Blurb:
There’s no escaping the man at the heart of his memories.

Three years ago, David and his college roommate, Ethan, were on the brink of unimaginable success, ready to revolutionize an industry and reap billions. Then David accidentally revealed the attraction he’d never wanted to feel, and certainly never meant Ethan to see. Mortified, he ran from everything that mattered—the fledgling company he’d helped to build, the bright future he’d worked to secure, and the man he couldn’t let himself want.

Now he’s built a new life for himself. So what if it’s not the one he hoped for? He’s learned to look only forward, and not to envy the success Ethan achieved without him. He’s even learned to cope with the nightmares. The panic attacks. The failed relationships with women.

When an opportunity arises to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime getaway to a private island resort, David never suspects a trap is about to be sprung. One where he’ll be forced to face the truths from which he’s been hiding—and the man from whom he’s never stopped running.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review:

I think this is the first book this author has done but I hope she writes many more to come. The Trap takes you on a full emotional rollercoaster. Both characters are well crafted, lovingly infused with humor, emotion, fear, stubbornness, pain, and anger. Their connection is fiery and dynamic. They push and pull at each other, each afraid of being hurt which creates a lot of tension. At times I wanted to slap both men silly as they deserved their pain and other times wanted to cry with happiness that they were finally getting it. This story is incredibly hot but it’s filled with good emotion and a great connection. You really do end up rooting for the men at the end.

The story is a very clever set up. Best friends and roommates are about to start their new IT company together when an unintended evening has disastrous consequences. Now three years later David has had nothing to do with the company or Ethan since he ran out on both. Ethan’s decided David needs to stop running and sets up an elaborate scheme to bring David to an island where there is no one but Ethan. He’s determined to get David to be honest about his submissive needs, but more so to be honest about his feelings for Ethan.

David is the third person narrator of the story and thus we experience the entire ride through his eyes. And what a ride that is. David is a complicated character, filled with needs, desires, and incredible fear. He ran out on Ethan years ago before he could experience the rejection he was sure would happen and now David is even more determined to save his heart. Ethan is equally determined to break those walls and their chemistry is explosive. Ethan devises a trap where David has to submit to Ethan’s will in order to get anything – food, shelter, medical help – and this dynamic makes for an interesting story.

Ethan is an egomaniac but he has the best intentions and David is far from a weakling. He doesn’t give in right away but once he does, he doesn’t repeatedly rebel but he uses snark and humor to get his point across. That’s his way of protecting his heart and the dialogue is witty and very fun to read. Their back and forth banter combined with incredibly hot sex scenes makes for a story you sink into and don’t want to put down. There is a dominance and submission element but it’s very mild and nothing that should bother any readers. This is likely to always be an element in their sex life but it was also a way for Ethan to get David to be honest and stop hiding.

There are some typical moments in the story such as lying for the good of the other person, which made me want to strangle both men. Then their pining for each other without actually wanting to –do- anything about it, which made me think they deserved their pain. But this just solidifies and actually makes their final resolution together surprisingly affective and emotional. I do wish the story hadn’t trotted out the obvious lies and manipulations to prolong the tension but since the assistant is a good addition, I didn’t mind.

I think this is going to be a big hit with romance fans. The characters are well crafted and great to read with an easy writing style which has the pages turning quickly. The humorous dialogue and well used wit produce some laugh out loud moments and all of this helps get over any frustration with stubborn men. If you’re looking for something incredibly hot with solid emotion and a great happy ending, check this out.