TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD

TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD by Rhys Ford

Pages: 250

Date: 02/07/2014

Grade: 5+

Details: no. 3 Sinners

            Received from Dreamspinner Press

            Through Love Romances and More

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“Lieutenant Connor Morgan of SFPD’s SWAT division wasn’t looking for love. Especially not in a man. His life plan didn’t include one Forest Ackerman, a brown-eyed, blond drummer who’s as sexy as he is trouble. His family depends on him to be like his father, a solid pillar of strength who’ll one day lead the Morgan clan.

No, Connor has everything worked out—a career in law enforcement, a nice house, and a family. Instead, he finds a murdered man while on a drug raid and loses his heart comforting the man’s adopted son. It wasn’t like he’d never thought about men — it’s just loving one doesn’t fit into his plans.

Forest Ackerman certainly doesn’t need to be lusting after a straight cop, even if Connor Morgan is everywhere he looks, especially after Frank’s death. He’s just talked himself out of lusting for the brawny cop when his coffee shop becomes a war zone and Connor Morgan steps in to save him.

Whoever killed his father seems intent on Forest joining him in the afterlife. As the killer moves closer to achieving his goal, Forest tangles with Connor Morgan and is left wondering what he’ll lose first—his life or his heart.”

--------------------------------------------------

My thoughts:

You know that feeling you get when you read a book and it leaves you completely happy, satisfied and with a huge grin on your face? THAT

This book so closely resembles my perfect reading experience I could believe it was written according to my personal stipulations if I didn’t know better. The mystery in this book is thrilling and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. The characters worm their way into your heart from the moment they are introduced and subsequently grow into people you’d love to have in your day-to-day life. The dialogue sparkles and sounds realistic and the emotions both happy and sad are so vivid you experience them with the characters.

Tequila Mockingbird is the third book in the ‘Sinners’ series and while I have no doubt you should reads these books in order to get the most out of them, my rating of this book indicates that it’s not necessary. I haven’t read the first two titles yet but never felt as if I was missing vital information.  

There was so much to love in this book. Connor’s journey from being fascinated with and attracted to Forest to the realisation that he has fallen in love with a man and needs him in his life took my breath away.

“I want to lie in bed with him when it rains and listen to the water hit the roof. I find myself wondering how the coffee foam on his lips would taste on my tongue or if I could make him smile by blowing a raspberry on his belly. It’s not just want, Da. It’s need. I need him.” – Con to Donal

Donal, the Morgan patriarch, is probably one of the best characters ever created. His words of wisdom, unquestioning love and endless understanding are something everybody should experience in their life yet few encounter.

“Follow yer heart, because no matter where it takes ye, the journey is worth it – especially if it’s love.” - Donal to Con

I enjoyed the relationship between all the Morgans. The rapid fire slagging-off between them hit the Irish note spot on. The united front they present as soon as one of them is in need was heart warming. Quinn’s advice to his older brother was inspired and worth remembering.

“You should never play safe with your heart. It doesn’t get to grow if you don’t take it out. You break it. You give it away. And sometimes, you kind of hope someone gives it back to you – maybe wrapped up and taped but better because they held it for a little while.” – Quinn to Con

I was going to say that Forest broke my heart, but that’s not exactly right. His history broke my heart. The things he’d faced at an age when his biggest concern should have been the next X-box game were horrendous and at times very hard to read. Yet the man himself, despite his doubts and fears was not someone to be pitied. He took his blows, stood his ground and despite his doubts found the courage to believe he was loved and return that love.

“How can he love me? Shit, I don’t even love me.” - Forest

And what a note to end a book on. Talk about leaving your readers yearning for more. I can’t really call it a cliff-hanger though. If I had to call it anything I’d call it a new beginning, a taste rather than a tease. And as tastes go, this one left me hungry for more. Which means I’m lucky; having two older books to catch up with means I can get my fix while waiting for the next one to become available.

DEVIL'S BREW

DEVIL’S BREW by Rhys Ford

Pages: 65

Date: 18/06/2014

Grade: 5

Details: no. 2.5 Sinners

            Received from Dreamspinner Press

            Through Love Romances and More

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“Miki St. John’s life has been turned upside down, but it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him. 

His best friend, Damien Mitchell, is back from the dead. He has a dog named Dude. And more importantly, he and his lover, SFPD Inspector Kane Morgan, now share Miki’s converted warehouse. 

For the first time ever, Miki’s living a happy and normal-ish life, but when Valentine’s Day rolls around, Miki realizes he knows next to nothing about being domestic or domesticated. Nothing about the traditional lover’s holiday makes sense to him, but Miki wants to give Kane a Valentine’s Day the man will never forget. 

Can he pull off a day of wine and roses? Or will his screwed-up childhood come back and bite Miki in the ass? 

Again.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

My thoughts:

This was, for me, the perfect novella. I knew nothing about the characters before I started reading yet found myself deeply in love with them within minutes.

Miki broke my heart and lifted my spirit at the same time. It is impossible not to be taken in by this man who has a very low opinion of himself yet never stops trying to be the best he can possibly be for those he loves.

 “If he looked hard enough – really not that hard, actually – he felt stupid. Worthless.”

His friendship with Damien is beautiful and heart-warming while the conversations between them move from heartbreakingly deep and sad to laugh-out-loud funny. The way Miki talks about his lover, Kane, and the depth of his feelings for the Irish cop took my breath away.

“I knew I loved him when I realized he was going to be inside me – no matter where he was, I’d always have him there.”

Miki’s unfamiliarity with Valentine’s Day was as funny as it was sad. His quest to find the perfect presents for the man he loves endeared him to me as few characters, especially in shorter books, have.

And Kane and Miki together, well that has to be poetry in motion. They are tender, loving, funny and smoking hot.

I think this is my second encounter with Rhys Ford’s words and I have to say I’m liking her more with each new encounter. Her writing is wonderful and paints vivid pictures while her dialogue sparkles. I could hear the Irish brogue (yes, I’m sure living in Ireland helps, but still) and fall for the lure of it along with Miki.

I’m convinced I would have gotten even more out of this story if I’d read the first two books in this series, ‘Sinner’s Gin’ and ‘Whiskey and Wry’, first. It speaks volumes about the author’s talent that I didn’t feel I was missing anything while at the same time realising that it is only a matter of weeks before I’ll have to read those earlier titles. I’m pretty sure those first two books are going to break my heart, regardless of the fact I now know where they’ll eventually take me, but this story, these characters...Yes, I need more.