Diversion 5
by
Living is the easy part.
Agent Lucky Lucklighter and his partner escaped Mexico alive, only to plunge into bureaucratic fallout from their mission. Hell, maybe Lucky should have stayed south of the border. Especially when the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau places Bo into rehab, and Lucky’s facing both therapy and an inquiry into a fatal shooting. Watching over his shoulder for a vengeful drug lord or a cartel don calling in favors leaves his scarcely able to imagine a future for them as agents, or as lovers.
Bo Schollenberger once had a vision for their life together, but he’s bowed by the weight of his undercover work. Lucky’s hanging on by his deeply chewed fingernails, clinging to hope by making Bo’s dream of a home into reality. The last thing he needs is a phone call from a dangerous man who knows too much, summoning him back to Mexico for “An early Christmas present.”
Not when the SNB brass asks tough questions like “How well do you really know your partner?”
Publisher: Rocky Ridge Books
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 3
Romantic Content: 3
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 36-45
Protagonist 2 Age: 26-35
Tropes: Alpha Character, Badass Hero, Hurt / Comfort, In Uniform, Opposites Attract, Villain to Hero, Antihero, Office / Workplace Romance
Word Count: 74000
Setting: Southern US
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
"What’s your current credit rating?”
Lucky didn’t often use credit. After getting out of prison to work for Walter, he’d bought his car from a police auction for cash, and lived a low-key lifestyle. Before that, Victor Mangiardi had taken care of him. A nice way to live, but other than a car stereo in his teens, he’d never made payments on anything. And he’d been Richmond Lucklighter then. He’d only been Simon Harrison for a short time, and although he’d used credit cards to make expense reporting easier when on assignment, he paid them off every month. “I’m not sure.”
“Then let’s see.” The woman tapped on her laptop and whistled.
“Mr. Harrison, I don’t think we’ll have a problem getting you the loan.”
He owed Walter one hell of a lot of those frou-frou coffee drinks from Starbucks for giving him a credit score to make a loan officer whistle.
READ MOREAn hour later Lucky fought to hide a grin from a woman who’d put the Energizer Bunny to shame. “Now, I’m familiar with the house you’re considering. Offer 180. Trust me.” She winked and handed him the phone.
He pulled a dog-eared card from his wallet and dialed.
“Mr. Harrison?” The Realtor didn’t sound too happy to hear from him, not that he blamed her. She’d been working hard for her commission. That’s why she got commission.
“Is that house still available? The fixer-upper in the gated neighborhood?”
“Y… yes.”
“I want to make an offer.”
Now what was he gonna tell Bo?
COLLAPSEBo is in rehab after the rescue from Mexico. Lucky is going crazy because Bo won’t see him, and he’s stuck on desk duty. And on top of his worry about Bo, Lucky can’t seem to elude the nightmares that keep plaguing him about the shootout in Mexico—so things are not going at all well for our heroes.
Thank goodness for Loretta Johnson. I love this character. She is the most awesome friend/co-worker ever, and I really, really hope that we get more of her story in the next book because she just rocks in this one. She’s a tough agent who sees through Lucky’s bullshit and his protective façade, and thinks he’s worth her time and friendship. She comes through each and every time the chips are down in this installment. She also has figured out Bo and Lucky’s relationship—which of course has Lucky all on edge too.
I do not want to spoil any of this story because it all unfolds so deliciously. I will say that Bo is dealing with a lot of demons, and none of that is easy for him. Lucky is more worried than he’s ever been that Cyrus will be able to take over, but that he’ll never get his Bo back is at the top of the list. Add to that Lucky’s job situation, Bo’s job situation, his worries about Stephan coming after him and Bo, the still unknown of what really happened to Victor, and it’s easy to see why Lucky is stressed to the max in Redemption.
Walter continues to be an enigma, but the one thing we do know is that he has Lucky’s back and Bo’s best interest at heart. He doesn’t want to add any more pressure for either of them, but sometimes he can’t control everything. He does step up to the plate time and again and keeps Lucky from going too far off the rails. Even when Lucky doesn’t always do things by the book, Walter gives him enough leeway to get the job done.
After a lot of turmoil and conflict and difficulty in dealing with the bureaucracy, this story has a lot of surprises that literally keep us guessing until the last page. Diversion is a series that gets better and better with each new book. Bo and Lucky’s relationship keeps growing and changing, as do the characters themselves—just like in real life. This is my favorite book of the series so far, which is saying something because I am a huge fan of these books and this couple! I loved every second of Redemption, and I really cannot wait to find out what happens next to Bo and Lucky and their friends.
