Reviewed by Roberta

TITLE: Cross & Crown

SERIES: Sidewinder #2

AUTHOR: Abigail Roux

PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing

LENGTH: 248 Pages

BLURB:

When Nick O’Flaherty arrives at the scene of a double homicide to find he has a witness to the crime, he thinks it’s his lucky day. But when he realizes his witness is suffering from amnesia and can’t even remember his own name, Nick wishes he’d gone with his gut and put in for vacation time.

Then Nick’s boyfriend and former Recon teammate, Kelly Abbott, joins him in Boston, and Nick finds his hands a little too full as the case and his personal life collide. The witness he’s dubbed “JD” is being tailed by Julian Cross, a retired CIA hitman. To complicate matters further, JD forms an attachment to Nick that Nick struggles not to respond to as they search for the key to JD’s identity.

Trying to determine whether JD is friend or foe as they investigate the crime puts them on the trail of a much older mystery. When multiple attempts are made on their lives, Nick is forced to turn to old enemies and new allies to solve a centuries-old crime before he and Kelly get added to the history books.

REVIEW: OH MY LANTA!!! I so couldn’t wait to read this book and see how Nick and Kelly were doing. This was a thrill-ride that just didn’t stop!! I hated the fact that I had to sleep because I didn’t want to sleep until I finished the book!!  I woke up in the middle of the night to finish the book!! You know I’m a HUGE Ty and Zane fan, so these two guys had a bunch to live up too.  Boy Did They!!

So, we all know Nick and Kelly from the Cut & Run series and their own previous book Shock & Awe. So, we have a basic knowledge of these two guys. They met when they served together in the Military and have been friends for 15 years or so. They recently became a couple and now it’s on to Adventure Time!

Nick is a detective in Boston and he’s finally getting to work cases again after doing desk duty after donating part of his liver for his father. Nick is the kind of guy who you’d want on your side if things were going off the rails. He is strong, kind, caring and logical.  He doesn’t let emotions get in the way of what needs to be done. He makes a promise and he does his level best to get it done.  Nick is such a wonderful character and I’m so very glad that we’re getting an opportunity to see more of him.  Nick has always intrigued me as a character, he was funny and warm and yet, there was something about him that was a bit mysterious to me.  I like getting inside his head and figuring out what he’s about.

Kelly is another wonderful character.  He was the team medic and yet, he’s so much more than that.  He’s got this wonderful job as a counselor for a camp for children.  He’s a wonderful little stoner who seems so laid-back and yet, when it comes to his boy(s), he becomes rather dangerous. Nick is Kelly’s first relationship with a man yet, these two just seem to click together.  Kelly is as in love with Nick and Nick is with Kelly. Kelly gets Nick in a way that no one else does.  He knows Nick and that allows him to be the partner that Nick needs.

The secondary characters in this book…Love Them.  JD, who is either a witness or a suspect, is this wonderful blend of innocence and wicked intelligence.  Hagen, Nick’s partner on the force is so good to Nick.  He really cares for him and they really work well as partners.  Julian…what can I say about Julian that we’ve not heard before?  Julian is witty, sarcastic, wicked smart and plain dangerous.  I have loved Julian since Armed and Dangerous.  I love his deadpanned delivery of lines.  He makes me want to want to find a Nice, Deadly Irish “Antiquity Dealer”. Ty and Zane both make cameo appearances in this story, and we all know about them.

There was lots of action in this story.  This was a thrill-ride from the first word on the page until the last. They mystery of JD, the Cross & Crown, helping Julian, it was Great!! The gun fights, the chasing clues and Oh My Lanta, the first time that Kelly and Julian meet…AMAZING!!  I read that part twice.  I will say that there was lots of history being thrown at you in this story and I will admit, I’m not that big into history but I was intrigued.

As we all know, Abi is a great writer who can blend adventure/suspense and mystery together and make you so invested in her characters and in her story that you fall under her spell and don’t want to get out.  Abi did the very same thing with this book.  She grabbed you and didn’t let go.  What fun this book was.  Abi blended the right amount of suspense/action and humor. My favorite quote was Kelly saying “Romantic, but are you sure this isn’t just a history nerdgasm you’re having right now?”  I giggled for a while after reading that. Nerdgasm.  As you know, Abi does really good hot sex and this book was no exception.  It was hot and yet, it was so intimate between the two of them. The sex doesn’t overwhelm the story, it just adds another layer to Nick and Kelly’s bond.

Ty and Zane did make a brief cameo appearance in the book. I was glad that Nick and Ty spoke, but it was hard to read. Knowing that they aren’t as solid as they had been. However, it was good to see them again, as always. I do hope that Ty and Nick get back to being good together.

I will say that Nick and Kelly are coming in after Ty and Zane as one of my favorite character couple! They are just so cute together. I loved how easy they are. It’s different than Ty and Zane.  Much more smoother.  Not as angst-filled.  These two men come with their own issues and worries, but it’s really sweet to watch them handle being in a relationship.  I smile just thinking about them together.

So, if you’re ready for another Adventure filled, Thrill-ride…this is the story for you!!  You get to go on such a fun journey and truly meet some Great Characters to fall in love with..this is for you!!

So..grab a drink, get comfy and get lost in a book that you’ll read again and again, many times. 

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Riptide

 amazon