Author: A.E. Via
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages/Word Count: 194 Pages
Rating: 5 Stars
Blurb: Pierce aka Strategic Intelligence Specialist, Backhander is back to flush out some of the DEA’s most notorious criminals, and he has one helluva’ team backing him up. The country’s most decorated Navy Seals…the Beastmasters.
Pierce is more than capable of doing his job, but he has one insanely hot distraction that continuously causes him to second guess his hidden orientation–
Dane Aramis, call-sign, Hawk. Hawk can see what most people can’t, and whether his sexy Pierce wants to admit it or not, he can see the brilliant man’s desire runs deep for him.
However, when Pierce and the Beastmasters are on their final assignment, the last person they expect to encounter with the opposition is rogue assassin…Omega. The man is unstoppable, and when he comes too close to what Hawk holds dear, the Beastmasters call on the only man that can control the lethal assassin. Omega’s faster, deadlier brother, Alpha.
Bringing Alpha back into society may be disastrous for everyone involved. But, Hawk is willing to take that risk to keep Pierce safe.
Review: I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Blue Moon: Too Good to be True and quickly snagged this one up to read. True to form, this was an all out action packed read. While it may not be necessary to read these books in order, I suggest doing so as we are re-introduced to some of the characters from the first story, and it picks up one year after the first book ends.
I’ve been trying to figure out how I want to review this story. It’s gonna be a tough one because there were multiple couples and storylines to follow. For one, we have a very dangerous mission at hand, a mission that must be successful. There’s a lot of strategic moves that must be made. Everyone must have their head in the game, keep their focus and get the job done. With Russian gangs kidnapping Americans and enslaving them, it’s a no brainer, this must be stopped. Second, we have some budding romances taking place with two set of characters. I loved how the author gave us a fast paced read with a lot of action, and could slow it down enough to give us love stories. It just worked.
Pierce and Hawk
Pierce is with the FBI and the brains behind their current mission. Hawk is one of the Beastmasters. He’s tough, big and totally wanting Pierce in the worst way. Past experiences have made Pierce very leery of getting involved with anyone, no matter how much he likes them. I loved watching this couple dance around each other. I really liked the author’s approach in getting them together. The tension was something we’ve seen from other stories, but with Pierce and Hawk the pay-off was extra hot and intense. Maybe it’s the line of work they are both in? Whatever it was, it was well worth the wait.
Shot and Fox
These two are an older couple whom I adored. Fox wants more than what he’s been having with Shot, which is basically getting together to get off, and then it’s goodbye until next time. Watching these two trying to figure it out was frustrating. So many times I wished Shot would just let everything he’s afraid of out on the table, but then where would the conflict be? It takes a life threatening situation to make him realize his fears aren’t stronger than what he feels for Fox.
Overall, the two couples we got to know really had their work cut out for them at times. It was great to see them going the distance and never giving up.
As for the storyline, I freaking loved it. I love military badasses, and there was no shortage of them in this book. The Beastmasters are the good guys. They get sent on missions that no other organizations will touch, and it’s all done on the down-low. They only have each other to rely on. There are many characters in this story, as well as non-stop combat. I love a book with a lot of scenarios going on at once, and the author does a great job of keeping the reader engaged and informed without confusion.
Can I just say here and now that I loved the code names for these guys: Call, Toad, Shot, Fox, Hawk, to name a few. They fit so well that I had to remember who was who a few times when they were called by their real names. It wasn’t bad enough to take me out of the story, though.
I want to give an honorable mention to two characters who we meet in this story: two brothers, Alpha and Omega. They are neither villain nor friend to anyone but each other. They helped the guys out when they were in over their heads, but I wouldn’t exactly call them buddies. I believe they have their own story to tell. We can only hope they get their chance to tell it.
Overall, this was a great read. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a fast paced, action packed, “hold on to your hat, folks” read. Don’t miss out.
You can buy Blue Moon II: This Is Reality here:
