72 Hours by Clare London Published by Dreamspinner Press Publication Date: September 17th 2010
Pages: 357
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Tanner Mackay and Niall Sutherland were once far more than just fellow intelligence agents. But then a mission went horribly wrong and everything fell apart, sending Tanner into hiding and splitting the team and their affair wide apart.Now an unknown traitor is threatening the team, and their ex-boss is determined to reunite them before it's too late. She finds Tanner in a run-down trailer park, bringing with her a most unwelcome refugee in need of temporary sanctuary: Niall, the man he thought he'd never have to face again. The man he's sure feels exactly the same in return.Trapped in a situation that's both claustrophobic and highly dangerous, Tanner and Niall will have to revisit their past and reconsider their perceptions, their loyalties-and their desires-in order to survive, let alone forge a future together.
Cocktails and Books received this book for free from Manic Readers in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect our opinion of the book or the content of our review.
I really liked the idea of this book. I like spy thrillers, intrigue, mystery, and MM romance. “72 Hours” had all that, but… Yes, there’s a but. Let me give you a quick rundown, and then I’ll move on from there.
Tanner and Niall are part of an elite team of agents. They take care of cases that need a certain…finesse. They’re also lovers. They fell for each other quickly and hard. It was instant and very hot. At first, it wasn’t an issue, but slowly, as in quite a few work relationships, cracks begin to appear in their happiness. A particulary intense case begins to get to the both of them. That, along with some misunderstandings and jealousy, leads to mistakes being made, and they not only break up, but they explode.
Fast forward to the present, and Tanner is holing up in a trailer in a park full of unusual residents. It’s not much, but he’s got his solitude. One day, that all goes to hell when the team he thought he’d left behind shows up on his doorstep. There is a major threat to, not only the team, but to Niall in particular, and he needs to hide him
Ok. No more spoilers. I just wanted to reiterate that I liked this book’s idea. I just wish I’d had more of a connection to the characters. I didn’t feel invested in them. That’s not to say that I didn’t care what happened to them. I did, and I also wanted Tanner and Niall to get back together. I wanted them to be heroes, save the day, kiss and make up (well, ok…WAY more than kiss), and have an HEA. I got that, of course, but it all left me feeling strangely unsatisfied. Maybe because I see the potential of a series here, and I was already plotting it in my head? I’m not sure. I liked the interaction between all of the players. I really enjoyed the residents of the trailer park. They were all strange, but they took care of each other, and that means Tanner and Niall as well. They provided some humor into what could have been a heavy story situation. Also, the other members of the team were pretty interesting. There wasn’t too much focus on them, but you did get an idea of what their personalities are like, and how they fit into the grand scheme of things. The plot of the story was ok. Like I said, there was intrigue, mystery, a fair amount of action, and a bit of a twist. I found myself wishing that there could have been more there. I know that the MC’s are the most important thing, and there’s only a certain amount of time to tell a story without it becoming cumbersome. Know what? I think that this would be a great movie. If I could just HEAR the dialogue and SEE the action, I bet it would be perfect.
I do want to take a quick moment to say that the sex between Tanner and Niall is great. They have some great chemistry, and it’s easy to feel that coming from the Kindle. Their desire for each other is powerful, and it does play an important part in the story. Trust me, there is a lot of heat in their love scenes…both in the past and present day.
All in all, this was a good book that could have been awesome. I will recommend it, though, on the basis of the overall picture.
