Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Held Hostage
SERIES: Sin City Uniforms #4
AUTHOR: Morticia Knight
PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing
RELEASE DATE: July 30, 2019
LENGTH: 199 Pages
BLURB:
Book four in the Sin City Uniforms series – a newly expanded and edited version!
SWAT officer Cole thought he could handle anything—until he handles Brett.
As lead sniper of the Las Vegas Police Department’s SWAT team, Cole has faced plenty of danger but has never risked love. He lives hard and plays harder, so settling down isn’t on his radar. Then, a deadly hostage situation arises and Cole is stunned by his attraction to the brave and beautiful man he saves from a bullet.
Brett has been burned before, most recently by Officer Parker of the LVMPD. He’s hoping to forge a new life in Vegas and perhaps find love. However, the last thing Brett’s looking for is another man in uniform—which makes fighting his desire for the hunk who rescues him from death that much tougher.
What begins as nothing more than two people sharing a sizzling night together spirals into something deeper. Can Brett handle the stress that comes with having a partner whose life is in constant jeopardy? And can Cole risk his heart on an everyday hero, or will work remain his top priority?
A lethal SWAT call might make the decision for them…
Publisher’s Note: This book was previously released under the same title with Pride Publishing. It has been revised and reedited for rerelease.
Publisher’s note: This book has previously been released under the same title. It has been revised, expanded and reedited for rerelease.
REVIEW:
Brett has moved to Las Vegas to be a fashion store manager. Cole is a sniper in the Vegas SWAT team. Both have been burned by previous relationships. As a result, Brett occasionally scratches an itch but is wary about giving away his heart. Cole is a fuck ’um and leave ’um guy who won’t even entertain anything more. He uses his dangerous job as an excuse for non-committing. But when Cole meets Brett, sparks fly, and Cole’s protective nature comes into play.
I usually comment on the technical aspects, but I’m not going to here, because I’m not sure whether I read the final manuscript.
Held Hostage is an extremely sexual story. It is also fast-moving. Brett and Cole first see each other at a night club, but Brett leaves before Cole can make his move. The next time they meet is when the store Brett is manager of is caught in a hostage situation. After the drama is dealt with, Cole takes command of Brett’s well-being, and before long they are spilling their life stories to each other. Cole does things with Brett that he hasn’t with any other man. Similarly, he acts differently with Brett than any other man, too.
I picked up this story for review because the blurb suggested it was an action-packed police drama with some emotional upheaval, and some healthy sex thrown in for good measure. And, let’s face it, who doesn’t love a man in uniform? Where there is drama, it is good and well written. It is also very heavily sex orientated. The explicit scenes are hot, but I felt as though sex was the prime function with police action and social exchanges, fillers between sex scenes. I’d go as far to say that the word count of some sex scenes was longer than the hostage section. While I acknowledge that some readers will love these proportions, personally, I prefer sex to compliment a story, not be the story.
The periods not spent between the sheets show emotionally complicated men – intensified by their histories. Cole believes being with Brett is terrific, but he doesn’t know if he can give Brett the kind of relationship he deserves, and this is a crux between them. These parts of the story are a touch predictable, but enjoyable.
Therefore, if you are after a read that will get you hot under the collar without using too much brainpower – and, yes, everyone wants that from time to time – Held Hostage could be for you. If you are looking for a hunky story, full of police action of the guns rather than shooting load variety, then you may want to think twice.
RATING: 
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