Tag: LGBTGIA law enforcement romance

Review: George’s Big Day (With George Book 3) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.5🌈

George Hunt started out as a minor character in the popular Marshals series as a bodyguard to Sam and Jory’s daughter, Hannah. But as written by Calmes, there was just something special about George. Something extraordinary.  The readers just wanted more. 

The character developed as did his roles throughout various crossover stories, each redefining his history, his character and his heroic actions. And it brought him into the shared world, because of many traumatic events, with Hannah’s doctor, Dr Kurt Butler. 

These are all fantastic novels that should be read, not just for the foundation knowledge but for the terrific storytelling.

But all those narrative paths led to George’s Big Day. A hilarious, sometimes poignant, action packed novel in which George tries to get married. Accompanied by many of the characters from his missions (and crossover novels) as well as the friends and co-workers from the Marshals series, it’s a law enforcement thriller, matrimonial circus, where hijinks ensue, love is pledged, there’s blood and casts, and a HFN with rings in sight.

Plus dogs and and a very mean kitty.

Did I say how much I love George and his stories? I absolutely adore George, and all his books.  Especially this one. And while I’m not sure if this is the last, it’s ok if it is. What a wild ride it is. 

Love it and it’s a total joy.

Great covers by Reese Dante.

With George:

  • Just George #1
  • Wintering with George #2
  • George’s Big Day #3

Connected Series:

A Matter of Time – 6 books 

Marshals  – 6 books 

Standalone:

Again

🔹See the author’s notes for the entire list of crossover characters and the books/series they came from.

Buy Link

        George’s Big Day (With George Book 3)

    

Blurb 

George Hunt wants to get married. The fact that he does is utterly amazing and a huge leap of faith for a man who’s always been certain that happily ever afters only happen in fairy tales. The thing is, though, ever since Christmas, when Dr. Kurt Butler, the man he loves, gave him a ring, he’s changed his mind about what’s possible. But between deployments and venues that have to be booked years in advance, matrimonial bliss seems persistently out of reach. Fortunately, George’s friends come through, offering the perfect setting.

Of course, when your life is full of heroes, there are always villains looking to even the score. When the day of the nuptials conflicts with murderous agendas, the only thing that really matters is being married at the end of the day. If George can keep his eye on the prize and everyone does what they do best, it might just all work out.

  • Publication date: January 2, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 128 pages

Review:  Newly Tied (Marshals Book 7) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.5🌈

I have loved this series for a long time and was so happy to see another story and couple added to this expanding law enforcement community and universe. According to the author, this is just the beginning of the journey for Del and Lang in terms of books which is appropriate because the beginning of their partnership and romantic relationship is exactly what Calmes delivers here.

We enter as relocated Texan, Delroy “Del” McCabe, begins a new chapter of his life. Del’s in Chicago as one of a group of law enforcement officers on probation as they hoping for the permanent assignment as US federal Marshals. They’re on probation and training under the office of Sam Kage, the deputy chief of the Northern District of Illinois, basically head of all the Marshals in the area. 

Another member of that group is a local Chicago officer, Langston “Lang” Ross, a man whose family and roots run deep and whose connection with Del is instantly apparent and solid.

Calmes delivers an emotional journey of friendship, and emotional connection as Del and Lang go from action packed case to case, exploring their own experiences as relationships as regards to their careers and each other. 

Of course, other Marshals and their partners and families are also involved in this journey and story, a wonderful aspect of the series and Calmes’ writing that sees crossover characters. 

Other elements of the story include Lang’s discovery of his bisexuality or pansexuality because of his love for Del. Del’s recognition and acceptance of the need for therapy for the parental abuse he suffered during his childhood, and Lang’s support for his own PTSD issues. It’s sensitively written and folded realistically into their characters and storylines. 

I love Calmes’ novels and her characters tend to be heroes. Right now I needed to read this.  And I definitely want to read more about this couple and their relationship going forward.

Highly recommended.

Marshals series to date:

🔹All Kinds Of Tied Down #1

🔹Fit To Be Tied #2

🔹Tied Up In Knots #3

🔹Twisted and Tied #4 – Miro Jones and Ian Doyle (1 through 4)

🔹Balanced and Tied #5 – Eli Kohn and Celso Harrington, ballet dancer 

🔹Tied Over #6 – Josiah Redeker and Bodhi Callahan 

🔹Newly Tied #7 – Delroy “Del” McCabe and Langston “Lang” Ross

Covers by Reese Dante

Buy link

        Newly Tied (Marshals Book 7)

    

Blurb 

For the last six months, Deputy US Marshal Delroy McCabe has been secretly pining for his partner, Langston Ross. He’s kept his desires to himself because he wants to do a good job and prove himself at work. More importantly, if Lang were to find out his true feelings, maybe the person he cares for the most might walk away.

Between the understanding and support Lang gives him, as well as time with his family, Del can’t afford to slip up. But then, why does his partner and best friend care who Del sleeps with? Why, if given a choice, would Lang prefer to do anything with him? Maybe Del’s been missing something important, and perhaps Lang’s not the only one who’s not seeing what’s right in front of him. 

Because sometimes the strongest ties are the ones that bind our hearts.

  • Publication date: November 4, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 246 pages

Review: Wintering with George (With George Book 2) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.5🌈

Wintering with George , the second book in the With George series by Mary Calmes, is hard to be defined as a standalone series as its main characters are supported by and has its foundation knowledge based in two of this author’s most popular series (see list below).

However, Wintering with George is set two years after the events of the first novel and Calmes is able to give George and Kurt’s relationship a depth only time makes realistic. There’s still plenty of struggles and doubts, especially when George is still being unexpectedly called to duty for missions he can’t talk about.

That strain feels raw and the fear real. This is when the one person POV becomes intuitive because Calmes narrative has to include Kurt’s complex feelings, but from George’s perspective. That’s a difficult thing as Kurt has a tendency to want to psychoanalyze events and knows the boundaries where they should stop. It’s a great dynamic that we need to see more of.

It’s time to meet Kurt’s small family. Another great background story here and that turns into the main narrative going forward.

There’s plenty of action. Dogs and George’s cat, Bub. Kids to break up the adult action and add to the heartwarming atmosphere. Calmes has the best elements down pat here.

Except one.

We really need one more book to complete the trilogy and series. I hope we get it. This is too good to leave at two stories.

A definite recommendation!

Love this.

With George:

✓ Just George #1

✓ Wintering with George #2

Connected Series:

A Matter of Time – 6 books

Marshals – 6 books

Buy Link

Wintering with George

Blurb:

George Hunt is certain that spending time with his boyfriend’s family over the holidays will be a disaster. How can it not? For starters, he knows nothing about families, never having had one, as for the rest…talk about pressure. What if he messes up, says the wrong thing, and ends up losing the most important person in his life? Dr. Kurt Butler is his miracle; George can’t afford any missteps. But if he’s careful and does everything right, perhaps they’ll see his good qualities instead of the lethal ones.

Sometimes, though, fate lets you put your best foot forward, and George gets to show off how handy he is to have around when bullets start flying. If he can keep everyone alive long enough to do some wintering, maybe he’ll discover that a family is something worth having after all.

• Publication date: January 28, 2024

• Print length: 126 pages

Review: Prince of L. A. (FBI Files Book 1) by Patricia Logan

Rating: 3.25🌈

I’m a fan of law enforcement romances and police procedural fiction so Patricia Logan’s FBI Files series seemed just the thing for me.

On the surface, the pairing and theme is intriguing and the author’s background for Special Agent Leo Reeves is one that has the potential to make the series and character.

Prince of L.A. was an interesting read.

The romance was very much an instant attraction, instant love relationship. One that occurs between two men, both FBI agents, in an established team, newly professionally paired up and then almost immediately romantically so.

Agent Leo Reeves, newly arrived from VA , looking for a new start, and is an outstanding profiler. He’s out, handsome , and young. He’s sent asap to a sickening crime scene where he meets his new team, including experienced field agent Max Prince. A man who he connects with on every level.

Logan has created a horrifying, and powerful backstory for Leo’s character. But oddly, it’s, imo, not used as realistically one might think for a law enforcement agent or agency. Perhaps the details and exploration is coming in another book. That backstory includes the fact that Leo’s father was a notorious serial killer.

Leo’s new team is unaware of his background as the son of a notoriously evil serial killer but other sketchy agents there know , publicly taunting Leo in Max’s (and others) presence. Does this make sense? Would a team leader not have had a meeting with Leo to discuss the matter prior to his arrival ? Its procedures such as this that kept me from being totally committed to the story and, relationship.

The investigation into the deaths and criminal “ring” did have some realistic aspects to it, there’s another side that feels just as manufactured, less law, more plot driven, then necessary. There’s several more things that I took note of about the FBI office, team, and investigators that contributed to removing me from the story. I had to check to see when the book was published (2022) so that shouldn’t have made any difference. But there’s overt homophobia/racism displayed towards a fellow agent, loud commentary, etc in a FBI office, agency building, workplace etc, that something that would see them removed/reported to HR. Especially in California. But here, for plot purposes, it’s not only tolerated but shrugged off in a pair of unlikable agents. That is the same knowledgeable pair taunting Leo about his parentage.

Fast, sort of jerky interactions, not a smooth flow, but a definite sense of instant lust/instant love that a reader either gets into or doesn’t. I prefer to see a slower realistic development, where the characters proceed to actually get better acquainted, especially when there’s a complicated investigation in progress. That’s not this one.

Logan has either let the story go the way of “as told to”, an on page investigation with vaguely realistic or unrecognizable protocols, or forgone them altogether.

While I liked some of the things about the Prince of L.A. such as side characters (drag queens, pet bull dog, strong woman agent), there’s an even larger amount of under realized elements (the team, their chemistry and dialogue, the main characters instant live in relationship including jealousy , and quickly resolved investigation that left me feeling unconnected and underwhelmed.

I’m not sure I’ll continue with this series. There’s so many other law enforcement stories to read that it might be a while if I decide to circle back.

FBI Files:

✓ Prince of L.A. #1

◦ Leo On Fire #2

◦ A Thousand Vermilion Stars #3

◦ Life On Mars #4

◦ A Clown Car Full of Sovereigns #5

◦ Stag Queen #6

Buy Link

Prince of L.A. (FBI Files Book 1)

Blurb:

Special Agent Leo Reeves is new to the FBI’s L.A. field office. His career has been on track since the day he joined the bureau. He loves his job as a profiler and being assigned to a new team in one of the busiest offices in the nation will be the opportunity of a lifetime…if he can put the past behind him. The face Leo shows the world is strong, focused, dependable, and capable. The long list of citations in his file only serve to prove how good he is.

If he could only forget he was sired by a monster.

Former Marine Staff Sergeant, Max Prince, leads by example. Whether it means protecting men in battle, working for the US Marshal service, or being the best damn field agent the FBI has ever seen, he brings a special kind of bravery to the job. His teammates depend on his ready smiles, his funny jokes, and know him as the excellent agent he’s proven to be. They never see the man who buried his heart eight years ago.

The last thing he wants is to fall for the new guy.

When a serial killer suddenly starts targeting innocents, both men have trouble pinning down who they’re dealing with. With victimology all over the place, Leo can’t make sense of a profile, and Max simply wants to put the bastard away before he murders anyone else. The case is maddening but worse, the attraction the two men find every time they look at each other, is beginning to get in the way.

• Westburg Publishing Corp. (August 24, 2022)

• Publication date: August 24, 2022

• Print length: 357 pages

Review: Tied Over (Marshals Book 6) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.75 🌈

Honestly, a tried and true hero Mary Calmes story was just what I needed at the moment. And that’s what I get in the sixth installment in Calmes’ Marshals series, Tied Over.

I’m a long time fan of this universe which started with another series I no longer rec (publisher issues) and continues into the Marshals series, run by Sam Kage. So many great and familiar characters are staples throughout the storylines that each book feels like a homecoming.

That’s a plus for fans of the series but perhaps a drawback for readers new to the universe and couples. There’s so much built in knowledge and background that accompanies a book in this universe. Even with the details the author provides into their backstory, a reader is still missing out on much of the depth of relationships and past experiences of the Marshals that’s built even into the mere flyaway sentences. Doesn’t mean, don’t read it, that simply means go back and enjoy starting at the beginning.

Why? Because of getting to enjoy the thrill of the journey to love and happiness with the Marshal or usually Marshals that make up the couple of the novel.

That glorious Mary Calmes knight in shining armor character who everyone loves, who in this case is US Deputy Marshal Josiah Redeker, aka Jed. He’s the perfect example of why I read and love this author. He’s a typical Calmes hero. He saves the day every time. He saves small children from bad men, he takes down really evil people, he saves dogs, and most importantly, he saves his partner and love of his life from making a bad decision.

And Calmes has Jed do all this with heart stopping action, poignant scenes, moving moments, children so realistic and fragile is scary, and scenes just plain raw that you know you’re going to be rereading the book as soon as it’s finished.

And it’s not just Jed, it’s his partner US Deputy Marshal Bodhi Callahan, the other half of him. This is not the first time that the reader has met this couple if you’ve been following the series as they’ve appeared in other books.

They’ve been partners for years, in love for years, in a relationship that’s been personally rough for them at times, but always partners, even when assigned babysitting duties to other baby Marshals. Both characters are fully realized, with a deep sense of connection that the author makes the reader feel so invested in.

Calmes pulls us in immediately into various dramatic scenes, giving the readers the details on the law enforcement scenes and the personal lives of the main characters so once we enter, it’s one fast paced read to the emotional satisfying end.

I was thrilled at the way the story went and how the couple had grown back together and gotten the ending they deserved.

Just exactly what I needed as well. This is why I read Mary Calmes and will continue to make her a go to author.

Haven’t read this series? Check out the list below.

Marshals:

✓ All Kinds of Tied Down #1

✓ Fit To Be Tied #2

✓ Tied Up In Knots #3

✓ Twisted and Tied #4

✓ Balanced and Tied #5

✓ Tied Down #6

Buy Link:

Tied Over (Marshals Book 6)

Blurb:

Josiah Redeker has been tied up, tied down, and just plain tied to Bodhi Callahan since the younger marshal was paired with him five years ago. It was an easy slide from partners to best friends, and though Bodhi wanted more, Josiah thought Bodhi could do far better than him. That made for a bumpy ride, and, of course, the moment Josiah realized that trying to live without the man he loved more than anything was not something he could do, that was when Bodhi broke the big news that he was getting married. Adding to that nightmare, they got reassigned as partners because other people needed them more.

It’s a disaster all around, and all Josiah sees ahead of him is pain—and not only from getting shot.

But what he thinks he knows for sure isn’t exactly all there is. Turns out, he’s not the only one who’s missing his touchstone, and Bodhi might be fraying at the edges, coming undone. When two people have been tied together over and over for so long, it’s not so easy to get loose. And maybe neither wants to be free of the other, and that could be their future, as long as no one comes between them… with a gun.

• Publisher: (November 28, 2023)

• Publication date: November 28, 2023

• Print length: 258 pages

Review: Honor (Operation Justice Force #3) by Reece Knightley

Rating: 4🌈

Operation Justice Force is such a excellent series and Honor continues this with a terrific couple and exciting storylines.

Oliver Rains is a ex Special Forces who has an immediate connection with the former chief of police Parker Johnson that joins the unit.

I’m not really a fan of instant love unless the author makes a genuine case for it for their couple. Whether by being able to telegraph a overpowering chemistry or delivering a understandable connection that makes a instant love feel real.

Knightley does a great job in making us believe that Oliver and Parker’s relationship is built on a foundation of communication, chemistry, and deeper understanding. It’s a honest feel to them as a unit.

That I loved.

There were things that lessened my own depth of connection to the story. That Oliver has a dangerous stalker that he kept a secret from his friends and agency? All I thought of were don’t they conduct background checks? That’s a huge issue that would be easily found out.

The sex trafficking element. They are taking down a major sex trafficking ring. They found a small number out of all the victims indicated. The follow up on those and the aftermath was given shorter space considering what the narrative implies those children went through. And the scene we shown as they are rescued.

For me if you’re going to use it as a storyline then all aspects should be treated accordingly.

The romance, the relationship between Oliver and Parker is the best element of this story. The stalker, the sex trafficking aspect are secondary in my opinion due to a couple of factors that made them a bit less realistic.

Honor is still highly entertaining and I’m recommending it . The fourth story is due out in a few months. I’ll be waiting.

🔹Operation Justice Force series:

✓ Lethal #1

✓ Rough #2

✓ Honor #3

◦ Rebel #4 – Nov 17, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showHonor (Operation Justice Force #3) by Reese Knightley | Goodreads

Synopsis:

They really are perfect for each other with zero bullshit between them.

Oliver Rains joined Pegasus after the military to keep doing what he loves—helping out the innocent and putting scumbags in the ground where they belong. He was supposed to find a new team, not fall in love, but what he hadn’t counted on was former chief of police Parker Johnson walking into his life. The sexy man is everything he’s wanted for a long time.

Parker Johnson took early retirement from the police force after an altercation with the mayor. It wasn’t his fault the guy was a jackass. He landed a job with the elite unit of operatives known as Pegasus and it’s there he meets Oliver Rains. The ex-Special Forces soldier is the one he’s been searching for, but he’s never mixed his love life and his work before.

When Pegasus is asked to assist with taking down a sex trafficking ring, the unit jumps at the chance to help.

Then someone comes after Oliver. And Parker will do whatever it takes to keep him safe.

Get ready as Pegasus roars into action and delivers a beatdown to the bad guys.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Honor (Operation Justice Force #3) by Reece Knightley

Rating: 4🌈

Operation Justice Force is such a excellent series and Honor continues this with a terrific couple and exciting storylines.

Oliver Rains is a ex Special Forces who has an immediate connection with the former chief of police Parker Johnson that joins the unit.

I’m not really a fan of instant love unless the author makes a genuine case for it for their couple. Whether by being able to telegraph a overpowering chemistry or delivering a understandable connection that makes a instant love feel real.

Knightley does a great job in making us believe that Oliver and Parker’s relationship is built on a foundation of communication, chemistry, and deeper understanding. It’s a honest feel to them as a unit.

That I loved.

There were things that lessened my own depth of connection to the story. That Oliver has a dangerous stalker that he kept a secret from his friends and agency? All I thought of were don’t they conduct background checks? That’s a huge issue that would be easily found out.

The sex trafficking element. They are taking down a major sex trafficking ring. They found a small number out of all the victims indicated. The follow up on those and the aftermath was given shorter space considering what the narrative implies those children went through. And the scene we shown as they are rescued.

For me if you’re going to use it as a storyline then all aspects should be treated accordingly.

The romance, the relationship between Oliver and Parker is the best element of this story. The stalker, the sex trafficking aspect are secondary in my opinion due to a couple of factors that made them a bit less realistic.

Honor is still highly entertaining and I’m recommending it . The fourth story is due out in a few months. I’ll be waiting.

🔹Operation Justice Force series:

✓ Lethal #1

✓ Rough #2

✓ Honor #3

◦ Rebel #4 – Nov 17, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showHonor (Operation Justice Force #3) by Reese Knightley | Goodreads

Synopsis:

They really are perfect for each other with zero bullshit between them.

Oliver Rains joined Pegasus after the military to keep doing what he loves—helping out the innocent and putting scumbags in the ground where they belong. He was supposed to find a new team, not fall in love, but what he hadn’t counted on was former chief of police Parker Johnson walking into his life. The sexy man is everything he’s wanted for a long time.

Parker Johnson took early retirement from the police force after an altercation with the mayor. It wasn’t his fault the guy was a jackass. He landed a job with the elite unit of operatives known as Pegasus and it’s there he meets Oliver Rains. The ex-Special Forces soldier is the one he’s been searching for, but he’s never mixed his love life and his work before.

When Pegasus is asked to assist with taking down a sex trafficking ring, the unit jumps at the chance to help.

Then someone comes after Oliver. And Parker will do whatever it takes to keep him safe.

Get ready as Pegasus roars into action and delivers a beatdown to the bad guys.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Lethal (Operation Justice Force #1) by Reece Knightly

Rating: 4.5🌈

The cover and description give the reader a pretty good indication of what Lethal, the first book in Reese Knightly’s new Operation Justice Force , has in store for them.

Dark alley, hot, muscled men, with tattoos (some of them), just a hint of danger. Works perfectly for a undercover operation filled with ex Black ops, ex Marines , ex CIA agents, you name it, this agency has the law enforcement type employed there.

I wasn’t aware there’s connecting series that precedes this, Code of Honor Justice Force series as well as Out for Justice Cobalt Security series. Neither of which I’ve read but some of the characters from those series do make appearances here.

The agency here is a twin operation of one referenced above, only a tad more under the radar. They are run by the same person and under the same government auspices .

Luckily, Knightly puts all that knowledge in place here so the new reader like myself doesn’t feel like they are scrambling too much to pull together the foundational structure.

Lethal is a two person POV, a dynamic format which works tremendously well with this type of story and characters.

It’s a dark explosive opening, and we’re off to a highly suspenseful, intense storyline diving into a mystery that has a murderous cat and mouse game already in progress.

While the transitions between the differing POV may seem abrupt at the beginning, I found it increased the pace of the exposition, heightened the sense of danger to the men involved, and laid a layer of dark rawness over this section of the storyline.

Dalton Weber, 38, second in command of Pegasus, is chasing Sphinx,a ex CIA suspected of being a traitor and stealing a important in-house list of names. That’s the situation we start at. A meeting between Dalton and Sphinx gone wrong.

Adam Campbell, ex CIA, is on the run, unsure of who he can trust, with information he needs to protect. He’s such a interesting character, exhausted, alone, fighting to survive. Who he is and what his connection is with Dalton makes this story. It’s such a great twist.

I won’t spoil the book but it’s a fast paced , highly entertaining, very suspenseful story. It’s got terrific characters, themes , and a fabulous ending.

There’s a few questions about Dalton’s family history, and his background but in general, this is a story that will keep you entertained and invested right until the end.

And it’s one I’m recommending!

The list of the series to date is below. Check them out.

🔹Operation Justice Force series:

✓ Lethal #1

◦ Rough #2

◦ Honor #3

◦ Rebel #4 – Nov 17, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showLethal (Operation Justice Force, #1) by Reese Knightley – Goodreads

Synopsis:

A traitor with stolen information.
Adam Campbell, 33, blacklisted CIA agent, needs to get covert information into the right hands. Alone and on the run, his world suddenly stops when he discovers the identity of the Pegasus operative who is on his tail. Arranging a meeting just to gaze into the eyes of the man he’s always loved, Adam is set up and almost killed. Out of resources and nowhere to turn, Adam returns to the only home he’s ever known.

An operative who always catches the bad guy.


Dalton Weber, 38, second in command of Pegasus, has a job to do: Stop ex-CIA agent, code name Sphinx, from selling classified information. When Sphinx disappears after Dalton’s botched attempt at contact, Dalton takes a much-needed break. Going home for the holiday, Dalton finds Adam, the man he’d walked away from years ago.

A surprising encounter.
Imagine Adam’s shock when Dalton shows up. Imagine Dalton’s disbelief when he finds out the facts about the man who has always owned his heart. When explosions, secrets, and attempted murder hit close to home, Pegasus opens up a lethal dose of ass kicking. Will that be enough to stop the bad guys and give Adam a chance to come clean?

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Department Rivals (A Valor and Doyle Prequel) by Nicky James

Rating: 4.5🌈

Prequels are tricky things, they are stories that set the stage and briefly introduce characters for a series to come.

I’m always fascinated how each author’s treatment of a prequel storyline differs,their take on formatting as well as what the approach will be.

James makes Department Rivals happen within the span of one day. Two interdepartmental law enforcement bitter rivals, Homicide and MPU (Missing Persons Unit), are forced by each other’s department heads to attend a team building day to start to break down the long established antagonism.

Teams made up of a Officer from each department will work together to solve a “crime puzzle” laid out throughout the city and win a prize.

This is our first time to meet the detectives, Quaid Valor (MPU) and Aslan Doyle (Homicide) as well as their partners .

James does an excellent job of creating strong characters in a short amount of space. Valor’s behavior in just the sounds of his phone chiming with texts from his ex is beyond expressive, telegraphing a history and pain that’s so complex.

As is Aslan’s reaction to Valor, a man his department has made mockery of, including derogatory names. He now starts to see a person with frailties behind the need for adherence to the minutiae of the law he’s known for.

As James puts Aslan and Valor through the game and investigation, and us with them, it becomes a revelation of character and personality.

I won’t spoil the ending. But if you’ve read the first book, you know this is the situation that they both refer to, and think of often. It’s an important day for them both.

I love Department Rivals (A Valor and Doyle Prequel) by Nicky James. It’s a concisely written, beautifully constructed prequel. Great format and wonderful characterization.

It has a job and boy, it got it done and then some.

I’m highly recommending it and the series that follows.

Valor and Doyle Mysteries:

✓ Department Rivals #0.5

✓ Temporary Partner #1

✓ Elusive Relations #2

◦ Unstable Connections #3 – October 17, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showDepartment Rivals A Valor and Doyle Prequel by Nicky James

Synopsis:

The hostility between homicide and missing persons division is high.
Something has to give.


When forced to participate in the department’s first annual team-building day, rival detectives, Quaid Valor and Aslan Doyle, need to learn to work together to win the prize.
Can they put their animosity aside?
Will their mutual attraction to each other get in the way?

**Department Rivals is a short, fun little prequel to the Valor and Doyle Mystery series**

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Hell and Gone by Tal Bauer

Rating: 5 🌈

I’m thrilled to see Tal Bauer branching out into the western genre. Hell and Gone is the second western novel I’ve read of his. The first being the terrific Never Stay Gone, the beginning of his new Texas Rangers series.

Prior to these stories, it was Bauer’s excellent espionage or political thrillers I knew him by.

But extending his world of law enforcement characters to include those branches of western police such as Stock Detectives, Range Detectives, and Brand Inspectors is not only exciting but in an age where cattle rustling is close to a multi million dollar business, a section of criminal activity rarely covered outside of historic novels. As the author himself tells us these officers can be called upon to assist federal, state and local agencies investigations or arrests. No matter what they may be for.

And the American west covers a lot of territory.

Here it’s a section of Montana and a mountain range known as the Crazies. Bauer’s writing has never been finer or emotionally deep when describing the wildness of this land and the soul deep hold it has on the men here. The gritty harshness of ranch life high in the Crazies that runs along side the Incredible wild beauty of the mountains speaks to the reader on every page.

The men are tough, hard, filled with pain. Torn by life, damaged, filled with rage , and yet still capable of great sweetness.

Everett Dawson is one shut down man until he arrives at his new assignment, his first as a Stock Detective. His background, his damage, come through in trickles, pulled from him by his case and the one man demanding Everett look beyond the easy answers everyone else is giving him.

That’s the amazing character of Lawrence Jackson. All fire, rage, competence, and sheer belief in himself and his knowledge of the land, Law burns off the page, igniting the story and Everett’s case.

It’s a matter of conflagration!

The investigation is scary, tumultuous and one long white knuckle horse back ride. It’s so suspenseful that you literally find yourself holding your breath.

There’s violence, high action, murder , and a fantastic resolution.

Law and Everett make an outstanding, fascinating couple. One I’d love to see made into a series with Stock Detective as the focus agency.

Hope Bauer is listening.

In the meantime, what a marvelous exciting new tale, full of rarely explored sectors of law enforcement and amazing descriptions of a pristine area of Montana.

I’m highly recommending Hell and Gone by Tal Bauer. Don’t miss it or the author!

https://www.goodreads.com › showHell and Gone by Tal Bauer – Goodreads

Synopsis:

One hanged man.
Two vanished cowboys.
Three hundred missing cattle.
The Crazy Mountains are devouring everything they see.


Everett Dawson, Montana’s newest Stock Detective, has been sent from Helena down to the Crazy Mountains. Cattle are going missing in the Crazies and Everett is charged with finding these modern-day rustlers and bringing them in.

When he arrives, he finds a hanged cowboy and a heap of questions. Was it suicide or was it murder? Why are cowboys fleeing the Crazies? Far from a simple investigation, Everett’s case plunges deep into the mountains’ dark past.

Lawrence Jackson, the bad boy who runs the Lazy Twenty Two, was the last man to see the dead cowboy alive. There’s a whole forest fire of smoke swirling around Lawrence, and where there’s smoke, there’s flame… and maybe even murder.

But Everett is drawn to Lawrence, and if he takes the risk Lawrence offers, will Everett find what he craves, or will the Crazies claim their next victim?