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hex_meghead's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Kidnapping, Biphobia, Homophobia, Sexual content, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Gun violence, Car accident, War, and Injury/Injury detail
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Not my favorite simply because this action genre CIA-agent-protects-and-accidentally-falls-for-presidents didn’t work for me, but not a so-so book. I thought the characters were interesting and their conflict was explored well. For action fans, I think the action scenes will definitely appeal but I kept finding everything a bit over the top (which this genre often is!).
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Car accident, Violence, Grief, Sexual content, Homophobia, and Gun violence
so_many_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Tell me, why haven't I picked this up sooner?
Enemies of the Stare is a high stakes, action-packed romantic suspense. The president of the US and the head of his secret service security detail falls in love. You couldn't come up with a messier combination.
The story was romantic and heartwarming while at the same time full action and politics and military operations. There's a dash of treason, conspiracies, and international relations just to make it even messier.
I absolutely adore Jack and Ethan. Their tentative friendship and love are soooooo wonderful. And Tal has a way to show that love and break your heart at the same time. I was rooting for these two the whole time.
The storyline with all the action and politics was actually pretty engaging. I wanted to keep reading and reading just to see how this all turns out. The actual twists were not unpredictable, but that didn't take away from the enjoyment.
There were some pretty hilarious moments when I laughed out loud. But there were also moments when I was nervous, sad, and devastated. The balance between all these emotions is a pretty big pro in the book. It makes you happy while at the same time keeps you on your toes.
I can't wait to see how this story moves forward.
Enemies of the Stare is a high stakes, action-packed romantic suspense. The president of the US and the head of his secret service security detail falls in love. You couldn't come up with a messier combination.
The story was romantic and heartwarming while at the same time full action and politics and military operations. There's a dash of treason, conspiracies, and international relations just to make it even messier.
I absolutely adore Jack and Ethan. Their tentative friendship and love are soooooo wonderful. And Tal has a way to show that love and break your heart at the same time. I was rooting for these two the whole time.
The storyline with all the action and politics was actually pretty engaging. I wanted to keep reading and reading just to see how this all turns out. The actual twists were not unpredictable, but that didn't take away from the enjoyment.
There were some pretty hilarious moments when I laughed out loud. But there were also moments when I was nervous, sad, and devastated. The balance between all these emotions is a pretty big pro in the book. It makes you happy while at the same time keeps you on your toes.
I can't wait to see how this story moves forward.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Violence, War, Death, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Homophobia
20sidedbi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Genocide, Grief, Violence, Death, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Gun violence, War, Mass/school shootings, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Outing and Homophobia
booksojwhi's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Violence
pawtory's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.0
This book will had me going "nooooooooooooooooo!" from secondhand embarrassment with some frequency. It's not terribly deep (maybe over the top? But understandable with the subject matter) compared to other stuff I've read from Tal but it's fun and sexy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Xenophobia, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Murder, and Mental illness
Minor: Torture, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical trauma
peppermint_pink's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia and Violence
aromarrie's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
First Name, I'm with you all the way.
this book....was an absolute rollercoaster of feelings; which i feel like the author has an immense talent for.
the story just went in so many directions that i was truly invested in and that was something that lended to my enjoyment of it all. i was all in with the characters, the political setting, and the plot; to me, it was all very interesting. it's an idealized look at the behind the scenes of capitol hill & the white house, and the romantic relationship that plays at its center is even more imaginative, yet even in that suspension of disbelief, the way that the author handled the tension with the attacks in the Middle East and all over Europe made it so that the situation was very grave as these characters were trying to figure out how best to keep from these attacks escalating any further. even when they try, though, some backhanded schemes are at play to achieve selfish desires that would lead to them gaining all the power.
i can’t say much about how accurate all the details of the way the Secret Service that ethan is a part of works, nor how international relations were depicted in talks between jack and other world leaders; but i was genuinely impressed with how much detail the author put into making it fit for this story. i liked how much of the plot played an important role and that bauer used the characters to help guide the tension even further because in this hellish landscape, the romance between jack & ethan was all sorts of prohibited; so much so, that i even became worried at how much of a power imbalance there clearly between them with jack being the President of the United States and all. that worry felt appeased because of how much the author didn’t just simply ignore it and acknowledged all the messy feelings that were involved as ethan caught himself to be falling for his protectee.
the exploration of ethan’s feelings for jack were absolutely gutting because he never experienced something like it before, not even close; he never desired anything more than a one-night-stand as his job always came first. it was so significant these turn of events that even i had to question why ethan was falling for jack in the first place. yes, in the beginning, this pair shared some interesting conversations that resorted to some banter, which is already unusual enough with all that ethan was used to with jack’s predecessors. but i didn’t fully understand how ethan’s feelings got so intense so quickly, and it was at that point that i was pleading for jack’s own pov because ethan seemed to be the sole voice of the story (along with some mysterious characters from across the world who were involved in their own investigations). i wanted to get to know jack more, i wanted to see the heart of what made ethan & jack feel so drawn to each other; and so thank the gods, the author knew what he was doing because we do get it!!
it felt so disbelieving that the one concern i had was actually being addressed, and from jack’s own pov, which was just such a relief. it made sense because of course we would see his pov; it was important to directly see all the political tension that was present in this story through jack’s eyes, and not just secondhand as was briefly gleaned from some of the conversations jack would bring up to ethan. due to ethan’s role in the Secret Service and as jack’s protector, it wasn’t allowed for him to be engaging in political talks with his protectee as his only job was to keep jack safe, not engage in discussions reserved for world leaders. but even then, jack still had to confide in ethan, ethan still had to find a way to be there for jack in whatever way he can so that he is kept safe; and if that means letting jack put trust in him to help understand the grave matters of keeping as many people as alive and safe among all these unpredictable dangers, then there it is. with that, it was still interesting to see all the times where ethan wasn’t around and so we got some intimate details of what jack argued over regarding the best action to follow through on in this tension brewing between countries. the whole matter of his potential alliance with Russia raised an eyebrow but was really interesting in its execution because this is fiction, and again, a lot of the plot is very idealized, but the author didn’t hold back in putting these characters in danger and dangling them over some truly muddy waters that are filled with suspicion.
both jack & ethan are in a very unique spot and the more i saw them falling for each other, and the more the story i read, the more i believed of what they had; the more i fell for the romance, just as much as i fell for all the action and political intrigue. i loved the way the author depicted not only the significance of ethan’s feelings for jack but jack’s feelings for ethan; because it’s not something he caught right away, nor did this mean jack thought he might be gay or bi, or just queer. jack lost his wife quite a while ago and that grief has stayed with him forever and will still stick with him, even with ethan; it is what propelled him to run for office and build his political knowledge, all while also making connections with the community in the quest for fighting for all those who serve in the military and who sell their lives to protect as many people as they can. his wife being killed in action was a traumatic event that preceded a long period of time where jack wouldn't have any romantic or sexual feelings for anyone. he had no interest in any of it, and rather put all of himself into his career, and into leaning into the people around him who give their support. when he meets ethan, he meets someone who is hesitant to be casual with him, but who jack had a desire to be close to; and at first, it was friendship, it was a desire to make a personal connection with someone without having to rely on professionalism.
again, getting jack’s pov was a huge win for this narrative for many things and one of them was how i got to witness more of those moments where it was so clear ethan was falling for jack; but ironically enough, it raised the angst level very high because jack didn’t see it and even when he did, he had no idea what to think of it. when he came to acknowledge how far his affections for ethan went, there were no labels involved, there was no pressure to decide and act quick. i noticed goodreads tagged this as “gay for you” and that made me cringe just because of the phrase itself; it’s not something with the most positive connotations to it because it generally feels very shallow. the feelings jack had for ethan, rather than focusing so much on ethan being a man, what felt more important as jack establishes is that he simply fell for ethan. it’s hard to fully share my thoughts around this feeling because attraction is a very complex matter, more so that even within the LGBTQIA+ community, it still feels like something that hasn’t yet been fully explored. because there’s so many ways to claim someone is queer, but what matters most is how that person feels, and whether or not any label, no matter how accurate the definition is, can connect to that person.
for ethan, him being gay is a part of him, and it’s a part of what made him so alive as he spent his days in and out of the White House protecting the highest positions and then his nights at lively clubs with other beautiful men to lie in bed with. for jack, there’s no label to search for that “explains” his attraction to ethan, he’s just drawn to him just as much as ethan was drawn to him. that creates a wholly complicated matter that could potentially ruin ethan’s career and create yet another scandal from an American President; what i liked is that rather than feeling like that pressure overrode any soft affections i could have for their relationship, i got to see the small moments between them that all built to something bigger; i could see how charming they were and how achingly sweet the smiles they sended each other were even as other characters eyed them from the sidelines. those feelings continued to just grow & grow & grow as the plot unfolded and some huge shifts completely shake up the overall narrative.
i loved how romantic this story felt; i loved how earnest jack & ethan’s feelings were for each other in all this political turmoil; i loved the author’s own imagined version of how Capitol Hill runs and all the overseas operations that lead to some devastating scenes; i really loved how we got to see beyond ethan & jack’s povs to make that tension settle in even deeper because it was like blindly walking in the dark, already dreading the damage that’s lying in wait without knowing who was behind it and how these characters could be saved. i loved how honest the author was when it came to how power-hungry these people can be and the lengths they would go to to make their own history and to manipulate it so that their name is falsely declared as the hero. there’s a lot of interesting things i liked about the story, and knowing this is only the first in a series makes it all the more exciting. so there's that for now.
this book....was an absolute rollercoaster of feelings; which i feel like the author has an immense talent for.
the story just went in so many directions that i was truly invested in and that was something that lended to my enjoyment of it all. i was all in with the characters, the political setting, and the plot; to me, it was all very interesting. it's an idealized look at the behind the scenes of capitol hill & the white house, and the romantic relationship that plays at its center is even more imaginative, yet even in that suspension of disbelief, the way that the author handled the tension with the attacks in the Middle East and all over Europe made it so that the situation was very grave as these characters were trying to figure out how best to keep from these attacks escalating any further. even when they try, though, some backhanded schemes are at play to achieve selfish desires that would lead to them gaining all the power.
i can’t say much about how accurate all the details of the way the Secret Service that ethan is a part of works, nor how international relations were depicted in talks between jack and other world leaders; but i was genuinely impressed with how much detail the author put into making it fit for this story. i liked how much of the plot played an important role and that bauer used the characters to help guide the tension even further because in this hellish landscape, the romance between jack & ethan was all sorts of prohibited; so much so, that i even became worried at how much of a power imbalance there clearly between them with jack being the President of the United States and all. that worry felt appeased because of how much the author didn’t just simply ignore it and acknowledged all the messy feelings that were involved as ethan caught himself to be falling for his protectee.
the exploration of ethan’s feelings for jack were absolutely gutting because he never experienced something like it before, not even close; he never desired anything more than a one-night-stand as his job always came first. it was so significant these turn of events that even i had to question why ethan was falling for jack in the first place. yes, in the beginning, this pair shared some interesting conversations that resorted to some banter, which is already unusual enough with all that ethan was used to with jack’s predecessors. but i didn’t fully understand how ethan’s feelings got so intense so quickly, and it was at that point that i was pleading for jack’s own pov because ethan seemed to be the sole voice of the story (along with some mysterious characters from across the world who were involved in their own investigations). i wanted to get to know jack more, i wanted to see the heart of what made ethan & jack feel so drawn to each other; and so thank the gods, the author knew what he was doing because we do get it!!
it felt so disbelieving that the one concern i had was actually being addressed, and from jack’s own pov, which was just such a relief. it made sense because of course we would see his pov; it was important to directly see all the political tension that was present in this story through jack’s eyes, and not just secondhand as was briefly gleaned from some of the conversations jack would bring up to ethan. due to ethan’s role in the Secret Service and as jack’s protector, it wasn’t allowed for him to be engaging in political talks with his protectee as his only job was to keep jack safe, not engage in discussions reserved for world leaders. but even then, jack still had to confide in ethan, ethan still had to find a way to be there for jack in whatever way he can so that he is kept safe; and if that means letting jack put trust in him to help understand the grave matters of keeping as many people as alive and safe among all these unpredictable dangers, then there it is. with that, it was still interesting to see all the times where ethan wasn’t around and so we got some intimate details of what jack argued over regarding the best action to follow through on in this tension brewing between countries. the whole matter of his potential alliance with Russia raised an eyebrow but was really interesting in its execution because this is fiction, and again, a lot of the plot is very idealized, but the author didn’t hold back in putting these characters in danger and dangling them over some truly muddy waters that are filled with suspicion.
both jack & ethan are in a very unique spot and the more i saw them falling for each other, and the more the story i read, the more i believed of what they had; the more i fell for the romance, just as much as i fell for all the action and political intrigue. i loved the way the author depicted not only the significance of ethan’s feelings for jack but jack’s feelings for ethan; because it’s not something he caught right away, nor did this mean jack thought he might be gay or bi, or just queer. jack lost his wife quite a while ago and that grief has stayed with him forever and will still stick with him, even with ethan; it is what propelled him to run for office and build his political knowledge, all while also making connections with the community in the quest for fighting for all those who serve in the military and who sell their lives to protect as many people as they can. his wife being killed in action was a traumatic event that preceded a long period of time where jack wouldn't have any romantic or sexual feelings for anyone. he had no interest in any of it, and rather put all of himself into his career, and into leaning into the people around him who give their support. when he meets ethan, he meets someone who is hesitant to be casual with him, but who jack had a desire to be close to; and at first, it was friendship, it was a desire to make a personal connection with someone without having to rely on professionalism.
again, getting jack’s pov was a huge win for this narrative for many things and one of them was how i got to witness more of those moments where it was so clear ethan was falling for jack; but ironically enough, it raised the angst level very high because jack didn’t see it and even when he did, he had no idea what to think of it. when he came to acknowledge how far his affections for ethan went, there were no labels involved, there was no pressure to decide and act quick. i noticed goodreads tagged this as “gay for you” and that made me cringe just because of the phrase itself; it’s not something with the most positive connotations to it because it generally feels very shallow. the feelings jack had for ethan, rather than focusing so much on ethan being a man, what felt more important as jack establishes is that he simply fell for ethan. it’s hard to fully share my thoughts around this feeling because attraction is a very complex matter, more so that even within the LGBTQIA+ community, it still feels like something that hasn’t yet been fully explored. because there’s so many ways to claim someone is queer, but what matters most is how that person feels, and whether or not any label, no matter how accurate the definition is, can connect to that person.
for ethan, him being gay is a part of him, and it’s a part of what made him so alive as he spent his days in and out of the White House protecting the highest positions and then his nights at lively clubs with other beautiful men to lie in bed with. for jack, there’s no label to search for that “explains” his attraction to ethan, he’s just drawn to him just as much as ethan was drawn to him. that creates a wholly complicated matter that could potentially ruin ethan’s career and create yet another scandal from an American President; what i liked is that rather than feeling like that pressure overrode any soft affections i could have for their relationship, i got to see the small moments between them that all built to something bigger; i could see how charming they were and how achingly sweet the smiles they sended each other were even as other characters eyed them from the sidelines. those feelings continued to just grow & grow & grow as the plot unfolded and some huge shifts completely shake up the overall narrative.
i loved how romantic this story felt; i loved how earnest jack & ethan’s feelings were for each other in all this political turmoil; i loved the author’s own imagined version of how Capitol Hill runs and all the overseas operations that lead to some devastating scenes; i really loved how we got to see beyond ethan & jack’s povs to make that tension settle in even deeper because it was like blindly walking in the dark, already dreading the damage that’s lying in wait without knowing who was behind it and how these characters could be saved. i loved how honest the author was when it came to how power-hungry these people can be and the lengths they would go to to make their own history and to manipulate it so that their name is falsely declared as the hero. there’s a lot of interesting things i liked about the story, and knowing this is only the first in a series makes it all the more exciting. so there's that for now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: War, Sexual content, and Grief
espiargrant's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I really wanted to love this book because it's been rated quite highly and had some glowing reviews, plus, it had so many elements that I love—they were just done terribly. That said, there actually were some moments in the story that I actually quite liked, just not enough to save this book for me.
Now, I tried to suspend all belief, but there were so many things that weren't even close to plausible that it felt like a sit-com at times. I also found that our MCs themselves weren't very believable, nor was their relationship development. Ethan is supposed to be one of the best secret service agents in the biz, yet he's bending/breaking rules in ch. 1. The same goes for Jack, who asks his bodyguard to have a drink with him, and questions about foreign policy, andsneaks him up to his room after hours to hang out. After which, we're supposed to believe that Jack thinks this is all in the name of friendship. Now, this is a bodyguard romance, so I did not expect for their relationship to stay 100% professional forever, but the fact that they didn't even try annoyed me and took all the tension out of the romance.
Once the two actually became a couple, I liked the story a lot better, but things were still unrealistic in many ways. There were several scenes that I found cute/sweet or heavily emotional, but they didn't hold much weight due to the lack of build-up from the aforementioned reasons.
I liked the writing style well enough, there were some great descriptions, but some things got repetitive. I won't say much about the ending, but I felt that one or two chapters should have been cut from it.
Not sure if I'll read anything else from this author, but I'm not going to continue with this trilogy. :(
Positional Dynamic:
Jack: Top, Ethan: Bottom (changes in later books I believe)
Now, I tried to suspend all belief, but there were so many things that weren't even close to plausible that it felt like a sit-com at times. I also found that our MCs themselves weren't very believable, nor was their relationship development. Ethan is supposed to be one of the best secret service agents in the biz, yet he's bending/breaking rules in ch. 1. The same goes for Jack, who asks his bodyguard to have a drink with him, and questions about foreign policy, and
Once the two actually became a couple, I liked the story a lot better, but things were still unrealistic in many ways. There were several scenes that I found cute/sweet or heavily emotional, but they didn't hold much weight due to the lack of build-up from the aforementioned reasons.
I liked the writing style well enough, there were some great descriptions, but some things got repetitive. I won't say much about the ending, but I felt that one or two chapters should have been cut from it.
Not sure if I'll read anything else from this author, but I'm not going to continue with this trilogy. :(
Positional Dynamic:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia and Injury/Injury detail
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