A total shoot em up action adventure novel complete with buff heroes, bad guys and tequila shots off butts. I was so just waiting for someone to chime in with, ’say hello to my little friend.’ It certainly did require a certain suspension of disbelief, but for all that I did enjoy it a great deal. And, it was such a long book!

The novel is in two parts. While the 1st hooked into my undercover cop fiend and fascination with men and big guns, it was the 2nd part that appealed more. The wounded soldier with life changing injuries shtick just floats my boat.

What drew me in was how well the characters fit together. Gabriel was feisty and fiery with Miguel being a perfect conterpoint with his smooth and charming nature. It also made me laugh several times when Miguel is trying to be somewhat romantic and admittedly getting just a little dribbly and Gabriel just scoffs at him. Towards the end Gabriel has the most classic line, “Jesus, the shit you talk, Antonio. Go on.” It was so perfect and had me sniggering. Such a heavy moment and yet it was this ability to poke fun that made me feel that the novel had a lighter side and did not take itself too seriously. I think, that had it lacked these moments of levity the characters would not have been as diverting as they was and I would have been a little more dubious about the premise.

As the book ended in such an interesting place with the characters still in the early stages of a relationship, I’ll be very keen to see what the authors do next. I think Gabriel has a lot more developing to do as a character and I am eager to see the next installment.

Check out the book here via MLRP, or you can get it in ebook from Samhain.
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Baumbach and Lanyon are such a good match, it's a wonder they didn't collaborate before this! Lanyon writes excellent mysteries, and while the romances in those mysteries are tender, they lack a certain heat. Baumbach writes some of the best gay erotica I've ever read and when you combine the two the result is explosive. Baumbach's short story "South of the Border," is given new life in the first of a new series.

Gabriel Sandalini is an undercover cop trying to expose Ricco Botelli's drug cartel. When one of his snitches fails to show at a rendezvous, Gabriel is at first concerned and them completely derailed by the hottest guy he's ever seen. Gabriel's just looking for a one night stand, he can't afford commitments in his line of work, but the tall stranger sets off all his fantasies and somehow gets under his skin. The two men have hard, anonymous sex over an office desk. It's risky, rough and dangerous - and sets the stage for the story to come. When Mexican drug lord Don Sanchez shows up to marry Botelli's sister, Gabriel is shocked to see tall, dark and handsome is one of his mob lieutenants. How can he let himself feel anything for a murdering thug? Gabriel's troubles have only gotten worse though because Sanchez's new fiancé has a crush on Gabriel, and Sanchez won't tolerate competition.

Miguel is obviously not who he appears to be, and readers can easily guess why since this is a romantic mystery, but the authors handle it well. The first part of the book is told from Gabriel's point of view, so we never learn more about Miguel than he does. This isn't as tight a mystery as Lanyon usually writes, mainly because it's more of an action story - like an episode of Law and Order. We know who the bad guys are; the story revolves around how Gabriel does his work (and finds himself falling for Miguel). Gabriel makes calls to his captain, gets information on his targets and walks a fine line keeping Botelli convinced of his loyalty. A rival drug gang tangles the action even more. The tension if carefully built, and readers feel how dangerous Gabriel's situation is. When the action comes to a climax mid-way through, the book switches to Antonio's (Miguel's) point of view and the romance comes to the forefront.

Those who haven't read the short story should wait until after they read this. The story takes place later in the timeline and a couple events in the novel lose some impact because of that. This is especially true of part two with Antonio. The story takes on a bitter-sweet aspect, and the romance is one of the most tender (but still steamy) Baumbach has written. She keeps to her trademark - an alpha male with a spit-fire bottom as his lover - but they are well fleshed out, and engaging. I liked them. I'm excited this will be a series. I want to see Gabriel meet Antonio's family, and see how these two men get embroiled in another mystery. Highly recommended! ( )

Usually I don't like to give up a story, but in this case I'm allowed... First time I heard of latino man Antonio and his blind lover Gabriel was perhaps two years ago. I read a short story by Laura Baumbach, South of Border, no more than a scene in an hot tube, but really hot (as most of Laura Baumbach's books). I don't know, probably it's a fetish, but I always am fascinated by love stories involving a blind partner... there must be a lot of trust on one side to allow someone near you when you are blind, but if you find the right partner, I believe the resulting feeling are much more intense. And so I was waiting for the longer novel the author was writing with the same pair.

The story actually starts at the beginning, when Gabriel is still a sighted San Francisco Police Department undercover agent. During his two years as undercover agent, but really even before, Gabriel, alias Giovanni, only allows himself one night stands and possibly well far from the circle he gravitates in: even if in San Francisco, mafia is not a word which match well with gay. And so when one of his one night stand, Miguel, reveals to be the lieutenant of the Mexican drug lord Gabriel's boss is dealing with, Gabriel is a bit disconcerted. How can he be so attracted by a villain? He should be the good guy and not mixing with the evil guys... But maybe Miguel is not so bad boy as he appears.

The first part of the book is good, I really like the way how Giovanni and Miguel met in a club and that first raw sex scene is almost an housemark for Laura Baumbach's books, but truth be told, I like much the second part; it's all over all pure hot romance, but also mushy feeling, and in some part it almost made me cry. How Antonio deals with a wounded Gabriel, how he manages to pull out all the protective layers of the man, to bare his soul... and how Gabriel leans on Antonio, without for this being weak or dependent: it takes a real man to understand when it's the case to call for help.

So sorry to the thriller lover, but I read this book more like a very good romance. Oh, don't worry, there are also the car racing scene, the shootings in the night, and also the classical scene in the warehouse, but I manage to read them in a bit to hurry to my romance scenes... instead, you, thriller lover, could linger on them as you want, you will have plenty.

As for the characters, Laura Baumbach confirms her love for a good Alpha male, Antonio is the classical type: it reminds me one of that chocolate with the dark and hard exterior but with a sweet and molten inside. Perhaps a bit different from the other Alpha males' mates I was used, is Gabriel, but not too much: it's true that Gabriel, as an agent, is independent and strong, but in his private life he prefers not to be the dominant side of the couple; he prefers to be dominate, he fights against his mate, but then, if the mate is worth of it, he surrenders with joy.

The book is the first in a new series with the same characters; good thing since they are both really worth of some more books. And then I still have to read about Christmas at Antonio's family.

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