Safe Harbor

Pine Cove, Book 1

By: HJ Welch

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Robin Coal wonders if asking his straight housemate Dair to be his fake boyfriend for his high school reunion will be the worst thing he’s ever done…or the best. But there’s no way he’s going home to face his abusive ex alone, and former Marine Dair is just the protection he needs. So long as he doesn’t find out about Robin’s secret crush, everything will be fine.

Mechanic Dair Epping never expected to spend a week sharing a bed with his adorkable friend; however, pretending to be bi is easier than he imagined. He knows he’ll do anything to keep Robin safe from his ex-boyfriend, but as the chemistry between them grows, the line between fake and reality begins to blur.

Could Dair actually be bi? Even if he was, would an ex-Marine really be interested in a computer geek like Robin? When his ex’s intentions turn dangerous, how far will Dair go to protect the man he’s falling for?

Safe Harbor is a steamy, standalone MM romance novel with a guaranteed HEA and absolutely no cliffhanger.

©2019 HJ Welch (P)2019 HJ Welch

Great start of a series

It’s a sweet story of two roommates who started out as fake boyfriends turned to lovers. Dair’s sexual awakening made the book more interesting for me, since he’s always identified as straight. Robin was adorable although his naivety was driving me batty. It was irritating at times. Thank goodness for a great support system and for Dair.

It’s light on the angst, although don’t be surprised if you get frustrated with Robin or if you wanna punch Mac’s throat.

Nick J Russo’s performance in this book was amazing. His voiced the characters individually and real well.

The way Pine Cove is being described, it makes me wanna move to that beautiful town. So I’ll live vicariously through the rest of the characters in this series.

I Love Dair!

Safe Harbor is the first book in the Pine Cove series, a contemporary romance series set within a small town. Safe Harbor features the following tropes: fake-boyfriends, gay/bi/pan-awakening, and protective love interest. I love all of these tropes and really enjoyed this sweet story. There were times when the book plot was a little melodramatic, but the characters were so wonderful I didn’t even care. I loved how tender and sweet the big, tough, former-Marine Dair was. He was like Snow White but as a veteran mechanic.

Dare is my new favorite!

I'm never really sure about the gay for you characters or even just the I'm attracted to the person not the gender, simply because it usually seems so unbelievable but this was done so expertly that you can't help but fall in love with Robin and Dare. You felt every emotion play out for Dare as he contemplated the attraction. So well done! Bravo!!

veyr good

i enjoy this narrator. he does a good job figuring out everyones personalities and how to make them work well.. it was sexy and interesting.. funny and action packed. very good

- 4.25 stars -

I believe this is my first time reading - as I also bought the book - and listening to an audio book written by HJ Welch. I enjoyed listen and reading it, but for some reason I am having trouble gathering my thoughts about this book. I will say that when I first started listening to it, I was forced to take a long break from it during the first part of the story when Robin and Dair were heading towards Robin's hometown, so that might be the reason why I'm having a bit of trouble.
*Possible Spoilers*

- Storyline -
I thought the concept of the story was interesting and I liked Dair and Robin as a couple and as individuals. I will say that Dair's character was a bit different than I originally thought from my impression after reading the description of the book, but I still enjoyed his character. I thought Dair and Robin were pretty cute together. Even though Dair was there to protect him from Mac - and he technically did by pretending to be his boyfriend - he just wasn't there during those crucial moments when Robin needed him the most. Which I understand was kind of the point of the story for Mac to get under their skin, be manipulative, and basically be a terrible human being. But it just slightly confused me as it was more about the beginnings of their relationship than acting as a bodyguard. I thought Mac's character was done quite well with how unlikable he actually was underneath his good looks. I actually had to skim over the whole manipulation moment he had with Robin and later Dair, because I had a hard time handling it. I'm not even exactly sure why Mac was so hung up on Robin to go as far as he did.
I did like Peyton as a character and I'm hoping that she has more appearances in later books or even a story of her own with a certain someone. I also liked Emery as well and was happy to find that his book is next in the series. I had quite a few questions about him that I hope will be answered in the next book. I was also happy to find that Swift has his own book as well as he just seemed so different from the other Coal siblings that it made me rather curious to read more about him. I'm also hoping Jay and Taylan get a story as well. I will say the ending of the story wrapped up rather fast and maybe a bit too perfectly. I also kind of felt like I missed reading important growth as a couple between Dair and Robin, but both this and the rather quick ending didn't bother me a whole lot.

- Narration -
Nick J. Russo isn't a new to me narrator, but I haven't yet listened to many audio books that he has narrated. I thought Nick J. Russo did a wonderful job with narrating the story and how he voiced the characters. I thought everyone's voice fit them perfectly, but I will admit I was kind of expecting Dair's voice to be a bit deeper. How he voiced Dair did fit his character, it just took a little longer to get used to. I also thought Nick J. Russo did an absolutely amazing job portraying emotion in several scenes, especially during the argument between Mac and Robin on the boat.


Overall, I really did enjoy this story as there was quite a few funny moments that had me laughing and the storyline was pretty interesting. I would recommend this to other people to read and listen.

Cute story

I really enjoyed the first book in the series. Excited to start the next one. I really liked both MC, Dair is the sweetest. Nick did a great job as always.

“We’re both dumbasses, all right - Dair

Would I listen to it again: yes
Did the story keep me engaged: yes
Was I invested in the characters: yes

Story comment: easy pace, charming characters and an entertaining story.
I'd call this book "fluffy" - it was a cute story and I thoroughly enjoyed watching Robin and Dair's relationship grow into something solid, there are some 'eye-rolling' events where I just said "why!" but overall it's just what I needed for a lazy Sunday listen.
Pine Cove has some entertaining characters that I hope we get to see more of in upcoming books.

Narrator comment: Another masterful performance from Nick J Russo's. His rhythm, changes in pitch and intonation, the cadence of voice and narration all works perfectly to bring Safe Harbor to life.

Great story and narration

Robin and his best friend/roommate need a third person to share the rent. They find ‘straight’ Dair and he is the perfect fit. Robin has a crush right from the beginning. When it is time to return home for his high school reunion and face is awful ex, Dair offers to go with him as his fake boyfriend. Dair falls very comfortably into the role, and eventually, we find the guys falling for each other. There wasn’t a lot of angst, but it did seem a little quick and OTT at times, especially with the ex. Overall, though, this was pretty cute. The narration was great; Nick did an awesome job with this.

I am voluntarily reviewing an ARC provided by LesCourt Author Services

Much better than expected

4 Blue Roses
4 Blue Flames

Nick J Russo's deep, sexy voice lends itself perfectly to this audiobook.
I was surprised by the action and angst and found myself emotionally engulfed and almost screaming at the ex-boyfriend as he manipulated and almost killed and drowned Robin.

How stupid of Robin to go into the row boat with his ex-boyfriend. Rocks have more brains!
Robin Coal needed to go home for his 10 year reunion. He asked his housemate Dair to be his fake boyfriend. Dair is retired from the US Marines, dripping with sexyness and totaly oblivious to the attraction between Robin and himself.

I recommend this audiobook for when you are in the mood for some lighthearted romantic comedy dipped in some syrupy sexy times.
Happy Listening

Nick J. Russo rocks this wonderful story!

This is an adorable story about flatmates turning to friends, doing the whole fake boyfriends thing and falling madly in love.
I love how Dair is fiercely protective of Robin, even at the beginning when they’re just flatmates, even before really becoming friends. Robin’s crush for “straight” Dair and his consequent adorable ramblings are so cute, and the whole development of their relationship into friendship and then more is a pleasure to read.
HJ Welch's writing is fresh and engrossing as always.
Do not think, though, that the story is super sweet and always light-hearted…. As it’s bound to be, a nerdy guy who’s been bullied by his awful ex-boyfriend and a guy who’s at his first experience with another man, both have doubts creeping up to them, and they will have to learn how to communicate to get past these hiccups.

This is the first story in a new series set in the town of Pine Cove, Washington, and the plethora of side-characters surrounding Dair and Robin in this first book are promising of a great series which will no doubt keep us highly entertained.