August Ice by Dev Bentham
Loose Id
Erotic M/M Contemporary
ISBN 978-1-61118-920-9
Reviewed by Nannette




Ex-Navy Seal Max Conway loves his six-month stints in the Antarctica almost as much as he loves his bottles of whiskey. The arrival of Andre Dubois, a gorgeous French scientist, disrupts his carefully laid façade, though. Andre is sober and out. Max isn’t either of those things, so unrequited attraction seems all that they’ll share. When his drinking affects his job, Max has a choice to make: get sober or get kicked out. With Andre’s help, Max just might become the man he’s always wanted to be.

Max has buried the pain of his past in a bottle. Sobriety is hard enough, but Max doesn’t even recognize he has a problem until his addiction turns dangerous. His struggles are realistic and the process painful. Andre knows all about addiction and what it takes to beat it. That’s why he’s hard on Max at first. Andre is exactly the kind of person Max needs: he’s supportive, and his help is unconditional. As Max and Andre’s story is being told, August Ice offers an interesting glimpse into life above and below the Antarctic ice. It’s fascinating. I could feel the depth and darkness of the icy water on each dive. August Ice is a well-written, poignant story packed with tons of emotion.