Review of Beyond the Sea by Keira Andrews

 By Keira Andrews

4.5 Stars

Even if it means quitting their boy band mid-tour, Troy Tanner isn’t going to watch his little brother snort his future away after addiction destroyed their father. On a private jet taking him home from Australia, he and pilot Brian Sinclair soar above the vast South Pacific. Brian lost his passion for flying—and joy in life—after a traumatic crash, but now he and Troy must fight to survive when a cyclone strikes without warning.

Marooned a thousand miles from civilization, the turquoise water and white sand beach look like paradise. But although they can fish and make fire, the smallest infection or bacteria could be deadly. When the days turn into weeks with no sign of rescue, Troy and Brian grow closer, and friendship deepens into desire.

As they learn sexuality is about more than straight or gay and discover their true selves, the world they've built together is thrown into chaos. If Troy and Brian make it off the island, can their love endure?

This is our first Keira Andrews book and will not be our last!  First let’s address the elephant in the room, the GFY storyline. We have had this book 6+months in our Kindle by never read, and honestly the blurb sucks.  The story tag “Two Straight guys. One deserted island.” Is not what this story is about.  Yes, there are 2 straight guys, and a deserted island, but it is about 2 people living their lives and finally having the chance to breathe, find themselves and accepting their authentic self.  And we LOVED it!!!

Beyond the Sea starts with a fight between brothers, and Troy finally making a stand and leaving the boy-band and his brother Ty, after finding Ty and other band-mates deep into drugs and alcohol.  Troy’s family has always had a shiny outside appearance, but just under the surface lurks deep addiction issues that claimed his father a number of years ago.  He charters a flight back home and meets co-pilot Brian Sinclair.  After a horrendous cyclone the small charter flight goes down on a deserted island in the middle of no-where.  Brian struggles with the memory of anther plane crash and they face the reality that they might die alone on the island.

The book is a slow-burn romance, but so interesting that is never lags or you want to flip forward to find some steam.  Rather, the book engrosses you in the daily life of surviving against all odds and the relationship these 2 very different men form trying to survive.  There are so many tender, poignant moments in Beyond the Sea that you can feel the love building between Brian and Troy.  And heartbreak when they both start to accept that they only have each other and that being rescued might not happen.

Now, the steam, as we said it takes a while to get there, but it is so worth it.  There is nothing forced, and the sex adds so much to the book, to their relationship.  It is almost a moment that they accept that this is their new reality and that they can be together here in their own little world.  It’s kind of a moment that we as the reader are torn between wanting them to stay on the island forever together and remembering that there are people grieving for them back in the real world. 

Beyond the Sea is one of the best books we have read in a while.  It is heartbreaking, yet so sweet and tender.  It is more than a story of love between 2 men, but just love, when everything is hard and bleak, it is about finding someone who loves and cares for you.