Reviewed by Caroline
TITLE: Joker
SERIES: Executioners Book 2
AUTHOR: JM Dabney
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 150 Pages
RELEASE DATE: August 29, 2017
BLURB:
Joker, what a misnomer, but Jackson Webb’s friends were idiots. He’d joined Executioners almost three years earlier after the lead singer King caught him playing his guitar behind his garage. It broke up the monotony of his life, but once he got bored he’d move on to another distraction. He wasn’t nice. He sure as hell wasn’t friendly. He was what he was, his friends handled his attitude and standoffish nature just fine. At thirty-eight he was pretty sure he was too stuck in his way to change shit now.
Demetri “Dem” Urban was settling into a new life in the middle of nowhere. Okay, he was hiding from everywhere in a kitchen as far removed from his five-star kitchen back in New York. Gideon invited him to stay with him and his wife for awhile just until he could get everything back on track. He didn’t see it happening, but he had to admit the scenery wasn’t bad even if the man had the personality of a rabid, man-eating bear. Dem did like a challenge and that fit Joker Webb perfectly.
REVIEW:
I have been waiting not so patiently for Jokers story – the friend who has such strong morals but always seems to end up behind bars. Violence is the way of Jokers life, he was born to it, he almost died from it and he solves every problem he has with it. The man is left speechless and terrified when Dem enters his life and instead of violence Dem shows compassion, understanding and love. Could Joker really have a chance at what his friends have? Could someone really love Joker? Could Joker love them back?
After a break up that also meant the end of his job Dem is hiding out and getting his life back in order. He’s staying with his friend Gideon and wife Harper and even though just newly single he finds himself almost immediately enthralled with their bad tempered friend Joker. Even getting the man to speak to him is a challenge but Dem has been living with challenges all his life and the prize at the end of this one is definitely worth some extra work.
Jokers surprise at another man taking notice and paying him attention is both heart-breaking and funny. Dem’s bravery at surreptitiously touching the other man is what starts to break down the walls but those walls are both thick and high and Dem is going to have to use every trick he has to get Joker to believe he is worth the effort. Joker just needs for something or someone to be his, he needs to be loved and he needs to love back – Dem is perfect and already half way there if only the stubborn man will give him a chance. The ending with the reunion seemed a bit farfetched and happened too quickly and easily but overall the story was just what I hoped for – Joker got his happily ever after.
RATING: 
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