Nick O’Flaherty and Kelly Abbott had their happy ending in sight when a friend’s call for help almost ended with them losing it to the blade of a knife. Now, in the aftermath of near-disaster, both men are trying to heal and move on.Moving on together, though, is harder than either of them realized it would be. Kelly struggles with simply being a lover instead of the Doc, while Nick is mired in … mired in his recovery. The distance between them inches along in stilted silence.
Desperately seeking solace, Nick finally gathers the courage to sort through the possessions his dear friend and fellow Sidewinder teammate Elias Sanchez left him when he died. Instead of comforting memories, Nick and Kelly find a stack of letters and strict instructions from Eli that prompt them to send out a call for assistance. With Eli’s letters in hand, Sidewinder sets out on one last mission together, seeking peace and absolution from beyond the grave–and from each other.
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After the ending of the final Cut & Run series story that falls chronologically right before this one, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about another segment of the Sidewinder story. They burned up the world and survived devastating secrets revealed so how can that be followed up on. I was concerned that the author would try to top that story with more of the same or produce a mild toss away story that would have demeaned it, but thankfully, this one did neither. It went a very different direction. On the surface, it seems an odd choice, but once I started reading, I realized that this was exactly what was needed. This wasn’t a story; it was a journey- and a palpable, gut-wrenching healing one at that. If I hadn’t worked it out before, this is the one that showed just how very much the author knows her characters inside and out.
I mentioned this one chronologically follows the final Cut & Run series’ book, Crash & Burn. This is true. The Sidewinder series is a spin-off of sorts. It’s not a true spin-off in that it breaks away to go a new direction. It really is a series that weaves in between and around the older series both because of the shared characters, the time line, and- well, everything. So that being said, this one is directly connected to Crash & Burn and really can’t be read out of order or as a standalone.
The story opens with Nick still recovering from his near fatal injuries incurred from Sidewinder’s part in Miami. The dust has settled from all that and everyone on the team are trying to get on with their lives. Nick is frustrated with the slowness of his recovery and the tentative nature of the relationship he shares with Kelly. He knows Kelly has a right to feel betrayed and angry over Nick’s secrets and what went down and then there is the fact that Kelly seems to only see him as his patient and not his boyfriend. Into this situation, Nick has to deal with his dad’s death and how he hated the man and for the first time in years, he pulls out the box of things that his friend and fellow Sidewinder, Elias Sanchez, left him on his death.
Kelly observes with growing concern as Nick struggles to recover his health, but is changed after all he has been through of late. There is a gulf growing between them. Partly, he realizes it is because he has been treating Nick only like his patient and partly it is because he is very angry with Nick for all he hid from Kelly knowing that Kelly trusted him. Nick almost died and Kelly is still recovering from that scare, but it is the fear that what they had between them has died that is worse. Nick is determined to bring together Sidewinder to fulfill the final mission that their old buddy, Sanchez, left them through a series of letters.
So, Sidewinder is brought together to follow the directions of a ghost that has been haunting them all and somewhere along the way, the last of the secrets and a whole lot of healing, restoration, and forgiveness needs to take place.
Alright, as I noted earlier, the author didn’t try to ‘top that’ with thrills and action and she didn’t go for a simple and mellow follow up story. No, this was something more. This one wasn’t full of intrigue and danger of the active and physical sort; it chose to head down the path of danger within their hearts and minds. These guys have been through so much and yet, there is more to come before they can fulfill Elias Sanchez’s last wish of healing the Sidewinder brotherhood. Along the way, Nick and Kelly’s relationship will either break or finally become something deeper and meaningful.
I loved this ‘last ride’ of Sidewinder scenario. All the guys are brought together and must follow the actions set out before them. But being the guys, there are incidents, new memories, laughter, old memories, snarling, and yes, they get the job done. Some of the final secrets are some real lulus.
While this was a group gathering including Ty and Zane and there were shared narrators, this does have Nick and Kelly at the center. I love that the author isn’t afraid to take her characters into raw and darker, grittier places and nothing is easy or simple. I didn’t realize this was needed until I was reading and realized that, yes, there was actually a lot of unresolved stuff that needed dealing with.
Amidst all the great camaraderie, there are the steamy moments. I loved how all their lives including Owen and Digger were brought into the spotlight. And of course, more Ty and Zane was like a delicious dessert. But to see Nick and Kelly come into their own was definitely the piece de resistance.
And, woohoo, there was an additional short story after the acknowledgements to follow up on Brick & Mortar with Ty and Zane. Too fun to be missed.
So, this was a bit of something different and felt like one big epilogue. I can hope there might be more peek-ins and particularly a couple of little dangling threads left there like the commission Owen takes on or a bit more about Nick and his revealed connections. But if not, this was vastly satisfying. This is a ‘can’t miss’ for fans and let me put the plug in here that for folks who haven’t read the books from the Sidewinder world that this is a fantastic M/M Romantic Suspense series.
the ending needs tons of tissues
Original review: https://myshelfbooks.wordpress.com/20…
Cut & Run by Abigail Roux was my first M/M book and I fell in love. Since then I have read a nice of bunch of books of that genre (let’s call it that). Getting a book by Abigail in my hands is always special. I love her characters and the fast paced stories with plenty of action. That’s why she is one of my favourites out there. That’s why it saddens me to say that this last book is quite disappointing…
Nick is recovering from his injuries with the help of Kelly. During that time, he decides to go through Eli’s box of mementos to see what his deceased friend and teammate left for him. Among many things, there were a bunch of letters with instructions for Nick and the rest of Sidewinder. Those letters described some kind of road trip with rules and activities to do as a group. When Eli died, Sidewinder felt broken… so he is trying to fix it from beyond the grave.
It’s a cute plot, if I’m being honest. I thought it was a clever way to reunite the members of Sidewinder (plus Zane!!). A first necessary step before all hell breaking loose and having to deal with it as a team. That was what I thought. I would have taken anything: a murder, a kidnap, a crazy treasure hunt, a weird conspiracy, a cult… Anything!! But what the reader gets is a bunch of big muscular guys crying all over the USA geography. Over and over again. I know the trip is emotional. I get that. But it’s emotional for them. They knew Elias. We, readers, do not. So you may call me a cold bastard, but I didn’t feel anything with all those moments that ended in tears. I was more like Zane, an awkward spectator who wanted to see the end of it as soon as possible.
Where is the action and danger I always link with these characters? I feel robbed. This is not the kind of story I expect when I read a book based on the Cut & Run universe. OK, now that’s out of my chest. But, if I don’t get that… does it mean the romance is mindblowing at least? WRONG!! The conflicts between Nick and Kelly were a pain to read. Kelly’s behaviour is all over the wrong places: insecurity, jelousy, self-righteousness… So, when they were not crying they were yelling at each other. Over and over again. I’m sorry, but Abigail in this book more than conflict creates a really unhealthy relationship. They are unable to communicate. They resolve everything with sex and swallow the rest… After this book, I’m incapable of believing in their love story.
I could also rant about the rules of Eli’s trip. I will keep it simple: what a cheap trick to force even more conflict… And what the hell was all that talk about Eli’s ghost and paranormal activities with phone apps? If it was meant as a joke I didn’t laugh at all. I was pretty scared of all the paranormal shenanigans going further than that…
Fortunately, this book is bearable thanks to some characters like Ty and Zane. There were several parts of it were Zane’s actions have the focus and those are pretty enjoyable. Maybe because he is not one of the Sidewinders and as a reader I had that in common with him. He was like my ally during the book… Weird. I usually don’t feel the need of having back-up…
There is also a nice bomb about Nick’s life almost at the end of the book. It gives me hope that the next book and the ones beyond that are going to have at least some action. Abigail is good at the emotional stuff, but not if that is the whole deal of the book. She is the greatest when she mixes action, romance, humor and emotions. I wish with all my heart that this is not the last book by her that I’m going to read. I mean, she hasn’t published anything the last three years… That’s not normal at all for a Romance author. I hope everything is fine!