Rating: 3.75 stars
Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Marsh and Levi are getting closer to solving their case and bringing down the leaders behind the trafficking and smuggling ring. They have Stefan and Catherine Sanders in custody, but their uncle Charles still eludes them. Not to mention the dangers presented by their biggest target, presidential hopeful Stewart Anthony. With the two biggest fish still out there, Marsh and Levi know they need to do something to lure them in. So Levi is traveling with Catherine, hoping to learn more about her plans, as well as to figure out leverage to use against her uncle and the congressman. It isn’t easy for Marsh knowing Levi is exposed as he watches over Catherine, but he knows it is a risk that they need to take.
When the men finally make it back to the States, the case grows ever more complex. There are many pieces in play from the law enforcement side, including some unlikely allies. But even as they set the stage to take down the bad guys, the risks continue to grow. Marsh and Levi have found an unexpected happiness together, turning their marriage of convenience into a true partnership. All both men want is to put the case behind them and settle into a life with Levi’s son, David. But before they can move forward, there are some final players that need to be stopped. Now, Marsh and Levi and their team will have to give the fight all they have and hope they can make it out alive at the end.
King Hunt is the final book in Layla Reyne’s Perfect Play trilogy and concludes the ongoing story started in Dead Draw. This series reads as one long story and the books build upon one another, so you definitely are going to want to read these in order. I enjoy the marriage of convenience trope, so I have really liked following along with Marsh and Levi’s journey. We have seen such a nice progression for the men, starting out as adversaries, then getting married for the sake of the case and some much needed funds for Levi, and ultimately genuinely falling for one another. Reyne really showcases the connection these men have in this last story and we can see how hard Marsh and Levi have fallen for each other. Neither one expected they would find true love when they got married; it was just the most expedient way to accomplish their goals. But here we see how much they have come to mean to each other and the way they both are having visions of a real future together. It is also nice to see how much Marsh wants David in his life and how they already are thinking of themselves as a family. The pair also get great support from their parents and I liked how these two men who didn’t think love was in the cards are now so intensely in love and connected to each other. I think the relationship side has really progressed nicely over the series and I have enjoyed getting to know both men.
Layla Reyne is so good at romantic suspense and I have liked following the progress of this case over the three books. This one doesn’t have quite the same intensity for me as the first two books in the series, but the overarching story has good pacing across the books and things tie up nicely here. However, I am going to be honest and admit I didn’t find myself able to follow it all as seamlessly as I hoped. Even re-reading my reviews and my notes for the first two books, I found there was a lot here I didn’t remember and I don’t feel like we got as much recap as I needed to jump right in after the gap since the prior books. I am sure I would have felt differently reading these back to back, but this is a complex suspense plot and I did feel like I was missing a lot because I couldn’t remember all the past events or specific characters. This is made more difficult by the fact that there are a LOT of side or minor characters here and I couldn’t keep track of everyone. In addition to all the folks we have met in this trilogy, we get many more from other books in Reyne’s larger “Whiskeyverse” (so named for her Agents Irish and Whiskey series that started it all). Just off the top of my head, we have characters appear from Reyne’s Trouble Brewing and Fog City series, as well as her book What We May Be. I have read all of those books, but even so, I found myself often overwhelmed trying to remember who was who and how they all connected. Some folks are going to really love seeing all these cameos and call backs to other books, and generally I do find that fun as well. But between trying to recall plot details and remember all the characters, I did feel like too much just slid by me here to always feel I was on top of the story.
Even with those concerns, I still think this is a great suspense series. This genre is really one where Reyne excels and there is a nice mix of excitement, twists, and intensity, along with some great relationship development for Marsh and Levi. If you are a fan of this series, this final book pulls things together well. And if you are new to Reyne’s suspense world, there are so many wonderful books to try.
