Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Life has never been easy for Duncan Stiel. His childhood was the stuff of nightmares, and his day job as an undercover police officer forces him to hide his true self and occasionally lands him in the hospital. So when he finally meets the perfect man, it comes as no surprise that everything falls apart around him. What Duncan doesn’t expect is that the hardest hurdle to get over before he can make a life with Aaron Sutter is the one inside himself.

Everyone thinks Aaron has it all—looks, money, fame, and success beyond measure. Everyone, that is, except Aaron. At the end of the day, the cameras stop flashing, friends go back to their own lives, company business is handled, and Aaron is always alone. The moment he meets Duncan Stiel, Aaron knows he’ll do anything to hold onto the larger-than-life detective. But when he realizes money won’t buy him the ultimate happiness, Aaron needs to find the strength to give Duncan something much more important—his heart.

 

Book Review

I was so excited when I heard that Mary Calmes was writing a book about Duncan and Aaron. I mean, let's face it, I was not impressed with Aaron's behavior when he was with Jory in the beginning of the series books. But, his reactions at the end of 'But For You', book six, right after he met Duncan left me with the strong impression that there was still a lot to learn about Aaron. I am so glad I was right and so grateful to the author for writing their story.

Duncan Stiel, undercover Chicago detective, and Aaron Sutter, billionaire, are set up on a blind date by their respective friends, Sam and Jory, the love god. Both of these men are in the closet, both of them are intensely lonely, and both of them need the other in their life. I have to say that these two men together have some of the, hands-down, hottest sex I've ever read. This author knows how to write smoking hot scenes with just the right amount of detail to make me breathless with yearning. But, there's more to a relationship than sex and neither of these men really know a lot about that. So, when Aaron's father digs up stories about his son being gay and even gets a witness, his father threatens to have the CEO position removed from Aaron due to moral turpitude. Huh. Now life is intruding and the ugly reality of it is surfacing forcing Duncan and Aaron to discontinue their newfound love affair regardless of how incredibly right it has felt.

Three months later Duncan has the unfortunate luck for his homicide case to stumble into an FBI undercover operation. Time is of the essence and Duncan has no choice but to recruit Aaron to help him capture the drug smuggling murderer. These two strong, dominant men who are able to each be submissive and vulnerable with one another was enough to make my heart hurt. They are so beautiful to watch together. I really adored the way they handled the whole money issue—I mean, Aaron is über rich and Duncan is a police detective, they compromised and dealt with each other's insecurities really, really well.

This book had the drama and angst I was expecting but it definitely didn't smother me as it was mixed in with some very funny moments. Who could have guessed that these two totally opposite men would be so perfect for each other? I fell in love with both Duncan and Aaron and this book. I'm hoping it isn't the last I hear from all of the characters in the series, but if it is, the author did a marvelous job ending it.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook, print and audio
Length	Novel, 264 pages/69966 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	19-July-2013
Price	$6.99 ebook, $16.99 paperback, $16.99 bundle, $19.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/parting-shot-by-mary-calmes-3673-b