Slow Burn

January 17, 2014 by Whit!!!!!!!!!

Title : Slow Burn

Author : Sam B Morgan

Publisher : Loose Id (BUY IT HERE)

Genre : M/M, Mystery, Suspense

Length : 197 pages (e-book)

Published : January 7, 2014

Rating : ★★★★

Blurb :

Detective Douglas Brody has only ever known the life of a cop. Raised strict but fair by his police chief father, he joined the academy right out of school, climbed the ranks hard and fast, and now works homicide for the City of Charleston. The job is his entire life. For years it’s kept him happy enough to minimize the side of him that craves what he believes is wrong. An accident on the job puts him on medical leave and everything in Brody’s world changes. He has to prove himself once more to be best cop in the department, all while dealing with Zack – his persistent, sexy, and out of the closet physical therapist.

Zack is tan skin, big grins, floppy hair and tackles his job with the same full-blown enthusiasm he does everything else. When the “patient from hell” is thrown his way by another PT who can’t handle him, Zack is committed to achieving the impossible. His new patient is a head strong and hot as hell homicide detective, who oozes as much resentment as he does sex appeal. Any involvement with a patient, especially a man who is so deep in the closet he can’t see light, is something Zack swore he’d never do. But Brody slowly proves too much to resist…

Review :

I was a little worried about not liking this after the first ten pages. Brody comes off as a hard-core jerk. I thought it was too much but he tones it down as the book goes on. We start to understand why he’s that way. So, I don’t know if it’s because I just got over it or it just made more sense. Maybe both. Either way I did enjoy reading this book. Zack is impossible not to love. Brody just took a little longer.

Brody is a homicide detective working on a serial killer case he’s been on since he was a beat cop. He takes the responsibility of catching the killer very seriously. Chasing down a bogus suspect when he bolts leads to a blown knee which requires surgery and physical therapy.

Zack’s new client is a bit of a hard ass. It’s no wonder his coworker dumped him on Zack. Good thing Zack loves a challenge. He manages to break through to Brody by calling his bluff and making him realize he can get him back on active duty. They work hard and get to know each other. When the mandatory PT time is over, Brody even hires him as a trainer.

Both men are gay. Zack is carefree and out of the closet. Brody is deep in the closet and ashamed of it. Zack is attracted to Brody but thinks he’s straight until some close stretching out of a cramp makes him see something. Eventually Brody and Zack give in and they start a secret fling. Zack tries to keep his heart out of it. He’s been burned by a lover in the closet before. Brody sees his job as the most important thing in his life and sees coming out as an end to that. It’s a mess but neither guy can resist what’s happening between them.

I really liked this book. I liked how Zack slowly knocked the ice off Brody. He went from broody asshole cop to laughing and kissing a man he liked. He actually came alive when he was with Zack. It made their connection that much more beautiful. It’s impossible not to love Zack. Once he got Brody going their banter was fun. They flirted and laughed. It was really enjoyable to read about. The sex was hot! Brody hadn’t ever had sex in a bed or really done much foreplay. Zack helping him experience those things was so sexy. They were also playful about it. I love the combo of sexy and fun in the bedroom.

The murder mystery was secondary. I don’t think I ever really cared or worried about that part of the book. The baddie wasn’t exciting because there was really no build. It just felt resolved to be resolved. I’d recommend this one for the characters and their story but don’t expect a great murder mystery.

Rated 4 stars by Whit