Spy VS. Spook Bundle by Tinnean

tinnean-spy-vs-spook-coverTitle: Spy vs. Spook Bundle

Series: Spy vs Spook #0.5 to #3

Author: Tinnean

Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense

Length: Novel (1261 Pages)

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (October 28, 2016)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Blurb: Quinton Mann is a spook for the CIA; Mark Vincent is a spy for the Washington Bureau of Intelligence and Security. They don’t get along. But that doesn’t mean they can’t sleep together. Follow their adventures in bombings, terrorists, murders, and love in The Start of a Beautiful Friendship, Houseboat on the Nile, Not My Spook!, and Forever.

In Pick Up the Pieces and Foolish Me, rent boy Theo “Sweetchecks” Bascopolis is introduced to William Matheson by the mysterious Mark Vincent. The attraction is instant, but both men have secrets and pasts that seem determined to come between them. 

ISBN: 978-1-63477-631-8

Product Link: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/spy-vs-spook-by-tinnean-7699-b

Reviewer: Lisa

Review: This book is actually two different series that are combined into Spy’s vs Spooks series.  I read the first four books when they came out and had to jump at getting my hands on this book.  

They are action packed stories with sexy men who know how to kill.  They catch my attention from the moment I started reading and kept it all the way to the end.  I love how fully developed that these stories and the details have been amazing.  It is like you know each character and the worlds that they live in.  This author soon became a favorite of mine and will continue to be so.  

tinnean-01-the-start-of-a-beautiful-friendship-coverThe Start of a Beautiful Friendship ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

It’s 1996, and Mark Vincent, senior special agent of the Washington Bureau of Intelligence and Security, has been assigned the task of assassinating the head of a terrorist organization in Europe. When the mission goes south and he’s ordered to take a vacation, he reluctantly goes to Paris, where, in a little bar called Le Petit Homme, he sees a man who intrigues him. However, like ships passing in the night, they go their separate ways, only to meet again the following morning, and over breakfast, the man introduces himself as Louis. 

Is it too much of a coincidence? Perhaps, perhaps not, but Mark is intrigued and, unable to resist, he gives his name as Rick. A comment of Louis’s leads Mark to assume Louis hustles for a living, so Mark decides to “rent” him for the week. Unbeknownst to Mark, Louis has his own reasons for going along with the charade, which leads to… the start of a beautiful friendship.

This story was short and sweet.  Two sexy men working different sides, meeting up, sparks flying and my heart is gone.  Mark lost a good friend and is trying to just deal with his father being ill.  Then he meets a man who sparks his interest at the bar but the man chooses someone else.  Then fate happens and he meets up with him again.  

Louis is playing the part of rent boy, and they decided to hook up for the night. However that one night, turn into a hot and sexy week. I loved the twist that his story had and it kept me on the edge of my seat from the start.  I can’t wait to start reading the next book.  

tinnean-02-houseboat-on-the-nile-coverHouseboat on the Nile ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Mark Vincent is WBIS—Washington Bureau of Intelligence and Security. Quinton Mann is staunchly CIA. Mark thinks the CIA is full of dilettantes who leave him and the rest of the WBIS to clean up their messes. Quinn thinks most WBIS agents are sociopathic loose cannons. So they don’t exactly get along.

Of course, just because they don’t like each other doesn’t mean they can’t play mind games on each other. Or sleep together. But when an explosion at Mark’s apartment sends Quinn to the morgue to ID a body, he has to re-evaluate his position on denial. 

Two sexy men working for different agencies.  Mark is WBIS and Quin is CIA so you can imagine the sparks flying with these two.  He is one smart cookie and tough to boot, he doesn’t let anyone get the better of him. Although I could do without the politics in the beginning, it was a bit dry to me.  They go back and forth with each other, which is normal between people who are really falling in love.  The chemistry was off the charts with these two.  

The only other problem I had with this was the shifting POV’s going on.  It drove me nuts.  The mind games these two played beat that out of the water though.  I enjoyed reading this and look forward to the next book.

tinnean-03-not-my-spook-coverNot My Spook! ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Highly ranked CIA officer Quinton Mann finds himself in a relationship with Mark Vincent-for exactly five days. At that point, Mark uses the excuse of going to Massachusetts for his mother’s funeral to end it. But Quinn’s a spook, and you can’t fake a faker.

Mark fears he’s getting in too deep with Quinn, hence the disappearing act. Then Quinn does something unexpected, something nobody has ever done before: he comes after Mark. Maybe being in a relationship with Quinn isn’t such a bad idea. In the meantime, something strange is going on in the intelligence community worldwide. When Quinn disappears while investigating a rogue antiterrorist organization, Mark makes up his mind. Quinn might be a spook, but he’s Mark’s spook, damn it-and once he gets Quinn home, he intends to keep him. He just has to find him first.

These stories just keep getting better and better.  These guys are so damn hot and just about make me swoon.  I love how Marc is with Quinn, and how he tries so hard to keep that part of him hidden and safe. He just doesn’t seem to know it yet, but his heart is caught for sure.

Although the shifting POV was still driving me nuts.  Overall this is one fantastic story and I can guarantee that it is going to keep on giving me a fascinating read. I can’t wait to start reading the next book.

tinnean-04-forever-coverForever ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Lately, life is both sweet and sour for intelligence operatives Mark Vincent and Quinton Mann. The sweet is they’re settling into a relationship; Mark has found a condo in Alexandria with the help of Quinn’s mother, Portia; and Mark and Quinn are looking forward to spending the holidays in the Caribbean.

As for the sour, something shadier than usual is going on at Langley. Useless missions and sleepless nights are leaving Quinn exhausted, and then Portia’s life is threatened. When Quinn discovers the accident was no accident and the egomaniacal Senator Wexler is involved, he’s out for blood.

To this point, Mark has stayed out of Quinn’s CIA business. But hurting Quinn and those he loves isn’t on the table, so at Mark’s instigation, they set out together to deal with Wexler. The only catch: it’s the first time Quinn will see Mark at his deadly best, and Mark isn’t sure how his lover will react.

The connection between each book has rocked my world.  They flow so perfect that you can’t help but to want to read it more than once.  The guys have slowly figured out that they are supposed to be with each other and I get a kick out of them every time.  I have to admit that Mark is the harder character to get a read on sometimes, but you can tell that it is all a facade.  They are so in love that it is what one would want in their lives.  

I enjoy the way they react to each other and the heat that they have.  I have to admit that this one was the best in my opinion.  I always did love the little twists that there seems to be in all her stories.  However I really loved the whole series so far and can’t wait to get my hands on the next book.  Now the ending was just a bit off to me though, so I guess I will just have to wait and see.

tinnean-05-pick-up-the-pieces-coverPick Up The Pieces ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Fifteen-year-old Theo Bascopolis longs for the man of his dreams. But his dreams are dashed when his conservative Greek father discovers Theo is gay and throws him out. Hopeless, he falls in with Fast Franky, a pimp who seduces Theo with the nickname “Sweetcheeks,” but abuses him and wants Theo to hustle. A bloody fight with Franky forces Sweetcheeks to run. Winding up in Washington, DC, he meets a group of rent boys who take care of each other. While he may not have the man of his dreams, Theo finally has a home and family of his own making. 

When the boys take in mysterious tenant Mark Vincent, he seems a solid protector, until one of Sweetcheeks’s boys suffers a savage beating in his name. Vincent visits the boy in the hospital and introduces his equally enigmatic trainee, William Matheson. The instant attraction blindsides Sweetcheeks. In spite of knowing love isn’t for rent boys, Sweetcheeks hopes Matheson sees beyond the body he’s offered to so many. But Matheson has secrets of his own, and both will have to tear down their walls to find enduring love.

Now this one had me in tears, I have to admit that.  That boy went through so much pain and ended helping his friends.  He survived his father kicking him out, a pimp abusing him and living on the streets.  He finds himself with another group of boys that take care of each other.  Then they take in the strange guy who just might be the best protector ever.   However life on the street is a nasty one, especially when one of the boys gets hurt.  Mark brings in someone to help them out.  However Theo slowly falls for Will.  The attraction is off the charts.

Now I have to say that I was glad when I started reading this that Theo didn’t stay a boy and grew up to be a great man.  And that Will is his first true love, but I do hope that it is his only one.  These two are hot.  Now the romance part didn’t really happen till close to the ending.  Will was a bit of a mystery to me.  I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

tinnean-06-foolish-me-coverFoolish Me ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Giving up a life as rent boy Sweetcheeks for his lover, William Matheson, was an easy decision for Theo Bascopolis. But years of selling his body and the lingering pain from being thrown out by his father leave Theo worried that Wills, who’s always had his family’s acceptance, can’t truly love him. Life has taught him love isn’t for rent boys, and he’s having a hard time tearing down the walls he built around his emotions and trusting that Wills sees beyond his past.

Despite Will’s reassurances, he leaves for an extended assignment with no contact, giving Theo too much time to think about the future. A message arrives, and as far as Theo is concerned, it proves him right. Maybe it’s too late to protect his heart, but he’s not going to hang around waiting for Matheson to stomp all over it. Theo runs, breaking all ties to his former lover.

When Wills returns to an empty apartment and no sign of his lover, he wonders whether Theo really wants to be found and if they are meant to be together after all. But they’ve been through too much, and Wills always gets his man.

Wow this was action packed and my heart was in my throat.  Theo thinks that his past will mean that Will will never truly stick around.  The problem was when Will went on an assignment Theo ran to keep his own heart safe.  Too bad Will goes after him.  He is going to bring his heart right back to him.

Theo is probably my favorite character in all of these books.  He went through so much and is a strong man in the end.  Although Will going to find him was damn hot.  Out of this whole book this is my favorite of them all.  It was an fun read and I look forward to reading more by this author.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:   
Damn these guys just keep getting hotter and hotter.  The stories are the best and they continue to get better and better.   This was one of the best action packed books that I have come across.  You don’t just get one story but six amazing books. The characters caught my heart and just didn’t let go.  I love the heart that was put into this book and can’t wait to get my hands on the next story.  I enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it.