Locked Down

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veronica – ☆☆☆
FBI Analyst Gabe meets coffee shop owner Matt in the middle of nowhere Texas, after he stops to help Matt with a flat tyre. Turns out they were both headed to the small town of Everness, where they end up in the same motel.

I liked the way the story began. There was plenty going on to hold my interest. There is Gabe's investigation, Matt trying to get his cousin to talk to him and go back to San Francisco with him, and of course, the budding romance between Matt and Gabe. The danger and violence in the town comes out early in the story and the suspense of who is behind the attacks was good. The problem for me was, the longer the story went on, the more the romance, and in particular the sex, took over. And it is such a shame because when we get to the big dangerous finale it is really well done and engaging. But the balance between story and sex was out of whack. For an FBI analyst with an investigation, he didn't really do much investigating.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and I liked being back in Everness and seeing Danny and Jake from book one again. While this book wasn't perfect, I'm interested in seeing more of what this town has to offer, so I'll be continuing with this series.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/M Romance

Matt is on his way to try and see if he can convince his cousin, who's more like a brother to him, to come home. He wants to fulfill what his aunt and mom have asked of him. But leaving the comforts of San Francisco isn't easy and his day isn't going well... to top it off, he isn't quite sure what he's getting himself in to.

Gabe is an analyst who loves his job. The FBI has sent him to find out whether or not a growing group of malcontents is going to become a full-fledged terrorist group. Gabe isn't one to do anything brash, but when he sees someone in need on the side of a very deserted road, he can't help but stop to try and help.

When Matt sees Gabe, his tongue ties in knots. Gabe is also a little stunned. Who knew that they'd find someone they were attracted to in the middle of Texas? What makes it more is that they find themselves in close proximity whether they want it or not.

They try to fight their attraction, but when it becomes clear that Matt might be part of the case that Gabe has been sent to investigate, Gabe knows he can't have any more sexy times with Matt. But with strange things happening all around Matt and Matt's cousin being less than excited that Matt has tracked him down, Gabe will need reinforcements and Matt will need to trust that the people around him are capable of keeping him safe.

This book had a lot going for it. The action and protection detail were entertaining. The romance was more of a lust-induced relationship, but it served the purpose of keeping the main characters coming back for more. Overall, it was entertaining, but somewhat flat in the romance portion.

Triggers: Cult, homophobia, attempted murder

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Locked Down (Texas Heroes #2) by Jess Anastasi to read and review.

This is book 2 in the Texas Heroes series, and I have not read book one, Take Down, but I don’t feel I was missing anything by not doing. I would LIKE to go back and read that book, though, because Jake and Danny play a part here, and I want their story. Enough hints were given to have piqued my interest!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the first I’ve read by this author, and I read it in one sitting.

There is immediate attraction between the guys, when Gabe rescues Matt at the side of the road, and then when Gabe rescues Matt from the bathroom incident. It burns hot and deep throughout the whole book. Matt surprises Gabe, once Matt decides to jump in with Gabe and I loved that the smaller man was the more dominant.

While it is immediately clear to the reader that Matt’s search for his cousin will merge with Gabe’s reason for being in town, it’s not to Gabe and I really enjoyed that it took time for the two webs to become entangled.

I felt the way the guys tried to step back from each other when both Matt and Gabe’s reason for being in town became clear (and they really did try) that was right and proper, but when they are injured?? All bets are off and these guys admit that they really cannot be without each other.

The way things went down with Matt’s cousin was NOT what I was expecting, and I love being kept on my toes right til the end! Some clues were given to how that might go down, but I did not put them together in time! Some clues to the next book, when all that went down, maybe? Be interesting to see who comes next.

A thoroughly enjoyable 4 star read

*a SIMILAR worded review will appear elsewhere**