I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Crash & Burn
by
Abigail Roux
It is part of the Cut & Run #9 series and is a m/m romance, romantic suspense in a Kindle edition that was published by Riptide Publishing on March 29, 2015 and has 352 pages.
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Other books in this series include [books_series]
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Cut & Run, Sticks & Stones, Fish & Chips, Divide & Conquer, Armed & Dangerous, Stars & Stripes, Touch & Geaux, Ball & Chain, Shock & Awe, Cross & Crown, "Bait & Switch", Part & Parcel, "Brick & Mortar Books", "Dine & Dash", "High & Tight", "Shake and Bake", Past & Presents, "Shake and Bake"
Ninth in the Cut & Run m/m romantic suspense series and revolving around a lethal pair of men: FBI agent Zane Garrett and the now-retired Ty Grady set in Baltimore, Maryland. The focus is on finding that mole in the office. It’s February and it’s been five years since Cut & Run, 1.
My Take
There are red herrings everywhere, touching on events throughout the story, and particularly from Touch & Geaux, 7, and Ball & Chain, 8. That Liam is one sneaky bugger. The man has no morals! Then again, he looks like an angel compared to others!
Roux uses third person multiple points-of-view from Nick’s, Ty’s, and Zane’s perspectives, and there is plenty of emotion in this. I’m sure you can imagine it when it’s full of such epic betrayal. A story full of intrigue, action — hoo-baby, all kinds of action with guns, in bed, kidnappings, explosions, and taking the bad guys down.
Nick’s confession blew me away, and Ty’s reaction to it blew everyone away. There’s a lot about what Nick and Liam learned that makes sense, but there are bits that don’t make sense either. For one, what’s the deal about Nick’s meds?
I do have to say that all of it, all the truths they’ve discovered, break my heart. It’s betrayal on a personal level as well as a national one. That government agencies would treat citizens, their own agents, like this?!? That someone can do this to a friend, to his family… My. God.
Thankfully, Roux does have fun with this series, creating a balance to all the horrors, and I did enjoy “Detectives Black and Decker”…oy, *laughing*.
“If there is anyone present here today who objects to this union, please take it up with the two armed federal agents who are getting hitched.”
I love the idea of the ring tattoos. Very safe. And the special symbols that make it so personal to both Ty and Grady make me want to cry. I do love that Digger is so mad at the boys for not waiting for them. And wanting to know if they’re knocked up, lol.
Aww, it’s in Crash & Burn that Zane comes up with the name for their bookstore: Brick & Mortar.
But it’s that betrayal at the end that really caught my heart up, when he shot everyone. Holy…
The Story
Liam Bell is on an NIA hit list and intends to hold Nick to that promise he made in Touch & Geaux.
Nick is unlikely to come out of it alive while Ty and Grady must gather all their strength and resources to beat the longest odds they’ve ever faced. To make it out alive, they’ll need help from every friend they’ve got. Even the friends who might betray their trust. Who turn their world upside down.
The Characters
Special-Agent-in-Charge Zane Garrett commands at the Baltimore field office. His life partner, the man to whom Zane is engaged, Ty “Six” Grady, retired from the FBI and is restoring an old building down on the waterfront as well as rebuilding a vintage Mustang Zane’s dad gave him.
Deacon, a.k.a., Deuce, is Ty’s psychiatrist brother newly married to Livi (Ball & Chain); Amelia is their daughter. Mara and Earl Grady are Ty and Deacon’s parents. Chester is their grandpa who is very, ahem, attached to his shovel. Chester has told Zane to call him grandpa.
Zane’s parents have a ranch in Texas. Harrison is Zane’s really decent dad while Beverly is his bitch mom. Harrison says that Mara has been “talking” to Beverly…mm-hmmm… Annie is Zane’s veterinarian sister.
Sidewinder is…
…was Ty’s special ops team, Force Recon Marines. Nick “Irish” O’Flaherty, a Scout Sniper who’s got the trembles now, used to be a homicide detective in Boston. The Fiddler’s Green is the yacht he lives on. Kelly “Doc” Abbott had been the team medic and is now Nick’s lover. He lives in Colorado working with at-risk kids. Digger lives in the bayous. Owen “Ozone” Johns is a security specialist with a huge corporation in L.A. Owen has recently started dating Riley.
Liam Bell is one nasty spy with the NIA. He’d been Ty’s lover in the past and part of an SAS team that had been in joint exercises with the boys. Anna had been Liam’s NIA partner before she was killed.
The FBI
Agents in the Baltimore office include Scott Alston, Freddy Perrimore, Harry Lassiter, and Michelle Clayton. Dan McCoy had been the previous special agent-in-charge.
Richard Burns, a former Marine, had been an assistant director, a friend of the Grady family, Ty’s boss, and was murdered in Ball & Chain. Laura Burns is Richard’s widow. Special Agent James “Jimmy” Hathaway had been Ty’s partner before he was killed. Jack Tanner teaches knifework at Quantico. Wilkins is one of Tanner’s new protégés. Randall Jones had been a CIA agent and a friend of Burns’ (Armed & Dangerous, 5).
The CIA
Preston is still with them as an agent.
Julian Cross (Armed & Dangerous, 5, and Cross & Crown, 8.5) is an arms dealer who owes the boys a favor.
The Vega cartel has…
…had a contract out on Ty and Zane for some time now. Juan Carlos de la Vega is the one who took over when the more rational Antonio de la Vega was assassinated. Xander had been Zane’s undercover name with the cartel.
The Admiral Fell Inn is Zane’s choice of lodging. Hank Freeman is a judge who owes Ty a favor. Tudor is a tattooist friend of Zane’s. John English is a security specialist with Snake Eater from Ball & Chain. Detective Alan Hagan had been Nick’s partner in the Boston PD.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a white background with a ferocious fire of yellows, oranges, and reds at the bottom, and it’s a gradient of reds to orange to yellow and back again in the title at the top. The author’s name is just below center in a deep red on the left.
The title is the plan, to let them Crash & Burn.
