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The boys are back in town!

With resources already overstretched, the last thing Will and Taylor need is another client.

And the last thing Will needs is for that client to turn out to be an old boyfriend of Taylor’s.

But Ashe Dekker believes someone is trying to kill him, and Taylor is determined to help--whatever the cost.

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2020

65 people are currently reading
1012 people want to read

About the author

Josh Lanyon

223 books5,419 followers
Author of 100+ titles of Gay Mystery and M/M Romance, Josh Lanyon has built her literary legacy on twisty mystery, kickass adventure, and unapologetic man-on-man romance.

Her work has been translated into twelve languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first Male/Male title to be published by Italy’s Harlequin Mondadori and Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan’s annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list). The Adrien English series was awarded the All-Time Favorite Couple by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. In 2019, Fatal Shadows became the first LGBTQ mobile game created by Moments: Choose Your Story.

She’s an EPIC Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), an Edgar nominee, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads All Time Favorite M/M Author award.

Josh is married and lives in Southern California with her irascible husband, two adorable dogs, a small garden, and an ever-expanding library of vintage mystery destined to eventually crush them all beneath its weight.


Find other Josh Lanyon titles at www.joshlanyon.com
Follow Josh on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

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5 stars
242 (29%)
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301 (37%)
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215 (26%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
Profile Image for * A Reader Obsessed *.
2,694 reviews576 followers
July 25, 2020
4 Series Finale Stars

I’ve been waiting for over 5 long years for this last chapter in Will and Taylor’s saga, and though a reread would’ve served me well, who has the time for such? However, if you do have the fortitude and ambition to do so, I highly recommend it because often, my cobwebbed filled old brain just couldn't remember the finer details of the previous books and those could’ve, might’ve been helpful. By not doing so, I’m guessing my beer goggles allowed me to let some things slide…

Regardless, what my feeble brain didn’t forget was how much I love Will and Taylor. I think they’ll always hold a special place in my heart because they were one of the first MM’s I had ever indulged in and that sort of thing sticks with you, you know?

Overall, this was a fitting end for these two as they laid to rest old hurts and troublesome chronic issues (mainly in the form of annoying exes that just don’t know when to fucking quit) all the while going through a lot of internal and external turmoil. Never mind the lack of communication these two knuckleheads regularly participate in, but it’s hard to complain about badass ex federal agents who make the most fantastic duo because they know each other so well in and out of the bedroom!

Strong as ever are the feels that Will and Taylor have for each other, and that’s what I like most about them. I just simply basked in and appreciated all the painful and happy emotions as they navigated their complicated, busy, and definitely, dangerous lives.

It took fucking forever for this long awaited “epilogue” (*still grumbling*), but despite its imperfections, it still brought a contented smile to my face and to my heart!

Profile Image for Teal.
609 reviews251 followers
March 1, 2022
All good things must come to an end.

And of course, we prefer it when good things come to a good end.

But that's not always possible, as we see here with Exhibit A: Blind Side.

If you’ve seen my enthusiastic and sometimes downright giddy reviews of the previous books in the series, you'll know that Will Brandt and Taylor MacAllister are one of my all-time favorite couples. I've indulged in multiple rereads of the five previous books as I waited — as we all waited — and waited — and waited — for the promised sixth book to appear. Six+ years later, here it is.

As I said in my review of the previous book, when it comes to Will & Taylor I am probably the world’s easiest-to-please reader. I don't actually care much whether their books have a plot — I just want to spend time with these guys. Which means that what's been magical about the series up to this point has been the characterization. So if the characterization were to fail, then everything would fail.

See where I'm going with this?

That long gap — more than 6 years — between books seems to have altered the author's sense of the characters. And I'm confident this isn't a case of "it's not the book, it's me," because the same complaint comes up repeatedly in other reviews. Taylor in particular is "off" in this installment.

In previous books, Taylor was convincingly established as someone who’s comfortable in dangerous situations — thinking fast, improvising under stress, and taking calculated risks. When we’ve seen his behavior on-page, there’s always been a method to the madness. He assesses the situation and takes the risk with the intention of benefiting from the element of surprise. He isn’t oblivious to danger and just doing dumb shit because he’s TSTL.

Until now.

I felt like Taylor had been replaced by someone stupid in order to drive the plot forward. For example,

Basically, it didn't seem like the characters were driving the story forward by being true to themselves in their choices and actions. Rather it felt like the plot was driving the characters' behavior. Driving them right into Maximum Drama Land. Drama For the Sake of Drama Land. Who Let the Drama Llamas Out Land.

Especially when we got to the Big Misunderstanding. Wow, that sucker was so big that even I couldn’t understand it. It didn’t make any sense to me; I didn’t see how the characters could be sincerely experiencing that magnitude of a misunderstanding this late in the day. Watching them regress to such an extreme state of being unable to communicate with each other left me with strong doubts they could make it together as a couple. Doubts I'd never had before.

Great note to end the series on, eh?

I was primed to at least like this book, if not outright love it. In fact, "primed to like it" hardly begins to describe my willingness to buy into whatever the story delivered. These guys are a couple of my all-time favorite characters, making their final appearance, on the way to their hard-won HEA — what could be better than that? Right? I was almost destined to love this book.

But.

I could go on and on in this vein, but what would be the point? I need to accept the disappointment and just move on. Which I'm doing by mentally relegating this book to fan fiction — like, it's a story with the characters I love, but it hasn't captured them convincingly enough for me to believe in it, and I won't accept it as canon. *sigh*

I do just want to give other readers a heads-up, though: If, like me, you preordered this book, you may not have received the correct version. Like me, you may have received the version without the Epilogue! Yes, where the story ends with no resolution for the huge dangling plot thread about their future. It was a sheer fluke that I learned, weeks after finishing it, that I hadn't actually finished-finished it, if you know what I mean. Information that there's an incomplete version of the book out there needs to be spread far and wide, not be something a reader accidentally learns about. Great way to treat the pre-orderers, the people who are the most passionate about the author's work and most eager to give them money. I will not be preordering from this author again.

After considerable deliberation, I'm giving this 2 stars. I thought that over time I might mellow and come to appreciate having another story about the guys, even though it was a letdown... But it's been 3 months now, and I'm no happier than when I first finished. Or than when I second finished, having finally learned about the epilogue. No, this is one I won't be rereading — will actively be trying to purge from my memory — so 2 stars it is.

And since I don't want to walk away from the series on that negative note... Let me emphasize how much I loved these guys, and how much I appreciate Josh Lanyon for creating them and sharing them with the world. In Will & Taylor I got what I'm always looking for in m/m romance, yet so rarely find: a couple who are peers, equals, and who relate to each other as such. Not that it's always easy for them, not that they don't knock heads and challenge each other over boundaries.

But still, it's a relationship convincingly devoid of cishet vibes, in a genre which seems determined to mimic m/f relationships by creating m/m pairings with an emphasis on size difference, age difference, difference in social status/wealth, and my own personal bugbear, D/s. I'm happy the genre is big enough to include something for everyone — but why so little rep of same-sex couples who are equals, who don't feel to me like they were created as m/m incarnations of m/f pairings? I sure as hell don't know the answer, but whenever I encounter a fictional couple who are peers and equals, without stereotypical m/f social-physical-psychological traits, who operate outside stereotypical m/f gender dynamics, I'm delighted. And grateful. Will & Taylor, you were the real deal. It's been great knowing you.

Profile Image for mwana.
477 reviews279 followers
March 27, 2020
Before you read this, to catch you up on a few events, you should probably read Blood Heat and Kick Start, the third and fifth books in the series. You should probably also read Dead Run because it is my favorite in the entire series.

Fans have been waiting for years for the conclusion of the wily misadventures of Will and Taylor.

I have no idea whether I’m glad or sad the series is over and while my ambivalence over Will and Taylor is subject to doubt, Lanyon’s writing certainly isn’t. The staccato lyricism of her prose still keeps her firmly in the favourites aisle.

The novella picks up where Kick Start left off. Will and Taylor are now faux-engaged and running a security agency-- and already they feel in way over their heads. When Taylor’s college ex, Ashe Dekker, shows up asking them for assistance in trying to keep him alive, the situation is even more out there. Will is worried that Taylor bullishly offering to help pro bono is going to spread them thinner than faded muslin. But as Will so eloquently put it, there is no good time for bad things to happen. Will felt that it was up to him to reel Taylor in with this case but things between them are rocky at best. I almost wished this wasn’t mm and was more mystery fiction with gay protagonists so that their angst could be dragged out further and I couldn’t be guaranteed a HEA. Rather, I could be pleasantly surprised by it.

Regardless, Will knew that Taylor was taking it too far. Taylor wouldn’t recognize he was out of his depth if the fucking ocean closed over his head. Fortunately, that's what a loving partner is for- to help withstand the tidal pressure that come from whatever is out to get them.

The action/mystery in this wasn’t as fleshed out as the earlier books but that is something to expect from Lanyon these days. We also get a rushed through climax which is cut short then revisited with flashbacks. But considering the seminal shooting that was the catalyst for Will and Taylor's romance in the first book happened off page and was also revisited through flashbacks, I’m going to accept that it was characteristic of this series.

The thing is however, with Will and Taylor, having gotten a neatly wrapped HEA I feel like their story isn’t over. Lanyon called them ‘episodic’ and they do have the props for such stories. I only wish the author would consider giving them short story episodes as Sherlock and Watson had. That is definitely wishful thinking on my part but hey, a girl can dream, right?

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this copy in exchange for an honest review
Profile Image for Josh.
Author 223 books5,419 followers
Read
January 31, 2020
Of course, you never can tell what readers will think, but I'm very happy with how this one turned out. These guys would die for each other in a heartbeat--it's the living together forever that challenges them. But they're learning. And their love is all the stronger for the journey. I know it was tough on readers having to wait through so many postponements, but no regrets. This was not a story I wanted to rush--or characters I wanted to say goodbye to. ;-)
Profile Image for Meags.
2,481 reviews694 followers
June 4, 2020
3.5 Stars

We waited a long time for this sixth and final book in Lanyon’s Dangerous Ground series—perhaps too long.

I remembered Will Brandt and Taylor MacAllister fondly, but I will admit that the details of their time together, and definitely the details of the cases they worked together in the first five books, completely went over my head when revisited here. There were names and past events being mentioned—relevant names and events, as it turned out—that I couldn’t place to save my life. And I know for a fact this lack of memory on my part, of the details, led to a disconnect for me with the story and the events that transpired within.

I found the overall mood of the story a little bit gloomy, too. Yes, it all turned out okay in the end, and, yes, Will and Taylor received a solid HEA, which they deserved, after some surprise tears on my part, but, for a long time there, right up until the very final pages in fact, I honestly wasn’t even sure if that was where this was headed.

Will and Taylor’s relationship has never been perfect and they certainly aren’t flowers and hearts sort of guys, but that didn’t stop me from wanting something a little more expressive—for lack of a better word. My problem, I guess, lies in how damn moody and uncommunicative these two are with each other, which is an increasing problem for me when you consider they’ve been together for close to five years at this point in their relationship timeline.

Taylor, in particular, came across as slightly out of character at times, too, especially as he reacted to the very serious, life-threatening events that were transpiring. Maybe my memory of him from previous books is skewed, but if my reviews are to be believed, he was my preferred character of the pair, which is not a sentiment I still hold after reading this final chapter of Taylor and Will’s story. Honestly, Taylor’s mood and his choices kind of shit me, and I felt bad for how his grumpy, bad decision-making self made Will feel here as a result. It did not a happy romance make.

Which leads me to my next issue: there is an overwhelmingly annoying presence and importance placed on ex-boyfriends in this story. Not one, but two, unlikable, meddling exes were heavily present here, and that’s just two too many past lovers taking up page time for my liking. (This is a shame because both characters are pivotal to the overall plot, so there is no changing that fact without a whole new story focus. Sigh).

What remained true was the strength of Lanyon’s writing; her ability to create characters and relationship dynamics that feel complex and real—even when they piss me off. Her mystery/suspense plotting talents are also on point, always providing a well-paced, thought-provoking, but easy to follow, mystery arc that holds my attention throughout.

So, there was a lot for me to think over here, and I guess it’s safe to say that, although I was happy to get the chance to revisit Will and Taylor one final time, I think my big pause between books one to five and this final story was perhaps so big as to be detrimental to my overall enjoyment of the story.
Profile Image for Elena.
967 reviews119 followers
May 16, 2020
So here we are, at the end of the series.
I don’t want to say that it was a disappointment, because there were things I liked, but it was certainly different.
Maybe it’s not that noticeable if you don’t read the series back to back, but after rereading the previous 5 books in the span of a few days, you can definitely tell that 6 years have passed between the writing of this book and the previous one.
The tone is different, but that would be nothing and could be chalked up to a different stylistic choice by the author, if it wasn’t that the characters feel different too. And the characters have always been the strongest point of this series.
My 4-star ratings for the previous books weren’t certainly for the plots, no matter how entertaining they were and how their OTT tendencies fit the characters and their dynamic.

This time the plot…let’s not talk about the plot, it was all over the place and not in a good way.
The only explanation I can find is that, since the author had been planning to continue the series for many more books when she wrote book 5 and set things up there, when she decided that this would be the final book, she had to tie all those loose ends somehow. The result wasn’t completely bad, but I could’ve done without many elements ().
Weirdly enough, one of my favorite parts of the book took place in the last 20% and for a while it revolved around a trope that I usually can’t stand. This time I found it believable and fitting with the characters’ headspace at the time and I also appreciated that last part because it provided for a partial explanation of something that had been bothering me since the beginning of the book.

Taylor.

Let me explain. I’ve always said that Taylor is the best thing in this series and that hasn’t changed, but he felt not like himself for the entire book. That change was partially supported and justified by events and situations in this story, in addition to all that happened in the rest of the series, but it was more than that. He felt off as a character, he didn’t have his usual spark, something was missing. That inexplicable something that makes a character consistent, that makes him feel like a real person when you follow him throughout the series. It wasn’t completely missing, but it came too close for comfort.
I bought the explanation the story gave, to an extent. Enough to give this book 3 stars and be grateful that I’ve read it and found out what was in store for this couple here, but not enough to be really happy and satisfied about spending this additional time with Will and Taylor.

There were things I loved, don’t misunderstand me. I loved that
And I liked the last part because
I’m also happy that

All things considered, I didn’t love this one, but I liked it enough to be content about how the series came to a conclusion.
Profile Image for ~Mindy Lynn~.
1,396 reviews661 followers
March 18, 2020
4 Stars!

It was really nice visiting these men again and getting their HEA.

It took a REALLY long time for this author to bring the end to Will and Taylor's story. I had plenty of books to read while waiting, but still. Damn. In the end it is bittersweet. I feel like they could have had more stories come from them; especially having this new PI company. But some things must end, and unfortunately their story has. Sad.

I literally felt like I got emotionally gut punched when things turned south for this couple near the end. Holy emotional roller coaster. These men feel so much. Love hard. Are both stubborn as hell. But their connection is undeniable. They are the real deal and meant to be together. Chemistry steaming off the pages. I adore them. So for them to have a fall out there for a bit broke a piece of my heart. It's so strange how we get attached to these fictional characters, but atlas, we do. So we end up feeling the heartache with them. I was obviously relieved when things took a turn for the better.

It was a page turner and way too short for me. I'm selfish and wanted more. But I always do when it's a couple I love.

Happy reading dolls! xx

I was provided an ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Ninni.
507 reviews
April 24, 2024
Unfortunately this one was a disappointment. For my part this is the absolute weakest in this series. Will and Taylor was out of sync for almost the whole book. Taylor didn't act as the Taylor from earlier books. I've always felt for him but here I went totally team Will. And as if it wasn't enough of David Bradley - he's here again. And this time we got an old ex of Taylor just to even the odds. I love these boys but can't rate this one more than 2.5 ⭐⭐⭐
Profile Image for Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~.
1,894 reviews139 followers
May 4, 2020
The main plot is a convoluted mess of coincidences that strains believability if you think about it too much, but I don't care about that. I wanted two things from this book: justification for that "PI" spying on them in book 5, and for Will and Taylor to be left in a good place, and I got both. It was a bumpy road to that last one, but Josh made the journey to get there effective and personal to our MCs.

I'm not quite clear on the PI thing but what I think happened was

So don't worry about the plot too much. It's just there as a vehicle for Will and Taylor to ask some hard questions about their most recent life decisions and about their relationship and how they want to proceed. And I was there for all that. It was handled nearly perfectly and They're finding out that their shiny new job isn't what they thought it'd be and that they still have a lot of hurdles from the Paris fallout to overcome. I won't say too much about any of that except to say that the emotional beats and the progression through the story were set up and paid off perfectly.

I am bummed this is the last one, but all things must come to an end and I'm just glad the wait was worth it.
Profile Image for Erth.
4,608 reviews
March 29, 2021
Following Will's and Taylor's story had been such a journey full of adventures, suspense, actions, emotions, and love. It feels like saying goodbye to dear friends and it was not easy. This is a wonderful end to a fantastic series. I enjoyed every bit of it as well as seeing the growth of our two protagonists over the years as they always find their way back to each other. Thank you Josh!
Profile Image for Ina Reads.
800 reviews3 followers
February 9, 2020
This was... kind of a let down. Particularly given that I never liked this series as much as some of Lanyon’s others. It’s hard to review this final installment without reviewing the whole series, in a way, particularly since I read them all pretty much back to back. Throughout the course of the series, I oscillated from mild sorta-like to active dislike when it came to Will. He had so, so many missteps in his relationship with Taylor, that I honestly didn’t see how he deserved Taylor sometimes. In the opposite corner, while the romance wasn’t always that romantic and the action plots weren’t always that interesting, my fondness for Taylor remained pretty steady. Which is why this final installment was such a let down in a not-favorite series: I spent the vast majority of the book wanting to knock some sense into Taylor. He makes not only questionable job decisions, but considering that his relationship with Will has always been his number one priority, it was utterly baffling to read a book where it seemed like he basically disliked Will. And while I definitely felt that Will should have been called out on his bullshit in other parts of this series, it felt like Taylor had been replaced by a pod person in this book, and that his arguments with Will were trouble in paradise for the sake of drama.

At the end of the day, while I enjoyed some parts of this series, I’m pretty relieved that it is over and that I can close the chapter on these characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for LenaRibka.
1,463 reviews433 followers
April 7, 2020
I wish I could have read it some years ago- what was not possible of course: there are almost 6 years between the publication dates of the book #5 and the book #6.

My taste in books has been changed since then. I don't enjoy MM romance books as much as I did at the time of my discovery of the genre.

I didn't remember all the details from the previous installments, but I remembered pretty well that I didn't feel like I necessarily needed a sequel to the book #5 . I considered it as the last book in the series. Maybe it is also the reason why the release of Blind Side came rather surprisingly to me. But of course I wanted to read it: I enjoyed the series, I liked the characters and I was curious about their next adventure.

It was a quick read with a definitive HEA -ending. Was it worth waiting for? Maybe. Especially if you need a final line to be able to say "Good buy" to the characters. I think I could have easily done without. Was it good? Hmm...As a mystery book probably not, but for romantic suspense it was good enough. And honestly, if I'd ever feel the longing for a lovely MM Romance mystery, I would most likely pick up a new Josh Lanyon's book...



***ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.***
Profile Image for Vanna.
803 reviews96 followers
May 11, 2024
Story: 3.5 stars
Audio:3 stars

The overall suspense plot was good..but I didn’t like all the misunderstanding and miscommunication that kept happening. After being together for 5 years, I was expecting it would not reach such a breaking point; especially because Taylor was acting so out of character. 😳 .He was almost unrecognizable from the previous books. 🙄
Anyway, all was well at the very end and the epilogue was quite satisfactory. Overall it was a good series with action, adventure, suspense and a little smut too. ❤️❤️ But the narrator is not good; so I would recommend skipping the audio book.
Profile Image for Melissa.
1,414 reviews95 followers
March 12, 2020
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.

You should do a re-read before starting this final installment. I plan do this asap and enjoy back to back full immersion. 😁 The more I read the more came back, sort of, but I still enjoyed this!

Taylor and Will just landed a big contract which will help them pay back their debt. Buuut, Taylor's college boyfriend, Ashe, shows up asking for help. Will thinks there is something wrong with Ashe and the situation, and doesn't want to take the case. This causes tension between them that is important for the ending.

There is a lot going on here and non stop activity. The story dealing with Ashe makes up most of the book and there is definitely something hinky going on.

Reading my reviews for the other books I can say I enjoyed this one more and I think when I do my re-read my ratings for the others will go up.

This is a great conclusion to the series but also sad to say goodbye. I would really like to know how they do with the business changes. Overall an exciting read and I hope to get the audio one day.

4 stars
Profile Image for Trio.
3,611 reviews207 followers
June 17, 2021
This series is one of my all-time favorite comfort listens. I love Adrian Bisson's performance here - his voices for Will and Taylor are just so perfect. I'm going to be honest and admit that his voices aren't as well done in Blind Side. His David Bradley is a bit off, and his Taylor isn't quite right. In Mr. Bisson's defense, it has been six years since Kick Start... so I'm definitely cutting him some slack here. Plus I'm incredibly grateful he was able to perform this one, since IMHO nobody else should be reading this series.

Anyhoo - a nice little mystery, great Will-Taylor drama (damn, I miss them), and quite a lot of smokin' hot S.E.X. (thank you Josh).

Fans of this series won't want to miss this one - and if you haven't done the Dangerous Ground series yet, I highly recommend it. It's probably the Josh Lanyon series I've listened to the most. The dynamic between the MCs is fantastic, their relationship just build and builds. Plus each novel has a great mystery.
Profile Image for Rosa.
801 reviews6 followers
May 15, 2020
And with this we came to the end. I liked this one but I felt the characters voices were a bit different. It was only to expect because so much time has passed since book 5 was wrote, and the author's style has changed. It wouldn't been so disconcerting at first if book 6 took place some time later, but only weeks had passed since we left them in book 5, so it was a bit disconcerting at first.


Thank you Ele, Linda and Teal. This series has been more enjoyable thanks to your company.
Profile Image for Carol.
3,765 reviews137 followers
November 18, 2021
Like all of Josh Lanyon’s books rather standalone or series... I absolutely love them and always hate to see them end. The boys are making progress in the relationship and things are better but they both know that life says they will never be perfect. in this last chapter of the series, we learn what most of us always knew...words have consequences just like deeds. We find Will and Taylor dealing with both all throughout the story. The deeper into the story you go... the greater the tug on the heart strings of the reader. The two antagonists were rather well fleshed out in their characterization which, only added to the high stakes tension. This also grew as the story progressed. I figured out some of the mystery elements before it was revealed, but my curiosity remained engaged in how it would play out. There is certainly room for these two main characters to appear in another series if Josh Lanyon would only let them. Please, please, Josh!!!!
Profile Image for Pam.
995 reviews36 followers
June 11, 2020
I just realized I never finished reviewing this series...grrrrr. Three weeks and 13 books later is way too much for my memory, but I will say I did not have the problems with this finale that a lot of readers did. But I can also see why it would have been a disappointment after waiting SIX YEARS!!! What an interesting writer you are, Josh Lanyon.

I actually considered stopping after Book 5 since there were such mixed reviews on this one, but the guys didn't quite feel settled enough for me to be fully satisfied. And this one did the work of getting them there in my mind, so I was happy with it.

I do think she made some odd choices all things considered, but I really don't know how much of that would have even registered if I weren't such a prolific review reader. The stakes felt the same as the rest of the series, and something was going to have to come to a head with the new business one way or another.

The whole reason I liked this series so much was how real their complex personal dynamic feels to me, regardless of all the shenanigans that may be going on around them, and JL impresses me so much as an author because of how much of that dynamic is in the undercurrents of their interactions without being spelled out moment by moment. Which I'm sure means we all have our own spin on them based on our own experiences, and mine meant I really needed this half-baked business they both quit their jobs for, with what turned out to be a major imbalance of power in such a life-altering decision, to have a serious impact on their lives and their relationship. That is not something that just works itself out. (As much as I loved Book 5, and I really, really did.)

I think that's why the book felt like a disaster to some, while to me the disaster of it just felt like the natural result of this ridiculous situation they found themselves in. Chaos breeds chaos, you reap what you sow, etc., etc.

So yes, they lost the plot of their lives a bit, but I guess it felt like if they could come through the other side of that wack-ness and pull it back together, they can officially make it through anything. And I hadn't been quite convinced they could before this point.

And my interpretation is that Taylor hadn't been convinced either, which can lead to ... extreme or unusual behaviors, let's say -- lashing out, self-destructive, pushing boundaries on a subconscious level to get your answer one way or the other. And I think this particular ex, whose , was the one person who could trigger such a strange, subconscious spiral.

Ok, maybe I *do* remember some details after all! I really did love this series, finale and all
Profile Image for Joyfully Jay.
9,075 reviews517 followers
March 4, 2020
A Joyfully Jay review.

5 stars


If we know anything about these gentlemen, it’s that their past (especially past boyfriends) tend to turn up at the most inopportune of times. By default then it’s no wonder the emotional tie between Taylor and Will is so strong if we go by the fact that their exes have such a difficult time giving them up. It’s Taylor’s turn and his first boyfriend from college, Ashe Dekker, has shown up out of the blue asking for help. It seems some squatter has taken over Ashe’s deceased mother’s house and is now trying to kill him.

To say Ashe has bad timing is an understatement, with both men tied up in doing security assessments after landing a major client for their newly formed security consulting business. But Taylor made a promise to Ashe and despite Will’s keen sense of foreboding, Taylor is going to keep it. Of course, things go south almost immediately and before either man can recognize what’s happening, their lives are being threatened and Will is about to make a decision that could very well end his relationship with Taylor permanently.

Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.


Profile Image for Barb ~rede-2-read~.
3,749 reviews113 followers
July 19, 2020
I'm sad to see Will and Taylor's time with us at an end but I'm happy that their final story was so full of angst and drama. I did want to smack each of them upside the head a few times but communication is key and their commitment to that is what saved their relationship.

Kudos to Josh Lanyon for a lovely finale. If you've followed these guys at all, don't miss this chance for a revisit.
Profile Image for CrabbyPatty.
1,712 reviews194 followers
July 10, 2020
I avidly read the first five books in the "Dangerous Ground" series and loved Will and Taylor. But having read the other books quite a while back, I was at a loss regarding past cases and character quirks as I dove into "Blind Side" and would have liked a bit more of their history and background in this book just to bring readers up to date. Eventually, enough came back to me that I finished the book satisfied with the status of Will and Taylor's relationship.

Along the way, I grew extremely frustrated by Taylor's inability to realize that helping his needy ex-boyfriend Ashe was NOT a good move and the bomb it threw into the midst of their relationship seemed an easily avoidable situation ... but then again ...... Taylor and his ..... Reasons.

The ending, though, went a long way to making up for the unnecessary Ashe drama and I ended the book with fondness for Will and Taylor and their struggles along the way to finally, truly, ending up together. 4 stars.
Profile Image for Rebelexmachina.
96 reviews13 followers
February 21, 2020
A perfect end to a very enjoyable series - one of my favourites. I’m glad Taylor and Will had some time in the end to ~be together~ and Uh, David Bradley? Bye bitch



Profile Image for George.
627 reviews69 followers
March 2, 2020
Full disclosure - I’m a huge fan of Josh Lanyon’s work. Some of the first m/m romance and mystery novels I ever read were Lanyon’s Adrien English Mysteries and The Holmes & Moriarity Mysteries.

Lanyon’s novels never disappoint. Blind Side (Dangerous Ground 6) is no exception.

Blind Side features former Diplomatic Security Service agents and newly established security consultants Will Brandt and Taylor MacAllister who clearly have a history together. While that history is summarized throughout Blind Side, this novel is about murder, squatters’ rights, missing wills, and hearsay evidence. With so many twists and turns, nothing here is exactly as it seems.

Believing he is a murder target, Taylor’s first love, Ashe Dekker, asks for Taylor’s help and protection. One of my favorite lines in this book, though, was Taylor’s prophetic recollection that “Ashe and the truth enjoyed what one might call an open relationship.”

Ashe’s plea for help to Taylor, and Will’s past dalliance with Lt. Commander David Bradley who also features prominently in ‘Blind Side’, create the story’s tension and multiple misunderstandings between Taylor and Will.

Blind Side is the final book in the Dangerous Ground series. It can be read as a stand-alone novel, as I did. But because the protagonists have so much history together, I do wish I had read the series sequentially.

For that reason, the good news is that I now have five more Josh Lanyon novels to look forward to reading!

I received a review copy of ‘Blind Side’ from JustJoshin Publishing, Inc and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#BlindSide #NetGalley
Profile Image for Karen.
234 reviews12 followers
February 13, 2020
It's been a bumpy road for these two, and this episode is another bumpy ride. A fitting series finale, where fears and issues (and exes) are recognized and confronted. And if not all is completely resolved, the guidelines are in place. I have great affection for these two and look forward to future glimpses/codas. P.S. There's more than a bit of tension and suspense packed into this novella.
Profile Image for Danielle  Gypsy Soul.
3,171 reviews80 followers
March 24, 2020
I have always loved Will and Taylor and they are two characters that really stuck with me. There is always plenty of action, suspense and feelings in these books. These two are such guys sometimes and the fact that they still have trouble communicating is at times frustrating but also feels realistic to me. This books runs you through quite a bit of emotion for such a short book but wrapped up in a way that I loved. A fitting end to the series but I will definitely miss these guys and I'm sad to see this series end!

A copy of this book was provided to me by Netgalley and the publisher with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and my comments here are my honest opinion.
Profile Image for Grace.
3,319 reviews217 followers
February 16, 2021
Enjoyable conclusion to the series, though not quite as resolved in terms of relationship issues as I'd have liked. I felt like the same issues from all the other books were present here and I honestly didn't feel like they'd resolved them in a really meaningful way. Still had the impression that Will wasn't quite as appreciative of Taylor as he should have been, and though I did like that he owned his past mistakes, as I said, I didn't end the book really feeling as resolved as I would have liked. Still, I did enjoy overall.
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