New York City FBI team leader Samuel Shaughnessy lives for his immediate family and his job. After a marriage gone wrong, he has stuck to a firm rule when it comes to relationships: he doesn’t have them. Sexually active and emotionally unavailable keeps him satisfied, especially now that he is in hot pursuit of a serial killer targeting gay men.Machlan O’Bannon manages a successful sports bar in … sports bar in Houston, and after years of waiting, he’s ready to stand up and be the man he always wanted to be: out, proud and drama-free. His politically-aligned family wants to keep him locked in the closet, but Mac just wants to be true to himself and live his own life.
One man is as high strung as the other is laid back. A chance meeting brings them together, and one night of passion ignites a fire neither can fight. Their lives are not only miles apart, but as different as day and night. They don’t want to get involved, but they might not be able to keep apart.
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Holy crap is this book a thrill ride! I was sucked in from the very beginning and man am I glad that book two is available because I’d be dying if I couldn’t dive right in! The author does a superior job putting the pieces of the story together and ratcheting up the tension. I was visualizing the story as pieces of a puzzle gradually floating towards each other (and I wanted to speed them along) and the tension of the plot as a rubber band in my gut that just kept winding tighter and tighter.
The MCs are NY based FBI Special Agent Sam Shaughnessy and Houston bartender Mac O’Bannon. They meet completely by accident at an airport and ultimately get together for what each believes will be a one-night stand. Sam doesn’t do repeats or relationships and Mac is still closeted due to an agreement with his family. Of course, that doesn’t work out the way they intended and the relationship builds throughout the book in the best of ways. Lots of push and pull and snark and jerky behavior.
Meanwhile, in the suspense part of the story, there is a serial killer on the loose killing gay men and Sam’s team is trying to find him and stop him. As that storyline progresses and as we meet all the secondary characters, we see that Man and Sam’s lives are far more intertwined than they know. There are also plenty of hints dropped about connections to the killer and the author does a great job of throwing red herrings (or are they actual clues?!) all over the place.
I literally felt this book in my gut! I was so tense to find out what when happen when the pieces finally came together except this is a continuing story so the pieces haven’t come together yet. All that has happened, being that this is a romance, is that we have a HFN for Mac and Sam.
The writing is taught and clever. The story arc builds at the right pace to stoke the most tension in both the relationship and the crime storylines. The secondary characters are vivid and contribute in important ways to the plot. I am going to be starting book two immediately! Highly recommend!
**I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion.**
I love Sam and Mac.
This story is more about their romance than of the murders that are happening in the background.
So this book is just to set the start of the story and the beginning of Sam and Macs rocky relationship. Sam does act like a huge jerk a lot of the time and Mac has the patience of a saint. But they are insanely hot together so you know that there are feelings there. The murders of gay men in both their respective states is suspicious and the fact that they know friends of friends makes it a small world where anyone could be the killer.
While I enjoyed the book, I felt it was a bit “choppy” aa it jumped from one area of the story to another without enough interaction of the various plot lines. And it really leaves the reader on a cliffhanger!
This book was addicting. Sam and Mac were engaging and well built characters. I loved seeing them grow and stubble and fall and pick themselves up again. The serial killer plot in the background had me very intrigued. It carries on more thoroughly in bk 2 and jsyk the series is yet to be complete. But so far the ride has been amazing and I can’t wait for more.
Wow. There was a lot packed into this book, and it wasn’t short, either. Between all of the friends, family drama, and the pesky little serial killer, there was a lot going on. Front and center of everything, is Sam and Mac. They literally bumped into each other; instead of a meet cute, it was a bump cute. Their sexual chemistry was off the charts, which led to some steamy bits and bobbles. Sam was definitely not looking for a relationship die to having baggage from the past. Mac had his own baggage. The main characters, and also the MANY side characters, were likable, and the storyline was intriguing. It does end in a cliffhanger, so don’t go expecting everything to be tied up in a pretty bow. It leaves you ready to find out what happens next!
***I voluntarily accepted an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews. My review reflects my own thoughts and opinions***
Taylor Donovan is a new to me author and I will definitely be looking for more!! I started this story and did not put it down until finished!! Sam is an FBI team leader who bumps into Mac at an airport. They have what they think is a one-night stand but cannot stop think of one another. Sam is out and proud while Mac is in the closet because of family. Add in a serial killer and lots of great side characters. This is one phenomenal read!!
I am voluntarily leaving a review form an ARC that I received. My reviews are solely based on my thoughts and opinions.
Taylor V Donovan is a new to me author. I’ve always loved a who dunnit, but throw in a serial killer and I’m sold!
After an accidental meeting, FBI Agent Sam Shaughnessy & closeted Mac O’Bannon meet up for what should have been a one-and-done night. Sam, who never does repeats, can’t get Mac off his mind and they decide to engage in an acquaintance-with-benefits with more rules than your average football game.
Both Sam and Mac have a ton of baggage that they need to work through, however, with all the rules attached to their “relationship”, they find it hard to confide in each other.
There are several secondary characters who are relevant to this story as their lives intertwine with Sam and Mac, and Sam’s serial killer case.
Six Degrees of Lust is well written and very engaging. This book had me on the edge of my seat and I try to figure out the case along side the FBI and who Lev is.
I can’t wait to get to the next book in the series!!!
Rules are made to be broken
There are a lot of complex characters and so many unexpected connections in this series but that what makes it so much fun. I’m so glad I don’t have to wait for book 2. Also I believe I know who the evil and lamb are but we shall see. Either way, the evil needs to be stopped. It’s very disturbing.
Off-the-charts chemistry between Mac and Sam makes for a steamy read. I really like how competitive they are and how much they butt heads with other. It’s very entertaining. “I’m done playing by your rules…” Mac and Sam are two strong alpha personalities but they challenge each other. I adore Sam’s nickname for Mac and how sweet he can be when he’s not pushing him away and saying hurtful things. What a memorable time they had and the souvenirs were funny, unforgettable and a true indication of the strength of their feelings. An extraordinary read that I didn’t want to put down.