Rating: 4.5 Stars

Publisher: Jacki James

Genre: Gay Romance

Tags: Contemporary, Daddy Kink (ish), Opposites Attract, Romance, Series

TW: Kidnapping and talk of sex trafficking.

Length: 330 Pages

Reviewer: Cindi

Purchase At: Amazon

Blurb –

At six feet of cocky charm, easy smiles, and a reckless streak a mile wide, Harlan “Gator” Thibodeaux is not my type. So why is he the one I call when my world falls apart?

Julius Petros has spent years dazzling older men who wanted arm candy, not commitment—men who loved the sparkle but never stayed long enough to see the person underneath. Gator is nothing like them. He’s bold, disarming, and far too willing to look past the performance and into the parts of Julius no one else has bothered to see—the parts he’s tried to keep hidden.

But when Julius witnesses an abduction behind a nightclub, the danger becomes terrifyingly real—and the only person he trusts to keep him alive is Gator.

Gator is ex-military, a hand-to-hand combat expert, and far more dangerous than he lets on. He’s sharp, loyal, and lethal when it counts. And when he promises to protect Julius, he means all of him—the glitter, the drama, and the heart he’s never let anyone hold.

As danger closes in and the truth about what Julius witnessed begins to unravel, he’ll have to decide: stay hidden behind a wall of sparkle and sass, or let in the one man who might be strong enough to stand beside him.

Review –

Julius and Gator have been dancing around each other for a while. Both men are now available and are determined to finally come together, even if it’s just for a night. Julius doesn’t do relationships. Nobody ever stays, so why bother trying? He’s more than a little flashy and flamboyant, and he’s too much for some guys.

Not Gator.

They, along with the others from Three Bears Tactical, meet up at Kirby’s, the local bar. Kirby’s is owned by Jesse, Andy’s man from Smokescreen, and Andy’s brother. Gator and Julius do some serious petting and dancing, both knowing they’ll be going home together. Or that’s the plan anyway. They’re minutes from leaving when Julius witnesses a kidnapping. He doesn’t just witness the kidnapping, he tries to save the man they grab. He just barely manages to get away from the bad guys. With the help from Kat, the bad-ass woman who works for Three Bears Tactical, they’re able to at least find out the identity of the kidnapping victim. His name is Noah. They, along with the police, do everything they can to rescue him, and there’s a lot happening in the background to hopefully make it happen.

There’s no question of Julius and Gator picking up where they left off at Kirby’s that night at some point, but the kidnapping rightfully takes precedence. After spotting one of the bad guys at a wedding, Julius needs protection. Gator’s determined not to let him out of his sight. He’s moved into a secure apartment the Three Bears Tactical building. It’s the same building where Mika and Hawk from Hawk live.

It was good to see Mika and Hawk again, though there was more Mika in this one than Hawk.

Gator and Julius have sex not long after he moves into the safe place/apartment. One time is all it takes before Gator is insisting Julius move in with him in an apartment a floor up. I liked that. There was no back and forth. They both knew what they wanted and they went for it.

Julius owns his own hair salon, and there’s no way he won’t be there for his clients. Gator stays with him during a lot of his shifts, but then all leads dry up on the kidnapping. It’s kind of quiet on that front so Axel, a coworker, takes over so Gator can get back to working with his business partners.

Everything is going perfectly until Julius gets a phone call that changes everything. He’s now in serious danger, and it’s Gator and the other guys’ job to save him before it’s too late.

I absolutely adored these guys together. I love Julius’ flamboyance and fun attitude, and I love Gator’s protectiveness. Hell, I loved everything about Gator. He’s one of those who is all about mine. Gets to me every single time.

“Mine,” I stated, the word a low growl, thick with emotion.

“Yours,” he breathed back, pure certainty shining in his eyes.

The thing I loved most about these guys is that they, as a couple, never had any drama, or doubts, or any silly misunderstandings.

I liked most of the secondary characters. I know some will have their own stories someday. I’m especially looking forward to Noah and Crowe’s story, that’s coming up next. I just wanted to hug Noah every time he was on page.

I liked Julius’ sister and neice, and their grandmother was a hoot. Their mom, however, was a different story altogether.

As much I loved everybody else, nothing compares to how much I love Trixie, Julius’ African Grey. That bird is hilarious. Trixie sent me down a rabbit hole while I was reading this book. I was curious if the African Grey’s actually talk as much as she did. I came across Cosmo, who has conversations with everybody. What a smart bird. After watching several of Cosmo’s videos, I realized that yes, Trixie could have that much of a vocabulary and personality.

It’s so worth taking the time to watch Cosmo. I linked one of the videos above.

Trixie was a little smart ass. I found myself cracking up pretty much every time the bird was on page. At one point, she said Roll Tide and that the New Orleans Saints suck. Couldn’t agree with you more, bird. 😉

I could go on and on about Trixie, but my review is already long enough.

Jacki James was put on my auto-buy list a few years ago when I was reading the River Gorge series. I was really happy to receive the Amazon email letting me know Gator was published. I couldn’t wait to see Julius get his own happily ever after.

A very good book.