Flight of the Sparrows

by Laura Baumbach

Black Ops Leader Daniel Burke is beginning to tire of his lonely nomad's lifestyle, but he stays in the game because he's good at it, loyal and he feels a bond of brotherhood for his longtime teammates. When someone starts to dog his trail, it leads him and his team back to England where his career and life took a different turn eighteen years ago. Now people want him dead and they are willing to take his team out with him. Enter teenager computer whiz Quill Tarquin who hacks into secret government files detailing joint, clandestine operations between American and British forces and stumbles on something much more sinister. Suddenly Burke and his boys have their hands full with assassins, internal betrayals and career changes. And now they're get to play father to an orphaned teenage terrorist dropped into their laps. Taking flight seems the only answer.

Genres: Contemporary, M M Romance, Military Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Childrens, Thriller, Mystery

272 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2007

About the author

Laura Baumbach is the best-selling, multi-award winning, acclaimed author of short stories, novellas, novels and screenplays. Most recently, Mexican Heat, written in collaboration with Josh Lanyon, has been chosen as a FINALIST for Best Gay Romance in the 2009 Lambda Literary Awards, a FINALIST in the 2010 EPPIE Awards, and has received an Honorable Mention at the 2009 San Francisco Book Festival. Laura was nominated for Best GBLT Author 2008 in the LRC's Best Of Awards for 2008. Her adventure story The Lost Temple of Karttikeya won the 2008 EPPIE Award for Best GLBT novel. Her sequel to the best-selling novel A Bit of Rough, Roughhousing, was 2007 Reviewers' Choice Award Winner.

Reviews

[Bryl Tyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're into high suspense, Flight of the Sparrows is the book to read.

Quill Tarquin: orphaned teen, computer whiz kid with an eidetic memory, asthma, and one helluva attitude.

Daniel Burke: Black Ops leader ready to settle down, but to what and how, when someone wants you dead?

I was a bit skeptical at first, when I read about a another teenager accessing top secret government files with a couple of buddies. But it wasn't long before Quill's convincing character and his motivation (wanting to find his father), along with the suspense of the plot, drew me in and made me believe the storyline was plausible.

Ms. Baumbach expends great detail in characterization, which I often find boring with many other authors, but not her and not in this story. Each character was unique and contributed to the plot. I especially liked the camaraderie between Burke and his men. When five men work closely for over a decade, it's to be expected I suppose. But, these men were as close, if not closer, than brothers, and their diverse personalities made the story even more enjoyable.

High action around every corner and likable, believable characters makes Flight of the Sparrows one of my favorite books. I can easily picture this story as an exciting action-adventure film!

[Nikyta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read non-romance books but I absolutely loved Flight of the Sparrows. It was fast-paced but still interesting enough to keep you with it. There was one part where I was absolutely lost on. It had to do with how long Burke new about Quill and how long Quill has been with him. The whole scene actually didn't make sense because it goes to say he knew for two months Quill was his son and that Quill's been with him for a few weeks but then about two scenes later, Burke was telling his butler he just found out about Quill and that Quill's only been there for a few days. I read the ebook version, so that could have changed in the print version but that little mix up still didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book.

It was funny, exciting and you'll fall in love with Quill, Burke and Burke's team just from the bantering that constantly happens between them. I love Laura Baumbach, she has to be one of my favorite authors because no matter if there's editing misses or a confusing time-line, she still has a way of drawing you into the story. Recommended.

[M'rella · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is NOT a hint of m/m romance in the book, but I am filing it under "favorites-m/m" since all 3, sorry 4, women barely register on a girl-cootie scale.

Danger, characters on the run, fear for their lives, wicked - wicked!!! - hurt comfort! Macho military men saving a teenager whose brain holds dangerous government secrets. Not a second of boredom in this story.

PS If the vet is truly Russian, like it's suggested in the book, there is no bloody way in hell her name is Dima. It's like calling an american woman Dick or Bob.

[Ayanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very interesting story, and rather well crafted, I think. There wasn't really any romance, though, which kind of confused me (I'd been reading it with trepidation, because obviously the kid was an MC, yet everyone else introduced was...pretty old, compared to him... Well, let's just say I was dreading whoever might fall in love with whom.)

I'm still bothered that this is misshelved on Goodreads, but what can I do about that?

[LDL · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really retread for me and I would STILL kill for a continuation of this story.

[Elizabetta]

Well, this is a no-brainer, it's by Laura Baumbach.

[Chancey "Does not give out 5's like candy" Knowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book that surprisingly held my attention despite not being a m/m book much less a m/m romance. Very different from the other Baumbach books I have read. I enjoyed it thoroughly. There were a few places I found unclear especially about Quin's mom, but nothing that hindered my enjoyment.

[Jordan Lombard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow... I was bowled over by this amazing book. The plot line was superb, and the characters truly memorable. I would love to see a sequel to it.

The only things that bugged me about it were the fact that it badly needed a proofreader. The number of glaring mistakes were a bit distracting from the book, as was some of the POV switching that went on. Something to be aware of, is that even though it's written by an M/M author and published by an M/M press, there is no M/M romance in it. I bought it expecting there to be some romance. Thankfully, the plot and characters make up for that lack of romance.

This is an almost touching tale of son meets father for the first time and they spend quality time bonding, running from soldiers who want the son dead, and just trying to stay alive, all with the help of the father's awesome Special Ops team/best friends.

[Denicemarcell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My copy has 294 pages and only 292 have text.

the names of the american characters are familiar not sure if i read an excerpt somewhere or if these characters have another story out there. Don't believe i started this book before.

this is listed on author's website as mainstream guess i can stop waiting for the queer and/or erotica elements to appear.

really enjoyed this book. zipped right through it once i got going.

[Omega696 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've read a book I couldn't put down. It was a great, great story with interesting characters, lots of action and a sense of humour. I loved the interaction between the group of soldiers and I liked Quill, thought he mostly played a role of a damsel in distress (perhaps for the lack of female characters in the book).

I want a continuation, pretty please :)