BALL & CHAIN

TITLE: BALL & CHAIN

AUTHOR: ABIGAIL ROUX

Pages: 306

Date: 17/03/2014

Grade:  5+

Details: no. 8 Cut & Run

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The blurb:

“Home from their unexpected deployment, the former members of Marine Force Recon team Sidewinder rejoin their loved ones and try to pick up the pieces of the lives they were forced to leave behind. Ty Grady comes home to Zane Garrett, only to find that everything around him has changed—even the men he went to war with. He barely has time to adjust before his brother, Deuce, asks Ty to be his best man. But that isn’t all Deuce asks Ty to do, and Ty must call for backup to deal with the business issues of Deuce’s future father-in-law.

Nick O’Flaherty and Kelly Abbott join Ty and Zane at the wedding on an island in Scotland, thinking they’re there to assuage Deuce’s paranoia. But when bodies start dropping and boats start sinking, the four men get more involved with the festivities than they’d ever planned to.

With the clock ticking and the killer just as stuck on the isolated island as they are, Ty and Zane must navigate a veritable minefield of family, friends, and foes to stop the whole island from being destroyed.”

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My thoughts:

The official release date for this book is today which makes me disinclined to talk about the story. It would be too easy to spoil the story for those who haven’t gotten around to reading the book yet and since I would never forgive a reviewer for doing that to me, I won’t take the risk of doing so now. I’ll limit myself to listing a few things I loved about this book and will hopefully manage to do so without revealing things that I shouldn’t. Of course, the only way to make sure you don’t encounter any spoilers is to do what I did, and stay away from reviews all together until you’ve read the book.

Let me start by saying that I loved this book. For me this book had everything I love about the ‘Cut & Run’ series. There was the mystery and all the high thrills action needed to solve it, not to mention some twists and turns that took my breath away. The fact that it was set in a Scottish mansion with secret passage-ways and located on a remote and private island only added to the sense of danger. I have always loved the interactions between the characters in these books and the addition of Kelly and Nick to Ty and Zane’s double act meant a lot more quick fire dialogue.

The start of the book had me reading with a huge grin on my face, a grin that was semi permanent and only interrupted by moments of laughter. In fact, the grin was stuck on my face for a long time. But on those occasions when the grin did fall of my face it was because there was real pain in the story.

Stolen from B Ty Grady's Facebook Page

I’m not entirely sure what I expected when I started this book. I was ready for residue of Ty and Zane’s last fight, especially since it was followed almost immediately by their separation. Conflict between Nick and Kelly wouldn’t have surprised me either since their intimate relationship was so very new and almost nipped in the bud by their separation. What I was completely unprepared for were the issues between Ty and Nick I was confronted with; deep seated issue without any easy answers. Reading about those was as painful as it was fascinating and kept me glued to the page.

I loved Ty’s struggles when he finds out about Nick and Kelly and his difficulty in determining what exactly is causing him to feel so off about it.

“Stop. The deal is I don’t freak out, and you don’t share sex stories.” – Ty to Kelly.

And I have to admit that I’m falling deeper in love with Kelly and Nick as I read more about them. Kelly’s support for Nick when he’s facing one of the toughest decisions he’ll ever have to make was beautiful.

““The decision you make, you make it for you. Not him.” Kelly whispered in his ear. “You make it for you. And I’ll be here.” – Kelly to Nick

But the Kelly’s words towards the end of this book took my breath away.

 

Stolen from the Sidewinder Facebook Page

““I love you, Nick,” Kelly whispered. “No matter what those words meant before, we know what they mean now. They’re ours now. Just ours.””

Well, those these quotes all but melted me.

Now that I’ve finished the book I should say that I wouldn’t have minded a bit more sexual action on these pages. It wasn’t something I was missing or actively waiting for while reading the book though. The story with all its twists and turns, action and clever dialogue had me in such a tight hold that I didn’t even realise how little sex there’d been until the story had ended.

It sort of breaks my heart that we appear to be nearing the end of Ty and Zane’s story. Of course there still is the ‘mole issue’ to resolve but, as things stand now, it looks like that might be the end of their adventures. Having said that, the ‘Sidewinder’ stories have only started and this book set us up for what promises to be one hell of a storyline in that series. And since Ty is very much a member of the Sidewinder team, the future might not be quite as bleak as I fear. One thing is sure though; no matter where Abigail Roux decides to take her characters next, I will be following them closely, making very sure not to miss a single word in the process.

TOUCH & GEAUX

TITLE: TOUCH & GEAUX

AUTHOR: ABIGAIL ROUX

Pages: 349

Date: 12/03/2014

Grade: 5

Details: No. 7 Cut & Run

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The blurb:

“After having their faces plastered across the news during a high-profile case, FBI Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett have become more useful to the Bureau posing for photo ops than working undercover. Just as Zane is beginning to consider retirement a viable option, Ty receives a distress call from a friend, leading them to a city rife with echoes from the past.

New Orleans wears its history on its streets, and it’s the one place Ty’s face could get him killed. Surrounded by trouble as soon as they land, Ty and Zane are swiftly confronted with a past from which Ty can’t hide—one with a surprising connection to Zane’s.

As threats close in from all directions, both men must come to terms with the lives they’ve led and the lies they’ve told. They soon discover that not all their secrets are out yet, and nothing lasts forever.”

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My thoughts:

Well...Okay...Wow...I mean...

Just bear with me while I catch my breath and try to find the words I need to write this review because...Jaysus what a book.

In my review of ‘Stars & Stripes’ I said that while I liked that book and enjoyed my time with Ty and Zane it missed the WOW-factor for me because the relationship element of the story was just too smooth and – shock horror - wasn’t angsty enough. Well, in a perfect example of ‘be careful what you wish for because you might just get it’ this book made up for that lack of angst...and then some. In fact, I’m not sure ‘angst’ is the right word to describe everything that happens between Ty and Zane; all out warfare might be a better description.

Ty and Zane find themselves in New Orleans. And while this place holds happy memories for Zane, it is not somewhere Ty should be. When he was pulled out of New Orleans after spending two years there while undercover, he left a lot of unresolved issues and enemies behind. Issues and enemies that seem to know he’s back and are determined to bring him down once and for all.

And it is not just Ty’s past haunting him. Zane’s undercover past has descended on New Orleans as well and appears to match Ty’s when it comes to their need for vengeance. It soon becomes clear that Ty and Zane’s pasts are far more interwoven than Zane could ever have expected. The revelation that Ty has been keeping secrets from him for the past two years despite their, apparently strengthening, relationship crushes Zane. During the ensuing fight things are said and done that can never be taken back, leaving both investigators teetering on the edge while various groups are still out to kill them. It also becomes clear that someone is relaying information to their enemies. This may be one investigation too far for this couple; even if they manage to survive the attempts on their lives, their relationship may well be beyond repair.

This was, at times, a very hard book to read. The passages where Zane and Ty fight nearly broke my heart because it was so easy to understand both men’s point of view. The betrayal Zane felt made as much sense as Ty’s conviction that he had been doing the right thing all along. And that is the reason this particular version of angst didn’t upset me or put me off the book. I’ve read too many romances in which the issues between the two main characters seems contrived; only there because the author needed something to create tension. In this case it all made sense; not just in the context of this book but in relation to the story-line over all seven books. And while that didn’t make the whole mess any easier to read, it did get me even more involved with and attached to these two investigators.

There was one instance of coincidence in this book that went a bit too far for me. It seemed very unrealistic and I could see it coming a mile off. Having said that, it also brought me an ‘ah, isn’t that sweet’ moment in what was, otherwise, a tough and heartbreaking story, so I won’t hold it against the author.

Ty and Zane have over the past year or so joined the very small and select group of favourite fictional characters. They have become almost real in my head; I find myself dreaming about them and can easily imagine meeting them face to face. This doesn’t happen very often and I’m delighted every time I am lucky enough to stumble upon an author with the power to make their world real for me. I think it is safe to say that Abigail Roux has found a life-long fan in this reader.

My favourite quote from this book:

““Who are you Ty?” Ty smiled against his cheek. “I was an assassin”, he whispered. “I’m a marine. I’m the man who doesn’t miss. And I’m yours.” Zane bit his lip on a smile. “Who are you Zane?” Zane cocked his head. “I’m an artist. I’m a geek.” He felt Ty smile. “I’m one badass motherfucker on a motorcycle.” Ty began to laugh. Zane dipped his head until they were staring into each other’s eyes. “And I’m yours.”

STARS & STRIPES

TITLE: STARS & STRIPES

AUTHOR: ABIGAIL ROUX

Pages: 292

Date: 10/03/2014

Grade: 4.5

Details: no. 6 Cut & Run

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The blurb:

“Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett have managed the impossible: a few months of peace and quiet. After nearly a year of personal and professional turmoil, they're living together conflict-free, work is going smoothly, and they're both happy, healthy, and home every night before dark. But anyone who knows them knows that can’t possibly last.

When an emergency call from home upsets the balance of their carefully arranged world, Ty and Zane must juggle family drama with a perplexing crime to save a helpless victim before time runs out.

From the mountains of West Virginia to a remote Texas horse ranch harboring more than just livestock and childhood memories, Ty and Zane must face their fears—and their families—to overcome an unlikely enemy and bring peace back into their newly shared world.”

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My thoughts:

Before I start on my review proper I want to make something perfectly clear: I adore Ty and Zane who are fast joining that small and elite group of fictional characters who refuse to stay fictional in my mind. I love their antics, the quick fire dialogue between them, their relationship as it is steadily growing stronger and the mad adventures they find themselves caught up in. And as far as all of that goes this book was a very welcome addition to the series and a wonderful read.

And yet...While I had a wonderful time reading ‘Stars & Stripes’, this book missed the oomph factor for me. The previous books in this series somehow managed to hit me hard, made me want share my adoration for the series and the characters in it with the world in SHOUTY CAPS and refused to leave me alone.

This story on the other hand wasn’t more than a highly enjoyable read. While I loved every minute I spent with Ty and Zane, this book didn’t have the ‘can’t put it down, have to keep on reading’ urgency for me. And I think I know why that is. For me these books have always been about the relationship between these two men. I enjoyed the thriller aspect of the stories and can’t deny it added some much appreciated spice to them, but I didn’t read them because that particular kind of action.

In this book the relationship between Ty and Zane is rock solid and never in any doubt. They love each other and are so sure about their relationship that they actually find the courage to come out to those closest to them. With one exception this revelation didn’t cause the tension it might have and although that was heart-warming in a ‘if only that was true for everybody coming out’ sort of way it didn’t add a lot of emotional depth to the story.

Which leads me to a statement I didn’t think I’d ever make; I could have done with more angst in this story. Yes, you heard me right. Me, who always proclaims that she is not one for angsty reads, is bemoaning the lack of that aspect in this particular instalment. No, I don’t quite get it either and can’t begin to explain it.

Now, you may have noticed that I did give the book 4.5 stars. Everything I said above doesn’t mean that I didn’t like this book – I loved it – just that it lacked the WOW factor earlier titles had. There is a lot to love in this book; most of all the insight we get into Zane, his background and everything that made him into the person he is. My heart broke for him as his mother refused to give even an inch, knowing it would cost her the relationship with her only son. On the other hand, I adored Zane’s father.

“Had a gay bull I had to sell last year. That was a damn nuisance. Gay son? That don't cost me nothing.”

 And as always there are the jibes between Ty and Zane to bring light relief even in the direst of circumstances. I also loved Ty’s relationship with the animals he encounters, unrealistic as it may be.

I would probably read these books if all Ty and Zane did in them was talk to each other and have sex. I love these characters individually but adore them as a couple which makes me very glad that I have at least two more books of their story to look forward to. This brings me to something else I rarely do; read two books in a series immediately after each other. As soon as I finish this review I’ll be starting on ‘Touch & Geaux’. I realise that book number eight in this series, ‘Ball & Chain’ is already available. The official release day was March 17^th though, and my aim was always to be ready for that story on St. Patrick’s Day. The way things are looking right now, that won’t be a problem. I’m looking forward to an Abigail Roux filled reading week and can’t think of a more enjoyable prospect right now.

“There are...there are so many paths in life. Some we choose, and some are chosen for us. We walk our paths without looking down and that’s the life we lead. The only things you’ll get from guessing where another path would have gone are questions you can’t answer and heartache you can’t ever soothe.”

ARMED & DANGEROUS

TITLE: ARMED & DANGEROUS

AUTHOR: ABIGAIL ROUX

Pages: 330

Date: 25/01/2014

Grade: 5

Details: no. 5 Cut & Run

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The blurb:

“Left alone in Baltimore after his unpredictable lover bails, Special Agent Zane Garrett takes his frustration out on everything in his path until he is ordered to Chicago to back up an undercover operative. When he gets there, though, he finds himself face to face with his wayward partner, Special Agent Ty Grady. They have to deal with the uncertainty lingering between them while they work to retrieve their intended mark, a retired hit man and CIA wet-works operative named Julian Cross.

Ty, once a marine and now an FBI hotshot, has a penchant for being unpredictable, a trait Zane can vouch for. Zane is a man who once lived for his job but has come to realize his heartbreaking past doesn’t have to overshadow his future. They're partners, friends, lovers, and the go-to team for unusual cases. With Cross and his innocuous boyfriend, Cameron Jacobs, in tow, Ty and Zane must navigate the obstacles of a cross-country trek, including TSA pat-downs, blizzards, their uncooperative prisoners, CIA kill teams, a desperate lack of sleep or caffeine, and each other. Ty and Zane are determined to get Julian Cross to DC in one piece, but it’s starting to look like it might be the last thing they do.”

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My thoughts:

I think I may have said this before; I’ve fallen in love with this series and its two main characters. In fact, I think I could happily spend my days doing little else besides read about Ty and Zane. I mean what’s not to love. The reader is given heart-stopping thrillers, featuring two hot FBI agents with a wicked sense of humour and smart tongues who happen to be involved in one of the most fascinating love stories while trying to stay alive.

The ending of the last book, ‘Divide and Conquer’ was a bit of a cliff-hanger. Just when I thought Ty and Zane would find the time to enjoy each other for a while, Ty does a runner, leaving Zane confused, frustrated and alone.

When Zane is send on a mission he doesn’t know the man he’s to work with is his partner and lover. It is a welcome reunion but not one they can enjoy for long since the operation they’ve been sent on is filled with danger from the very first moment.

Enter Julian and Cameron from ‘Warrior’s Cross’. All Ty and Zane know is that they have to get Julian to Washington alive and as quick as possible. Julian is convinced that allowing himself to be taken there is the equivalent of signing his own death warrant and doesn’t come easily. The fact that the innocent in every possible way Cameron also comes along for the ride only complicates matters.

What starts off as a battle between Julian and the two agents soon turns into the four men fighting together against what appears to be a CIA operation to kill Julian. But people and things are not quite what they seem. Sometimes those who appear to be your enemies turn out to be friends and those who should be trustworthy let you down.

And that’s just the thriller part of the story.

When Ty and Zane reunite there is some soul searching to be done. And when these two characters delve into their hearts, it leads to beautiful scenes. Not in the least as a result of Ty’s refreshing and utterly charming honesty.

Asked why he left while Zane was sleeping, Ty answers:

“I was afraid... I was afraid if I woke you and looked into your eyes I wouldn’t be able to go. And I had to go Zane, I had to.”

As the story progresses, Zane and the reader find out more about Ty’s past, and with it comes an understanding of the man he is, and the reason’s he has for doing what he does, even when it means hurting the man he loves and himself. Which makes it all the more touching when he asks Zane:

“Next time...next time I need to go, will you go with me?”

Or when he says:

“I was always yours. (...) Because... you make me the kind of person I’ve always wished I was.” Ty

What I love about these books is the description of Ty and Zane’s deepening connection. I adore the way they develop together, get to know and understand each other better and grow ever more comfortable in their relationship. And the addition of Julian and Cameron’s perspective in this book means that the reader is giving new insights into Ty and Zane; as the heroes of Warrior’s Cross share their perceptions of the FBI agents, the reader is given the opportunity to expand the picture they have of our heroes.

In fact, the changing dynamic between the two couples was fascinating; from outright hostility through begrudging cooperation and admiration to something that could easily have turned into friendship if the circumstances had been different. The progression is natural, at times funny and ultimately beautiful.

But the best part about this book and the whole series is, was and always will be the relationship between Ty and Zane. I live for those moments when we’re given a glimpse of how they see each other.

“But then, Zane supposed that was part of Ty’s charm, the jumbled ball of yarn inside his brain that no one could unravel.”

Not to mention the moments that have you teetering between a smile and a few tears.

“I can’t remember a time that you weren’t the first thing I thought of, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don’t care what stands in our way.” – Ty

The books in this series have it all; danger, adventure, two fascinating men who happen to love each other despite the apparent impossibility of their situation, laugh out loud moments, angst and very hot passion. I could continue reading these books forever.

This book, like all the prequels was filled with quotable sentences. I had to use all my restraint to limit myself to those I’ve used above. I will add one more because sometimes a sentence is beautiful and worth keeping just because it tells a simple truth:

“Life is hard and confusing, Zane. Love doesn’t have to be.”

DIVIDE & CONQUER

TITLE: DIVIDE & CONQUER

AUTHOR: ABIGAIL ROUX & MADELEINE URBAN

Pages: 313

Date: 24/10/2013

Grade: 5+

Details: no. 4 Cut & Run

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The Blurb:

“Baltimore, Maryland, is a city in alarming distress. Rising violence is fanning the flames of public outrage, and all law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are catching blame. Thus the FBI’s latest ideas to improve public relations: a municipal softball league and workshops for community leaders. But the new commitments just mean more time Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett have to spend apart when they’re happily exploring how to be more than by-the-book partners.

Then the latest spate of crime explodes in their faces—literally—throwing the city, the Bureau, and Ty and Zane’s volatile partnership both in and out of the office into chaos. They’re hip-deep in trouble, trying to track down bombers and bank robbers in the dark with very few clues, and the only way to reach the light at the end of the tunnel together requires Ty and Zane to close their eyes and trust each other to the fiery end.”

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I don’t think I’ve ever started a review quoting the dedication at the start of the book, but that’s exactly what I’m going to do this time, just because the dedication is absolutely wonderful:

“For all of those who keep going, even when they can’t see the light.”

And while this is a wonderful sentiment in and off itself, it is even better, more meaningful, after you’ve read the book. In fact, looking at the dedication again now, makes me shudder, just because of its beauty.

It must be clear to anyone following my reviews that I have utterly fallen in love with Ty and Zane and the books they occupy. It has happened before, and I’m sure it will happen again but still, I’m always a bit surprised when characters in a book become so real to me that I start thinking about them even when I’m not reading. It does make for a more than wonderful reading experience though.

Ty and Zane once again find themselves in the middle of violence and turmoil in this book. With bombs going off all over Baltimore and no clues as to who is responsible or why they are doing it and the public getting ever more scared and distrustful of the authorities that are supposed to be keeping them safe, the city is on a knives-edge as are Ty and Zane and their colleagues.

Things don’t improve when Ty manages to turn himself and Zane into specific targets when he directly addresses the unknown perpetrator during a television interview. It isn’t long before Zane feels the consequences of Ty’s public outburst in a terrifying way, resulting in a situation which forces the two men closer yet again.

And Ty and Zane are growing ever closer, even if Zane still isn’t ready to admit to his feelings for the man who is so much more than his partner. Zane might not be ready to admit to love yet, he does know he’s grown to depend on Ty and the love he has for Zane:

“Zane craved this. He needed it, like he needed air.”

And the connection between them is so much more than just physical:

“Zane shuddered as it occurred to him that it really didn’t seem like just sex anymore. It was more, more passionate, more emotional, more energizing, more draining… at that moment, he wasn’t sure it had ever been just sex between them.”

The reader and Ty may have been sure that Zane has deep feelings for Ty for a long time by now, when Zane at last catches up my heartfelt emotion was: about bloody time too! (I told you I was getting emotionally invested in these characters):

“He loved Ty Grady with all there was to give of his heart, and in the end, all it had taken was one wink for Zane to finally come to terms with it.”

Of course things are never simple for our two agents. Zane may have realized exactly what he feels for Ty, actually using the words “I love you”, opening up to Ty and admitting to his feelings takes a whole lot longer. And just when you think the relationship between the two men might be entering an easier phase, there is Nick, a close friend and former Marine colleague of Ty to throw a spanner in the works and create a host of doubts in both of them but especially Ty.

In these books the romance is more tension filled than the actual thriller part of the story. I find myself worrying about Zane and Ty’s relationship far more than I do about their safety, no matter how dangerous the situation they find themselves in. But once they get past the angst and arrive at that place the reader has been longing to see them in for over 1000 pages, oh boy is it beautiful. All the feelings; in the book and in me…

“The first time I saw you, after I got over hating you, I knew… I knew we’d die together.” – Ty

“First time I saw you, after I got over hating you, I knew (…), I knew I’d fall in love with you.” – Zane

I don’t think I’ve mentioned it in any of my reviews so far but Ty and Zane are hot together; and I mean HOT!

“Zane didn’t necessarily enjoy sex with Ty more when Ty was drunk, but it definitely changed the game. Ty was looser, more apt to be rough and manhandle him, more likely to do things to Zane that Zane would have to Google to know what to call them.”

What makes these stories extra special though is that the hotness is only one aspect of their relationship. And while I love their steamy encounters and look forward to them while reading, it is the tenderness between them when they’re just together, the way they wrap themselves around each other when they go to sleep, their need to touch each other even when it has to be secretive because there are others around that really gets to me.

The way this book ends, is just not fair. In fact, I’m raging.  Especially since I’ve been informed (by those who know about these things as well as the authors) that I have to read a book called “Warrior’s Cross”  before I start on “Armed and Dangerous”; the book that will probably put an end to my misery. The authors clearly have a bit of a sadistic streak, ending the book the way they did in the full knowledge that they were going to steer their readers away from the “Cut & Run” series before allowing them to see what will happen after those final two lines in “Divide & Conquer”. I can’t quite decide whether I admire or hate them for what they did to me here.

Taken from The Mind of Gray's Tumbler

I’ll end this review with my favourite quote from this series so far:

“Ty took his hand and pulled at him. “Come dance with me Zane”, he requested quietly”… “It was possibly one of the most erotic, most loving things Ty had ever done for him”.

Be quiet my heart, be quiet…

FISH & CHIPS

TITLE: FISH & CHIPS

AUTHOR: ABIGAIL ROUX & MADELEINE URBAN

Pages: 314

Date: 22/10/2013

Grade: 5+

Details: no. 3 Cut & Run

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The Blurb:

“Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett are back on the job, settled into a personal and professional relationship built on fierce protectiveness and blistering passion. Now they’re assigned to impersonate two members of an international smuggling ring—an out-and-proud married couple—on a Christmas cruise in the Caribbean. As their boss says, surely they’d rather kiss each other than be shot at, and he has no idea how right he is.

Portraying the wealthy criminals requires a particular change in attitude from Ty and Zane while dealing with the frustrating waiting game that is their assignment. As it begins to affect how they treat each other in private, they realize there’s more to being partners than watching each other’s backs, and when the case takes an unexpected turn and threatens Ty’s life, he and Zane will have to navigate seas of white lies and stormy secrets, including some of their own.”

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When reviewing “Cut & Run” in August I wrote that one of my reasons for rating that book “only” 4.5” was that I wanted to make sure there was room for the grades of the subsequent books in the series to go up. The friends who insisted that I needed to read this series had also informed me that the books would just get better and better, so the slightly less than optimum rating seemed like a good idea at the time. And I guess it was. I did enjoy “Sticks & Stones” more than I did the first book so the grade went up to 5. And now I have finished “Fish and Chips” and wouldn’t you know it, this is my favourite book so far. That isn’t a problem of course, except that I’ve run out of higher grades. On my blog I can – and have – just added a plus to the 5 this book so clearly deserves. Unfortunately, that opportunity doesn’t exist on any of the other sites where I’ll be leaving this review. Therefore, if you’re reading this review anywhere other than on my blog, know that I actually graded this book 5+ stars.

Yes, “Fish & Chips” is most definitely my favourite title in this series so far because the undercover case Zane and Ty are sent on gives them, and the reader, the opportunity to look at and experience their relationship on a whole new level. While the two men decided at the end of “Sticks & Stones” that they wanted to stay together as lovers as well as partners their relationship has, for obvious and work-related reasons, stayed under the radar. In fact their new colleagues in Baltimore don’t expect their working relationship to last for any length of time given Ty’s reputation and the way he and Zane are constantly arguing with each other. And yet, Ty and Zane have been growing closer to each other. They may both run shy of admitting to any deeper feelings but they are at least willing to concede that they want to be together.

“He’d reached a point where Ty’s attitude and cockiness were more turn-ons than annoyances.” - Zane

And one thing has never been in doubt about these two men; they are hot together and hot for each other.

Taken from The Mind of Gray Tumbler Page

“That egotistical bastard was naked and wet. No way was he letting that pass without taking advantage of it.” – Zane

So the opportunity to spend two weeks as a gay married couple – be it of the criminal variety – allows our two men to act on their attraction in public, without having to worry about who might see them and what the consequences of coming out might be. The fact that Zane has to play the part of the dominant partner while undercover – a role that usually falls to Ty in their private life – brings a whole new dynamic to their relationship; a dynamic both of them seem to enjoy more than they would have expected.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a Ty and Zane story if it was all plain sailing. Ty struggles with the fact that he thinks he is in love with Zane, especially since he is sure that Zane doesn’t feel the same for him. And his doubts run deeper:

“Could he really be in love with someone he was afraid to ask about his past?” – Ty

Zane on the other hand is afraid to investigate what he might be feeling for his lover. All he knows for sure is that he is deeply afraid of losing Ty. And while his thoughts and reactions might suggest to the reader that his feelings run rather deep, Zane has no intention of investigating those feelings, never mind admit to them.

“That was the problem: Ty wasn’t his keeper – Ty was his conscience.”

It is wonderful to see how Zane, who for a very long time thought that whether he lived or died really didn’t matter to anyone, slowly comes to the realization that:

“He’d already known he’d answer to Ty, anytime, anywhere. But now Zane believed, for the first time in so long, that he had someone who truly cared about him.”

Of course this book is much more than a love story about two men slowly and carefully finding their way to each other. Being undercover on a ship, pretending to be a gay married couple may sound like fun and games – and very often is – it soon turns out that it is anything but a pleasure cruise (pun intended). Especially after several attempts are made on Ty’s life.

“No matter how many times a person almost died, it never got to the point that it was easy to shrug off.” – Ty

This book was clearly more about the relationship between Ty and Zane than the mystery they were trying to unravel. And although there were quite a few nail-biting and action filled moments in this story even those seemed to be more about the men and their feelings than anything else. I, for one, didn’t mind at all. I thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to get a much better insight into Ty and Zane, while they were getting to know each other as well as themselves better.

“Sometimes Ty wished he knew what to say to help Zane, but then he reminded himself he wasn’t exactly what one could call stable, either. There was a lot of pot and kettle going on here.”

In my review of “Sticks & Stones” I worried that maybe I had been misreading the story; the way Ty and Zane were feeling about each other was the complete opposite of what I would have expected. So imagine how happily surprised I was to discover that not only had I not been wrong, Ty himself actually agrees with me:

“If he’d been a betting man he would never have picked himself from the two of them to be the sap who fell in love.”

And talking about falling in love; I guess it is time to admit that I have fallen head-over-heels in love with Ty and Zane and these books. I guess that means I should be grateful to those friends who “bullied” me into reading this book. And I am, whole-heartedly.

STICKS & STONES

TITLE: STICKS & STONES

AUTHOR: ABIGAIL ROUX & MADELEINE URBAN

Pages: 322

Date: 21/10/2013

Grade: 5

Details: no. 2 Cut & Run

Own / Kindle

The Blurb

“Six months after nearly losing their lives to a serial killer in New York City, FBI Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett are suffering through something almost as frightening: the monotony of desk duty. When they're ordered to take a vacation for the good of everyone's sanity, Ty bites the bullet and takes Zane home with him to West Virginia, hoping the peace and quiet of the mountains will give them the chance to explore the explosive attraction they’ve so far been unable to reconcile with their professional partnership.

Ty and Zane, along with Ty’s father and brother, head up into the Appalachian mountains for a nice, relaxing hike deep into the woods... where no one will hear them scream. They find themselves facing danger from all directions: unpredictable weather, the unrelenting mountains, wild animals, fellow hikers with nothing to lose, and the most terrifying challenge of all. Each other.”

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Online friends have been harassing me for weeks now, insisting that I need to read these books and hurry up already. I hate it when my friends are right. Not because I have a problem with discovering new to me fabulous books with addictive characters and a wonderful and angsty storyline. No, all of those are things I love. I hate my friends being right about me needing to read these books because I really do not have the time to fall in love with a series that consists of seven and a half books. Don’t my friends know I have books I need to review, ideally close to the release date?

It’s hard to stay angry with said friends if they recommend books this good though. Because of course they are right. I’m loving these books and do need to read them in quick succession because I need to know how this story, these characters and especially their relationship is going to develop. It really doesn’t matter that I still wish those friends had been wrong about these books about me needing to read them. Books up for review or not, it seems that I’ll be spending a considerable amount of my (reading) time with Ty and Zane over the next week or so.

Ty and Zane – sigh – what can I say. I’m only on the second book of this series and I’ve already completely fallen in love with these two men. It is impossible to not smile every time they start on one of their frequent and completely obnoxious arguments. And while the characters themselves may be completely unaware of it – or trying to deny it to themselves, as the case may be – it is so clear that the feelings these two men have for each other go deeper than those of colleagues or even friends. Still, Ty and Zane hadn’t been working together all that long and had been intimate for even less time when they both nearly lost their lives in Cut & Run. And although they are now back working together, even if it is doing boring and mind-numbing desk work, it is clear that neither has come to terms with everything that happened to them in that first book, never mind the attraction between them.

When Zane fails his psychological evaluation they are both forced into taking a holiday from their jobs as FBI special agents, with their future to be determined after they return. When Ty invites Zane to join him on a journey home to visit his family in West Virginia it comes as a bit of a surprise to both of them because they had both noticed how they had started to drift apart. The trip should have been a relaxing opportunity to find out where they stand with each other; do they want to continue with their fragile and undefined relationship, do they even want to continue being partners in the FBI?

This wouldn’t have been a Ty and Zane story though if this trip had indeed turned into a relaxing holiday. While hiking in the Appalachian Mountains with his father, Earl, and brother, Deuce, Ty and his partner Zane run into far more problems that they could ever have imagined. Worsening weather conditions and wild animals are the least of their problems. When they run into a deliberately set booby-trap on the mountains they know they are about to run into a situation they aren’t equipped to deal with. Turning around to gather reinforcements would be the sensible thing to do. One insensitive and hurtful remark from Earl sets them on a course towards conflict and violence – a course they may not survive.

This is one of those books that puts the reader on a rollercoaster of emotions ranging from laughing out loud to reading with tears in their eyes and every emotion imaginable in between. There were so many times I wanted to take Ty and Zane by the shoulders and shake them while telling them to just go with it, give in to the feelings, be honest with themselves and each other. And yet it makes so much sense in the story that they don’t. I loved following these two as they slowly come to realisations about themselves, each other and the way they are together.

Taken from The Mind of Gray's Tumbler Page

 “As partners, it seemed like they could read each other’s minds. But as lovers – or even friends – they barely knew each other at all.”

And,

“Zane slept much better with Ty alongside him than he did when he was alone, and they both knew it.”

I could have happily killed Earl when he asks Ty the question that nearly breaks him and had tears in my eyes while reading about the devastating effect this had on the man who seems so strong and self-reliant in every possible way. Deuce on the other hand was a ray of sunshine in this story. I loved the way he managed to get both Ty and Zane to at least start thinking about their feelings and what they wanted and needed.

It may be that my reading of the story up to here was wrong, but to me Ty had always come across as the strong and independent one and Zane as the partner who needed their closeness most. So it was interesting to read that it is Ty who reluctantly admits to himself that he may be in love with Zane - even if he doesn’t know what being in love actually feels like – and Zane who is convinced that his feelings for Ty have nothing to do with love.

There is more, so much more, I could write about this book and these characters, but I won’t. This is supposed to be a review and not a book in its own right. All I want to say before I stop raving about this book is that the last few pages of this story were beautiful and heart-warming – resulting in a huge grin on my face. I’m so glad I already own Fish & Chips, the next book in this series. I give myself a few hours at most before I start reading that story.