FROM EXCITING AUTHOR OF LGBTQ ROMANCE, ELIZABETH HOLLOWS
Jay never thought attraction would get him into so much trouble. First an explosion, now a spy agency. This man had better be worth it.
Jay is a thief with a past he’s trying to forget. He just wants to relax, have fun and flirt with attractive men. He has spent the last few weeks on his favorite moon doing just that with the handsome … just that with the handsome waiter who works at the local diner. Bryce has shown clear interest in him but has suddenly changed his tune. Jay wants to know why.
He doesn’t expect that his persistence will find him witnessing a kidnapping and escaping the burning diner before it explodes.
Fleeing the moon to avoid being killed wasn’t in Jay’s plan. Neither was being caught by a spy agency and thrown in a cell. Things are going from bad to worse and Jay is soon forced to face his past to protect his future.
And to place the cherry on the cake, he finally finds out why Bryce stopped flirting with him.
As if he needed any more surprises.
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The Amazon blurb of this book really grabbed me. It sounded fun and intriging, maybe with some comedy-of-errors thrown in. I’m not a fan of ‘hard’ science fiction, but give me space opera or space comedy, and I’m more interested. I was not disappointed at all by this book. It was entertaining, with non-stop action, twists and turns, intrigue, spies, kidnapping, and more. It was serious, but light at the same time, and it didn’t get deep into technical minutia. I felt the plot and characters could have been transplanted to a contemporary setting and the relationship and chemistry would still have worked. That’s my kind of story, sci-fi or otherwise.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a new Author to me I enjoyed reading Agent Tristan Fox and Heath Jaycen Chapman/Jaybird’s story. It is well written with action, drama, twists, turns, and M/M romnce. The story was well worth reading. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I was hooked and I couldn’t put it down. I loved the MM James Bond-version with amazing characters. I love the two strong and prideful men and their love for each other. I want more! I want more of Jay and Tristan. I want more Elizabeth Hollows’ writing!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Jaybird is a charming thief with a troubled past. Bryce is the handsome and mysterious waiter that has captured his attention. But after weeks of flirting, Bryce suddenly starts giving Jay the cold shoulder and he is determined to discover why. Instead, Jay finds himself caught up in an explosion, witness to a kidnapping, and faced with a decision that threatens to unearth memories of a former life he would rather leave forgotten.
As promised, this story starts with a bang before sweeping you away on an action-filled adventure that also provides plenty of softer moments between the two main characters. And as Jay and Bryce get to know each other better we learn more about the secrets and troubled pasts they both have.
If you are looking for your next action-packed, gay romance than look no further. Well paced and compellingly written, ‘Call to Duty’ is the type of story that draws you in from the very first page and doesn’t slacken it’s grip until you reach the final climax. So strap in and be prepared to lose a day or two as you delve into the pages of this fantastic book!
(I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.)
The action picks up right off the bat as we follow Jay in his quest to get a certain waiter’s attention and is taken way off course as the two of them witness a kidnapping and need to beat a hasty escape. Turns out there’s more to both Jay and the waiter he intended to seduce – Bryce – and it’s led to them working together to rescue the man who had been kidnapped right in front of them.
This was a pretty quick read for me, topping out at two sittings to go from cover to cover; which is nothing against the quality of the prose, quite the opposite! The world building is clear without being overly weighty. Many stories fall into the trap of feeling the need to explain their backgrounds far beyond what’s required of the tale being told. Here, while I sometimes felt a personal curiosity about the politics or geology of the world(s) being described, (because I’m an absolute sci-fi nerd like that), there’s always enough to understand what’s going on without being pulled down any unnecessary rabbit holes. It’s a good balance which leaves us with a brisk pace in the prose, no getting bogged down in details which have no bearing on the plot and action.
The characters are delightful, as well. Because of the structure of the story, we’re with Jay and Bryce about 95% of the time, with very little in the way of side characters. As the focus of the story is almost entirely on these two and how they get to know one another and come to trust each other, this works out really well, and nothing feels lost by the restricted cast. A quick read or not, the development of the relationship feels natural and well executed. Both men have more to them than they let on at first, leading to distrust and even more recalcitrance, but over the course of the book they find ways to communicate and to get across to one another what they really mean and feel. It’s satisfying to watch as they figure out how to trust one another, how to know for certain that they can trust one another and that they aren’t just being fed more lies, and by the end they’re depending on one another as well.
Without giving direct spoilers, there’s very good reason why Jay in particular is quiet about his past, wounds which still affect him into the present and which make trusting anyone – especially someone like who Bryce turns out to be – difficult. It’s rewarding to watch not only Jay start to come around on those issues, but to see Bryce come to the realization of how deep those injuries actually go, and alter his behavior accordingly.
Hollows has always had a touch for interpersonal relationships, and for crafting her prose is such a way that you feel like you’re reading the thoughts of both sides even if the narration is only giving one directly. This holds true in Return to Duty. After reading it I feel as though I’ve spent very nearly as much time inside Bryce’s head as I have Jay’s, and it was a delight to watch them both go through their arcs.
If you’re a hardcore sci-fi nerd looking for old school sci-fi pulp, or something as intricate and involved as Dune, this’ll be a bit light for you. But if you’re wanting something on that lighter side of sci-fi, with focus on character interactions and a healthy dose of romantic and sexual tension – and plenty of fun banter into the mix! – then I can wholeheartedly recommend this book. It’s a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to the next one from Hollows!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Return to Duty is a really good and captivating book.
Easy to read and the writing make it really enjoyable to discover the story.
The main character is really endearing and make you care about him really fast.
The construction of the story is really good to make you discover layer by layer all the past of the character, what make them what they are today.
And you will care about them and just wish to know the end of the story and how it’s will end.
Really it’s a good book that you should read! Not too long and you will not see the time pass while reading it and with a good story that will captive you !