Scan barcode
lauraadriana78's review against another edition
3.0
Mary Calmes’ books are like pizza…You can never have it too many times, you are always up for seconds, and even when you have to add a bit of this or that because it’s missing just a little something, YOU still don’t stop until it is ALL GONE. And as soon as you’re done, you begin calculating how long you need to wait before you can have it again, without looking like you have a problem. This story was no different. This book was longer than usual for her stand alone contemporaries, and the secondary characters were a lot more layered and flushed out in the this one than I remember in the past. There WERE some crazayzay twists and turns as there sometimes are in Mary’s books when law enforcement heroes are involved. And there were a few threads I felt were a little loose throughout the story, but overall for any Mary Calmes fan, this book will take care of that itch only Mary’s books can scratch.
Tracy Brandt is having a pretty shitty day…His office got shot up, (and he did too) because his business partner got mistaken for his brother who happens to dabble in the criminal side of things. The criminals after the mysterious thug were clearly not every bright since they shot up the wrong people! So, there he is in the hospital, with half his family and friends losing it over what happened. On top of everything his cheating ex, Breckin, seems to think this would be a great time to ask Tracy to take him back. To make matter worse, because getting shot apparently doesn’t guarantee a guy isn’t going to be annoyed to death, his brother’s ex-partner in the police force, and BFF makes an appearance as well. Cord Nolan, the guy that thought suggesting that Tracy ride his dick five minutes after meeting him was a great idea. *sighs* Tracy just needs the day to be over.
But Tracy’s bad day starts turning into a bad week pretty soon…Apparently there’s a crazy killer walking around San Francisco taking out all the people Breckin’s been with…And bad news comes in threes apparently because his ex’s penis had been busy while they had been together it seems and there are multiple potential victims involved…It’s a big homicide case…And who could possibly be the detective assigned to the case you might ask?????? None other than Cord Nolan, it is up to the big man himself to keep Tracy safe. There has always been a bit of friction between Cord and Tracy, a lot of that has to do with the fact there is always a thick layer of sexual tension between the two men. Tracy was prepared to deflect Cord’s usual annoying attitude, but it seems Cord’s cynical manner has changed, and the guy seems a lot gentler than he used to be. He is getting VERY close to Tracy in ways that are a bit confusing…Is he interested in Tracy? Is he reading this wrong? He must be…Cord is not the settling down kind. Never was.
This story had all the elements that are present in Mary’s novels, a very likable hero telling us his story, a leading man who is all about fierce protection and protectiveness, family and friends who are adoring and supportive. Lots of passion, lots of intense moments, and because this one is a crimmie, LOTS of CRAZY plot twists. The love story in this book did not have an immediate pay off, there was a slower progression, and things did not culminate until well into the book. I enjoyed this particularly because I got to spend a lot more time with Tracy and his family, who I liked a lot. His two brothers especially had a lot of time in the book, and there was a lot we got to see and hear about them and how their presence in Tracy’s life affected him. I liked knowing how they perceived their brother, the danger he was in, and even how the had seen his relationship with Breckin, and how they felt about a possible future with Cord. It’s rare to get much perspective on the supporting characters, and even on the other MC when you are hearing from his love interest in the first person. This POV can be very insular, but I think Mary did a really great job of using dialogue with other characters as a tool to give us a better sense of what could be between Cord and Tracy.
The mystery in this story got a little nutty at times, and there were some twists here and there that didn’t add up for me, but I did enjoy the story overall. I was right there with Cord and Tracy. I specially liked the epilogue, it was really nice to get so much information of where the guys ended up. So yeah, classic Mary Calmes, with lots of passionate love confessions, devoted friends, creepy exes, fabuliscious possessive tops, and all the things that make her a perennial favorite.
If you’re a fan don’t even think on it go read it.
For a complete review and to see the awesome German wine I paired this story week. Stop by The Tipsy Bibliophile
Tracy Brandt is having a pretty shitty day…His office got shot up, (and he did too) because his business partner got mistaken for his brother who happens to dabble in the criminal side of things. The criminals after the mysterious thug were clearly not every bright since they shot up the wrong people! So, there he is in the hospital, with half his family and friends losing it over what happened. On top of everything his cheating ex, Breckin, seems to think this would be a great time to ask Tracy to take him back. To make matter worse, because getting shot apparently doesn’t guarantee a guy isn’t going to be annoyed to death, his brother’s ex-partner in the police force, and BFF makes an appearance as well. Cord Nolan, the guy that thought suggesting that Tracy ride his dick five minutes after meeting him was a great idea. *sighs* Tracy just needs the day to be over.
But Tracy’s bad day starts turning into a bad week pretty soon…Apparently there’s a crazy killer walking around San Francisco taking out all the people Breckin’s been with…And bad news comes in threes apparently because his ex’s penis had been busy while they had been together it seems and there are multiple potential victims involved…It’s a big homicide case…And who could possibly be the detective assigned to the case you might ask?????? None other than Cord Nolan, it is up to the big man himself to keep Tracy safe. There has always been a bit of friction between Cord and Tracy, a lot of that has to do with the fact there is always a thick layer of sexual tension between the two men. Tracy was prepared to deflect Cord’s usual annoying attitude, but it seems Cord’s cynical manner has changed, and the guy seems a lot gentler than he used to be. He is getting VERY close to Tracy in ways that are a bit confusing…Is he interested in Tracy? Is he reading this wrong? He must be…Cord is not the settling down kind. Never was.
This story had all the elements that are present in Mary’s novels, a very likable hero telling us his story, a leading man who is all about fierce protection and protectiveness, family and friends who are adoring and supportive. Lots of passion, lots of intense moments, and because this one is a crimmie, LOTS of CRAZY plot twists. The love story in this book did not have an immediate pay off, there was a slower progression, and things did not culminate until well into the book. I enjoyed this particularly because I got to spend a lot more time with Tracy and his family, who I liked a lot. His two brothers especially had a lot of time in the book, and there was a lot we got to see and hear about them and how their presence in Tracy’s life affected him. I liked knowing how they perceived their brother, the danger he was in, and even how the had seen his relationship with Breckin, and how they felt about a possible future with Cord. It’s rare to get much perspective on the supporting characters, and even on the other MC when you are hearing from his love interest in the first person. This POV can be very insular, but I think Mary did a really great job of using dialogue with other characters as a tool to give us a better sense of what could be between Cord and Tracy.
The mystery in this story got a little nutty at times, and there were some twists here and there that didn’t add up for me, but I did enjoy the story overall. I was right there with Cord and Tracy. I specially liked the epilogue, it was really nice to get so much information of where the guys ended up. So yeah, classic Mary Calmes, with lots of passionate love confessions, devoted friends, creepy exes, fabuliscious possessive tops, and all the things that make her a perennial favorite.
If you’re a fan don’t even think on it go read it.
For a complete review and to see the awesome German wine I paired this story week. Stop by The Tipsy Bibliophile
calila's review against another edition
4.0
This is a pretty great read. I really loved Tracy and Cord together. Totally bought into their chemistry and push/pull/snark/love/hate dynamic. Though Tracy annoyed me frequently at the beginning, probably the first 40-50%, He gets better in the second half. Breckin was just a colossal asshat, and I didn't like that him trying to hit Tracy , he was already such a jerk that that was unnecessary and over the top a bit. I feel bad that Whats-Her-Face ended up stuck with him. There was a lot that was just weird with this plot wise, the mystery was going okay until the resolution which was horrible and bungled. Don't introduce the Big Bad at 80%(ish, can't remember exactly) with ZERO build up, or hints or ANYTHING. It became so obvious it was him with the big sob story. I spent most of the book thinking it was the one guy mentioned but never seen, and nope, he wasn't even an issue. Bleh. But still....Tracy/Cord make it work. It's worth reading just for them. Cord especially. He was AMAZING.
sarab's review against another edition
5.0
I have yet to find a Mary Calmes contemporary book that I have not loved. There are common elements in all of her books, but I find that those really work for me. There is always an unrequited element in the stories with the other person being completely unaware.
In Floodgates, Tracy has known Cord since Cord and Tracy's brother became partners on the police force. After a few attacks on Tracy's life, Cord and Tracy finally have a reason to spend a lot of time together. After it is determined that the attacks are related to Tracy's ex, Cord, Tracy, the ex, and the ex's pregnant one night stand travel to the ex's home on the east coast to try to draw the attacker out.
I loved how long it took Tracy to become aware of Cord's affection. I love that Cord really made sure that Tracy knew that he was loved and would be safe. I loved how Tracy's family supported the relationship between Cord and Tracy. There are so many romances where the family throws a fit because the other person is the brother's or sister's best friend. It's refreshing to see a family that supports the relationship from the beginning, and in this case, sees it coming before Tracy does.
Bottom line, I love Mary Calmes and unrequited love is one of my catnip tropes, so this really worked for me.
In Floodgates, Tracy has known Cord since Cord and Tracy's brother became partners on the police force. After a few attacks on Tracy's life, Cord and Tracy finally have a reason to spend a lot of time together. After it is determined that the attacks are related to Tracy's ex, Cord, Tracy, the ex, and the ex's pregnant one night stand travel to the ex's home on the east coast to try to draw the attacker out.
I loved how long it took Tracy to become aware of Cord's affection. I love that Cord really made sure that Tracy knew that he was loved and would be safe. I loved how Tracy's family supported the relationship between Cord and Tracy. There are so many romances where the family throws a fit because the other person is the brother's or sister's best friend. It's refreshing to see a family that supports the relationship from the beginning, and in this case, sees it coming before Tracy does.
Bottom line, I love Mary Calmes and unrequited love is one of my catnip tropes, so this really worked for me.
More...