PRE-RELEASE REVIEW: “Cross & Crown” by Abigail Roux
ABOUT:
When Nick O’Flaherty arrives at the scene of a double homicide to find he has a witness to the crime, he thinks it’s his lucky day. But when he realizes his witness is suffering from amnesia and can’t even remember his own name, Nick wishes he’d gone with his gut and put in for vacation time.
Then Nick’s boyfriend and former Recon teammate, Kelly Abbott, joins him in Boston, and Nick finds his hands a little too full as the case and his personal life collide. The witness he’s dubbed “JD” is being tailed by Julian Cross, a retired CIA hitman. To complicate matters further, JD forms an attachment to Nick that Nick struggles not to respond to as they search for the key to JD’s identity.
Trying to determine whether JD is friend or foe as they investigate the crime puts them on the trail of a much older mystery. When multiple attempts are made on their lives, Nick is forced to turn to old enemies and new allies to solve a centuries-old crime before he and Kelly get added to the history books.
REVIEW:
Hot military boys and amnesiacs and treasure hunting, oh my!
I love a good mystery, yes siree Bob. Throw in some cops and sexy gay military dudes and I may just faint from all the excitement.
Okay, I’m gonna operate on the assumption that if you’re reading this, you know all about my good friend Abigail Roux (*waves to Ms. Roux*), her boys Ty & Zane from the Cut & Run series, and of course the guys from Sidewinder—that little Marine Force Recon team? Perfect. Now that we have that settled…
Cross & Crown is our fair Nick’s turn to shine, and shine he does. Nick is off desk duty, back on the police force in Boston, and still dating fellow Sidewinder Kelly. Those two…I SWOON. Bless, I love them together. Where was I…?
Oh, right: Nick is in Boston and he’s landed a case involving a mysterious heist/murder at an old bookstore, and the lone surviving witness doesn’t remember a lick about what happened. John Doe, JD for short, is strangely knowledgeable about details surrounding the case, though. Does that mean he’s a bad guy? Hmmm. And wait! Julian Cross makes an extended appearance! Julian Cross. The man, the sexy ex-CIA agent, complete with his Irish accent and all business…
I loved that Kelly just happened to be in town when things started going bananas on Nick’s case. I guess I did think it *sorta* silly that he was brought in as a “consultant.” But Kelly gets to kick some serious ass in this book, so it’s all good.
As per usual with Roux, the story and writing are rock-solid. I loved seeing the possessive—and softer—side of Nick. He and Kelly are delish together. I also love that we get little nuggets of info about Ty and Zane in the Sidewinder stories, plus a Ty cameo-by-phone and *maybe* some making up after that big fight between Nick and Ty? Hmmm? My lips are sealed; you’ll have to read for yourself. ;)
Cross & Crown is jam-packed with shoot-outs, a fascinating historical riddle, tattoo discussions, a kidnapping, occasionally jealous boyfriends, satisfying sexy time(!) and a perfectly perfect Scooby-Doo who-done-it reveal (that’s becoming quite the theme with me lately). I thought it was exciting and I enjoyed it a *skosh* more than Shock & Awe (it’s substantially longer and meatier, too).
My verdict? Go out and buy it now, what are you waiting for?!?
RATING: 4 STARS
BOOK INFO:
Title: Cross & Crown (Sidewinder #2)
Author: Abigail Roux
Publisher: Riptide
Pages: 225
Release Date: June 9, 2014
Purchase Links: Riptide
Really looking forward to reading this! Can’t wait for more Nick and Kelly!
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You’re gonna love it, Lisa! :)))
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Just finished it, 4 stars from me too
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*fist bump*
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