Man Walks into a Bar: A Trio of Short St... Jake’s Story
Jacoby (Jake) Winthrop is a carpenter trying to make ends meet. He’s driving to a job site when he is stopped for speeding. Office Landry Blue tickets him and allows Jake to go his way. Jake is late and upon arriving he knows he won’t be invited to work another day. But he’s a hard worker and his employer for the day sees it and makes him an offer to stay for a week. After a day of hard work Jake frequents the only great affordable establishment to eat at. That’s where an off duty Landry approaches him.

Bo’s story
Bo Hinkle and Mack Womack have been life time nemesis, well at least that’s how Bo has always seen it. But Mack takes it a little too far when he steals Bo’s family recipe for prize winning chili. Bo is more than ready to take him down with his new take on the family recipe.

Garret’s story
Garret Ziegler is a pariah in the private financial sector. After one bad mistake, he’s trying to build up his reputation in the industry again. The night before a job interview, Garret decides to go to a club and just relax. He meets a guy and they have a wonderful night. All goes to hell, when the CEO of the company, Tony or Anthony Sendejo, walks into the meeting the next day and Garret sees it’s his one night stand.

I have to admit when I received the email with a brief vague description from the author I think I was expecting more erotica than romance stories. I’m glad it turned out to be so much more. I enjoyed getting to know each character in their respective story and being an outsider looking in to the emotional terminal they each experienced. For short stories I didn’t expect to fall in love with the characters and get so invested in their wellbeing. In both, Jake and Landry and Garret and Tony’s case my heart hurt because there was a hiccup in their blooming relationship which could have actually killed any development. I literally wanted to shake each character in hopes they would get their heads on straight. Garret’s situation though was the one that really really kicked me in the heart and anyone who reads it will know why (sorry no spoiler here from me).
Bo’s story was the most frustrating of all three stories. Mack really rubbed me the wrong way for half the read, he came off to arrogant and acted like a major jerk. The flashbacks into Bo and Mack’s lives and interactions were very telling. Near the end I didn’t hold as much animosity towards him as I did at the start. Mack’s bullying was a touch too violent and childish for me, even though it was reasoned out why.

An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Jude and Rowan are settling into their relationship after moving in together. But not everything is perfect in paradise. After five months of living together Rowan still hasn't unpacked and this plants a seed of doubt in Jude that Rowan isn't fully committed to their relationship. Things get a bit more tense when a still recovering Rowan returns to work and the new captain has it in for Rowan. When Jude's neighbor finds skeletal remains on his property things turn from bad to worse.

I really enjoyed this installment in the series. I was sadden about what happened between Jude and Rowan and that their relationship became so strained that they had to resort to the actions that occurred. The murder case was really intriguing and it was great seeing Jude and Rowan in action to solve the case even if their relationship took a hit. Ishmael was not my favorite character in the book. I was glad to see he was less of a jerk towards the end.

Originally reviewed at Sinfully.

After the first two books in the series (you really shouldn’t read this as a standalone) there is little doubt that Jude and Rowan love each other and are better together than apart. The problem is that both of them have a stubborn streak. Rowan is constantly afraid that once he commits and gets comfortable his happiness will be taken away. Jude still hasn’t fully come to grips with the fact that he is no longer in law enforcement. He enjoys running his fishing tour business, but he can’t turn off his investigative instincts and his need to see justice done.

Rowan and Jude have been living together for a few months, but Rowan can’t bring himself to move all the way in with Jude. His clothes and toiletries have all found a place in the home, but the rest of his boxes and personal items haven’t been unpacked. He knows this bothers Jude, but deep down he still fears that Jude will be gone from his life again so why should he bother settling in further. Besides his priority is his physical recovery, which is still ongoing, and getting back to normal at work. Jude can feel Rowan holding things back from him and wonders if he still has one foot out the door.

Rowan is back to work with a new boss who holds a grudge against him and is going to make his life difficult. When their neighbor, Riley, calls Jude about some remains he finds on his property, things start to go bad very quickly. Rowan is tasked with the investigation and his new boss is all over him, especially when Jude is at the crime scene when they show up. Jude believes Riley is going to take the fall for a murder he didn’t commit. No matter how much Rowan tells Jude to stop interfering in the case, how much he explains to Jude that his new boss is looking for something to hang him with, Jude just can’t stop himself.

While the mystery is again well done, this book is all about the emotional side of the romance between Jude and Rowan. This time we get both their points of view so even though they have a difficult time there is no question that they both love each other and want the relationship to work. The problem is that once again, love might not be enough to keep them together and their old demons and habits aren’t easy to break. Jude and Rowan have gotten a bit better at talking, but neither one listens all that well. There are still things being held back and frustrations have them lashing out at each other until they finally break.

If it sounds like all the heavy tension is going to bring the mood down, don’t worry; Jude’s sister Kristy puts an end to that. She has tasked Jude and Rowan with throwing a bachelor party for her groom who lives out of the country and they have never met. The woman gets on my nerves at times, but she has nothing but love for Jude and Rowan and will do what she can to make sure they are as happy as she is.

I absolutely love Rowan and Jude as a couple. It’s only been about five months since they got back together in [b:Doubleback|25238854|Doubleback (Doubleback, #1)|Lissa Ford|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1436434657s/25238854.jpg|44957817] and they have been five difficult months, but they have worked hard to stay together. They have moved forward and though they can’t imagine going back to a life without the other it seemed like it just may have to come to that. They love hard and they fight hard and their passion comes through on the page. Their struggle was emotional and at times and my heart was breaking as I blamed each of them for what was happening (though I blamed Jude a bit more).

While a new avenue of opportunity presents itself to Jude towards the end of this book, there is something else looming that they will have to deal with first. I don’t want to characterize the ending as a cliff hanger, but there is something that comes up that makes for an uncertain future. The men still love and are there for each other, but once again their road seems to be heading uphill.

Lissa Ford’s writing is wonderful. Both the relationship and mystery storylines consistently work well together. I am really hoping that in the next book there is more time for these two to be with each other without being torn apart. They have been put through the wringer since before the first book starts and they definitely deserve their happy ever after.

Bait - Lissa Ford An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Opposites attract in the form of Danny O'Prey, an FBI agent and Alexi Romanov, an leather bar owner/ex-gangbanger. Danny was the bait that was suppose to entrap Alexi. It worked but in turn made the two realize that there's an magnetic attraction between the two. But it's important the two find the mastermind of the extortion ring before they go to ground taking their victims with them, ruins their life and expose their relationship.

The plot was good, I did wish there was just a tad more action involved. For me the amount of romance/lust worked. I liked that the author built up the MCs and the progression of their relationship was very natural albeit a bit whirlwind-ish. I don't usually like reading stories set in places I know since I nitpick at the accuracy of the places/traveling systems. This book didn't change my mind on that and the inaccuracy of somethings just lowered my reading pleasure.

I did like the last two chapters in particular. I love the thought of giving up someone to make sure they don't have any regrets and this really worked here. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next installments have for readers.

There was a part in Chap13 the author should look into regarding Alexi wrists being bound by one of Danny's hand while he's feeling up Alexi...and Alexi somehow reaches his bound hands to feel Danny up?

Bait - Lissa Ford Review originally posted at Sinfully.
3.5 stars

Bait is a good start to a new series from Lissa Ford. This story focuses primarily on the mystery storyline, with some dark subject matter, while the romance takes a secondary role. The mystery, inspired by a true story, is well written and did keep me guessing who, from a small pool of suspects, was actually involved.

Special Agent Danny O’Pray is third generation FBI. He loves his job, but a recent career setback and the pressure of living up to the storied careers of his grandmother, his father and even his brother are all getting to him. He knows he has to be careful to get his career back on track, but this latest undercover job playing bait in a gay club has him close to a panic wondering if he can get through the job without letting on that he has urges towards men, something he’s been denying and pushing aside. The big problem seems to be the difficulty he has reining in his emotions and not letting them show.

Alexi Romanov is the owner of Fetish, a nightclub and leather bar that has recently played a part in a blackmail and extortion scheme that may also be linked to human trafficking. Romanov is a well-respected businessman and leader in the LGBT community, but he is also a person of interest in the case. When Danny goes undercover to gain access to the VIP room at Fetish, the sparks fly between him and Romanov. Soon Danny’s career isn’t the only thing in danger as he finds the investigation heating up along with the attraction between himself and Romanov.

Lissa Ford does a good job establishing both Danny and Romanov as individuals. Having read and enjoyed her Doubleback series, I was expecting a bit more in the romance aspect. The relationship here really didn’t go past lust, which would be realistic under circumstances with Romanov a person of interest in a high-profile investigation and the short time frame during which the story takes place. I had a little trouble fully believing that Danny would compromise his career so thoroughly for a shot at the man, but the two do have definite on-page chemistry as evidenced in the few sex scenes. Danny has no problem jumping in with both feet once he has the opportunity, and Alexi definitely clouds Danny’s judgment. There are feelings involved, but they really don’t have an opportunity to explore that part of things.

The multiple points of view in the story including both Danny and Romanov, as well as one of the victims of the trafficking ring, worked well, with all the characters having distinct voices. I also enjoyed getting to know Danny’s family especially his feisty grandmother and his mysterious brother, Terrance, who has left Philly to work on the West Coast. I’m not sure what’s in store for the upcoming books, but would love to see what’s going on with him.

Bait worked well as a set up for the relationship and a starting point for the series, with a HFN ending. I’m hoping the next book picks up on Danny and Romanov’s relationship as the two have so much to explore and they are not going to have an easy road. Lissa Ford has done a good job with relationships that have a lot of depth to them in her prior books so I’ll be eagerly anticipating the next installment.