Reviewed By Donna
SERIES: Angel
AUTHOR: Liz Borino
PUBLISHER: Lazy Day Publishing
BOOK #1 – ANGEL’S HERO
LENGTH: 79 pages
BLURB: CIA Agent Aaron “Angel” Collins doesn’t take many things on faith. He trusts his gut, his eyes, and his husband, Jordan, an Army Captain. When his commanding officers deliver news of Jordan’s death, Aaron needs proof. The facts don’t add up, and Aaron must decide if he can trust Major General Troy Hart to assist in his quest to discover the truth.
Captain Jordan Collins is battered and disheartened in an Afghanistan prison, but definitely not dead, though he learns his own government believes he is. His only mission now is to stay alive and make it home to Angel, if he can find an ally among the enemy. But someone in the US government will stop at nothing to make sure he never leaves that prison, And Jordan must reevaluate the lines between friend and foe if he is ever to return to his Angel.
REVIEW:
Liz Borino is an author I put on my TBR list quite a while ago but never got round to reading. You guys know how that is right? That list of books and authors we want to read, just as soon as we find the time, would probably fill a room if it was an actual, physical pile rather than a file on our e-readers.
So when these two titles came up for review and the blurbs flashed words like CIA and military, well hello soldier, I was more than happy to volunteer to read them.
Our two leading men are Aaron and Jordan. Aaron (aka Angel) is a CIA agent who works for the military and Jordan is an army captain. The men have been together for over ten years, they’re married and luckily they are often deployed together. Except this time. Orders are received from the new mysterious man in charge that Aaron will not be accompanying Jordan on his latest mission, an attempt to rescue POWs. So the two men are separated against their wishes.
I can tell you, at this point I was feeling sick with worry because we know from the blurb that Jordan ends up being captured and tortured. It’s one of those feelings you moan and complain about (ooohh why do authors do this to us!!) but at the same time, you love the anticipation.
To tell the truth, it’s almost a relief once Jordan has been taken prisoner because now we can start anticipating his escape instead.
For those of us who are squeamish, rest assured there are no actual scenes of torture. I actually found the chapters with Aaron harder to read than the parts that focused on Jordan. Despite all evidence indicating otherwise Aaron refusesto believe his husband is dead and the reactions of his family was quite emotional to read.
There are flashback scenes throughout the story and usually I’m not a big fan. In fact I’ll admit that in the beginning they were bugging me a bit. The flashbacks include memories such as the men’s first meeting and a truly inspired proposal. However, once Jordan is captured and the story moves into more upsetting territory I gladly read the flashbacks as a happy break from the turmoil going on in the present.
Did I have any complaints? Why yes, I surely did. This book does not come with a content warning that it includes a cameo by a huge freakin’ arachnid! And of course I then had to Google it to see what they actually look like. Ack! When an m/m romance includes a description that uses the words “8 inches long” well, I’d surely prefer that the author wasn’t referring to a damn scary ass spider!
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: Amazon
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PRE-RELEASE REVIEW
BOOK #2: ANGEL’S TRUTH
LENGTH:64 pages
BLURB: “Freeze or I’ll shoot!” Aaron yelled and aimed the gun at Jordan’s chest.
“Angel, no, please.” Hacking fluid-filled coughs broke up Jordan’s words.
“Jordan?” Aaron whispered his name as recognition painted a mural of memories of their life together on his face.
“Yes.” He coughed red into his dirty hand. “Please help.”
So begins Angel’s Truth, the sequel to Angel’s Hero. Army Captain Jordan Collins arrives home, only to find the man responsible for his imprisonment, torture, and near-execution with his husband. Had his Angel moved on without him?
Aaron “Angel” Collins has driven his family and friends away in his quest to learn the truth of Jordan’s fate, leaving only Major General Troy Hart willing to help him. When Jordan miraculously returns, with a spirit more broken than his body, Aaron realizes Hart was really a liar with an agenda of his own. Aaron is unable to take time to heal his own emotional wounds, because he and Jordan learn Hart’s betrayal is even greater than they originally believed, threatening the entire nation. Now the reunited couple must race against time to keep a promise to Jordan’s savior and prevent Hart from bringing terrorism once again to American soil.
REVIEW:
This sequel to Angel’s Hero begins right where the first book left off. In fact I really like the way it begins, with a repeat of the final scene of the previous book but from Jordan’s point of view this time rather than Aaron’s.
I liked this story more than the first, not because the first one had anything wrong with it but because we get to spend the whole book reading about Jordan and Aaron being together rather than trying to get back to each other. I loved the way the two men refuse to be separated. Whether headed to the hospital or headed back to Afghanistan they learnt their lesson and they go everywhere together.
Angel’s Truth is definitely more a romance than Angel’s Hero. The reunion between Aaron and Jordan is so sweet and also so sad, especially when Jordan learns that Aaron has become close to the man whom he believes ordered his death. And by this stage we really, really dislike Troy Hart. Trust me, you too will be gunning for the man.
The plot of this book is a continuation of the first but at the same time felt like a totally fresh direction. Whereas the first was Jordan’s struggle to survive this story is more about conspiracies and treason and an impending terrorist attack. The storyline also flowed smoother because there were no flashbacks to the past.
The two books definitely need to be read in order. Angel’s Truth is not going to make a lot of sense to you if you read it first. Thankfully there isn’t going to be a huge gap between the two release dates because Angel’s Hero finishes in a place that is going to make you keen to get straight into this sequel.
I’m glad I finally got my chance to read some of Liz Borino’s work, now I’ll definitely find the time to check out her other books.
RATING:
BUY LINKS: (Releases 14th March, 2014)