“Trouble is the common denominator of living. It is the great equalizer.” – Soren Kierkegaard
At the beginning of this story we meet Shawn and Brent, a married couple that are a policeman and a journalist, respectively. The two men have been together for most of the last ten years. About five years in the past, they took a “break” due to a misunderstanding. This break unfortunately led to a life altering event that changed reality for both men. Brent contracted HIV due to a sexual assault, and it changed his and Shawn’s life forever.
In a strange twist of fate, Shawn’s newest case involves a perpetrator that is shooting random people on the street with darts that contain HIV positive blood. Due to the fact that all of Shawn’s co-workers and supervisors know about Brent’s status he is made the “face” of the case by his boss and his boss’s boss. The fact that Shawn is basically forced to appear on a local morning show brings Shawn and Brent to the attention of the serial shooter Shawn has been tracking. With a surreal ending to Shawn’s case that actually helps Brent professionally, the couple moves on to more personal issues.
While visiting Shawn at work one day Brent meets Malik, an undercover narcotics officer, and he recognizes the attraction shared between the three of them. After discussing the attraction Brent noticed between the three men, he and Shawn decide that Malik is interested and they would love to spend one night with the man. I don’t understand why a committed couple that are genuinely happy with one another would want or need to invite another man into their bed, but the scene was well written, and both Shawn and Brent got some comfort from the night with Malik. I think this was one final step for the men to recognize the strength of their relationship.
I truly enjoyed watching this story unfold. Getting to see these two men mend fences with an old friend and make a few new ones was truly entertaining and heartwarming. I also appreciated how Shawn and Brent grew as a couple. The two men learned the importance of telling the whole truth and also saw exactly how the decisions of one person can determine the future of countless others. After the stress of the case is over Shawn and Brent have some very important decisions to make. They both want a family of their own and they find that there are more options then they previously thought.
Tia Fielding put together a wonderful story full of mystery, romance and some downright smexy moments! I hope this book may be the first of a series because I am anxious to find out what happens to some of the wonderful secondary characters that added so much to Shawn and Brent’s story.
Reviewed by: Jackie
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Interesting.
This book has a lot going on but I think the author did a fabulous job weaving it all together.