Delighted Reader

I admit, I read this series out of order. This is in fact the first time I have read anything by Karina Cooper, but I do know I want to read more. Because I jumped into an established series, I found myself not quite understanding the intricacies of Church, Mission, or even what the world building was. After I realized I was in the middle of a series, I decided to focus more on the characters and how they react to each other and not so much on the world that surrounded them.

We meet Jonas Stone helping to rescue the rebel leader’s grandson, Danny, from the Mission. Slowly through the course of text, we learn Jonas is the quiet backbone of the insurrection. He works the computers and communications systems like he is a part of them. While he is behind the scenes, I am pretty sure the rebel group knows his worth even as he shies away from any limelight. The biggest thing we learn is that there is something in his past that has scarred him and left him slightly debilitated. This doesn’t stop him from living life, just makes him more jaded to everyone’s intentions.

Jonas quietly and stealthily walks Danny through his escape, but Jonas’s voice sounds like an angel to Danny. As Danny throbs in pain, he grasps to Jonas’s voice in his ear, encouraging him and supporting him with a will of spirit. Danny is in his early 20s while Jonas is in his 30s. I wouldn’t consider this a large age gap, but Jonas uses it to push Danny away, while Danny will have no part of it.

After the rescue, the two are in a safe house together. This is when the two dance around each other until Danny asks the blunt question: Are you gay? While Danny is forceful in his pursuit of Jonas, he is also a careful lover. But Jonas craves the pain to help him keep distance from his lovers. The two compliment each other from different spectrums. Danny grew up in a loving, supportive family, while Jonas grew up in the Church where homosexuality is frowned upon.

I was in love with how two people from different pasts connected with each other through just voices at first and later as they came to realize they were the one for each other. A wonderful HEA and now I am need of a buying spree to read the rest of this series. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for two such different men looking for love and redemption from their own hearts. A character driven story that grabbed my heart, take a chance and read this wonderful new novella.