I don’t think this one can be read as a standalone. I read book one and still had a hard time keeping up with all the characters. The author does a decent job of trying to keep the reader caught up on who everyone is but there are a bunch of players so it’s hard to keep track. Also, in book one there is quite a bit of build up between Zach and Drew and some of their history is explained.

Drew continues to relentlessly tease and passively pursue Zach and Zach is slowly but surely wearing down and getting to the point of admitting his attraction to Drew. The threat to Drew fast-tracks their relationship but they would have eventually ended up together. I like them together; Zach’s protectiveness is hot and his sweetness in taking care of Drew is endearing. Drew is feisty and full of energy, but this threat is slowly sucking the life out of him. I love that he is able to lean on Zach to get him through this and they come out of the ordeal stronger together.

The suspense story is good…the stalker came out of left field and totally surprised me. It did answer a question about how the author was going to deal with one of the characters for me, but I sure didn’t see it coming.

There are some hints and foreshadowing surrounding Mason, Grant and Sawyer but they’re convoluted so it’s hard to tell where that storyline will go. Sawyer clearly has a past and a story to tell and he now has some healing to do so I’m intrigued about his story. There is some major sexual tension between Grant and Mason and Grant’s reaction to Sawyer’s helping Drew was interesting. All of this is hopefully leading to a story of the three of them, not a triangle but I guess time will tell.

I still can’t wait for Ryder and Avery to get a book…they had some more banter in this one (which would be confusing to anyone who didn’t read book one, IMHO) and that just whet my whistle for their story too.

Overall, I liked this second installment in this series (I didn’t read the original series) and cannot wait for it to continue!

There is something about Jaclyn Quinn’s writing that I just fell in love with. She’s one of the first M/M authors I ever read. Her characters and stories just drew me in from the start.

Zach, my giant teddy bear! Protective Zach just brings all the feels and complete love. Drew my adorable little teddy bear! Drew has that personality that just keeps you reading. Drew is out spoken and takes no shit from no one and it’s a pleasure to see! Oh the tears! Happy, sad, they were all over the place! Zach and Drew have their moments but come together and boy when they come together! Hot, hot, hot! Love them.

Oh and the stalker reveal... never saw that shit coming! Excellent work!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 Stars

Loved it...lots of twists and turns

Really enjoyed this second book in the Beyond the Cove series and looking forward to more (and REALLY hoping the next book is going to be the ones I’m hoping for!!)

Zach and Drew are compelling MCs that you want to root for. It takes a bit too long to finally get them together but once they are things move quickly.

The suspense part of the story is well done with lots of red herrings. The author does a good job making those red herrings just suspicious enough to be plausible and have the reader go hmmmm. I have to say that I did figure out the bad guy situation as soon as they were introduced. Nonetheless the suspense was still well maintained.

The book was a quick, riveting read. Highly recommend.

This one was, in the vast majority, a total winner for me and I thought it worked very well as the second book in this spin-off series.

It's only not five stars because I was personally disappointed with the way the stalker plot played out. That's totally on me and not in any way a criticism of how Jaclyn wrote it.

It works well and came out of left field so that was a positive and it completely fits within the plot narrative.

***Note, if you don't want any clues as to the villain of the piece, avoid this spoiler. It doesn't identify them but it may be more of a hint to some readers.***

Spoiler

My disappointment is more with the "who" as it felt like the trope of fridging/burying the (insert obstacle here) because ABC is in the way of a future relationship.

But it is an utterly personal niggle and has no bearing on the pacing and clever plotting of the suspense element.

The romance side of things is excellent and I loved Drew's unshakable feelings for Zach, even if the older man took a bit more warming up.

I love this setting, and I'm seriously stoked for the next couple of books which look likely to be on the cards from the clues given here.

It was nice to catch up with some of the Haven's Cove crew too and made me remember how much I enjoyed that series.

#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Second book in the Beyond the cove series that can be read as a standalone. I loved Zach and Drew so much. I sort of felt bad for Drew because Zach is so dense and stubborn about his feelings. He was unknowingly hurting him.
And seven years of pining?!! Fuuuuck!! That's a long time! Seven years of Zach being stubborn.

The stalker plot. I didn't see that coming. It was a total surprise. I was suspecting a lot of people but it didn't even come close.

I felt like there was a bit too much "I'm his, he's mine" stuff. They think or say that so many times after they got together, I thought that it was a bit too much.

Sawyer. I'm so intrigued by him. I want his backstory so bad! I'm sensing a shitload of angst there. I can't wait for his book!(Especially since it's with Grant and Mason)
The next book is Ryder and Avery and fingers crossed, I can read it as soon as possible!!