Reviewed by Cheryl K
TITLE: The Man Who Loved Cole Flores
SERIES: Dig Two Graves Book 1
AUTHOR: K.A. Merikan
PUBLISHER: Acerbi & Villani Ltd.
LENGTH: 359 Pages
RELEASE DATE: February 10, 2021
BLURB:
You want revenge? Dig two graves.
Ten years ago, a vicious gang called the Gotham Boys descended on a homestead in the mountains like a pack of wolves, leaving nothing behind but death and destruction.
Ned O’Leary was the only one to survive the ordeal.
He lost hope for revenge long ago, but its flame erupts in his heart when the gang is spotted again. By a stroke of luck, he is recruited to infiltrate the Gotham Boys and bring them all to justice. Ripped out of his wholesome life on a ranch, he has to find his footing with a band of ruthless outlaws who challenge his morals every step of the way.
But the one who tests him most of all is Cole Flores. Deadly, full of himself and unpredictable, the gang leader’s adopted son should be a man easy to hate, but instead, he sparks illicit desires Ned has never felt before.
Cole Flores is forbidden.
Cole Flores is corruption.
Cole Flores is everything Ned O’Leary craves.
Torn between love and revenge, lust and loyalty, Ned has to face impossible choices that are bound to leave scars, no matter how hard he tries to do the right thing.
“I don’t know what this means, or how to do this with you,” he whispered as his heart broke into a gallop. “But I want to. I need to.”
REVIEW:
I had never read any of K.A. Merikan’s books before, but I was extremely excited to get my hands on this one. This one does end in a cliffhanger, so be prepared to throw your kindle at the end of this one. The worldbuilding in this book is fantastic. The backdrop for this story is 1880’s Colorado to begin and then travels south towards Arizona. The story depicts life in the wild, wild west and the few and far between towns that dot the landscape.
“Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” Confucius
In this story our main characters meet by chance but are driven by vastly different goals. Ned is driven by revenge. He is seeking revenge for the death of his parents at the hands of the founding members of the Gotham Boys gang. Cole is a member of this gang and his driving goal is to be loyal to the gang’s leader, the man that rescued him when he was younger. After the death of his parents, Ned goes to live with his Aunt & Uncle on their ranch. After ten years of living on the ranch, his Uncle decides it is time for him to go, as his daughter is coming of age… Unbeknownst to any of the family, Ned has zero interest in the female sex. A chance meeting brings him into the path of Cole Flores, the sharply dressed gang member. After helping him escape, he becomes of interest to the Pinkerton Agency. The Pinkerton’s are trying to take down the Gotham Boy’s and they “recruit” Ned to go undercover in the gang. Which suits Ned’s goal to a “T”. But this is where it starts to go off the rails. Cole is tasked with showing Ned he ropes of belonging in the gang. But as time goes on Ned and Cole start to have feelings for each other. The only problem is Ned is lying about his reasons for joining the gang and Cole is beginning to question his loyalties to the leader of the gang.
Will Ned succeed with his plans for revenge? Will Cole find out about Ned’s real reason for staying in the gang? Will Cole and Ned, be able to have a relationship in spite of the homophobic atmosphere of the 1880’s? Well, the answers can only be found by reading this book. Remember this story does end in a cliffhanger, please do not throw your kindle. I cannot wait to read the next book to see how this all ends.
RATING: 
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