Once a Hero

Title: Once a Hero

Author: Ari McKay

Publisher: Torquere Press Publishers

Publisher URL: www.torquerebooks.com

ISBN/BIN: 978-1-61040-959-9

Genre: {M/M} Contemporary Series

Rating: 3.5 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Dragon Minx

Ezra Levin spent years as either an Israeli soldier or in Mossad and when he left the military, he joined Hercules Security. As an operative known as Ghost he was great at his job, but after a few years he left to follow his dream of becoming a chef. By age forty-five he’s employed as the private chef of Judge Mason Whittaker and his son, Jamie.

Mason’s past job as district attorney has made his many enemies and now one of them is after him. When the danger escalates, Ezra knows he can’t protect Mason and Jamie alone, so he calls on his old friend and boss, Cade Thornton, from Hercules Security. The person responsible is in the fight of his life because Ezra’s determined to protect the two people that mean the most to him and he’s not willing to lose the man he loves.

Once a Hero is the fourth release in Ari McKay’s series, Herc’s Mercs. While reading the others would be helpful, this release can be read as a standalone.

This new release fits well into this family of books and I liked that the author created a convincing way to bring some of the past characters in for brief appearances. They filled a vital role but didn’t bog down the plot and I enjoyed seeing Ezra interact with them.  Now to the rest of the book…there are parts I like and others that I had troubles with.

Likes: Ezra’s career switch from soldier to chef is unique and creative, and his growing relationship with Jamie is a nice look at the life Ezra would like for himself. The pacing is smooth, the descriptions good and the family relationship warm.  Seeing Ezra step back into his old life in order to protect Mason and Jamie, while keeping the household running, showed not only his love and dedication, but his ability to do vastly different tasks.

Dislikes: Ezra’s speech pattern seems stiff at times, and when Mason is told about the danger to himself and his son, he’s initially unwilling to take the necessary precautions, which seems nuts for an intelligent man. Mason and Ezra make a good couple but after living under the same roof for so many months, their relationship progressed much quicker than I expected. With the situation Mason was in, Ezra being distracted while leaving the garage didn’t seem realistic for a man of his experience and that set up the ending…it was very swift. 

So, it’s not that I didn’t enjoy the book or find it entertaining; there were just a few things I wish had been different.