4.5 out of 5 stars
Ebook. Kindle Unlimited. 246 pages. Published April 1 2018.
Blurb:
I never thought we’d get a second chance. Fox Walker is the CIA’s best
hacker, but his latest case has him stumped. He comes to Hidden Creek hot on
the data trail of a terrorist, but his own past traumas still haunt him, and he
can’t forget the sexy Green Beret he met in Syria eight years ago.
Former Green Beret Axel Ford is now with the
FBI, stationed in Hidden Creek and investigating a domestic bombing ring. He
works too much, plays too little, and still thinks that he’s straight. So when
he bumps into Fox after all these years, he can’t explain why he’s drawn to the
geek.
Fox and Axel must work fast before more lives
are lost, but in the heat of the moment everything they thought they’d buried
in Syria bursts through into their hearts. Can they stop an international
terrorist conspiracy, save this small town, and still find time for their
second chance at love?
Welcome to Hidden Creek, Texas, where the
heart knows what it wants, and where true love lives happily ever after. Every
Men of Hidden Creek novel can be read on its own, but keep an eye out for
familiar faces around town! This book contains a sassy nerd, an all-American
hero, and some seriously explosive amateur chemistry.
Likes:
- The strong action/suspense plot elements.
- Axel and Fox both working to save lives while their romance blooms.
- Non-judgmental talk about therapy and trauma.
- Axel and Fox were both interesting characters and I was rooting for them and their romance.
- Kept me on the edge of my seat.
- Good sex scenes and non-penetrative sex.
- Super sweet ending.
Dislikes:
- Because there’s a lot going on in the book, some things are rushed or left out altogether.
- I’m not 100% sure of the bad guy’s motivation.
- The romance simmered along until the action plot ended, then exploded.
- Axel accepted being attracted to a guy very quickly, with little introspection or journey to accepting that he was bisexual.
Another good book by an author who is new to me. I’m not usually into romantic suspense, and because I just one-clicked this book after finishing Shelter I was surprised that both Axel and Fox worked for governmental law enforcement. The previous two books that I’ve read in this series were both slow paced small town kind of stories. But my surprise didn’t last long and I ended up really enjoying this book.
There was a lot of plot stuffed into this book, and there are two ways to look at that. On the upside, I was on the proverbial edge of my seat the entire time and finished the book quickly. On the downside, I felt like a lot of things were not as fully fleshed out as they could/should have been.
Axel and Fox were both great characters, similar in some ways and different in others, but they worked well as a team and as a couple. Their chemistry was great, despite the insta-lust, which I don’t mind. I was a little disappointed that Axel had no real journey of accepting that he was bisexual. Then again, his character was mostly unflappable, so it did suit him to just roll with it. And the sex between them is both explosive and sweet, with Fox leading the way and showing Axel the ropes.
I will say that it’s strange to find an action/suspense story in the middle of what I assumed would be a series about local boys. But it works. I would definitely be interested in reading more about Axel and Fox, because it feels like they will have many more adventures together in the future.
The supporting characters in this book weren’t as good as in Shelter and without looking at the blurb of the next book in the series I have no idea who the next main characters are, which always annoys me for some reason. Like, I want to know who’s going to be coupled up next so I can keep an eye on them.
I’m looking forward to the next book, and will definitely check out more things written by Max Hawthorn in the future.
Love is Love Reviews 