Bayou Book Junkie: Reviews: Flash and Bang (Death and Destruction Book #2) by Patricia Logan (Excerpt and Reviews)

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Reviews: Flash and Bang (Death and Destruction Book #2) by Patricia Logan (Excerpt and Reviews)

Reviews: Flash and Bang (Death and Destruction Book #2) by Patricia Logan (Excerpt and Reviews)

TITLE: Flash and Bang

SERIES: Death and Destruction Book 2

AUTHOR: Patricia Logan

GENRE: M/M Romance

PUBLISHER: Self Publisher

SERIES: Death and Destruction #2

COVER ARTIST: AJ Corza

LENGTH: around 100k words

RELEASE DATE: August 15^th, 2016

If running from a hit man wasn't scary enough, ATF agent Thayne Wolfe, has a new challenge in his life and this one may be even more dangerous than the last. He has to figure out how to work with his reckless new partner, a handsome former Marine who seems to have a death wish.

Jarrett Evans never stays in one place very long and being chained to a desk doing paperwork is not his idea of entertainment. His lover and new partner at the ATF seems to find ways to throw a monkey wrench into all his fun, especially when Thayne wants to curtail his need to jump off ten story buildings.

When their boss sends them to San Diego to investigate a fireworks accident, he figures Jarrett can’t hurt anyone playing with sparkers, not even himself. The fact is, danger, intrigue and Jarrett's dubious past seem to follow the men wherever they go.

From a Marine base at the Mexican border to an explosion in LA’s Chinatown, they aren't prepared for a seriously pissed off militia, a smoking hot ex-lover, and more guys who want them dead.

The sparks will fly in and out of the bedroom in Flash and Bang.

(Flash and Bang contains an excerpt from book 3, Slip and Slide)

“We need to get the hell out of here! Airstrike!” Thayne screamed as Adael jumped up and followed them, covering their retreat with a hail of gunfire from the automatic he held with his good hand. Thayne dragged Jarrett toward the double doors as he heard the roar of flames, a smattering of gunfire, and the sounds of dying men all around them. He tried to look Jarrett over for bleeding wounds but could only see what now appeared to be a bullet graze across Jarrett’s temple. Jesus! If that’s all there is…

Adael rushed in front of them gunning down anyone in their path as Thayne dragged his partner, running backward. He was never so grateful for anyone in his life. Thayne’s lungs were filling with smoke as they got closer to the entrance to the barn and he heard a great crash as part of the roof caved in, sending up a wall of sparks at the back of the barn. The truck with its container had been abandoned by those who’d wanted the shipment and those who’d brought it and virtually everyone else had escaped the barn or was dead.

The second they got to the double door of the barn, Thayne heard the roar of airplane engines. Out of nowhere, two more men wearing FBI vests ran up to them and grabbed Jarrett, relieving Thayne of his burden.

“Move!” One of them screamed. “Sixty seconds!” Thayne began to run, followed by Adael and the two men carrying Jarrett. They had just gotten to the tree line five hundred feet off when there was the unmistakable scream of a missile and he knew the F-18 had fired. They barely had time to duck when the entire barn and its contents went up in a massive fireball. Flames shot straight up into the sky and out at them. Thayne rolled on top of Jarrett, covering his unconscious partner with his body as the heat from the explosion reached them. He held his breath waiting for the lick of flames and the certain death he expected but after four or five heartbeats, it hadn’t come. He waited for a few seconds before raising his head to look at what was left of the barn.

“Motherfucker!” Adael said from beside him.

Thayne glanced over to him and then turned his face to look back down at Jarrett. His eyes were open as he blinked up at him. Thayne breathed a sigh of relief as Jarrett revived.

“Preach it, sistah,” Jarrett said, weakly.

“Motherfucker!” Adael repeated.

Thayne dropped his face and pressed it to the side of Jarrett’s cheek. He began to laugh.

Thayne felt good under his body. Jarrett kissed him harder, loving the taste of his lover more than just about anything. He loved topping Thayne and in fact, he was generally more comfortable as a top. Jarrett didn’t know what it was about remaining in control all the time but it was working for him now, that was for sure. Sometimes he needed this. Sometimes he needed to take hold of a lover’s hands, hold him down, and feel his lover submit to him. Sometimes he wanted to be the one on the bottom but after what he’d been dwelling on today, he needed to take control of his emotions the only way he knew how. He needed Thayne to submit to him.

Jarrett reached for Thayne’s hands, lacing their fingers together as he slowly dragged them up the bed. Once he had them over Thayne’s head, he broke their kiss and looked down at him.

“I need you too, Thayne. I need ya like this. You understand?”

Thayne’s bright blue eyes shone in the dim light of the room and he blinked. “You need me to submit to you, don’t you, Jarrett? Is that what you need from me tonight?”

Jarrett squeezed his eyes tight, feeling the well of tears behind his lids as he ducked his head, nodding jerkily. He raised his head and stared into Thayne’s beautiful eyes. Thayne leaned in close.

“Then take what you need from me, baby,” Thayne whispered against his lips. “I’m here, Jarrett. I’ll be anything you need me to be, sweetheart.”

Jarrett sucked in a breath, opening his eyes, allowing himself to stare at Thayne for just a second before he was forced to look away. He abruptly sat back, letting go of Thayne’s hands. He couldn’t let Thayne see what he knew was in his eyes at the moment. Opening that door wasn’t one he wanted to open tonight.

“Turn over for me, will ya?” The words came out graveled as his throat tightened. He moved off Thayne and waited until Thayne had flipped to his stomach. Without asking, Thayne raised his arms over his head and laced his fingers together as he pushed his ass up in the air. Jarrett felt his breathing stutter in his chest as everything about Thayne relaxed and went submissive on the bed. Jarrett’s heart swelled in his chest but he managed to scoot backwards off the bed and grab his duffel, removing his shaving kit where he’d packed lube and condoms for them. A moment later he climbed back on the bed and moved into place between Thayne’s spread knees. He leaned down and whispered in Thayne’s ear.

“Don’t say… just don’t say nothin’, okay?”

Thayne nodded and gratitude washed over Jarrett. He picked up the lube and squirted some on his hand before grabbing onto Thayne’s gorgeous bubble butt, spreading him wide as he sank fingers of his other hand into his crack. He immediately found the tight hole and began rubbing over it, twirling his large middle finger around the rim and thrusting the tip of it inside before pulling it out again. Thayne let out a breathless moan as Jarrett repeated the action, rubbing, thrusting, digging, dragging his fingers along his insides as he loosened him for his cock. Thayne remained motionless and silent except for the shudders Jarrett could feel as tremors began rolling through him. The more Jarrett worked his ass, the harder Thayne’s body trembled but true to his word, his usually verbose lover remained silent. It was incredible to Jarrett that Thayne cared about him enough to do this for him. He’d always known Thayne was a thoughtful lover but this brought that fact to a whole new level and it was what Jarrett desperately needed.

He abruptly removed his fingers and tore open a condom, rolling it on and slicking himself up, unable to dwell on that anymore. Jarrett moved into place behind Thayne, grasping both of his hips and pulling him up until Thayne was on his hands and knees with his legs spread. Jarrett grasped his cock with one hand, setting the other on Thayne’s lower back, and guided himself in. Thayne said nothing but his harsh intake of breath could be heard as Jarrett advanced, pushing past the tight ring of muscle inside Thayne and sinking deeply. Thayne’s rippling muscles gripped his cock like a tight fist and it felt so good Jarrett felt as though he could die from the pleasure it gave him. He pushed in deeply and then pulled out again as Thayne merely huffed.

They're Back...Woohoo!

ATF agent Thayne Wolfe is back at work after the Mills Lang case ended in a mistrial. While he can't be sure if he's completely out of danger, he refuses to live his life constantly in fear. Instead, he faces a new challenge, his new partner. Juggling a working and personal relationship with a mercurial former Marine who doesn't always play by the rules is a complicated task.

Jarrett Evans is all about diving into the action. Unable to sit back and do everything by the book when he can do it his way, he knows he skirting the line with his boss. Not to mention, Thayne, his lover and new partner. While Jarrett might be new to the ATF, he's no stranger to danger. As a former Marine Sniper, he's seen and done things Thayne couldn't ever imagine. Jarrett knows that while he may want to be with Thayne he doesn't deserve him.

When their boss assigns them a new case that sends them to San Diego, Jarrett's past seems to come back to haunt him. Memories of his time in the Marines and the mission that still weighs on him, come back. What was thought to be a simple case of misused fireworks becomes something much more dangerous.

A Militia with ties to the Aryan Nation and an ex-lover stir up a riot of troubling events and feelings. Both men are apprehensive to express how they feel for one another but the further they delve into this case the harder it becomes to not let those feelings color their actions while working.

With a possible homegrown domestic terrorist, someone attempting to kill Jarrett or Thayne or possibly both, they need to work hard to survive. So they can figure out who's behind everything.

It wasn't until I got to the excerpt of the next book that I realized why I loved this book so much (even more than the first). This series is very reminiscent of the Cut & Run series by Abigail Roux and Mary Calmes US Marshall's series, which I love. There's something to be said for two hot Special Agents running through buildings and saving civilians from criminal masterminds. It's definitely entertaining and the writing is top-notch.

What I Loved: in complete honesty, I loved this entire book. I loved the characters, Thayne and Jarrett are great together and individually. And the best part is, while they may be afraid of those 3 little words, they have no problem showing the other how much they care about each other. I also loved that we didn't have to suffer through the typical plot devices when it comes to their relationship. There weren't a plague of misunderstandings and lies (there are a few secrets which fit with the story) and we didn't have to suffer through an abundance of angst. I was so grateful for that.

What I Liked: I like that it seems that while each book while refer to a case that Thayne, Jarrett and their team will have to work on, there is also the continuing threat from previous books that we get pieces to as the story goes along. It keeps us on our toes but also there is a focus on the particular book and resolution at the end.

I enjoyed the scenes with Thayne and Jarrett in the bedroom. Again they have great chemistry and they set the sheets on fire.

What I didn't like: That it ended and now I have to wait for the next book.

Would I recommend Flash and Bang? Absolutely!

5 Stars!

***A copy of this book was provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review***

**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review**

This is Book 2 in the Death & Destruction series. I read Book 1 prior to this one, but I think you could get away without reading Book 1, if you're not the type of person who has to read series in an order (i.e. Me!!).

This book starts up a few months after the previous book ended. Jarrett has gone through his training for the ATF and he and Thayne are working assignments. Jarrett seems to be struggling to perform within the confines of the ATF and after a risky move, he and Thayne are given an "easy" assignment of investigating a fireworks mishap.

Of course, you know this isn't going to be an easy case. That would be a short book, wouldn't it! What ensues is a lot of mystery, killing, injuries, twists, and turns!

I struggled with this story at first but at 28%, I was hooked! The mystery had sunk its claws in me and would not let up. The unraveling of the firework explosion had my whole focus!

Throughout half of this book, I was wondering if this would be a love story or if it was just partners with benefits. I was wrong! I felt the relationship between Thayne and Jarrett really was masterful. It was slow paced and there was no overnight falling in love. For those who need a break from instalove (no hate for them here!), this is a book you're going to want to read! And let me tell you, there is no skimping on the sex scenes, they were HOT!

If you're looking for a book full of action, mystery, crime solving, friendship, hot sex and love, this book is for you! This book ended with a glimpse of what's to come next for Thayne and Jarrett (honestly, I never read them, I'm way too impatient to wait after doing something like that!!). I can't wait for Book 3 to see what happens next. Maybe something involving the unsolved issues from Book 1 or the unsolved mystery of Book 2!

Rating: a solid 4 stars!

Patricia Logan resides in Los Angeles, California along with her husband, four children, her grandchild and ever increasing number of cats. When not being stage mom, baking cookies, or scooping kitty litter, she writes steamy, award winning, gay erotic romance and tries to lead her readers on a journey of discovery with more than a little angst.