Dirk Greyson

When I first read the blurb for ‘An Assassin’s Holiday’, a story about a man out to kill Santa Claus, it sounded like an unusual, potentially fascinating story to me. Assassins – and I may have said this before – captivate me. I am not a bloodthirsty person, but my excuse is that I assume that assassins kill the “bad guys”. Of course that is nonsense since anyone can hire a specialist to kill anyone else, but still. The romanticized assassins who get written about or appear in show more movies is always someone with their own code of conduct, sometimes even a conscience. I am happy to report that I was not disappointed – this story is absolutely enthralling, emotionally touching, and left me smiling.

Brick, the main character of this story who tells it in first person, is someone with a code of some kind even before he runs into Robin. He is a cold-blooded killer who is very good at his job, no question about it, but he also knows that most of the people he assassinates probably deserve it. The he runs into Robin, and his world turns upside down. The first crack in his protective walls is the fact that Robin spends his free time playing Santa Claus for orphaned children – kids just like the one Brick used to be. His defensive systems suffer further attacks the longer he watches Robin, to the point where Brick realizes that something weird is going on. As Brick contacts Robin and more details about “the case” emerge, Brick has some tough decisions to make. His attraction to Robin is a huge part of that, but the other is Brick’s innate sense of right and wrong, alive and well even after years of killing people for money.

Robin is an amazing man. He also grew up in an orphanage, but his life took a very different turn. Robin is an eternal optimist, full of joie de vivre, and determined to find the good in the worst people. His way of approaching Brick stole my heart, and the light he brought to Brick’s life, even though his life was threatened, was truly heartwarming.

If you like unusual holiday stories, if an assassin learning about the hope and light of Christmas strikes your fancy, and if you’re looking for a read that successfully combines suspense with warm emotions and a perfect ending, then you will probably like this novella as much as I do. I love it and put it straight in my favorites folder.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less

‘Day and Knight’ is Dirk Greyson’s first novel, and it affected me in more than one way. It’s a modern-day mystery with nefarious terrorists planning a very high-tech attack, and comes with the requisite twists and turns as technical analyst Day and former Marine Knight try to figure out what is going on. But it is also the story of a developing relationship that goes way beyond the professional. This is no fluffy romance, but rather a hard-hitting struggle between two strong, show more stubborn men, neither of whom is used to let go of the tight control they exert over their lives. Neither Day (who at least knows he is gay), nor Knight (who has tried to delude himself that he is “mostly straight” for years) are ready to come out, but as they get to know each other better during their mission, that becomes the least of their concerns. This is an intense book with a gripping storyline and intense emotions, not to mention a level of heat between Day and Knight that I can only describe as incendiary.

Day is an analyst. He is intelligent, speaks several languages, and is dying to get an assignment in the field. It’s the reason he left the NSA and is now working for Scorpion, but his profile does not really support an assignment away from the computer and outside the office. When the right opportunity comes up, he faces his new work partner’s arrogance, feelings of superiority, and disdain. Day has a very understated way of dealing with it, and I loved how Dirk Greyson brought out Day's hidden capabilities as well as his inimitable ability to save the day.

Knight is a former Marine with a very dark past. He is gruff to the point of being grumpy, he refuses to speak about anything even remotely personal, and he is deeply in the closet. Not that he can stay there when he and Day are sent on a gay cruise as a cover to get them where they need to be, but he is more than reluctant to admit to himself, never mind anyone else, that he is very attracted to Day. It takes a lot of alcohol for the first step, and Day’s poking for Knight to come to terms with what he really wants. The fact that Day keeps having to save his ass doesn’t help. His suggestion to “not talk about stuff” made me grin, but Day doesn’t take no for an answer. His internal struggle is very believable and keeps Day on his toes.

If you like stories about strong, stubborn men who are each other’s opposite in every way, if you believe confrontation and a struggle to figure out how they could possibly relate to each other makes for interesting reading, and if you’re looking for a suspenseful mystery around international terrorists and two men who are made for each other, then you will probably like this novel. I certainly hope there are more stories like this on Dirk Greyson’s to-write list.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less

After the exciting events of ‘Challenge the Darkness’, I was looking forward to finding out more about the Old Faithful pack, alpha couple Denton and Mikael, and the consequences of their victory over Alpha Anton. At the end of the previous book, I was sure the members of the evil alpha’s pack, disbanded as it may have been, would make some sort of comeback. They do indeed find a way to make more trouble, and, this time, Mikael’s younger brother, Christopher, ends up right in the show more middle of fighting what is becoming a more significant threat than anyone thought. He also finds his mate in Fredrik, who is one of Anton’s sons – and that has more than one unexpected consequence. This story about the aftermath of binding two packs together, the new incarnation of evil, and a darkness that is spread more widely than expected is suspenseful and action-packed, but also has some great emotional moments giving me hope that family and love are stronger than fear and terror – even in the world of the Yellowstone Wolves.

Fredrik is one of many of Anton’s sons, and it makes him miserable that he is related to such an evil wolf. He has managed to stay away for a long time by going to college, but with Anton dead the money stops coming, and Fredrik returns only to find one of his half brothers in charge. Juneau is as bad as Anton and has even more grandiose plans, but Fredrik will have none of it. Once he rescues Juneau’s latest prisoner and escapes, Fredrik has some tough decisions to make. He wants to run as far as he can to escape the evil of his family. But once he meets Christopher and realizes they are mated, things get complicated. Two pups who are clearly related to him appear, Fredrik discovers some of Anton’s evil power inside him, and ends up torn between running to keep the others safe and staying to help them fight for their right to live.

Christopher has also been away to get a college education, but even though his return to his pack is far less traumatic than Fredrik’s, he has his doubts and believes he no longer fits in. Finding out that Fredrik is his mate changes things a little, but Christopher’s struggle to find his place within a hierarchy he is no longer used to keeps him mentally busy. Christopher is ready to compromise, but that doesn’t make things easy and straightforward. Figuring out how he fits into the pack, what his role is regarding Frederik, and what he wants out of life now that he is mated makes for an interesting journey.

I was happy to see Mikael and Denton take an active role in the proceedings, and having many of the other secondary characters return as well increased my enjoyment of this novel significantly. The developing balance of power with an alpha pair in charge of a pack made for some interesting situations, as did the addition of a few more kids who take an active role. The growing understanding of the rules, these wolves’ religion, and what “being in the light” means added another level and provided a dimension of world building that made the situation even more interesting.

If you like the Yellowstone wolves, if the power struggle between the children of the light and the encroaching darkness keeps you fascinated, and if you’re looking for a somewhat darker novel full of action, tension, passion, and two mates who need to learn how they fit together, then you will probably like this novel. I certainly did and look forward to the next installment!


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less

At first glance, ‘Playing with Fire’ may look like a murder mystery around a too-clever serial killer, and it is that in spades, but it is also so much more. The two main characters are fascinatingly complicated men, each in his own way, and between the hurt and disappointments they have both survived and their current reticence toward relationships of the intimate kind, it is a miracle they ever get beyond working together on a professional level. Added to a plot with more twists and show more turns, red herrings, and outright surprises than I expected, this novel made for a very suspenseful, emotional, and psychologically intriguing read.

Jim is a dedicated police officer and he is lonely. He is estranged from his wealthy parents and not exactly close to his academically brilliant sister, and added to the fact that he is gay, this means he has become the black sheep of the family no matter how good he is at his job. He has two failed relationships with university professors, but is still attracted to Barty from the moment they meet. It’s a slowly growing attraction the more they work together. The increased danger when the killer suddenly makes Barty his target makes Jim realize how important Barty has become for him.

Barty is a genius-level psychologist, but his understanding of the human mind is theoretical. He was never close to other children when he grew up, finished school and college too quickly to form real friendships, and he is at a loss when asked to work in a team. His insights are brilliant and he wants to try to make friends, but his bluntness is a real issue for most people. His fear of being too much like the killer is very real for him – and even though it helps him support Jim to solve the case, it also makes him think he will always watch from a distance.

Jim and Barty both have issues with intimacy, and even if the reasons are very different, the effect is the same. Progress on the relationship level is slow, halting, and sometimes it felt like they took one step forward only to fall two steps back. Luckily both are curious enough to persevere, and the slowly building trust between them was great to see. Jim’s young nieces and Barty’s cat, Penelope, also deserve mention since they added a much-needed lighter note in between the more intense events. This story begins with some puzzling initial cases and grows into an ever-tightening spiral of suspense when clue after clue proves useless, or is discarded only to come back to haunt Jim’s team.

If you like murder mysteries with a touch of romance, if you believe that two men who seem destined to be alone deserve a chance to discover love, and if you’re looking for an intense read that will keep your attention until you turn the final page, then you will probably like this novel. I think it’s masterful on more than one level, and had to read it in one go.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less