Now that I’ve found the Cut & Run series, I cannot stop. And thankfully, Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux have plenty more novels for me to devour! Heck, Divide & Conquer is only the fourth of nine! And that’s not including two novellas! I’m excited.
In this novel, now that Ty and Zane are back on dry land, almost no time at all has passed before their lives are put in danger again. But first we are treated to some domesticity that happens to be interrupted by a lot of paperwork and seminar hosting. Zane is still wrestling with Ty’s “I love you” admission from the last novel, though he suspects he actually feels the same. As Ty surmises later in the book, he knows Zane feels the same, but he also knows that he has to analyze that feeling from every possible vantage point. It does hurt his heart a little, but his surety is maybe even sweeter than hearing how much harder he falls in love with Zane every day.
Though they are in love, they are not perfect and still find ways to emotionally hurt each other. Of course, those instances, while a little more potent than in the past, are becoming more and more scarce, and that’s a sign of some real growth. Of course, their relationship is put to the test when they become the target of some bombing attacks that are meant to divert from bank robberies. At first, no collateral damage was meant with the bombs, but Ty’s televised promise to take them down goes viral, a spoiled teen makes it his personal vendetta to take them out of the game for good. Instead, Zane gets pushed through the fire in a brutal attack and loses his sight as a result. Though it seems like it will be temporary, it still scares the hell out of the two of them. For Ty, it was the thought of losing Zane in the blast, but for Zane, it’s the thought of losing Ty to this new impairment. It just shows that Zane isn’t aware of how truly gone Ty is for him.
This new set back does give us some new experiences, both sensually and emotionally. I was a personal fan of the jealous episodes. Over the course of this novel we’re also introduced to some of Ty’s recon buddies, who he eventually feels confident enough with to tell them about him and Zane. He’s met mainly with support, and a shocking revelation, and I’m curious how that might play out in future novels. As the action reaches its peak, it’s Ty and Zane’s lack of communication skills, previous trauma, and stubbornness that bring things to a head, but it makes their reconciliation that much sweeter. After another brush with death and Zane finally revealing his true feelings you think all will be right in the world, and then Ty bounces.
I’d be so pissed about this ending if I was reading these when they first came out, but luckily I can get this cliffhanger resolved as soon as I want to. And you better believe it’s going to happen soon. Again, I love these books for expertly mixing action with smut, so I’m in it for the long haul.