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thelosersuicides's review against another edition
4.0
probably my favorite of the series tied with stars and stripes
__sunflower__'s review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I love this series, but this book was the weakest so far, which is surprising given the fact that this is an 8th book, I honestly thought I would get bored after two. The first 7 books were so interesting and different in their way, while still keeping the dynamics of the characters I love. This book on the other hand was a mix of the past conflicts: "Ty is a liar" plot we already went through in the last book. I also didn't really care about Nick and Kelly's relationship, because it was already established in this book and everything between them happened outside this series. But overall this book was an okay read, but I'm still hoping to get a nice ending to Ty and Zane's story.
siakou's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5
This was quite the mystery and I truly enjoyed it.
I like reading about Nick and Kelly, it didn’t feel like they overshadowed Ty and Zane at all.
The humour is always great it this books and much appreciated and the ending was too wholesome.
It took me a while to finish this, I just needed a break from this series I think but now I can’t wait to see how this all ends.
This was quite the mystery and I truly enjoyed it.
I like reading about Nick and Kelly, it didn’t feel like they overshadowed Ty and Zane at all.
The humour is always great it this books and much appreciated and the ending was too wholesome.
It took me a while to finish this, I just needed a break from this series I think but now I can’t wait to see how this all ends.
kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Eighth in the Cut & Run erotic romantic suspense series and revolving around two gay FBI agents with the boys off to Scotland and a wedding.
In Touch & Geaux, 7, Ty and his team got called up, and no one knows where they are, what they're doing, or when, if, they're coming home. Until Ball & Chain.
My Take
Whoa, Ball & Chain is incredibly intense as we learn a lot about Nick's past, his father's abuse, how he met Ty, and the issues Nick now has with Ty. It all comes out as people are being murdered right and left in a nasty, vicious plot to kidnap Amelia.
Roux's usual funny banter is here, thank god. It brings some relief to the heaviness. Some of which is Zane continually refusing Ty's proposals. Although, Nick does make a good point when he gives Ty a tip. It certainly is a unique way of proposing and so much more personal. Shows that Ty's been paying attention.
The fun continues with the exchanges between Nick and Kelly, Owen and Digger excited about going out for milkshakes and meat — Digger is practically skipping, lol. Not what you're thinking Marines would want after a tour of duty. Zane has some tips for Ty on what to do in an adoption interview, lol.
Life is still intense for Zane and Ty with Kelly and Nick all needing to put the threat to Zane down and find that mole in the office. That traitor has taken too much from all of them.
Jesus, Nick's father sounds like a major jerk, and I'm not impressed with his mother either. I absolutely loved it when Nick asked his dad how scared he was when the doctors told him Nick was his only chance. Fifteen broken bones.
I'm kinda surprised that Stanton hasn't put a cell tower on his island.
It's Kelly's flailing that trips that ball and chain. A very lucky find. That Kelly is somethin' else. I was with Nick: Let the man die. But Kelly makes an excellent point, one we should all keep in mind. It's not a forgiveness of the man, but a hand up for yourself. Oh, lordy, Chester gets in on the fun as well. What is it with all this behind your back stuff, lol.
It's also the installment that reveals that Kelly and Nick are a couple.
I got some niggles: if the walls are stone, then how are they hearing anything through those walls? How can they pound on the wall and have it heard? As for the anger over who owns the island, how can anyone else feel they own it if great-grandpa bought it that long ago? There's that insinuation at one point that one character purposely set the time on his watch as a clue. So…before he was murdered, he knew he would need to leave a clue? If he knew that, how come they surprised him?
I would like to know who killed the last person murdered. How come Emma appears to be the only Grady family member — other than those four cousins — invited?
Bad news. Turns out Nick has been angry with Ty for a long time. Who knew?
Damn this is tense. Roux will have you racing through the pages, desperate to know what happens next.
More bad news. The next Cut & Run story will be the last…sob. And somehow Liam Bell figures into this with his threats against Nick.
The Story
Deuce needs a favor and some groomsmen: a best man and more. Bring guns.
It's Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None in modern guise.
The Characters
Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Zane Garrett and Special Agent Captain Ty Grady have been partners at work and at home for a few years. Deacon, a.k.a., Deuce, is Ty's psychiatrist brother. Mara and Earl Grady are Ty and Deacon's parents. Emma Grady, an underwater archeologist, is Ty's baby cousin and one of the bridesmaids. She's brought her cameraman, Marley King, to film the wedding. Chester is their grandpa with a serious shovel fetish.
Marine Force Recon team Sidewinder
Kelly "Doc" Abbott was the team medic; in civilian life, he works at a camp for at-risk youth. Master Sergeant Nick "Snakebite" O'Flaherty, the "acquisitions" specialist, is hiding his new relationship. Digger and Owen have had their own fantasies.
The wedding party with resident in-laws
Livi Stanton, a yoga instructor, is the bride, and the mother of Deuce's child, Amelia. Her father, Theodore Stanton, is hosting the wedding on the family island out in the Inner Hebrides in Scotland. Susan is his wife and Livi's mother. Theo is Livi's unexcited older brother. Ernest Milton is Stanton's head of operations. Cooper is one of the four Grady cousins. I'm curious as to who they belong to? Which cousins are the parents?
Nikki Web is the maid of honor while Catalina Cruz, Ashlee Knight, and Miyoko Mason are more bridesmaids. Christian Orr is Deuce's oldest friend; Matthew Ferguson is another friend of his.
Staff at Stanton Hall
Lachlan Mackie is in charge of the docks. Mrs. Aileen Boyd is Stanton Hall's cook; her husband, Hamish, is the house manager. Maisie Ross is the full-time nanny. Jockie Fraser is the groundskeeper. Gillis is another one of the staff.
Stanton's security people, the Snake Eaters
John English is their leader, Lenny Hardin , Solomon Frost, Avery Kline is the one female Snake Eater, and Riddle Park are the rest of the team.
Nick's family lives in…
…Boston? Kat and Erin are the sisters he's closest to. Patrick is Kat's oldest son. Alana and Nessa are the younger sisters who don't remember those escapes to the safety of the basement. Brian O'Flaherty is his brute of a father who suddenly needs his son to care.
FBI - Baltimore
The old team includes Clancy, Alston, Perrimore, and Lassiter. Special Agent-in-Charge McCoy wants Grady back, but there's a caveat. Seems an involved couple can't serve in the same office.
Assistant Director Richard Burns is a friend of the Grady family. Liam Bell whom we first met in Touch & Geaux, 7, was once Ty's lover before Ty shot him. We still don't know if he works with NIA or has gone rogue.
The Cover and Title
The cover is consistent with earlier ones: a simple pinstripe background in horizontal whites and grays with a carved and distressed angel praying and kneeling on a silver chain with a ball attached. The title is bold and simple above the cherub in a shining metal font.
The title is not what I was thinking. Yep, I was thinking wedding bells, and there are wedding bells, just not for my favorite FBI agents. Instead it's a dead giveaway to secret passages, a Ball & Chain, that could well save their lives. It's also a not-so-humorous reference to that tool Nick is prepared to use.
In Touch & Geaux, 7, Ty and his team got called up, and no one knows where they are, what they're doing, or when, if, they're coming home. Until Ball & Chain.
My Take
Whoa, Ball & Chain is incredibly intense as we learn a lot about Nick's past, his father's abuse, how he met Ty, and the issues Nick now has with Ty. It all comes out as people are being murdered right and left in a nasty, vicious plot to kidnap Amelia.
Roux's usual funny banter is here, thank god. It brings some relief to the heaviness. Some of which is Zane continually refusing Ty's proposals. Although, Nick does make a good point when he gives Ty a tip. It certainly is a unique way of proposing and so much more personal. Shows that Ty's been paying attention.
I love this comment from Nick:
"Let him know you're serious and you're thinking about life instead of just wearing a ring."
The fun continues with the exchanges between Nick and Kelly, Owen and Digger excited about going out for milkshakes and meat — Digger is practically skipping, lol. Not what you're thinking Marines would want after a tour of duty. Zane has some tips for Ty on what to do in an adoption interview, lol.
Life is still intense for Zane and Ty with Kelly and Nick all needing to put the threat to Zane down and find that mole in the office. That traitor has taken too much from all of them.
Jesus, Nick's father sounds like a major jerk, and I'm not impressed with his mother either. I absolutely loved it when Nick asked his dad how scared he was when the doctors told him Nick was his only chance. Fifteen broken bones.
This says it all about Nick's relationship to his dad:"He [a kid in the fostercare system] got word his mom had died of an overdose. He was all torn up about it, and I just couldn't understand why. His scars were still healing. … he told me he was glad she was dead. He was mourning the mother he could have had."
I'm kinda surprised that Stanton hasn't put a cell tower on his island.
It's Kelly's flailing that trips that ball and chain. A very lucky find. That Kelly is somethin' else. I was with Nick: Let the man die. But Kelly makes an excellent point, one we should all keep in mind. It's not a forgiveness of the man, but a hand up for yourself. Oh, lordy, Chester gets in on the fun as well. What is it with all this behind your back stuff, lol.
It's also the installment that reveals that Kelly and Nick are a couple.
"…what words do I use for this feeling if 'I love you' has already been used?"
I got some niggles: if the walls are stone, then how are they hearing anything through those walls? How can they pound on the wall and have it heard? As for the anger over who owns the island, how can anyone else feel they own it if great-grandpa bought it that long ago? There's that insinuation at one point that one character purposely set the time on his watch as a clue. So…before he was murdered, he knew he would need to leave a clue? If he knew that, how come they surprised him?
I would like to know who killed the last person murdered. How come Emma appears to be the only Grady family member — other than those four cousins — invited?
Bad news. Turns out Nick has been angry with Ty for a long time. Who knew?
Damn this is tense. Roux will have you racing through the pages, desperate to know what happens next.
More bad news. The next Cut & Run story will be the last…sob. And somehow Liam Bell figures into this with his threats against Nick.
The Story
Deuce needs a favor and some groomsmen: a best man and more. Bring guns.
It's Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None in modern guise.
The Characters
Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Zane Garrett and Special Agent Captain Ty Grady have been partners at work and at home for a few years. Deacon, a.k.a., Deuce, is Ty's psychiatrist brother. Mara and Earl Grady are Ty and Deacon's parents. Emma Grady, an underwater archeologist, is Ty's baby cousin and one of the bridesmaids. She's brought her cameraman, Marley King, to film the wedding. Chester is their grandpa with a serious shovel fetish.
Marine Force Recon team Sidewinder
Kelly "Doc" Abbott was the team medic; in civilian life, he works at a camp for at-risk youth. Master Sergeant Nick "Snakebite" O'Flaherty, the "acquisitions" specialist, is hiding his new relationship. Digger and Owen have had their own fantasies.
The wedding party with resident in-laws
Livi Stanton, a yoga instructor, is the bride, and the mother of Deuce's child, Amelia. Her father, Theodore Stanton, is hosting the wedding on the family island out in the Inner Hebrides in Scotland. Susan is his wife and Livi's mother. Theo is Livi's unexcited older brother. Ernest Milton is Stanton's head of operations. Cooper is one of the four Grady cousins. I'm curious as to who they belong to? Which cousins are the parents?
Nikki Web is the maid of honor while Catalina Cruz, Ashlee Knight, and Miyoko Mason are more bridesmaids. Christian Orr is Deuce's oldest friend; Matthew Ferguson is another friend of his.
Staff at Stanton Hall
Lachlan Mackie is in charge of the docks. Mrs. Aileen Boyd is Stanton Hall's cook; her husband, Hamish, is the house manager. Maisie Ross is the full-time nanny. Jockie Fraser is the groundskeeper. Gillis is another one of the staff.
Stanton's security people, the Snake Eaters
John English is their leader, Lenny Hardin , Solomon Frost, Avery Kline is the one female Snake Eater, and Riddle Park are the rest of the team.
Nick's family lives in…
…Boston? Kat and Erin are the sisters he's closest to. Patrick is Kat's oldest son. Alana and Nessa are the younger sisters who don't remember those escapes to the safety of the basement. Brian O'Flaherty is his brute of a father who suddenly needs his son to care.
FBI - Baltimore
The old team includes Clancy, Alston, Perrimore, and Lassiter. Special Agent-in-Charge McCoy wants Grady back, but there's a caveat. Seems an involved couple can't serve in the same office.
Assistant Director Richard Burns is a friend of the Grady family. Liam Bell whom we first met in Touch & Geaux, 7, was once Ty's lover before Ty shot him. We still don't know if he works with NIA or has gone rogue.
The Cover and Title
The cover is consistent with earlier ones: a simple pinstripe background in horizontal whites and grays with a carved and distressed angel praying and kneeling on a silver chain with a ball attached. The title is bold and simple above the cherub in a shining metal font.
The title is not what I was thinking. Yep, I was thinking wedding bells, and there are wedding bells, just not for my favorite FBI agents. Instead it's a dead giveaway to secret passages, a Ball & Chain, that could well save their lives. It's also a not-so-humorous reference to that tool Nick is prepared to use.
k_a_r_e_n_b's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
a_reader_obsessed's review against another edition
5.0
I think any fan of this series (myself included) is going to want more and more and more of Ty and Zane and it will never be enough. It has some great scenes that are sweet, sexy, funny, as well as heart wrenching and nail biting. I will admit the mystery was quite convoluted and Nick and Kelly play a prominent role as their series is being started, but Abigail Roux sets it up for the end game (sob) with a devastating loss, a return character, and a HFN ending that better produce a HEA. I feel we waited forever for this entry to the series and now we have to wait most likely another year for the next book and that to me is the most disappointing part. I loved this book as I loved all the ones before it!
Cut & Run Series
1. Cut & Run - 5 Stars
2. Sticks & Stones - 5 Stars
3. Fish & Chips - 5 Stars
4. Divide & Conquer - 5 Stars
Warrior’s Cross - 4 Stars
5. Armed & Dangerous - 5 Stars
6. Tigers & Stripes 5 Stars
7. Touch & Geaux - 5 Stars
8. Ball & Chain - 5 Stars
9. Crash & Burn - 5 Stars
Cut & Run Series
1. Cut & Run - 5 Stars
2. Sticks & Stones - 5 Stars
3. Fish & Chips - 5 Stars
4. Divide & Conquer - 5 Stars
5. Armed & Dangerous - 5 Stars
6. Tigers & Stripes 5 Stars
7. Touch & Geaux - 5 Stars
8. Ball & Chain - 5 Stars
9. Crash & Burn - 5 Stars
zippy_julz's review against another edition
4.0
Not the type of books I would normally read but I love these characters.
divapitbull's review against another edition
4.0
Ball & Chain begins with the Sidewinder boys coming home from deployment. There are immediate consequences from Ty’s grand exit at the FBI station but it’s only a matter of time before he and Zane get pulled into more drama – which comes in the form of his brother’s wedding – on a private Island off the coast of Scotland. Seems Deuce’s father in law to be is doing some work for the DOD and as a result has drawn some negative attention (i.e. threats of death & dismemberment) and so Ty is asked to bring a Recon buddy to the wedding as extra security – cue friend Nick and his date Kelly (You said to bring a date and a gun so I brought a date WITH a gun).
This is the first book in the Cut & Run series that is getting less than 5 stars. I finally understand the “cramming Nick and Kelly down our throats” sentiment. I don’t dislike either of them; in fact they’re great secondary characters – but here it finally felt like “too much” – especially knowing the next book I read (because I have OCD and because I’m such an embarrassingly ridiculous Ty & Zane fan girl that I’ll read anything that even mentions their names) will be the next Sidewinder Cross & Crown installment.
So between the Nick & Kelly show and quite a lot of time and attention spent on plot; there was sadly not enough quality Ty & Zane time. And speaking of plot – once again I can’t figure out if it is brilliantly crafted and I’m just not quite bright enough to follow along – or if it doesn’t actually entirely make sense and it’s intentionally convoluted enough so I’ll think it’s me.
But there were enough awesome moments to earn 4 stars.
The homecoming reunion was just sweet.
Ty’s multiple proposals and Zane’s insistence that he really think it through before he says “yes” was funny and his final proposal when he got it right was incredibly heartwarming.
The closeness between them was nice after the angst fest that was Touch & Geaux.
Ty getting called on some of his shit by Nick and reminded that he was a liar, McLiar pants was also kind of awesome. Zane let him off the hook easy in T&G, I think because he really didn’t have a choice. Ty has the blind obedience to authority mindset and really didn’t think lying through his teeth and withholding pertinent information from Zane was in any way wrong – and Zane loves him – so it’s either leave him or suck it up and move on. Nick on the other hand had no compunction about forcing Ty to look at the consequences of his behavior (although honestly I still don’t think he gets it).
Nick and Zane bonding and Nick telling Ty he needs to stop drinking in front of Zane (it’s hard for him and you’re a sloppy drunk) was pretty cool.
So all in all – it’s still my boys – and I thoroughly enjoyed it – but seeing as this is the second to the last Ty and Zane book ever – it would have been nice to see more Ty and Zane.
This is the first book in the Cut & Run series that is getting less than 5 stars. I finally understand the “cramming Nick and Kelly down our throats” sentiment. I don’t dislike either of them; in fact they’re great secondary characters – but here it finally felt like “too much” – especially knowing the next book I read (because I have OCD and because I’m such an embarrassingly ridiculous Ty & Zane fan girl that I’ll read anything that even mentions their names) will be the next Sidewinder Cross & Crown installment.
So between the Nick & Kelly show and quite a lot of time and attention spent on plot; there was sadly not enough quality Ty & Zane time. And speaking of plot – once again I can’t figure out if it is brilliantly crafted and I’m just not quite bright enough to follow along – or if it doesn’t actually entirely make sense and it’s intentionally convoluted enough so I’ll think it’s me.
But there were enough awesome moments to earn 4 stars.
The homecoming reunion was just sweet.
Ty’s multiple proposals and Zane’s insistence that he really think it through before he says “yes” was funny and his final proposal when he got it right was incredibly heartwarming.
The closeness between them was nice after the angst fest that was Touch & Geaux.
Ty getting called on some of his shit by Nick and reminded that he was a liar, McLiar pants was also kind of awesome. Zane let him off the hook easy in T&G, I think because he really didn’t have a choice. Ty has the blind obedience to authority mindset and really didn’t think lying through his teeth and withholding pertinent information from Zane was in any way wrong – and Zane loves him – so it’s either leave him or suck it up and move on. Nick on the other hand had no compunction about forcing Ty to look at the consequences of his behavior (although honestly I still don’t think he gets it).
Nick and Zane bonding and Nick telling Ty he needs to stop drinking in front of Zane (it’s hard for him and you’re a sloppy drunk) was pretty cool.
So all in all – it’s still my boys – and I thoroughly enjoyed it – but seeing as this is the second to the last Ty and Zane book ever – it would have been nice to see more Ty and Zane.
papasfritass's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-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