THE FINAL SILENCE

THE FINAL SILENCE by Stuart Neville

Pages: 325

Date: 21/07/2014

Grade: 5

Details:  No. 4 Jack Lennon Investigations

             Received from Harvill Secker

             Through Nudge

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The blurb:

“Rea Carlisle has inherited a house from an uncle she never knew. It doesn't take her long to clear out the dead man's remaining possessions, but one room remains stubbornly locked. When Rea finally forces it open she discovers inside a chair, a table - and a leather-bound book. Inside its pages are locks of hair, fingernails: a catalogue of victims.

Horrified, Rea wants to go straight to the police but when her family intervene, Rea turns to the only person she can think of: DI Jack Lennon. But Lennon is facing his own problems. Suspended from the force and hounded by DCI Serena Flanagan, the toughest cop he's ever faced, Lennon must unlock the secrets of a dead man's terrifying journal.”

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My thoughts:

I fell in love with Stuart Neville’s writing when I read ‘The Twelve’, early in 2011 and he’s impressed me more with each subsequent book.

‘The Final Silence’ is a return to the Jack Lennon mysteries after ‘Ratlines’; last year’s wonderful, stand-alone, historical thriller. And it is a welcome return. The books in this series are exquisitely written. Neville pulls the reader into his story on the very first page and hooks them further with each subsequent chapter. His mysteries are not for the faint of heart. He’s not afraid of violence, less than perfect characters or controversial plot developments; all of which make his stories more realistic and thrilling.

Jack Lennon is such a compromised hero. The way he is described, the actions he takes and the decisions he makes are so flawed and yet so very human that it is impossible not to root for him even if while you wish he’d make life easier for himself. His relationship and obvious love for his daughter Ellen may be the only thing that is pure and without a darker side, but it shows his character better than any of his less than ideal decisions do.

The same can be said for most characters in this series. With one or two exceptions they are all human and recognisable because of their flaws, prejudices and mistakes as much as their more admirable traits.

Stuart Neville’s books are about more than ‘just’ the mystery, fascinating as it may be. His characters all have lives that come into play. Their health, background, status influence the way they operate. Every issue is handled with care and sympathy without interrupting the flow of the story or distracting from the mystery; a remarkable achievement to say the least. As a result the book has far more depth than the average mystery/thriller.

“I won’t cry, Flanagan thought. A command to the frightened little girl that still lived inside her despite all the rotten, ugly things she’d seen.”

This book, like its predecessors, is set in Northern Ireland in the present and doesn’t directly deal with the violence of the past or today’s politics. Even so, it is impossible to write a realistic story without touching on the differences between the various factions or politics. Peace has descended so recently that old animosities are still very much alive, be it less openly. Politics don’t play a main role in these mysteries but they’re there, under the surface. They influence people and their actions; they create an atmosphere filled with a barely perceptible but always present tension. Northern Ireland is as much a main character in this story as John Lennon is.

In short, this is a book for anyone who enjoys an in depth, well written and thrilling story written by an author who weaves magic with his words. One warning though; while you could read this book as a stand-alone, I would advise against it. The Jack Lennon books are best enjoyed in the order in which they were written. And since there isn’t a bad, or even less than good, book in the series, you could do worse than going back to the start.

ARMED & DANGEROUS

TITLE: ARMED & DANGEROUS

AUTHOR: ABIGAIL ROUX

Pages: 330

Date: 25/01/2014

Grade: 5

Details: no. 5 Cut & Run

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The blurb:

“Left alone in Baltimore after his unpredictable lover bails, Special Agent Zane Garrett takes his frustration out on everything in his path until he is ordered to Chicago to back up an undercover operative. When he gets there, though, he finds himself face to face with his wayward partner, Special Agent Ty Grady. They have to deal with the uncertainty lingering between them while they work to retrieve their intended mark, a retired hit man and CIA wet-works operative named Julian Cross.

Ty, once a marine and now an FBI hotshot, has a penchant for being unpredictable, a trait Zane can vouch for. Zane is a man who once lived for his job but has come to realize his heartbreaking past doesn’t have to overshadow his future. They're partners, friends, lovers, and the go-to team for unusual cases. With Cross and his innocuous boyfriend, Cameron Jacobs, in tow, Ty and Zane must navigate the obstacles of a cross-country trek, including TSA pat-downs, blizzards, their uncooperative prisoners, CIA kill teams, a desperate lack of sleep or caffeine, and each other. Ty and Zane are determined to get Julian Cross to DC in one piece, but it’s starting to look like it might be the last thing they do.”

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My thoughts:

I think I may have said this before; I’ve fallen in love with this series and its two main characters. In fact, I think I could happily spend my days doing little else besides read about Ty and Zane. I mean what’s not to love. The reader is given heart-stopping thrillers, featuring two hot FBI agents with a wicked sense of humour and smart tongues who happen to be involved in one of the most fascinating love stories while trying to stay alive.

The ending of the last book, ‘Divide and Conquer’ was a bit of a cliff-hanger. Just when I thought Ty and Zane would find the time to enjoy each other for a while, Ty does a runner, leaving Zane confused, frustrated and alone.

When Zane is send on a mission he doesn’t know the man he’s to work with is his partner and lover. It is a welcome reunion but not one they can enjoy for long since the operation they’ve been sent on is filled with danger from the very first moment.

Enter Julian and Cameron from ‘Warrior’s Cross’. All Ty and Zane know is that they have to get Julian to Washington alive and as quick as possible. Julian is convinced that allowing himself to be taken there is the equivalent of signing his own death warrant and doesn’t come easily. The fact that the innocent in every possible way Cameron also comes along for the ride only complicates matters.

What starts off as a battle between Julian and the two agents soon turns into the four men fighting together against what appears to be a CIA operation to kill Julian. But people and things are not quite what they seem. Sometimes those who appear to be your enemies turn out to be friends and those who should be trustworthy let you down.

And that’s just the thriller part of the story.

When Ty and Zane reunite there is some soul searching to be done. And when these two characters delve into their hearts, it leads to beautiful scenes. Not in the least as a result of Ty’s refreshing and utterly charming honesty.

Asked why he left while Zane was sleeping, Ty answers:

“I was afraid... I was afraid if I woke you and looked into your eyes I wouldn’t be able to go. And I had to go Zane, I had to.”

As the story progresses, Zane and the reader find out more about Ty’s past, and with it comes an understanding of the man he is, and the reason’s he has for doing what he does, even when it means hurting the man he loves and himself. Which makes it all the more touching when he asks Zane:

“Next time...next time I need to go, will you go with me?”

Or when he says:

“I was always yours. (...) Because... you make me the kind of person I’ve always wished I was.” Ty

What I love about these books is the description of Ty and Zane’s deepening connection. I adore the way they develop together, get to know and understand each other better and grow ever more comfortable in their relationship. And the addition of Julian and Cameron’s perspective in this book means that the reader is giving new insights into Ty and Zane; as the heroes of Warrior’s Cross share their perceptions of the FBI agents, the reader is given the opportunity to expand the picture they have of our heroes.

In fact, the changing dynamic between the two couples was fascinating; from outright hostility through begrudging cooperation and admiration to something that could easily have turned into friendship if the circumstances had been different. The progression is natural, at times funny and ultimately beautiful.

But the best part about this book and the whole series is, was and always will be the relationship between Ty and Zane. I live for those moments when we’re given a glimpse of how they see each other.

“But then, Zane supposed that was part of Ty’s charm, the jumbled ball of yarn inside his brain that no one could unravel.”

Not to mention the moments that have you teetering between a smile and a few tears.

“I can’t remember a time that you weren’t the first thing I thought of, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don’t care what stands in our way.” – Ty

The books in this series have it all; danger, adventure, two fascinating men who happen to love each other despite the apparent impossibility of their situation, laugh out loud moments, angst and very hot passion. I could continue reading these books forever.

This book, like all the prequels was filled with quotable sentences. I had to use all my restraint to limit myself to those I’ve used above. I will add one more because sometimes a sentence is beautiful and worth keeping just because it tells a simple truth:

“Life is hard and confusing, Zane. Love doesn’t have to be.”

SAFEWORD

TITLE: SAFEWORD

AUTHOR: A.J. ROSE

Pages: 270

Date: 30/12/2013

Grade: 5+

Details: no. 2 Power Exchange

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The blurb:

“Everywhere Detective Gavin DeGrassi looks he’s reminded of his attack by the Breath Play Killer. It’s in the house he lives in with his partner and Dom, Ben Haverson. It’s in the sympathetic yet pitying looks he receives from his fellow detectives when he returns to the force after a year-long hiatus. It’s in the suffocating coddling of his entire family, and the relentless reporter demanding an exclusive of his ordeal.

Most of all, it’s in his lack of submission to Ben, who isn’t convinced Gavin’s recovered enough to trust the power exchange between them.

The miraculous recovery of two teen boys from a twisted kidnapper gives him heart, and Gavin's determined to prove he can handle anything despite increasing strain between him and Ben, painful nightmares, and panic when anyone touches him.

But his next case is too close for comfort: a friend and colleague found raped and murdered in a fate chillingly similar to what could have been his own, and this killer isn’t stopping with one cop. As the body count rises and taunting souvenirs are being hand-delivered to Gavin, he faces a frustrating lack of leads, a crushing need to prove himself, and a sinking suspicion the imprisoned kidnapper’s reach is further than originally thought. A miasma of uncertainty and fear threaten to suffocate him when he asks a question with which he’s overwhelmingly familiar: what happens when a victim is pushed too far?”

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I was going to start this review by saying that I fell in love with three men while reading this book. And then I got this sense of déjà vu and decided to have a quick look at my review of “Power Exchange” and wouldn’t you know it? Those exact same words can be found there and while the sentiment is still the same, I won’t bore you be repeating myself too much.

Having said that, my feelings about this book are pretty much the same as the ones I have for ‘Power Exchange’. A.J. Rose has managed to find what for me is the perfect balance between a good and heart-stopping mystery, a wonderful and gripping love story and very hot scenes. There is not a single boring paragraph in this book.

When the story starts it is hard not to get immersed in Gavin’s pain, Ben’s helplessness when it comes to lighten that load for the man he loves and the strains it is putting on their relationship.

“How could I give my whole self to him if I no longer recognized who I was?”

When Gavin and his partner Myah are put in charge of the investigation of the brutal murder of a colleague, my heart literally constricted. I saw so many ways in which this could harm Gavin’s slow road to recovery I almost wanted to walk away from the book.

I should have known better of course. I should have trusted this author and his characters. As the investigation grows ever more gruesome and frustrating, Gavin and Ben find the strength to face their combined and individual demons. Everything that could so easily have thrown them back into the darkness – the nature of the investigation, the fact that Gavin is apparently being targeted again -  all the stress and doubt that might have caused them to give up, instead forces them to delve that little bit deeper. The love and connection between these two men only grows more intense in the face of all that might destroy them and slowly Gavin is able to let go of his demons – one by one.

“The last of my walls, once ironclad in the wake of our trauma, crumbled like the turrets and battlements of a sandcastle, demolished by a smooth, powerful wave.”

Then there is the way this author uses his words. And here I run into a problem. I don’t think I have the words to do A.J. Rose’s words justice.  I could just say that his words touched me, and that would be true, but it wouldn’t be enough. Maybe saying that his words resonated with me would be more accurate but it still doesn’t quite capture what I feel. So, instead I’ll give you a quote and leave it up to you to decide whether or not it is one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever read.

“We stood in our living room on the precipice of understanding. The way behind was full of doubt and fear, of tiptoeing around each other and letting our past define us. The way forward was treacherous and exhilarating, full of possibility and risk and awakening. I knew which way I wanted to us to tip.”

I cried when Gavin was able to surrender again. That moment filled my heart with joy and my eyes with tears.

“I’d found it again: complete and wholehearted trust.”

I think I may have to apologize again. This book is as much a mystery as it is a love story and my review all but ignores that first aspect of the story. Let me stress that the mystery in this book is good, well plotted, thrilling and heartbreaking. And this time I didn’t beat the detectives; I got to the solution at about the same time they did.

There is a part of me that wants to cry because this may well be the end of Ben and Gavin’s story. Like I said before, I’ve fallen in love with these two characters and could happily read another ten books about them, regardless of what they would end up doing next. But, on the up side, I know that A.J. Rose is close to finishing a new, completely unrelated, book, and I’m rather excited about that. I also know that this is going to be a long book, and that makes me even more excited. I can’t imagine this author suddenly producing characters who fail to steal my heart or a story that won’t keep me captivated from the first to the very last word. And if the worst comes to the worst and my withdrawal symptoms become too hard to bear, I can always reread Power Exchange and Safe Word. I don’t revisit books very often; there are just too many new books I’m curious about being released all the time. It’s quite possible though that these two books will end up on the list of exceptions to that rule.

“Nothing mattered but him in my arms. The job, the house, none of it. It was stuff. He was my everything.”

POWER EXCHANGE

TITLE: POWER EXCHANGE

AUTHOR: A.J. ROSE

Pages: 272

Date: 10/12/2013

Grade: 5

Details: No. 1 Power Exchange

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The blurb:

From the moment Detective Gavin DeGrassi steps into the world of BDSM to solve the brutal slaying of Dom George Kaiser, his course is not his own. Mesmerized by the context in which the victim lived and the images seared into his soul, Gavin has to find a way to navigate these unknown waters. With his personal life in upheaval due to a marital split, and his professional life uncertain with the assignment of a new partner, Gavin needs all the help he can get understanding the case.

Enter Ben Haverson, a psychologist and a well known Dom. With Ben’s help as a consultant on the case and attention to Gavin himself, Gavin delves deeper than he ever thought he would into the world of restraints and paddles. Forced to take a closer look at himself, his true nature, and his innermost desires, Gavin has a choice: keep the fear of submitting at bay, or dive in and solve the case with the knowledge he gains? When another victim is discovered, Gavin’s choice is made for him, and he’s pulled headlong into the deepest, most emotional journey of his life.

Unfortunately for him and Ben, a killer has noticed, has taken stock, and has set his sights on the D/s pair. Can Gavin outwit him, or will his first exchange of power be his last?

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Before I say anything about this story I need to say that this book contains what is probably the most beautiful and heart-warming dedication I have ever seen. Never have I been this grateful that I took the time to scroll back from the start of Chapter one, where Kindle took me when I opened the book, to the cover page. It would have been a crime to miss those lines of pure love.

And after that sentimental introduction it’s time to get to the business end of what is, after all, supposed to be a review of a book, not a dedication.

Is there anything more enjoyable than reading a book that provides a combination of favourite genres, past and present? Up until about two years ago 90 out of every 100 books I read would have been mysteries or thrillers. Even these days, when about half my reading is erotic in some way, shape or form a large percentage of the other half consist of murder and mayhem. So how wonderful to find a mystery-thriller that hits all my spots when it comes to erotic content, or, to find an erotic M/M romance which fulfils all my crime-related needs.

As you may have noticed, I rated this book 5 out of 5, and that’s despite the fact that the story contained one of my pet hates. I had the killer identified the moment he was introduced. I can’t say why because it may not be as obvious to anyone else, I never had any doubts. And that really is one of my pet hates. It just didn’t seem to bother me in this book, probably because I was far more invested in Gavin and Ben and their developing relationship than I was in the murders.

Sigh…Ben and Gavin. That is such a wonderful love story. Watching Gavin as he gets his opportunity to be true to himself and having the courage to grasp it with both hands was wonderful. Seeing how Ben deals with Gavin’s insecurities and carefully steers him to where he needs to be, even if Gavin isn’t completely sure about where that is, left me with a feeling of wonder and bliss.

“Ben had become my lighthouse after I’d been adrift for years.”

If I ever want to find myself a Dom he would have to be a Ben. Of course that means I would have to be a man, but now we’re talking semantics.

I was equally impressed with the descriptions and explanations of BDSM. This book doesn’t give its readers a fairytale like fantasy about Domination and submission. This  story paints a real, at times raw, honest and descriptive picture of the lifestyle and the community.

“It takes more courage to kneel before another than to stand beside them.”

The following quote of one of Gavin’s insights took my breath away:

“I wholly understood the words power exchange. In giving up my power to him, he was, in turn, giving me the power to realize my value, that what I had to offer of myself was worth giving to someone, and I had to trust that particular someone to cherish it.”

The descriptions of Gavin’s experiences and feelings as he submits to Ben are so well written that I felt I understood what it might be like to submit, could see the attraction.

“Train me, Ben. Let me submit to you.”

And to end this section of the review let me just say that if I needed proof that I should stay well away from even attempting to write true BDSM, this book provided it.

Over the course of reading this book I fell in love with three men; Ben, Gavin and their creator. I love a book where the author combines profound and beautiful sentiments like:

“…exquisite torture, absolute trust, and the knowledge that new heights could be reached by letting oneself go that far, trust in another that deeply.”

with lighter hearted but no less revealing sentences such as:

“…before dreams of being spanked in front of a crowd swallowed me whole.”

I think I’ve said enough. You get it. I loved this book, loved the writing, loved the characters, loved the story. It won’t be long before my review of the sequel “Safeword” shows up here. I can’t wait to see how Ben and Gavin’s story continues.

I’ll end with one more quote; just because it’s beautiful and I can.

 “Ben mapped the evidence of my submission as though inking our mutual desires into my flesh.”

ETERNITY IN DEATH

TITLE: ETERNITY IN DEATH

AUTHOR: J.D. ROBB

Date: 26/10/2013

Grade: 4.5

Details: no. 24.5 “In Death”

            Audio Book, 3 Discs

Narrator: Susan Erickson

Library

The Blurb:

“When club-hopping bad girl Tiara Kent is found dead in her plush Manhattan apartment, the killing has all the earmarks of a vampire attack. The ever-practical Lieutenant Eve Dallas has to deal with superstitious cops carrying garlic and stakes, as well as the ever-hysterical press. None of the wealthy young victim’s friends seem to know much about the Dark Prince she has been secretly seeing. The chase to stop him before he kills again will lead Eve and her team into areas of the city that not even the most intrepid cop wants to visit, and into the very heart of darkness.”

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I may have to create a new grading system for audio books; one in which I give one rating to the story and, when necessary, another one to the narrator.

Mind you, the narrator in this book was mostly fine. I liked the way she made Eve sound, and had no issues with the way Peabody and almost every other character was portrayed. But the Irish accent she put on for Roarke was diabolical. As my husband (who is Irish and was “forced” to listen with me since we were on a road trip together) pointed out, this was the “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” variety of Irish. Both of us were waiting for the “begorraghs” and “top of the mornings” to start. Not that J.D. Robb would ever write those clichés but Roarke on these disks sounded like they were constantly on the tip of his tongue.

I don’t want to be too harsh. I get that the accents are used to distinguish between characters, and I know that the Irish accent may not be the easiest to mimic for non Irish people but that still didn’t stop this exaggerated accent from taking me out of the story. I found myself wanting to laugh through the tender and hot moments and actually grinning through the tension. Not to mention that it actually managed to irritate the husband. Finally I have to point out that this version of Roarke sounded like he had just stepped of the plane from Dublin and not like the man who had lived in America for years and had retained only some of his Irish lilt. (My husband would like to add that nobody in Dublin has ever sounded like Roarke does in this book. In fact, I don’t think the accent as used in this book resembles any accent actually used on this Island.)

Time to get of my hobbyhorse and get to the actual story, which was exactly what I expected it to be. In fact I’m absolutely delighted I managed to get my hands on this “In Death” novella. These shorter, in between titles are next to impossible to get in Irish shops so I tend to miss out on them, much to my regret. Discovering that my library actually had one came as a very welcome surprise.

As far as “In Death” stories go, this one was great fun. All the aspects you’d expect in an Eve Dallas mystery are here; the rather gruesome but highly imaginative murder, the snarky but affectionate banter between Eve and Peabody, the steamy interactions between Roarke and Eve, the action filled finale all showed up giving me exactly what I want and expect from these books.

And I love the comical twist the vampire story-line brought. I enjoyed that everybody around Eve was willing to buy into the possibility that they were actually dealing with a vampire to some extend. Eve seems to be the only one completely unimpressed by the man who acts the vampire; the only one convinced that it will be normal procedure and normal weapons that will bring him down. And so Eve, much to her exasperation, finds herself surrounded by people taking precautions in the form of garlic, silver crosses and wooden stakes. And the fact that at least one of those artifacts actually turns out to come in quite handy only made the story better. But nothing in this book was better than the moment Eve used her stock reply “bite me” only for it to turn around and actually, well, bite her.

I admire the way the author managed to bring us a novella without it ever feeling that she had to take shortcuts in order to tell her story. This is a complete story which happens to be shorter than the main novels while giving the reader everything they would expect to find. I’m going to have to start hunting for all the other novellas I managed to miss – although maybe not on audio.

DIVIDE & CONQUER

TITLE: DIVIDE & CONQUER

AUTHOR: ABIGAIL ROUX & MADELEINE URBAN

Pages: 313

Date: 24/10/2013

Grade: 5+

Details: no. 4 Cut & Run

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The Blurb:

“Baltimore, Maryland, is a city in alarming distress. Rising violence is fanning the flames of public outrage, and all law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are catching blame. Thus the FBI’s latest ideas to improve public relations: a municipal softball league and workshops for community leaders. But the new commitments just mean more time Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett have to spend apart when they’re happily exploring how to be more than by-the-book partners.

Then the latest spate of crime explodes in their faces—literally—throwing the city, the Bureau, and Ty and Zane’s volatile partnership both in and out of the office into chaos. They’re hip-deep in trouble, trying to track down bombers and bank robbers in the dark with very few clues, and the only way to reach the light at the end of the tunnel together requires Ty and Zane to close their eyes and trust each other to the fiery end.”

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I don’t think I’ve ever started a review quoting the dedication at the start of the book, but that’s exactly what I’m going to do this time, just because the dedication is absolutely wonderful:

“For all of those who keep going, even when they can’t see the light.”

And while this is a wonderful sentiment in and off itself, it is even better, more meaningful, after you’ve read the book. In fact, looking at the dedication again now, makes me shudder, just because of its beauty.

It must be clear to anyone following my reviews that I have utterly fallen in love with Ty and Zane and the books they occupy. It has happened before, and I’m sure it will happen again but still, I’m always a bit surprised when characters in a book become so real to me that I start thinking about them even when I’m not reading. It does make for a more than wonderful reading experience though.

Ty and Zane once again find themselves in the middle of violence and turmoil in this book. With bombs going off all over Baltimore and no clues as to who is responsible or why they are doing it and the public getting ever more scared and distrustful of the authorities that are supposed to be keeping them safe, the city is on a knives-edge as are Ty and Zane and their colleagues.

Things don’t improve when Ty manages to turn himself and Zane into specific targets when he directly addresses the unknown perpetrator during a television interview. It isn’t long before Zane feels the consequences of Ty’s public outburst in a terrifying way, resulting in a situation which forces the two men closer yet again.

And Ty and Zane are growing ever closer, even if Zane still isn’t ready to admit to his feelings for the man who is so much more than his partner. Zane might not be ready to admit to love yet, he does know he’s grown to depend on Ty and the love he has for Zane:

“Zane craved this. He needed it, like he needed air.”

And the connection between them is so much more than just physical:

“Zane shuddered as it occurred to him that it really didn’t seem like just sex anymore. It was more, more passionate, more emotional, more energizing, more draining… at that moment, he wasn’t sure it had ever been just sex between them.”

The reader and Ty may have been sure that Zane has deep feelings for Ty for a long time by now, when Zane at last catches up my heartfelt emotion was: about bloody time too! (I told you I was getting emotionally invested in these characters):

“He loved Ty Grady with all there was to give of his heart, and in the end, all it had taken was one wink for Zane to finally come to terms with it.”

Of course things are never simple for our two agents. Zane may have realized exactly what he feels for Ty, actually using the words “I love you”, opening up to Ty and admitting to his feelings takes a whole lot longer. And just when you think the relationship between the two men might be entering an easier phase, there is Nick, a close friend and former Marine colleague of Ty to throw a spanner in the works and create a host of doubts in both of them but especially Ty.

In these books the romance is more tension filled than the actual thriller part of the story. I find myself worrying about Zane and Ty’s relationship far more than I do about their safety, no matter how dangerous the situation they find themselves in. But once they get past the angst and arrive at that place the reader has been longing to see them in for over 1000 pages, oh boy is it beautiful. All the feelings; in the book and in me…

“The first time I saw you, after I got over hating you, I knew… I knew we’d die together.” – Ty

“First time I saw you, after I got over hating you, I knew (…), I knew I’d fall in love with you.” – Zane

What makes these stories extra special is the tenderness between Ty and Zane when they are together, the way they wrap themselves around each other when they go to sleep, their need to touch each other even when it has to be secretive because there are others around that really gets to me.

The way this book ends, is just not fair. In fact, I’m raging.  Especially since I’ve been informed (by those who know about these things as well as the authors) that I have to read a book called “Warrior’s Cross”  before I start on “Armed and Dangerous”; the book that will probably put an end to my misery. The authors clearly have a bit of a sadistic streak, ending the book the way they did in the full knowledge that they were going to steer their readers away from the “Cut & Run” series before allowing them to see what will happen after those final two lines in “Divide & Conquer”. I can’t quite decide whether I admire or hate them for what they did to me here.

I’ll end this review with my favourite quote from this series so far:

“Ty took his hand and pulled at him. “Come dance with me Zane”, he requested quietly”… “It was possibly one of the most erotic, most loving things Ty had ever done for him”.

Be quiet my heart, be quiet…