Safe Harbor

Castle Harbor, Book 4

By: J.P. Oliver

Narrated by: Austin Jay

Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

A troubled man trying to get through the job.
A chef with a hidden pain.
The curious connection that binds them together.

Tyson is the foreman of the resort construction team, but he has a problem: His issues are out of control, making it difficult to keep things together for this gig. The distraction of a certain gorgeous cook is about to complicate things even further.

Will Tyson’s troubles ruin his dream job?

Alex is a talented chef who has just suffered a devastating loss - his father has passed. Rather than meet it head on, he’s buried himself in his work. However, those close to Alex are seeing fractures starting to surface.

When Tyson can’t cope with the pressure, will he run from Castle Harbor? Or straight into Alex’s arms?

This gay romance audiobook is intended for adults only. This audiobook and every other audiobook in the Castle Harbor Series has a HEA and can be listened to in any order. Listeners be warned - it contains mentions of alcohol abuse.

©2019 Special Fiction Books (P)2019 Special Fiction Books

Not a fan

of this installment, I've enjoyed this series but these 2 were hard to wrap my head around and the side characters were really not likable at all. It wasn't bad just not my favorite, narration was well done.

Addiction can be a hard thing to break

Alex and Tyson two amazing guys that are both suffering from addiction one is a workaholic with the other struggles with drinking. But one is also fighting another demon and that’s coming out of the closet. I loved both of these boys and I’m glad that in the end that they have worked things out. I can say this though although the construction of the hotel has caused some headaches it’s certainly done the gay boys of this town some good. Tyson is there as part of the construction crew and well he goes out for the night only to be found by Alex in the alley and from there the story moves forward. I am glad though that at one point Alex gets a good speaking too even if he doesn’t feel it is right. It may just be the wake up call he needs. Overall another enjoyable story in the series.

Step by Step Away From Destruction

JP. Oliver handles the subject of addiction with knowledge and compassion. There may be triggers in this book for some readers.

Tyson's addiction is alcohol. We follow him from when he is released from Rehab to a new town, a new job, with new people. As a construction foreman, he needs to remain sober and clear headed.

Tyson struggles every day with refusing to drink, but social situations and peer pressure lead him to make bad decisions. Consequences and guilt take a toll on all of his relationships.

Tyson's boyfriend wonders what he has gotten into by falling in love with a man who is both not "out" and an alcoholic. He doesn't see that his own life of stress and overworking is affecting his physical health.

J.P. Oliver focuses mostly on the alcoholism and how it affects everyone around Tyson, but he sneaks in tidbits that remind the reader that anything can become addictive if experienced in excess.

Narrator Austin Jay has a smooth reading style that keeps the story flowing, and allows listeners to stay engaged with the characters.

Love Castle Harbor, but...

Some of the characters in this book made it really hard to love it as much as I loved the previous title. It seemed so unrealistic for Tyson to be so easily persuaded to throw his sobriety out of the window just to appease his coworkers. That really bothered me. And those guys (and the friend who abandoned him with the tab) on the construction site were jerks to not respect that saying no to a drink meant no. They came across very immature and childish.

Two Broken Souls!

This addition to the series is a little more emotional in the sense that you have an alcoholic and a workaholic trying to get past their addictions. I truly appreciate that the author didn't just miraculously cure Tyson's alcoholism, he had setbacks. Alex is great for Tyson and really helps him recover and Tyson helps Alex realize that he has an addiction of his own, work. These two men broken men are a great help and support to one another to help each one move on from their addiction and have a full and complete life full of love. The narrator did an excellent job with these characters and the story. I voluntarily reviewed a gifted copy of this audiobook.

MM Romance about facing your fears & so much more!

Story: J.P. Oliver's Safe Harbor, book four of the Castle Harbor series is probably my most favorite in the series. Safe Harbor is about Tyson, the resort construction team's foreman who's suffering in silence for his big problem: alcohol abuse; but this time around he's determined to keep on trying to keep it under control. When we goes out one night with his crew (under peer pressure for sure), it's when we meet the sweet and talented chef, Alex, who also is suffering in silence: he hasn't properly mourn the death of his father so he has worked non stop in their cafe, leaving him no room for having life. When these two meet, fireworks go off and the chemistry, along with the hot as heck attraction is undeniable. This story is about two broken men, battling their demons alone, when all they need to do is reach out to one another and fight their demons together.

Performance: I've listened to Austin Jay's narration and would like to comment that his Tyson impersonation was sexy! I guess I'm a sucker for the raspy, gruff voice and he nailed it (lol). He's done a good job differentiating between the MCs and I always appreciate that.

Overall: 5 stars for Safe Harbor, not just for the story and performance, but for JP Oliver's knack for a good plot and story, especially when he involves real life situation such as loss of a loved one and alcohol abuse. You can relate to his characters. and with that said, Safe Harbor has all the elements of a great mm romance; happy listening all!

another great addition

Safe Harbor is an enjoyable addition to the series as we meet another 2 characters on the list of Castle Harbor residents.
Two strong men, both with self destructive tendencies find each other and with their combined support, realise what's important. I enjoyed these guys and can relate to both men's workplace issues - I would have liked the book to be a little longer so I could spend more time with them 😁

Austin Jay has done a great job bringing these characters to life, I would like it if he made his female character voices a little more different (feminine), but that's only a minor critique.

Overall, thoroughly enjoyable and I look forward to book 5.

I LOVED IT!

I loved it. Although this story is quick it doesn't lack in entertainment. The narration was great and will keep you entertained. The author did a great job with the character builds and plot. I read Rough Waters in this series and enjoyed it as well. I look forward to reading more of her books. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Construction worker meets cafe owner

Tyson runs a construction crew building a new resort in Castle Harbor. Alex runs the café that his dad spent this life building. Together they make a cute, and hot, couple.

This is a little bit different than many romances I’ve read, in that the conflict is not the romance itself, but Tyson’s alcoholism, and to a lesser extent, Alex’s workaholism. They fall instantly in love and there isn’t much give-and-take, will-the-or-won’t they in the drama. Alex never seriously considered breaking up with Tyson over his alcoholism. He’s only more than willing to pick him up whenever he gets drunk at a bar and makes a scene. And his boss is way too understanding and forgiving. Tyson gets saved too easy, too many times. There are threats of repercussions, but not actual repercussions, except for his history of being fired before the story starts.

That said, the story was both exasperating and heartening, and the characters interesting. I’m interested in reading the rest of the series as I’ve become attached to this small resort town. I’d like to learn more about it.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Two men who must confront their demons

“I stood up for my heart, so why did it hurt so much?”

Alex owns the local café and is a bit of a workaholic. Tyson is a construction worker who is struggling to stay sober. Together they learn to support each other and work through the things that haunt them. Neither is perfect, their struggles are realistic, and it made for a heartfelt and sweet story. I really enjoyed Alex and Tyson’s story. I did have a few unanswered questions, but nothing big that it took away from the story.

Austin Jay did a great job. I was able to easily follow along as he spoke clearly and has a nice voice.

I was given this free audiobook review copy at my request and have voluntarily left my review without bias or persuasion.

Loved it

I really loved listening to this book as you follow both Tyson and Alex as they both deal with problems that affect their life different though they are and how they can help each other.
The narrator brought the story to life