Rating:  3.75 stars out of 5

In 1934 Quebec, Joseph Vega has been locked up in Linhart Prison for three years for an assault committed on a man who’d been in process of robbing his mother’s home. He’s lost track of himself and nearly forgotten how to feel in the cold, dark place.

When a beautiful ginger-head man named Christophe Dubois is led into his cell, Joe knows he’s in trouble. From the moment Joe lays eyes on the disowned son of an affluent politician, his life begins to change. Christophe is spoiled but also bold, curious, and feisty, and his presence opens up feelings that Joe has tried to bury and deny down for years. Eventually, Joe can’t resist the temptation of climbing into the man’s bunk. But he’s not the only one drawn by Dubois and soon Joe must fight to keep Christophe safe.

Inside they were thrown together in a cruel and barren place, but is the flame that burns between Joe and Chris enough to keep them together when they are released from the confining walls and face an even tougher world?

I have always been drawn to prison stories, and when I saw the cover and blurb this one called out to me. This one isn’t your typical prison story though, but a historical story with an interesting location and time period placing it during the Great Depression era during events leading up to World War II. Although much of the story takes place within the walls of Linhart, the plot touches on events both leading up to the two men’s incarceration and events after their release.

Those inside the prison pretty much lived up to my ideas of what had to be, but I found myself struggling with Joe’s mother’s reactions after his release, but kept reminding myself of the timeframe and that it was to be expected even if disappointing.

Both main characters were interesting and well-drawn. Watching Joe struggle to accept himself as his feelings for Chris emerged, as he slowly broke through the walls he’d built inside himself was the highlight of the story for me. I truly felt these two guy’s connection, their heat, and their pain.

However, the story’s pacing was uneven for me. It was slow to engage me, taking until the eleven percent mark on my kindle for me to really get invested enough to have the story begin to carry me along. Beyond that, some parts held me captivated and had me turning pages late into the night while others seemed to drag. There were some editing errors and a few places where I was left a bit confused.

Overall, this is a thought-provoking and touching story with some deeply poignant moments and an interesting setting and period.

The cover is quite fitting for this story showing the prison, the hot guy and the barren landscape with trees below.

Sales Links:  JMS Books | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

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