The Hit Man Cometh

Title: The Hit Man Cometh

Author: Edward Kendrick

Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing

Publisher URL: www.totallybound.com

ISBN: 9781784303136

Genre: {M/M} Crime, BDSM

Rating: 4 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Chocolate Minx

Murder is just business for Mick Whalen; that is until he develops an immediate attraction for the target Gavin Wilde. Not only is Gavin kinky in the bedroom, he proves to be an asset to Mick’s hired assassination profession.

The Hit Man Cometh is an interesting plot featuring the criminal’s point of view. Murder is conducted like any other business. There is a boss who handles the assignments, as well as money transactions. Job files are sent to the hit men and another corpse becomes a story in the news.

Mick is a “no remorse” human, who likes the feeling of power he gets from being in control. His attitude is that the people he kills caused grievances to someone willing to pay for them to die, so Mick is just carrying out a task.

Although Gavin, a coyote shifter, is a former con man, he is not a killer without justification. Teaming up with Mick was more in the form of being Mick’s bodyguard, rather than becoming a hit man.

Edward Kendrick has created a saga that I found both impressive as well as a little distressing. The industry like set up is impressive. The information available through research is distressing because moral values along with a person’s anonymity do not exist in Mick’s world.  

Buck Baxter, Love Detective

Title: Buck Baxter, Love Detective

Author: Geoffrey Knight

Publisher: Wilde City Press

Publisher URL: www.wildecity.com

ISBN: 978-1-925180-39-8

Genre: {M/M} Crime Series

Rating: 5 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Chocolate Minx

Picture this, a coastal town where almost everything is prohibited, alcohol, drugs, sex in addition to human rights. The residents of Wilde City are divided into three social classes, the rich, the working poor and the criminals. Buck is among the poor while his future lover Holden is among the rich.

 Buck Baxter, Love Detective is the first book in The Buck Baxter Mysteries. The theme is an edgy suspense murder plot with a touch of intimacy. Also featured are the pious religious hypocrites. The characters are fascinating as well as attention-grabbing.

Buck’s motto of never make friends, never make enemies and never fall in love is a survival shield he constructed as a child. His shield served him well until he met Holden. At first sight; Buck’s shields began to crumble. Yet Buck is still haunted by his dark past, which restricts emotional involvements. Buck is hired to investigate a cheating spouse case. This is nothing unusual for Buck, or so he thought. Buck has two mysteries working at the same time, the cheating spouse as well as Holden secretly stalking Buck. As Buck digs deeper into the case, he encounters a few twists that lead him to the mob’s doorstep, not the best place to be if you value your life.

Holden is not what he appears to be, it is his methods that cause Buck to question Holden’s motives. Holden is a compassionate man with honorable intentions towards Buck. What’s more, Holden has a secret for Buck’s ears only.

Geoffrey Knight has created an outstanding riveting saga filled with intrigue, Tommy gun shoot outs, booze, prostitutes in addition to a dash of amusing dialog. I enjoyed Buck Baxter, Love Detective immensely. 

Sins of the Fathers

Title: Sins of the Fathers

Author: Edward Kendrick

Publisher: Silver Publishing

Publisher URL: spsilverpublishing.com/

ISBN: 9781622320691

Genre: {M/M} Crime Suspense

Rating: 4.5 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Chocolate Minx 

Trusting the wrong person could be fatal, especially for Mark Collins when he allows his curiosity to lead him onto a path littered with organized crime bosses.

Sins of the Fathers is a fascinating police drama with captivating characters. Set in New York, Mark is a former small town Episcopalian priest who believes what people tell him. Quite by accident, Mark becomes a magazine fashion model. Being an honest man himself, Mark does not recognize deception in others right away. Then there is Angelo and Paul; both show an interest in Mark but for very different reasons. Neither Paul nor Angelo is who they appear to be. It is only after Mark is almost fatally wounded, along with being taken into the witness protection program, that Mark begins to understand the full extent of danger to his life. 

Edward Kendrick has created an intriguing enjoyable saga blended with apprehension, action, international ties, as well as a touch of romance. I purposely did not name Mark’s love interest; I will leave that tidbit for other readers to discover.   

Guarding Morgan

Title: Guarding Morgan

Author: R.J. Scott

Publisher: Silver Publishing

Publisher URL: spsilverpublishing.com

ISBN: 9781920501518

Genre: {M/M} Contemporary Crime Series

Rating: 4 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Dragon Minx                                 

When Morgan Drake witnesses the murder of a young woman in an alleyway near his home, he ends up under FBI protection so he can testify against the cop responsible. When the safe house is compromised and his FBI protector is shot, Morgan follows the agent’s instructions and runs.  

Nikolai Valentinov has worked for Sanctuary, a private high security company, since leaving the FBI the year before. When his ex-partner contacts him with the news he’s sending Morgan to him for safety, Nik heads out to intercept him before the bad guys do. Little does he imagine that two weeks alone in an isolated mountain cabin can start something special?  Something more than keeping Morgan alive and that could change his life forever. 

Guarding Morgan is the first release in R.J. Scott’s new series, A Sanctuary Story. Having a character go into a witness protection situation isn’t a new premise but in this case, Ms. Scott twisted it around and started with action and Morgan running for his life. The first chapters give a good feel for the personalities of both men. Morgan is alone, scared out of his mind and wounded but still willing to trust the man he’s been sent to. He’s likable immediately and anyone can relate to the fear he’s experiencing as he battles to stay alive and find the courage to still testify. Then there’s Nik. This guy is big, dominant and world weary and in need of rest, but still willing to come running when a friend calls. He tries to be totally professional so he can keep Morgan safe but he can’t resist forever or deny their attraction either. 

That being said, Nik does manage to keep Morgan at arm’s length for a big portion of the story, so this book definitely isn’t a jump-into-bed-immediately type of read. It’s more subdued and the guys are allowed to build a personal relationship first…you can feel their growing emotional attachment even though they’re being guys and not talking about it. And yes there are plenty of funny things going on and the sex is hot. 

More twists and turns come near end as the trial date gets closer and the villains get more desperate. The scenes at the courthouse are filled with action but at this point the story seems somewhat rushed as it moves quickly toward the end. It also jumps in time instead of flowing smoothly like the other parts of the story. Lastly, there are a few plot threads left dangling, but I’m assuming that since this is a continuing series that these will be dealt with at a later date. I look forward to the next release in this thoughtful, well plotted, entertaining series.