Author, A. J. Llewellyn

Review by Serena Yates, Rainbow Book Reviews

http://www.rainbowbookreviews.com/book-reviews/the-haven-palm-springs-diaries-2-by-aj-llewellyn-at-extasy-books

Elias and Josh, from ‘The Oasis’, are back, and this time they not only have a great relationship, they’re facing real life and all its problems head-on. As fun as the first book is, with all the ‘activities’ available at a gay circuit party – and then some, this second book gives each man, and their life together, some depth and made them even more real for me. Elias having to deal with his crazy ex, Carina, made me shake my head and wonder about her sanity. As it turns out, there is far more going on than I suspected…

As an aside and before I go into the review itself: the issue of a bird’s nest co-parenting arrangement raises its ugly head for Elias and his son Julio. It is a very peculiar way of dealing with divorce and shared custody, usually temporary as a transition, or semi-permanent. Basically, the divorced parents, rather than sending the kids back and forth between them, rotate in and out of the family home, leaving the child/children in their own, stable environment. Now, this may make sense from a theoretical point of view and when looking at the child’s interests, but the mayhem it creates for everyone else is considerable. And this book does an excellent job at showing that.

Okay, back to the story. Elias and Josh are about to celebrate their first anniversary and are planning to have the promised anniversary threesome with gay porn star Samuel Colt. After all the fun they had the previous year when the two best friends finally got together as lovers, it is a tempting prospect. Even though each of them have some private doubts, now that they are a committed couple, the temptation just proves too much. And with Julio spending time with his mother that week, the opportunity is too good to miss. Except – nothing goes as it is supposed to, and chaos soon takes over. I loved the outcome once the dust settles, and have to say, it was quite ingeniously set up and executed.

This story is fun, exciting as all the different people and actions collide, then find themselves fitted into a very happy ending. Emotions run high, the passion is definitely still there for Elias and Josh, and the threesome with Samuel Colt? Hot, hot, hot! If you like stories about committed couples who still like to play, on occasion, if you enjoy reading about men facing the chaos of shared custody arrangements, and if you’re looking for a very entertaining and very hot read, then you will probably like this novella. I’m still smiling!