Reviewed by Tammy

TITLE: Nothing Special VII, EX Meridian

SERIES: Nothing Special

AUTHOR: A.E. Via

PUBLISHER: Via Star Wings Books

LENGTH: 336 pages

RELEASE DATE: 26 February 2020

BLURB:

Police Lieutenants, God and Day are under intense pressure from the chief to take back control of Atlanta’s streets. The last thing their task force needs is a pair of trained killers in town with a personal score to settle.

Take a man and strip him of his ability to feel compassion, empathy, remorse, or any of the emotions that make him human, but leave the ones that ignite rage and aggression and you have the perfect killing machine—now imagine two of them.

Code names Ex and Meridian are synonymous for ‘guaranteed death’ to international terrorists. Two broken men from the same crooked streets, recruited into an unsanctioned government program that few know about. Trained to operate most efficiently—lethally—together.

When Ex returns from an op in Bolivia to learn his little brother has been accidentally killed in a feud between drug gangs, he’s stateside before he can consider the rules he’ll be breaking, and of course Meridian is right beside him. There’s mayhem on the streets of Atlanta and the police are losing control. If Godfrey and his elite team of detectives can’t get the job done then they’d be happy to lighten their caseloads for them. And Ex nor Meridian care about doing it quietly.

“I know who you are.” The man grunted when Ex turned to leave. “You’re the fucking devil.”
Meridian walked past, glaring one final time. “Say that loud enough… maybe God will save you.”

But after their first run-in with the big lieutenant and his protective husband, Day, Ex and Meridian start to reevaluate their own relationship. Wondering if they could be even deadlier if they let loose the feelings for each other that they’ve been forced to suppress for years.

Meridian’s dark eyes stayed locked on his, “A man who can fight beside the one he loves doesn’t make him weaker, Ex—it makes him more dangerous.”

No multiple pairings. No cliffhangers. Ends with a HEA.

Note: This title focuses on two new characters in the series. And while it can standalone, there are appearances from prior main characters
Note: This is a partners-to-lovers, out-for-you, action romance.
Note: There are depictions of violence in this novel.

REVIEW:

Ex and Meridian AKA Xavier and Marshall are the newest members of the Nothing Special family.

Ex and Meridian are CIA trained, specially enhanced deadly assassins who, when paired together had their DNA combined. They are stationed overseas but have returned to Atlanta because Ex’s little brother has been accidentally killed in a drive-by shooting  between gang members.

Both Ex and Meridian are fascinated when they observe God and Day’s team and how they interact with each other. During their training they were made to not feel emotions as emotions make you weak! Now that they’re back on US soil the feelings they’ve always had for each other are so much harder to deny. It doesn’t take Meridian long to realise that although they’re a deadly team now they could be even more dangerous because of their love for each other.

Whilst Ex and Meridian are finding their way through the minefield of emotions that they haven’t felt or needed in years they’re working towards bringing down the gang members who were responsible for the death of Ex’s brother. It seems the more gang bangers they help God and Day capture the quicker they’re being released. They need to determine if the task force is dirty, if they are, they have vowed to take them all down if necessary! When they meet God, Day and their task force they discover it’s not them that’s dirty so they go on the hunt!

I can only hope that this is going to be the introduction of a new spin off series or better yet they become an integral part of THIS series. I want to find out what happens to Ex and Meridian after they return  to their “real lives”. Remember, whilst you can read this book as a standalone, I truly would not recommend it as Ms Via always has her characters crossing over between books (The way all amazing series should be written!). To capture the true essence and ‘feels’ of each book you need to start at book 1.

RATING:

BUY LINK:

Amazon