Book Review: Wings of Love by Scotty Cade

Title: Wings of Love
Series: Love, Book 1
Author: Scotty Cade
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy from publisher
Published: February 2011 by Dreamspinner Press

Devastated after losing his partner of fifteen years to cancer, Dr. Bradford Mitchell tries to escape the emptiness and loss by leaving his life in Seattle behind. Traveling to the Alaskan mountains where he and Jeff often vacationed, Brad reconnects with Mac Cleary, the ruggedly handsome and very straight floatplane pilot who had flown them to Hyline Lake many times in the past. Brad and Mac form an unlikely friendship and buy an old log cabin together, and as he and Mac begin to bring the old cabin back to life, Mac watches Brad come back to life as well, stirring emotions in him he’s never felt for a man before.

When fear, confusion, and a near tragedy threaten to force the two men apart, they’ll face some tough questions. Can Brad let go of Jeff and the guilt he feels about beginning to care for another man? And can Mac deal with his fears of being gay and accept the fact that he is in love with Brad? It will be a struggle for both men to keep their heads and hearts intact while exploring what life has to offer.

Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: Highly enjoyable MM romance with two mature leads finding love together in the Alaskan wilderness. Just my kind of book!

The Set Up: Brad is devastated by losing his partner to cancer so he escapes Seattle to start a new life in Alaska. There Brad reconnects with Mac, the floatplane pilot who had flown Brad and his partner to their Alaskan vacation lodge. Mac and Brad begin an unlikely friendship as they rebuild a log cabin together. Brad slowly comes back to the land of the living and Mac feels things for Brad he’s never felt for a man before.

Why I Read this Book: The synopsis and cover totally captured my attention. Additionally, I’m searching out MM romance that is written by men as I find them more-story-less-erotica than some female authored MM.

What I Liked: I love both Brad and Mac. They’re both in their forties and have full lives with good and bad life experiences before they meet each other. Brad’s cocoon of pain and loneliness after losing his partner is believable but not the focus that I was worried it may be. Brad’s grief is real and relatable without making him an unlikely lead for a new romance and I loved this balance. Mac is such a likable person that readers are sucked into his quandary with his attraction to Brad. The men have a solid friendship that develops before their sexual relationship and this adds beautiful depth to their romance. I could see why these two would choose each other to build a life with and to me this is the epitome of romance.

What I Also Liked: This is a delicious romance told over time. The story isn’t rushed and neither Brad nor Mac’s issues were glossed over for the sake of the tension or resolution. The men’s emotional intimacy builds as slowly as their sexual intimacy but it’s more poignant because they don’t rush either. I love a romance where both leads talk to each other, even if it’s just an acknowledgement that they don’t quite know what they want and this book offers that.

The secondary characters are also good and the Alaskan setting is almost its own character. The challenges of living in Alaska, with no cell phones for safety and a composting toilet were great additions to the story. Sure, exactly what I expected to happen with the snow happened but even that was exotic and enjoyable tension for me. The plot revolves primarily around Brad and Mac rebuilding a log cabin in the Alaskan wilderness and allows the focus to remain on the men which I love. The tension of Mac coming out was cringe-worthy but compelling storytelling, in my opinion, and just provided the cherry on top of this great story.

What I Didn’t Like: Only that I don’t get more of Brad and Mac. I’m going to read and review the next three books in this series so maybe I’ll get peak-ins on this delicious couple.

IMO: MM fans looking for true romance with heat and heart should read Wings of Love today.

J9’s Rating: