Title: Armed & Dangerous
Series: Cut & Run 05
Author: Abigail Roux
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Length: Novel (323pgs)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (18th May 2012)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Left alone in Baltimore after his unpredictable lover bails, Special Agent Zane Garrett takes his frustration out on everything in his path until he is ordered to Chicago to back up an undercover operative. When he gets there, though, he finds himself face to face with his wayward partner, Special Agent Ty Grady. They have to deal with the uncertainty lingering between them while they work to retrieve their intended mark, a retired hit man and CIA wet-works operative named Julian Cross.
Ty, once a Marine and now a FBI hotshot, has a penchant for being unpredictable, a trait Zane can vouch for. Zane is a man who once lived for his job but has come to realize his heartbreaking past doesn’t have to overshadow his future. They’re partners, friends, lovers, and the go-to team for unusual cases. With Cross and his innocuous boyfriend, Cameron Jacobs, in tow, Ty and Zane must navigate the obstacles of a cross-country trek, including TSA pat-downs, blizzards, their uncooperative prisoners, CIA kill teams, a desperate lack of sleep and caffeine, and each other. Ty and Zane are determined to get Julian Cross to DC in one piece, but it’s starting to look like it might be the last thing they do.
Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2931
Pixie’s Review: For some reason some people doubted that Abigail Roux would be able to do justice to the Cut & Run series after Madeleine Urban retired from writing and, well, all I can say is read it and weep. Ty and Zane are teamed up to bring in Julian Cross, the only man still alive who can identify the man responsible for countless deaths, but he doesn’t come quietly and Zane and Ty have their hands full with the prisoners, the CIA, each other and their relationship. As they run across the country, dodging CIA operatives, dealing with unruly prisoners and trying to deny the need to kill Cross, Ty and Zane sort through their relationship.
Ty and Zane are back. When we last saw them, Zane had just woken up and found that Ty had done a flit. Now, he receives a phone call telling him he has a job, when he turns up at the rendezvous point he is surprised to find Ty. Ty fled because the walls were closing in and now he is face to face with the man he loves, but, they have a mission to complete, get Julian Cross to D.C. to identify a killer at all costs. It is far from easy, as they are chased by the CIA, who wants to stop Julian Cross, and to make matters more difficult, Julian’s boyfriend Cameron comes along for the ride.
What can I really tell you about this book? Except freaking brilliant. For those of you who worried that Roux wouldn’t be able to keep the spirit of Cut & Run and its characters alive, you worried for nothing. Abigail Roux gives us the characters we know and love, their attitudes, snarkiness and all their faults and flaws… she also gives us the excitement of chases, shootouts, and Ty’s ability to make people want to kill him. She also gives us Julian and Cameron from Warrior’s Cross and the spirit of those characters shine through just the same.
This book is really well written. The storyline and plot are excellent. The characters are really well-developed and nothing is over the top. Ty and Zane and their complex, but easy relationship, is woven brilliantly throughout the action and suspense. And although their relationship edges into their work, it doesn’t overpower it and they do manage to come to a new starting point in their relationship. We also get a visit with Nick (Ty’s best friend) and he and Zane work some things out. And I have to say pairing up Ty and Zane with Julian and Cameron was a pure stroke of genius, they were all brilliant together.
So, we have hot sex, betrayal, twists, hot men, danger, chases, shootouts, things not being as they seem, a happy ending, 4 men that we know and love and an incredibly good story. If you want to know more, than I advise you read this book. Oh hell. I’d advise you to read it anyway.
Artemis’s Review: ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts
Let me just say that I am a HUGE Ty and Zane fan and have read all of the previous books in this series multiple times. Some I liked more than others but I have been waiting for Armed and Dangerous for what seems like ages! I downloaded it within hours of its release and did nothing but read it all day. I honestly could not put it down. Both the relationship development and plot were incredibly well written. You will not be disappointed in this book!
I was furious with the ending of the last book…Zane wakes up to an empty bed and a note from Ty that he needs some time away to think. I wanted to throttle him. This was settled rather quickly at the beginning of the story and Zane and Ty are immediately thrust into a mission that requires them to transport 2 very important people back to DC. If you have read Warrior’s Cross you will already be familiar with Julian and Cameron and if you haven’t read it I highly recommend you check it out. While you don’t NEED to understand these 2 characters for Armed and Dangerous to make sense, it will help. And since it was another awesome book by Ms. Roux you won’t be sorry!
Julian is not a willing participant in his transport back to DC and he is determined to get himself and Cameron away from Ty and Zane. This involves a lot of arguing, trickery, and a few outright physical fights. Ty and Julian have a very hostile yet extremely amusing way of dealing with each other. I alternated between laughing and cringing every time they started fighting.
As for Ty and Zane’s relationship, all I can say is that I am SO glad to see them finally starting to open up emotionally. They are finally willing to admit that they are totally and completely in love with each other and really try to be honest and open about their feelings without it being at all corny sounding. Zane finally give’s Ty the necklace he bought and has been hiding for quite a while. It was a romantic moment that had just enough smirking and teasing to keep it from being out-of-place in the story. The author dealt with the Nick issue from the previous book as well and I think it was very well done. We are left with a better understanding of Ty and Nick’s relationship and Zane seems accepting of their friendship.
The sex is downright scorching hot and Ty is finally starting to accept the fact that he really likes having Zane take top dog position. They are comfortable with each other, passionate, and totally in love. This translates into some seriously sexy interactions that are the perfect blend of both heat and tenderness.
I was disappointed in the end that they didn’t come out to their coworkers but am really looking forward to the next book in this series to see if that issue is tackled in it. I just hope that MS Roux is writing quickly!