Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Spencer
SERIES: Fire Lake #4
AUTHOR: M Tasia
PUBLISHER: Boroughs Publishing Group
LENGTH: Approx. 200 pages,
RELEASE DATE: September 14, 2022
BLURB:
Everyone has secrets. Especially a Navy SEAL. But Spencer has found the one man who seems to be hiding more than him. And that just doesn’t fly.
Rick reinvented his life fifteen years ago, and has no intention of revealing why. But, in the back of his mind he’s been waiting for the other shoe to fall, and now it has.
Certain he has to get far, far away from the former Navy SEALS who make up LH Investigations, Rick learns they take loyalty and friendship to a new level.
But that doesn’t solve his heartbreaking problem: He’s got it bad for Spence and there’s no way he’s going to let the clever IT specialist anywhere near the shame he’s harbored for half his life.
REVIEW:
Everyone has a past. Some pasts contain more than others, and variety can be good or bad. When Rick’s dangerous past finds him, he is determined to hide again. He didn’t count on the observations of the Lake House Investigations SEAL team hacker, Spencer.
Spencer and the team uncover more than they expected and gain something valuable in this fast-paced, fascinating story of messed-up families, and skewed ideals, with Lake House Investigations proving competent and unflappable.
The story is told in the third person from multiple viewpoints, primarily Spencer and Rick’s. There are some typos, but I read a pdf version which was probably not the final that was converted to digital format.
The opening chapters are gripping, highlighting that circumstances can change the path of a person’s life. The story shows strong vibes of the trodden down taking back control – with some help from the good guys. At one part, I got a touch confused because there were two missions in one. There seemed to be a sanctioned (by Rick) probe into those out to cause him harm. Then, this somewhat gets sidelined in favor of an investigation into a missing girl. This inquiry takes up the lion’s share of the story and throws up all kinds of twisted morals of various people and their families. It also gives Rick confidence and self-worth, showing how a person’s past can give them skills that make for a positive future. But, given how significant Rick’s dilemma was at the start of the story, I felt the conclusion of this initial aspect of the story was rushed – a bit ‘oh by the way’. I’d have liked to see more time dedicated to this piece of the arc. And while a person’s journey is more important than those involved – it would have been nice to bask in more of the process that led to a conclusion.
Spencer and Rick are lovely, bringing out the best in each other. As for the more expansive cast – there are dedicated stories for all of them, so yup – awesome. My fav part about them, individually and as a group, is their competence. They are strong, hard, and efficient – a true force to be reckoned with.
RATING: 
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