Ball & Chain: Volume 8 (Cut & Run)

This is a review for the entire series, not just this one book.The series was recommended to me on social media by a friend of a friend who said it was different from most male/male books as the focus was on the plot, characters and story-line rather than the sex. Thus, I decided to give the first book a go; I really enjoyed it and ended up buying, reading and enjoying the entire series.As the person recommending it to me said it is not all about the sex. In fact the sex does not make up a great part of the series; yes, there is a fair amount of sex and there are some detailed and long scenes. However, it doesn't seem forced and step-by-step, it feels very real and about two men in love, not just two men having sex. Also, for the most part the sex was a necessary part of the books and moved the story forward rather than just being there in order to titivate.I got caught up in the world of Zane & Ty and enjoyed the case aspect of the books as well as the personal aspects. It showed a different side to the FBI from what I had hitherto seen or read. All of the characters were real and far more than just cardboard cut-outs - even those who had very small, at times 'walk on', parts. The writers are clearly fanfic writers (which is not a criticism or a negative thing, quite the opposite) who have branched out into mainstream writing and have, for the most part, made an extremely good job of doing so. The fact that I did read the whole series is proof of that. It is a series I thoroughly enjoyed and read all the way through without breaking off to read any other books.So why have I only given it three stars? Well, because there were a few things which irked and even irritated me and spoilt to an extent my reading of the series.Firstly: Why, oh, why, oh why, with twenty-six letters from which to choose, did the writers decide to give both leading men surnames that began with the same letter? That's one of the huge no-nos in writing. It completely spoilt the first book for me, as every time the surname was used by anyone other than Zane or Ty, I had to pause and remember (even go back on occasions) who was being spoken to or about. That even happened a few times in later books. Given in one of the books the authors use a similar thing when they give another pair of lovers the same initials but reversed, I'm guessing they thought it was cute or something - it really wasn't; it was very annoying.Secondly: The chapter lengths in a lot of the books were far, far, far too long. Twenty, thirty, in some cases forty minutes for a chapter (and I'm a pretty fast reader) is a ridiculous length.Thirdly: The formatting in some books could have been better. There was a lack of proper hyper-links in some of the contents pages (i.e. you couldn't go to a particular chapter) & also the fact that a couple of the books only allowed you to see the reading time of the whole book rather than the length of individual chapters. These mistakes are unnecessary as it is so easy to create a contents page with links to chapters.Fourthly: The price. I bought the ebooks and thought, especially given the formatting in some books, them to be somewhat expensive for what they were. I would have expected them to have been priced at a least a pound less than they were.Would I recommend the series? Yes, insofar as it's a good, well-written, gripping series with very good characterisation and plots and a male/male romance where the sex is not the main theme of the books. On that score it's very recommendable. However, due to the above mentioned 'issues', at the price the books are I'm not certain I could wholeheartedly recommend the series - not without mentioning the cons as well as the pros.All that said, it is a series which I shall reread.

Well I have to disagree with a lot of people about this one...I absolutely loved it and I loved that it had a lot of Nick and Kelly in it.....The team of four were amazing and it was a great read...They are on an isolated Island in Scotland for Deuces wedding...He wants extra security for his daughter Amelia but we all know this is gonna be bad......It wasn't too tense to read and everything flowed again so easily....It was an omg hot scene with Ty and Zane on the rug and Ty ordering Zane to be louder and Nick and Kelly cheering and clapping...damn hot.....Nick came into his own in this book and had a really tough time esp telling his best friend that him and Kelly were and item.....Trouble follows these guys wherever they go and this time they were up against more than one killer......Nick suffered...Ty suffered but that ending totally through me..I did not see that and I can nly see that it will set up the storyline for book nine which in my opinion we have to wait way to long for......A character death too which was a surprise.....Again these guys are hot and this was a really great book to read...I'm just having a break now then I have Cross and Crown to read and some more hot Nick and Kelly action x (less)

I'm feeling a little guilty for loving this book as much as I did. After all it so far hasn't appealed to everyone, as the reviews suggest and many readers have felt let down by the apparent move away from the Ty and Zane series to incorporate the relationship between Kelly and Nick.Not so in my case. I loved it, probably because it was more action/adventure and not so much descriptive sex. Don't get me wrong, there is still the inevitable coupling but at times in other novels within this series, I felt the sex took president over the plot.Yes, at times this does read like an Agatha Christie Whodunit and the humorous banter between Ty and Zane is practically non existent after the initial chapters, but we have more of an insight into Ty's relationship with Nick here and more of what makes Ty tick and why he is as he is. Dearest Zane plods happily at Ty's side being more the proverbial rock, keeping Ty grounded, causing Ty to think his actions through prior to acting. Loved it.Great cliff hanger ending for Nick. I'm wondering if this is setting up the plot for "Cross and Crown" the next Sidewinder novel, or the long wait for the final "Cut & Run"?A very definite 5 star story from me.

Review of books 1 - 8Where have I been? How could I have not read this series until now? The Cut & Run series is a must for MM romance readers.FBI Special Agents Ty & Zane appear outwardly different but we soon see they are similar in many ways. Ty, with his rep for being difficult to work with, likes to ruffle suited Zane's feathers but Zane has many surprises up his sleeve.Each book features its own suspense plot which, although focusing on Ty and Zane, draw in great secondary characters (members of their families, colleagues, marine buddies).This series isn't insta-romance, it's a slow sizzle as 2 pig headed men get to know each other through the job. They have to rely on each other, trust each other & look after each other, building a bond which although tested to the max, withstands every challenge coming their way.Be prepared for laughter, tears, uncertainty, despair, tenderness and smoking sexual chemistry combined with truly excellent suspense plots.Love love love this series. Ty & Zane are THE couple of MM romance.