CROSS & CROWN
by Abigail Roux
Pages:
225
Date:
09/06/2014
Grade:
5
Details:
no 2 Sidewinder
Own/Kindle
The
blurb:
When Nick O'Flaherty arrives at the scene of a
double homicide to find he has a witness to the crime, he thinks it’s his lucky
day. But when he realizes his witness is suffering from amnesia and can’t even
remember his own name, Nick wishes he’d gone with his gut and put in for
vacation time.
Then Nick’s boyfriend and former Recon teammate, Kelly Abbott, joins him in Boston, and Nick finds his hands a little too full as the case and his personal life collide. The witness he’s dubbed “JD” is being tailed by Julian Cross, a retired CIA hitman. To complicate matters further, JD forms an attachment to Nick that Nick struggles not to respond to as they search for the key to JD’s identity.
Trying to determine whether JD is friend or foe as they investigate the crime puts them on the trail of a much older mystery. When multiple attempts are made on their lives, Nick is forced to turn to old enemies and new allies to solve a centuries-old crime before he and Kelly get added to the history books.
Then Nick’s boyfriend and former Recon teammate, Kelly Abbott, joins him in Boston, and Nick finds his hands a little too full as the case and his personal life collide. The witness he’s dubbed “JD” is being tailed by Julian Cross, a retired CIA hitman. To complicate matters further, JD forms an attachment to Nick that Nick struggles not to respond to as they search for the key to JD’s identity.
Trying to determine whether JD is friend or foe as they investigate the crime puts them on the trail of a much older mystery. When multiple attempts are made on their lives, Nick is forced to turn to old enemies and new allies to solve a centuries-old crime before he and Kelly get added to the history books.
My
thoughts:
This
is going to be a completely spoiler free review which means I won’t be saying
anything about the story line. The blurb tells you everything the author wants
you to know about this story before reading it and I’m not inclined to argue
with her.
I
have quite a few things I want to and can say though. Let me start by stating
that I loved the story and find myself getting more attached to Nick and Kelly
with every story they feature in. In fact one of the things I liked best about
this book was the opportunity to get a better insight into these two men and
the way they are together. Much as I adore Ty and Zane, I relished this time
with Nick and Kelly. I am grateful that these two and their relationship are very
different from Ty and Zane. Nick and Kelly have known each other for years,
have faced death and trauma together and it gives their relatively new
relationship a depth most couples would take years to build.
 |
| Taken from Nick O'Flaherty's FB page |
The
mystery in this book was fascinating and well plotted. I was intrigued from the
very first page and held my breath as the story unfolded and secrets were
revealed.
History
plays a huge part in the mystery in this book and I was intrigued by it all. It
is clear the author has a deep love and endless amounts of respect for
historical fact. Her depth of knowledge (or research) gives this story the ‘this
might actually be true’ quality that always gives books added value for me.
As
I’ve come to expect, there is an endless amount of humour in this book. My
husband gave me numerous quizzical stares when I burst out laughing while
reading. When Abigail Roux writes dialogue I can hear the characters voices and
imagine their facial expressions even when they’re not described.
“No
ID, no memory, shot in the head in the middle of a gunfight outside a robbery
of a used bookstore. What. The. Fuck.” – Nick
The
banter between Kelly and Nick had me smiling and laughing on numerous
occasions.
“Romantic,
but are you sure this isn’t just a history nerdgasm you’re having right now?”
– Kelly
While
the depth of their feelings for each other was swoon-worthy.
“I
love you (...). Has nothing to do with the circumstances, or our history, or
how close to death we’ve come together. I would love you in any incarnation of
yourself.” – Nick
 |
| Taken from Kelly Abbott's FB page |
My
final quote is from Julian Cross. I’ve come to like this enigmatic man more with
each subsequent book he appeared in and enjoyed encountering him again here,
even if he was more of a secondary character in this story. His calm in the
face of pending disaster and his wry sense of humour never fail to impress me
while a glimpse of his more vulnerable side made him that much more relatable.
“If
you would let me finish before you get your knickers in a twist, this would be
easier.” – Julian Cross
This
really is all I can say about this book without spoiling the story. I could
easily have turned this review into a love fest featuring lots of detail. For
the sake of those who haven’t read the book yet I won’t. Some books are best
read without any prior knowledge. I’ll just end this post by saying that I can’t
wait to see where Abigail Roux will take the story and her characters next.
Needless to say, where ever that may be, I’ll be close on her heals.
