Reviewed by Danielle

TITLE: Whiskey and Wry (Book #2)
SERIES: Sinners
AUTHOR: Rhys Ford
LENGTH: 254 pages
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
BLURB: He was dead. And it was murder most foul. If erasing a man’s existence could even be called murder.

When Damien Mitchell wakes, he finds himself without a life or a name. The Montana asylum’s doctors tell him he’s delusional and his memories are all lies: he’s really Stephen Thompson, and he’d gone over the edge, obsessing about a rock star who died in a fiery crash. His chance to escape back to his own life comes when his prison burns, but a gunman is waiting for him, determined that neither Stephen Thompson nor Damien Mitchell will escape.

With the assassin on his tail, Damien flees to the City by the Bay, but keeping a low profile is the only way he’ll survive as he searches San Francisco for his best friend, Miki St. John. Falling back on what kept him fed before he made it big, Damien sings for his supper outside Finnegan’s, an Irish pub on the pier, and he soon falls in with the owner, Sionn Murphy. Damien doesn’t need a complication like Sionn, and to make matters worse, the gunman—who doesn’t mind going through Sionn or anyone else if that’s what it takes kill Damien—shows up to finish what he started.

REVIEW:

I was very excited to read this book. I loved Sinner’s Gin and couldn’t wait to see what the sequel would be about. Because of the way the first book ended, I was hoping that it would be about Damien and how he would find his way back to Miki. And I couldn’t be more happy that the story turned out to be about Damien.

We meet Damien when he escapes from the mental institution he was being held in under a different name. While there, people tried to convince him that he was someone else. Finally free and on the run, we find Damien playing guitar in front of a pub called Finnigan’s which is owned by Sionn Murphy.

We follow Damien through his struggle to figure out the puzzle and put the pieces of his life back together. He desperately tries to work out the images and flashes of memory in his mind.

We see the attraction grow between him and Sionn and watch them fall in love. All the time the red line in the first part of the story is Damien’s determination how to get to Miki. When that finally happens in a surprising, unexpected moment, it is fantastic and brilliantly written and I wanted to specifically point that out.

But with a hitman on his heels murdering people around Damien, he is anything but safe. While reconnecting with Miki and getting to know Kane and building a relationship with Sionn, there is always that threat in the background. It keeps him and the reader constantly on edge.

The sexual tension and heat between Damien and Sionn is sizzling. It sparks from your screen and the references to Kane and Miki makes me want to see some of them too as the first time seeing them was so powerful, that it made me desperate for more of them. I was glad that they were so part of this sequel as it added wonderful things to the story.

I think a special mention should go to the little lines on top of every chapter. They signify the story chapters and are symbolic for things happening during the story. These words were so special as they emphasized the story perfectly.

The relationship between Miki and Damien shows how much he missed Miki but more even so, the life he lost and is desperately trying to get back.

“I missed you, Sinjun. Even before I really knew you were… there in my memories. I knew I was missing something so big in my life. I’m sorry I forgot you. Even if it was just for a moment. I am so fucking sorry.” “Dude, you didn’t forget me. I was just holding onto them until you came back.” “Since I’m remembering shit, sorry about the time I shoved that chick’s panties on your head.” “That’s okay. While you were passed out once, Dave accidentally peed in your mouth.” “I don’t remember that.” “You never knew, but hey, since we’re filling up your head with shit, you get to know now.”

Honesty obligates me to say that for me, Sinner’s Gin was a tad better so that is why I am giving 4.5 stars for this sequel.

At the end, the author leaves us with again a tantalizing piece of what is coming and I, for one, cannot wait to read Connor’s story!! ( as i hope we also get to read Rafe’s somewhere).

Danielle’s Rating:

BUY LINK: Dreamspinner Press

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