“Isn’t there some law about killing snakes in this state?” I heard our company say. Even out of the corner of my eye I could see that the guy was one of them pretty city boys. He was walking beside my sister, Cassie, who was busy filling him in on rattler containment on personal property. He must’ve been the guest she’d mentioned bringing.

Did he need to be that handsome? Too bad he had to go and open his mouth.

“We can always walk away,” I said. I didn’t dare take my eye off the rattlesnake for a second time. “But that leaves you out here with no protection.”

I heard him gulp at the same time Grammy snickered. “Sounds like our Cassie might’ve brought home some tree hugger.”

Grammy gripped the heavy rock in her fingers, ready to bash the rattler’s skull at a moment’s notice.

“They say when a rattler strikes, your blood turns to fire. Like the venom is boiling away in your veins,” I said and I could hear whatshisname’s breathing change. “You’ve got about a ninety-minute window of time before the poison spreads.”

“And then what happens?” he asked, and I could just imagine his pulse throbbing in his neck. I heard his one foot scrape across the other as if rubbing some imaginary dirt from his spotless shoes. Either that or it was some nervous tick.

I shrugged. “Then you’re dead.”

“Callum. Knock it off,” Cassie said and I could hear the tightness in her voice. It pained me that we hadn’t been in touch for a long while and I certainly didn’t want to piss her off even further.

The snake retreated toward its hiding spot and disappeared without a second glance at the mouse. Damn.

Now I looked our new guest square in the face while my irritation bubbled over. Grammy had banked on making a fresh batch today. Lately I left the hunting to my brother, Braden, but he had a full plate, so I agreed to be a stand-in. “You Cassie’s date for the wedding?”

“That’s right. I, uh, attend the same college,” he said and I couldn’t help my gaze from snagging on the deepest set of blue eyes. Not quite as dark as that tangle of hair that swept in a high arc away from his forehead. Wearing a pair of fancy designer jeans that showed off his trim form, he was smaller than me, but most guys were. And now I felt shitty for checking out my sister’s guest. “The name’s Dean Abbott.” 

Being attracted to your little sister's new "boyfriend" is not acceptable...especially when he is a city boy scientist and you are a rough, rural man who runs your family's game preserve. But that is just what Callum is facing when his sister brings Dean home from college for a family event.

Dean Abbott would do anything for his best friend, Cassie, even if it meant venturing into the country, staying on a hunting lodge, and pretending to be her boyfriend. Out of his element, he discovers an attraction to Cassie's brother that throws him for a loop, especially because her brother is not gay.

Or at least, he isn't open about his sexuality. Callum Montgomery isn’t sure what to make of the man his sister has brought home for their cousin’s wedding. Callum is protective of his only sister, and isn’t sure he likes what he sees from Dean. But Callum does like what he sees in Dean, if he wasn’t dating his sister. 

The tension building between these two was fantastic. As they find themselves drawn together Dean has a harder time hiding his reactions, as does Callum. Though Dean is pretending to date Cassie, he isn’t the only one hiding something at Shady Pines. Because though Callum has long known he was gay, he hasn’t told anyone in his family, fearing the backlash on the family business in the small town.

This stands alone completely from the first book in the series. With the exception of a loose connection between Dean and the guys from The Darkest Flame, there is a new set of characters, new setting, and new drama in this book. I loved Callum's family, right down to his perceptive Grandma and old soul little brother.

I enjoyed this story, from the opposite experiences of Dean and Callum, to their struggle to figure out if they could make something work between them. I missed some of the more dangerous aspects of The Darkest Flame, but what is contained in The Deepest Blue grew on me as I got to know these new characters and the worlds in which they moved.

ARC Provided by author in exchange for an honest review.