Ball & Chain (Cut & Run)

I hesitated to purchase this book after reading a few reviews that said: too much Nick & Kelly or this should have been a Sidewinder book, etc. Personally, Nick & Kelly’s relationship doesn’t interest me. I purchased Shock & Awe only because Ty & Zane are in it. I tried to read the whole thing, but ended up flipping through pages until I got to Ty & Zane. That being said, I was hesitant about Ball & Chain because I would have been angry if Nick & Kelly took away from Ty & Zane. But who am I kidding? I’ve come this far, I’m not going to stop now. So now I’ve read Ball & Chain and I’m sooo relieved to say I LOVED IT! In my opinion, Nick & Kelly didn’t over-shadow or steal the spotlight from Ty & Zane at all. This book is about Ty and Zane. And at this stage of their relationship, I feel they are exactly where they should be. Ty’s coming home scene was well written and emotional. I felt for Zane, anxiously waiting so long at the bus depo for Ty. Of course, they eventually go to the Baltimore office to see their co-workers and face Director Dan McCoy. McCoy’s ultimatum over their relationship was no surprise. We knew it was coming. Ty & Zane eventually go to Scotland for Duece’s wedding with Nick & Kelly. This was probably my favorite plot-line from all the books because it felt like a fun murder mystery. Here you have a gothic mansion/castle on a private island with no way off. We have power outages, severe storms and maybe even ghosts (at least according to Ty). I had so much fun reading this. Especially when Ty and Zane are riding double on a horse in a dark eerie forest during the middle of the night. There is a section in the story where we learn about Nick’s childhood. At first, I didn’t care, but the section is so small, I went ahead and read it. I’m so glad I didn’t skip past it. We know Ty & Nick have this bond that’s different from the other members of sidewinder. I assumed it was because of the time they’d spent as POWs. Now I understand it started before that. This piece of information about Nick’s past is an important part of the Ty/Nick relationship. And it makes the strain that develops between them even more heartbreaking. They have some very intense, heated moments while trapped on this island. And very emotional moments that actually brought me to tears. I was relieved Nick & Kelly’s relationship wasn’t a main focus. Their predicament over how they were going to tell Ty without Ty flipping out was amusing. I was also very pleasantly surprised with Kelly. I never got the chance to know him in the previous books or in Shock & Awe (mostly, because I flipped through that book). But Kelly was actually hilarious. Pretty much every scene he was in, I was laughing my ass off. Kelly has a dry and sometimes morbid sense of humor. And I really liked the moments where it was just him and Ty. Now I have a new understanding of Ty & Kelly’s relationship and the love and respect they have for one another. I also like that Zane & Nick are growing closer. Zane himself has grown so much and I really saw it in this book. Yes, he still has that underlying issue. Being at a wedding party with an open bar and drunken guests (including a very drunk Ty) doesn’t help. But he’s stronger and more confident than I’ve ever seen him. And when he needed to take charge, he did. Zane is content. And the intimate moments between him and Ty were as beautiful as they were hot & sexy. To sum it up, I personally loved this book. Ty & Zane are in a good place in their relationship and are as steamy as ever. The Ty and Nick angst was very emotional and well written. And Kelly was laugh-out- loud comic relief. The plot and setting were fun and exciting and I was shocked and surprised more than once. And the ending… WOW! Book 9 can’t get here soon enough!

I really rate this story about 4.5 stars. I felt it fell a little short in some aspects when compared to other stories in the series, but it was still a thrilling and engaging tale that continually picked up speed the longer you read. There's strong characters, a LOT of action and suspense, and a complex plot that speeds along. THE GOOD.... Characterization is wonderful. Ty and Zane have grown and settled into their relationship. There's none of the trepidation previously shown by either, and now that they're fully out and committed, they're quite happy with each other. In this story, we get to watch them finish that last bit of emotionally maturing. Nick and Kelly, two of Ty's friends, are prominently given time in this tale, and their characters are strongly developed. If anything, theirs undergo more development than Ty and Zane, as our favorite agents have reached a nice equilibrium. The plot is complex, and as bodies and events keep piling up, it makes for a very interesting and engaging tale. Just when you get comfortable with what has already happened, more is added to your plate, and the story speeds off at an even faster pace. The story also blends various emotions together to keep it feeling fresh and engaging. It's exciting, suspenseful, humorous, romantic, dramatic, and everything in between THE RESERVATIONS... The final exposing of the main villain is a let-down. It's hard to describe why without giving away part of the plot, but it felt contrived (coming out of left field) and didn't serve the purpose of the story. There was also little focus on anyone other than Ty, Zane, Nick, and Kelly. Ty's family was there, but played a very subdued role and functioned only to kick-start the plot. Many members of his family felt like they were making only cameo appearances. Missing information. Ty and his crew came back from a very serious mission that had severe psychological impacts on them. Unfortunately, while we're shown bits and pieces of how it's impacting on these men, it's never explained what happened and ultimately feels like an idea that was never fully explored, or something being in the story just for the sake of being there. Inconsistencies with what was previously established. Sometimes the story seemed to contradict what was previously established in the earlier books. For example, it was brought to Ty's dad and brother's attention that Dick Burns was sending Ty on black ops missions, and they were appalled. Yet they knew Burns was sending Ty on these special missions previously, and I seem to remember Earl (Ty's dad) even recommending Ty to Burns for this purpose. For that matter, I didn't care for the whole handling of Burns to begin with. I know Ty views him as an Uncle, but I'll be darned if we've ever seen him do anything that would warrant that type of affection from Ty. CONCLUSION.... The story itself is so engaging, it just pulls you along. While there are some aspects that are lacking (especially the unveiling of the villain), they don't stay in the foreground long enough to pull you out of the story. While not being as smoothly executed as previous stories, it's still an exciting and sexy tale that's a joy to read. Be warned that there is a very serious cliff-hanger at the end, but it's for Nick and Kelly and their next adventure.

Great read for the beach or a cozy chair on a rainy day. Livable characters, humour and improbable situations make a light yet driving read.

Review of books 1 - 8 Where have I been? How could I have not read this series until now? The Cut & Run series is a must for MM romance readers. FBI Special Agents Ty & Zane appear outwardly different but we soon see they are similar in many ways. Ty, with his rep for being difficult to work with, likes to ruffle suited Zane's feathers but Zane has many surprises up his sleeve. Each book features its own suspense plot which, although focusing on Ty and Zane, draw in great secondary characters (members of their families, colleagues, marine buddies). This series isn't insta-romance, it's a slow sizzle as 2 pig headed men get to know each other through the job. They have to rely on each other, trust each other & look after each other, building a bond which although tested to the max, withstands every challenge coming their way. Be prepared for laughter, tears, uncertainty, despair, tenderness and smoking sexual chemistry combined with truly excellent suspense plots. Love love love this series. Ty & Zane are THE couple of MM romance.

Ce livre là pour en parler c'est horrible : il fait intervenir tellement de choses, tellement d'émotions, d'interactions... On en est au tome 8 et pourtant j'en veux toujours plus... Certes il y a quelques dissonances, manques par rapport au livre précédent mais malgré tout je n'ai hâte que d'une chose. La suite....

While many people don't seem content with the 8th book of the series I have to say I loved it. Sure, it was different from the other books, it was more crime mystery-esque, to keep it short. Though it seemed a tad predictable when it came to finding the murderer, it was still suspenseful. A lot of things happened on the personal level regarding Ty, Zane, Nick, and Kelly. We got to see a different side of Ty's and Nick's friendship, and further development of Ty's and Zane's relationship. I feel like the entirety of the 8th book connects well with the rest of the series, explaining certain things that might have been unclear before.

Love this series . Writing style definitely got better