Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Disrupted Engagement

SERIES: Valor and Doyle

AUTHOR: Nicky James

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 372 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 7, 2023

BLURB:

The ring has been bought, and all Aslan has to do is create the perfect setup for a proposal. No problem. Nothing to it. Quaid deserves the best, and he plans to deliver.

After choreographing a romantic evening to officially pop the question, Aslan is ready.

But things don’t go as planned, and the evening is ruined. Quaid’s insecurities rear their ugly head, making him suspicious. He knows Aslan is hiding something, but pessimism insists it isn’t a good thing.

When Aslan gets called out of town to hunt down a long-acting serial killer, there is no time to soothe his overanxious boyfriend’s worries or make a new attempt to propose.

Torn between a complicated case and figuring out the perfect way to ask Quaid to marry him, Aslan is left scrambling. Every idea falls flat. Every attempt fails. The more pressure he puts on himself, the more unsuccessful his efforts, and Quaid’s fears grow.

Aslan needs to solve this serial killer case and get home to straighten the mess he’s made.

REVIEW:

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
My, oh, my, what a wonderful (release) day
Plenty of romance headin’ my way
With an epic proposal, zip-a-dee-ay

As I mentioned before, Disrupted Engagement is absolutely, positively, indubitably the best Valor and Doyle book yet and that’s because of the oodles and oodles of feelz. All you have to do is read the title: E.n.g.a.g.e.m.e.n.t, folks. Engagement! The book truly lives up to it’s name. Boy, is it disrupted. Nicky pulls out all the stops on the hurt/comfort here. Poor Quaid… he’s a mess with insecurity, fear and vulnerability.

Oh yeah, there is a homicide case about…um, something. I had a one track mind reading this book, if you couldn’t tell. I got caught up in the romance but it is quite a compelling case with many possible suspects to keep you guessing till the end. One of our guys ends up in mortal danger. Aslan and Torin are called in to help track down a serial killer in a small town that needs their experience and resources. It’s four hours away, though, so they’ll be away from home until the case is solved. It’s a terrible time for Aslan to be away – Quaid’s disequilibrium and worries are at an all-time high and he needs his man.

“My heart fluttered with nerves, excitement, and love at the prospect of our future together . It was daunting , scary, and immensely gratifying to know I’d found my forever person in Quaid. To know we had so much more to look forward to.”

So yeah, I was all about the Best. Proposal. Ever. To get there, there’s some serious heartbreak you’ll have to endure. Heavy, heavy angst, this one. It’s one of my favorite, emotional scenes ever in a book. I think I got dust in my eyes…they started to leak. It’s so very Quaid and Aslan at it’s heart. It’s terribly sad in parts – tear jerking sad – but these scenes epitomize the hurt/ comfort nature of their relationship.

“At that moment, I didn’t care how needy it looked, I collapsed in his arms, and my topsy-turvy world righted itself… Aslan centered me like no one else had ever been able to do. I closed my eyes and absorbed the sensation of his tender, loving arms surrounding me.”

A few other notes: Torin and Ruiz are their usual, humorous selves. Quaid’s interaction with Ruiz is priceless.  Oscar the cat – their baby – is fantastic. Nicky’s writing is witty and fun. And Quaid’s dad is a dead ringer for Frasier Crane’s dad, Martin.

So here’s the facts:

1. Disrupted Engagement is the best book in the series thus far.
2. Quaid and Aslan are one heck of a made-for-each-other couple. So many emotions!
3. The Sneer is having the opposite effect on Aslan. “He was impervious to my moods . I’d been giving him the face for over a year, and it did nothing but amuse him.”
4. I predict this series is going to become one of the best romantic mystery series in the MM genre. It’s the kind of series with outstanding characters and talented writing that readers will keep returning to.
5. The cover model for Aslan (Akshay Bhadu) is hot AF!!!

Highly recommended with all the stars.

RATING:

BUY LINK:

Amazon