Reviewed by: Sadonna
TITLE: Three Vlog Night
SERIES: Plummet to Soar, #3
AUTHOR: Z.A. Maxfield
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 197 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 4, 2019
BLURB:
A Plummet to Soar Story
Ajax Fairchild’s online alter ego has caused him trouble before, but never like this. After multiple death threats, his loaded parents decide he needs an enforced digital vacation and the best bodyguard money can buy.
That would be Dmytro Kolisnychenko, former soldier, former hired muscle for the Ukrainian mob—until he lost his happy home life to an enemy with a homemade bomb. Now he wants only two things: to spend every precious second he can with his daughters, and to provide for them by protecting people who can’t protect themselves—even entitled little asshats like Ajax Fairchild.
But Ajax doesn’t fit into the spoiled little rich kid box as neatly as Dmytro would like. Dmytro doesn’t have time for a romantic dalliance, and Ajax is a client, albeit one with unexpected depths. With one coincidence after another driving them to the sleepy seaside town of St. Nacho’s and away from their planned safe house, they grow to trust each other and find that love follows trust. Now they must learn where the threat to Ajax is coming from and neutralize it… before it’s too late for their happily ever after.
REVIEW:
Note: While this is the third story in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone.
Ajax Fairchild (aka Ajax Freedom, YouTube influencer extraordinaire), has just blown up his persona, much to the dismay of the millions of followers. They’ve been angry with him before, but never like this. He doesn’t much care about losing his status, but now someone has decided that he needs to die – so his very wealthy parent hire the best security to get him out of town while they track down the bad guy. Enter Dmytro. He’s a former Ukranian mercenary who is very very good at his job. And he doesn’t have to like his client to protect him. But over the course of their flight from Ajax’s stalker, things start to get a little murky in that regard. Ajaz doesn’t seem like the entitled douchebag Dmytro assumes him to be. He’s interested in Dmytro’s family life. And they have a deeper connection that is revealed in the middle of the story. Along the way though, a number of curveballs are thrown at them that prove that Ajax isn’t a dumb kid and Dmytro isn’t just the hired muscle. When the source of their trouble is revealed, it seems that even though they have just found each other, there might not be any kind of a happy ending.
Dmytro is such a sympathetic character. While he may have done some unsavory things in the past, he is his own worst critic and believes that he needs to constantly make amends for the mistakes of his past. He’s suffered great tragedy, but he’s devoted to making sure his children have safety, security and everything else they need. Ajax is a definitely an old soul in a 22-year-old body who has already figured out that trying to please others by putting on a fake persona is the clear path to self-destruction. He recognizes the pain in Dymtros pretty quickly and it’s clear he’s an empathetic guy. He’s suffered loss too, even though he has had financial security all his life. When these two butt heads, it’s never clear who is going to win. And in the end, they embark on a path to put their heads together instead 😊
This is my favorite book in this series so far, and not just because it features a location from my first ZAM read, St. Nachos 😉 I really enjoyed the banter and struggles between Dymtro and Ajax. They are both clever and funny and stubborn in their own ways. Dymtro just wants to keep his family safe and his client on track. Ajax is drawn to Dymtro and he really wants to figure him out. They end up sharing a lot more than they intend and it shakes them both up. I liked the way they figured out how to work together. The story is fast-paces with a good deal of suspense too. I definitely recommend it and if you are a fan of the St. Nachos series, like me, you probably can’t help wishing that there will be more stories that let us visit our favorites characters from the past. Hint, hint 😉
RATING: 
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