Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Hank

 

I’ve attended some dreadful company parties, but getting lost at sea marks a new low for a work event.

My only companion on this life raft is Elliot. He’s ten years younger than me, wildly chaotic, and mostly responsible for getting us in this mess.

The fact that he’s also my new boss’s son is just a cherry on top of this terrifying, near-death sundae.

 

We crash on a small island, stranded somewhere off the coast of Seattle.

Elliot and I are exhausted, battered, and hungry. We lost half our clothes in the desperate swim to shore, and there are more storms on the horizon.

But we made it, and surely, we’ll be rescued soon.

 

If only we can agree on a survival strategy.

I’m an amateur naturalist and detail-oriented person, while Elliot is… creative.

 

Maybe it’s a survival instinct, but as the nights pass, Elliot and I find comfort in each other’s arms.

He becomes everything to me, my other half.

 

Until we get rescued, that is, and the real world comes to pull us apart.

 

 

Only One Island is a 70K M/M romance, loaded with heat and geeky fun. Our opposites-attract heroes danger-bang their way to survival and a well-earned HEA, with plentiful nature facts and constant disasters along the way. Enjoy!

Book Review

Essentially this is a two-part tale. The first is the telling of a geographical abandonment in nature, our heroes’ struggle for survival – and their evolving physical and emotional relationship. Getting it up and getting it on seems probably disconnected from their circumstances. Robinson Crusoe will surely come to mind. The second half (home again, jiggety jig) is more a romance gone wild – focusing on individual growth and its necessity in partnering.

 

Hank and Elliot “cute meet” on a company outing aboard a gambling ship, where “… coworkers play poker and sip drinks at slot machines. Cheesy rock music pours out to the deck as lights flash and bells ring, a small hell.” Clever dialog evidences Hank’s general discomfort. Wandering the deck, Hank runs onto his boss, Mr. Peterson, who asks Hank to help locate Elliot, his wayward son. There follows a series of picaresque mis-events, the result of which sees our heroes landing on a small, deserted island – as the casino boat cruises away! 

 

They are ill-suited – to their situation and to each other. The ensuing tale is rife with twists and interchanges, such as Hank’s realization that Elliot is likely a stoner who happens to be his boss’s son. 

 

Accepting their situation, they begin exchanging personal information. Why? Because, as Elliot points out, they “need to humanize ourselves,” even though humanizing is usually intended for hostages, not castaways. Despite travail, their dialog remains humorous. So they still could “die strangers.” And Elliot complains he will die without having fallen in love – despite having had lots of casual sex with guys!

 

Hank and Elliot reach a small, uninhabited island, on which they share problems, some minor successes, and establish familiarity. A true adventure. And they are presented as quite typical of the satire of 18th century fiction.

 

After presenting the reader with the full development of their inter-relationship (including sex, as compensation for possible death: i.e., Elliot – “You’re my first desert island boyfriend.”, our stars are (surprise!) rescued with the heavy hand of irony, and return to New England – which then markedly allows the novel to turn the very taste of the tale, and we see Hank and Elliot differently. True to “romance” in a classic English sense of the 18th century, the men decide that their love for each other is more significant that love for family.

 

Eventually, they surrender to the experience of sex – a fine, current example of writing porn, leading to dirty hands versus merely dirty minds! “Elliot is a vision. I can feel every contortion of his body, every jolt of his pleasure as he f—ks into our fists and drives us closer and closer to climax. He tumbles over the edge first, erupting with fat jets of semen, and I let myself release.”

 

Our heroes, while lost at sea, develop a most practical philosophy. “If we are risking death, making out is a horrible distraction,” he (Hank) says. Or if we’re about to die, we might as well get laid.” I (Elliot) counter.

 

The extreme surrounding bends the effect of the ordinary. So, it only makes sense that stranded sex is amazing – horny and a little unhinged.

 

The return to civilization is, they agreed, to be the end of their “temporary” relationship, though they miss each other, and joint appearances exacerbate the sense of loss. Reconnection is the highlight of this portion of the novel, subject to this environment and family. However, their ease with bon mots continues: “Wow. I think I’ve only seen you up this early when you’re actually up this late.”

The advantage to placing the second part squarely in current civilization is the ability of the author to assess modern feelings, recognizable social and emotional connections, and expected standards for relationships.

 

So: Huzzah for author Cayden. Huzzah for the writing style of two books in one – and each a complete success. Historic standards evolve into current mores. Reading will be an exercise in pleasure.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 277 pages/70000 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	17-July-2025
Price	$4.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Only-One-Island-R-Cayden-ebook/dp/B0FGK5DYX4