3.5 stars ( )

A different kind of M/M romance than usual and it will keep you guessing until the very last page, while also making you reflect on the past. It’s also an extremely unique perspective on the judicial system, and a visceral look at how it and society defined a life. Mike is a United States Marshall working at the DC courthouse. His job is to protect the members of the judicial system who uphold the laws of the nation. Federal Judged Tom Brewer is one of those members who falls under Mike’s protection. But there’s more to Tom than the black robes he wears. I enjoyed the everyday court proceedings and the case with the mountain of evidence. All the relationships between marshals, lawyers and judges were so intricate and well done. It felt like getting into a nest of vipers, but isn't that Washington D.C. for you? In spite of that, it was absolutely fascinating. The case and the subsequent bread crumb trail to the truth was clever and fast paced and well written. I never saw some things coming. Tal Bauer seems to be an absolute wonder at plot twists and turns. ( )

I liked this a lot! It's been a while since I've read a romantic thriller and it was nice to get back into the genre. This was a very well researched thriller as well. Beyond a few court procedural issues that I knew weren't quite right, everything about the politics seemed more or less accurate, with some flexibility because this is fiction.

I did enjoy the relationship between Mike and Tom. Tom is older (46) and closeted, which at first, made me a bit nervous because I don't always like the plot lines that stem from those character types but I didn't mind where the plot went in this book and it was nicely balanced with the thriller plot. I liked learning about Tom's style as a judge and I thought the courtroom stuff was well written for the most part. I also liked Mike but not quite as much. He's the law enforcement side of this equation. I liked him but I didn't feel like I got to know him as well outside of his job besides the fact that he hasn't had a lot of luck with dating. For the length of this book, the relationship did move forward really quickly. I felt the connection between them, especially towards the end, but it still felt fast. I also didn't love the dialogue between them at times. There wasn't anything wrong with it, I personally just didn't really feel it.

The plot was good. I think perhaps I liked it more given the current state of American politics. It is probably a bit overblown for the drama of fiction but it never felt too unrealistic so it never pulled me out of the story. I liked the way that the story built up by giving us glimpses of the perspectives outside of our two main characters. I liked seeing how everything pulled itself together at the end and I was very satisfied with the end, which is always good in a thriller. I also liked the way the romance resolved in the end.

This book was recommended to me forever ago and for a while, I was just checking out the audiobook over and over again and never listening to it. I'm so glad I finally picked this up because I really liked it and I definitely want to read more from this author in the future. I know he has more books in the same vein and I know I'll be picking those up at some point. ( )

Sometimes it can take a sharp nudge to get us to take the leaps necessary to make us happy. And that happens for Tom in this book in two ways: his clear attraction to Mike makes him consider leaving the closet--then when they are pulled closer together by potential threats on Tom's life, he realizes life is too short to keep holding himself back. Sometimes we have a tendency to stand in our own way, and this story exemplifies (through some extremes) what we might be missing out on when we do so. ( )

First half of the book was cute and funny and then shit hit real dark real fast. Didn't enjoy all this political talk, it's too real and hits too close to home. Also if you liked Cut and Run series by Abigail Roux then this would probably be enjoyable, only more actual politic. ( )