Review: Cross and Crown by Abigail Roux

Reviewed by Whuppsy
Cross & Crown (Sidewinder #2) by Abigail Roux
Riptide Publishing
Novel: 225pgs
5 Pants Off

Blurb:
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
HOLY HANNAH !!! I so couldn’t wait to read this book. To see how Nick and Kelly were evolving in their relationship. This book was a thrill-ride that just wouldn’t quit!!! I’m a HUGE Ty and Zane fan, so these two guys had so much to live up too.  These Guys Knocked It Out Of The Park!!  

As we know from the C&R series, Nick is a detective in Boston and he’s been working desk duty after donating part of his liver for his father. So, you can believe that Nick is ready to hit the streets and get some action!! Nick is the kind of guy who you’d want on your side if things were going off the rails. He is strong, kind, caring and logical. Nick is always so focused on getting to the truth and the bottom of things, that he doesn’t let emotions get in the way. He makes a promise and you better believe that he’ll move heaven and earth to fulfill it.  Nick is such a wonderful character, he’s sexy, dangerous and so very Alpha. 

It’s such a pleasure to get to know more about him.  Kelly is such a great character.  He was the team medic and yet, he’s so much more than that.  He’s got this wonderful job as a counselor for a camp for children.  He’s a wonderful little stoner who seems so laid-back and yet, when it comes to his boys), he becomes rather dangerous. Nick is Kelly’s first relationship with a man and yet, these two just seem to click together. I don’t know if it’s because they’ve known each other for 15 years or not, Kelly is as in love with Nick and Nick is with Kelly. Kelly truly sees Nick in a way that no one else does.  He knows Nick and that allows him to be the very best partner to Nick. Kelly is fun loving, kind, generous and so focused on Nick and their relationship.  It’s really a pleasure to see Kelly open himself up to this love.  

The secondary characters in this book…So Great.  JD, which stands for John Doe, is either a witness or a suspect, is this great mixture of innocence and intelligence.  Hagen, Nick’s partner on the force really cares for him and they really work well as partners.  Julian…what can I say about Julian that we’ve not heard before?  Julian is witty, sarcastic, wicked smart and plain dangerous.   His deadpanned delivery of lines just makes me laugh.  Ty and Zane both make cameo appearances in this story, and we all know about them.  

There was lots of action in this story.  This was a thrill-ride from the first word on the page until the last. They mystery of JD, the Cross & Crown, helping Julian, it was AMAZING!! The gun fights, the chasing clues and Oh My Lanta, the first time that Kelly and Julian meet…WATCH OUT!!  I will say that there was lots of history being shown in this story, so get your thinking hat out!! Hehehe  

As we all know, Abi is a great writer who can blend adventure/suspense and mystery together and make you so invested in her characters and in her story that you fall under her spell and don’t want to get out.  Abi did the very same thing with this book.  She grabbed you and didn’t let go.  What fun this book was.  Abi blended the right amount of suspense/action and humor. My favorite quote was Kelly saying “Romantic, but are you sure this isn’t just a history nerdgasm you’re having right now?”  I giggled for a while after reading that. Nerdgasm.  As you know, Abi does really good hot sex and this book was no exception.  It was hot and yet, it was so intimate between the two of them. The sex doesn’t overwhelm the story, it just adds another layer to Nick and Kelly’s bond.  

I was glad that Nick and Ty spoke, but it was hard to read. Knowing that they aren’t as solid as they had been. However, it was good to see them again, as always. I do hope that Ty and Nick get back to being the way they were.  These guys have been through too much to allow their relationship to end.  
The relationship between Nick and Kelly is smooth and easy.  Not angst-filled in the way that you read about for some couples.  These two men come with their own issues and worries, and yet it’s really sweet to watch them handle being in a relationship.  I smile just thinking about them together.  

So, if you’re ready for another Adventure filled, Thrill-ride…this is the story for you!!  You get to go on such a fun journey and truly meet some Great Characters to fall in love with..this is for you!! So.. grab a drink, get comfy and get lost in a book that you’ll read again and again, many times. 

5 Pants Off

Review: Book 1 Shock & Awe

Spotlight & Giveaway: Cross and Crown by Abigail Roux

Blurb:
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.

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Review: Ball & Chain by Abigail Roux

Reviewed by Whuppsy
Ball & Chain (Cut & Run #8) by Abigail Roux
Riptide Publishing
Novel: 340pgs
5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Home from their unexpected deployment, the former members of Marine Force Recon team Sidewinder rejoin their loved ones and try to pick up the pieces of the lives they were forced to leave behind. Ty Grady comes home to Zane Garrett, only to find that everything around him has changed—even the men he went to war with. He barely has time to adjust before his brother, Deuce, asks Ty to be his best man. But that isn’t all Deuce asks Ty to do, and Ty must call for backup to deal with the business issues of Deuce’s future father-in-law.

Nick O’Flaherty and Kelly Abbott join Ty and Zane at the wedding on an island in Scotland, thinking they’re there to assuage Deuce’s paranoia. But when bodies start dropping and boats start sinking, the four men get more involved with the festivities than they’d ever planned to.

With the clock ticking and the killer just as stuck on the isolated island as they are, Ty and Zane must navigate a veritable minefield of family, friends, and foes to stop the whole island from being destroyed.

Review
So, this is book 8 in the Cut and Run Series and it was a doozy!! I was on the edge of my couch the entire time!! I hate that I had to sleep!! I wanted to see what happened and OH MY LANTA did A LOT HAPPEN!!

So, we start with Ty coming back from a six month deployment and he’s only contacted Zane twice. Their reunion was so sweet. I was so happy to see our boys back together again. Ty comes home and as he gets ready to go back to work, he finds out that him and Zane can’t work together anymore. Not even in the same office. One of them will have to move and Ty tenders his resignation. He’s trying to figure out what he’s going to do and then he gets a call from Deuce to go to his wedding in Scotland and to bring a friend to help with a problem that he won’t discuss until he sees him. GAME ON!!

Zane is a different man that what he was when Ty left. Six months is a long time but it also helped Zane gather himself together. He’s made peace with his past and he’s moving forward and not always looking back. It was wonderful to see Zane become the man that Ty has always claimed that he’s seen in him be right out in front of him. Beautiful, actually. Zane is still the quiet and steady partner, but he’s a lot lighter and happier.

The secondary characters…wow. There were so many new people in this story it was hard to keep some of them straight. But did they add bunches to the story. There were the usual suspects, Deuce, Livi, Earl, Mara, Chester, Dick, Kelly and Nick. Then added in is Livi’s family and the people that are hired in the house and the island. They were great in mixing things up and keeping you guessing as to what’s going on and who was involved. It was a veritable who’s who in this story, so many people and so much going on.

There was lots of Nick and Kelly in this book. I loved that Abi added them in. I really liked getting to know more about Nick’s life and it was great to see those two guys are still in love and really want to build a long-lasting relationship together. I have to say that seeing things from Nick’s perspective was pretty amazing. I think I fell more in love with Nick in this book than I was before. He showed such strong strength of character and integrity.

I will say that I loved that Nick and Ty weren’t always vibing in this story and that Nick finally told Ty what the deal was. That he was honest and showed that while he loved him, he was tired. I loved how Ty had to finally admit that he wasn’t being a good friend to Nick and that he needed to be loads better. It was wonderful to see that even after all of these years that the love and friendship that these two men had for each other wasn’t going to be lost. That it was and is worth working for. It was emotional to read and I was right there with them in those moments.

There were moments of humor because as you know, it wouldn’t be a Ty and Zane book without humor. I loved how Ty was disgruntled when Amelia, Deuce’s daughter ran right past him to Zane. I loved how Ty kept asking Zane to marry him and Zane kept turning him down. I loved how it became almost a running joke between them.

There were moments of bittersweet happiness and then the most heartbreaking sadness that was almost overwhelming. This book took you through the emotional gambit. It was SO WORTH IT!! This book was heavy, don’t get me wrong. Like Touch & Geaux was heavy, this book was also. There was so much happening and you were pulled right along with Ty and Zane and Nick on this ride.

I can’t wait for next year!! I can’t wait to see how Abi pulls it all together. I am excited but then I realize that Ty and Zane will be over. Part of me can’t wait, while the other part is like NOOOO!! Trust me, if you are a Ty and Zane lover, this book is what you’ve been waiting for!! Abi pulls no punches again in this latest book and you will thank her for putting you through the ringer. You won’t be disappointed At ALL!!

5 Pants Off

Spotlight, Giveaway, and Review: Shock & Awe by Abigail Roux

Blurb:
After barely surviving a shootout in New Orleans, Sidewinder medic Kelly Abbott has to suffer through a month of recovery before he can return home to Colorado. He’s not surprised when fellow Sidewinder Nick O’Flaherty stays with him in New Orleans. Nor is he surprised when Nick travels home with him to help him get back on his feet—after all, years on the same Marine Force Recon team bonded the men in ways that only bleeding for a brother can. He’s very surprised, though, when Nick humors his moment of curiosity and kisses him.

Nick knows all of Kelly’s quirks and caprices, so the kiss was a low-risk move on his part . . . or so he thought. But what should’ve been a simple moment unleashes a flood of confusing emotions and urges that neither man is prepared to address.

Now, Kelly and Nick must figure out what they mean to each other—friends and brothers in arms, or something even deeper?—before the past can come back to ruin their tenuous future.

You can read an excerpt and purchase Shock & Awe today from Riptide!

Contact the author: If you care to follow me more closely, you can find me on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and my website. I hope to see you around.

Review
I'm a little bit shocked at myself for taking such a long time to finally read Abigail Roux. Like fa realz, Shock & Awe might just be the sexiest thing I've read it months. I read a lot of sex and most times I'm like "that was nice" but this little story had my eyes bugging and breathing erratic because jeez never was there such a sexy bunch of talk between men. I'm behind on the back-story of these men and pretty much everything (put the pitch forks down) but I am regretting the shit out of not having read the Cut & Run series yet cus I'm like sort of in love with everything going on.

Kelly and Nick are all sorts of delicious and I'm wondering if Nick went to school of dirty and sexy times cus man I was hanging on to his every word (Kelly that lucky equally sexy injured bastard). If I could be words I would choose to be these words. Loved Kelly's discovering his affections for a friend, and Nick's "you better be sure because I will tear your ass up" is so super sweet. I just really enjoyed these guys together.

Then the ending closed in and left me with sad feels and an overload of "Bitch you better go read the Cut & Run series" and my friends that I will do. I am just hoping this wasn't a one hit wonder and I can go on to get the same excitement from all Abigail Roux's books (I own a few) because I fell in love with her writing and sex, everything with the sex x_x dead.

Should You Read It? Is the pope catholic? That might be cheesiest shit I've ever said but the gist is "Hell effing yeah!” My pants are missing they don't wanna come back and the amazing part is that they wish the story was longer.

4.5 Pants Off

Contest

• In celebration of Nick and Kelly’s coming out, so to speak, I’ve got three of their Heart and Clover T-shirts for three lucky commenters. And I’ve got five sets of trading cards with original artwork and character work-ups, something I intend to add new cards to every year, which makes this first year’s cards pretty important if you’re an obsessive collector like I am.

Review: The Gravedigger's Brawl by Abigail Roux

Reviewed by Fehu
The Gravediggers Brawl by Abigail Roux
Riptide Publishing
Novel: 250pgs
5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Dr. Wyatt Case is never happier than when he’s walking the halls of his history museum. Playing wingman for his best friend at Gravedigger’s Tavern throws him way out of his comfort zone, but not as much as the eccentric man behind the bar, Ash Lucroix.

Ash is everything Wyatt doesn’t understand: exuberant, quirky, and elbow deep in a Gaslight lifestyle that weaves history into everyday life. He coordinates his suspenders with his tongue rings. Within hours, Wyatt and Ash are hooked.

But strange things are afoot at Gravedigger’s, and after a knock to the head, Ash starts seeing things that can’t be explained by old appliances or faulty wiring. Soon everyone at Gravedigger’s is wondering if they’re seeing ghosts, or just going crazy. The answer to that question could end more than just Wyatt and Ash’s fragile relationship—it might also end their lives.

Review:
Just the right book to get into the mood for Halloween!  So let me ask you something...Are you afraid of ghosts? No, well Wyatt wasn't either, at least at the beginning...

Dr Wyatt Case works as curator of a history museum in Richmond and the most exiting things that happen to him, are his run ins with the board trustees. He loves his job, but recently the trustees have made it their goal to haunt him in his workplace so he is glad to escape when his best friend Nick, suggest visiting a new place: Gravedigger's Tavern.

At the tavern, Wyatt meets a very charming bartender, Ash and they couldn't be any more different, but here at least opposites attract. After Wyatt’s less than stellar behaviour in the aftermath of their encounter, he searches for an excuse to visit Ash. Gravediggers history is the excuse and its there where Wyatt finds inspiration for a new exhibition, to attract a younger crowed. What is more interesting than ghosts and haunted sites, right?

Meanwhile strange things happen at the Gravedigger’s Tavern, odd noises, music playing on its own, reflections of a man in the mirror and electricity acting up, but then again it’s an old building, with a lot of history, or that’s what they tell themselves. Especially Ash seems to be attracting the strange happenings and soon it follows him outside the bar.

At the same time, Wyatt is researching the taverns history and finds out about mysterious murders happening there and a lot of skeletons, which were literary buried in walls. It’s up to Wyatt, Noah and the Gravedigger’s crew to find some answers and get some help, and think fast, if they want to save Ash, because it turns out that even if you don’t believe in ghosts, they do believe in you!

The ghost story is spooky and while Wyatt’s and Ash’s relationship didn’t pull me in that much, the story did. I loved the descriptive writing and could see the places in my mind; the sense of place was really well done. The supporting characters were interesting and I think I would have loved to read more about Noah and Caleb’s relationship. Also, the history parts appealed to me.

This story has the right Halloween atmosphere, suspense, romance and horror and while the first copy I had went missing, at least my ereader proved itself immune to the books curse. Gravediggers Brawl kept me turning pages up to the very end.

5 Pants Off

Guest Post & Giveaway: This Book is Haunted! Part 2 by Abigail Roux

Welcome to The Gravedigger’s Brawl virtual book tour! Thank you for helping me celebrate the release of the most haunted book I’ve ever worked on. Over the course of the next few days I’ll be giving away prizes to help you get through the reading experiences, namely bundles of sage to cleanse your electronics after you download a cursed book! In addition, every stop along this tour is a chance to win $10 in store credit to Riptide Publishing as part of their first anniversary celebration! To enter to win one of the prizes, just leave a comment here and make sure you include your e-mail address! Many thanks to Pants Off Reviews for helping me keep this spooky Riptide Publishing virtual book tour going!

Warning: This Book is Haunted! Part 2 by Abigail Roux

On the first stop in this tour, I spoke a little about the beginnings of The Gravedigger’s Brawl and what inspired me to write it. If I had known what sort of curse would follow this novel, I’m not sure I would ever have finished it, let alone submit it to be published.

I know that must be odd to hear from an author. This is what I do, it’s how I make my living and buy my daughter stuff she doesn’t really need. Why wouldn’t I try to have a novel done and published and inflict misery on my readers with the curse that follows it?

Frankly put, this book scares me. And I’m not talking about the plot.

The story sat for a few years while I got myself off the ground. It’s different, and it’s not what my usual readers expect from me. I love this book, I really do. I love the characters, I love the mood, I love the fact that while writing it I scared myself and had to sleep with the lights on, I love the songs on the playlist that accompany it. I love everything about it, and so when I had some time to work on it, I jumped on the chance to rewrite it for public consumption.

It took me a while to realize that the book was cursed. And even then, I sort of assumed it was just me. Looking back, I should never have pulled the old files out of cryogenic suspension, and I should have stopped after the first computer died.

The first time I pulled up the file to work on it, it was simply to read the story and become familiar with it again. Halfway through, my laptop began to malfunction. It was an old laptop, and I’d had issues with it before this. But the screen would waver, and then it began to beep at me. A warning beep. A beep of doom.

Two days later, the screen went dark and the laptop took everything with it when it died. I mourned it as you should any loyal companion, and then skipped my way to the store to buy a shiny new one. Along the way I also had the old one fixed, just in case I ever needed a backup. For the new one I got top of the line, the best laptop I could find, and when I got home the first thing I did was load my saved files onto it.

The files were gone. Nothing was left from the old laptop, which was still off at the Geek Squad having its hard drive erased. All the changes I’d made to the ghost story were lost forever. I had a minor meltdown that involved lots of Doritos and watching the movie Clue fifteen times in a row. I’m sure anyone who’s ever lost everything knows what I’m talking about.

When I finally recovered what I could, I put the ghost story back into cold storage and worked on something else. Life was good. A year passed. And then October came around again and that same feeling came over me. I needed to work on that ghost story because I love October, I love Halloween, and I love this story.

I pulled it up. I read over it. And the next day my laptop was nothing more than a very large, very expensive paperweight.

It gave me no warning, no sign that it was about to die. It just took its hard drive and went home.

I’m hard on laptops. I go through about one a year. So while I was upset by its untimely demise, I moved on. I bought a new one and began trying to rebuild the very small amount of information I’d lost in the crash and I spent the evening working on the ghost story on the new computer.

A day later, my brand new laptop was so infested with viruses that I had to return it to the store and get a new one.

All this laptop cruelty, it could all be a coincidence, right? I mean, three laptops in the course of twelve months isn’t so strange for a writer who spends all day every day abusing them. That’s what I told myself.

In an act of desperation I pulled out the old laptop, the backup one I’d had fixed for emergencies such as this. When I booted it up for the first time in over a year, it took its sweet time coming around. And when I went to transfer the ghost story form Dropbox, I discovered that there was one file still on the laptop. A single file left even after the memory had been erased and the hard drive redone.

It was titled ‘Gravedigger’s Brawl’, and that was when I started to freak out just a little.

You can haunt me at several places on the web, including Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and my website. I hope to see you around.

The Gravedigger’s Brawl

Dr. Wyatt Case is never happier than when he’s walking the halls of his history museum. Playing wingman for his best friend at Gravedigger’s Tavern throws him way out of his comfort zone, but not as much as the eccentric man behind the bar, Ash Lucroix.
Ash is everything Wyatt doesn’t understand: exuberant, quirky, and elbow deep in a Gaslight lifestyle that weaves history into everyday life. He coordinates his suspenders with his tongue rings. Within hours, Wyatt and Ash are hooked.
But strange things are afoot at Gravedigger’s, and after a knock to the head, Ash starts seeing things that can’t be explained by old appliances or faulty wiring. Soon everyone at Gravedigger’s is wondering if they’re seeing ghosts, or just going crazy. The answer to that question could end more than just Wyatt and Ash’s fragile relationship—it might also end their lives.


You can read the first two chapters and order The Gravedigger’s Brawl HERE.

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