Review: Sunset Hearts by Macy Largo

Sunset Hearts (The American Heroes Collection: Florida) by Macy Largo

Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand Publishing
Genre: Menage Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

After witnessing a mob hit and learning she’d die next, Daphne Peres chose to escape her boyfriend by jumping into the stormy Gulf of Mexico. She didn’t count on being rescued by hunky fishing guide, Alan Walker. Lucky for her, his equally hunky boyfriend, Jerald Carter, is a Florida Marine Patrol officer.

Living in hiding with easy-going Alan and intensely passionate Jerald is no sacrifice, especially when faced with the alternative of being forced into protective custody. The two men she now loves are the closest thing she’s had to a family. When they confess they’ve fallen for her too, she’s happy to join them in their bed.

Then the mob finds her and Alan’s nearly killed. Jerald faces a heart-wrenching decision to keep her safe or keep her with them. Will their love survive the stress of a federal trial, or will night fall permanently on their Sunset Hearts?


Desmond’s Review

The basic synopsis Ms. Largo draws us into is a young woman, hearing she’s about to be killed, jumps ship and is rescued by a gay marine charter owner and his fresh-out-of-the-closet partner, a Florida Marine Patrol officer.

While the way I wrote it, up above, may sound over the top, it’s a credit to Ms. Largo’s writing, which not only makes the entire scenario believable, but imbues it with its own life. As a romance, Sunset Hearts has all of the elements, including a sub-plot where the protagonists are separated for a long period and another regarding Jerald acceptance of his love for another man.

The main characters, Jerald and Alan, come across as real, their concern and love for one another blossoms during the story. The third character, Daphne’s, involvement with Jerald and Alan are the main driving force of the book and how she accepts the expanding relationship. I found her characterization as real as Alan and Jerald, but, for a short time, I did have concern with her quick acceptance of a ménage à trois to be out of the ordinary. However, after thinking further and understanding her past, what the two men offered her was something bereft in her background, so her quick acceptance has context.

While the main story revolves around the three characters and their growing relationship, a main plot point is about a Mafia-type underling, on orders from his father, to kill Daphne. This gives the story structure as Daphne and the boys work to conceal her from harm. When something happens, it works to open Sunset Hearts to a different beat and in the last part of the book, Ms. Largo deftly interweaves love letters showing real emotion, allowing the reader to understand the depth of the relationships.

Sunset Hearts is an erotic romance, the sex scenes between both men and also with Daphne, are wonderfully handled and skillfully executed. While the erotic part is written quite well, it’s the emotional side Ms. Largo uses to carry the story.

4 Tea Cups!