Reviewed by Nikyta
Title: Digging Deep
Author: Jay Hogan
Series: Digging Deep #1
Heroes: Drake & Caleb
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 340 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: August 6, 2019
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Drake Park has a complicated life. As a gay male midwife, he’s used to raising eyebrows. Add Crohn’s disease and things get interesting—or not, considering the sad state of his love life. Experience has taught Drake that most men are fair-weather sailors when it comes to handling his condition—gone for dust when things get rough. Staying healthy is a full-time job without adding in any heartbreak, so a little loneliness is a small price to pay. If he says it often enough he might even believe it. One thing for sure, the cop who arrested him isn’t about to change that.
Caleb Ashton does not have a complicated life. A senior detective with the Whangarei Police Department, he likes his job and is good at it. He works hard and plays hard, happy to enjoy as many men as he can while he’s still young enough—or at least he was. These days he feels adrift for the first time in his life, and the only thing sparking his interest—a certain prickly young midwife.
But can Drake find enough faith to risk opening his heart again? And does Caleb have what it takes to cope with the challenges Drake’s condition presents?
Review:
WOW, this book took me by surprise! I’m always iffy on books that deal with illnesses that hinder a MC somehow because I don’t like when authors don’t give whatever it is the justice it deserves. So to add a new to me author and this, I wasn’t sure if I should take the chance but I was curious and I was not disappointed! I was drawn in right from the start and I couldn’t put it down once I started. I stayed up all night to read this. It wasn’t an easy read, it’s not a quick read and it’s definitely not a completely happy read. There’s angst in this one, there’s stubborn characters and there’s the whole Crohn’s disease that plays a huge part of the story.
I won’t go into much detail but I will say that I loved Drake and Caleb as characters. I liked that Drake was a bit jaded and blunt and I liked that Caleb was a bit of a ‘player’ and confused but intrigued by Drake. It was interesting to see them come together. Like a hedgehog and a wolf LOL. But I really loved them and I loved the journey they go through. I liked that this author didn’t shy away from the difficulties of living with Crohn’s disease and it really opened my mind to the disease and helped to understand it a little bit.
I absolutely adored this book but I found it ironic that Drake made such a huge deal that he couldn’t have an active sex life with Caleb but yet, this book was surprisingly smutty (like anal smutty), to the point I skimmed a few of the scenes that didn’t really add anything to the story. I wish those parts had been more focused on Caleb and Drake getting to know each other more because instead of getting to know their bodies more. Add to that, and this is really just a warning, the author goes into extensive detail about Crohn’s disease so if you’re not up to learning a great deal about it, you might want to skip over this one.
All in all, I really loved it. It drew me in right from the start. I loved the characters, I loved their connection and I adored the journey they took to finding a relationship that would work. I wish it had been just a tad less smutty but it was definitely one of my favorite reads from this year. I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series because this one was such an intriguing read that I already want to re-read it!
Overall Impression: I loved it!
*I received a copy of this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review.*
The Blogger Girls 