River of Need by Shayla Kersten

Story: 9
Presentation: 9
Total: 18
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
m/m contemporary
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Blurb: Two years after their breakup, Detective Kyle Shelton didn’t expect to see his lying, cheating, closeted ex. Especially not behind bars for prostitution. Bailing him out is one of the stupidest things Kyle has done in a while. Although letting his ex back in his bed probably ranks higher on the dumbass scale.

Dustin Eldridge’s lies about his sexual preferences have left him with nothing. Literally. He’s lost his home, his family, his job and, worse, he’s lost Kyle. On the streets, with no one to turn to, he’s resorted to selling his body to survive. Then Kyle—of all people—comes to his rescue. Dustin can’t fix the past but maybe there’s hope for a future.

Unless Kyle really believes Dustin added serial killer to his resume, along with hooker.

Note: For maximum reader enjoyment, we suggest also reading Hidden Force (Tony and Ryan) and Hidden Hands (David March), in which these secondary characters were heroes.

Review: I could not put down River of Need. I love Ms. Kersten’s work and this story is no exception why. The characters are real and gritty. Shayla puts you in the character’s heads in a way that many authors are unable to do. They are no scenes thrown in for filler. Every page took me deeper into the story. The suspense elements are backdrop for the story and aren’t really part of Kyle and Dustin’s story. It’s great filler but I couldn’t get enough of Dustin and Kyle. Their story is betrayal, forgiveness, trust and love. None of which come easy for these two. The sex didn’t feel like titillation thrown in to make the story erotic and hot. The sex was the spark between them but also the tool they used to trust again. Although they’d both tried to deny it, together they were complete. (Although the sex was freaking hot and erotic. Total turn-me-on sex!) A great read that is totally enjoyable even if you haven’t read other books in the series.