Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Hijacked

SERIES:  Licking Thicket: Horn of Glory #1

AUTHOR:  Lucy Lennox and May Archer

PUBLISHER:  Self Published

LENGTH:  242 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 2, 2021

BLURB:

Renowned cardiologist Carter Rogers is used to having things under control. His life, his prestigious reputation, his career, his future.

Things he can’t control this time around:

• His meddling grandfather

• His annoying gamer cousin

• Buggy South American jungles

• Being the meat in a feuding cartel sandwich

• Getting kidnapped by a monologuing drug lord

•Falling for his very hot, very mouthy ex-Special Forces bodyguard

In short, Carter’s peaceful, well-planned life has been… hijacked.

REVIEW:

Hijacked is the latest rom-com brainchild of writing duo, Lucy Lennox and May Archer; it’s the first novel in the new Horn of Glory series, an adjunct of the fabulous Licking Thicket series.

Esteemed cardiologist, Dr. Carter Rogers, is a relative newcomer to the Licking Thicket – Great Nuthatch area. We met him as Tucker’s best friend/ex-boyfriend in Fools. He calls himself “excessively single”, and as he forlornly watches Tucker with his husband, Dunn, he wonders if he’ll ever find love like theirs. He’s a bit lost and unsure of the direction he wants his life to take, so he decides the best course of action is another volunteer stint with Doctors Across Continents (clever!), this time in rural Venezuela.

Former Marine William Riggs screwed up his last assignment at the security firm he works for when he compromised their biggest client by accidentally revealing classified information to a Grindr hookup. As punishment, he’s being temporarily demoted to Carter’s “personal protection”, or as Riggs calls it, babysitting a snobby, rich guy on his overseas trip.

It’s both lust and antagonism at first sight for both men, a dichotomy that sets up a hilarious dynamic between Carter and Riggs. Their snarky, passive-aggressive treatment of each other gave me lots of chuckles. Of course, when there’s bickering, sparks often follow, and the men are soon making good use of the makeshift pallet-bed on the floor of the jungle clinic. But then danger strikes and they’re kidnapped at gunpoint. It appears Carter’s grandfather was wise to hire Riggs – someone has to keep Carter’s stress-induced babbling and oversharing with a loquacious, self-important, drug lord under control. The somewhat convoluted plot involves the popular and wacky video game, Horn of Glory, created by Amos Nutter’s great-nephew.

It was fun to revisit Tucker and Dunn, and Riggs’ coworkers – Hux, Champ, and Elvo – round out the cast and setup future leading men for the series. It’s Carter’s cousin Kev who stole the show, however, as a mid-twenties introvert and gamer extraordinaire who holes up in his grandfather’s mansion almost 24/7. He loves Carter so enormously that he rigs a Horn of Glory console to work via satellite so they can game together while Carter is in Venezuela. The humor is at its very best when Kev and Hux squabble about fruit for an ice cow, avenging a bronze goose named Jaunty, and Russian cargo planes, all while Carter and Riggs are struggling not to crash an old airplane into the Colombian jungle.

Although linked to the fabulous Licking Thicket series, Hijacked and the new Horn of Glory series can standalone. As a new reader, you won’t feel out of the loop or as though you’ve missed anything, but I’m here to say you have missed something big if you’ve passed by Licking Thicket: a tour de force romantic comedy series that showcases the authors’ vast talents. I’m a huge fan of Ms. Lennox and Ms. Archer, both individually and as a writing pair. Their creativity and humor are off the charts. Hijacked is certainly entertaining, but it’s perhaps too creative for my taste, with the plot veering into the preposterous. The situation in Venezuela is sometimes serious and other times silly. While I like both approaches, I didn’t feel they melded well together. It doesn’t quite feel like one of their books to me. However, it’s all good fun with the Licking Thicket standard of humor, now geared toward the town of Great Nuthatch and all the double entendres it, and the Horn of Glory game, evoke. There’s never a dull moment in this book. This is a must-read for any fans of those nutball (ha!) Tennessee towns and their madcap residents.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon