Former Army Ranger turned government assassin Álvaro Montero and CIA Officer Caiden Cardosa crossed paths two years ago in Vienna, where their encounter ended less than amicably—despite the explosive sexual chemistry between them. Now Caiden is riding a desk at Langley after his cover is blown. And Álvaro—who was “killed”—has a new identity and purpose as Delta/D, an operative for the Locke and … Locke and Keyes Agency, under the leadership of the mysterious Alpha Orion.
When D and Caiden team up in a deadly black ops mission, the urge to kill each other will have to take a back seat to the desire for revenge against the man who betrayed them both. Surviving the mission won’t be easy. Resisting the passion between them—that might be impossible.
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A great read. If you love Charlie Cochet you’ll love this
D (Delta) and Caiden have history. A not so happily ever after kind of history. So when D’s boss and Caiden’s potential new boss, Alpha, pairs them up on an assignment to find out who betrayed them both at different times, well let the good times roll!
Lots of action (both of the fun and the not so fun kind), sizzling chemistry, witty, snarky banter and a fast pace kept Kept in the Dark at a very readable level for me. I thought the two made a great couple and all the side characters introduced kept my interest as well. This is a series that I will be reading lots more of in the future!
Álvaro Montero AKA “D” is now supposedly dead for better purposes. Oh he did actually die. Only to be resurrected by someone who wants him to use his skills to get rid of the bad that is among polite society.
Caiden has been burned and his days with the CIA are numbered. Then he gets the chance to find out who it was that actually burned him. Will he really want to know once he finds out? And will working with his sort of ex cause more problems?
This was such a fun and fast paced read. I loved the banter and the sexy heat between the characters. There was so much to the story, and I never felt it lag. I eagerly gobbled up each page. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.
Excellent book. Can’t wait for the rest of the seres.i
Kept in the Dark is a fast paced thrilling m/m romantic suspense. The chemistry between Cade and D was off the charts. I loved the banter between them. This is an enthralling story ending with our spy guys in love.
Full of action and witty banter between the MCs, Kept in the Dark is a great source of fun.
I was totally into the story with all the action, but the characters totally stole the show here. Loved both of them to pieces.
Entertaining from the start, it’s obvious that D and Caiden have a whole lot of denial and grudge to overcome if they want something lasting to happen between them. I really enjoyed the banter between the men, though sometimes there was too much sniping and not enough open honesty about feelings and motives. Overall the men were absolutely hot for one another and once we got to know them, it was very clear that they were meant to be together.
D’s introduction was a bit of a shock for me, mostly because I was NOT a fan of getting a graphic description of how he spends his free time with his more amorous pursuits. It’s not something we really have to read between the lines for with him, but to see it so explicit right at the start was not endearing me to him. Add in all his back and forth with his wanting Caiden, then pushing him away harshly and barking at him for doing his job and I wasn’t really believing his investment in them once things got real. The “that’s why I left” bit was unsatisfying as well because we got two different “reasons” before the truth came out and it was, yet again, different from the previous reasons.
The back-and-forth with Caiden was present from his side as well, but it was more from the “I’m all in, I give up” perspective. I wasn’t a huge fan of that version of push and pull either. How he went from unkind teasing to a fully invested heart so quickly felt rushed and a little disingenuous. But despite his initial huge outburst at their reintroduction, it didn’t take me long to warm up to him.
Caiden’s responses to D’s humor were entertaining and their chemistry was absolutely incendiary. I don’t necessarily think there was enough depth to support all the sexy times, but it was relatively easy to put that aside because once they were both all in, it was hard not to love them just as much as they professed to love one another. The huge declaration and surprising question kind of caught me off guard and was a bit too sappy considering the TPO, but it was weirdly fitting too considering who these men were. Getting their “epilogue” was the right way to end the story too. It was suited to the men, their lives, and their personalities. We didn’t get a lot of the other agents, but what we got was enough to spark a huge amount of interest. I’m actually quite excited for more from this series and how more of the men of Locke and Keyes will meet their fiery matches.
4.5 Stars
Another fantastic story by this outstanding author! In this book there was suspense, drama, intrigue, hilarious situations, twists and turns and most important two smarta$$ alpha men. Caiden has been sidelined to a desk job when his cover is blown with the CIA. D is an agent of Locke and Keyes organization that imprisons the scum of the world. They have one passionate night in Vienna and D gets scared and ghosts Caiden while he is the bathroom. A couple of years later they are forced to be partners to try to take down to set up Caiden and “killed” D. Will they be able to solve the case without killing each other?
I love this author’s sense of humor- Throwing a printer off the balcony because it doesn’t work or grandma candies. The jealousy Caiden and D display towards each other is hilarious. I can’t wait for the next installment of this series!!
Espionage. Undercover. Attraction. Sexual tensions. Betrayal.
Just your everyday ingredients for an excellent spy and an excellent heartbreaker, someone assuming another persona in the very dangerous world of world espionage!
Alvaro was killed. Now there is only Delta, D. He works as an agent of Locke and Keyes Agency which is a front for a black ops orgnaization who deals with corrupt government officials and other people in power who believes they can get away with anything.
Caiden’s cover was blown two years ago, when he had one hot night with Alvaro. Now he is bound to desk duty. The company did not fire him but not being in the field is slowly killing him, he has lost his drive in being an agent, a world-class agent.
Now both are presented a chance to get back at the person who killed Alvaro, who is also the same person who blew Caiden’s cover, but of course they grabbed at it, albeit with a little reluctance in Caiden’s part, not knowing about Locke and Keyes Agency before this. And the fact that he will also be confronting his one-night stand who literally ran out on him two years ago.
Funny banter, hot sexual tension, covert ops and a lot of action, and what you have is another bestseller from Ms. Charlie Cochet! Ms. Charlie, your characters are funny and endearing, sometimes bullheaded and sarcastic, but these are the very qualities we love about them. Love this new eries and eagerly awaiting for the next one!
An awesome beginning for new series! The suspense is edgy, the humor is hilarious, the men are s*exy, the heat level is hot HOT! Ms Cochet never disappoints! This story features two men who had to give up their lives after a terrible betrayal, and two years later still search for answers. But what happens when the truth is out in the open? Does it feel good to know or does it fill them with regret?
Álvaro Montero is dead or as dead as everyone but select few know. After a hit that should have ended him, he had to leave everything behind to protect his family. Now he is D. He has found a new purpose in life in exposing the dirtiest criminals and bringing the weight of the law on them. His life is full of adrenaline rush and meaningless hook ups, and he tells himself that it’s enough. Only deep inside he still remembers the man that he can never see again. But work in Alpha Orion is never dull, and he is brought face to face with his past lover and past mistakes. I liked D’s sense of humor, the way he took care of Caiden. He might have physically left him but he also left a small piece of his heart behind.
Caiden Cardosa might have been a disappointment to his social climbing parents but out there in the field he was the best. But a man sneaking into the night and anonymous call put an end to his brilliant career and put him back to square one. Now he is listless while pushing papers at the office and slowly dying on the inside. But a late night phone call from mysterious Alpha gives him an opportunity to finally find closure and find the person who betrayed him. He never expects to see the man who still haunts his thoughts to be the one to help him. I loved Caiden undercover. He is so self confident and a wonderful agent. The situations he gets to with D are hilarious, the chemistry between them is undeniably explosive yet underneath it all are the tender feelings that never left and now are getting only stronger.
The case takes them to the wealthiest and the dirtiest of criminals – the Steward. The lengths they go to find what they need nearly shatters the newfound bond between them but Caiden finally sees that the knowledge is not worth losing the best thing he has ever found – D and their love for each other. But the clock is ticking, and there are others who are ready to make a move to find the info that can prove deadly. In the end the secrets still come out and devastate no matter what. But D and Caiden work together to make sure that nothing else happens. It’s action packed, intense and thrilling. I loved the fast-paced adventure and love between two hard men that mellowed for each other. Ah, another winner! I highly recommend it!
Kept in the Dark is the first in the new series Locke and Keyes Agency. Charlie Cochet.
Cade and D are paired together for a mission to find the person that ruined both their lives. This task is further complicated by the fact that they shared a one-night stand two years prior.
Kept in the Dark is a low angst suspense romance with all flavour we expect from Ms Cochet. It is well written, filled with humour and light banter. However, I thought the relationship between Cade and D developed too quickly.. maybe it was because they had a past encounter that we were not privy to, but I would have love to see more development there.
I did enjoy this book and look forward to the next in the series.
Another fantastic read from Charlie Cochet!! One of my top romantic suspense books this year. Also love the humour. It may not be Dex(THIRDS series) or Ace (Four Kings) level but it’s definitely funny. I mean the printer from hell? Damn, that’s relatable!
D and Caiden are smokin’ hot together. Also loved the jealousy. I mean both of them getting jealous??? Sign me up!! This is a dual POV and sort of enemies to lovers. There is lots of action and romance and this is a really great start to rhe series.
It’s cute that the Alpha Orion team is named after the constellation. I first thought it had something to do with greek letters (also I’ve zero knowledge in astronomy).Loved the whole team. I wonder if each member will get a book. Which will be awesome! I’m really looking forward to the next book(Si’s). Can’t wait!! Don’t want to say much as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone.
Recommended to everyone who loves romantic suspense. Also if you’re a fan of Charlie’s, this os a no brainer.
*ARC provided by the author via Vibrant Promotions in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
Kept in the Dark is the first book in the Locke and Keyes series by Charlie Cochet. Romance meets suspense in this amazing introduction to a new thrilling series. This story is packed with action, secrets, investigations, big reveals, humor, angst, lust and love. Caiden and D are fantastic characters that I immediately was drawn in by and needed to know more about. Their interactions are steamy and fun. This story does a fantastic job of building up my anticipation for the next books in the series… can’t wait for more!
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.
Another great book by Charlie Cochet. I loved Kept in the Dark. I liked its slow build and how it ramped up in speed in the middle and kept fast and interesting. I love spy books, don’t really understand what they do, but I sure love reading their escapades! I thought D and Caiden were great together. They were so likable and interesting. I loved that their story started before the start of the book and that they did resolve everything. I loved that it was so different from THIRDS, (which I love) but I am glad they are so different so I didn’t make any comparisons, they were separate stories and totally different type of men. It was funny and I can’t wait to read more in the Locke and Keyes Agency series. I absolutely recommend this book!