Surviving Raine (Surviving Raine #1) by Shay Savage

As the captain of a schooner catering to the elite on the Caribbean Seas, Sebastian Stark does his best to avoid any human encounters. Interacting with people isn’t his thing, and he prefers the company of a bottle of vodka, a shot glass, and maybe a whore. There’s no doubt he’s hiding from a checkered past, but he does well keeping everything to himself…

…until the night his schooner capsizes, and he’s stuck on a life raft with one of the passengers.

Raine’s young, she’s cute, and Bastian would probably be into her if he wasn’t suffering from alcohol withdrawal. As the days pass, DTs, starvation, and dehydration become the norm. Even the most closed person starts to open up when he thinks he’s going to die, but when she realizes their traumatic pasts are connected, it’s no longer the elements that have Bastian concerned.

He has no idea how he’s going to Survive Raine.

**Smirking** I guess I’ll start off by saying, “Wow!” 

4.5-4.75 Stars

“I never know what to think about you. I don’t know why you…why you do anything for me.”

“Because I love you.” There were tears in her eyes now, and it fucking tore me apart.

“I don’t understand that, either.”

“Because you are worth it,” she said with determination. 

Speechless. I swear this book made a sobbing mess out of me. I lost count on how many times my eyes got all misty and I got all sniffy. Seriously, guys…check this book out. I can’t believe this wasn’t even in my radar before I picked it up. Thank you, Trish, for saying the words, “Baddass, Alpha-Male with a dirty mouth.” Those words alone sold it for me. 

I was what I was – violent, crude, and utterly unlovable. 

Sebastian Stark is one broken character; damaged, but not beyond repair. He just needs the right person to hold him together. I have come across some fucked up Heroes in stories before, but holy crap! It’s safe to say, Sebastian can wipe the floor with most of them. See those words up there? They’re true, except the last one, unlovable. I easily admit he was very hard to like at first, but you can sense that there’s more to him that his crassness. 

One thing I did know immediately – if I somehow lost this, if I could never have this again, if something jeopardized her in any way whatsoever – it would kill me. 

All Raine wanted was a little R & R. Instead, the schooner she chartered ends up sinking and now she’s stuck with Sebastian on a ten-foot life raft. Raine is nothing like any other woman Sebastian has ever come across. She’s light to his dark. Being stuck with her is the last thing he wanted, but no matter how rude and mean he is to her, she never backs down. He doesn’t know it yet, but the most dangerous part about being stuck on a life raft, wasn’t the dehydration, but Raine herself. 

“You can’t hide from me anymore, Bastian! I have seen into you, and I don’t understand why you won’t just admit!”

“Because I’m fucking terrified of feeling something for you, okay?” I screamed at her, and my whole body went cold. 

The relationship that forms between Raine and Sebastian was inevitable. What I loved most about the story was seeing Sebastian’s walls slowly start to crumble. The stories he shared about his past broke my heart. He’s always thought himself worthless and unlovable. The only thing he believes he’s good for are fucking and fighting. No wonder he drinks himself to oblivion to drown out his misery. My heart ached for this man. Just ached! 

As for Raine, I loved her. You couldn’t help but admire her determination to get to know this man who saved her life. His steel, cold heart didn’t stand a chance. The way he protects her is crazy heartwarming. He does nothing half-assed. He fights and loves with all his heart. It always saddened me when he would deem himself unworthy of Raine and her love. Beneath that tough exterior, he’s scared shitless of losing her. 

I’ll never walk away from you, Raine, I swear – I’ll be with you as long as you will have me. If any motherfucker ever tried to take you from me, I’d fucking fight to the death for you.” 

OMG! I cannot recommend this book enough. There’s just something about this story…I couldn’t put it down. Being in Sebastian's POV, it made for an intense read, but man did I love it. The only drawback was the ending. It was left for interpretation. It wasn’t sad, it wasn’t happy….just room for more. I cannot wait for the next book!!