No Filter, Nora Phoenix

I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would.  I'm not a fan of any type of menage story, poly relationships, cheating, or anything similar to any of those things at all.  This story rides the line of a few of those things but with all the reasoning, descriptions, feelings, and circumstances behind them I find myself excusing what I would customarily shun.  Each of these men are damaged, frustrated, and coping the only ways they've found that bring a small measure of relief.

We start with Indy, on the run for her life for reasons we don't yet understand.  He's disguised himself as a woman and finds himself in a situation where that disguise might come crashing down.  In a store that's being robbed he helps Josh, a tall and attractive man who was about to become a victim in the worst way while being under the influence of a PTSD episode.  Indy helps him and knows that he's been discovered.

Josh, however, keeps his secret partly in gratitude for his help coming back to himself.  Unfortunately, there are two things that Josh's episode brought them.  One is a concussion and some other body damage, and two is an attractive officer of the law that might just be a connection to the past that Indy is desperately trying to escape.  Josh helps Indy get out of that sticky mess, at least for a while, and also gets him to the hospital in the capable hands of Noah.

Noah, a PA at the ER is strangely drawn to Indy despite having a connection to Josh.  We have suspicions about the relationship between Josh and Noah from the moment we see them in the same room together.  Those suspicions are confirmed and also confused when Indy is invited into their home.  The relationship is not what it seems but is also not what it's not...  Confusing?  Yes, and it stays that way right up until the end...kind of.  We know it will continue into the second book a bit because everyone is getting their bearings with all the changes that are happening to them as a unit and individually.

Pasts, beds, emotions, and responsibilities are shared back and forth between each combination of men you can think of here in this story.  There's an incredible amount of drama that isn't resolved, but we can see the beginning of the end for various situations by the end of this story.  The next, No Limits, is going to be just as intense of a ride if it's anything like the first.

I had lots of moments where I cringed because I didn't think I could handle the sharing stuff, but then when the perspective switched after those moments to someone who gave it a different light, a different view, I felt my heart settling.  What I saw as unfair, deeply disturbing, and frustrating, Indy saw as beautiful, healing, and gave him understanding where before he was completely lost.  With Indy's perspective I could see how so much of what was happening helped him to overcome parts of his past and encourage him to open up to a future that was much brighter than what he had previously experienced.  If he were written any differently I would have dismissed this book and given up before I even finished.  Because of Indy I enjoyed this story and am actually a bit eager to get into the second book where we get more of him but on the periphery.  I'm really keen to know how things will play out with introducing Connor to this messed up unit full of dysfunction, passion, distress, and need for healing.

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