Title: Fire and Agate
Series: Carlisle Deputies: Book Three
Author: Andrew Grey
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Length: 200 Pages
Category: Contemporary
At a Glance: I like the way the Andrew Grey handled the subject of human trafficking and the ordeal Pavle faced. Grey makes you feel the emotional toll it took on Pavle and how it affected Chris, without being overly explicit.
Reviewed By: Maryann
Blurb: When Chris Anducci is moved off jail duty and into the sheriff’s office, he doesn’t expect his first assignment to be protecting a witness against a human trafficking ring. Knowing the new sheriff doesn’t abide screwups, Chris reluctantly agrees to work the case.
Pavle Kasun has spent the last four years of his life at the mercy of others. When an opportunity presented itself, he took it, resulting in his rescue. Now the safe houses he’s placed in are being threatened and he needs protection if he is to have any sort of chance at a life.
Chris opens his home to Pavle, but he doesn’t expect Pavle and his story to get under his skin… and stay there. Soon they discover they have more in common than either of them thought. Slowly Pavle comes out of his shell and Chris finds someone who touches his heart. But as the men looking for Pavle close in, they will stop at nothing to get him out of the way. But even if Chris can keep him safe, he might not be able to protect his heart if Pavle moves back home.
Review: Chris Anducci got lucky, with the help of acting sheriff Briggs, when he desperately needed a change of assignment from jail duty. Now, he’s called front and center to the new political appointee, Sheriff Vitalli—whom many seem to dislike—as the Carlisle PD has busted a human trafficking ring, and Chis is assigned to protect a man who was held prisoner for four years.
Pavle Kasun is scared and doesn’t know how to act or feel. Noises, people, and thinking he has to submit burdens and shames him. After his long, traumatic experience, Pavle needs protection. Being from Serbia, as well as isolated for four years, makes communication a problem, but Pavle can describe his tormentors to a T with his drawings, and could help bring the guilty to justice. As Chris takes Pavle under his wing, he discovers Pavle is filled with a magnificent talent for gardening and loves to be outside. As protecting Pavle becomes more hazardous, the more Chris and Briggs are positive they’re facing a leak inside the department. Chris goes above and beyond to keep Pavle safe and to ensure him that he is, and will always be, free.
I like the way the Andrew Grey handled the subject of human trafficking and the ordeal Pavle faced. Grey makes you feel the emotional toll it took on Pavle and how it affected Chris, without being overly explicit. It’s treated delicately as was the growing relationship between Chris and Pavle. I appreciate that the author didn’t make this an insta-love romance, because there were various obstacles for both Chris and Pavle to overcome—language barriers, Pavle’s four years of torture and the shame he was burdened with, and Chris needing to be very cautious of the fragile situation and the danger that grows from the unknown.
There are a number of characters who were vital to the storyline, one being Chris’s Nanna; without her, the doors of love and understanding may have taken longer to open. Briggs was also a major force; he gave support to Chris and Pavle at every turn. And, there’s always Red and Terry, who never fail to be there when needed.
Personally, I thought this was different from the first two books in the series, more delicate, and, as always, Andrew Grey’s characters step up to give love and support.
You can buy Fire and Agate here:
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