Under his pen name， C。 Travis Rice， New York Times bestselling author Christopher Rice offers tales of passion， intrigue， and steamy romance between men。 The third novel， SAPPHIRE STORM， once again transports you to a beautiful luxury resort on the sparkling Southern California coast where strong-willed heroes release the shame that blocks their hearts’ desires。

Ethan Blake has dedicated his life to satisfying other people’s appetites。 At forty-three， he’s finally landed his dream job—head pastry chef at an exclusive resort。 Now he’s got a jet-setting career that’s taken him to romantic locations all over the world。 But years before， after his parents threw him out for being gay， Ethan supported himself in a manner he’d rather keep under the covers today。

Roman Walker is a twenty-five-year-old fitness celebrity awash in thirsty followers。 But when he walks through the doors of Sapphire Cove， it’s not just to oversee the menu for his celebrity client’s wedding。 Decades ago， Roman and Ethan crossed paths on a New York street corner during a terrible， life-changing moment that scarred them both。 Now Roman’s back for revenge。

But when his plan goes wildly off the rails， Roman suddenly finds himself at the center of an even stranger and darker plot concocted by his most famous client。 Well-versed in the ways of the wealthy and the entitled， Roman’s former target offers to be his strongest ally during a moment that might derail the young man’s newfound career。 But the experienced older man’s offer also ignites an irresistible and forbidden attraction that threatens to consume them both， even as it exposes old secrets and incurs the wrath of the powerful and the famous。