The Official Description: Connor Molina’s summer can’t get any worse. He’s stuck in his college town taking summer classes, and he’s got a dead-end lifeguard job he’s too old for and a baby gay who’s thirsty for all the wrong guys.
Even worse? Tristan, a wild patron, won’t leave his section of the pool, splashing him and pulling stupid stunts to get his attention. When Tristan fakes a drowning to get closer to him, Connor’s furious, but he quickly realizes that Tristan’s reckless nature isn’t always infuriating…it’s also intriguing.
Can he let his guard down and let Tristan in, or will he be bound by his own rules and drown in the self-doubt this summer could free him from?
Just the facts: M/M romance, summer romance, new adult
Lifeguard Connor Molina doesn’t know what he’s in for when Tristan starts showing up at the pool constantly. – Kinzie Things
My thoughts bit: This book surprised me! I thought it was going to be a cute summer romance, which it is…but it has a lot more depth than I expected.
Connor is stuck working at the pool while he’s taking summer classes. College life isn’t quite what he expected. He’d rather be lazing around his parents’ place but he needs to make money…and he’s a swimmer! Being at the pool all summer should be great. But it’s not.
An event in Connor’s past ensures that he’s stressed out all the time while working. People can drown, people can get hurt… and as if that’s not stressful enough he’s dealing with Tristan. Tristan is an annoying constant at the pool, always breaking the rules and vying for Connor’s attention. When Tristan finally pretends to drown… things escalate in a couple of different ways. Tristan is furious that someone would pretend to drown. it’s a serious issue. But then… he finds himself dealing with a budding attraction to Tristan that he hadn’t bargained on.
The summer romance in this book is solid but I think what I liked, even more, was the growth of Tristan and Connor. These two characters met at one stage in their lives and progressed to another together. It’s an interesting plot to follow along with two people who are together only a short time and find themselves dealing with some pretty heavy life issues. I felt as though I really got to know Connor and Tristan and I was disappointed when the book finished because I wanted to know more!
This is the second book of J.R. Hart’s I have read and I would definitely recommend this author! If you’re a fan of M/M romance with a bit of depth then you’ll enjoy this one! Please read the warnings though!
Things You May Want To Know: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In this book: (SPOILERS) mentions a child dying in the past, death of a parent, alcoholic parent, discovering a dead body, extreme guilt over a past event.
Links: Goodreads // The Author // The Publisher
I received an ARC of Splash by J.R. Hart from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Kinzie Things 