As part of the investigation into the murder of a young woman, Seattle P.I. Tony DeMarco poses as a patient of Dr. Jack Halloran, the therapist who treated the victim at a Seattle sex clinic. This isn’t the first time Tony has gone undercover, but it’s the first time he’s wanted to go under cover with one of his suspects. He can’t help it—Jack Halloran is just the kind of steely-eyed hero Tony … goes for. But he’ll have to prove Halloran’s innocence and keep the doctor from finding out about his ruse before he can play Romeo.
Dr. Halloran has his own issues, including a damaged right arm sustained in the line of duty as a combat surgeon in Iraq and the PTSD that followed. He’s confused to find himself attracted to a new patient, the big, funny Italian with the puppy-dog eyes, and Tony’s humor slips right past Jack’s defenses, making him feel things he thought long buried. But can the doctor and the P.I. find a path to romance despite the secrets between them?
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If you want not super long, not uncomplicated feel good romance, this is one for you. Shorter length doesn’t mean it’s got less. Heat, romance, depth to characters are all there, just in a tight package. Also, some snarky humor.
The Trouble With Tony is book one in the Sex in Seattle series by Eli Easton. I previously read the fourth book in this series so now am going back to the beginning. I wasn’t prepared to fall in love with this as much as I did. I completely adored these two characters.
Tony DeMarco is an ex-Seattle cop and now is a private detective. He’s all Italian, complete with a huge family whose mother calls him with crazy inappropriate questions that made me laugh. Tony is on the case of a murdered woman who was being treated at a sex clinic. Tony needs information from the Dr. who treated her so it looks like he’s going under cover.
Dr. Jack Halloran is a sex therapist at Expanded Horizons. He was a combat surgeon but his arm was seriously injured in an explosion. He is also still suffering from PTSD.
Both Jack and Tony are gay. Jack hasn’t dated since his injury. He hasn’t felt interested enough to even try. But then a big Italian new client walked into his office and woke up parts of his body that haven’t been awake in so long. Still, Tony is his patient, and he will not cross that line.
Tony needed a reason for seeing a sex therapist. And he really did have something he needed help with. At the same time, one look at the sexy Dr.Halloran and Tony wanted more than to be his patient. But the Dr. isn’t interested, or so he says. But Tony won’t give up easily.
I loved this book. Both of these men were just so perfect for each other. This is a quick read and I devoured it. Not only are we on the case of the murdered woman, we get to watch these two men fall. This was sexy, sweet and even suspenseful. And, it made smile. I can’t wait to move on to the second book in the series, The Enlightenment of Daniel.
This novella was a delight to read. The writing is captivating and had me hooked from page one up until the end. The characters are charming, a bit shy and sassy at the same time, and most importantly, Tony and Jack have chemistry. Tons of it.
The setting of a sex clinic and the occupation of Jack (sex therapist) is quite original, but it never gets tacky. As a matter of fact, Tony is so shy that he has trouble using the “normal” sex words and resorts to silly expressions to get his problem across. It’s a lot of fun. And that’s all throughout the book. I had a smile on my face the entire time.
The whodunit theme never overtakes the romance but blends perfectly with it and is expertly done. Jack’s reaction to Tony’s profession was quite a surprise. I loved it.
This is a short and quick read with lots of fun, plenty of steam, witty banter, and lovable characters.
really cant say enough about this series and this is only book 1. Jack is a therapist but not just a therapist a sex therapist. One of his many clients is Tony who has an unusual problem(?) It is so good! It has a small mystery to it because who doesnt love a PI and an Italian!
The Trouble with Tony is a pretty accurate title and he brings laughs with him. Just his family alone! This is a book I can just picture every scene so vividly and I love when an author can do that.
Told from dual POV this was funny, mildly steamy short novella featuring adorably shy PI and unsure sex therapist falling head over heels in a short period of time. I liked the humor, steady pace and both MCs – they meshed well. I do not usually like the trope where one MC is lying to the other, but here I didn’t mind. The book was easy read, just what I wanted. I enjoyed it.