Two lonely men discover friendship and love even though they fight it all the way.

Ben lost his husband, the love of his life, after 25 wonderful years together. For the past two years, he’s been living his lonely life running an outdoor adventure resort with his sister-in-law, Miriam.

Jacob is finally a junior partner at his law firm. He worked so hard to get to this point, but it was to the detriment of all of his relationships. He’s never been in love, but he’s finally starting to think it was a mistake not to share his life with somebody else. When he discovers that one of the other partners might be engaging in shady activities, he decides to investigate. He ends up at Ben’s resort, and the instant attraction between the two of them is the beginning of a lovely relationship.

Ben brings a lot of history and memories of his husband into the new relationship with Jacob. Ben had been with his husband for 25 years, all of Ben’s reflections are positive without any regrets, and Jacob is never seen as a replacement. For these reasons, it never bothered me that Ben spent a lot of time thinking of the past. I really enjoyed watching the two of them enjoy being with each other over the months that the story takes place. They made a beautiful couple, and it came through in their thoughts and actions.

The investigation of the potentially corrupt partner gave Ben and Jacob reasons to see each other. Since both of them were fighting the idea of spending their lives together for understandable reasons, it was great for them to have an excuse for bonding time.

I really enjoyed this beautiful romance between two mature men who had to learn how to move forward with their lives.

Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

BLURB

Money can’t buy happiness. Jacob Nussbaum knows this better than anyone. He’s a corporate lawyer deep inside a huge New York firm, where he works overtime, sacrifices any chance at a personal life, and has been selling his soul for years. With a secretary as his only friend, he trudges on, until his whole world is blown apart by a manila envelope of photos—evidence that one of the firm’s partners is the dirtiest lawyer in one hell of a filthy business.

In search of the truth, Jacob travels to a small northern Wisconsin fishing resort. There he meets Ben Anderson, a brutally lonely man, who knocks him off his feet. Ben prompts Jacob to reevaluate his life. He’s a dozen years older than Jacob, still recovering from the death of his long time love, and doesn’t want to leave anyone a widower. But a jaded New Yorker on a soul-searching mission might be just the man to convince the grieving Ben that it’s never too late to begin again.