How many changes are you willing to make in your life in order to make a relationship work?

Duncan Stiel is an undercover cop who was seriously abused as a child, including witnessing a murder. Aaron Sutter is the billionaire who is fighting his own father to maintain ownership of the family empire. While Duncan struggles to stay alive, after facing one attack after another, he is also struggling to determine how he and Aaron fit together.

The entire story is told from Duncan’s point of view, and nothing really seems to bother him. He is almost killed several times, including being tortured for days on end, but it doesn’t deter him from jumping right back into the thick of things. I found the activity surrounding the drug trafficking and proxy fight very confusing. There were a lot of different characters involved which also perplexed me.

I really struggled with Duncan’s relationship with Aaron toward the beginning. At first, it seemed to be entirely based on sex. They then spent quite a bit of time apart for a reason that I didn’t really comprehend. Once they get back into their relationship, the story moved along much better. It also stepped out of the realm of reality when Duncan and Aaron work a case together.

I was really hoping to get to know Aaron better. He had a major attitude in the previous books, and I really wanted to see that fully developed. These two guys had a lot going against them, but they were both willing to make adjustments to their lives in order to make it successful.

Both of these characters were in the previous stories, but it’s not necessary to read them to follow the plot. However, it will make more sense if you do. You also get to see some of the previous characters in this book, which was a treat. I loved this series, and highly recommend the first 6 books, but this particular story didn’t work as well as the others for me.

If you enjoy complicated plots with plenty of activity, cops and danger, this steamy romance could work for you.

Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

BLURB

Life has never been easy for Duncan Stiel. His childhood was the stuff of nightmares, and his day job as an undercover police officer forces him to hide his true self and occasionally lands him in the hospital. So when he finally meets the perfect man, it comes as no surprise that everything falls apart around him. What Duncan doesn’t expect is that the hardest hurdle to get over before he can make a life with Aaron Sutter is the one inside himself.

Everyone thinks Aaron has it all—looks, money, fame, and success beyond measure. Everyone, that is, except Aaron. At the end of the day, the cameras stop flashing, friends go back to their own lives, company business is handled, and Aaron is always alone. The moment he meets Duncan Stiel, Aaron knows he’ll do anything to hold onto the larger-than-life detective. But when he realizes money won’t buy him the ultimate happiness, Aaron needs to find the strength to give Duncan something much more important—his heart.