Hope on the Rocks by Annabeth Albert

Narrated by Cooper North

Hope on the Rocks is the final book in Annabeth Albert’s Rainbow Cove series about three friends who set up a queer-friendly restaurant in a small coastal town in Oregon. It’s a low-angst, very sexy and unexpectedly sweet character-driven romance between a pair of complex, likeable individuals, and although it’s the fourth in a series, it works perfectly well as a standalone.

Bartender Adam Ringer knows very well how to recognise the signs of someone who’s had a really bad day, and local doctor Quinn Strauss is giving off all those bad-day-vibes and then some. Being observant and a good listener go with the job, but Adam is also one of life’s natural caretakers, and he’s genuinely concerned and wants to help. But Quinn doesn’t seem to want to talk, so instead, Adam – who has noticed that Quinn doesn’t seem to like the rum and coke he ordered – offers to make him a drink he’ll actually like. He concocts a chocolate hazelnut martini that definitely does the job – but it’s only after the good doctor has downed two of them that Adam realises the man is much more of a lightweight than he’d thought. It’s nearly closing time, and Adam decides he’ll drive Quinn home rather than wait around for ages for a cab, but when Quinn passes out before he can give Adam his address, Adam has no alternative but to take him back to his place to sleep it off.

Quinn, a doctor at the local Urgent Care centre, is dedicated, well-liked and well-respected. But on this particular day, a careless reminder of the break-up that cost him the life he’d looked forward to building was just too much to bear, and sent him into the Rainbow Tavern looking for… Solace? Numbness? Oblivion? He doesn’t really want to dredge it all up again, but something about the hot ginger lumberjack behind the bar – and probably, the booze – gives him the sort of courage he’s almost never had while sober, and not only does he open up to Adam a bit about why he’s so miserable, he also blurts out some of his more deeply guarded secrets and voices the desires he’s kept hidden for fear of derision. A professional man of thirty-five shouldn’t want what Quinn wants, right? To be Daddy’s ‘good boy’ and to be taken care of – should he?

Adam is surprised to hear that Quinn wants a Daddy, and angry on his behalf that in the past, he’s been made to feel that his needs are silly and/or shameful. He’s well aware that his own large frame and the whole lumbersexual thing he’s got going on attracts a certain kind of guy, but he’s getting a bit fed up with the twinks he attracts who expect him to be mean or who back off when they realise he’s only thirty. When an inebriated Quinn starts coming on to him, Adam firmly shuts him down – but that doesn’t mean he’s not going to bring up the subject again when the man is sober.

Okay, so first things first. Normally the mention of a book involving Daddy-kink is going to have me running in the opposite direction; I’m not knocking it, it just isn’t my thing. But Annabeth Albert is a favourite author and I trust her, and having Cooper North in the narrator’s chair was an added inducement, so I decided to give Hope on the Rocks a try. In the end, I really enjoyed it; it’s strongly relationship-focused and the kink exploration is skilfully ‘baked in’ to the character and relationship development in a way that feels completely organic. I think it helped that the Daddy/boy dynamic isn’t constant, so it doesn’t overpower the rest of the story; it’s something Adam and Quinn do in the bedroom sometimes, but not all the time, and the emphasis is very much on strong communication and caring, fulfilling one another’s needs and looking after each other. I particularly liked that last part; the caregiving isn’t one-sided and both men are able to recognise when their partner needs them to take that role in their relationship. I can’t say I’m going to be actively seeking out other Daddy kink stories any time soon, but this one worked for me for the most part.

The next day, when Quinn has sobered up, Adam does indeed broach the subject of what was said the night before. Quinn is ready to die of embarrassment, but then realises that Adam isn’t squicked out or freaked out and that he doesn’t find Quinn’s desire for a Daddy cause for amusement. Both of them readily admit that they’re not in the market for a relationship – Quinn’s work keeps him busy and Adam has family commitments that take up a lot of his time – so they decide on a summer fling, Adam offering Quinn a safe space and the opportunity to explore the needs he’s long repressed. But as any regular romance reader knows, flings have a habit of not staying that way, and it’s not long before Quinn and Adam are spending non-sexy time together, going on dates and walks and generally hanging out together, realising that this fling has the potential to grow into something much more. The sex scenes are undeniably hot (Cooper North is… *fans self*) but the thing I loved most about the story is how mature these two men are, how wonderfully they communicate and share things about themselves and their lives, even the difficult stuff. There’s very little conflict in the story; what there is is mostly based around the fact that, like most adults, Quinn and Adam have many other things in their lives pulling them in different directions, and they both need to take a step back to decide what’s really important and work out how to re-order their priorities.

Cooper North delivers a fantastic performance that’s full of warmth and humour and tenderness – and boy, does he know how to bring the sexy! (Seriously, I thought I’d need to go and stick my head in the freezer at least twice while listening to this!) His portrayal of the two leads is spot on; he adds a bit of gravel to his own, naturally husky baritone that works perfectly to depict Adam as a big man, and he rounds him out by projecting a lot of good-natured affection and affability into his tone. The slightly higher pitch he adopts for Quinn makes for a nice contrast, and he does a great job of realising the dichotomy of confidence and vulnerability in his personality. The sex scenes are superbly done – they’re hot, yes, but there’s a strong and clear emotional connection there, too, and the chemistry between the pair crackles. The handful of secondary characters are appropriately rendered and clearly differentiated – Mr. North’s female voices are pretty good – and the narration as a whole is well-paced and wonderfully expressive.

I’m glad I took a chance on Hope on the Rocks, even though it took me a little bit outside my comfort zone. There isn’t a lot of plot here – it’s all about the characters and relationships, things Annabeth Albert always does incredibly well – so if you’re in the market for a superbly-narrated romance that’s high on steam and low on conflict, you should definitely think about adding this to your wishlist.

Caz

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Buy Hope on the Rocks by Annabeth Albert on Amazon