Tag Archive | No or Low Angst

Breaking Point (Turning Point #2) by N.R. Walker (3 Stars)

One man faces down his personal demons of guilt, but will it be in time to save the relationship with the love of his life?

Matthew Elliott and Kira Takeo Franco have been together for over a year now. Things seem to be going well with their relationship, but everything is about to change. Matt is going undercover to fight a narcotics ring, but he can’t tell Kira. As Matt struggles with living a lie, his relationship with Kira slowly starts to disintegrate.

This is the second book in the series, and it picks up with the same characters. The entire story is told from Matt’s point of view, and he still feels horribly guilty about Kira’s kidnapping. Matt has decided to accept an undercover assignment to discover how a large narcotics ring is working. This requires him to act as if he is leaving the police force to join the underground world of cage-fighting.

Unfortunately, I didn’t understand why Matt couldn’t tell Kira what was going on. Since Matt wasn’t hiding his identity, Kira wasn’t any safer not knowing what was going on. Instead, it created a huge trust issue in their relationship that lasted the entire story. This was not a romantic story, although there were a few sex scenes, nor was it focused on their relationship. The main plot of the story was educating the reader on the training that goes into preparing for cage-fighting, and the turmoil that Matt was going through internally. It also dealt with the aftermath of violence and guilt. Although it was interesting being inside Matt’s head while he deals with these different issues, it wasn’t the romance I was hoping for.

This story is for fans of Matt and Kira, who also enjoy reading about letting go of guilt and the dangerous world of cage-fighting.

cover

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

Burnished by Fire (By Fire #3) by Andrew Grey (4 Stars)

The last story for this couple in this series takes place during Dirk and Lee’s much needed vacation together. Unfortunately, Dirk’s father ends up vacationing at the same place leading to some interesting interactions. The best part of the story was watching Dirk and Lee continue to show how much they loved each other through their actions.

cover

Book Blurb

Strengthened by Fire (By Fire #2) by Andrew Grey (4 Stars)

The second story in this series is told by Lee, and we get to see the relationship between him and Dirk progress. The focus of the story is on saving their fire station from closure. It served as a nice backdrop to the strengthening of their relationship. We also got to know Lee quite a bit better which was a real treat. These two guys really seem to connect well with each other, and this made for an enjoyable romance.

cover

Book Blurb

Redemption by Fire (By Fire #1) by Andrew Grey (4 Stars)

Enjoyable series which I read straight through. All three books focus on one couple, and I liked the way each book ended with its own HEA. The first story, “Redemption by Fire”, is told by Dirk. He is such a complete jerk in how he treats others, but at the same time, he never hesitates to risk his own life to save somebody. Dirk’s father is extremely homophobic which makes it harder for Dirk to admit he might be gay. Lee somehow manages to see the good side of Dirk. As Lee helps Dirk recover from an injury, the two spend some time together and begin a nice relationship. Lee is one of the nicest guys around, and I loved that he never took grief from Dirk.The time they spent in the fire station was also interesting.

cover

Book Blurb