Safe In His Arms by Renae Kaye

Hey everyone,

As usual I have returned to the genre of contemporary m/m and this is one that has been lingering on my TBR pile for around three or four months... So really it’s been read fairly quickly!

Before I commence the review of Safe in His Arms by Renae Kaye I will say that this book mentions the repeated rape of a minor (one of the hero’s back stories) and contains an age gap between the two heroes, so if those are triggers for you stop reading now! But feel free to check out some of my other m/m reviews (shameless plugging over, I promise!).

The book:

In the late-night quiet of the caravan park shower room, Lon Taylor washes away the filth of the Western Australian mines. He’s not looking for anyone, but when Casey offers, Lon doesn't turn him down. 

Welcoming the young man in his big, hairy arms, Lon provides a safety to Casey that he has never known, and Casey wants to stay forever. Still reeling from the breakup of his family years ago, Lon’s not sure he’s ready for the responsibility of the comfort and security Casey craves.

But perhaps Lon can risk opening his heart again and hoping for a brighter future. Casey has some pretty big skeletons in his past to deal with. And Lon wonders what Casey will do when he finds out how badly Lon failed at protecting the ones he loved eight years ago.

My thoughts:

So I brought this book due to Lon’s physical description as a Bear because I was tired of reading books featuring Twinks, ‘straight’ athletic men and all the other stereotypical gay body types found in m/m romances. I went in expecting a light-hearted contemporary with a little bit of angst surrounding Casey’s ‘skeletons’ what I read was something completely different. Something so much better than my initial expectations!

I believe part of reason I loved this book was because of these surprises and all the unexpected twists in Lon’s and Casey’s backstories. For that reason I will attempt to make this review spoiler free, but no promises!

This book grabbed me from the start, I mean that shower scene was pretty damn hot and from that point on I was basically hooked! Yes Safe in His Arms does have a high-level of sexual content and the physical relation between Lon and Casey is an important part of how their relationship develops. I loved how Renae Kaye approached some of the more serious topics mentioned in the book. She didn’t shy away from exploring the rape but instead showed how the character was strong enough to move pass being a victim.

“Of course it will always be there, but not like you mean, ***. It will always be there, but *** has the choice of whether to react to it or not”

I’ve replaced the names with stars to avoid spoilers. I thought both Casey and Lon where incredibly brave, dependable and loving characters. Neither of them judged the others for their various ‘skeletons’, not even for a moment. Instead they sympathised and defended one another. Yes at times they verbally lashed-out and said things they didn’t mean but it was never unforgivable or intentionally hurtful.

This was a book with so much love, strength and community. Despite the hardship of Lon and Casey their relationship was effortless. They could laugh, relax and have fun together and it was for that reason I loved reading Safe In His Arms. I thought Renae Kaye did a fantastic job of combining this light-hearted and easy relationship with the more serious and poignant scenes.

“A heart is an amazing item. My heart’s been bruised, battered, smashed, and stabbed. Yet it still beats in my chest. Do you know the most amazing thing? It can still love. It still hopes and dreams. It still beats rapidly when that certain person is in the room. It still dares to put its trust in another”.

Also did I mention its set in Australia and it actually felt like Australia, not just any generic western-style city? Not all authors can do that so I was pretty impressed.

My rating:

Happy reading everyone and see you next time!