Rhys Ford’s “Tequila Mockingbird” Shoots Straight For The Heart

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” ― Oscar Wilde

Title: Tequila Mockingbird (Sinners Series: Book Three)

Author: Rhys Ford

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Pages/Word Count: 250 Pages

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb: Lieutenant Connor Morgan of SFPD’s SWAT division wasn’t looking for love. Especially not in a man. His life plan didn’t include one Forest Ackerman, a brown-eyed, blond drummer who’s as sexy as he is trouble. His family depends on him to be like his father, a solid pillar of strength who’ll one day lead the Morgan clan.

No, Connor has everything worked out—a career in law enforcement, a nice house, and a family. Instead, he finds a murdered man while on a drug raid and loses his heart comforting the man’s adopted son. It wasn’t like he’d never thought about men — it’s just loving one doesn’t fit into his plans.

Forest Ackerman certainly doesn’t need to be lusting after a straight cop, even if Connor Morgan is everywhere he looks, especially after Frank’s death. He’s just talked himself out of lusting for the brawny cop when his coffee shop becomes a war zone and Connor Morgan steps in to save him.

Whoever killed his father seems intent on Forest joining him in the afterlife. As the killer moves closer to achieving his goal, Forest tangles with Connor Morgan and is left wondering what he’ll lose first—his life or his heart.

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Review: Here we go again, y’all. In this book we get to revisit some of our favorite characters from the mind of Rhys Ford. Yes, Miki and Damian are back, along with Kane, Sionn, Donal, Brigid and the rest of the Morgan clan. I don’t know about y’all, but I have been dying for this book.

In this installment of the Sinner’s Gin series we have Connor Morgan, SWAT cop and definite hunk o’ hunk o’ burnin’ love. When Connor and his team move in on an RV in a parking lot that they were led to with an anonymous tip, Connor has no idea his whole world is about to spin off its axis.

Forest Ackerman survived his childhood only because of the care he received from an old rock-n-roll hippie who took him in at a young age and got him off the streets. Over the years Forest finally found a tiny bit of peace through the music Frank taught him. His birth mother still comes a callin’ occasionally, and Forest has to fight his way out of the gutter every time.

When Frank turns up dead, Forest finds himself secure financially, but he feels adrift in every other part of his life. The weirdest part is the SWAT officer, Connor Morgan, who keeps stopping by his coffee shop. Forest feels an undeniable attraction to the man who insists he is straight. Only Connor is trying to figure out why he wants Forest so badly if he is actually so very straight.

Not long after Frank’s death, Forest’s shop is the target of a drive-by shooting, and Connor believes whomever did this is after Forest for some reason. His theory seems to gain momentum when there is another attack on the shop while Forest is in there. At this point Connor has decided that Forest won’t be out of his sight and after an in-depth conversation with one of his brothers, he believes he finally knows why he is feeling the way he is.

With his quest to be a man equal to his father, Connor has suppressed some of his basic desires and being around Forest has brought them all to the forefront again. Connor falls for Forest quickly, and there isn’t much lag on Forest’s end either.

The two men find a way to make it work together, and they are doing well right up until the person that has been after Forest decides to up the ante on the murder attempts. Connor will have to work with his family members and other members of the police department to figure out who is doing this if he is going to keep Forest safe.

There are a few storylines running at the same time in this book, but Ms. Ford is such a gifted writer there is order in the chaos. Forest finds a place he belongs aside from with Connor, and this gives him joy like he hasn’t experienced before. Connor has a conversation with Donal that will have you wanting to call your father just to tell him how much you love him and maybe how much you wish he could be just like Donal.

As usual the Morgan clan is out in full force in this book, and I don’t know if I could love them any more than I do right now. Brigid is in rare form this time around, and it is exactly what all the boys need at the exact right time.

I still don’t know if I would consider this a “gay for you” or an “out for you”, but in my opinion it doesn’t really matter which way you look at it. The story is, as always with Ms. Ford, well written. The dialogue is poignant at times, funny at times and downright heartbreaking at times. It is a wonderful balance, and I don’t think there is much of anything that could have been better in this book.

There are plenty of clues to what we can expect in the next book in the series, and I am simply giddy to see how it all unfolds. I would highly recommend you come along with me because it seems like it will be a wild ride.

You can buy Tequila Mockingbird (Sinners Series: Book Three) here: