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Sanctuary #5

Full Circle

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Manny Sullivan is the backbone of Sanctuary. He has his fingers in every pie and when he spots Josh Headley where he shouldn't be, it is Manny who goes in and rescues him.

Josh is in Sanctuary witness protection after his dad turns on the Bullens. Not only is his dad a murderer but his ex is a liar who was using him for information. With his skill in information retrieval, he hopes to make a contribution to the solution.

What started with the death of Elisabeth Costain is drawing to a close and Josh and Manny are in the middle of it all. When Manny risks his life could it finally be time for Josh to risk his heart?

187 pages, ebook

First published June 1, 2012

79 people are currently reading
380 people want to read

About the author

R.J. Scott

306 books2,706 followers
RJ Scott writes heartwarming, passionate MM/gay romance stories where every man finds his happily ever after. When not writing, she enjoys reading books, watching movies, spending time with her family, following Formula 1 (Forza Ferrari!), and cheering on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Email her here: rj@rjscott.co.uk

Find RJ here: Amazon | BookBub | Facebook - Also, Never miss a release

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5 stars
338 (33%)
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395 (38%)
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238 (23%)
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37 (3%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
Profile Image for Trisha Harrington.
Author 3 books144 followers
June 29, 2013
Full Circle is the fifth installment in the Sanctuary by R.J. Scott. This time around we got Manny a guy who is always there, and has been in all of the Sanctuary books in some way. With this book we get another Dale and Joseph with a bit of extra cuteness that was really sweet to see. Normally a series gets boring around this point, but I am still begging for more books and to get more of the mystery.

Josh and Manny were the typical couple. At first it was hard to see how they would get together, I was worried about that. What we got was a slow burning romance that involved some cute scenes. I loved Manny and the way he pointed out not all small guys were bottoms. To be honest I wouldn't have guessed he was in the other books, in this one though he was an obvious top and his bossiness was kind of nice to read at times.

The Bullen case is still a major plot for the story, and in this book Manny's past helped them. We get some cool suspense that wasn't overly violent and it brought forward a lot of things in the story. I am a huge fan of this plot, it keeps me guessing but I never feel like I am reading double dutch. It's actually easy enough to follow if we pay attention. Josh had a bit of a role with this too, and it was to do with his father.

Sean Hansen from the last book was here and he even had a tiny part in this. It set's up the next book for his and Jake's story. Manny even mentioned Sean in this and it was kind of obvious that he had liked him, and the betrayal cut deep for that reason. Nick and Morgan were back too and that was nice.

I would say if you like a couple that does not rush into sex and can actually sleep together without having sex you would probably like this. I was not sure what to expect before I read and I got a feeling of something that could be left open. Maybe we will get a sequel for these two like with Dale and Joseph.

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Highly recommend this series!
Profile Image for Don Bradshaw.
2,427 reviews105 followers
June 21, 2012
Reviewed on Hearts On Fire... http://heartsonfirereviews.com/

This final book in the tearing down of the Bullen empire was a bit of a surprise. Manny is the computer genius of Sanctuary and like a brother to Jake. Jake and Manny have been keeping a secret for eight years now. Manny is really more than a computer geek, he is part of what was a big crime family in California. Both Josh Headley and his mother are in a locked down Sanctuary safe house so why is Manny watching Josh jumping the wall at the Bullen's lawyer's house? Manny rushes out and collects the headstrong Josh just as the bells and whistles go off and takes him back to headquarters. It turns out that Josh is a computer genius and almost as good as Manny. The two men work together as Manny goes under cover as Vincenzio Altosinno, Manny's true name, in an effort to get information about just who is running the Bullen family now. Some interesting leads come out of the meeting that shed some bad light on Senator Bullen. There is a spark between Manny and Josh which happily isn't insta-love but is something the men want to explore. I think this is the first book by Ms Scott that has a HFN ending rather than a HEA. The characters of Manny and Josh were very well developed and I could feel the tension between the two. It was good to see Morgan and Nik in this story as they started the series. The story flowed perfectly as the new guy fit into place well as an ops handler for Manny. The end of the story and the person who finally crushed the Bullens was a surprise and very gratifying. This book is a must for anyone who has been following this wonderful series.
Profile Image for blub.
2,040 reviews
June 25, 2012
I actually liked this a lot better than all the other books in the series. The characters aren't actually kept in a safe house for a majority of the book doing nothing (well it doesn't feel like it anyway). Manny goes out to do field work and he takes Josh along for the ride to be his handler. I could have sworn R.J. Scott wrote in book 4 that this would be a 5 book series but it seems there will be a 6th book. I look forward to reading Jake's story.
Profile Image for Romanticamente Fantasy.
7,976 reviews235 followers
January 9, 2019
Speravo con questo quinto capitolo della serie Santuario di poter finalmente dare una risposta alle tante domande che tormentano i miei poveri, piccoli neuroni…speranza vana! I misteri si infittiscono e le domande aumentano in maniera esponenziale.
In questo nuovo episodio della serie approfondiremo la conoscenza di Manny, il genio dell’organizzazione, e di Josh, figlio del poliziotto che ha commesso l’omicidio da cui ha avuto origine tutta la ragnatela di intrighi e complotti. Scopriremo, quindi, attraverso la loro storia che non sempre gli opposti si attraggono, ma qualche volta la passione e, perché no, l’amore può sbocciare anche tra due persone sorprendentemente simili. Entrambi infatti possiedono straordinarie capacità intellettuali, un’ eccezionale dimestichezza con i computer, una smodata passione per Star Trek (ebbene sì, i nostri ragazzi sono seguaci del caro Capitano Kirk), e un passato segnato da scelte altrui che pregiudica il loro futuro.
Che dire? Due metà della stessa mela che, per quanto pressochè identiche riescono a trovare il loro incastro perfetto!
Oltre a Manny e Josh, ritroveremo Nik e Morgan e assisteremo all’evoluzione della loro storia, così come ne intuiremo una futura ( Sean e Jake non me la raccontano giusta!)
Tirando le somme, un libro indubbiamente da leggere, piacevole, scorrevole, decisamente ben scritto.
Se proprio vogliamo trovare una pecca nella serie, in generale, la sequenza conoscenza- intimità- innamoramento mi è parsa un po’ troppo frettolosa ma è comunque dovuta alla brevità di ciascun romanzo ( 130 pagine circa) e si riesce a perdonare se si considera che le varie storie vengono comunque approfondite nei capitoli successivi, pur cambiando i protagonisti principali.
Tornando alle domande che mi tormentano: perché Elisabeth Costain è stata uccisa? E Sean sarà davvero quello che sembra? Io ho seri dubbi al riguardo ma dovrò aspettare le prossime pubblicazioni per verificare se le mie teorie sono corrette, quindi Signori della CE…affrettatevi, sono curiosa.
Ah dimenticavo, un piccolo appunto da fare direttamente a Josh; mio caro, l’autrice descrive il nostro Manny alto all’incirca 1,75 cm, esattamente la mia altezza, quindi, con che coraggio lo definisci alto, cito: “un metro e un barattolo”? Stai scherzando? Mi sento personalmente offesa, tzè.
Bè che c’è? Non mi guardate così, non ditemi che non parlate mai con i personaggi delle storie che leggete, non sarò mica l’unica…o sì?

Profile Image for Ale Rivero.
1,304 reviews119 followers
October 28, 2018
Esperaba bastante la historia de Manny, porque lo veía como un personaje divertido, pero más allá de eso, me ha gustado conocer más de su pasado, que estaba bien guardadito y que podría haber aportado más acción a la trama, cosa que lamentablemente no hizo.
El círculo alrededor de los Bullen está ahí del cierre, y los descubrimientos de Josh y Manny definitivamente ayudaron a esto, así que no creo que esta trama general dure más de uno o dos próximos libros de la saga.
En esta quinta entrega se ve que los protagonistas tienen pequeñas diferencias, igual que los otros que hemos visto, pero las mismas se pasan bastante fácil, probablemente porque es también una novela corta que no se desarrolla en exceso, tiene menos de doscientas páginas.
El inicio tiene un par de escenas que resaltan y luego se convierte en un tira y afloja con un final feliz pero para mi gusto abierto, hubiera querido ver más de la pareja principal, en cuanto al desarrollo de su relación y los planes que se ven al final; pero sí me gustó el atisbo de los protagonistas del primer libro, Nik y Morgan.
Luego de leer cinco libros de la saga puedo decir que aunque no sean una maravilla resultan entretenidos y rápidos de leer, ideales como libros para descansar de lecturas más pesadas.
Profile Image for Serena Yates.
Author 104 books768 followers
July 28, 2012
I have been wondering what this fifth book would be like for quite a while and was sure it couldn’t possibly get any more fascinating than the first four books. Boy, was I wrong. The link that ties these books together is the murder of a young woman called Elizabeth. So far we have seen the story, and all subsequent events, from the perspective of the people most directly involved: a direct witness to Elizabeth’s murder, her step-brother, Elizabeth’s pseudo-boyfriend (trying to protect himself from being seen as gay by the Bullens), and the two agents who have been involved not only with the case, but, as it turns out, with each other.

Manny is someone who has always been there in the background. He was helpful and supportive, is extremely clever, but his role was to help the others do their jobs. What I really loved is how RJ brings Manny to life, shows us all the passion he hides underneath his 'nerdy' side, and how he evolves from a supporting character to a full-fledged hero with his own goals, problems, and needs. And what a guy he is once he emerges. I've always loved him, but after this story? I think he is just amazing.

Josh's role wasn't clearly defined at the end of book four. He could have been a bad guy, and needs to prove himself before the Sanctuary organization can believe he is yet another victim of the Bullens. His dad ended up turning against the Bullens though, so Josh end up in witness protection. Trying to redefine his life isn’t easy, and the pressure is enormous. Especially with the suspected leak in the FBI endangering the whole situation!

If you like stories with a lot of tension and mystery, if you prefer your men clever and ready for action, and if you want to know ‘who did what’ in this ongoing case, you will probably devour and like this book as much as I did.




NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Profile Image for Joanne .
440 reviews6 followers
June 24, 2012
I loved this book. Full Circle is the story of Manny, the Sanctuary IT Geek and Josh, son of the cop who killed Elizabeth Costain. It turns out Manny has a bit of a history, which explains things hinted at in previous books, and Josh, shamed by his fathers actions, is determined to help bring the Bullens down. They are both attracted to each other and when they get together it's explosive. Finally all the individual threads from the previous books are pulled together to provide a very satisfying ending to the series. I loved how RJ pulled it all together, drip feeding us clues and information in each book. The Sanctuary series is a wonderful ride and hopefully RJ will do this again.

Profile Image for Susan65.
1,649 reviews53 followers
July 14, 2012
I really liked Manny through all the books and he didn't disappoint now that it was finally his turn. Josh and Manny have a ton of similarities and prove that not only opposites attract. Theirs is a HFN because the relationship is so new, but i am sure we will be seeing more of them.

At first I was upset with the ending because it felt unfinished. I was under the misguided impression this was the last book...fortunately I was wrong. Gotta find some love for Jake and figure out whats up with Sean.
Profile Image for Heather♥.
794 reviews6 followers
June 25, 2012
Enjoyed Manny and Josh and thought they were well-suited for each other (they shared not only a love of computers, but more importantly a love of Star Trek). But even though this was supposed to be the last book in the series, it felt like there might be still more to come. Especially with Jake and Sean still twisting in the wind like that...
Profile Image for Stephanie.
828 reviews2 followers
November 4, 2013
2nd read: 10/11/12
3rd read: 11/3/13

Another fantastic addition to this series! I really like Manny's character. And he and Josh seem perfect for each other. Who I am dying to read about is Sean and Jake. Can't WAIT for that story. I'm convinced Sean is a good guy.

Profile Image for Chris.
2,882 reviews209 followers
June 16, 2012
Very good m/m romantic suspense in which Manny finds himself attracted to the son of a murderer, but can't let himself get distracted as the Bullen case hits critical.
Profile Image for Anke.
2,505 reviews97 followers
June 30, 2012
After all the computer stuff at the beginning, it turned out to be a very good ending to the series. Both Josh and Manny were a very good fit.
Profile Image for Saimi Vasquez.
1,951 reviews95 followers
November 19, 2019
La caida final de la familia Bullen, la historia de Manny (geek informatico Sanctuary) y Josh (hijo del policia asesino), se encuentran cuando Josh se escapa de a casa de seguridad y decide afrontar a su ex-novio cuando se entera que solo lo estaba usando para obtener informacion para la familia Bullen. Manny lo saca de la casa antes que llegue la policia y su padre se entere que no esta en custodia de Sanctuary.
Resulta que (como esperamos) Josh es un experto en informatica y esta estudiando ciencias forenses, asi que el y Manny consiguen infiltrarse en la familia Bullen y conseguir grabaciones de las conversaciones entre los hermanos que los ayudan a desenmascarar al Senador en una rueda de prensa.
La relacion entre Manny y Josh es suave y tranquila, pero la confianza entre ellos los lleva a querer mantenerse juntos.
De la serie, hasta ahora, es la que me ha parecido que se manejo mas natural lo del romance entre ellos, este deberia ser el final de la familia Bullen, pero creo de esta serie hay por lo menos dos libros mas que todavia se manejan Sanctuary - Bullen, asi que todavia no vemos el fin de ellos.
Profile Image for Cadiva.
3,994 reviews435 followers
January 11, 2024
Woot, plot development in a big way

3.5*

Sooo, we're back to the kinda instalove-y relationship with a bit more of a slow burn in them actually getting together.

Mostly because the book finished just as they'd decided to give things a go. I'd say that each book in the series really could have done with another 50 pages or so to just flesh out each of the relationships alongside the main suspense elements.

I really liked Manny though, he's definitely a favourite character in the series and I think he works well with Josh. I'd have liked more of them interacting on a personal level because the professional part was very well done.
Profile Image for Nicki - The Overflowing Bookcase .
4,808 reviews176 followers
August 29, 2020
Hi-tech wizard Manny is more than meets the eye. Baggage from his past puts him in the best position to bring down the bad guys. When he needs Josh to be the one at the computers giving him the answers he needs to remain undercover the two find out that things are not what they seem, and that is not always a bad thing. But when you get your heart involved can you remain in control when the crap hit the fan? So happy to see Manny get the man he deserves. Loved it!!
Profile Image for Donna.
3,342 reviews42 followers
August 11, 2017
Manny... *sigh*

Josh... *sigh*

OK... now we can finally get to Jake's story... LOL!!!

Seriously, though! It was really interesting to see these two interact together... I can't believe I am going to say this, but, I think I would have loved this book just as much if they had never gotten past the blow job stage in their sex scenes! Just watching them fall hard and fast for each other, all the while calling it everything in the book but LOVE... yeah... they were both just so dang adorable!!! hehehe

Nik and Morgan added their special touches to the story and of course, we don't want to forget Puck!!! *grin*
Profile Image for Pixie Mmgoodbookreviews.
1,206 reviews43 followers
June 21, 2012
4 Hearts

First published at MM Good Book Reviews

http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...

Whoo hoo. Its Manny’s book. the one that I have been waiting ages for. Josh needs to know the truth so he leaves Sanctuary to hunt for answers. But, he didn’t count on Manny’s sharp eyes. Manny races to the rescue, before Josh is caught where he shouldn’t be. Manny has a bit of a mysterious past and he has put it far behind him. But, now for his Sanctuary family, he digs it up and revisits the past to try to bring the Bullens down.

Ohhh Manny, what secrets have you been hiding? Josh needs to know the truth. Was his boyfriend just using him? When Manny discovers Josh where he shouldn’t be, he is the closest person to get Josh out before it goes wrong. Manny insists on Josh’s assistance when he discovers the extent of the other man’s computer skills, so when Manny goes in as bait, Josh is his handler. But Josh and Manny have started to become close and Josh is terrified something will go wrong.

I really enjoyed this Sanctuary story, as we really get to know Manny. Finally, after seeing him in so many of the other stories. His interaction with Josh is really good. Although, they do get physical Manny realizes that as the Bullen case heats up he has to put off his wants until a later date. Josh doesn’t really know what to expect, as he is in witness protection and he doesn’t see it ending anytime soon. So, getting involved with Manny will have to be temporary… although, he longs for more. Manny and Josh are really hot together and you can feel for both of them as they struggle to find a way to make it work in the longer term.

The storyline for this was a bit tenser, as everyone is digging as deep as they can to get concrete evidence on the Bullens. Beautifully done, such a twist right at the end, and the Bullen brothers no longer have financial backing. Ha. serves them right. We also get a brief glimpse of Sean (FBI mole) and that leaves us with something to chew on for the future.

So I highly recommend this if you like intrigue, a touch of action, adrenalin rushes, some really hot sex, guns, computers and a happy ending. (Make sure you keep an eye out for Jake’s and Sean’s story around November time.)
Profile Image for Anita Bianchi.
581 reviews8 followers
August 2, 2016
http://bianchianita1971.blogspot.it/2...

Ad ogni romanzo che leggo questa serie mi piace sempre di più! Mi piace perchè ci sono dei personaggi interessanti, perchè c'è una continua suspense, perchè le sorprese non mancano mai e perchè è anche hot al punto giusto! Manny è il genio informatico del "Santuario" e scopriremo in questo nuovo capitolo che nasconde segreti, segreti dolorosi e pericolosi. Josh è finito in questa storia a causa del padre ma ha deciso di non subire passivamente ciò che gli capita, è un ragazzo intelligente e riesce a dare filo da torcere a Manny sul piano informatico. L'attrazione tra i due non potrebbe capitare in un momento peggiore ma da uomini forti e decisi quali sono sapranno uscirne vincenti. Se devo trovare una pecca in questo libro direi la brevità: avrei voluto leggere di più sulla relazione tra questi due uomini complessi. Ora però sono curiosa come una biscia di sapere cosa succederà nel prossimo romanzo visti i passi avanti nelle indagini e visto che i protagonisti saranno nientepopodimeno che Jake e Sean!!!
Profile Image for Kelly (Maybedog).
3,490 reviews240 followers
May 3, 2017
This was another book in this series that was deleted and again I'm lucky I have a backup. This concerns me because a book that's been around for a while like this deserves to have its reviews. It had a rating of 3.98 and people shouldn't have their reviews deleted.

Original review:

Typical protector/protectee sort of story, although that isn't quite how the story is set up. I really like how the relationship starts out with lust and they hop into bed fast before they're thinking about love. It's realistic and refreshing.

The ending was kind of abrupt and anticlimactic. There wasn't enough suspense in the book, especially not at the end. There was only one sex scene and it occurred before they admitted they really liked each other emotionally. This is actually an HFN rather than an HEA

3.5 stars rounded up because it was better than others of this ilk.
Profile Image for Tracy.
4 reviews
July 9, 2012
Waited for Manny's story and was somewhat disappointed. I liked the continuing story with the Bullens but I wanted to see Manny do some fancy computer shit instead of going undercover. And I didn't really like Josh. I felt like he was into Manny cause Manny was there and his rebound guy. Manny deserved to have someone be totally into him only and I wasn't feeling it. The conflict was wrapped up too quick and tidy. But I loved the teasers about Sean! Is he good, is he bad?


Still all in all, a good addition to the series. Can't wait for Jake's book!
Profile Image for Sharon.
137 reviews
July 6, 2012
Another wonderful addition to the Sanctuary series. Manny’s story! Manny & Josh are perfect for each other. Their knowledge and love of computers, not to mention Star Trek, draw them together. We learn more about where Manny came from as he assists in the wrapping up of the Bullen case. And he gets his HEA!! Highly recommend not only this book, but the whole series.
Profile Image for O'Flaherty.
100 reviews21 followers
July 9, 2013

LOVED IT!!
Josh is so cute and like a puppy! in the cutest form possible
Manny was badass! I expected nothing less for my geeky tech!
so good!

Also, lots of Morgan and Nik! that just made me so freaking happy

another great book in the series, highly entertaining!

274 reviews4 followers
March 1, 2020
Aspettavo da molto la storia di Manny. Mi è piaciuta molto, anche se la solita "fretta" di presentare e concludere non mi ha permesso di godermi a pieno l'evolversi delle indagini e della relazione tra Manny e Josh. Molto buona però la caratterizzazione e la descrizione del passato dell'informatico e dei sentimenti di Josh, riguardanti l'omicidio commesso dal padre.
Profile Image for Lorraine.
85 reviews4 followers
June 28, 2012
I enjoyed Manny's story,didn't think of him as the strong, determine type, only as a computer great. I really was pleasantly surprised to read and see this side of Manny. -- Looking forward to Jake's story now, overall a good series from R.J.-Thanks.
Profile Image for Sherry F.
897 reviews20 followers
August 9, 2012
A good series that I believe I should have spaced out a bit more as they began to read incredibly duplicative after the 3rd in the series (I read books 1-5 in 3 days).

The Bullen case continues as the group delves deeper into the family. I look forward to the next story!
Profile Image for Candice.
2,946 reviews135 followers
June 20, 2013
OMG OMG OMG OMG! I am so completely captivated with this story!

Manny and Josh. Holy sweetness, Spock.

(I will write a real review of the whole story at the end of the series. It's too tangled to really separate, in my opinion.)
Profile Image for Patty.
148 reviews1 follower
June 23, 2012
I absolutely loved this entire series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews

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