Brady Garrett needs to go home. He’s a conscripted recruit on Defender Three, one of a network of stations designed to protect the Earth from alien attack. He’s also angry, homesick, and afraid. If he doesn’t get home he’ll lose his family, but there’s no way back except in a body bag.
Cameron Rushton needs a heartbeat. Four years ago Cam was taken by the Faceless — the alien race that almost destroyed Earth. Now he’s back, and when the doctors make a mess of getting him out of stasis, Brady becomes his temporary human pacemaker. Except they’re sharing more than a heartbeat: they’re sharing thoughts, memories, and some very vivid dreams.
Not that Brady’s got time to worry about his growing attraction to another guy, especially the one guy in the universe who can read his mind. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just biochemistry and electrical impulses. It doesn’t change the truth: Brady’s alone in the universe.
Now the Faceless are coming and there’s nothing anyone can do. You can’t stop your nightmares. Cam says everyone will live, but Cam’s probably a traitor and a liar like the military thinks. But that’s okay. Guys like Brady don’t expect happy endings.
I didn’t realize how important to the plot a past rape would be 😬 I might have skipped it if I’d realized. This book had a lot of pretty intense things happening and a lot of uncomfortable things happening — would not recommend this as an entry point to sci-fi romance or m/m. I did turn out to like it overall, and will try the next book.
This was interesting to read after Ocean’s Echo, which also involved two guys stuck in the military forced into a mental bond (though I would class that on the other side of the romance line). This one is ten years older, and I suspect some of the less comfortable consent comes from its age.
