Our third visit to the fictional Oregon town of Mount Hope and its close-knit family of first responders delivers an HEA for nurse practitioner Jonas Jensen with a character we’ve met briefly but who appeared the least likely to fall for another man. The author once again delivers a well-written and engaging small-town romance full of feels, found family connection and loving acceptance.

Motocross star Declan Murphy (son of Sean from Up All Night) had a less than encouraging (one might even say decidedly homophobic) reaction to his dad’s coming out, and now we learn the reason behind it. Declan has known for a long time that he’s not straight, but he’s buried his queerness for the sake of the sport he loves, and when Sean so easily announced his bisexuality, Declan couldn’t help feeling more than a bit jealous – and even angry that his Dad was able to come out so easily. Declan is deeply closeted and, sure that being openly queer could tank his career, feels he has no alternative but to remain that way while he’s still racing. But hiding such a major part of himself is taking a toll and he’s on edge nearly all the time.

Jonas loves his job as a senior nurse practitioner in the ER at the local hospital. He’s one of life’s natural caretakers, so when his friend Eric’s husband died a year earlier, Jonas and his dog, Oz, moved into the basement of Eric’s house so that he could help out with Eric’s four teenaged children. Jonas is something of a gentle giant, a big man who is highly competent and exudes confidence in his professional life, although with two divorces behind him (one from a woman, one from a man), he hasn’t had as much success with his personal one. He describes himself as a romantic; he wants someone to come home to, someone to look after and spoil, someone to spend time watching silly movies with while cuddled up on the sofa – he wants a relationship and everything that goes with it, but he hasn’t yet found a guy who wants the same things – and thinks that maybe he never will.

At the end of the previous book, we learned that Declan had been seriously injured in an accident during a race near Salt Lake City, and that Jonas had driven a distraught Sean and his partner to the hospital. When On the Edge begins, Declan is in a coma in the ICU, a TBI (traumatic brain injury) giving real cause for concern. Jonas can’t explain it, but he feels the strangest compulsion to remain with his friends – and with Declan, even though he doesn’t really know him – but there’s no doubt that Sean, especially, is in sore need of the kind of comfort and reassurance Jonas is so good at providing. Giving Sean a break from bedside-duty every now and then, Jonas takes to reading to Declan each day, which is how Jonas is at his bedside when he finally starts to regain consciousness.

After spending a few weeks at a rehab centre, Declan somewhat reluctantly comes to live in Mount Hope for a while, in the house Jonas shares with Eric and his kids. He’s prickly, frustrated, and finds it hard to accept help, but Jonas’ unflappable presence has a calming influence that slowly helps him to unwind, and over the following weeks, as the two of them spend more time together, their unexpected friendship grows and deepens. Jonas values it a great deal and genuinely enjoys Declan’s company, but the attraction he’s been feeling for the younger man for weeks now is growing steadily and he’s having to work hard to suppress it. Not only is Declan a lot younger than he is, he’s Sean’s son, he’s straight, and possibly homophobic; Jonas should absolutely not be feeling anything beyond friendship for this man – and yet he absolutely is.

Declan is struggling, too. Jonas intrugues him in a way no-one else ever has, and he’s drawn to his kindness and his air of quiet command – Jonas feels safe in a way most people don’t, and for the first time, Declan feels like he truly fits in somewhere, as though he doesn’t have to meet anyone’s expectations and can just be himself. He isn’t sure if he’s gay, bi or whatever; all he knows is he’s not straight, he’s most definitely attracted to Jonas, and he wants more from him than friendship.

The romance between Jonas and Declan develops unhurriedly as they move from long, leisurely kisses to slow sexual exploration, and I liked their honest discussions about their likes and expectations. I’ve said this before, but the physical relationships in some romances can feel like sex-by-numbers, with penetrative sex seen as the only ‘real’ kind of sex, but Annabeth Albert’s characters frequently explore and prefer alternatives to penetration and I always appreciate that.

Ms. Albert excels at writing likeable characters with realistic personalities and problems which they generally approach in a mature and thoughtful manner. Jonas offers Declan exactly what he needs – a safe space to embrace the part of his sexuality he’s locked away for so long, and for him to start to give serious thought to his future beyond motocross. And while Jonas seems to have it all figured out, having something else in his life besides work opens his eyes to the fact that his drive to care for others means he’s been neglecting his own wants and needs. Both men have some big life decisions to make, and I liked that they give those decisions due consideration to make sure they’re making them for the right reasons.

The conflict in the story derives from Declan’s fears about being open about who he is, and the concern that Sean isn’t going to be happy when he finds out his twentysomething son is sleeping with (and falling for) his fortysomething long-time friend. I was really pleased with the way both issues are handled and resolved, especially with how Sean deals with the news about their relationship in such a loving and respectful manner.

The main issue I have with the romance is that the initial attraction – on both sides – seems to come a little out of nowhere, but overall, the relationship is very well-developed. The large age gap wasn’t an issue for me, but then I generally like May/December romances, and Annabeth Albert is one of the best when it comes to handling them properly. Jonas and Declan connect on a deeper level, appreciate the other for who they really are and there’s never any sense of a power imbalance because of their ages.

On the Edge is another enjoyable instalment in the Mount Hope series, and I’m sure fans of the author’s particular brand of small town, low drama romance won’t be disappointed.