Brycen and John are insecure in their ability to have a relationship due to their past boyfriends. It’s unfortunate because both of them are very kind and compassionate people. What starts out as an incredible physical connection, quickly turns into an easy-going romance. Unfortunately, they can’t help but bring their prior issues into their current affair. They spent a lot of time having sex, interpreting words and actions incorrectly, and avoiding discussions.
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.
Book Blurb
Told from Robert’s POV, he just wasn’t interesting enough to make me want to spend that much time watching him live his life. Sean seemed to have more going on in his life, and his job in pest control could have made for some really fun stories, but that didn’t happen much. I was never convinced of the romance between the two of them. They broke up and got back together several times which did nothing to convince me that they would stay together. As Robert’s best friend, Rose was a tad over-the-top, but at least she provided some comedic relief.
Enthralling story about life in the military and the healing that can come from the love of a good man.
Highly decorated Staff Sergeant Corey Yarwood is an instructor at the Basic Reconnaissance Course. He’s struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and is on the verge of becoming an alcoholic. In the midst of defending another bar patron, Corey meets Sean Chandler. Sean is a musician and actor who sings and plays the guitar at the bar. The two of them begin a relationship, but must deal with Corey’s PTSD and the investigation into events that happened in Afghanistan.
The entire story is told from Corey’s point of view. He’s extremely ethical, kind and strong. He believes in doing the right thing, and he finds it extremely frustrating that he can’t remember everything that happened during his last deployment.
I fell in love with Corey, and desperately wanted to see him find happiness and peace. Sean was very kind with a calming personality, but he was also very possessive and immature in some ways. Sean really helped Corey deal with his panic attacks and drinking. Unfortunately, I never felt like I got to know Sean as well as I would have liked to. He had an interesting life as an actor and musician, and it would have been great to spend more time exploring it.
The development of the relationship between Cory and Sean, while strong at the beginning with plenty of great dialogue, became mostly a sexual one toward the end. However, they did bring kissing to a whole new level of sexiness! Although I found the story extremely interesting, I really wish more time would have been spent watching them bond.
The majority of the story is spent watching Corey perform as an instructor and learning the details of what takes place during training. Another portion is spent dealing with the investigation of the events in Afghanistan. We also spent quite a bit of time with Cory and his therapist. I really liked the way the author addressed this issue by including some of the detailed conversations. It seems like she did quite a bit of research making the story feel very realistic.
I did not read the first two books in the series, and while I certainly didn’t feel lost at all, I think fans will enjoy seeing earlier characters. I thought this was an excellent story about a courageous man serving in the military, both during and after deployment, and the effects and treatment of PTSD. The author has a riveting writing style, and she did a wonderful job covering so many complicated subjects in a way that made them easy to understand.
Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb
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