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k_a_r_e_n_b's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Second in the Sidewinder gay romantic suspense series, a spin-off from Cut & Run, and revolving around Detective Nick O'Flaherty and Kelly Abbot. Do note that this is a male/male romance.
Chronologically, Nick recently donated a piece of his liver to his dying father, a scenario that was set up in Ball & Chain, 8, which leads me to place Cross & Crown as 8.5 in the overall series.
My Take
It's a different dynamic between Nick and Kelly as opposed to that of Ty and Zane. And both couples are sweethearts in law enforcement. The humor is there, but more low key. I suspect it's because no one can come close to Ty's personality, lol.
I love how accepting Nick's police department is of his sexual preference. An acceptance does make it a less believable story, unhappily. Imagine how much better our world could be if we all accepted people's choices whether it's in religious, cultural, or sexual preference…sigh… Note that I'm not saying a dang thing about corporations or politics!
It's fun as JD remembers bits and pieces, just enough to keep Nick suspicious. Roux has portrayed JD with a lot of empathy, a man who's terrified to find out he's a bad guy. He's trying so hard to remember, and he's intelligent enough to understand he's a suspect, which only makes this more fun…and more suspenseful as we wonder if he's playing us as well.
Then there's Kelly who is enjoying the "perks" of being with a cop. I imagine I'd enjoy racing about with the sirens and lights flashing too, lol. I like Kelly's sense of humor as well, yep intergalactic historians works for me, *more laughter*
Arghh, Roux has a whole new life in mind for Nick and Kelly, and yet from the excerpt, it doesn't seem as if Part & Parcel will put me out of that misery!
The Story
It's a dilemma. Is their witness an innocent bystander or one of the suspects?
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.
The Characters
Detective Nick O'Flaherty, a sometimes-Recon Marine staff sergeant, is with the Boston PD and lives on his boat, the Fiddler's Green. Kelly "Doc" Abbott is part of Sidewinder, their navy medic, and he and Nick are a couple, feeling their way through their relationship. Kelly lives in a cabin in Colorado and works with a youth camp; the boys take turns visiting.
We first met Julian Cross, a CIA operative, in Armed & Dangerous, 5, when he was on the run with his then-boyfriend, Cameron Jacobs.
Boston PD
Detective Alan Hagan is Nick's partner with a coffee addiction. Captain Branson is Nick's boss. Tommy is an officer at the initial crime scene.
JD, short for John Doe, was shot in the head and has amnesia.
The Boston mob is headed up by…
…Paddy, a man who saw Nick as his own son. Mikey is a childhood friend of Nick's and a bodyguard for Paddy.
Jason Russell got his family to safety.
Ty Grady is a part of the Sidewinder special ops team; Zane Garrett was his FBI partner and is still his life partner from the Cut & Run romantic suspense series. Emma Grady is Ty's cousin, and she has a team of "adventuring, treasure-hunting, monster-seeking, myth-believing…crazy people".
The Cover and Title
It's a pretty cover with its bright blue textured background and the silver Irish Cross with its circular band and the Celtic knots. There's a bit of whimsy with the black silhouette of a crown perched on the "C" of "Cross".
The title is basic, referring to Julian Cross & Crown of the Irish crown jewels.
Chronologically, Nick recently donated a piece of his liver to his dying father, a scenario that was set up in Ball & Chain, 8, which leads me to place Cross & Crown as 8.5 in the overall series.
My Take
It's a different dynamic between Nick and Kelly as opposed to that of Ty and Zane. And both couples are sweethearts in law enforcement. The humor is there, but more low key. I suspect it's because no one can come close to Ty's personality, lol.
I love how accepting Nick's police department is of his sexual preference. An acceptance does make it a less believable story, unhappily. Imagine how much better our world could be if we all accepted people's choices whether it's in religious, cultural, or sexual preference…sigh… Note that I'm not saying a dang thing about corporations or politics!
It's fun as JD remembers bits and pieces, just enough to keep Nick suspicious. Roux has portrayed JD with a lot of empathy, a man who's terrified to find out he's a bad guy. He's trying so hard to remember, and he's intelligent enough to understand he's a suspect, which only makes this more fun…and more suspenseful as we wonder if he's playing us as well.
Then there's Kelly who is enjoying the "perks" of being with a cop. I imagine I'd enjoy racing about with the sirens and lights flashing too, lol. I like Kelly's sense of humor as well, yep intergalactic historians works for me, *more laughter*
Hmmm, Roux lets slip some back history on why Nick joined the Marines. Some of it is a bit scary where it touches on Kelly."'We find lost works of art and liberate them from their prisons.'
'…fanciest "I steal things" I've ever heard.'"
Arghh, Roux has a whole new life in mind for Nick and Kelly, and yet from the excerpt, it doesn't seem as if Part & Parcel will put me out of that misery!
The Story
It's a dilemma. Is their witness an innocent bystander or one of the suspects?
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.
The Characters
Detective Nick O'Flaherty, a sometimes-Recon Marine staff sergeant, is with the Boston PD and lives on his boat, the Fiddler's Green. Kelly "Doc" Abbott is part of Sidewinder, their navy medic, and he and Nick are a couple, feeling their way through their relationship. Kelly lives in a cabin in Colorado and works with a youth camp; the boys take turns visiting.
We first met Julian Cross, a CIA operative, in Armed & Dangerous, 5, when he was on the run with his then-boyfriend, Cameron Jacobs.
Boston PD
Detective Alan Hagan is Nick's partner with a coffee addiction. Captain Branson is Nick's boss. Tommy is an officer at the initial crime scene.
JD, short for John Doe, was shot in the head and has amnesia.
"You should read my books. I know I'm going to have to."Professor Kris Singleton teaches a course on pop culture at Boston College. Casey Hunt is an archeologist, à la Indiana Jones, who works as a wandering acquisitions specialist for a museum. Alex Kincade is an archeologist and a colleague of Casey's; she's been hired by Alco Pharmaceuticals. Colin is Alex's current colleague. Sanco Pharmaceuticals is also in the race.
The Boston mob is headed up by…
…Paddy, a man who saw Nick as his own son. Mikey is a childhood friend of Nick's and a bodyguard for Paddy.
Jason Russell got his family to safety.
Ty Grady is a part of the Sidewinder special ops team; Zane Garrett was his FBI partner and is still his life partner from the Cut & Run romantic suspense series. Emma Grady is Ty's cousin, and she has a team of "adventuring, treasure-hunting, monster-seeking, myth-believing…crazy people".
The Cover and Title
It's a pretty cover with its bright blue textured background and the silver Irish Cross with its circular band and the Celtic knots. There's a bit of whimsy with the black silhouette of a crown perched on the "C" of "Cross".
The title is basic, referring to Julian Cross & Crown of the Irish crown jewels.
bitchie's review against another edition
4.0
On the whole, I really liked this. Nick wasn't Super Nick this time, Kelly was badass, and the frat boy hijinks was kept way down.
There were a few things that are referenced in this book that happened in Ball & Chain, so that kind of proves a bunch of readers' point that this series really can't stand alone. For instance (spoilers mostly for B&C)
A reader isn't going to feel like they've been plunked down in a strange city with no GPS, more like they walked in on the middle of a conversation. They've missed a few details, but can follow along just fine, but plan to pull someone aside later to ask what they've missed. IMO, this is C&C without reading the C&R series first.
I must say though, that this book left me cautiously optimistic about the last C&R book. This one just felt much tighter and made more sense to me than B&C day. I really enjoyed all the history bits. Fortunately, I don't know enough to know if the details were perfect, so I just took the story as it was.
JD was very likable, and wasn't nearly the monkeywrench to Nick & Kelly as the blurb made it appear. It was more Nick feeling bad for this guy than Nick genuinely wanting him. Julian felt off though, not nearly as much fun or as kick ass as I remembered him, but it has been years since I read Warrior's Cross.
As I said earlier in my review, Kelly was bad ass in this one. Gone was the giggling, the weed (not that I have a problem with weed), the constant "fuck me".
There were a few things I didn't get about the people searching for the treasure though. There was apparently three groups- Nick & co, people hired by a pharmaceutical company (that was a WTF for me, just seemed silly), and this other group who we never learned ANYTHING about. Who was the Irish guy, how did he learn about the treasure, how did he know enough about Julian to take Cam. How is it that Julian deals in antiques (his cover job), and once JD pointed out that this display case in the bookstore would have a secret compartment, Julian knew how to open the compartment, but didn't know first thing that the case had a secret stash?
Still, in spite of the little niggles, I really enjoyed this book. It revives my hope that C&R book 9 won't be a big ol' mess like B&C was. There were no flat out stupid things, like mosquito netting in Scotland in winter. The sex was hot but didn't overshadow the story. (which I was afraid of, based on various Interrogation Room posts where it seemed like all Kelly was was "so much fun to fuck!" for Nick) Nick & Kelly are a completely different type of couple than Ty & Zane, and I enjoyed their dynamic. I do hope it's not much longer before Nick & Ty make up, this distance between them is killing both of them.
There were a few things that are referenced in this book that happened in Ball & Chain, so that kind of proves a bunch of readers' point that this series really can't stand alone. For instance (spoilers mostly for B&C)
Spoiler
Nick's surgery, his family history, Nick & Kelly's engagement, Ty's cousin Emma, are all things that happen in B&C. And I have to ask, if Nick doesn't even remember proposing to Kelly in B&C, what was the point of it even happening? Is this supposed to appease those of us who were pissed that Nickels' engagement usurped Ty & Zane's, in their own book?A reader isn't going to feel like they've been plunked down in a strange city with no GPS, more like they walked in on the middle of a conversation. They've missed a few details, but can follow along just fine, but plan to pull someone aside later to ask what they've missed. IMO, this is C&C without reading the C&R series first.
I must say though, that this book left me cautiously optimistic about the last C&R book. This one just felt much tighter and made more sense to me than B&C day. I really enjoyed all the history bits. Fortunately, I don't know enough to know if the details were perfect, so I just took the story as it was.
JD was very likable, and wasn't nearly the monkeywrench to Nick & Kelly as the blurb made it appear. It was more Nick feeling bad for this guy than Nick genuinely wanting him. Julian felt off though, not nearly as much fun or as kick ass as I remembered him, but it has been years since I read Warrior's Cross.
As I said earlier in my review, Kelly was bad ass in this one. Gone was the giggling, the weed (not that I have a problem with weed), the constant "fuck me".
There were a few things I didn't get about the people searching for the treasure though. There was apparently three groups- Nick & co, people hired by a pharmaceutical company (that was a WTF for me, just seemed silly), and this other group who we never learned ANYTHING about. Who was the Irish guy, how did he learn about the treasure, how did he know enough about Julian to take Cam. How is it that Julian deals in antiques (his cover job), and once JD pointed out that this display case in the bookstore would have a secret compartment, Julian knew how to open the compartment, but didn't know first thing that the case had a secret stash?
Still, in spite of the little niggles, I really enjoyed this book. It revives my hope that C&R book 9 won't be a big ol' mess like B&C was. There were no flat out stupid things, like mosquito netting in Scotland in winter. The sex was hot but didn't overshadow the story. (which I was afraid of, based on various Interrogation Room posts where it seemed like all Kelly was was "so much fun to fuck!" for Nick) Nick & Kelly are a completely different type of couple than Ty & Zane, and I enjoyed their dynamic. I do hope it's not much longer before Nick & Ty make up, this distance between them is killing both of them.
a_reader_obsessed's review against another edition
3.0
A solid entry that was low on angst because Nick and Kelly already have a great foundation; they are just ironing out the fine details. In turn this story was high on chemistry with plenty of snark, revealing insights, and fun.
drez80's review
3.0
So I guess it really is me with these books. I didn't LOVE the first one, but I did enjoy it. The sex was pretty hot, but this one fell flat and was way more mystery than romance. I still liked this book, but it wasn't what I was expecting. I thought there'd be more angst based on the description, but the whole Nick and the witness relationship thing was really nothing at all. I chose Cut & Run #2 for my shelf-a-thon challenge, so we'll see how that one goes, but I may have to give up on Cut & Run and Sidewinder if that one doesn't go any better than the rest have.
raynebair's review against another edition
5.0
Treasure hunting! I loved this book. It was Nick and Kelly (yum!), it was treasure hunting, it was American history. Win, win all around!
divapitbull's review against another edition
3.0
I liked C & C but I didn't love it. I like Nick and Kelly as characters and think they have good chemistry together. I like them even better in their own book instead of taking equal billing in a Cut & Run book. Unfortunately I would have liked more relationship development and less treasure hunting mystery man with amnesia plot line. And while they have great chemistry - the interrupted intimacy trope - really? Again? What's the point - I think it's just as annoying to read as it is to experience.
Julian was a very small part of the story and Cameron, aside from being the kidnappee, was pretty much non-existent (which was OK with me because I'm not a Cameron fan, I'm more in the "What does he see in him"???? camp).
For the rabid Ty and Zane fans - there's one Kelly/Zane snarky phone call; one Nick and Ty angsty - our friendship is still fractured phone call and one funny Julian mentioning Ty. Other than that - apparently the whole "crossover" thing only goes one way.
Julian was a very small part of the story and Cameron, aside from being the kidnappee, was pretty much non-existent (which was OK with me because I'm not a Cameron fan, I'm more in the "What does he see in him"???? camp).
For the rabid Ty and Zane fans - there's one Kelly/Zane snarky phone call; one Nick and Ty angsty - our friendship is still fractured phone call and one funny Julian mentioning Ty. Other than that - apparently the whole "crossover" thing only goes one way.
cellassis's review against another edition
3.0
Pas mal, même si l'intrigue m'a un peu laissée de marbre. On est passé à côté d'une opportunité de rencontrer la famille de Nick, d'en apprendre plus sur Kelly, etc. Même Julian et Cameron étaient relativement transparents.
lifeand100books's review against another edition
3.0
While I enjoyed following the crime storyline here (come on, who doesn't love a treasure hunt?!?), I felt that there wasn't much emotional development between Nick and Kelly. Not much is made of the rift between Ty and Nick either, or the promise Nick made to Liam Bell in the last Cut and Run book. While any extra time with these characters is a huge welcome, I felt that Roux missed some opportunities here.