Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5
Andrew King’s life wasn’t what he’d expected it to be. At thirty he was a single dad who drove his rig to make ends meet and played in his band Executioners on the weekends. King saw himself being a husband again one day because that’s what was expected. When Melanie had gotten pregnant, their parents had given them one choice—they’d stuck it out a year. At twenty-eight, he became a single dad when Melanie went off to college. He loved his son more than anything, and they’d quickly fell into a life of just the two of them, well, not just the two of them there was Lincoln too. His ex-wife was still his best friend. They all co-parented Mal, it was natural and right.
Lincoln Church lived for his nephew and his teaching job. While King, his ex-brother-in-law, worked driving a truck. As a result, Mal ended up living with him most of the time. It was the closest Linc would ever come to being a dad. The only bleak spot in his life was his feelings for King which he thought would never be reciprocated. It wasn’t so bad because he still had King and Mal in his life and that meant the world to him.
A stupid accident and a broken leg sidelined King, keeping him off the road. When King needed help, Lincoln rushed in, and King couldn’t deny his attraction or love for Lincoln. Would one kiss ruin the weird, little family they’d created?
Out of all the books in all of the connected series, the main characters in King are probably the most little known elements when we first meet them. In every other story, from the Twirled World Ink group through Brawlers and now the Executioners, the main players are known entities because we’ve encountered them multiple times in just about everyone else’s stories. Powers, Georgia has become an intimate, familiar destination full of people I’ve come to know and love. Reading a story in any series feels like a homecoming. Which is why King is such a standout amongst them all.
Turns out intentionally so. I interviewed J.M. Dabney for my Author Spotlight not too long about and this is what the author had to say about the character and book:
The Executioners have two more books, King who you see a little of in the course of the series. Unconsciously, I believe I kept him a bit more sequestered for the fact I wanted a bit more mystery with him. Readers see him as a player, but I also highlight his love for his son. It the dichotomy of what allow the readers to see and what is actually happening behind the scenes. Hinting at what is to come, but hopefully surprising them when they finally to read the book.
I think Dabney accomplished exactly what she intended here. King presented himself as a character I was eager to get to know and what emerged was a story of sweetness and love, both romantic and familial.
After the complexities and angst of Ghost and Joker (which remain my favorite stories and two of my best of 2017), King arrives as almost a light-hearted complement to the others, demonstrating that not everything in Powers has a dark side. Here it’s more of lack of communication and a dose of fear over losing what each man does have of the other in their lives. Dabney makes us understand King’s fear as well as Lincoln’s, just as she always does, with her ability to get under their skin and into their minds and hearts.
And it’s not just King and Lincoln but Melanie (and the rest of the gang that shows up here) that arrive as fully developed characters, believable and compelling by their very nature. I flew through this story, enjoying the relationship dynamics, the hot sex and of course, the happy path to love and HEA.
Up next? Why that would be Sin & Saint (Executioners #4) and their man the Sheriff. What a ride that’s going to be. I can hardly wait. Until that arrives, grab up King (Executioners #3) by J.M. Dabney for a wonderful, warmhearted romance. I highly recommend this story and series. For all the interconnected series, check out the list below.
Cover art by Winterheart Design . I’m so in love with these covers. They match the men perfectly with just that right touch of grittiness and believability.
Sales Link: Amazon
Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 123 pages
Published November 21st 2017 by Hostile Whispers Press, LLC
ASINB077PMMBLL
Series Executioners
- Executioners – third series
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 