Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Brick
SERIES: Fire Lake #1
AUTHOR: M. Tasia
PUBLISHER: Borough Publishing Group
LENGTH: 141 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 24, 2021
BLURB:
ALWAYS EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
Ahhh, the good life. Goodbye Navy SEALs, hello rehabbing a rundown lake house he inherited. Being a former Lieutenant Commander will come in handy for Brick Matthews. He gets to boss himself around while tearing down a dilapidated shed and re-roofing his new home, among a hundred other things.
First he has to get rid of the smarmy real estate agent who’s been trying to buy the property for years. Sounds easy, until Brick uncovers layers of secrets, including attempted murder.
In the middle of the intrigue is a buttoned-down CEO with amazing blue eyes.
Roman Furrow is so far from the type of man who hits Brick’s radar, he doesn’t see what’s coming until it’s almost too late.
Having never given away his heart before, Brick is damn sure not going to let anyone or anything hurt the man he’s fallen for. He’s been trained for this – he’ll protect him with his life.
REVIEW:
Roman’s miscreant father, Stephan, wants Brick’s land – he’s obsessed with it. Unfortunately for Stephan, Roman holds the purse strings. Roman is the opposite of his corrupted father, which has made him a target. Brick has family ties to the land and is curious as to who wants it so badly. But after a sparks-flying meeting, and Brick discovers that Roman is in danger, his protective side takes over.
Brick is a story that I greatly enjoyed. Let’s face it – who doesn’t like a bunch of buff Navy SEALs teaching the greedy bullies of this world a lesson or two?
Technically, it’s not perfect, as I found several grammatical errors. BUT, when Brick appears, the page lights up. He hates to see anyone being taken advantage of. He is likable and suffers from PTSD, but this component is not a focus of the story. Due to Roman’s father, early encounters between Brick and Roman are laced with distrust – soon, feelings morph into something else.
An element of the story that I found refreshing was that Roman isn’t cast as a young man who finally stands up to his overbearing father – he’s already done it and has taken control. He’s an executive that’s had his fair share of private and business encounters and is an experienced voice in the corporate world.
There is some instant love and demands for ground rules commitment, which I was a touch skeptical about – but, hey, it works for some. There are people out there who, in their hearts, know when they’ve met the one for them – albeit they leave it a while before they say verbalize the feelings. While some action scenes are a little predictable, they are the parts that I was hoping for and always look forward to reading when presented with a SEAL team. They were also executed well.
The world-building was superb. Amongst several standout characters, Fletcher was a scene-stealer, so I was chuffed to discover he is the subject of the next book.
Overall, I found the story a super balance of action, drama, humor, backstory, and many other elements that made an entertaining read.
RATING: 
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