silent knight coverRating: 4.5 stars
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Length: Novel

 

Braxton Kane and Holt Madigan have been best friends for years. They met 14 years ago when Holt was newly enlisted and Brax was a commanding officer. The men connected right away, despite their different positions. Brax felt protective over Holt from the start, and a dangerous mission just cemented that bond. Even when Holt moved on from active duty, the connection between them stayed strong. The men had one steamy hot night together, but their lives were too separate to pursue more. But when a chance came for Brax to take a job with the police in San Francisco after his own military service ended, there was nowhere he’d rather be than near Holt.

Things have been tense recently, however. Being the chief of police with a best friend who is an hacker and whose family is in the hired killer business means that Brax has to walk a very careful line. The chaos of the last year with the upheaval in the Madigan family and with their business has made the situation even more precarious. And now, someone is using Brax’s friendship with Holt to threaten both Brax’s job and his life. But Holt is not the scared soldier he once was. Brax is family, and now it is Holt’s turn to protect him. The men are growing ever closer, but the threat is growing bigger. It all leads to the final showdown where the Madigans and those they love must take a stand to stop those who seek to destroy them, so they can find their way to a lasting happiness.

Silent Knight is the fifth and final book in Layla Reyne’s exciting Fog City series. The first three books feature Holt’s brother, Hawes Madigan, finding love, as well as suspense arc that impacts the whole family. The final two books then focus on the other two siblings, Helena and Holt, getting their stories. While this is the first book featuring Holt as the lead, his story really starts back in the earlier books, so you will want to be familiar with the whole series for maximum enjoyment. Holt’s journey is such a fascinating one and I have been so eager to get his book, and I really just loved it.

This story starts off in Brax’s POV and begins 14 years prior when Holt shows up for duty at Brax’s camp. We see how immediately protective Brax feels over Holt, as well as Holt’s early vulnerability. We also get to watch the progression of their friendship while they are serving together. We see how Brax is drawn to Holt right from the start, but the combination of their difference in rank and the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy makes anything between them impossible. This portion of the story actually takes up quite a bit of the book, almost 40 percent, but I think it works quite well. Not only did I enjoy reading about these early years, but developing Brax and Holt’s relationship really sets the stage for later on the story. We need to understand the depth of their commitment to one another for it to make sense why Brax as a cop can continue to be friends with a guy whose family is in the assassin business. We can also better understand why both men are willing to sacrifice so much for one another. So I think this portion really sets up what is to come.

Brax’s portion takes us about to present day and then we move to Holt’s POV. This takes us into the thick of the current conflict, as Brax is being set up for accepting bribes and his career (and later his life) are threatened. This brings out the full Madigan contingent who are determined to protect Brax, as he is family to them. We get some exciting suspense and a nice tie in to the earlier books. The story is suspenseful and intense and a nice balance to the first part of the story. We also get the whole gang involved here — not only the Madigans, but also some of their team, including some friends from Reyne’s Irish & Whisky series.

I really loved Holt and Brax together. There is a tenderness about their relationship, and such a sense of connection. The men so clearly love each other, even before they fully realize it. We have been teased with their relationship all throughout the series and Reyne really does a great job delivering on it here.

This story really brings all the various threads together nicely and is a great way to end the series. It is a great journey for Holt and Brax, but also ties things up well for our other characters. I am sad to see this series end, but excited that it looks like there are some spin offs to come. So for fans of the series, you are not going to want to miss this final book. And for romantic suspense fans who may be new to this series, definitely check it out.

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