*verified purchase April 2020* I loved Always, and I waited for so long for this, the followup, so very long. And I struggled. It took me 2 months to read this, I had to read a little bit at a time, because I found it such hard work and I have no flipping idea WHY! It is a lovely story, I did love the feathers thing. Both Robert and Landon have their say. I just . . . don't know! I did finish it though, so . . 3 stars **same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book. For the most, I did enjoy this. Couple of things let it down, for ME, and I'll enplain shortly. Dallas is called up by an acqaintance, is best to describe him, to cash in on a favour owned. Someone needs protecting, and the acquaintance needs something from this someone to keep her safe. There follows a lot of double crossing, back stabbing and general underhandedness you would expect from an organised crime boss, and an organisation that walks under the radar of most things. From what I can gather, this is actually a spin off from another series, The Nicci Beauvior series and Dallas plays a huge part in the 2nd and 3rd book in that series. Some reviewers of THIS have said you should read THOSE books to get the full picture of what Dallas went through, and how he came to where he is now. Personally, I don't think it's really necessary. There is enough recapped and retold here, for you to get the picture, or for ME anyway, to get enough of the picture to fill in the gaps and for this story to flow. I was a little concerned at first that this would be a bit too complicated for my addled brain (April 2020, you get my drift?) to cope with, but it's good. There is a good, intriguing plot to follow, but it's not ever so complex that you have to concentrate too hard on, you know? It's ENOUGH to make you think, to excerise the grey matter, and just enough to keep you engaged til the end. What let it down for ME were two things. Only Dallas has a say. I would like to have heard from Gwen, the someone who Dallas is called to keep safe. I get maybe some of the plotline would be given away, yes, but still I wanted to hear from her, and (job aside) what she thought of Dallas and what leads her to make the offer she does. And Dallas himself was very . . standoffish? . .maybe not quite the right word, but I struggled to connect with Dallas, made more difficult because only his voice is heard. Had Gwen had a say, I could have coped better, or maybe connected earlier, with Dallas. I LOVED Cleveland and Stokes, two of Dallas' operatives. Their banter has, I'm sure, far deeper roots and far further reaching branches, than is currently showing. A very engaging 4 stars **same worded review will appear elsewhere**

I was gifted the AUDIO file of this book. This is book 2 in the Deviant Hearts series, but it can totally be read/listened to as s stand alone book. Dashel and Billy from book one do pop up, but they are not central to the plot. I do, however, suggest you DO read/listen to Captive Hearts, cos you know, I said so! Lee is out of the police force, after one particular undercover operation tips him over the edge and is currently building his security business. Finding the cafe to wait out the storm brings Dominic into his life, and things are not ever going to be the same again. Dominic is head of a campaign to save a rundown pub from development, and its floundering. A saviour comes to help, but is he all he seems? So! Again, I need to say, usually I try to keep two seperate parts to my audio reviews, one for the book and one for the narration. Increasingly, especially with first person books, I can't do that. So not gonna really try to! Lee is part of the plot of Deviant Hearts, and I knew when I was listening to that book, I needed to hear his story. So glad I got the chance! There is immediate attraction between lee and Dominic, that much is obvious, but what I particularly liked about this one is that much of the "action" is off page! Go figure, me, who likes her books down and dirty, and this one . . .isn't so much! Oh don't get me wrong, it's hot and it's sexy, it's all just that little bit out of reach and I really did love that. There was MUCH going on, aside from the romance between Lee and Dominic. MUCH. There is the campaign to save Charlie's. There is Dominic's ex, who he has to work with, still trying to get back with Dom. Lee's ex, causing him problems too. There is the new guy taking up the baton for Charlie's too. Dom's dad is trying to make amends with him for what he did all those years ago, and Lee's business is taking up a lot of his time. All of these items come together in a spectactular fashion! Dan Calley again narrates. The man is growing on me, big time! He gets over all of Lee's need to be ENOUGH for Dominic, to be the best he can, regardless of what his ex said. Calley gets over every single alarm bell that Lee has about *everything*! But I loved that Lee is listening to his instincts, and Calley gets that feeling across beautifully. Calley gets over every single thing Dom thinks of his father, of his brother, and how much he loves his little sister. What Dom feels about Tiger, the ex. What Dom feels when all becomes shockingly clear and how much that hurts him. And Calley gets over every single thing Dom feels when things come to a head. You can READ the words, and you get a picture, you know, but LISTENING to them? Paints a totally different picture to the one you read. It's why I really enjoy listening to a book AFTER I've read them. There is a third book, but I'm not entirely sure where the characters in that book fit in with Billy and Dashel, or with Lee and Dominic, but I look forward to listening to that, when it comes out in audio. I don't like to flip between listening and reading in the same series, it sor of spoils it for me a bit. 5 stars for the book 5 stars for the narration 5 stars overall. **same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book. Bok two in the Lancaster Falls trilogy. I would say you really SHOULD read book one, What Lies Beneath, before this one. There is a underlaying story line that runs through all three and you need the information that comes out in that book. Drew returns home when his brother's remains are discovered. Logan is a cop in town, and the pair butt heads. But deeper than the need to know what happened to his brother, Drew finds he needs Logan at his side. Both men have their secrets, though. As the town reveals its darker side, Drew and Logan have to decide whether the other is worth the heartache. So, book 2 and Lancaster Falls is giving up its secrets. Darker, deadly and so much MORE than book one, I LOVED this! Drew ran, after Casey disappeared and did not return. He said some things, his mum said some things and they fell out, and Drew ran away to the army. Now, with Casey's body being found, Drew returns to face not only his own demons, but Casey's too. Logan is a distraction, one he will willing use to attempt to shut out his problems. Logan will, in turn, use Drew but to a lesser extent. Their first coming together is angry, its a battle, and its glazed over in a way that I really and honestly LOVED! I mean, the whole scene is a couple of pages, but it packs a powerful punch. It sets the way for these two, in a way I really enjoyed watching develop, and in a way I really didn't quite see coming. Something set me off about certain people, and turns out, I was right, but now I'm left with some questions about how things will become clear as to what happened, not only to Casey, but the others. Again, nothing is laid out for you, and I find myself putting bits together all wrong and now, I want book three! I NEED book three and I have to wait til June. I need to know what happened to everyone, and what that epilogue means, cos let me tell ya, I have no freaking clue how this will play out and I bloody LOVE that I don't! 5 more amazing stars! **same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book. You know what? I really REALLY enjoyed this book! You'll laugh at me though, cos its first person, present tense AND multi point of view! If you follow my reviews, you'll know that this, for ME, is the worst way for a book to be written and I have dumped many a book when realising it is written this way. I am, however, so very glad I did NIT dump this one! So, I went to look to see what else I have read by Ms Dale, and lookit! This is the first book by this author name and I was extremely impressed! I love the family legend of how each and every one of them would know who their other half was instantly, much like you get with the mates thing in shifter books, but there are no shifters in this book. A witch is mentioned, when Owen is telling Tristan about the legend, and the family legend itself borderes on paranormal, but thats all. I loved that who was causing problems for Tristan wasn't obvious, and there were a lot of red herrings thrown about! I loved Stella, Tristan's daughter, and how Owen took to her immediately, with the help of his dog, Huck and that Owen had that MINE moment for Stella as well as Tristan. It's deeply emotional in places, hilarious in others. Dark and very deadly in places, and super sexy in others. Owen's family are a lot of fun, but Tristan's are . . not so much. I loved the hints that pop up to maybe future books in this series, and I hope I picked those clues up correctly. Be fun, I think, but I sense some of them might be way WAY more emotional than Tristan's! Can't quite stretch to 5 stars, but a good solid, GREAT . . 4 star read! **same worded review will appear elsewhere**