Cut & Run (Cut & Run Series) Paperback – September 1, 2008

...........go with it." (These ladies have given us a "Popping Sizzle" and no other authors have ever done that. Thank you, writers, so much) (see PS, below).((Here is my approach to obtaining/reading/reviewing Gay romance tales in book form. Simply, it's seeking the holy grail of that genre---or looking for the "Addictive Read"). Book selection is based mainly on purchase of stories by favorite authors or on your comments/reviews in online "Book" sites. Sometimes I feel correctly steered by you (the "Keepers" filling my shelves), other times mislead---occasionally badly (the "Throwaways"). Rarely, I come across the "Addictive," those I can reread monthly, or so. See below starred *** area for a list. // As concerns the "addictive," here's just a little question: when will all gay ROMANCE writers realize a top aim is to make the guys in their couples "likeable" (!) to us. Needn't be beautiful, nor wildly sexy----but likeable, as in we-feel-comfortable-with. Characters and what they do can be made interesting.....but that's not the same thing. IF novelists do this successfully, we'll be back time and again to read the story of those "likeable guys" // Thanks for sticking with me so far.))PREFACE: More important than all the WHOSits and WHYSits of their writing, "WHAT" Urban & Roux have done, whether consciously or not, is take us inside their couple's psyches, showing us firsthand just what a job a puritanical American society and its mores did on these two FBI agents (and, oh, how many more of us). Having grown up subject to family, peer and other sources of conditioning and fear, what we've wound up with are two guys whose sexual behavior and leanings are far different at the start than that which they eventually come to see as right for them in the relationship that develops here. Much of which also goes to raise the question, I suppose: Is bisexuality a viable concept? (I think that still remains to be seen).In this author pair's latest work (September, 2008), our cast of primary characters is relatively short: -- Two very damaged-goods, FBI superstars, whose sexual orientation we're never completely sure of (see more, below). -- One "younger than 15 looking" pup of an agent, appearing fresh out of FBI beginning training, who is introduced to us as "Hardy Boy behaviored and aged." -- One delightful "character-carryover" from these writers' earlier, great work, "Caught Running" (Parkview High School Principal, Tom Berry.......showing up in this book in the guise of FBI Criminal Investigative Branch Assistant Director, Richard Burns: "grinning like a small child at Christmas," as he's once described to us). Happily, we are again being given "The Instigator," or our matchmaker, as it wereAs to storyline, here're just a few thoughts about things which stood out for me throughout this tale: - On a very positive side, what these two writers have given us is a "plot-deluxe" involving a copycat, serial killer. They have ingenuously linked their tale to writings of a major American literary genius. Doing so tells us a lot about the capabilities of Urban & Roux. - Interestingly, it takes us one-third of the way into the book (P122) to find out that a "holdout half" of our couple even admits he might consider himself to be gay. We, being the observant readers we are, had already arrived at that premise (always optimistic, we gay readers). Oh, oh, oh........and then there's our lead couple's sex with women. No, wait......wait, that must have been just something required by their job----you know, their undercover work and all. Or.......or.....could it be that these two great guys are bisexual? Ah, yes, maybe that's it. Oh, but then all you gay romance readers out there, who don't believe fellas actually play both sides of the net, are just gonna have to skip reading this little literary gem. Well, shoot! - Things noticeably begin to slow down after something negative happens to one of our leading couple----yet it is during the ensuing period that getting closer together begins to take place between the two. But as this is a mystery, I had to begin wondering how all the evil-related things could just come to a standstill while the "personal stuff" began taking over stage front (still, what a hard writing/balancing act this must be for an author). A big part of that "personal stuff" includes a kind of lightweight, pseudo-analyzing going back and forth between our couple.......until this reader reached the point of exasperatingly wondering: will the two of them EVER get anywhere? (Oh, wait, maybe that's supposed to be THE mystery). Still and all, I couldn't help but get "ping pong ball dizzy" over what these guys couldn't express of their feelings for one another (most exasperating). But it forces one to think: If this is 'what' the way we live our lives today (our society) demands of the professionals who do these kind of jobs for us, it's truly a sad state of affairs we've gotten ourselves into. While we might expect problems like PTSD to arise in some far off war zone.........that we've allowed parts of our own everyday environment to turn into these crazy, dirty places which cops, government agents and others are required to face everyday? God, help us all. Yeah, just ask a Ty or a Zane about it. - Even near book's end, after all the "horrendous" has taken place, one of our couple is still afraid someone might see the pair "being physical" with each other (ah, yes, still looking over the shoulder: fear of discovery.......FEAR OF BEING SEEN AS ANYTHING OTHER THAN A MAN!)). How sad he should even think this way (even sadder that it's caused by our own society). - Clues are important to this type story, and you will find there are ones which can help you uncover the "bad guy's" identity. Have fun looking for them. - Excitement? You bet! The end of this thing reads like a John Carpenter / Michael Bay film collaboration! Oh, wait........maybe I better throw Jerry Bruckheimer in there, too.Finally, I do want to make clear that Urban & Roux remain my favorite gay romance writers, by virtue of their great, initial work-in-tandem ("Caught Running"). As for this latest effort, here's where my theory on "likeability" comes into play. "CR's" Coach Jake and Science Teacher Brandon are just everyday guys in everyday situations----all things most of us can easily relate to and picture ourselves being involved in: they're the quintessential romantic couple. Alternatively, Agents Zane and Ty were interesting (and scary) to this reader, as were aspects of their jobs and what got them there; yet in no way were they particularly "likeable" to me. Without that characterization aspect, while I may pull this book from its shelf from time to time, in no way will it become one of my "addictive reads." (Oh, and if you are looking for real depth of romance and memorable sex, you'll find it with Jake & Brandon).PS--For meaning of "Popping Sizzle," see Page 249.***Reads which are "Addictive:" " Caught Running " (Urban & Roux) // " Freshman Pledge: The Magic of Love " (Larry Coles) // " Diplomacy " (Zahra Owens) // " Condor One " (John Simpson) // " Bareback " (Chris Owen). Some "near-Addictives: "Brokeback Mountain" (Annie Proulx) // " The Dreyfus Affair: A Love Story " (Peter Lefcourt) // " The Carnivorous Lamb (Little Sister's Classics) " (Agustin Gomez-Arcos) // " Afterlife " (Paul Monette) // " Cowboy Up " (short stories edited by Rob Knight)

I actually rated this book 4.5 stars.Let me start with saying that I need a new series to fall in love with like I need a hole in the head. And yet, I allowed friends to convince me that I should really read this book. And I did in the full knowledge that if I did like "Cut & Run" there would be at least another six books I want to read. And - since I have friends with good taste - I find myself loving the story and the characters in it and frantically looking for ways I can convince myself that buying the sequels is actually a necessity rather than a luxury and therefore not only allowed but required.And boy did I love this book. From the moment I picked it up I was hooked. Ty Grady and Zane Garrett had my attention from the moment they appeared on the page. Even while they were hating each other and exchanging one rude remark for another the chemistry between Ty and Zane is palpable while at the same time they made me smile and at times laugh out loud. Once the hate turns into something else - something neither of them is willing to name or fully acknowledge - the story really kicks off. And that is just the romantic part of this story. The suspense part is equally fascinating and addictive. The combination of the reluctant attraction between these two men and the constant threat they're facing makes this an adrenaline filled read, near impossible to put down.Usually when I read "Romantic Suspense" I get impatient with either the romantic or the suspenseful part of the story because I just want to know how the other part is going to conclude. Not so in this book. I was just as eager to find out who is trying to kill Zane and Ty as I was to see their volatile relationship develop.What I really admired in this book is that the authors didn't go for miracle solutions for either the relationship or the mystery. This relationship between two men who each have enough issues to break a person down completely, was never going to be smooth or easy and, thankfully, the authors didn't give the story some unconvincing twist to facilitate an unrealistic happily ever after. And the same can be said for the mystery Ty and Zane are trying to solve. While they did stumble on part of the solution by accident, it happened in a convincing way and didn't come with a sudden transformation from "completely clueless" to "full insight".I loved that we get this story from both Ty and Zane's point of view. We can see both men struggle with each other and with themselves. I liked that while both men had heterosexual relationships in their pasts, there was no belly-aching over this attraction to each other. While both of them had great difficulty sharing their feelings with the other, or even acknowledging them to themselves, they just went with their attraction and turned it into something beautiful and very erotic. And, I can't help feeling that the dynamics between these two men will only get more intriguing and a lot hotter as the stories continue.So, it may be clear from what I wrote above that I loved this book. Then why, I hear you ask, did I "only" grade it 4.5? There are a few reasons.First of all I had the killer pegged from the moment he entered the story. I was hoping it would turn out to be somebody else but I turned out to be right. And while you might think I'd relish the fact that I got it right in one go, I am in fact always a bit disappointed when the big reveal doesn't surprise me.Secondly, I wasn't entirely convinced by the sudden change in character Ty and Zane went through in the middle of the book. It certainly was intriguing but really didn't make a whole lot of sense even if more or less plausible reasons were provided.My last and main reason though is that I have been reliably informed that the books in this series only get better. Rating this book 4.5 rather than 5 means that I will be able to raise the score if it turns out that I indeed end up loving these books and these characters more with every subsequent title.Of course, falling in love with a series of books this much leaves me in a bit of a quandary. As much as I would love to read the next six books back to back I've committed to too many reviews to give in to that urge. While I fully expect to read these books in rather quick succession in the near future, those prior commitments force me to take it slow. That is not altogether bad though; I know myself well enough to realize that I'm going to be heartbroken when I finish reading the last available title. So maybe I should be grateful that I don't have a choice but to take it slowly. After all, every successful relationship requires patience.

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.

Cut and Run by Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban4 stars!!"So, Rule Number One, apparently, was that he wasn't allowed to crack a smile during foreplay. "Got it,".....This is going to be one of those series that I cannot put down. I was so tempted to download all of them after I had finished this but I knew that if I did I wouldn't get anything else read. So I will pace myself.I am an avid fan of FBI drama's and CSI and all that, so this did combine my favourite TV programmes with my avid love of reading. It is highly concentrated on the crime aspect so if this is not your type of book then this may not be the one for you.During this book the foundations are laid for the two main characters Ty and Zane and yes this is another M/M read. From what I understand their relationship develops over the course of the series so in this book, there are some "sexy" times but not a lot.Ty and Zane are two FBI agents, both are "bad" boys but are extremely good at their jobs, so their unorthodox methods are often overlooked as they always get the results. Zane is trying hard to clean up his act so when he is thrown together with Ty he is less than impressed. Zane comes across as the neat freak, he is calm, ethical, logical and extremely well presented. Ty on the other hand is scruffy, dishevelled, cocky, argumentative and a bit of a ladies man. Together they look like complete opposites but as the story unravels you see that they are more alike than they think and you know what they say about opposites!!They are put on a really testing serial murder case, the FBI suspect an insider and it is up to Ty and Zane to go in and figure it out. The FBI and police on the case will just see the two of them for their outside appearances and think that their presence is not that important and that the powers that be are not taking it seriously. However, the respect that these two have is a closely guarded secret and in fact the powers that be have indeed taken this extremely seriously.The constant banter between these two at times is hilarious, you can see the relationship building, you can sense the underlying sexual tension between them but as Zane was married and Ty is always chasing "ass" you cannot see how this can change. Slowly but surely throughout the book, you see the tide change and you are rooting for them both."I've never made fun of you," Ty responded instantly. "Making fun of you would imply that something about you is fun."When they do eventually give in to their mutual attraction it is hot, it is extremely feral, they have been in like a mating dance for what seems forever and once that attraction is unleashed it makes for some seriously hot scenes. Totally combustible kindle scenes!! There are also some extremely tender moments between them, whilst they are both alpha males, they both show their emotional sides. One of the most tender moments between the two that has permanently imprinted was the way they both tended to each other after being injured, it was truly beautiful."I didn't care about anybody, even myself. And when I did..." Zane's jaw clenched, and he kept his eyes focused on the window. Anything but on the man sitting across from him. "I let him walk away."There are a lot of ups and downs with the case and they are both put in extreme danger. I loved the crime side of this and ate it up. I thought I knew where it was going and had totally got it wrong. Loved the way the plot developed and was on tenterhooks throughout. I cannot wait to read more about these two, especially now that the foundations have been laid. I think that a new dynamic duo has been created and I can't wait to read about their exploits going forward. I think that I have just jumped on the Ty and Zane crazy train and I will not be jumping off until the end!![...]

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.

I would happily give this book 10 stars if I could. I've had it for some time now and never got round to reading, and oh boy I'm so glad I decided to pick it up, I would have grabbed it at once had I known how good it was. Anyway here's my thoughts. Two FBI agents are teamed together, Ty is an ex recon marine, hard as nails, with some serious attitude is teamed up with Kane, completely opposite who does things by the book. The partnership is plagued with problems as you can imagine, but somehow they manage to avoid killing each other and learn to trust and care for each other, becoming more than partners. They are after a serial killer who always seems to be one step ahead of them, which makes them think he's also an FBI agent. An awesome story which should not be missed

The other reviewers have got most of it covered; most of the book is very good, part is mediocre, there are plot failures and it also really needs a good editor (with knowledge of the English language. I was continually distracted by the author's misunderstanding the true meaning of a word).Nevertheless, this book is original, it has a strong story and it has more to offer than most of the books in this genre.I would recommend it, and I will be buying book 2.But, I am unlikely to want to read this book for a second time.