Finding Paradise by Jerry Cole

Chris Berry has already realized many of his dreams by the age of thirty. He’s a qualified marine biologist living in New Jersey and working in New York with a great team of colleagues who feel just as passionately about their conservation work and research as he does. He’s close to his parents, he’s a staunch vegetarian, and he’s been with his boyfriend, Haydn, for nine years.

Haydn is everything Chris isn’t. He’s spoiled, lazy and dishonest. When Chris discovers that his long-term partner has once again cheated on him, Chris decided that enough is finally enough.

He’s dreamed of visiting the Hawaiian island of Makame for as long as he can remember, thanks to it being the home of the rarest turtle on the planet: the Calvert. Chris and his team have researched this elusive creature for many years and are desperately trying to raise funds to head there on a research boat when news breaks that the building of a luxury golf course in Hawaii could destroy the Calvert’s habitat.

Spurred on by his recent breakup and knowing time is of the essence, Chris self-funds the trip of a lifetime to Hawaii alone, hoping to find someone who’ll take him out to Makame, where he might just see the creature he’s spent years dreaming about.

What he never factored into his plans is meeting the gorgeous Elliott Sheaffer, who offers to personally escort Chris to the island of Makame after a chance meeting at the airport. But Chris is suspicious. He knows there’s more to Elliott than the handsome pilot is letting on, but Chris decides he’s lived safely for too long, and decides to take Elliott up on his offer.

But when a storm hits during their journey to Makame, they’re instead pushed so far south that they end up on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific. Nobody knows they’re there, and supplies quickly run low.

Chris isn’t sure whether he’ll survive the experience, let alone see the Calvert turtle, or eventually get to know Elliott’s secret. The only thing he knows is that he’s stranded on a desert island with the hottest guy he’s ever known, and that danger doesn’t always come from the places you’d most expect…