Rating: 2.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Fleeing after he catches his boyfriend in bed with his best friend, grad student Cass comes looking for his twin brother Paul. Paul, who is a drug addicted prostitute. Having had a shaky relationship with his brother for years, Cass still wants to see Paul and help him turn his life around. But, at the airport, Cass is mistaken for Paul and finds himself in immediate danger.
When Paul dies suddenly, Cass has to rely on one of Paul’s clients, a mercenary named Kilo. Kilo is the only person that Paul trusted and Kilo agrees to protect Cass in exchange for sex. Kilo has never had a real relationship with a man as his lifestyle does not allow for a partner. He is constantly on the run, moving from one assignment to the next trying to out run his past. Cass is at once attracted to the mysterious Kilo and finds himself with limited options as the men get caught in a world of intrigue, lies, drugs, and conspiracy within the state’s political structure. The men quickly find all the things they were missing in life within each other. But, they are on the defense trying to protect Cass. If they out run the political muscle, can a student and a hardened soldier find everlasting love together?
I am just going to say this right up front. I did not care for this story. The characters on their own are fine. It is the story they are given and the structure of that story that did not resonate with me. I did not find the story line itself explained well. While there is a conspiracy and what exactly is going on has to unravel during the story, there is not enough information given to actually want to follow along on the journey. There were many times during the reading of this book that I could have put it down as I had no connection or interest in what would happen to the characters.
When Kilo and Cass meet, they are in bed immediately. That’s fine. I have no problem with that. It was that Paul, Cass’s brother, is lying dead on the bathroom floor during this first encounter. Then, with more dead bodies outside and a visible hitman after them, round two takes place just a short time after that in an alley with all kinds of claiming going on by Kilo over Cass. They just met, people are shooting at them, and Kilo is supposed to be the best of the best as far as keeping people safe. The sex scenes on their own are well written and had heat, but I had to take them out of context to appreciate that aspect. It then descends into a story that is hard to follow. Cass just happens to show up when crap is coming down on Paul, It’s too convenient that Cass walks into a public restroom at the exact precise time that he did. Characters are mentioned and introduced and by the end of the story there are so many questions as to how everyone and everything ties together because it’s just not made clear.
The men fall for each other instantly. Full on “I love you” is going on here. Cass is alone and attracted physically attracted to Kilo and how safe Kilo makes him feel. Kilo is a killer who lives his life alone. Not that he wants it that way but that’s how it has been. The depth of their feelings is too much, too fast, and it is a hard sell to buy into. And, with hitmen after them and Cass’s life in jeopardy, they find a lot of time, a whole lot of time, to have lots of sex.
Action scenes, car chases, all good stuff. But, the action scenes for most of the story are basic and ordinary with not much more going on than jumping out of a stolen laundry truck and then crashing said truck into a tree. The ending does offer a more intense action scene, but more characters are introduced and all of the connections are tenuous. The story line comes across as muddled overall as it is hard to be clear what is really going on a lot of the time. The epilogue does pull the relationship aspect together well, but it wasn’t enough to carry the entire book as the other parts of the story just did not come together for me on this. Overall, at the end, well, I was sadly just relieved it was over. This is not one that I am going to recommend.
