I have loved everything that I have ever read that Claire Thompson has written. She has written a lot of BDSM stories, both MM and MF, but this isn't one of them. This is a pretty vanilla-ish story, which doesn't mean that the book as lost anything. It's just a different dynamic, and still something that I loved reading. I ended up with all the feelz while I was reading, and it was perfect.

Sam is an up and coming artist who is taking a cruise, which was given to him by a friend. He spends his time looking at the ocean and the light, taking pictures so he can remember what it looks like so he can paint it.

Donovan is an up and coming lawyer who has always done what his father wants him to, including working hard as an associate lawyer. He is taking a vacation on the same cruise ship as Sam.

When the ship sinks, Sam and Donovan end up in the same life raft, far away from anyone else, and land on a small deserted island.

This is a first time gay story, since Donovan has been straight. But calling it that doesn't seem to do justice to me. Part of it is the way that Sam identifies. He doesn't identify as anything in particular because he doesn't like labels. He says he's attracted to people, sexually. There is something about a person that just sexually attracts him. But, he tends to be emotionally attracted to men. I really like that description. It shows that he has put a lot of work into thinking about who he is. And that really shows with him, I think. He knows who he is and what he is and what he likes and what he wants. Donovan, OTOH, has always just kind of done what other people wanted him to do and hasn't really ever tried to figure out who he is. That can be really hard for anyone to deal with.

I do love both guys and the story. I called it vanilla-ish because there is some power exchange, but it may be the kind of power exchange that would happen in a relationship similar to Donovan and Sam's anyway. ( )