Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: THIRDS Volume Two: Books 4-6
SERIES: The THIRDS Collection Book 2
AUTHOR: Charlie Cochet
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 805 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 3, 2022
BLURB:
Welcome to the THIRDS Universe! THIRDS Volume Two includes the three following books:
Rise & Fall
After an attack by the Coalition leaves THIRDS Team Leader Sloane Brodie critically injured, agent Dexter J. Daley swears to make Beck Hogan pay for what he’s done. But Dex’s plans for retribution are short-lived. With Ash still on leave with his own injuries, Sloane in the hospital, and Destructive Delta in the Coalition’s crosshairs, Lieutenant Sparks isn’t taking any chances. Dex’s team is pulled from the case, with the investigation handed to Team Leader Sebastian Hobbs. Dex refuses to stand by while another team goes after Hogan, and decides to put his old HPF detective skills to work to find Hogan before Theta Destructive, no matter the cost.
With a lengthy and painful recovery ahead of him, the last thing Sloane needs is his partner out scouring the city, especially when the lies—however well intentioned—begin to spiral out of control. Sloane is all too familiar with the desire to retaliate, but some things are more important, like the man who’s pledged to stand beside him. As Dex starts down a dark path, it’s up to Sloane to show him what’s at stake, and finally put a name to what’s in his heart.
Against the Grain
As the fiercest Defense Agent at the THIRDS, Destructive Delta’s Ash Keeler is foul-mouthed and foul-tempered. But his hard-lined approach always yields results, evident by his recent infiltration of the Coalition. Thanks to Ash’s skills and the help of his team, they finally put an end to the murdering extremist group for good, though not before Ash takes a bullet to save teammate Cael Maddock. As a result, Ash’s secrets start to surface, and he can no longer ignore what’s in his heart.
Cael Maddock is no stranger to heartache. As a Recon Agent for Destructive Delta, he has successfully maneuvered through the urban jungle that is New York City, picking up his own scars along the way. Yet nothing he’s ever faced has been more of a challenge than the heart of Ash Keeler, his supposedly straight teammate. Being in love isn’t the only danger he and Ash face as wounds reopen and new secrets emerge, forcing them to question old loyalties.
Catch a Tiger by the Tail
Calvin Summers and Ethan Hobbs have been best friends since childhood, but somewhere along the line, their friendship evolved into something more. With the Therian Youth Center bombing, Calvin realizes just how short life can be and no longer keeps his feelings for his best friend a secret. Unfortunately, change is difficult for Ethan; most days he does well to deal with his selective mutism and social anxiety. Calvin’s confession adds a new struggle for Ethan, one he fears might cost him the friendship that’s been his whole world for as long as he can remember.
As partners and Defense Agents at the THIRDS, being on Destructive Delta is tough at the best of times, but between call-outs and life-threatening situations, Calvin and Ethan not only face traversing the challenges of their job, but also working toward a future as more than friends.
REVIEW:
Charlie Cochet’s THIRDS Volume Two: Books 4-6 is the second in a series of box sets of her engrossing THIRDS series. The THIRDS Collection Book 2 features books four, five, and six in the THIRDS series – Rise & Fall, Against the Grain, and Catch a Tiger by the Tail.
This set of books deviates a bit from the first three books. The storyline continues chronologically, with further action and adventure involving Dex, Sloane, and the Destructive Delta team. But two of these books provide us with different vantage points on the events. Book five, Against the Grain, gives us Ash and Cael’s love story while also providing their point of view of the unfolding events impacting the team and THIRDS generally. Book six focuses on Calvin and Hobbs, giving us their points of view, backstories, and involvement in events continuing to play out in the greater series story arc.
You can find my thoughts on the enthralling THIRDS series as a whole in my review of the first box set. Each of these box sets is a no-brainer purchase in terms of format and content as we continue along the ride with our THIRDS family and their comrades in arms. I highly recommend the whole series, and, of course, this exciting box set, which is full of action, adventure, mystery, and suspense, as well as a twisty-turny plot with some new players on the chessboard, and of course, steamy, sexy times with our Destructive Delta couples and plenty of found family to keep you coming back for more.
Book Four – Rise & Fall 4.75 Hearts 
Book three ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so when Rise & Fall opens, we learn of the aftermath of the Coalition attack that critically injured Sloane. While Rise & Fall contains plenty of action and adventure with our Destructive Delta alpha males seeking justice, the dominant thread of the story is more psychological. Dex vows to seek vengeance on Beck Hogan for what he’s done, but he hits an unexpected roadblock in Lieutenant Sparks, who pulls Destructive Delta from the case. Dex is not one to sit idly by and is determined to be the one to make Hogan pay.
Sloane has less of a presence in the story than we are used to, which feels a little weird, if I’m being honest. But it provides needed separation between him and Dex for two purposes: 1) so we can see Sloane’s internal examination of his fears concerning love and relationships, and 2) so we can journey with Dex as he descends into darkness, battling to exact vengeance without losing his humanity. Rise & Fall provides a fascinating look at all of the facets of Dex and what’s important to him, and what he’s willing to do for those he loves. Ms. Cochet develops this in counterpoint to Sloane, who’s frustratingly sidelined and feels helpless to stop Dex’s spiraling. Ironically, as Dex embraces his baser instincts, similar to Sloane’s Therian side, Sloane learns to embrace his human side and the complexity of loving and trusting a partner.
Rise & Fall has a different feel than the prior Dex and Sloane adventures and sits on the more serious end of the spectrum. But it is no less enjoyable and moves the needle on the relationships between the THIRDS teammates.
Book Five – Against the Grain 5 Hearts 
Against the Grain is the first THIRDS book not told from Dex and Sloane’s points of view. At this point, we are completely in love with Dex and Sloane, so shifting attention away from them made me apprehensive. Well, I shouldn’t have worried because Ms. Cochet seamlessly switched to Ash and Cael’s grumpy/sunshine love story while fully involving Dex and Sloane throughout.
What I love most about this story is the external commentary on Dex and Sloane and their interactions. This book features Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays spent at the Maddock household with Tony, Dex, Cael, Sloane, and Ash. I adore Dex and Cael’s sibling relationship. It gives me warm fuzzies. They are entirely unrelated by blood, Dex is Human, Cael is cheetah Therian, yet they relate to each other on an inherent level and have a tight, unshakeable bond. Their dedication and love for each other is a thing to behold. When you mix it with their hysterical, good-natured bickering, taunting, and other shenanigans, it’s the whole package – a perfectly portrayed sibling relationship.
Against the Grain is very much Ash’s story, though. We get to peel back his layers and start to understand why he makes himself so abrasive and unapproachable. He’s hardcore, relentless and unforgiving. We discover that it’s self-imposed isolation because Ash believes he can’t let anyone in. We get insight into Cael too, but Cael’s a heart-on-his-sleeve type of guy, so there’s not a lot of surprises that result from digging into “Chirpy”’s inner thoughts and feelings.
Ms. Cochet outdid herself with Dex, Sloane, Ash, and Cael and their interconnected relationships. It’s my favorite aspect of the series, and it’s showcased prominently in this book.
Book Six – Rack & Ruin 4.5 Hearts 
Book three is the first book that shifts (pun intended 🤣) primary focus away from those four main characters. This story gives us Calvin and Hobbs’ best friends to lovers romance.
We continue with the adventure and peril that persist throughout the stories, and we still get plenty of Dex, Sloane, Ash, and Cael and their relationships. But Ms. Cochet probes Calvin and Hobbs’ complex and traumatic backgrounds and how they currently manifest through Hobb’s selective mutism and Calvin’s compartmentalization of his feelings, especially when he goes into sniper mode. Ms. Cochet’s treatment of Hobbs’ disability is sensitive and thoughtful. I appreciate how she seamlessly includes Hobb’s various daily challenges in noise, crowds, new people, etc. His family and his Destructive Delta found family recognize it and fully support whatever he needs while always treating him as equally capable.
We still get the sexy times, the humor, plenty of found family and Dex-related shenanigans. We just see it from a new point of view, and we get pulled into some new aspects of our Destructive Delta family.
BOX SET RATING:
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