Sanctuary

Wrecked, Book 1

By: Kelly Fox

Narrated by: John Solo

Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

What's the first rule of running a gym by and for combat vets? Enjoy the scorching hot scenery, but get your kicks somewhere else.

Never mind that my cousin-slash-business partner ignores that rule every chance he gets. I don't ignore it. Ever. And frankly, between Grindr, and living in one of the gayest cities in America, it's not exactly a hardship.

Hell, it's so easy, I can do it on one leg.

That is, until a pair of blue eyes, swimming with vulnerability, shows up at my door, looking for a job. He's too skinny, too mouthy, and way too young for the likes of me, but he pings that protector instinct in me - hard.

I want to fix whatever put that lost look in his eyes, but to manage that, I'd have to do the one thing I said I'd never do.

Break my own rules.

Sanctuary is an MM military romance, featuring hurt-comfort, found family, and a gym full of ripped men, wearing tight shorts, and lifting heavy objects.

This is the first audiobook in the Wrecked series. The characters - Evie, Scout, Jake and Jean-Pierre - first appear in Scout and the Lavender Girl, written under my pen name, K.C. Littleton.

©2020 Kelly Fox (P)2023 Kelly Fox

Heart warming

My first listen to John Solo as a narrator but definitely not my last.

A beautiful story by Kelly Fox which grabs you from the very first chapter!

5*

Amazing story!!

I absolutely LOVE John Solo and he did such an amazing job!!

This was a beautiful story of overcoming hardships and accepting yourself. Nick was grieving his past in the Navy that made him lose his leg and Elijah was struggling with his aunt’s death & being homeless. Nick’s gruffness was softened by Elijah’s beautiful kindness. These two are perfect for one another.

LOVED

I found Sanctuary to be a sweet opposites attract/enemies to lovers story. Nick and Elijah start off on the wrong foot but soon realize their error. I loved the community that fills this story with such amazing secondary characters. There is angst, humor, romance and so much more here. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.
John Solo does a wonderful job of giving life to these guys. He brings the story to life and it was so enjoyable to listen to this book.

Audio lived up to the book

I got Sanctuary as an arc and loved it, have reread a couple of times, so I was wary about the audio. John Solo knocks it out of the park, though, and captures all the characters, from Nick and Elijah to Jean-Pierre, Scout, and Evie. There's a lot of snark and humor in the book, and John voices all of that with ease. He does pretty well on the sex scenes, too!

Definitely recommend, and can't wait for the next one to be on audio!

100%

I absolutely love Sanctuary. I first read it over a year ago and am so happy it's available in the audible format now. Is it all little over the top at times with the snark? Absolutely! Do I love that about this book? 100%! John Solo does an amazing job with this book. He isn't just reading the book but bringing these characters to life so you can feel the emotions that Kelly poured onto the page. I can't wait for more!

4.5 stars of romance, humor and angst!

Narration: John Solo isn’t my favorite narrator, but I think he did a pretty darn good job with this book. He really did Elijah’s character justice. His comedic timing is on point and he conveys a lot of emotion through his voice. It definitely felt like a performance rather than a reading of the book.

Story: I’m reviewing this book after listening to the audio (2 years after my initial read through.)

This was the first MM book I read by Kelly Fox and I love it. (My first book was Kelly’s FF book Scout and the Lavender Girl under a different pen name which I highly recommend.) Kelly has a distinct style of writing and a great sense of humor, but what really stands out is how she calls out toxic masculinity and writes men who do things like express their emotions and see therapists. And the found family? Chef’s kiss!

In Sanctuary, Elijah is struggling to rebuild his life after leaving the Army and finding the life he thought he’d return to in shambles. Nick is living the status quo, managing his queer friendly gym in the heart of Austin and avoiding any kind of serious relationship. Elijah applied for a job at Nick’s gym and things start to change for the better.

While these guys eventually find their way to a loving romantic relationship, it takes a little while to get there. Nick is incredibly stubborn and cynical, while Elijah is just trying to survive. So yeah, I didn’t initially like Nick. Elijah sounds like a total sweetheart! How could you be rude to him?? But of course it’s all misunderstandings (thankfully they’re not dragged out, Nick is seriously just that stubborn) and Nick honestly sucks at expressing himself. There are plenty of spicy times between these two, but not overly so and it fits their relationship. They have a bit of a hate/love thing going on at the start.

I also really loved all the side characters, especially Roly (and I’ve already read his book and fell even more in love with his character.)

I am such a fan of this author, and her writing just gets better and better with each book. If you find this book to be just ok, I urge you to keep reading her books. She’s absolutely a one-click author for me.

Sanctuary

After listening to the Wrecked: Guardians series I finally found some time to start this series so I can properly meet the characters who have made cameo appearances. I honestly haven’t met a Kelly Fox book that I didn’t absolutely enjoy.

Be prepared for all the feels though. You may cry but you’ll probably laugh too.

Highly recommend this book and both series of books.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Superb story!

I love this series! It centers around a gym for combat vets, many of whom have prosthesis and/or mental conditions. The owners are also gay, so there is an open atmosphere of acceptance. Enter Elijah. He desperately needs a job, and is one of the best employees ever, but he is hiding what he feels as a shameful secret. Nick has his ultra strict regime and need to control, along with some post trauma stuff to deal with. Two people who hide pieces of themselves until sh1t hits the fan and then a HEA. A fantastic start to why is a well crafted and highly enjoyable series. The characters are amazingly 3D with foibles like real people.

A Reread for Sure

Sanctuary was the first book I read by Kelly Fox. What a great introduction to a quirky and loving cast of characters.

Combat veteran Nick Martinez is half-owner of a gym for vets called Wrecked. Grouchy Nick has his own guilt to deal with and when beautiful but too-thin Elijah walks in for a job interview Nick is positive he's not going to hire Elijah. During the interview Nick throws him a challenge he's sure to fail. Elijah is desperate enough for the job to pull it off. Elijah has his own secrets though.

The push and pull between these two is sweet. And when they finally come together the heat is off the charts.

John Solo does his usual excellent job narrating this story with clear voices and just enough inflection to make the characters come alive. This is definitely on my reread/relisten list.

Great start to a series!!!

Sanctuary is book 1 in the Wrecked series.

Nick the retired Navy SEAL, amputee and owner of Wrecked, a gym for veterans.

Elijah the touch starved, snarky, homeless Army vet, looking for a job.

This was a story between two scarred warriors overcoming their pasts to find the love they both deserve. I was worried they wouldn't get past their issues and find their HEA, but love prevailed.

John Solo did a fantastic job with the narration of this book, he brought the characters to life. He was able to give each character a distinctive voice.

Hurt/comfort, slow burn, found family