Sam Jamison and Donovan McNair couldn’t be more different; Sam is an artist who is undecided if he wants a relationship with Tim, while Donovan is a successful lawyer who has just broken up with his girlfriend. Using the tickets they had purchased for separate occasions, they each embark on a cruise vacation to make decisions about the direction of their lives. While aboard ship, Sam notices a gorgeous man; handsome, virile looking and straight as an arrow. Donovan is using the cruise for some much needed down-time from work.

Neither expects to be stranded on a deserted island after the ship catches fire, depending on each other for survival. That isn’t all the pair discovers, though, as Donovan begins to have feelings for the quiet and authoritative Sam, desires he never experienced in the “outside world”. When the bonds of survival, friendship, and love build with their ongoing dependence on each other, both experience feelings they never thought to feel for another man. But all of that will be threatened when the “outside world” intrudes with their rescue and a return to their former lives. Donovan returns to his old life, denying his newfound feelings as only due to their isolation, knowing his relationship with Sam will jeopardize his relationship with his family and his career. Sam nurses a broken heart, hoping someday Donovan will embrace the feelings they shared, because he knows he has found his soul mate.

Having my first taste of a homoerotic love story, I am glad it was with Island of Temptation. The lead characters are interesting, lifelike and embraceable. They are both struggling with baggage from previous relationships and hardship in their lives but aren’t portrayed as “poor me” individuals. With style and flair, author Claire Thompson has penned a tasteful and romantic love story that is sure to please a variety of fans. Poignant, emotional and heartwarming all describe the varied reactions that were drawn from this reader. Fast-paced danger, with enough twists and turns to keep me turning pages to the dramatic end, Island of Temptation is a fine addition to the genre. A vivid sense of time and place allowed this reader to absorb the sights and smells of the Caribbean and made the setting come to life. Very well done, Ms Thompson.

Reviewed by: Scarlet