contemporary
At a Glance: While the characters are not perfect, their obstacles are not impossible to overcome. Russo tells us this in moments of tenderness, anger, and pure joy.
Reviewed By: Mike
Blurb: Once a fearless fighter pilot, Commander Travis Wilson is now confined to a desk. It’s been eight years since the near-fatal crash that grounded him, and it still rules his life thanks to relentless back pain.
Lieutenant Commander Clint Fraser almost drowned in a bottle after a highly classified catastrophe while piloting a drone. His downward spiral cost him his marriage and kids, but he’s sober now and getting his life back on track. He’s traded drones for a desk, and he’s determined to reconcile with his kids and navigate the choppy waters of PTSD.
Clint has been on Travis’s radar ever since he transferred to Anchor Point. When Clint comes out to his colleagues, it’s a disaster, but there’s a silver lining: now that Travis knows Clint is into men, the chemistry between them explodes.
It’s all fun and games until emotions get involved. Clint’s never been in love with a man before. Travis has, and a decade later, that tragic ending still haunts him. Clint needs to coax him past his fear of crashing and burning again, or their love will be grounded before takeoff.
Review: Commander Travis Wilson, United States Navy, was once a fighter pilot, until an accident on the flight deck of a carrier left him behind a desk and guilt ridden over the outcome of the final flight that ended the career of a good friend. But Wilson did not walk away unscathed, either. Along with his guilt, his spine was severely damaged, leaving him with bouts of mind-numbing pain.
Lt. Commander Clint Fraser use to remotely pilot drones in the Middle East. The incident that took him away from that part of his Navy career was classified more than top secret, meaning Clint cannot discuss the incident and its aftermath, even with Navy psychiatrists. The fallout wrecked his marriage and left him nearly an alcoholic and suffering PTSD for being the cause of a horrible mistake.
When the two meet at a Navy celebration, they are each with other people and convinced the other is out of reach. In the post DADT Navy, you can be gay, but cutting in on another officer’s territory is still a no-fly zone. After a few silly misunderstandings, the pair begin a relationship that is meant to be fun, casual, and a distraction for the things that live in both their minds. But love grows in even the driest desert. These men must negotiate their own guilt, their own fear of bringing another man into their past mistakes, and the deep emotional bond they clearly feeling for one another.
This is the second book in the Anchor Point series, but you need not have read the first to enjoy this story. Nick J. Russo returns to narrate Afraid to Fly, and his performance is just as wonderful as in Just Drive. The characters here are fully fleshed out by his expert voice acting. Both male and female voices are done with care, and each character has their own consistent voice.
This book is a great buy, and the series has the promise to continue for some time. We can only hope that Russo returns each time there’s a new story to tell. Buy this book, buy book one (if you haven’t already), and be prepared for a treat. While the characters are not perfect, their obstacles are not impossible to overcome. Russo tells us this in moments of tenderness, anger, and pure joy. You will be glad you entered this world with these men, and you will be glad that this voice is the one picked for the narration; they are perfectly paired.
You can buy Afraid to Fly here:
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