DRAWN IN by BARBARA ELSBORG :: REVIEW

“Just don’t break me…”
“I doubt I could break you. But I’d always put you back together.”

It’s been a while since we’ve picked up a Barbara Elsborg book and from the very first chapter, we were reminded of why we adore this author’s work as much as we do. Whether it’s M/F or M/M there is a sadness and despair to her stories that’s always alleviated in some ways by the injection of acerbic, sarcastic witty inner monologue or banter. She has a gift of injecting slivers of light into the darkness, sadness and vulnerability of her characters and Drawn In displayed this talent perfectly.

Kell, and Gethin were such tortured and lonely characters, giving the story an overall feeling of melancholy. Our hearts truly ached for them both. Both men carried the scars, pain and liabilities of their past. They came across as such lost souls we could feel their loneliness and imminent connection through the pages.

“You can’t keep me safe, but you can keep me strong.”

Kell is an undercover cop, trying to crack open a case that sees him being treated in the most deplorable manner by the cruel, second in command of a criminal ring.  Geez, did this guy have us on the edge of our seat and our hearts in pieces. He deserved some happiness through his bleakness.

Gethin is working as undercover Private Investigator uncovering cheating partners, a far cry from his previous life as a guitarist in a successful band, when he stumbles upon a job that has him questioning his safety yet answering his natural inquisitive nature to delve further into what lies beneath what initially appeared to be a woman wanting to catch her husband being unfaithful. All is definitely not as it seems on the surface. Gethin himself is trapped in an unorthodox relationship with his ex-boyfriend that sees him staying with Johnny due to some form of guilt and misplaced loyalty. Boy did this guy have a big, beautiful heart!

Gethin and Kell meet at a party being catered by Gethin’s friend, and instant and intense sexual attraction is felt between the two men. They scratch an itch, and both not wanting a relationship, agree to meet for sex, their ‘own form of Grindr’ to hook up when the mood strikes. Purely casual sex without any sort of commitment.

However, soon lines become blurred, paths are crossed and lives become threatened and we are taken on a scorching, emotional and suspenseful journey of two men finding tenderness and a fragment of normalcy out of the chaos and unpredictability that is their lives.

“You made me smile when I thought I’d forgotten how.”

We were holding our breaths, our stomach were in knots, our hearts pounding as Barbara Elsborg put them, and our nerves, through their paces. Our hopes and dreams for Kell and Gethin were paramount in our hearts throughout Drawn In. As stated earlier, Barbara expertly mixes dark and sexy with light and emotional and the comedic banter and witty inner monologue of Kell and Gethin in the direst of circumstances provided a reprieve from the torment these characters experienced.

“I need you to help me forget, not remember,” Kell whispered. “Can we just have that? For a few hours?”

We were held captive by Barbara Elsborg’s words, imprisoned by the riveting, thrilling and suspense of the story, whilst finding the emotion, passion and connection between the characters gripping. Oh talk about edge of the seat stuff! Drawn In was most definitely an enthralling, emotional  and addictive read.