After losing the fellowship he badly wanted, trauma surgeon Jae Sun Kim goes completely out of character and makes plans for an impromptu dive trip.  When he meets the dive instructor, sexy redhead Shane McCormack, he dubs the annoying man “Scuba Cowboy” in his head and is certain they won’t get along.  Things get worse when he discovers he’s sharing an onboard cabin with the man!  Fortunately, Kim soon learns that while Shane can be annoying at times, he has a lot of other good points that make up for that—at least in bed.

Shane’s the kind of guy that tends to flit from place to place.  His career as a marine archaeologist keeps him traveling, and when he’s not on a site he does dive instructing.  He’s never been very good at the whole boyfriend thing, and at first he sees Kim as just a fling.  Then they go through a terrible experience together, and suddenly Shane’s not so sure all he wants is a fling.  Can two men who’ve never been good at relationships find a way to make things work?

KA Mitchell has become an auto-buy for me, and No Souvenirs is a prime example of why.  Both Kim and Shane are flawed men, but Mitchell managed to make them both not only likeable, but characters I really identified with and felt for.  Kim is a prickly man, difficult to get to know or to get along with.  He’s got a don’t-ask-don’t-tell understanding with his family regarding his sexuality, and work is the biggest part of his life.  When he doesn’t get the anticipated fellowship, he’s bitter.  Shane’s an easygoing guy who hides his intelligence behind a good ol’ boy attitude.  He doesn’t have much experience with commitment, either job-wise or in a relationship.  Kim and Shane go forward in fits and starts, sort of sliding into a relationship before either of them realizes what’s going on.  Neither Kim nor Shane has a conventional life or outlook, so they surprised me a couple of times, keeping the story unpredictable.  Watching them try to deal with their unexpected feelings is both entertaining and frustrating, but in a good way (if that makes any sense).  You really can’t go wrong with anything by KA Mitchell, and No Souvenirs is no exception.