Rock and a Hard Place by Jane Davitt and Alexa Snow

Title:  Rock and a Hard Place

Series: N/A

Author: Jane Davitt/Alexa Snow

Genre: LGBT Contemporary (May 8th, 2012)

Length: Novel

Publisher: Loose Id

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3Hearts

Blurb: Determined to outdo each other, business rivals Sean and Andrew land themselves in hot water when their private feud spills over at a very public charity auction. With neither willing to back down over the dream vacation at stake, they’re told by their boss that they’re both going and that they’re to return as friends.

As fate would have it, their plane crashes and they wash up on a desert island where their feud is as likely to doom them as the lack of food and their inability to start a fire. But there’s enough heat between them to set sparks flying once out and proud Sean discovers that Andrew’s gay, but determined to remain in the closet.

Rescue comes, but brings with it new challenges. They’re whisked back to their old lives with secrets to keep and a shared passion that makes it impossible for them to stay apart for long.

Choices must be made, new paths taken, and two men who have always been good at fighting find themselves, finally, with something worth fighting for: each other.

Product Link: http://www.loose-id.com/Rock-and-a-Hard-Place.aspx

Reviewer: Thommie

Review: This novel follows Sean’s and Andrew’s “war and love”. Yes, of course, those two go together. Sean is a junior partner in Carney Enterprises. He loves his job and is very good at it. He is also a very proud gay man, coming out to his family ever when he was 12.  He’s not letting anyone step on him, due to his sexuality, at any point of his life. His life whirls around his job that is very demanding, leaving him not much time for personal relationships or even rest. While he thinks that everything is ok, at this point of his life, with little to take care of, there is one person that can unnerve him at any given moment and that is Andrew Carney. Yes, as in Carney Enterprises… Andrew is the boss’s son. In his estimation, Andrew was a spoilt brat, a playboy, having people throwing all over him because of his “old rich” blood. Sean thinks that even his job is being done by hardworking employees that would do anything to satisfy him. And being such a proud person, Sean never lets Andrew’s charm reach him; never hiding his despise and loathing either. And mostly, there is not a single encounter that they don’t fight. It is no wonder that in the charity event they both participate they’d end up in a similar situation. They bet against each other, on Sean’s dreamed vacation, until Harris Carney interrupts them. Harris’s notion of a nice working environment does not include having his two best managers at each other’s throat whenever they’re in the same room. So, he orders both of them on a joint vacation to solve things out. Of course, their plane crashes.  Of course, they land in a desert island alone. And of course, they turn all their need to fight into a more personal level. But, when they are rescued and finally back to civilization things get even worse between them. See, Andrew has been in the closet forever and has no intentions on coming out. He actually intents to marry, have kids and continue living a lie. And yes, things get a lot worse before they get better…

A nice book… but, I found it somehow lacking. I had the feeling the entire read was about a big, huge fight. The characters were constantly on war, even when they got personal they were fighting, sort to speak. It got me quite tired, waiting and hoping they would grow up already. Yes it reminded me, somehow, of kindergarten. While I liked Sean’s character (he had his nasty moments), I was so very disappointed from Andrew’s. He gave me the feeling of a hypochondriac, whining all the while when there’s nothing wrong with him. Always taking one step forward and two steps back. I had to wait until the very end of the book to literally see him grow some… uhm ,spine. J So, while Rock and a Hard Place is somehow a light read, it left me with a sigh.

If you love a good fight and have an inclination towards desert island fantasies and a happy ever after story this is the book for you.