Book Reviews

Book Blurb

For Judson Crosby, the transfer to the elite law enforcement branch of the SCTF is a great escape from the death sentence he earned as a whistle-blowing patrol officer. Calix Garcia, the fierce new guy, makes a perfect partner, catching bad guys while minimizing collateral damage. Crosby loves working with him.

Of course, he’d also love to work him over in a totally different way.

Garcia has waited his whole career for a solid, dependable partner like Crosby. But after six months fighting crime together, he’s done fighting their attraction.

Their coming together promises to be everything they need… until a threat from Crosby’s past comes back to haunt not just him, but their entire team.

When Crosby goes undercover to keep them safe, Garcia is frantic with worry. One false move could get Crosby killed and Garcia exposed. But they have to fight their way clear, because hiding your lover under the cover of darkness is no way to live. Crosby and Garcia will risk everything for the chance to live their lives in the light.

 

Book Review

This story had all the feels! Love, hate, despair, hope, and more. And it had all the action, including murder, assault, racism, homophobia, rape (secondary character and not on page), hate crimes, discrimination, drug abuse and addiction. And I was compelled to keep reading every nail-biting minute of it.

 

Judson Crosby always wanted to be a cop—just like his dad, the man he admired most. But what he learned on the job was that the force was not all he thought it would be, and when his partner shoots a young boy in the back just because he’s Black, Judson speaks out and his life changes. No longer in Chicago, he’s joined a unique law enforcement group in New York and he’s crushing hard on his new partner, Calix Garcia. The two do get together, as readers learn early on, but not long afterward Judson has to go undercover as the very corruption he escaped from comes back to haunt him.

 

The story deals with the dark side of law enforcement where cops are human—both the best and sometimes the worst of humanity, by choice or by circumstance. The story contains plenty of action-packed hair-raising moments that kept me quickly turning pages. But there are also many sweet moments between Crosby and Garcia, and not just sexy times but also poignant and intimate getting-to-know-you times. There’s also a sense of camaraderie and family within the unit the men are a part of, with a host of very likeable secondary characters, some of whom may get their own stories someday. I hope.

 

The last quarter of the book was total action as everything comes to a head in their investigation—pure Amy Lane storytelling at its best. I loved the fact that by that point I knew all the characters well, so I was even more invested in the outcome and worried for all of them, not just Crosby and Garcia.

 

This is one of those stories I won’t be able to shake for a while. Judson and Calix have become one of my favorite couples. I definitely recommend this to those who not only enjoy MM romance but also action-packed, intriguing, intricate plots that are not all sunshine and rainbows. There’s a dark side here but it’s balanced by the good and that leaves me wanting more. 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 329 pages/118705 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	23-May-2023
Price	$6.99 ebook, $19.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://dreamspinnerpress.com/books/under-cover-by-amy-lane-12322-b