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Assassin/Shifter #8
Russian Prey
Book Eight
This book is part of a series.
Special Agent Keegan Ripley has watched, listened to and fantasized about the notorious Vicious Vince Markov for more than a decade. Now he has been assigned the task of going undercover in Rio to convince Markov to meet with FBI bosses about joining forces. After meeting Vince in a gay bar, Keegan finds that even his very close surveillance has left him completely unprepared for the man’s overwhelming sex appeal. Besides fighting his traitorous body, Keegan also has to deal with the fact that his crush is a complete and total ass.
Sexy, cold and unfeeling assassin Vince Markov is on a mission. He has been sent to Rio to kill Dario Nardozzi, a child killer whose number is up. He makes sure the psychopath knows he's in Rio, but it turns out that the biggest threat to Vince's well-being isn't Nardozzi - it's one Keegan Ripley. When he catches Vince's eye in a very big way, Vince is intrigued. But the beautiful Mr. Ripley isn’t interested and, thrown off his game, Vince has another mission: find out why in hell not!
Forced to work together, the mission becomes dangerous for both men. As they battle a madman and their own feelings, secrets are revealed, trusts are betrayed and lives are at stake. Vince's cold heart is in danger of melting and Keegan's resolve to resist Vince is buckling. Can a notoriously vicious killer and an FBI agent actually fall in love?
WARNING: This book contains material that maybe offensive to some: Violence, graphic language, homosexual relations, adult situations.
This book is part of a series.
Special Agent Keegan Ripley has watched, listened to and fantasized about the notorious Vicious Vince Markov for more than a decade. Now he has been assigned the task of going undercover in Rio to convince Markov to meet with FBI bosses about joining forces. After meeting Vince in a gay bar, Keegan finds that even his very close surveillance has left him completely unprepared for the man’s overwhelming sex appeal. Besides fighting his traitorous body, Keegan also has to deal with the fact that his crush is a complete and total ass.
Sexy, cold and unfeeling assassin Vince Markov is on a mission. He has been sent to Rio to kill Dario Nardozzi, a child killer whose number is up. He makes sure the psychopath knows he's in Rio, but it turns out that the biggest threat to Vince's well-being isn't Nardozzi - it's one Keegan Ripley. When he catches Vince's eye in a very big way, Vince is intrigued. But the beautiful Mr. Ripley isn’t interested and, thrown off his game, Vince has another mission: find out why in hell not!
Forced to work together, the mission becomes dangerous for both men. As they battle a madman and their own feelings, secrets are revealed, trusts are betrayed and lives are at stake. Vince's cold heart is in danger of melting and Keegan's resolve to resist Vince is buckling. Can a notoriously vicious killer and an FBI agent actually fall in love?
WARNING: This book contains material that maybe offensive to some: Violence, graphic language, homosexual relations, adult situations.
ebook
First published August 1, 2012
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About the author
Sandrine Gasq-Dion
79 books1,345 followersI have been blessed in this life to not only have parents that support me, but kids that do as well. I grew up in a loving but "Old School" French household. My parents worked for the airlines (TWA) so I was able to see a lot of Europe as a kid. I moved to Seattle Washington at the age of 22 and stayed there for twelve years before moving to Alaska for a little over two. Fairbanks, AK was one hell of an experience and I wouldn't hesitate to go back! I spent a little over a year in South Carolina before moving back to Arizona. I then left for Kansas for five years and now reside in Arizona. I've been connected to the military in one way or another for over half my life and wouldn't change a thing about it. Writing has become my full time job and I've never been so happy doing a job I love and being able to do it in my jammies. I plan on writing until I dry up and die. Hopefully, that won't happen soon!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
October 21, 2014
Initial thoughts:
Liked -
1) The usual camaraderie of the guys, that is characteristic of the series
2) Nikolai - He just sounds yummy. I love his relationship with Vince, love how they openly say they love each other, and love how badass he is.
3) Devin - He is bad ass and no nonsense and I LUVVS him.
Didn't work for me -
1)Vince - Vicious Vince. The problem I have with Vince's character is exactly what I feared I would have when he was presented at the end of the last book. We are presented with two sides of his character that never really knit together to create the vicious character he should be. The main problem with Vince is that there is entirely too much telling and not enough showing. We are told that he dismembered his parents' killers, we're told that he's cold and unfeeling and we're told that his heart has been closed for years, yet the Vince that the reader sees on paper is funny, flirtatious, teasing, a good team member, a good friend and a loving father. Who exactly is he cold and unfeeling with?? His enemies?? He should be!!
Vince was continually telling us he was an asshole and it just sounded like he was being self-important because we never saw it! It took everyone else to keep pounding it into our heads that he was an animal, he was cold, he was uncaring, he's fallen in love, he's in love, did you know he's in love, we've never seen him so in love. We get it!! Everyone else was telling us what was going on with Vince. Vince himself was literally telling us what was going on. Someone with as many issues as Vince had would never tell Keegan his whole life story in a matter of days, or say stuff like, "My heart has been closed off. I haven't felt anything in years...blah blah blah." Would.Not.Happen. What needed to happen was that we needed to see Vince be an asshole to other people so that his treatment of Keegan would be monumentally different. Instead, we're supposed to be moved because he's upset that Keegan's hurt and there's Nikolai to drum it into our heads in case we missed it the first fifty million times someone else said it, that Vince never feels anything for anyone. Who are we using as a comparison?? Are we really to believe that if Lorenzo had been shot Vince would have just shrugged his shoulders and said, 'Tough'? It seems like we're only reminded of how vicious Vince is when there's a point to be made. The second night he sees Keegan in the club, he 'rescues' him from another guy by taking him into his arms and dancing closely with him, but when Vince gets hurt and Keegan wants to look at it Vince says, "I don't allow just anyone to touch me." Vince, sit down, zip your lips and let Keegan look at your doggone wound. It just felt like all the characters were running around saying, "It's storming outside! It's the worst storm we've seen in years! Board up the windows!" But then you decide to look for yourself and find yourself thinking, 'It's really only partly cloudy." The character just didn't live up to the hype.
Was he a skilled killer? I guess. He didn't really do anything that isn't done in the everyday life of every other mercenary character/assassin/special ops agent I've read. Actually, clearly, I've read some pretty sick characters because he didn't even come close. It's all in the details and everything that supposedly makes Vince vicious is done off page. On page, he shoots out some knees, stabs someone in the lungs and in the hand...Okayyyy. I actually feel that Devin was more vicious than he was...and I'm really getting a vicious streak in Nikolai. Yummm Nikolai.
So now, we're at the love story. The key to buying into this love story is in believing that a) Vince is really vicious and emotionally stunted and b) Keegan somehow penetrates the wall he's surrounded himself with. Sigh. First of all, Vince is so flirtatious and fun with Keegan that it throws the first theory out the window. I know (from fanfic, yes I did read it) that he's supposedly a jokester and male whore, but that image doesn't add up to a vicious character. Ok, so Vince wants Keegan in bed and Keegan has been in lust with Vince for over a decade. Vince and Keegan share their first two kisses and some frontage and all of a sudden Vince is thinking relationship. Uh, what?? It just wasn't believable, nor was the fact that Keegan finally decides to have sex with Vince after he slams him into a wall and beats the crap out of him. Really?? Keegan is a lovesick schoolgirl because he's inexperienced and Vince 'has never felt this way before' and is practically willing to die for Keegan in all of a week. It was just way too quick, cliched and clunky and didn't work for me.
Then, we have a 'Zero At The Bone' moment and all hell breaks loose. Devin comes in, THANK GOD and so does Nikolai. THANK GOD SQUARED.
The rescue takes all of one-two pages and the violent showdown we've all been waiting for takes place, you guessed it, off-page. Then we're subjected to a whole bunch of unrealistic sappiness and hive inducing, groan-worthy dialogue that I was forced to bail on to keep my sanity.
2) Keegan
I was a bit worried about Keegan being the match for Vince because he was 'small and pretty' but, physically, he ended up being fine. I just didn't expect him to be so....inept. He kept saying that he could take care of himself and we're told he has a vicious right hook but, really, I think Vince was just being kind. It's not enough that Keegan is small and pretty, he had to have a stuttering problem and a nervous condition that made him sprout spontaneous erections. Really?? Could we make him anymore ridiculous? The best scene in the entire book between Keegan and Vince is when Vince body slams him into a wall. I was like yes!! Vicious Vince is here! Then he gets all corny and lame and blows the whole thing to smithereens. Keegan tells Vince exactly why he was chosen for the assignment and, really, I can see why everyone was worried about him because...did his hand actually shake when he aimed the gun at Vince? Ugh.
So, those were the main things that didn't work for me - the main characters. As usual, there was a bunch of giggling and snickering from grown men. Vince actually snickered once and I almost drop-kicked my kindle. It's not that 'giggling' is a particular trait of ONE character and makes THAT character that character *rolls eyes*. It's that they ALL at some point giggle and snicker. I just auto corrected 'giggled' and 'snickered,' with 'smirked' in my head while I was reading because I can more see that happening. They are FBI agents, assassins and more importantly, adult men. It just doesn't fit. Except Riley, who's a big kid. I expect it, and I find it endearing. Riley's so cute. For everyone else, no. Thank God, they mostly start chuckling later on in the book.
There is still the misuse of the present tense of lie (to lie down), vs the past tense (lay). The book is written in the past tense. It jolts me out of the story every time because the rest of the book is virtually error free (which is to be commended). I thought for sure it had to be me, so I copied and pasted a few sentences into Word and sure enough, squiggly line under the word lie.
All in all, I had suchhhhhh high hopes for this one but they didn't pan out. Really, only two things saved this from being one star - Devin and Nikolai.
Liked -
1) The usual camaraderie of the guys, that is characteristic of the series
2) Nikolai - He just sounds yummy. I love his relationship with Vince, love how they openly say they love each other, and love how badass he is.
3) Devin - He is bad ass and no nonsense and I LUVVS him.
Didn't work for me -
1)Vince - Vicious Vince. The problem I have with Vince's character is exactly what I feared I would have when he was presented at the end of the last book. We are presented with two sides of his character that never really knit together to create the vicious character he should be. The main problem with Vince is that there is entirely too much telling and not enough showing. We are told that he dismembered his parents' killers, we're told that he's cold and unfeeling and we're told that his heart has been closed for years, yet the Vince that the reader sees on paper is funny, flirtatious, teasing, a good team member, a good friend and a loving father. Who exactly is he cold and unfeeling with?? His enemies?? He should be!!
Vince was continually telling us he was an asshole and it just sounded like he was being self-important because we never saw it! It took everyone else to keep pounding it into our heads that he was an animal, he was cold, he was uncaring, he's fallen in love, he's in love, did you know he's in love, we've never seen him so in love. We get it!! Everyone else was telling us what was going on with Vince. Vince himself was literally telling us what was going on. Someone with as many issues as Vince had would never tell Keegan his whole life story in a matter of days, or say stuff like, "My heart has been closed off. I haven't felt anything in years...blah blah blah." Would.Not.Happen. What needed to happen was that we needed to see Vince be an asshole to other people so that his treatment of Keegan would be monumentally different. Instead, we're supposed to be moved because he's upset that Keegan's hurt and there's Nikolai to drum it into our heads in case we missed it the first fifty million times someone else said it, that Vince never feels anything for anyone. Who are we using as a comparison?? Are we really to believe that if Lorenzo had been shot Vince would have just shrugged his shoulders and said, 'Tough'? It seems like we're only reminded of how vicious Vince is when there's a point to be made. The second night he sees Keegan in the club, he 'rescues' him from another guy by taking him into his arms and dancing closely with him, but when Vince gets hurt and Keegan wants to look at it Vince says, "I don't allow just anyone to touch me." Vince, sit down, zip your lips and let Keegan look at your doggone wound. It just felt like all the characters were running around saying, "It's storming outside! It's the worst storm we've seen in years! Board up the windows!" But then you decide to look for yourself and find yourself thinking, 'It's really only partly cloudy." The character just didn't live up to the hype.
Was he a skilled killer? I guess. He didn't really do anything that isn't done in the everyday life of every other mercenary character/assassin/special ops agent I've read. Actually, clearly, I've read some pretty sick characters because he didn't even come close. It's all in the details and everything that supposedly makes Vince vicious is done off page. On page, he shoots out some knees, stabs someone in the lungs and in the hand...Okayyyy. I actually feel that Devin was more vicious than he was...and I'm really getting a vicious streak in Nikolai. Yummm Nikolai.
So now, we're at the love story. The key to buying into this love story is in believing that a) Vince is really vicious and emotionally stunted and b) Keegan somehow penetrates the wall he's surrounded himself with. Sigh. First of all, Vince is so flirtatious and fun with Keegan that it throws the first theory out the window. I know (from fanfic, yes I did read it) that he's supposedly a jokester and male whore, but that image doesn't add up to a vicious character. Ok, so Vince wants Keegan in bed and Keegan has been in lust with Vince for over a decade. Vince and Keegan share their first two kisses and some frontage and all of a sudden Vince is thinking relationship. Uh, what?? It just wasn't believable, nor was the fact that Keegan finally decides to have sex with Vince after he slams him into a wall and beats the crap out of him. Really?? Keegan is a lovesick schoolgirl because he's inexperienced and Vince 'has never felt this way before' and is practically willing to die for Keegan in all of a week. It was just way too quick, cliched and clunky and didn't work for me.
Then, we have a 'Zero At The Bone' moment and all hell breaks loose. Devin comes in, THANK GOD and so does Nikolai. THANK GOD SQUARED.
The rescue takes all of one-two pages and the violent showdown we've all been waiting for takes place, you guessed it, off-page. Then we're subjected to a whole bunch of unrealistic sappiness and hive inducing, groan-worthy dialogue that I was forced to bail on to keep my sanity.
2) Keegan
I was a bit worried about Keegan being the match for Vince because he was 'small and pretty' but, physically, he ended up being fine. I just didn't expect him to be so....inept. He kept saying that he could take care of himself and we're told he has a vicious right hook but, really, I think Vince was just being kind. It's not enough that Keegan is small and pretty, he had to have a stuttering problem and a nervous condition that made him sprout spontaneous erections. Really?? Could we make him anymore ridiculous? The best scene in the entire book between Keegan and Vince is when Vince body slams him into a wall. I was like yes!! Vicious Vince is here! Then he gets all corny and lame and blows the whole thing to smithereens. Keegan tells Vince exactly why he was chosen for the assignment and, really, I can see why everyone was worried about him because...did his hand actually shake when he aimed the gun at Vince? Ugh.
So, those were the main things that didn't work for me - the main characters. As usual, there was a bunch of giggling and snickering from grown men. Vince actually snickered once and I almost drop-kicked my kindle. It's not that 'giggling' is a particular trait of ONE character and makes THAT character that character *rolls eyes*. It's that they ALL at some point giggle and snicker. I just auto corrected 'giggled' and 'snickered,' with 'smirked' in my head while I was reading because I can more see that happening. They are FBI agents, assassins and more importantly, adult men. It just doesn't fit. Except Riley, who's a big kid. I expect it, and I find it endearing. Riley's so cute. For everyone else, no. Thank God, they mostly start chuckling later on in the book.
There is still the misuse of the present tense of lie (to lie down), vs the past tense (lay). The book is written in the past tense. It jolts me out of the story every time because the rest of the book is virtually error free (which is to be commended). I thought for sure it had to be me, so I copied and pasted a few sentences into Word and sure enough, squiggly line under the word lie.
All in all, I had suchhhhhh high hopes for this one but they didn't pan out. Really, only two things saved this from being one star - Devin and Nikolai.
September 2, 2012
I was really expecting more from this book. If this had been one of the other characters, the lightness of the assassin angle and the love story would have went over better for me but this was about Vicious Vince. He was supposed to be ruthless, non feeling and unable to open up to people. But he opened up to Keegan in two days and was not vicious, at all. Even when he acted as I would have thought he would, it was washed out because of the way he acted the rest of the book. It was as if the Vince that was in the other books decided to make a 180 degree turn for this book. Also, how is Vince famous? Why would an assassin be known to the average person? He is supposed to be secretive. I didn't buy into it. There was too much light banter and not enough snark between Vince and Keegan.
Even though Keegan was the younger guy, the one the other guys looked out for in the other books be still held his own. In this book, he was childlike with his mannerisms. He was a highly trained FBI agent but was reduced to a teenager here.
I always enjoy the other assassins and shifters together. I did like the Nikolai and Devin characters.
I have enjoyed the other 7 books in this series but this one did not fit the bill.
Even though Keegan was the younger guy, the one the other guys looked out for in the other books be still held his own. In this book, he was childlike with his mannerisms. He was a highly trained FBI agent but was reduced to a teenager here.
I always enjoy the other assassins and shifters together. I did like the Nikolai and Devin characters.
I have enjoyed the other 7 books in this series but this one did not fit the bill.
September 3, 2012
This was an action-packed ride. I wasn't sure how this was going to play out with Keegan's issues and Vince's issues potentially causing a pretty big explosion. I liked how Keegan tried to resist Vince and how Vince was so disturbed about being told NO for the first time.
Nikolai is an anchor for Vince and he seems to give him a needed reality check as does Andrei. Keegan does his best to keep Vince at arms length and when Vince finds out what Keegan has been keeping from him he is desperate to keep Keegan safe. But of course that would be too easy.
I love the interaction between the other couples. I really wish we had gotten a book about Reece and Lorenzo cause I think that would have been hilarious. The rest of the team with James and Mateo and Josh and Sam and Troy and the General played an important part in this one. I think my favorite scene though was Mateo's confrontation with Vince. Hilarious. I also loved Keegan's mom. She was funny with both Keegan and Vince. My kind of mom! With all of the intense action, the comic relief moments were much appreciated.
Nikolai is an anchor for Vince and he seems to give him a needed reality check as does Andrei. Keegan does his best to keep Vince at arms length and when Vince finds out what Keegan has been keeping from him he is desperate to keep Keegan safe. But of course that would be too easy.
I love the interaction between the other couples. I really wish we had gotten a book about Reece and Lorenzo cause I think that would have been hilarious. The rest of the team with James and Mateo and Josh and Sam and Troy and the General played an important part in this one. I think my favorite scene though was Mateo's confrontation with Vince. Hilarious. I also loved Keegan's mom. She was funny with both Keegan and Vince. My kind of mom! With all of the intense action, the comic relief moments were much appreciated.
October 3, 2012
This was a surprise. It was a random purchase cuz it was cheap and it had good ratings. I feel silly for not seeing that it was part of a series. It stood alone well enough but the other characters were fun enough that I kinda want to check out the rest of the series. This book hit all the right notes for me. It was fun and had some action that kept me wanting to kno wtf happened next. And DAYUM is Vince Markov sexy as hell or what? And Keegan just sounds too cute. I like them together. It's not one that I feel will stick with me. More like one of those books that was there when I really just needed a pick me up. It's pretty surreal with the whole gay marriage and gay cops being normal in this book's alternate reality but it was fun. Solid 4 stars (mostly cuz I wanna do Vince so hard. I need to get a real man cuz all this love is being wasted on fictional boyfriends) Definitely say give it a read... plus it was SUPER cheap and was a decent length. Hellz yes.
May 23, 2020
I thought that this was the best of her books yet and I cannot wait for her next installment of this series...
I thought several years ago. I have now come to realize that what I thought was excellent writing romance and fun were anything but.
I thought several years ago. I have now come to realize that what I thought was excellent writing romance and fun were anything but.
September 4, 2014
Oh man yumminess! Vicious Vince Markov is just drool worthy and Keegan is more than adorable in his little crush. This series has always been one of my favorites and remains there no matter how many times I re-read it. There’s plenty of burning up the sheets passion between these two with a lovely dose of action/suspense and of course all of our favorites pop their heads in to say hi.
Keegan Ripley may look like the softer side of cuddles for an FBI agent, but he can handle his own and has been through more than most people could ever dream. He has spent most of his career assigned to the movements and actions of one particular assassin and has developed more than a little crush on him. His dreaming about Vince Markov were what got him through the darkest days of his time with the FBI. Captured and tortured for information Keegan watched his partner die, but survived to move on. Now the FBI in the form of his boss James wants to extend the olive branch to Markov’s contingent and see about joining forces.
Vicious Vince Markov has been an assassin for over twenty years. After killing those responsible for the torture and deaths of his family and himself as a child Vince turned his skill at violence to similar baddies. He’s trained himself to be ice cold, to feel no pain, and lets no one close to him. Even his ex husband only ever brushed the surface of Vince’s heart. He loves Andrei, but has never been “in love” with him. The only human being he allows any softer feelings for is his son Nikolai and he’s trained Nik to be just as dangerous as he is himself. His newest assignment to take out Dario Nardozzi though comes with more than one surprise, and quite a few chinks out of his armor in the form of one little snarky FBI agent.
So I just loved Keegan’s internal drooling monologue while he’s being all tough guy, no I don’t really want you, with Vince. Keegan has some incredibly strong willpower to resist all that sexiness as long as he did. Plus well it certainly had Vince’s head spinning which was oh so fun to watch. These two are a great foil for each other with Keegan’s softer appearance being supported by a spine of steal and Vince’s hardened shell finally getting softened up just a little bit by falling in love. Poor Keegan, he’s been through so much in his past and he deserves to have a little adoration in his life. Top that off with all of the horrors Vince has seen and lived through and please let these boys have some happiness finally.
So Nikolai may just be the most sexy thing on two legs! Love his relationship with his dad. There are just awesome together. I love how open and supportive they are of each other. Having Nik may be the only thing that’s really kept Vince sane all these years. Well as sane as a psycho killer can ever be. ☺ Mix him up with Keegan’s partner Devin Lyons and well fun is to be had by all. I really really do enjoy my crazy badasses!
The action here is really more suspense as we know what’s coming for Keegan and it’s all about when it’s actually going to get there. Of course when things go to hell shit does get blown up in normal epic proportions! There was plenty going on throughout the story though to keep me interested. I liked seeing these two work their way around each other and how crazily it affected Vince when he found out the reality of what position he put Keegan in.
This series is one of my all time favorites. It’s my crack and I’ll come back time and again for the escapism. It’s simply put together but I mean that in the best possible way. The only overly convoluted thing about this series is the sheer number of characters you’re introduced to and how inter-related they all are. But it’s wonderfully fascinating and I love getting to see all my old favorites sticking their heads in everyone else’s business. ;) LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
Keegan Ripley may look like the softer side of cuddles for an FBI agent, but he can handle his own and has been through more than most people could ever dream. He has spent most of his career assigned to the movements and actions of one particular assassin and has developed more than a little crush on him. His dreaming about Vince Markov were what got him through the darkest days of his time with the FBI. Captured and tortured for information Keegan watched his partner die, but survived to move on. Now the FBI in the form of his boss James wants to extend the olive branch to Markov’s contingent and see about joining forces.
Vicious Vince Markov has been an assassin for over twenty years. After killing those responsible for the torture and deaths of his family and himself as a child Vince turned his skill at violence to similar baddies. He’s trained himself to be ice cold, to feel no pain, and lets no one close to him. Even his ex husband only ever brushed the surface of Vince’s heart. He loves Andrei, but has never been “in love” with him. The only human being he allows any softer feelings for is his son Nikolai and he’s trained Nik to be just as dangerous as he is himself. His newest assignment to take out Dario Nardozzi though comes with more than one surprise, and quite a few chinks out of his armor in the form of one little snarky FBI agent.
So I just loved Keegan’s internal drooling monologue while he’s being all tough guy, no I don’t really want you, with Vince. Keegan has some incredibly strong willpower to resist all that sexiness as long as he did. Plus well it certainly had Vince’s head spinning which was oh so fun to watch. These two are a great foil for each other with Keegan’s softer appearance being supported by a spine of steal and Vince’s hardened shell finally getting softened up just a little bit by falling in love. Poor Keegan, he’s been through so much in his past and he deserves to have a little adoration in his life. Top that off with all of the horrors Vince has seen and lived through and please let these boys have some happiness finally.
So Nikolai may just be the most sexy thing on two legs! Love his relationship with his dad. There are just awesome together. I love how open and supportive they are of each other. Having Nik may be the only thing that’s really kept Vince sane all these years. Well as sane as a psycho killer can ever be. ☺ Mix him up with Keegan’s partner Devin Lyons and well fun is to be had by all. I really really do enjoy my crazy badasses!
The action here is really more suspense as we know what’s coming for Keegan and it’s all about when it’s actually going to get there. Of course when things go to hell shit does get blown up in normal epic proportions! There was plenty going on throughout the story though to keep me interested. I liked seeing these two work their way around each other and how crazily it affected Vince when he found out the reality of what position he put Keegan in.
This series is one of my all time favorites. It’s my crack and I’ll come back time and again for the escapism. It’s simply put together but I mean that in the best possible way. The only overly convoluted thing about this series is the sheer number of characters you’re introduced to and how inter-related they all are. But it’s wonderfully fascinating and I love getting to see all my old favorites sticking their heads in everyone else’s business. ;) LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
September 1, 2012
First and foremost? THANK GOD Mrs. Dion stuck to the original characters she created!!! LOVED the snarky/playful/flirtatious behavior from both Keegan and Vince! Watching Vince fall for our stuttering-boner getting Keegan was well worth it! Once again the guys make their appearance in this one and we get to see more Nikolai! (which is always a plus!) Vince's vicious streak came out with a vengeance (Body parts, intestine spilling, half-decap's and hand chopping) God I love Vince...lol. Has he mellowed since Nikolai? Sure he has. Towards his enemies? Not so much. When it comes to the bad guy, our boy is still a knife happy psychotic killer.
Keegan, as always, made me love him. He'd been crushing on Vince for over ten years. He stutters and gets boners, but the guy held his own. Loved Devin in this one! His partnership with Keegan is what made me love him so much. (Plus he's a little psycho in his own right).
All in all, I read it from beginning to end in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. I look forward to more books, especially Devin's!
Keegan, as always, made me love him. He'd been crushing on Vince for over ten years. He stutters and gets boners, but the guy held his own. Loved Devin in this one! His partnership with Keegan is what made me love him so much. (Plus he's a little psycho in his own right).
All in all, I read it from beginning to end in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. I look forward to more books, especially Devin's!
March 5, 2020
2nd read 2-2020
Hot damn, I missed Vince!!! Holy hell.
First Read 1-20-2014
4.5 Stars
Oooo...by far, my favorite one so far. Vince and Keegan...
No for real. HOLY SHEEP!!!!!! Smokin' hot. Vicious Vince Markov is a force to be reckoned with and I am SO glad that Keegan found someone to make him happy :)
Keegan's mom was a doll and Nik was...how old? He's friends with Wyatt so in his teens?
Overall, this was awesome. Moving onto Wyatt's??? story. Geez Louise, little Wyatt grew up not sure if I am ready for that.
Hot damn, I missed Vince!!! Holy hell.
First Read 1-20-2014
4.5 Stars
Oooo...by far, my favorite one so far. Vince and Keegan...
No for real. HOLY SHEEP!!!!!! Smokin' hot. Vicious Vince Markov is a force to be reckoned with and I am SO glad that Keegan found someone to make him happy :)
Keegan's mom was a doll and Nik was...how old? He's friends with Wyatt so in his teens?
Overall, this was awesome. Moving onto Wyatt's??? story. Geez Louise, little Wyatt grew up not sure if I am ready for that.
September 4, 2012
Loved it! This whole bookread like a wonderful dream...just adored it.. Vince just stole my heart away from Josh and Troy :))...and I can already see Nikolai stealing it when he gets his story...
Gosh, what can I say? Vince was a total ass in the beginning, but his saving grace was the fact that we already knew his history and the interaction he had with characters in the previous books. Everything was so well put together in this book - gory scenes and all. Vince and Keegan...they make you believe.
Gosh, what can I say? Vince was a total ass in the beginning, but his saving grace was the fact that we already knew his history and the interaction he had with characters in the previous books. Everything was so well put together in this book - gory scenes and all. Vince and Keegan...they make you believe.
February 1, 2013
The more I read, the better I like this series. Vince isn't called vicious for nothing...that man can be brutal..but a pussy cat where Keegan is concerned, as long as you ignore the part where he kicks his ass...royally. I was glad that Keegan finally got his man, but too bad he had to be tortured first...ouch. Love Andrei and Nickolai...hopefully they get their story told too. Mateo? Love him!!!!!!!!!
September 4, 2012
I can't get enough of this series. I fell in love with the world the first book I read which was the second in the series. I immediately read the first book after I was done and now I wait not so patiently for each new book to come out. Then I can't stop reading it until I am done this one was no different.
May 3, 2013
I was a bit put off by the errors in tense. If you're using past tense in the book, why on earth would you suddenly switch to present tense? It didn't make sense and it tossed me out of the story. I also had a hard time with an FBI agent who giggles. I mean, come on. That's just weird. So no, I wasn't a big fan of this story. I'm hopeful that the next one is much better.
September 29, 2012
OMG!!! please keep them coming i only happen upon this author and boy was i hooked!! keep them coming. Please release 3 at once sl i have something for xmas Nikolai, Devin, Wayne, and of course Alexei, i CANNOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE
November 2, 2012
I literally stumble across this and I've never been more happy that I face planted. This was a blast to read that I couldn't put down. It seems I've made a habit of pick up books at the back end of a series, however, that only means I get to enjoy catching up from the beginning.
December 8, 2017
I liked this one, though I never want to know what's Keegan felt with his fingers.
Can't even imagined that.
I loved Nikolai and Vince's relationship.
A bit cheesy for an assassin like Vince, but hey, we need cheesy in the middle of brutal. :)
Can't even imagined that.
I loved Nikolai and Vince's relationship.
A bit cheesy for an assassin like Vince, but hey, we need cheesy in the middle of brutal. :)
September 14, 2012
Terrible amateurish writing. Very shallow characters. The usual syrupy males romance with an equally shallow plot.
September 16, 2012
Can't wait for the next book to come out...FINALLY Wyatt & Preston get their story told.
October 13, 2012
This is my favorite one out of the series so far. I loved Keegan and Vince:-)
August 23, 2016
Re-read number??? 7 maybe?
I enjoy Keegan and Vince story.
I enjoy Keegan and Vince story.
February 3, 2014
“Don’t you want someone in your life? The one person you cannot wait to wake up to? The one who occupies your thoughts every moment of every day?”
That… doesn’t sound healthy. Or productive.
God these guys are full of mush. And they love to talk about it.
So, if I am reading this setup right, Keegan is supposed to be a badass, non-rich version of Riley?
And seriously, his parents are named Keira and Keiran?
This is what I meant in some of the other reviews. It’s so weird to see Keegan’s mother suffering because she lives in poverty – when we all know how much Riley adores Keegan and how he loves to throw money around. I’d think that when it comes to the health of his mother, Keegan would not be too proud to ask for help or at least accept it.
Why does this thing keep recapping what it just told us? Just how many times do we need a list of the things “wrong” with Keegan? And how many times do we need Vince’s history summed up?
I’m also already getting sick of people in their forties who look like they’re thirty (or in their thirties looking ten years younger). What’s the point then? Some men improve with age, you know? Make something of it instead of covering it up until everyone looks like the same glossy magazine model clone. >.>
Next, the thing with not feeling pain is that you shouldn’t be able to feel pleasure either. If it’s neurological, anyway. If it isn’t, then you should retain a sense of something. It’s plainly not a good survival skill to never feel any pain at all, because pain alerts you to injuries in need of taking care of.
I’m thinking this must be a parody, what with everyone being so upset about Vince being blown off by a guy.
Okay, riddle me this: How can Vince be a super secret assassin if they make a point of proving that every random person grabbed on the street knows his name (and fears him)? Why has no authority taken action against his killing sprees at the very least? If he’s really the most feared man in the world, I don’t buy for a second that he’s able to roam freely.
Oh and yeah, forget all about taking out your target who’s apparently a monstrous child-killer. Priorities! It’s important to have them.
Time is a weird gooey thing. Just as one example,
As much as that sudden fight flabbergasted me, I actually liked
The second half is a lot more interesting than the first – mainly because Vince completely breaks down. And I am not rejoicing in this because I’m spiteful; it simply makes for some impactful (if over the top) scenes and goes a long way in redeeming him from the utterly shallow, vain person he proved himself to be up to now. (Not that they aren’t all shallow, but eh.)
Heh. Okay, that was funny. Probably because it’s a serious moment and not silly banter.
Sadly matters turned insufferably sappy again towards the end. Oh well.
Read
September 28, 2012It was a bit that I found Sandrine Gasq-Dion’s name in the list of bestselling authors for Gay Romance, and sincerely I was a little perplexed since until few months ago I have never heard about her. So when I decided to pick her latest release, Russian Prey, I also decided to not going back to the first book in the Assassin/Shifter series, and now maybe I’m regretting this choice, since all of the supporting characters in Russian Prey, are so funny and interesting that I’d love to read their story.
The Assassin/Shifter series is about a team of all gay FBI agents who side forces with a group of Assassins; apparently being an assassin is no trouble if you are killing only bad guys (lets this detail skips, since otherwise you are not able to enjoy this series). For all the novel, the author tries to make these men appear cold-hearted and vicious, but to me they always seem like big boy playing a war-game.
There is a lot of the Gay romance rule Alpha Man/bottom boy, in this case cute and pretty FBI agent Keegan is sent as “bait” to catch Russian assassin Vincent: Keegan is exactly Vince’s type, but no one would expect for Vince to really fall for Keegan; on the other side, Keegan has already a long-time crush on Vince, so it’s only obvious that he falls as hard as well. Truth be told, as Vince himself often wonders, someone could question how Keegan became an FBI agent, but probably his strength lies more on his intellect than his body.
The Shifter part of the series is not developed in this novel, part of the previous pairings are a mix of shifters and FBI agents, but in here both Keegan than Vince are fully human.
Another point that I liked in this novel, even if it’s not probably realistic, is how being gay and married to a man is as natural as breathing. All Keegan’s friends are married to men; the same Vincent is divorced and his ex is a man, Andrei, a Russian mafia boss, and he is also co-father of a teenager guy, Nikolai, even if Nikolai is as grown as his own father. Actually I think that, aside from Vincent’s housekeeper, and Keegan’s mother, there is no female characters at all. But again, it was all so natural that it was like reading about a parallel universe, where gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight people were living together without prejudices… aside from some homophobic comments from the bad guys, but they are also killed by the good boys, and so that didn’t matter!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1479187925/?...
The Assassin/Shifter series is about a team of all gay FBI agents who side forces with a group of Assassins; apparently being an assassin is no trouble if you are killing only bad guys (lets this detail skips, since otherwise you are not able to enjoy this series). For all the novel, the author tries to make these men appear cold-hearted and vicious, but to me they always seem like big boy playing a war-game.
There is a lot of the Gay romance rule Alpha Man/bottom boy, in this case cute and pretty FBI agent Keegan is sent as “bait” to catch Russian assassin Vincent: Keegan is exactly Vince’s type, but no one would expect for Vince to really fall for Keegan; on the other side, Keegan has already a long-time crush on Vince, so it’s only obvious that he falls as hard as well. Truth be told, as Vince himself often wonders, someone could question how Keegan became an FBI agent, but probably his strength lies more on his intellect than his body.
The Shifter part of the series is not developed in this novel, part of the previous pairings are a mix of shifters and FBI agents, but in here both Keegan than Vince are fully human.
Another point that I liked in this novel, even if it’s not probably realistic, is how being gay and married to a man is as natural as breathing. All Keegan’s friends are married to men; the same Vincent is divorced and his ex is a man, Andrei, a Russian mafia boss, and he is also co-father of a teenager guy, Nikolai, even if Nikolai is as grown as his own father. Actually I think that, aside from Vincent’s housekeeper, and Keegan’s mother, there is no female characters at all. But again, it was all so natural that it was like reading about a parallel universe, where gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight people were living together without prejudices… aside from some homophobic comments from the bad guys, but they are also killed by the good boys, and so that didn’t matter!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1479187925/?...
December 7, 2012
I think this may be the most action packed of this series yet. This installment centers around Keegan Ripley, insanely smart IT guy for the Skull Blasters as well as a successful FBI agent in his own right; and Vince Markov, deadly assassin for the Russian mob. Keegan has been enamored with vicious Vince for over a decade, when he’s offered the chance to reel in Markov as a member of the team he jumps at the chance.
A lot more than sparks fly as these two not only fight each other, but the fiercely growing attraction to one another. When a common enemy, child killer and psychopath Dario Nardozzie, kidnaps Keegan the Skull blasters team and the usually cold and unfeeling Vince have to learn to work together to rescue the man they all love. When you throw in Vince’s son and doppelganger Nikolai Markov as well as Keegans partner Devin Lyons (who HATES the Russians with a blind raging passion, but loves Keegan like a brother), what you have is a non stop, action packed story, across two continents ending in a full on slaughter in an attempt to save Keegan’s life.
OF COURSE we have the usual uniqueness Gasq-Dion has created with her Assassin/Shifter men and their stories concentrating on Keegan and Vince, but still weaving all our favorites underneath. This one not only made my heart stop beating a time or two with the suspense, but it had some fantastic banter between several of the characters to lighten the seriousness of the situation. And the off the charts sex is a given!
5/5 for me, this series is a Must Read! But that’s just my two cents!!
A lot more than sparks fly as these two not only fight each other, but the fiercely growing attraction to one another. When a common enemy, child killer and psychopath Dario Nardozzie, kidnaps Keegan the Skull blasters team and the usually cold and unfeeling Vince have to learn to work together to rescue the man they all love. When you throw in Vince’s son and doppelganger Nikolai Markov as well as Keegans partner Devin Lyons (who HATES the Russians with a blind raging passion, but loves Keegan like a brother), what you have is a non stop, action packed story, across two continents ending in a full on slaughter in an attempt to save Keegan’s life.
OF COURSE we have the usual uniqueness Gasq-Dion has created with her Assassin/Shifter men and their stories concentrating on Keegan and Vince, but still weaving all our favorites underneath. This one not only made my heart stop beating a time or two with the suspense, but it had some fantastic banter between several of the characters to lighten the seriousness of the situation. And the off the charts sex is a given!
5/5 for me, this series is a Must Read! But that’s just my two cents!!
January 30, 2013
Ok, so I still really like this series. However, this one was a little bit disappointing in that I really expected Vince to be a little more hardcore than he came off. There were also a few really cheesy moments where various guys talked about Vince feeling love and pain, etc. This just seemed a little overdone. I also didn't understand why Vince thought everyone and their brother on the street should know him by name.
Keegan was sweet. I wish there had been a little more about the affects of his captivity/torture, especially when it happened again. On another note, he was supposed to be well trained for this assignment, had been studying Vince for over 10 years, yet it seemed like all that was forgotten once he met Vince in person.
So, even though it sounds like I didn't like this one as much, it did happen to be one of my favorites. I loved that we got to know Nikolai a little better and really hope he is in one of the upcoming stories.
Keegan was sweet. I wish there had been a little more about the affects of his captivity/torture, especially when it happened again. On another note, he was supposed to be well trained for this assignment, had been studying Vince for over 10 years, yet it seemed like all that was forgotten once he met Vince in person.
So, even though it sounds like I didn't like this one as much, it did happen to be one of my favorites. I loved that we got to know Nikolai a little better and really hope he is in one of the upcoming stories.
September 25, 2012
The banter between these two is the funniest! This has got to be my favorite so far. Keegan Ripley is a pretty boy who is beloved by everyone. He has been swooning over Vince Markov for years. When he is nervous he stutters and gets a spontaneous hard on. 'Vicious Vince' Markov is a cold-blooded assassin who everyone lusts after and fears at the same time. He meets Keegan and is confused by his attraction to gorgeous but awkward stuttering boy. The rest is the cutest and funniest love story there is....
Waiting eagerly for Wyatt and Preston's story that is coming soon.
Waiting eagerly for Wyatt and Preston's story that is coming soon.
February 12, 2013
This was the best book of the series yet. Perfection.
September 10, 2012
wonderfull as always. I am one of her biggest fans. Thank you Sandy for hours of entertainment.
January 9, 2014
Loved, loved, loved... Keegan and Vince are so cute together... thus was a wonderful story that made me laugh and made me cry. I'm totally in love by this serie...
January 15, 2017
The giggling needs to stops. It's hard to think of a guy all smexy and then he giggles :O other than that the story was great. Love Vince :)
December 12, 2022
✮4 Stars✮
February 14, 2017
Vince is not cold, shut-down or anything like the blurb said. Keegan is like a princess when he couldn't do anything and was protected by everyone. And when he said he had a crush on Vince but preferred to play cat-and-mouse.... I had to roll my eyes. You are following exactly the path of teenage love, Keegan.
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