The Retreat: Andi Jaxon & JR Gray

Just finished up The Retreat, and what a story!

Owen and Colin take a while to get there, but they have an amazing love that's fostered by a fake marriage and a surprising friendship.

Owen isn't as mean or abrasive as his twin Oliver. He is burdened with the feeling of being "the spare" coupled with his anxiety disorder and his other mental health issues. He & Oliver's relationship is sadly codependent, so when Owen and Colin move in together, it rocks the boat.

It also makes the whole fake marriage hard to sell because Owen thinks he's straight. And  he doesn't like sex with others.

Colin marries Owen to save his barely adult sister from an arranged marriage. They really have to sell their marriage too. And Colin is a bit of a brat. He pushes at all of Owen's buttons.

Colin has been told forever that he's worthless and that no one loves him. That they'll only use him and leave him. So, if he pushes people away first it's them leaving on HIS terms. He wants love so much, but it's scary. Especially when you've always been told you can't have it.

I really liked this story. The beginning dragged a little bit for me, but when it started going, the plot and SPICE started plotting and spicing!

I mean: "you have to earn it."
"Princess"
"Crawl to me."

And then there's the USING.
The ✨️consensual✨️ forcing.

Whew, is it good.

One thing I LOVED about Colin and Owen's relationship is that the real friendship and care and love turned into sweet dirty nicknames, and fucking like they hate each other. It's all power games, and it totally works for them. The scene after ----- and Owen leaves afraid of what he's done... it's done so well, and my heart was just bursting for him.

And Colin's dad. What. A. Giant. P r i c K.

I do suggest reading the content warning before going into this one. It's better to be safe than sorry. Trigger warning for ABUSE. Colin's dad really is a prick.

THE RETREAT is out 09/04!