Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Redemption
SERIES: Diversion #5
AUTHOR: Eden Winters
NARRATOR: Darcy Stark
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
RELEASE DATE: June 13, 2019
LENGTH: 8 hours, 41 minutes
BLURB:
Living is the easy part.
Agent Lucky Lucklighter and his partner escaped Mexico alive, only to plunge into bureaucratic fallout from their mission. Hell, maybe Lucky should have stayed south of the border. Especially when the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau places Bo into rehab, and Lucky’s facing both therapy and an inquiry into a fatal shooting.
Watching over his shoulder for a vengeful drug lord or a cartel don calling in favors leaves his scarcely able to imagine a future for them as agents, or as lovers.
Bo Schollenberger once had a vision for their life together, but he’s bowed by the weight of his undercover work. Lucky’s hanging on by his deeply chewed fingernails, clinging to hope by making Bo’s dream of a home into reality. The last thing he needs is a phone call from a dangerous man who knows too much, summoning him back to Mexico for “An early Christmas present”.
Not when the SNB brass asks tough questions like “How well do you really know your partner?”
REVIEW:
It’s time to deal with the consequences of everything that’s happened in the previous four books. Deal with everything from Bo and Lucky being a couple and what that means both personally and professionally. Deal with everything that happened in Mexico, deal with Cyrus. Deal with all the loose ends they left in Mexico; Stefan, Victor, Nestor and the man Lucky might have shot in the shoot-out in the previous book. There isn’t much suspense in this book, no undercover work and no bullets flying. Redemption is a breather of sorts, a chance for everyone to just catch up, and start to heal. Because of this I would say that this isn’t a book that stands on its own.
In a way this book is all over the place trying to tie up loose ends from the past several years. But it never feels messy or choppy as a story light this could have been. It’s also a story that’s necessary to keep everyone sane-ish. It deals with the drug addiction that was forced on Bo in Mexico during his last undercover sting. Of him checking himself into a rehab facility, and cutting Lucky out of that process. When we first meet Bo he was this gentle, patient and stable man. He held his own and knew who he was and what he wanted. At least he appeared that way. Now his walls are shattered, or rather coping mechanisms are out of whack, and while it is heartbreaking to see him like that, I loved how Lucky was there for him. I love how they are with each other, how right they are. They are equals and solid. Sure they have their rocky moments, but that’s also what makes me believe in them. Theirs isn’t an easy relationship, they have to work and fight for it, but it’s a fight that is so worth it in the end.
Bo and Lucky’s relationship is as previously mentioned going up and down. We see them taking steps back when Bo shuts Lucky out, we feel that hurt to our core right along with Lucky. It’s also kind of nice to see Lucky as the more stable one in their relationship – something that you’d probably not have guessed when they first started out. Now Lucky is all in. He wants it all, the house in the gated community, celebrate the holidays together and maybe one day in the future fill that nursery… That being said, Lucky is also dealing with his past. The fact that he might have shot and killed a man is eating at him. That he still don’t have answers to what happened to Victor and if he’s still alive. The life he left behind him when he “left” Victor’s organisation.
One of the changes that I most appreciated with Lucky was Loretta. I loved to see how he finally let her in. Loved watching their friendship grow. I mean Lucky is almost human 😉 Not that Loretta would have had it any other way, that woman is one hell of a force to be reckoned with.
For those of us that have followed these guys for the past few books know that they have issues. Issues they don’t really talk about, that they supress and shoves into a corner. Issues that they can no longer run from and causes problem for them in their everyday lives. So I loved that they both willingly sought help that, that part was a non-issue. Bo and Lucky have been so much, separately and together. The have changed and grown a lot since we first met them, but underneath it all they are still the men we fell for, but with a few less sharp edges.
Darcy Stark is phenomenal when narrating these characters. His interpretation of them is spot on and he gets them. Understands their struggles, needs and wants, but more than that he makes the listener do the same. We feel what they feel, hurt when they do, fight with and for them. I love his passion and engaging narration, and for me that’s what takes the narration one step further.
I’m loving every single moment I spend listening to this series. And if you haven’t for some reason read or listened to these books yet you should definitely amend that now, they are so worth it.
RATING: 
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