La croce del guerriero

by Madeleine Urban, Abigail Roux, Tamara Tersi (Translator)

Cameron Jacobs è come un libro aperto. Ha un lavoro banale di cameriere, amici semplici, hobby noiosi, cani innocui e niente che somigli anche lontanamente a un segreto… tranne la cotta per l’uomo alto, tenebroso e bello in maniera sconvolgente, che ogni martedì sera va a cenare tutto solo nel ristorante dove Cameron lavora. Gli basta tuttavia una sola notte di passione con Julian Cross perché il suo mondo venga travolto.

L’amore e la devozione di Julian sono più di quanto Cameron avesse mai sperato di ottenere. Ma quando la sua vita ordinaria incontra – e si scontra – con quella straordinaria di Julian, Cameron scopre che paura e fiducia possono andare di pari passo, e che fra l’amore e il pericolo la distanza è minima.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, Mystery, LGBT, Suspense, Crime

319 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2009

About the author

Madeleine Urban is a down-home Kentucky girl who’s been writing since she could hold a crayon. Although she has written and published on her own, she truly excels when writing with co-authors. She lives with her husband, who is very supportive of her work, and two canine kids who only allow her to hug them when she has food. She wants to live at Disney World, the home of fairy dust, because she believes that with hard work, a little luck, and beloved family and friends, dreams really can come true.

Visit Madeleine's blog at http://madeleineurban.livejournal.com/. You can contact her at mrs.madeleine.urban@gmail.com.
Listen to Madeleine interviewed by Peter Godbold on the Strictly Confidential Radio Show

MADELEINE URBAN RETIRED
Nov. 17, 2011 - I have made the personal decision to stop writing, for reasons that are important to me, including focusing on my family and my health. Writing and publishing comes with a whole set of expectations and pressures, and I find that it's just too much. While I am sad that this will upset and/or even anger readers, this is the right decision for me.

Abigail Roux will be continuing the Ty and Zane series, and I know she'll do a great job.

Reviews

[Meags · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

I went to bed on Sunday night, telling myself I’d just start the book and read a few pages...

...A few hours and 40% later, I knew I had a problem (of the best kind). I reluctantly put the book down at midnight and proceeded to have fabulous dreams starring Julian Cross. It was a good night.

All day at work on Monday my students keep yattering away (kids, sheesh), distracting me from my thoughts of Cam and Julian and their ridiculously tangible chemistry. I read through my lunch break – which I never do – and when that final bell rang at the end of the day, I made a mad dash to my car and got home in record time just to dive back into the book.

Needless to say, I really enjoyed this one. I went in feeling obligated to read this, when all I really wanted to do was dive headfirst into the next Cut & Run sequel (book five). But I’m really glad I followed friendly advice (thanks, R), because I now have no doubt that Cam and Julian’s crossover appearance in my now upcoming next read (Armed & Dangerous) will be all the more epic now I’ve read their origin story. I cannot wait!

To be clear, I now worship at the altar of Julian Cross. **swoon**

******************************

Read #2: November 2017

There seem to be two schools of thought regarding this book. Some readers are bored to tears and don't see the appeal of the characters and their love story, while others find the characters delicious and the romance astounding. I'll admit, when I first read this story a few years ago, I experienced both extremes, absolutely loving the beginning of the story where Cam and Julian first came together, and then I felt it petered off a little bit around the halfway mark, leaving me with a vaguer impression of the second part of the story.

However, my second reading experience produced very, very different reactions regarding that once perceived slower second half. This time around I still felt Cam and Julian shared some of the most amazing sexual and romantic tension I've ever read in an M/M book, and I still adored their initial coming together, but, this time, I also found myself completely engrossed with what came after, following the slow-reveals of Julian's life, and witnessing the personal tolls and imminent dangers his profession placed on him and Cam (and others).

I think I simply connect to the writing and the characters themselves (as I usually do with these authors at the helm). Or maybe my improved experience all depended on my current mood!? Whatever the case, I've decided to bump my rating up and add this to my favourites folder because, to me, Cam and Julian's story is one of the most romantic things I've ever read and I doubt I’ll even not feel that way.

******************************

Read #3: May 2024

This book and I grow a stronger and deeper connection with age, there's no doubt about that. Cam and Julian are still my version of top tier M/M coupledom and I’ll gladly revisit and revel in their story for many re-reads to come.


Cut & Run universe READING ORDER

Cut & Run 1 - Cut & Run (4 Stars)
Cut & Run 2 - Sticks & Stones (4.5 Stars)
Cut & Run 3 - Fish & Chips (5 Stars)
Cut & Run 4 - Divide & Conquer (5 Stars)
Julian Cross - Warrior's Cross (5 Stars)
Cut & Run 5 - Armed & Dangerous (5 Stars)
Cut & Run 6 - Stars & Stripes (5 Stars)
Cut & Run 7 - Touch & Geaux (4.5 Stars)
Sidewinder 1 - Shock & Awe (5 Stars)
Cut & Run 8 - Ball & Chain (4.5 Stars)
Sidewinder 2 - Cross & Crown (4.5 Stars)
Cut & Run 9 - Crash & Burn (5 Stars)
Sidewinder 3 - Part & Parcel (5 Stars)

[Blacky *Romance Addict* · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 utterly brilliant and beautiful stars for this book and couple




Unfortunately for me, when I started reading this book I got sick It started out as a mild form of butterflitis stomachitis. After a few chapters I got the fever and started melting every now and then, my throat had some problems so I couldn't speak properly, it all came out as squeeling. Near the end matters got worse. My butterflitis stomachitis grew into acute sobbitis, which manifested through my eyes and the constant tear-leaking. And for some reason my hormones went all wild and I was very emotional. Luckily for me, the medicine I took at the end of the book cured me, I think it's called happyendingamol, so I'd recommend it if you ever get sick like me


Even though I was sick, I enjoyed the book so so much the writing is excellent, and I was glued to my reader untill I finished :)


Cameron and Julian - ohhh what a wonderful couple, I simply adore them! The chemistry they have is through the roof The book starts in the restaurant where Cameron is a waiter, and Julian is a regular customer. This is full of glances, looks, slow conversation that will get your nerves and anticipation high like a rocket! It was just intense! Cameron doesn't know practically anything about Julian, but he's infatuated for months, and on Christmas Eve they talk and Julian walks Cameron home and Cameron takes his hand that whole scene was utter perfection, one of the best romantic scenes I've read
So they start a relationship and everything goes slowly :) I won't say anything else about the story, don't want to ruin it if you decide to read the book :) I'll just say that they are so wonderfull together, so sweet, I simply adored them


The ending (last 30% or so) was intense, but considering the genre and Julian's occupation that isn't a big surprise XD I WISH that tense part was shorter, it kinda dragged the story, but oh well. I'd give it 4 stars for that, but I simply can't, I know, I'm stupid, that's not the way to review, but I just can't. The characters were so good, they overshadowed any fault the book might have, and I loved them so much that they deserve 5 stars, if not even more.


Best scenes:

- Cameron and Julian exchanging glances in the restaurant (well, every damn scene with them in the restaurant is 5 star worthy )
- the first time Julian spoke to Cameron
- Christmas Eve, Julian and Cameron walking in the street (major meltdown )
- first sex scene - HOT! Jeez was it hot!
- when Cameron thinks he won't see Julian again
- when Julian finds Cameron on the bathroom floor
- Julian giving Cameron the present
- the moving of Cameron's boss
- the funeraaalll oh that was sad
- the ending of course



This was a wonderful read, I simply love this book and it definitely goes in my favorites

Can't wait to read about Cameron and Julian in the Cut&Run series




Buddy re-read with Nicole and Shelly<3

[* A Reader Obsessed * · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars! - Reread 5/11/2024

This reread has raised its rating as my enjoyment factor has only increased since I last visited this years ago!

Julian Cross is the titular dark hero. Alluringly dangerous, irresistibly enigmatic, and vulnerable only when it comes to threatening that which he cares about most.

All one needs to know is that this is best consumed along with top favorite series Cut & Run and its Sidewinders spinoff, and unlike those books, this is understated sexy romance in the very best of ways.

—————————

4 Stars!

*Update - Reread 2/21/15*

Though this can be read completely as a stand alone, I do recommend it before Armed & Dangerous in the Cut & Run series. As the blurb says, Cameron is content and happy in his simple life. He makes good money, has great friends, and gets a big thrill weekly when his enigmatic crush comes to sit in his section every Tuesday.

Cameron is drawn to this dark, quiet, broody stranger, and it seems fortuitous when one night, Julian offers to walk him home. What ensues is a passionate affair, but there are many secrets that Julian has. Does Cameron walk away or accept that there are some things he may never know, things he might not want to know?

Atmospheric, romantic, fraught with tension - a beautiful love story between two men trying to reconcile telling the truth and knowing the truth. There are consequences when they attempt to bridge their disparate lives despite the many reasons they shouldn't. The question is, is it worth it? Absolutely.


Cut & Run Series
1. Cut & Run - 5 Stars
2. Sticks & Stones - 5 Stars
3. Fish & Chips - 5 Stars
4. Divide & Conquer - 5 Stars
Warrior’s Cross - 4.5 Stars
5. Armed & Dangerous - 5 Stars
6. Stars & Stripes 5 Stars
7. Touch & Geaux - 5 Stars
Shock & Awe (Sidewinder #1) - 5 Stars
8. Ball & Chain - 5 Stars
Cross & Crown (Sidewinder #2) - 4.5 Stars
9. Crash & Burn - 5 Stars
Part & Parcel (Sidewinder #3) - 5 Stars

[Shurrn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful tale of the dangers of forbidden love, and a must read for Cut & Run Fans!

“To your limp...” he said solemnly.

There is something satisfying about being engrossed in a universe as detailed and elaborate as the one which Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban have created. Warrior's Cross is the first of the spinoffs created from the Cut & Run series... The tone was decidedly different than that of Ty & Zane's whirlwind relationship, but it was no less entertaining or well written...

Ty and Zane formed a partnership through various dangerous experiences and slowly built a romantic relationship. Cameron and Julian however, formed a romantic relationship first and slowly layered in the danger. Their love is sweeter, with significantly fewer punches to their lover's face.

There's a phrase I don't think I've ever used before, but I'm going to use it now:
Insta-Love Done Right


It wasn't that these two gentleman fell in love at first sight - it took many months - but there was barely any interaction between them during that time... They fell hard, but it was a slow burn. The pair grew accustomed to seeing each other once a week at a restaurant were Cameron worked. Julian would come in every Tuesday, order the same thing, and barely say a word to Cameron. Once the pair took the leap into each other's arms, it was an intense, overwhelming attraction which neither could fight...

JULIAN CROSS

“Someone would have to be out of their mind not to come back to you. I walked through a blizzard to get here.”

CAMERON JACOBS

It wasn’t logical that he would choose Julian over his own safety, Cameron knew. He would, though, and logic be damned.

CAMERON'S PUPPIES:
COBALT, SCARLET, SAFFRON, & SNOWFLAKE:

“Westies aren't mean. They're tenacious.”

JULIAN'S CATS:
SMITH & WESSON:

“My cats would turn your dogs into hairballs,”

There was a perfect moment where the differences between Cameron & Julian were laid out within the metaphor of their pets...

"...he’s not one of us, just like you said. He’s the kind of man who if you gave him a gun and told him he had two choices—“shoot one of your dogs or shoot yourself in the head”—he’d put the gun to his ear and pull the trigger.”

“Hell, Jules, you’d do the same thing if someone did that to you and your goddamned cats,” Blake said in amusement. “No,” Julian murmured with a shake of his head.

“No, there’s a third option. People like us, we’re third-option people. We take the gun, stuff it in the person’s mouth, and eliminate the problem. Walk off into the sunset with our kitty.”

Couple of Notes:
- Is anyone walking Cameron's Puppies? I don't know if that bothers me because I have to walk my dogs after a long day at the office and I want fictional characters to share the plight of walking puppies in the snow?
- What was the dynamic between Julian, Blake, and Preston? We never really get clarification on that... I hope we gain a clearer picture in Armed & Dangerous.
- Why Oh Why would you get Cameron a job in this mysterious "business" after spending the entire book protecting him from these people?

The Ending:
Only a few times in my entire life have I been so distraught over what I just read that I had to skip ahead to make sure everything will turn out OK... This was definitely one of those times...
Dramatic reenactment of my reaction to Julian's funeral:

me: "He can't DIE!
Oh God, what if the next book about protecting Cameron?
He's just faking it right?
Honestly, it's nice to have a book affect you so much that you freak out a little at the prospect of a character dying...
Side note: This is probably what I haven't read the Game of Thrones Series yet... I get overly attached to fictional characters...
So I had to skip ahead, make sure Julian was going to come back, and resume my reading pacified with the knowledge that Julian was out there somewhere...

“It’s called a warrior’s cross. The garnet and the gold symbolize the Roman god Mars,” he explained quietly. “The god of war.”

Some of My Favorite Moments:

Him. He of the tall, dark, and handsome variety, who stuck in Cameron’s head like some sort of brooding fantasy. Cameron sighed. Fantasy. A man like that was certainly nothing but a fantasy to Cameron, someone who was too far out of his league in every way.

He thought about that man far too much for it to be healthy. He couldn’t help but wonder, though, if Cameron would respond favorably if he made a move.

“What do you think of me?” Julian asked him,
[...]
“I think you’re mysterious, [...] Ten minutes total of near-silent interaction a week doesn’t offer a lot of information,” he pointed out.
[...]
“I ask because I think of you,” he told Cameron quietly. “Quite a lot.”

Cameron stared at him. “Shot? Like, shot? By a gun?”
Julian tilted his head and nodded. “It’s hard to be shot with a knife.”

Cameron was at a loss. “I don’t understand. The food’s not that good,” he said.
“But the service is extraordinary,”

“That’s what you do,” Julian whispered into Cameron’s ear before he straightened. “That’s not who you are.”

It was incredible to witness such a normally detached, undemonstrative man like Julian become unraveled and passionate because of him. He was certainly spoiled forever, now. After this little adventure, nothing would be the same.

“Someone would have to be out of their mind not to come back to you. I walked through a blizzard to get here.”

It was easy to relax against Julian’s chest and be kissed, and Cameron reveled in it, feeling the heat spark between them just like it had the night before. Just like that morning. Just like he hoped, at that very moment, it would for more time to come.

“You’re quite a bit like this wine,” he finally said as he sat the half-filled glass down in front of Julian.
“What, not drunk yet?” Julian asked as he fiddled with his notebook.
Cameron shook his head as he pocketed the corkscrew and deliberately met Julian’s eyes. “Intoxicating,” he explained breathlessly.

“It’s called a warrior’s cross. The garnet and the gold symbolize the Roman god Mars,” he explained quietly. “The god of war.”

He wasn’t sure he believed in happy endings, no matter how much of a prince Julian seemed to be. He figured his heart would be broken no matter what happened. But seeing the man before him, his lover, he also knew it would be worth it.

He’d discovered tonight that being scared for someone you cared about was an entirely different animal from simply fearing for your own life and limb.

It wasn’t logical that he would choose Julian over his own safety, Cameron knew. He would, though, and logic be damned.

“No. I called the yellow one No, the red one Bad Dog, the white one Get Off That, and the blue one Stop It,”

“Fuck it,” Julian finally breathed in annoyance. He reached for Cameron’s other hand and pulled until Cameron was facing him. “I believe I may be in love with you,” he blurted.
[...]
“I know I love you. It’s crazy. And you…. I didn’t think you’d ever…”
[...]
Whatever happened tomorrow would be okay, because they had this tonight.

"...he’s not one of us, just like you said. He’s the kind of man who if you gave him a gun and told him he had two choices—“shoot one of your dogs or shoot yourself in the head”—he’d put the gun to his ear and pull the trigger.”
“Hell, Jules, you’d do the same thing if someone did that to you and your goddamned cats,” Blake said in amusement. “No,” Julian murmured with a shake of his head.
“No, there’s a third option. People like us, we’re third-option people. We take the gun, stuff it in the person’s mouth, and eliminate the problem. Walk off into the sunset with our kitty.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated regretfully. “I’d hoped that I could shield you from my life. That you understood the implications of being involved with me, what the consequences might be. I thought I could protect you. I made a mistake.”

"...Lately, I’ve thought the worst danger would be having my heart broken.”

“What’s your favorite color?”
“You,” Julian answered immediately.
Cameron’s brows jerked up. “What?”
Julian smiled and lowered his head. “Green,” he answered seriously.

“Does it matter to you that I love you?” Julian asked as he looked away and up at the house.
Cameron stared at Julian, wishing he could see his lover’s eyes. “It’s the most precious thing in my world,” he answered brokenly.
“Then why can’t you believe the same of me?” Julian asked softly.

He needed to talk to Julian, but he needed to do it when he had all his ducks in a row. Right now, his ducks were all over the fucking pond.

He enjoyed what he did. He was good at it and always had been. He had, in the end, been given a choice. Remain one of the bad guys or be loved. And he had walked away from love. He’d chosen to be a killer rather than to be with Cameron.

“I knew there was a little bit of a white knight hiding under all that black armor,” he teased gently.


My Other Reviews in the Cut & Run Series:

Cut & Run - My Review
Sticks & Stones - My Review
Fish & Chips - My Review
Divide & Conquer - My Review
Armed & Dangerous - My Review
Dine & Dash - My Review
Stars & Stripes - My Review
Touch & Geaux - My Review
Ball & Chain - My Review
Crash & Burn - My Review

My Reviews in the Cut & Run Universe:
I will update the list as more books are published.
Warrior's Cross - You're Reading it
Shock & Awe - My Review
Cross & Crown - My Review

[Jilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because the main characters are going to be in the next book of the series I'm reading. I thought it would be fun to get their background. I'm not sure it was worth the bother. We'll see.


yeah, okay, maybe not.

This romance was kinda dumb. There was this insta-love thing going on when our narrator didn't even know the guy's address, phone number, or, you know, his real name. I don't know, it just seemed a little ridiculous that there could be any real feelings when they only had contact one evening a week and never had a real conversation.



Then, the ending stuff was soooooo melodramatic and bullshitty that I was eye-rolling. This was some soap opera worthy stuff. If an evil twin showed up I wouldn't have even blinked with the kind of stupidity that was going on here.


Aww, that's so romantic! I bet she loved being surprised like that!

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5, will round it up to 3 stars...

Eventually finished it.


I tried... I just couldn't buy it.


I found Cameron to be quite naive.

I wanted to like this one as I have loved the books in the Cut and Run series that I have read so far...


Even with a certain theme the Irish connection ... running through it, it didn't work for me.

[Ravyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry folks, I know I am the dissenting opinion here, but I just didn't really care for this book. It wasn't bad, just "ok" for me, thus the 2 stars.

So what was my problem? First, I found the story to move at a terribly slow pace. It's a 303-page novel, and nothing remotely exciting starts to happen until after 200 pages in; and even after that, it's still not all that exciting! I guess I was expecting this book to have a little more action/intrigue/gun-fighting/etc in it than what it actually did. In fact, there's only one action scene in the whole novel. Pretty much the whole story is about Julian and Cameron's supposed "romance" and how Julian is big, bad, and mysterious. Now, I could have gotten over the fact that this novel was not the action-packed thriller that I had expected, but I'm sorry to say that I didn't really find the "romance" all that believable either. Actually, I found the whole thing to be completely baffling. Julian and Cameron have nothing in common (as far as I could tell) aside from physical attraction. Julian hardly even talks! And Cameron just whines the entire novel about how he doesn't understand why Julian cares about him. And he's got a point! I don't understand it either! I just never really got the whole true-love vibe since, even by the end of the novel, I never really felt like I knew anything about the characters.

Bottom Line: I wasn't a fan of the story or the characters, but it is well-written technically and there are plenty of other people who loved it.

[Duchess Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy read with Wacky Blacky Must Have HEA tomorrow! I bet they all die at the end, mwahahaha!!!!!

FINAL RATING: 3.5 stars
I'm rounding up to four because I think I just expected something different...that's what I get for skimming reviews.

My Own Synopsis:
Cam is a waiter at a posh Chicago restaurant. He's content with his lot in life...he has no big aspirations to be rich or powerful, he's a simple guy with simple tastes. Everything he is reflects his simple character. He is friends with everyone he works with, he's good at his job, he has a few fluffy white dogs at home to greet him.

The biggest excitement for Cameron, it seems, is Tuesday nights. That's when HE comes in. Without fail, a mysterious dark haired, gorgeous hunk of man sits at Cam's table, orders the house wine and the daily special, and never says a word...no yes, no, or anything. Just nods and looks. Until one day he does...Mr. Mystery speaks! He begins to (very) slowly have a certain repertoire with Cam. As their one and two word conversations turn into more lengthy discussions, Cam begins to notice that this man watches him with a certain look in his eyes. Though he doesn't even really begin to let himself hope that the hotness personified is gay, let alone that he would be interested in plain, unassuming Cam, there comes a day that Mystery Man makes it clear that he's interested.

"All I do is serve the food."
"And all I do is sit there and watch you."

As Cam slowly comes to accept the attraction that he feels for the man may be reciprocated, he also begins to learn little bits about him...such as his name, Julian. But he also begins to notice things about Julian...some are obvious, like the way he always sits with his back to the wall, eyes alert, scribbling notes in a little notepad. Others are intuitive; such as the intense, nearly feral look in his eye and the sometimes too self contained demeanor in which he carries himself.

And so it goes...how can a normal, everyday average guy and a mysteriously dangerous and secretive stranger find a way to be together?
****************************************************************

"Cameron swallowed with difficulty. "You look at me like there's nothing else int he world," he whispered to Julian nervously. "There's not right now, " Julian answered immediately. " It's Tuesday."

My Thoughts:
The first part of this book was full of that magical, giggly, squishy, sexually charged feeling of a new relationship. It was made better because of the mystery surrounding Julian. He's quite the badass, it seems, and yet he's not obvious about it. That's one thing that made me like him even more. He's not at all what I expected. Neither was Cameron for that matter. While Julian is the stoic, self contained mystery at first, he slowly turns into a somewhat romantic figure...sweet most often with little bouts of passionate lover. Cam starts off almost feminine in his attitudes and actions. He's an extremely passive guy, more than I was prepared for. Almost too much at times. I will say that Cam does have a few moments that he sticks up for himself and doesn't let Julian unintentionally run rough shod over him.

I think I expected this to be a romantic suspense novel. For the most part, it was straight up contemporary romance, and with only one fairly nondescript sex scene. I also expected more bow-chicka-bow-wow. Nope...only one :(:( The middle of the story fell pretty flat for me. I think it needed more moments of levity...more moments of quiet for these two in which their relationship was portrayed as solid. But every scene with these two together had them solving (or trying to solve) some sort of conflict. I just never got to the point that I felt comfortable with them as a couple. Their solid relationship never manifested for me, even though they are supposedly together for months. Maybe this was due to Julian's mystery profession that only allowed them to be together two days a week. **shrug** But for me, it kept me from really accepting these deep emotions that they apparently felt for each other. Well, that and the fact that Julian remains a mystery for pretty much the entire book. In fact, there isn't EVER a moment in which his job is spelled out. You have to sort of make an educated guess.

When the action picks up during the last parts of the book, my attention was again captured. I had to laugh at myself because even though I knew what had actually happened at one point, I was still on the edge of my seat and choking up...just at the possibility that what was insinuated was true!

"He'd faced many things in his life that most people never faced, but he was not immune to terror. He's discovered tonight that being scared for someone you cared about was an entirely different animal from simply fearing for your own life and limb."

Overall, I enjoyed getting to know these two as a couple. They just seem to fit each other...they seem to be polar opposites, really, but they fit like puzzle pieces. And I put the book down feeling as if they were meant to be. Julian allows Cam to have a solid, confident influence in his life, and Cam gives Julian the comfort of simply being loved and accepted without fear. Beautiful love story!!!

"When I'm with him I feel like one of the good guys."

[moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

meh, i think i prefer julian and cameron’s dynamic/interactions more in armed & dangerous compared to here but julian was entertaining enough for me to keep reading.

preston though?? i loved him. <3

[*J* Too Many Books Too Little Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!

I should've probably rounded down on this one, there was definite skimming involved with the first half. Not much happened other than Julian and Cam's interactions at the restaurant.

But it picked up the second half and I'm glad I read it just for the background of the two characters prior to starting Armed and Dangerous.

Definitely disappointed by the lack of steam. But a pretty decent ending.

Back to Ty and Zane I go!

[Optimist ♰King's Wench♰ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was reliably informed (multiple times) that Warrior's Cross was a must read prior to reading Armed & Dangerous. Reportedly, Julian and Cameron play instrumental roles in book 5 of the Cut & Run series. I can't speak to that at this juncture but, I can say I was quite bored by Warrior's Cross.



It could easily have been a novella rather than a novel. There was far too much restaurant talk-opening wine, smelling corks, prep areas… blah, blah, blah. I don't understand how this is supposed to be either engaging or titillating. I couldn't even get excited about Julian's line of work. I found the whole thing about as scintillating as watching paint dry.



I can understand Cameron's appeal to Julian to a certain extent but, I'm still dubious about their long term plausibility. Cameron is naive and doesn't ask a lot of questions which is exactly what should appeal to a hit man. He's also significantly smaller than Julian so… there is that. Ordinarily, I would classify this as instalove but it's not that exactly, it's more like the story began in the middle of their relationship. I didn't feel them fall in love. I was just told to believe it.



Like I said, Julian's a hit man which, theoretically, should bring a certain excitement level yet, it fell flat. Most of the "jobs" happened off the page except the vendetta a.k.a. Arlo Lancaster that comes to town in search of Julian. Yet, even that was only moderately exciting. Perhaps, knowing Julian and Cameron make an appearance in Armed & Dangerous took some of the wind out of those sails.



In a nutshell, the plot was thin. The characters aren't all that likable. It's far too long. There certainly wasn't enough sexy time. Overall, it was kind of a snoozefest thus, I can only muster up 2 stars.

[Gwendolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 3.5. It would have been a 4.5 if not for the dogs. DOGS NEED TO POO AND PEE SOMEWHERE! Maybe they were paper trained or something but wondering how in the heck the dogs were ok for overnight trips with just food kept bugging me and pulling me out of the scenes. Even before the first and only sex scene I kept thinking "He just got home from 10 hours of work. Why hasn't he taken the dogs out?...He's gonna take the dogs out right?" I had to go back and re-read the scene to actually follow the sexing once I knew the dogs weren't going out that night. The distraction repeated every time with him arriving after a long shift or leaving for days was mentioned.

Everything else criticized in other reviews didn't bother me a bit. POV changes were easy to follow. The other big one seems to be Cam not grabbing people. Sometimes you just love someone because they are who they are and together it just works. Not all of us have to be the dark handsome staranger. What Julian needed was comforting and sweet. Cameron was and I understood the freaking out too. Things were being withheld from him and he didn't know what.

Their first conversation outside of work was magical. A sentence or two about a dog walker or paper training would have raised this from a decent book to an excellent one.

[Ms. Smartarse · Rating 2 out of 5]

All the excitement of Armed & Dangerous left me so fired up, that I wasn't quite ready to relinquish Julian and Cameron. I wanted to know what all the heavy hints were all about, not to mention finally see one of their physical encounters to the end, instead of just the teasing glimpses. You don't just make those characters all lovey-dovey and hot-n-bothered, only to have the scene play out off screen! I don't care that they weren't the main couple, that was just mean!



Unfortunately, all I ended up getting here were a lot of longing stares, cryptic statements, playful puppies, and way too many fade-out sex scenes. Was there a hard-limit for on-screen intercourse, that the authors had to follow? Because all I got from it was frustration, on top of my overall boredom.

Speaking of boredom, why was the story only told from Cameron's point of view?! I mean, the guy was a waiter with basically no life outside his work?? Sure, some pining can go a long way to achieve those yummy stomach-butterflies, but too much of it is just painful(ly dull) to go through.

Score: 2.3/5 stars

Nowhere near the excitement of the sequel, just cute, fluffy, and towards the end, rather heavy-handed with the soap-opera tropes.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read 24th April 2018

I’m so glad I decided to include this in my series re-read. I nearly skipped it this time around in my desperation to get to Armed & Dangerous.
I really like Julian. I mean come on who doesn’t love a handsome man surrounded by mystery. Cameron is cute and adorable just like his westies and while I liked him I wasn’t sure I liked him for Julian at first but the more time we spent with them together the more they grew on me. And I’d seriously forgotten just how dry and funny Preston is.

Original review.

At first glance Julian and Cameron are complete opposites who have nothing in common. Cameron is slight and blends in well which helps him with his job as a waiter. He’s happy with his job, his life and his dogs the only mystery in his life is the tall handsome man who visits the restaurant on Tuesday's, he sits in Cameron's section rarely speaks always orders the special, Cameron is intrigued and attracted to this man who's name he finally discovers is Julian.
I read this book before Armed and Dangerous after discovering that these two characters appear with Ty and Zane and I'm glad I did I really enjoyed this book and it made Armed and Dangerous so much better knowing the background of these two first.
I'm trying to make an effort to write more reviews since I enjoy reading everyone else's so much but if I don't do it as soon as I've finished I just get into my next book so sorry this review is later than it should be.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me just say that I only read this book for because I love the Cut and Run series. That said, this book was a let down for me. I didn't get any of the heat and buildup from Julian and Cam that I got from Zane and Ty. They were totally lukewarm. I didn't get a sense of why they loved each other either. Because Cam was so loving and Julian was so hot?? The spark wasn't there for me in this book. I still love Abigail Roux's writing and found it an enjoyable read but it was lackluster for me.

[Jenni Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stayed up until 4am to finish this book because I just couldn't put it down. It was that good. Even with all the "fade to black" sex scenes. The writing is superb. I really felt what they were going through and it mad e me want to read their book from the Cut & Run series all over again just so I can have more of them.

I have to go to work now. On 3 hours of sleep. Totally worth it though.

[Sun · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I can see how people would LIKE this book. Me? Well, I LOVED IT! It surprised me how much I ended up really loving the simplicity of the story. It was one of my most satisfying reads lately.

Why?

This book doesn’t hide behind anything but builds itself completely on the relationship between Cameron and Julien.

*Opposites attract
*A simple, normal, middle-of-the-road guy can attract the gorgeous, mysterious one
*People can fall in love and THEN get to know each other…and fall more in love
*Alpha-males can have a soft side…and it’s typically beautiful to behold
*Happiness is attractive
*Good guys can do bad things…and still be good guys
*Fierce loyalty is heartwarming
*It’s painful when your best friend becomes your enemy

There were portions of this book I’d read (“are you scared of me?”) that I felt all the way to the tips of my toes. Painful heart aches that made my stomach plummet. Beautiful declarations that made me cry. And a fantastic little bit of suspense/action that was SO good.

I read this book simply to get more background before jumping into “Armed & Dangerous” of the Cut & Run series (Julien & Cameron are featured in this book along w/ Ty & Zane). But, I have to confess…Julien & Cameron have overtaken Ty & Zane as my fave M/M couple.

A solid *sigh* after “The End” is my tell-tale sign that I loved the book…

*sigh*

[Ingie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is only one rating: 5 Big Fat Stars - It's just a beautiful love story - I'm saved!

I think I have a slight preference for low-key, a little melancholy stories. I wish of course both beautiful romance and just enough heat, but the plot feel free to amble a little slow. Is there only desire to turn the page, unspoken and unanswered questions, some hesitation (from me) about how everything will end up - don't I need much more. Just as that, I thought it was in this wonderful love-story.

Cameron Jacobs is a waiter at a restaurant named "Tuesday". Once a week is a tall, very handsome, black dressed guest there and eat alone. He never says anything, just nods, and always chooses the daily specials and the house wine. Cameron look forward to Tuesday nights when the mysterious man usually come. The man's name is Julian Cross and at Chrismas Eve (a Tuesday), he asks Cameron if they can't meet outside after closing time. Cameron invites the man home.

“No, Julian murmured with a shake of his head. No, there’s a third option. People like us, we’re third-option people. We take the gun, stuff it in the person’s mouth, and eliminate the problem. Walk off into the sunset with our kitty.”

What Julian does for a living and who he really is, is a mystery to both the reader and Cameron far into the story. There are many secrets and circumstances that aren't explained. It's a mystery around the well-dressed and thick-skinned Julian, he comes and disappears. Cameron, however is quite simple, just a regular guy who lives a quiet life. Maybe he's a bit of a loner. He enjoys his job as a waiter and his four little cute puppies at home.

There is always a certain sadness, combined with a breathtaking underlying expectation of what will happen in this as nicely told novel. I love every well-written line and sentence.

Every now and then it's really fun too, both men (or the authors) have a sense of humor.

“Preston,” Julian’s hoarse voice said from under one of the pillows. “Please kill me,” he requested miserably.
“I’m sorry, sir, but that will have to wait. You have a visitor.”

Cameron confidence is not always the best. He can't himself understand what Julian sees in him, and the uncertainty is amplified part of all that is secret, and long unknown to him, around Julian. The answers to most of his questions are vague and there is a feeling of something dark and dangerous lurking around the corner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I must write a few lines about friendship too: That girl Miri, Cameron's colleague and friend (really?), she made me so angry. Why nag and raise concern with a thousand questions about some conditions she knew nothing about. Why not just say: "I'm happy for you. I'm here if you need a hand or someone to talk to." Did she really cared about her friend? Maybe she wanted her friend a good life, but in my opinion she showed it usually just the wrong way. Cameron, please, don't listen to bad advice from nasty friends. Believe in what you feel - belive your lovers word.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For me is this story very, very romantic and the heat and love scenes are indescribably beautiful described. There is a big, big attraction, lovingly and tenderly. I love both Cameron and Julian from the first moment. I constantly keep my thumbs hard for the two men to get together and a good (as it usually feels completely impossible) "Happily Ever After".

“Fuck it,” Julian finally breathed in annoyance. He reached for Cameron's other hand and pulled until Cameron was facing him. “I belive I may be in love with you,” he bluted.
~ ~ ~
“I just... needed to say that,” Julian went on as he released one of Cameron's hands and waved at his own head. “Outside of my head.”

The ending is unbearably dramatic and I'm breathless. At a time, I actually thought that the heart would stop and just shouted: No, no! Nothing is certain and no answers to all my questions is given until just at the end. Cleverly of the two authors - they keep me on edge through the book. For me as a reader does just that, this wonderful book about Cameron and Julien, to an obvious "fiver".

Another great book by Urban and Roux to love. Superb drama, delicately told, great attraction and love, and the two men steaming hot about. Everything in my taste - a new favorite book and a new favorite couple. Read it!

I Like - and love very much.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A friend, Blacky (her review), advised me to read this story before I started reading book #4 and #5 in the wonderful
Cut & Run series. This story ”Warrior's Cross” and/or characters, if I understand correctly, has importance in Ty and Zane's exciting, "FBI world" in the future.

[Kristalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Final rating: 3.5/5 stars

“Would you believe me if I told you I was shot?” he finally asked with a mischievous glint in his black eyes.
Cameron stared at him. “Shot? Like, shot? By a gun?”
Julian tilted his head and nodded. “It’s hard to be shot with a knife.”

So...i read this only because Cameron and Julian appear in the Cut & Run series, or so i have heard. But it can be read as standalone as well, so you can read it without reading Cut & run at all. Anyway, it was interesting book, but i was not over hyped with it. I actually skipped through some parts (sue me) and i found first half of the book just...boring... Second half made me read it till the end without stopping though, and it was interesting thing that it didn't invoke any crying or tear jerking from me.

But i still have some questions that i don't know if they were answered since i was too tired to think and remember. Is Julian supposed to be an assassin or mercenary or undercover agent or what? .



What i really loved though is that it's not an insta love - there was a lot of stalking first and such. But, Cameron and Julian aren't as interesting as Ty and Zane, therefore - one star down and half star for me being actually bored through the first part, where i thought i wouldn't be.

► CHARACTERS:

♦ Julian:

“Someone would have to be out of their mind not to come back to you. I walked through a blizzard to get here.”

Julian is a wonder of nature. He thinks he is a good guy, while actually he isn't an angel either. He has two sides: the one where he kills because he enjoys it and it thrills him, and the other one where he is gentle, kind and caring and loving, good friend and good lover. Not to mention his obsession with his two pretty and weird cats. I love cat lovers. Anyway...

♦ Cameron:

“He’s the kind of man who if you gave him a gun and told him he had two choices—“shoot one of your dogs or shoot yourself in the head”—he’d put the gun to his ear and pull the trigger.”
“Hell, Jules, you’d do the same thing if someone did that to you and your goddamned cats,” Blake said in amusement.
“No,” Julian murmured with a shake of his head. “No, there’s a third option. People like us, we’re third-option people. We take the gun, stuff it in the person’s mouth, and eliminate the problem. Walk off into the sunset with our kitty.”

Cameron was nice...but to me he looked like Damsel in distress, like my friend said.

He has backbone though, but he was sometimes overreacting and it irritated the hell out of me. He was scared sometimes, and i understand that, and he did think about consequences of being in relationship with Julian, but he didn't trust him enough. he didn't trust Julian that he would keep him safe. Still, i approve of his thinking too, since it was quite reasonable, but still.....@_@
He was just ok character and that's it. No feelings at all for him. Except i adore his four puppies <3

♦ Everyone Else:

Blake is a funny guy, interesting and shady as hell. Miri is cool, though she didn't appear so much and Arlo Lancaster is just ....weird? And Preston was awesome too :D

► OVERALL:

Not bad, but not really impressed either. Still, it was fun and i look forward to seeing these two in Cut & Run

► REVIEW(S) RELATED TO THIS BOOK:

◉ Cut & Run (Cut & Run #1)
◉ Sticks & Stones (Cut & Run, #2)
◉ Fish & Chips (Cut & Run, #3)
◉ Divide & Conquer (Cut & Run, #4)
◉ Warrior's Cross (Cut & Run #4.5)
◉ Armed & Dangerous (Cut & Run, #5)
◉ Stars & Stripes (Cut & Run, #6)
◉ Touch & Geaux (Cut & Run, #7)
◉ Shock & Awe (Sidewinder, #1; Cut & Run #7.5)
◉ Ball & Chain (Cut & Run, #8)
◉ Cross & Crown (Sidewinder, #2; Cut & Run #8.5)
◉ Crash & Burn (Cut & Run, #9)
◉ Part & Parcel (Sidewinder, #3; Cut & Run #9.5)

[Vishous · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 BIG, HUGE, HUMONGOUS, ENORMOUS, MASSIVE STARS!!!




It would have been a perfect 5, but for some reason one of the main characters (read: Cameron) annoyed me to the highest level. So even though he's a male I am putting him on my stupid-irritating-heroin shelf because I did feel like he was some chick and not a guy while reading it.

About the story

Simple, normal and boring waiter Cameron has a crush on one of the guests in the restaurant where he works, but little does he know that that ENIGMATIC, GORGEOUS, DEVASTATINGLY BEAUTIFUL, SIN WORTHY, ADORABLE, TOTALLY LICKABLE FROM HEAD TO TOE, HANDSOME ALPHA MAN whose name is JULIAN CROSS has an eye on him for months...

Finally they spend one passionate night together, which I must admit made me very very jealous of Cameron, and start a relationship. Cameron practically doesn't know anything about Julian, and Julian wants to keep it that way because he doesn't want to put him in any danger because of his job and doesn't want Cam to be scared of him... but to keep someone in your life eventually you have to start sharing...

Cameron

Oh my.... where to start... how to even put it in words?
I really don't know why but I didn't like him from the start and if there wasn't this ENIGMATIC, GORGEOUS, DEVASTATINGLY BEAUTIFUL, SIN WORTHY, ADORABLE, TOTALLY LICKABLE FROM HEAD TO TOE, HANDSOME ALPHA MAN JULIAN I wouldn't even finish this book.

Cameron was so annoying and I was so frustrated with him, and every time he started thinking about their relationship and doubting Julian my reaction was this:


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He always wondered what does a man like Julian sees in him, eventually I wondered that myself too but nevermind, and he was always HURTING!

*I'm rolling my eyes if you don't see it*

Then he makes him an ultimatum to chose between him and the job because he is scared, ok I would be too if I would be dating a hitman that someone wants dead and threatens the ones he loves, but Julian doesn't choose him. After some time he is devastated because Julian doesn't even acknowledge him in the room .... WTF?!?! What was he supposed to do?!?! Beg you on his knees to take him back?!?!?!

Even writing about him makes me frustrated...
But he did surprise me in a good way for about 10 seconds when he showed Julian his fist of fury (yes shocking I know) and for that I did start to respect him.

Julian

Ah Julian...

ENIGMATIC, GORGEOUS, DEVASTATINGLY BEAUTIFUL, SIN WORTHY, ADORABLE, TOTALLY LICKABLE FROM HEAD TO TOE, HANDSOME ALPHA MAN!

Have i said it already?
Just for the record I gotta say something first:



There are no words for me to describe this man, this pure per-f*cking-fection!
Everything that came out of his mouth was sooooo f*cking goooood!!!! I was literally drooling over my laptop while reading his words and wishing he was talking all the time...

Their first kiss! Their first sex! I can't even describe how hot was that, but then anything that involves Julian is destined to be hot!

He really loved Cameron, wanted to protect him even when they weren't together, when Cameron broke his heart (I'm killing you in my mind Cam on so many ways you don't even want to know).

I can't even choose my favorite lines because there are so many! Actually every thing that came out of his mouth I would be copy-pasting here.... so I won't even start :)

And again a HUGE KISS to BLACKY for recommending me to read this!

[Ar-Feiniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh. My. God.

Could this book be more boring? I don't think so.

The story basically comes down to this:
I have a crush on him, but he doesn't notice me:(
He noticed me, but he's not serious about me:<
He's serious about me, but could he love plain ol' me?;{
He loves me, but why, why, WHYYYYYYY?
Oh, I'm such a nobody, how could he really love me???
He says he loves me, but I'm just sooo insecure and unworthy.
I love him, he loves me, but we can't be together.
We're not together, but I want us to be together.
I'm mad at him, I love him, I'm pissed at him, I long for him... Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...

Awesome. NOT.

I finally figured out what's wrong with Roux/Urban books.
The authors create some main characters - this time around it's a whiny cinderfella and supposedly an uber mysterious (but not really) hard ass assassin, and plan a story for them. They probably map out the turning points: characters meet, characters hook up, fall in love, encounter some crisis in a relationship, then comes the villain, the confrontation etc, etc, and when they're done, the problems begin. While reading "Warrior's Cross" I had this feeling that Roux and Urban had no idea how to get from point A to point B to point C, what to do with characters between those important moments, how to fill the story with, well, a story. And not of the boring and repetitive variety. The kind that makes us love and understand the characters, the kind that surprises us and leaves us envious of often ordinary people living extraordinary lives.

"Warrior's Cross" could work as novella, but wasting so much words while having nothing worth reading to say is just unforgivable. This book doesn't have enough substance to be a successful suspense/mystery, and the romance is simply meh, so what's left? A staggering lack of creativity and imagination on the part of Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban.

[Lucie V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

✅ Characters
✅ Angst (in the 2nd half)
✅🆗 Romance
✅🆗 Pace
🆗 Smut (mostly fade to black)
🆗 Plot
🆗 Some action (in the 2nd half)
❗️❗️Trigger warning: shootings, death threats, abduction, deaths, mild stalking

I know this can be read as a standalone, but I read it because I am in the middle of the Cut & Run series and know these characters will be present in the 5th book. I am glad that I read this book in the optic of continuing Cut & Run because it gave a purpose to the book. Otherwise, I would have been disappointed to read it as a standalone.

Cameron Jacobs lives a quiet and simple life. He works as a waiter at a 4-star restaurant because he loves it, and spends his free time at home with his 4 puppies. When a dark client starts coming in every Tuesday, Cameron can’t help but feel drawn to him, even though the stranger never speaks to Cameron. Eventually, Cameron and the mysterious client, Julian, start seeing each other. But the more time they spend together, the clearer it is that Cameron knows nothing about Julian and that Julian's job might put them both in mortal danger.

I like both main characters, but the plot was pretty much absent in the first half. It was about Cameron and Julian seeing each other and falling in love. I kept on reading because I needed to finish this book ASAP so I could go back to Ty and Zane, but the story dragged on for the first 175 pages or so. It is made clear that Julian has a shady and dangerous job, likely as a hitman, and that his job might eventually put Cameron in danger, and it eventually catches up to him in the second part of the book. That’s when things became much more interesting. There was angst and tension, and I couldn’t stop reading. I needed to know what would happen next to Cameron and Julian. The ending was okay I guess, I did see the twist coming from miles away, and it was all predictable, but satisfying nonetheless.

Julian Cross is a mysterious, intense, and alluring anti-hero. He is not a bad person exactly, but he does kill for a living, so I guess that puts him in the “morally grey” category. He is a professional liar, and even at the end of the book, when he comes clean and tells the truth to Cameron, we are not sure about who he is and what his job is exactly. I admit that I was attracted and intrigued by his dark persona too at first, but I still feel that a little something was missing. I can’t put my finger on it, but I needed a little something more to truly fall in love with Julian…

I have mixed feelings about Cameron. I like his vibe and who he is, but his actions and reflections when it came to his relationship with Julian annoyed me. Cameron is a sweet-but-little-naïve-at-times man. He has this pure vibe and is proof that opposites attract because he couldn’t be more different than Julian if he tried. He is a nice guy, but I feel that he spent most of the time either wondering how and why Julian could be interested in him, or trying to figure out how he could have a relationship with Julian while knowing so little about him, but refusing to push him for answers at the same time.

The romance between Cameron and Julian was not the best, it was sweet, but it lacked chemistry overall. I liked the angst too, but it annoyed me a little that Cameron felt bad for “stupidly” pushing Julian away. Cameron knew next to nothing about Julian, but he knew that he had a dangerous job that might very well get him killed, and he didn’t want to spend every day being anxious and wondering if Julian would come back from his next job. I think those are very valid worries and valid reasons to take a break from the relationship maybe until Cameron figured out if he could live like that. It was not stupid, and Cameron should not be feeling bad or guilty about it because it hurt Julian. It hurt Cameron to be anxious every day and to wonder who exactly Julian was, and he decided for himself and his mental health, which is admirable. It shouldn’t be diminished as something stupid he did without thinking about Julian’s feelings.

I liked both main characters, but I hoped for more action, intrigue, and plot. I enjoyed the book, but knowing I “needed” to read it before picking up Armed & Dangerous, and that I would see those characters again definitely helped because otherwise I would have been a little disappointed by this standalone. The ending would also have been unsatisfying if that was truly the last we’d seen of Cameron and Julian.
Also, I loved Preston, and I hope we will see him again in the rest of the Cut & Run series.


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[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars

I’m a bit conflicted about how to rate this book.
It started amazing, definitely a 5 stars books, but then it just stops and it got kinda boring and I ALMOST couldn’t deal with it anymore but I hate DNF books and I was so close to finishing so I thought “fuck it, I’m going to finish”.
I don’t regret it but it didn’t change my life like I was hoping too.
I had too many expectations for it and it just didn’t live up to it. Is not a bad book, not at all, just wasn’t a win for me. I’m sad about that.

The romance was the major part of this book and I was totally up for it because damn I’m a whore for good romance. And this was good until the scene were they grew apart. And I was just left there like


And at that moment I knew that this was going to make me angry and that it was going downhill from there.
A lot of people love this book and I can see why, but just didn’t work so well for me. But I still ship them, because they were great together, but so many shit and bad decisions happen that just left me so freaking angry and I hate feeling angry.
And the side characters? Great, I adore them. They are the second best thing about this book.
The first? Well, Julian.

And I need to immediately start reading her other series that I’m sure I’m going to love it. At least I hope.

[Lenore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bumped this up my TBR list because of the upcoming release of Armed & Dangerous (it is a crossover with Warrior's Cross.)

Some random thoughts while I read this:

- I liked Cameron and Julian all right but my favourite was Preston. He's blond, he's Irish, he's a trained assassin. Any chance he could get his own book?

- I didn't get why Cameron had to be so plain, so nondescript, so ordinary. It made me wonder what gorgeous gorgeous Julian found in him. OK, I'll admit it. I liked Julian better. But Cameron was a little boring. And, by the way, what did he need the kick boxing lessons for if he all but pissed himself when Lancaster showed up at his condo?

- There was only one, pretty basic, sex scene pretty early in the story. I would have liked to see more of them together in bed. Convince me they were right for each other on a physical level as well. I wanted to see scorching hot passion. I wanted to see them devour each other. I wanted to see Julian practicing some of his killer skills (pun intended?) on Cameron, make Cameron feel special, loved, possessed, dominated. Shake Cameron's world.

- Cameron's swarm of puppies irritated me. I'd take Julian's monster cats, Smith and Wesson, over them anytime.

- Miri. Can someone please shoot her? What a nosy, irritating bitch!

[Literatures Movies · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 12%



I might have fallen asleep while reading through this book.

It was boring as hell. I even tried skimming, and I got bored skimming. Like? How is that even possible? Beats me.

I don't care for Cameron. I don't give two flying fucks for Julian.

All Cameron does :
- stalks Julian
- swoons
-thinks about Julian
-swoons
- *julian is hot* *fangirls*
-dreams about Julian

Do you get the vibe now? ALL this guy thinks and does is about Julian. At least as far as I read.
Julian. Julian. Julian.

Why. O' Why. Does your world revolves around Julian, my dear sweet, innocent, Cameron?



All Julian does :

-brood
-not talk
-be tall, dark, mysterious
-be exceptionally hot (according to Cameron and half of the world)
-oh have I mention, brood and be hot?



I don't even know why I am getting so worked up over this book. I wanted to like it, but I don't know. It just flopped. Big time. And I guess that's why I'm so upset? I don't fucking know.

I give up trying to continue reading. I'll just read the reviews on this book to get their backgrounds and relevance to book 5 of Cut& Run.


Blog : Click here for more of my reviews

[Cadiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an odd mix of seriously slow burn and ridiculously fast-paced drama and it basically acts as the introduction to characters who play a major role in book five of Cut & Run.

I love Julian Cross, he's such a study in contrasts between the cold-hearted and clinically efficient assassin and the man who falls head over heels for a nobody waiter.

Cameron I fluctuate between loving and really disliking, even while I can completely empathise with his predicament. I just find him frustratingly easily influenced by what other people think of his relationship with Jules instead of how it makes him feel.

Anyways, the actual mechanics of this book aren't as well defined as the Cut & Run series but it's still a decent romantic suspense.

[BWT · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading, and enjoying, this years ago, so when it popped up on my Kindle library I thought I'd take a nice stroll down memory lane. Man, I should have left well enough alone because this romance is problematic in some ways that made me think twice. I finished, mad that Cameron had forgiven Julian, feeling like the relationship definitely had a major power imbalance, and finally feeling confused because I remember this having some relationship building, and there actually isn't much.

Original rating = 3.5 stars
2020 Rating 2.5 stars.

[Teal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave up and just jumped from 60% straight to the end. I recommend this book to insomniacs. The constant whispering, sighing and murmuring generate a drowse-inducing atmosphere. Nothing much ever happens to disrupt it, and somehow even murder and sex are rendered boring. I am ready for a nap now...

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read February 2017
4.5 stars

[Valentina Campi · Rating 4 out of 5]

È la seconda volta che leggo questo libro e, a dire la verità, in prima lettura non mi aveva entusiasmato particolarmente, probabilmente perché avevo appena finito un libro molto intenso e appassionante delle stesse autrici, Armi e Bagagli. Così, con questo dubbio in testa da un po’, ho deciso di dargli una seconda chance.

E menomale, aggiungerei.

L’ho trovato molto delicato e con tanto amore.

L’inizio è pieno di sguardi rubati tra Cameron, il cameriere, e il bel cliente misterioso di cui da principio non si sa nemmeno il nome. Cameron fantastica per mesi su di lui e attende con ansia ogni martedì sera per poterlo vedere.

Dall’altra parte abbiamo Julian, intrigante e affascinante, che è rimasto talmente colpito da Cameron da andare ogni settimana a cenare nel ristorante in cui lavora.

Quando poi la loro relazione comincia, le cose sono tutt’altro che facili.

Julian svolge un lavoro pericoloso: è pieno di nemici ed è costretto a guardarsi le spalle costantemente. Per proteggere Cameron dal tipo di vita che conduce, lo tiene all’oscuro di tutto, lo vede solo una volta a settimana e non gli lascia nemmeno un recapito telefonico per poterlo contattare.

Cameron, per quanto siano forti i suoi sentimenti per Julian, arriverà ad un punto di rottura. Perennemente preoccupato che Julian possa farsi del male e che non possa più tornare da lui, finirà col rompere la relazione, per poi accorgersi che comunque l’ansia per la sorte del suo amato non è svanita lo stesso. Dopo essere stato catapultato nuovamente nella vita di Julian, e passando per un’esperienza dove rischieranno entrambi di morire, capirà che è meglio preoccuparsi ma avere Julian nella sua vita piuttosto che non averlo.

E se Julian, con i nemici che ha, può involontariamente fare del male fisico a Cameron, quest’ultimo in realtà può fargli danni emotivi molto peggiori con le sue azioni.

Cameron rimase senza parole, colpito dalla miscela di sconfitta, desiderio e paura che riusciva a leggere negli occhi scuri di Julian. Il suo cuore si spezzò con un dolore quasi fisico, quando si rese conto di quello che aveva fatto ad un uomo che un tempo era stato magnifico. Questa recensione la potete trovare su www.romanticamentefantasy.it

Non era mai stato Julian quello in grado di distruggere qualcosa nella loro relazione, comprese Cameron: era lui che aveva avuto quel potere per tutto quel tempo.
A mio avviso, per quanto ci sia passione tra i protagonisti, il fattore predominante di questo libro è l’amore. Cosa si è disposti a fare per proteggere la persona amata? Fino a che punto ci si può spingere per riuscire a far funzionare comunque la relazione ? E fino a che punto ti puoi fidare del tuo partner, anche se ti nasconde tante cose?

Questa lettura mi ha lasciato con tante domande in testa e a mio parere è sempre una buona cosa, se un libro ti fa riflettere è sicuramente positivo .

Piccola nota, molto carina secondo me. Le autrici nel libro fanno un brevissimo collegamento con un altro loro libro, Armi e Bagagli, alla cui serie La croce del guerriero si collegherà dal quinto libro in poi.

“Se dovessi prendere armi e bagagli e lasciare tutto” continuò l’altro con voce sommessa. “Verresti con me?”
Detto tutto questo, quindi, è un libro che consiglio.