Abigail Roux - Part and Parcel

Nick O'Flaherty and Kelly Abbott had their happy ending in sight when a friend’s call for help almost ended with them losing it to the blade of a knife. Now, in the aftermath of near-disaster, both men are trying to heal and move on.
Moving on together, though, is harder than either of them realized it would be. Kelly struggles with simply being a lover instead of the Doc, while Nick is mired in his recovery. The distance between them inches along in stilted silence.
Desperately seeking solace, Nick finally gathers the courage to sort through the possessions his dear friend and fellow Sidewinder teammate Elias Sanchez left him when he died. Instead of comforting memories, Nick and Kelly find a stack of letters and strict instructions from Eli that prompt them to send out a call for assistance. With Eli’s letters in hand, Sidewinder sets out on one last mission together, seeking peace and absolution from beyond the grave—and from each other.

Comment: This is the 3rd installment of the Sidewinder series, a spin off of the Cut and Run series, a quite popular work of the author Abigail Roux (and until a certain point of co author Madeleine Urban as well).

In this spin off, the focus is on the Sidewinder team, namely Nick and Kelly, wo have realized there has always been something special between them.

In this third story we basically have the team going on an adventure through the US in order to fulfill the wishes of Eli Sanchez, the team member who is dead and who left a sort of treasure hunt notes for the team to bond over again and to explore what makes them a family, even without them. As the miles pile up, so do strange feelings and past memories.

Will the guys be able to deal with is left between them? Can they keep the groups' spirit alive even without one member?

This is a difficult book to grade and to analyze. I liked it as a whole but there several parts I struggled with what I felt about them so the adding of the parts doesn't give me such a strong feel as the notion of the whole.

I think the biggest issue was the amount of detail given to assumptions and past situations which, I thought, had already been addressed in other books. Some situations had been dealt with, so my first complaint would be why keep insisting... unless there wasn't anything else to add.

Many readers have also complained about some (unnecessary) revelations and the over the top angst scenes as opposed to the purpose of this book: a road trip among friends to remember their last comrade and the good things they shared.

I must say I was not bothered by any of the revelations because they were obviously not important. They were there to shock or surprise the reader, they had no influence in the plot so I cannot imagine the idea of them being much more than that, a supposedly surprising filler.

As for the angst content... I get it, the characters went through a lot, they had to really trust in each other for their work to be done well but now they are free of some obligations I can understand the pressure is off and they can take time to talk, to interact more freely but.. aren't they supposed to be friends? So, of course we have them being so but with a few minor drama details in the mix.

That aside and since they are spending so much time together, the author focused her attention, again, on Nick and Kelly's relationship. The other two members of Sidewinder (Owen and Digger) are not that important, it seems.

My problem with the way things happened, though, is simple. For the story to be meatier, it felt like Nick and Kelly had to discuss once more a lot of stuff which could have been solved in the past two books. Then again, this would only be a novella, so a lot of doubts and little details get between them.

After a while it got annoying they wouldn't be able to do no wrong and still the other one expected it to be so... it gets tiring to read about characters who should have known things before the others said it. I'm glad they found each other, romantically speaking, but really how can this be that convincing when they keep having so many issues even though their initial bond was tight even before sexual attraction was acted on? Things just felt very forced between them and I don't think most of it was that critical to the story.

Anyway, the overall idea I got out of the story is that, obviously, the road trip was also an excuse for them to think of one another and how they have always looked at one another as part of a team and now, as individuals who might be - or not be - close to each other.

The ideas are still alluring because these characters have been part of the fans/readers expectations for a while but the execution didn't feel up to what had been the norm. Maybe it's just my feeling of it.

These things considered, I can't say this was as amazing as I hoped for, although there are some cute scenes to mix things up a little and that turned this into something bearable. But yes, it doesn't feel like the same as when Cut and Run begun and all the amazing feelings/action scenes happened. Time does get people to see things differently...

Grade: 6/10

Mini-Comments

Two books I've read recently but, to be truly honest, both felt average to me so I confess I don't have much to say about either.

Annabel Winslow is in a pickle. Having newly arrived in London for her first season and being in possession of a voluptuous figure, is being openly courted the the Earl of Newbury, who is at least 75 and a nasty brute to boot. Annabel does not want to marry him, of course, but feels that she has no choice since her father has recently died and left the whole family, including Annabel's mother and her 7 siblings, almost destitute.
Then, while attending a party in the countryside, Annabel met Sebastian Grey, the Earl of Newbury's nephew. And suddenly she found herself not only courted by the lecherous uncle, but also the charming young nephew. Should she follow her heart so that she can be with the one she loves, or should she marry the loathsome earl just so she can put food on the table for her family and make sure that her brothers get to stay in school?

Ten Things I Love About You is the third installment in the Bevelstoke trilogy by author Julia Quinn. I admit I haven't read the others but since this can also be read as a stand alone, I don't think it was a loss not having read the previous ones. 

In this sweet story we meet Annabel and Sebastian, an unlikely couple that proves to be very well matched. Annabel needs to find a wealthy husband because her family is in a dire situation and the earl of Newbury seems to be the most likely candidate but the problem is he is old enough to be her grandfather. Sebastian is his nephew, whom he hates. 

The situation also provides funny scenes but although I liked how the protagonists slowly developed feelings for each other, I just didn't like them individually. Ok, didn't like is too strong, I didn't feel much empathy, even if their personal issues were important and relevant. Therefore, even knowing the plot made sense most of the time, I just didn't enjoy reading this one as much as I did others by the author.

Grade: 6/10

-//-

Vic Bronsen has a problem. He's stuck in a rut, uninspired by his job, and in love with a man who has

no clue. Thinking a change of scenery and company will do his aching heart some good, he goes off on a road trip with his best friend, only to find that the answers to his problems may have been right there in front of him all along.

Unrequited is a short story about two friends who go on a vacation together and how their feelings change from simple friendship to care and love. 

Vic is a busy man who has been in love with Owen for a long time but Owen never seems to get the notion Vic's feelings might be deeper...although Vic never told him how he truly feels. His friend Shane shows up because of their common job and somehow convinces Vic to go on holiday with him and that is the mote for new discoveries.

Interesting was how Vic felt his feelings were unrequited by Owen and Shane felt his were the same by Vic. I think there were too many similarities in such a small story so I couldn't go past that. The situation was solved in a way I thought difficult to simply accept and the friends to lovers scenario isn't one I appreciate much, it's too weird most of the time. This was a cute story but not my favorite by the author.

Grade: 5/10

Abigail Roux - Crash and Burn

It’s been five years since Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett first worked together to solve the Tri-State murders, and time has been both harsh and kind. Engaged now, they face the challenge of planning a deeply uncertain future together. Zane is at the pinnacle of his career with one last mystery to solve, while Ty is at sea in a world where he’s no longer the tip of a spear.
There’s just one more hurdle in the way of their happy ever after: a traitor from their inner circle who threatens to burn their world to the ground.

Comment: This is the final book in the Cut and Run series by this author. The series started of as a partnership between Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban who wrote the first four books together. Then Abigail Roux picked the series alone and carried it until this 9th book, where it all ends. Sort of, because there's a spin off series I'm sure will feature Ty and Zane somehow, even in small appearances.

In this final book, Ty and Zane finally set in stone the commitment they have and the love that unites them. But things aren't as easy as that because they still have one enemy to find out and a lot of loose ends to solve before they can live their happy life.

While dealing with conflicts, wrong impressions, and strange fighting methods, the boys keep being the same old and their dedication and love are the things that, along with their friends, help them finish this last hurdle before getting their final HEA.

Of course, in such a long series, some books have been better than others. This happens with every series and as each reader has a different mind, it's obvious not everything is done well for everyone. This final book is bittersweet for two reasons for me. First, I feel ad this is over because the characters feel like friends. An second, I feel sad this last book isn't as amazing as some of the others were, where each scene between them was like an emotional roller coaster waiting to happen. They're happy now and I feel great for that, for I have to confess part of the allure, which was to see them do things they didn't think they would - in terms of a romantic relationship - no longer has the same intensity, because we already know they're happy for eternity.

This book finishes many loose ends, namely who the spy we've seen mentioned from some books ago is and why that person did many of the things out heroes had to deal with. I don't feel surprised negatively by the identity of the villain. I mean, I had no clue that person could be guilty and honestly I never was really interested in that, but there's another information we learn now that kind of changes things. 

I get that the author tried to justify her choices and present a twist that would wow the reader too but I don't know if I'm just not impressed or if I never was invested in that sub plot but it didn't strike me as that worrying. I can see why many readers probably didn't like the identity of the second mystery person who did something int he previous book. I wasn't expecting either and I think the author did it more for drama purposes than a real plot need, but I can understand why it bothered some. Still, I feel rather numb about it.

This book has two main ideas to develop then. To look for the killer of Richer Burns - from the previous book - and thus finding out who the big mastermind is and also to find a coherent end for Ty's and Zane's occupation. Sure they will have a bookstore but Ty needs something more and apparently that happens by the end.

I think this story, being it the last one, focused too much on action related scenes like the subjects I talked about, lots of fighting, which it's proper for special agents like the two protagonists. The quieter times felt more like filling up of space. In a way I feel bad about this because their relationship was the biggest beacon call in the series and I feel it kind of lost focus n this last story where I wanted more reassurance of it. Not that it isn't clear they're happy, like I said, because are so, but I would have liked to see it more.

All in all, this book won't be the one I remember the most. For me, the books where they struggled and finally admitted they wanted to be together were the best. I'm a romance reader and for me, the romance has the focus, no matter how good or bad the things surrounding are. Sure, a good world/plot/development helps and is more than welcome, for me, the thrill of the relationship's development is the biggest thing to seduce me.

I'll think how good it is to know Ty and Zane are happy and reaffirmed their love in this book but, deep down, I also feel that part of things wasn't given its deserved attention.

As always, this is my opinion and what I felt like when reading. I guess the memory of what happened will be better than the actual read of the book was. But despite the things I didn't care about or which I think weren't as special, I'll still treasure Ty and Zane as one of the best LGBT couples in romance for me.

Grade: 6/10

Abigail Roux - Cross and Crown

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.

Comment: I am a fan of the author's work and in particular of th Cut and Run series. This Sidewinder spin off comes from that series and features Nick and Kelly, two friends in arms of Ty, from the military times. 

This story is the first full length one in the spin off, after the short story Shock and Awe.
In this book we see how Nick works and how he deals with a case in Boston, while welcoming Kelly for a time together. 
Nick and Kelly's relationship is new but already working full speed. But is the distance something they can deal with?
Is Nick's job what he needs after a troubled mission in Iraq?

Well, I don't think this series has the vitality the original one has, but I can't say this is a disappointment. Actually I liked the story and plan on reading further when the books come out.
I think people's biggest issue with this series is how closely connected to Cut and Run it is and how someone new to the author couldn't really enjoy this without having read the other. I understand why, after all many of the interactions mention or make references to things that happened in books from Cut and Run. A new reader might find this too much to enjoy the book as it is. From a POV of someone who has read Cut and Run, this one is good. But I have to admit, for a new reader is might be too much. However, I also have to say, readers are warned of this, so I guess it depends on how much interest someone really has...I won't defend either side, but in the end it's always a matter of personal choice and how can that be the author's fault?

Anyway, the story was quite all over the place in my opinion. Nick works as a cop and has a case on hands and there's so much happening plus Cross from Warrior's Cross shows up and plays a part. Then there's Nick and Kelly, then the case, then the different connections because of the case...I think it was too much to deal with in just one story. That I think the author could have worked out better.

While the case helps to understand personal actions and states of mind pertaining the characters, I can't say I was deeply invested on it, even though I recognize the author's research work and efforts to make this sound reasonable and professional, the same she does in all her books. But in the end the case wasn't what really caught me and moved me, I was more interested in the personal side of the main character's experience within the plot development.

Nick and Kelly's relationship is the factor that made me read the story. They are very different in terms of personality and their fast and sudden sexual interest that started in the short story seemed too new and out of the blue to be sincere. I wanted to see how the author would go with them, considering they have been friends for s many years but nothing ever happened. I think this is the detail that makes the reader more unsure, if they wanted each other sexually why didn't it happen before? While this aspect is addressed in the short story, I wanted a better explanation and hopefully it would happen here, but it wasn't so. In this book they are in the beginning of their relationship yes, but things are steady between them. I liked the banter and funny moments, even better were the romantic ones, but part of me is still waiting for a more solid clue or something. This might not happen so I enjoy the story and despite my doubts I still liked reading this and still enjoyed seeing their romance so in the end I can't really say it was badly done.

The story felt a bit full and the relationship is new but after all things considered, I still had a good time with it, therefore a good grade. But I hope the following books might be deeper, emotionally speaking.
Grade: 7/10

Abigail Roux - Ball & Chain

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.

Comment: As a fan of this series, I couldn't not read this book as well. It's a series that brings together two elements key to my love for a book, romance and good characters. Since the first book I've been hooked and eagerly await each new book until it arrives.

In this installment, Ty and Zane are invited to the wedding of Ty's brother, in Scotland. Apparently the bride's family has been receiving some threats and Deuce, Ty's brother, asks him to bring extra security, so Ty invites Nick who, in turn, brings a partner too, in order to help with the security of the island where the wedding is taking place.
But things can't be this normal and soon is clear something is happening, and when the first body is discovered, a race against time starts because no one knows who the killer might be...

This story features heavily on the murder investigation and looking for a killer, something we saw in the fist book but which I never paid much attention in the other installments where the investigations were happening because I always looked more to the romance part o things and was much more invested in Ty and Zane's relationship and everything else was secondary for me.
That doesn't happen in the story, the focus is quite big in the action behind the romance and even this is almost secondary to Ty's friendship with Nick and what it meant throughout the years.
So, three things happening here: There's the romance between Zane and Ty, which is always my favorite part, then the murder investigation concerning the plot, and finally the relationship between Ty and Nick hits a rocky moment but they talk and everything is sort of solved. I say solved because in the end we have clues on how things might be addressed more, specially in the spin off of the series, Nick and Kelly's Sidewinder stories, to be released soon.

Of the three things, Ty and Zane are in a place in their romance where things have been talked, and there's this amazing love declaration in the end...it was amazing, I love how they worked hard to have a balanced and solid relationship and those scenes with them are pretty much perfect. Of course, the negative part is how they don't seem to be the focus in this book, but personally I feel it was subtle enough. In the end we get the murder's reasons and it's a surprise alright.

The murder investigation, in fact, is quite lengthy and shadier than we might think at first. I wasn't very pleased with so many people dying and all the twists, all the negative feelings in the middle of things, the selfishness of some motives...I get the plot reasons, but it brought a darker tone to the story that I thought was too obvious and intentional to feel right, but in the end, despite thinking it was over the top, I still managed to overlook some of it to pay more attention to the romance.

As for Nick and Ty's fight and the conversation that follows...I think it was more to serve the purpose of Nick's spin off later than to the character's growing, but this can be only my perspective playing. I think, from the emotional POV, it was well done because talking can explain a lot of things but if they were such good friends, this felt a bit like creating problems where they didn't exist for plot purposes and not real need.

In the end, I liked this anyway, I feel faithful to these beloved characters and despite this book not having the focus or the perfect, deep emotional link to the main couple I wanted to see, I enjoyed their parts, the place where they are at and the loving details in their relationship. It's not enough for the book, but I still liked it, so...a good grade nonetheless.
Plus, I love these guys, it's wonderful to read a story with characters you know you'll love reading about.
Grade: 7/10

Tessa Dare / Abigail Roux

Violet Winterbottom is a quiet girl. She speaks six languages, but seldom raises her voice. She endured bitter heartbreak in perfect silence. The gentlemen aren't beating down her door.
Until the night of the Spindle Cove Christmas ball, when a mysterious stranger crashes into the ballroom and collapses at Violet's feet. His coarse attire and near-criminal good looks would put any sensible young lady on her guard. He's wet, chilled, bleeding, and speaking in an unfamiliar tongue.
Only Violet understands him. And she knows he's not what he seems.
She has one night to draw forth the secrets of this dangerously handsome rogue. Is he a smuggler? A fugitive? An enemy spy? She needs answers by sunrise, but her captive would rather seduce than confess. To learn his secrets, Violet must reveal hers and open herself to adventure, passion, and the unthinkable... Love.

Comment: This short story is second in the Spindle Cove series. It's Violet's story and we learn why she is in Spindle Cove and on the eve of her return home, a man shows up and she thinks he's familiar. The development was rich and intense despite the small size of the story. I found if deeply engrossing and so very detailed for such a short length. The romance part was fast but there are mitigating circumstances. I was once more surprised by hoe serious and rationally discussed everything was. This is a solid, strong writing and shows great promise. Can't wait for more!
Grade: 8/10

*  *  * 

After barely surviving a shootout in New Orleans, Sidewinder medic Kelly Abbott has to suffer through a month of recovery before he can return home to Colorado. He’s not surprised when fellow Sidewinder Nick O’Flaherty stays with him in New Orleans. Nor is he surprised when Nick travels home with him to help him get back on his feet—after all, years on the same Marine Force Recon team bonded the men in ways that only bleeding for a brother can. He’s very surprised, though, when Nick humors his moment of curiosity and kisses him.
Nick knows all of Kelly’s quirks and caprices, so the kiss was a low-risk move on his part . . . or so he thought. But what should’ve been a simple moment unleashes a flood of confusing emotions and urges that neither man is prepared to address.
Now, Kelly and Nick must figure out what they mean to each other—friends and brothers in arms, or something even deeper?—before the past can come back to ruin their tenuous future.

Comment: This is the first of a spin off of the Cut and Run series. It's Nick's side of things and his relationship with Kelly, with his take on work, on life. I was glad he got a story. His relationship with Kelly changes but I was quite surprised with the level of emotions and expectations the author dealt with in a short story. It doesn't feel like one. Kudos for talent, I guess. I was impressed and will read the rest. Being a spin off it's better read after the main series, because many things are understood because of that. It was a strong story, I'm very happy with it.
Grade: 8/10

Abigail Roux - Touch & Geaux

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. 

Comment: This is the latest installment in the series where we follow the lives and adventures of Ty and Zane. This time the guys were minding their own business, even helping an institution and Ty got a call from Nick, asking for help in New Orleans. Ty has reasons to want to stay away but his loyalty surpasses his issues and together with Zane, there they go.

In New Orleans they figure out there is no problem with Nick and as they start to enjoy their time with Ty's ex team, someone from the past shows up and starts a huge amount of problems, the most heartbreaking one being a fight between Ty and Zane for reasons we couldn't dream of.

I found the story engaging as always. There's something about these characters that rings true, probably the way we seem to connect with their feelings and how they process their thoughts. It's not something as easy as that and obviously it depends a lot on the author's talent to make the words flow and appear easy but the thing is, I care about them and I like to think I can see something special in the story that makes it alive.

The guys go to New Orleans and a whole set of troubles start up too. the technical stuff like how they do their job and their fighting skills and spy techniques and so on it's all very interesting and it makes the book more focused and full but to be honest my main interest is really the romance and the characterization of Ty and Zane and their interactions.

When this book started, the guys were in a great place, in terms of their relationship. In the end they still were but there's a huge deal addressed in the story which I was quite surprised with. I'm not sure if I were more shocked with it or with the fact the author chose that as a conflict. I mean, I have to wonder of it was a plot line thought from the beginning or something that happened to suit the path the story has taken... Either way, I didn't expect this and I was completely surprised. I even cried a bit in the parts where they fought because it seemed so serious and as a reader I care for them and it was awful to see them at odds after so many books where things were so well.

In the end, things were solved and the guys talked about things.I was once again happy for them but now I can't help think about went wrong. Everyone knows after we know something we can't pretend we didn't hear it, so I fear this might impact my judgment in further books. Let's wait and see.

Talking about that, this story ended with a shocking thing, not completely good, but certainly amusing and I can't wait to know what happens next. It's not a cliffhanger per se, but it sure made me want to scream now that I have to wait.

It was an enjoyable book yes, but it had all the angst and more some of the previous books didn't, so perhaps the author is compensating? But it's still Ty and Zane, so...

Abigail Roux - Stars and Stripes

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.

Comment: Another book featuring the main characters Ty Grady and Zane Garrett. This time the two FBI agents deal with home confessions and loose tigers.

In this new book, the two guys are in a solid relationship and they couldn't be happier. Then a phone call changes things and Zane goes back home to help his father who's been attacked and is recovering. The two guys have to deal with family and wild animals in this story where there's also someone interested in making money by putting in danger many people.

This book was amazing. A little bit too sugary and I can't help thinking something bad might happen, because things too good to be true usually are, but while reading I couldn't stop thinking how lucky the guys were to have each other, to prove a gay couple can be faithful and dedicated and have meaningful feelings too.

In this book, Ty and Zane have admitted to each other their love and they are living together, for all purposes. It was to be expected they would have to deal with the next step, which is telling the family how they felt. This offered one of the most emotional scenes in the book, especially when Ty confessed his family. There was a moment there Ty's father seemed shocked but he wasn't for the reasons I imagined and when they talked I understood. Still, for a second there I imagined they wouldn't accept him anymore and I felt so sorry (who says a reader doesn't cry over fictional characters??) but in the end I didn't have reason to worry. Ty's brother even says Ty is his hero and I admit it, I cried because I thought about those who don't have encouraging or supportive families and it's such a shame.

Anyway, then it was time to go to Texas and deal with Zane's family, we finally learn why Zane was away for so long and I have to say I don't think his reasons were that strong, I guess it's in here we see the change in writing, Zane's character has dealt with many issues in his life and suddenly the reasons why didn't seem so strong or important...

While in Texas, the guys have to deal with the wave of crimes happening in Zane's family ranch and also with wild animals living in a sort of sanctuary in close lands. It's obvious the author's research on this theme and I enjoyed knowing more about such habitats.

The crime solving had its twists and in the end the bad guy's identity was a surprise, I really didn't see it coming. His reasons were, again, money related and considering real life, it's awful the lengths people go to just to save themselves.

Zane also says to his family how he feels about Ty and what he means to him and only his mother doesn't react well. Still, this situation allowed for many emotional scenes and I was completely glued to the story because there's nothing better than to see two characters with chemistry and real feelings being together and happy. Here's where it shows the author's ability to write well, because one thing is to read about it, another is to see how each tidbit, how each word and scene allows the reader to feel part of that stage and to believe what's there could really be something real. For this only, this series is so worth it.

I guess the next step would be to tell the co workers and, for me, I can't wait for the next book even if it doesn't address that. I just love to read about this couple and these books are both great and well written and I love that.

Armed and Dangerous - Abigail Roux

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 and 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.

Comment: One of the m/m books I've read this month was Armed and Dangerous by Abigail Roux, now writing the adventures of Ty and Zane alone.
This book starts a bit after the previous one, Divide and Conquer, ended. In that book Zane waked up alone after confessing to Ty he's in love with him too and with a note by Ty saying he had to leave. Zane thinks the worst for a time but in this book we know Ty had to go on one of his mysterious missions.
This brings us to the present book, where Ty and later on, Zane, are told to look for and bring Julian Cross to Washington because of a situation with one of Ty and Zane's book friend's. Julian Cross is a character from one of Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux's other book, Warrior's Cross, already commented by me. I didn't like it that much, it was just enjoyable for me, that's all.
Anyway, most of the book is all the guys together traveling from Julian's house to Washington and all the adventures they must face.
I liked the book the same writing just by one author...I didn't find such a difference to put me off and it was so good to see Ty and Zane being in love, it's really wonderful.
The adventurous part was intriguing and the funny moments also helped. In the end I wasn't surprised by who the bad guy was because it's was rather obvious. Now I can't wait to see what will happen next to Ty and Zane.
Like I said, the fact Ty and Zane are in love makes them think and act in a certain way and I enjoy a lot to see their thought process and to see them come to the certainties they developed about the other. It wasn't always easy, but it sure was good to follow. I think the emotional side of these books is very well done and also credible, to me at least, even knowing it's fiction. I like to imagine them and picture them just side by side, which is great, considering how easy is to get indifferent towards fictional characters after a while. I just know that a book featuring them will be a great way to spend time.
The relationship with the other couple, the one from the other story, was interesting and with little tidbits we got to know more about them all, which was both fun and intriguing. I still cared more for Cameron than for Julian but I was somewhat sad to know they went their way in the end of the book.
This author - and Madeleine Urban too - is becoming one of my favorites in the genre, for sure.

Madeleine Urban/Abigail Roux - Divide and Conquer

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.

Comment: The 4th book in the Cut and Run series is another adventure in the lives of Ty and Zane.
In this book the boys are dealing with a group of bombers that uses the explosions as a distraction to rob banks. But the group is much more aggressive than simple explosions, their leader escalates to premeditated murder and wants to kill as many people as possible, especially those in government places.
This book starts with the news of how the police force is being accused of doing noting to stop the wave of explosions and crime in the city. Then Ty and Zane somehow get themselves into one of the attempts and save the day, making them targets. At the same time, they're still coming to terms with Ty's declaration in the previous book.
Then something happens and Zane is wounded in one of the attacks and because of that we see another side of the guys and how their relationship is much stronger than what even they think. I loved how we could see so many emotions and feelings both of them admitted to themselves and to the other.
One interesting, although strange, plot line is Ty's Recon team coming to spend some time with Ty and he had forgotten because of Zane's health problem. Among them is Nick, Ty's best friend since the military days and in this book Ty tells them he's in love with Zane and one of his friends is to shocked and doesn't speak to him again while he's there..I get the feeling he was just too surprised but might change his mind. However, Nick has an interesting reaction to this news and I wasn't expecting it exactly, and it provided a bit of angst in there...
In the end, the bad guy was taken down but Zane and Ty rick their lives - again - to protect others and while they're surrounded by the result of yet another explosion, we finally see Zane saying the words we've been expecting to and it was good.
the end of the book was a bit of a cliffhanger but I already know the guys will be in a mission together in the next book, so I'm sure everything will work out.
I'm so happy with this series, it's very coherent and well planed. The authors have created a good cast and interesting plots that allow the characters to still have center stage. It's amazing to see their story develop. I hope it keeps going for a long time.

Madeleine Urban/Abigail Roux - Sticks and Stones

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.

Comment: Since I enjoyed the first book in the series, Cut and Run, so much, I've decided to follow the rest of the series and to seize the time to read the last one to come out, something that will happen soon, and at that point I want to start it having read the 4 already out.
So, this books starts with the guys being told they need to have vacation time because Zane is failing his evaluations and if the keeps it up he will be put in desk duty again or simply will be let go, so the director tells Ty to go to his family and he decides to invite Zane so they can go to the mountains and do some trailing. Zane agrees because he feels Ty is more distanced and wants to take a chance in being close so they can work it out, maybe. In the mountains the guys meet Ty's parents, grandfather and brother and Zane is surprised on how Ty is with his family and sees a different part of hi partner. Still, both of them seem to find the time to deal more with the attraction they feel and help solve a crime at the same time because the mountains are more dangerous than what they imagined. Well, I was really hoping they would just say what they felt for each other in this story but that didn't happen with words, still there were several moments between them where it's plain to see. I just hope that it does happen sometime in the future because there's just so much tension I really wish to see some acceptance of all that's happening to them.
The plot is rather interesting because they go to have some time for healing and resting and in the end they witness a crime and some decisions have to be made, some of them much harder than they seemed because the beauty of this books is how well balanced the discussion of feelings and thoughts is at the same time the plot develops. One f the things I like about the stories is exactly this. Well done, authors.
The story also focus on Ty's family and the relationship between them. Zane is like an observer and it's fun to watch the others through his eyes. Even more interesting is Ty's brother, Deuce, in all this...he's a psychologist and his purposes are bigger than we might think.
This was a chance to see the guys interact with family around and it was fun...now I hope the next book puts them finally admitting, with those three little words, to each other, what they feel. I know this isn't exactly romance but come on, I'm a romantic, I want them happy.

Madeleine Urban/Abigail Roux - Cut and Run

A series of murders in New York City has stymied the police and FBI alike, and they suspect the culprit is a single killer sending an indecipherable message. But when the two federal agents assigned to the investigation are taken out, the FBI takes a more personal interest in the case.
Special Agent Ty Grady is pulled out of undercover work after his case blows up in his face. He's cocky, abrasive, and indisputably the best at what he does. But when he's paired with Special Agent Zane Garrett, it's hate at first sight.
Garrett is the perfect image of an agent: serious, sober, and focused, which makes their partnership a classic cliché: total opposites, good cop-bad cop, the odd couple. They both know immediately that their partnership will pose more of an obstacle than the lack of evidence left by the murderer.
Practically before their special assignment starts, the murderer strikes again – this time at them. Now on the run, trying to track down a man who has focused on killing his pursuers, Grady and Garrett will have to figure out how to work together before they become two more notches in the murderer's knife.

Comment: I've had read many good opinions about this series by these two authors. People say there's a very good balance between the storyline and the romance time. I have to agree because neither became too excessive like the focus would be higher in some parts and not in others. The story brings us FBI agents and it's always interesting to see how authors portray them into books, and I like to see how it works because there are no FBI in my country and the closest to them we have it's really not the same. Then each main character had his own traits and I was very curious how at first they seemed to antagonize the other so much but were going to be involved and how could that happen. I enjoyed their developing partnership in work interesting and even more the personal one. The storyline is them trying to solve a crime and they look forward a killer that taunts them all the time and in the end turns out to be someone unexpected...well, to be honest there some parts in the story the reader surely can't help but doubt, because it's just too obvious to ignore but of course no certainty until the end. Still, an interesting game in trying to guess. Like I said once before, I like the author's work, they write very well together. There's never a dull moment and if they both write different parts I have no clue which ones because the text is smooth and easy to read. The books is quite big and there's a lot to think about, from the assassin's personality, to the pressure of a job and the start of a relationship. All in all a great read. I'm going to read the rest of the series in the following months.

Madeleine Urban, Abigail Roux - Warrior's Cross

Cameron Jacobs is an open book. He considers himself a common waiter with normal friends, boring hobbies, harmless dogs, and nothing even resembling a secret... except a crush on a tall, dark, devastatingly handsome man who dines alone at his restaurant on Tuesday nights. All it takes is one passionate night with Julian Cross to turn Cameron’s world on its head.
Julian's love and devotion are all Cameron could have hoped for and more. But when his ordinary life meets and clashes with Julian's extraordinary lifestyle, Cameron discovers that trust and fear can go hand in hand, and love is just a step away from danger.

Comment: these two authors have written one of my favourite gay stories, Caught Running, something I re-read often. Therefore I was expecting more brilliance from them.
And I understand the beauty of this novel, the two layers of darkness and joy advancing and retreating while the story develops. I do.
But I was always expecting some more on the lines of the other book, where things just sizzled. In this book there wasn't any sizzle, I wasn't eager to see the romance happen or to find out about Julien's personal life.
Yes I wanted to know what he did for a living for sure, and how would he react to the fact they were in love, but things happened so smoothly I think I didn't even have te chance to feel surprised.
It's a gorgeous story but the romance is too silky, I think it needed some more struggle from them before they accepted what was happening...It does have some kind of angst in there, a very small dose of it, but still...
Julien is mysterious character and the reader feels impressed to know what is really going on, but I much preferred the apparently common Cameron. He was a nice person, he had a simple life...I liked him a lot and then he had a crush on Julien and wanted him in his life..totally understandable...but I wished there had been more salt in there.
I'll keep reading the things these authors wrote because that one novel still blazes in my head since the day I read it, but this one although a good read, wasn't memorable to me.