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M/M, Romance, Contemporary
Imprisoned and tortured, undercover cop Tate Williams will find redemption in the arms of his boyhood friend, now lover, former SAS soldier Clay Mortimer. TWO MEN. TORN. TORTURED. LOVED. Though they went their separate ways, Tate Williams and Clay Mortimer have been crazy about each other since their school days. Clay went into the SAS. Tate became a cop. Neither mentioned their attraction to the other. Both sought out danger. Both found it. Imprisoned and shot in an undercover assignment gone wrong, Tate somehow survived…and found his way back into Clay’s arms. His old friend is now the owner of an elite investigation agency and everything any man could want: patient, handsome, commanding. And Clay knows what it takes to survive. But Tate can’t bring himself to share all his secrets, nightmares that force him to rebel against everything. He finds solace from his past as a graffiti artist, a childhood passion, but his demons drive away all who might care for him. Only when he faces that past—and learns that everyone has tasted despair—can the two men truly be brothers-in-arms…and more.
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is book four in this series, you don't need to read the other books, but it helps. It helps to get a feel for Susan's writing and for the other men who feature in the series and in this book. I'd say read the others first, but some might not. Clay and Tate, best friends since they went to school together. Tate went into the police force, and Clay, the army. Neither man admitted what they felt for each other, until Tate was found, shot, beaten and tortured after an undercover op went terribly wrong. A year later, and Tate is still suffering. Clay doesn't know everything that happened to Tate. Tate has to tell him, but will Clay walk away, now they finally are together?? THIS book, this story and Tate and Clay, is by far my favourite in the series. Its dark, its deadly, its painful, its sexy, hot and emotionally charged! It has beautifully written, from both men's POV and carries quite a weight! Tate is still suffering from PTSD, and wants things to go back to normal, or as normal as they can be, working for Clay and living with him too. It took a long time for them to admit to each other what they felt, but Clay fears for Tate. His job makes him a target, and if Clay's enemies learn of his relationship with Tate, it might make Tate a target too. And Clay just got Tate, he can't lose him now. And THAT is affecting Tate, without Clay realising it. While very well written, it is hard work at points, reading what happened to Tate and how both men are dealing with things now. I wanted to gather Tate up, and just hug him, I really did. I cried at a couple of points too. I'll not say when, but you'll know when you read them, you really will. We meet Jax, at the halfway house for kids that Tate's therapist suggest he goes help. He is 17 here. His story is planned, I know. And I can't wait to read that. I fell in love with him here. 5 full and shiny stars (even if they are a little splattered with spray paint!)
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Sue writes steamy, sexy and fun contemporary gay romances, some suspenseful, some gritty and dark, and others just plain ahhhh....
Lover of angst and conflict, she enjoys putting her characters through the emotional wringer and bringing them out the other side with an HEA, or, at the very least, a HFN.
She is a PAN member of Romance Writers of America and is also a member of the Romantic Novelists Association in the UK. She’s the Editor-in-Chief at Divine Magazine (www.divinemagazine.biz), and she’s a Charity Board trustee at Being Me in London (www.beingmecampaign.com).
Sue is passionate about research and has stayed in a circus, taken lessons from a blind person on how it feels to be non-sighted, and has travelled to a lighthouse with maintenance crew to see firsthand what it’s like inside. She’s also written a screenplay with a Hollywood actor/producer, with a view to taking her book, Sight Unseen, to the big screen.