Review: Touch & Geaux
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| Collage made by Olga Daniels |
Wench Anne
Wow. That is really the only word that comes to mind when I think about Touch & Geaux. I was the first Wench to finish the book, and I nearly died from the torture of waiting for others to finish it. After the amazing love fest and the leaps forward in Ty & Zane's relationship in Stars & Stripes, I knew we were bound to be in for some trouble in this book. Good Lord, did Abigail Roux deliver on that front. There was so much angst, heart break, and pain in this book, that I have STILL not recovered. However, I think our boys came out stronger on the other side, so it was worth it in the end.
The book started off great with Ty & Zane being roped into a charity photo shoot for a calendar. That resulted in much hilarity and some near miss sexy times. Later, we got another almost proposal from Zane. My favorite aspect of this book has got to be the reunion of Team Sidewinder in New Orleans, with Zane in tow. I love these men so much I want to marry all of them (well most of them). I definitely want to be best friends with them and get in on their hijinks.
The heartache comes in when Ty is forced to reveal some pretty ginormous secrets that affect Team Sidewinder and Zane. Zane, after watching his whole world come crashing down, reacts violently and throws that sobriety chip out the window. A lot of people vilified Zane for his reactions to Ty's secrets. However, I am very much like Zane, and I honestly can say I would have reacted exactly the same way. Although, he's much bigger than me, so he caused a bit more damage than I would have. They are forced into a temporary truce in order to diffuse the New Orleans situation. In the end, they talk it out, and they come to the realization that they both need to work on themselves a little bit. I think their relationship will be even stronger now. Then, evil overlord that she is, Abi Roux throws us a curveball at the very end, tilting the boys' lives upside down one more time. Ty is being redeployed immediately. In his emotional upheaval, he kisses Zane smack dab in the middle of the Baltimore Bureau office. END OF BOOK.
I'm fairly convinced that Abi is trying to kill me. Or at least she's in collusion with the anti-anxiety drug companies. Just when the ship was righting itself, Abi slams another wave into it. I fucking loved this book, heartache and all. It had Sidewinder, it had angst and love, and most importantly the crazy hot sex (Zane swallowed!!!). Also, it led to the creation of the Nick and Kelly ship, which is looking to be nearly as hot as Ty & Zane. I CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK 8!!!
The book started off great with Ty & Zane being roped into a charity photo shoot for a calendar. That resulted in much hilarity and some near miss sexy times. Later, we got another almost proposal from Zane. My favorite aspect of this book has got to be the reunion of Team Sidewinder in New Orleans, with Zane in tow. I love these men so much I want to marry all of them (well most of them). I definitely want to be best friends with them and get in on their hijinks.
The heartache comes in when Ty is forced to reveal some pretty ginormous secrets that affect Team Sidewinder and Zane. Zane, after watching his whole world come crashing down, reacts violently and throws that sobriety chip out the window. A lot of people vilified Zane for his reactions to Ty's secrets. However, I am very much like Zane, and I honestly can say I would have reacted exactly the same way. Although, he's much bigger than me, so he caused a bit more damage than I would have. They are forced into a temporary truce in order to diffuse the New Orleans situation. In the end, they talk it out, and they come to the realization that they both need to work on themselves a little bit. I think their relationship will be even stronger now. Then, evil overlord that she is, Abi Roux throws us a curveball at the very end, tilting the boys' lives upside down one more time. Ty is being redeployed immediately. In his emotional upheaval, he kisses Zane smack dab in the middle of the Baltimore Bureau office. END OF BOOK.
I'm fairly convinced that Abi is trying to kill me. Or at least she's in collusion with the anti-anxiety drug companies. Just when the ship was righting itself, Abi slams another wave into it. I fucking loved this book, heartache and all. It had Sidewinder, it had angst and love, and most importantly the crazy hot sex (Zane swallowed!!!). Also, it led to the creation of the Nick and Kelly ship, which is looking to be nearly as hot as Ty & Zane. I CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK 8!!!
Wench Jaym
It was the most full of angst C&R book yet! I loved it! I teared up in a couple of parts.
Wench Katherine
I really loved this book!! Maybe it’s because I took a very long break from Ty and Zane, but I really enjoyed Touch & Geaux. I missed these boys! After just having finished Stars & Stripes, I was hopeful that they'd have a chance to just relax and settle in a bit, but true to form, more drama unfolds. Not only did we get to see Ty and Zane in action with the Recon boys, but we got to meet Liam Bell, one of the most interesting side characters I've come across in this series. If you like angst, this is right up your alley! I went from loving Zane and wanting to kick Ty's ass, to being so disappointed and disgusted with Zane that I cried, a lot, for Ty. It was a roller coaster ride full of emotions, and I loved every second of it. Even the last scene that left me breathless. Abi Roux! Awesome, awesome job!!
Wench Angela
I'm now worried that my “what I didn’t like” list is a lot bigger than my “like” list. The honeymoon may be over. The first four books in the series were stellar; since then, not so much. All in all I did like the book, but not as much as the first 4 books.
What I liked: I loved the return of badass Zane. It's been a while since he made an appearance. I enjoyed the interaction of Sidewinder: Kelly, Nick, Owen and Digger. It was great to get back to some action after Stars & Stripes (book 6), which now feels to me like it should have been the end of the series.
What I didn't like: Too much coincidence. Ty just happened to be the first man Zane was really attracted to? Come on. I was suspending my disbelief. Also I love how Ty has developed superpowers so that he can pass a kidney stone, get beaten up and still seem to be able to function?? I suspended my disbelief again. It's these little things that grated me, and I'm starting to wonder if my love affair is starting to end. I don't want it to, but sometimes series go on for too long, and it is better to stop them while on a high and look at something fresh. Liam Bell, meh. I felt neither here nor there with him. He wasn't nearly as bad as I wanted him to be. Hype is one thing, but when you build your readers up you really need to deliver. As for Zane beating up Ty. As Wench Olga and I have discussed, rat poison, instead of ibuprofen, would have been a better token after it occurred. It is still not okay with me that it did happen.
Wench Veronica
And, let's see. I was really hoping to like Ava, but there wasn't much likable about her. I didn't expect to like Becky as much as I did. I really need someone to make fanart of Ty in his La Fee Verte days. I need that badly. Nick & Kelly. They were such a good duo. Kelly sleeping with his head on Nick's belly, so cute! Hey, I know as a Marine you learn to sleep wherever and whenever, but it was really very touching how at ease and comfortable they were with each other.
I was glad to see Zane's sobriety addressed, or rather his reason for staying sober. I think I have much more to say about that later, so I'll keep it short and sweet here. It never sat well with me that Ty was Zane's reason for staying sober, and it's good to know that Ty wasn't too thrilled with it either. The end of the book...I can't say I've ever been so full of joy and so full of dread at the exact same time. Well played, Abi. Well played. Although, I have to thank my fellow minions' DABWAHA efforts for getting us the Book 8 excerpt—that helped ease the dread a bit. One last thing! To Nick & Kelly: whatever happens between you, you were obviously meant to be. Your chemistry surprised us all. Us ALL. Overall, I'd say Touch & Geaux ranks among my top 2 or 3 Cut & Run books. Don't make me rank them in order, though. I'll send Liam after you if you do (and not in the good way).
Wench Amanda
My fellow wenches covered a lot of things that I agree with, so I won't repeat them here. I will start by saying that I was pleased as punch with the lovey dovey, relationship drama free, Stars & Stripes. I wasn’t looking forward to Ty & Zane fighting, and Abi let it be known that there would be a huge falling out. Well, there was a huge falling out, and it wasn’t over another guy like I thought it would be. Ty’s secret sent Zane spinning out of control. Actually, I thought Zane’s actions were a little over-the-top, and it reminded me of the way Ty acted in Divide & Conquer. I did like that it was explained by saying that Ty had been holding Zane’s “leash” all this time, and yes, that does make sense to me. However, the Zane I thought I knew wouldn't have beaten up the man he loves. I was just disappointed that his anger went that far.
I loved the action in this book! The mystery was fantastic. I love Badass Zane, and I especially loved that Sidewinder got to see him in action. I've been wanting Sidewinder to see that side of Zane ever since they met him and thought he was a pansy in Divide & Conquer.
I will say this. My jaw dropped to the floor when Ty kissed Zane in front of their fellow FBI agents. There were so many surprises in this book, but that one really threw me, and I was absolutely thrilled!
Last, but certainly not least, something that I’ve been waiting for 6 books now finally happened: Zane swallowed. Woot!! Checking that off my “Cut & Run Bucket List” right now.
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How did you like Touch & Geaux? Was it the emotional roller coaster for you that it was for us? What moment, or moments, made you gasp out loud?
I just finished my reread of T&G.
ReplyDeleteI finished my first readthrough shortly behind Anne, and it was good to have someone to break down with and babble at. I tried very hard to keep 90% of my thoughts under wraps so I didn't spoil anyone else. I also avoided the hell out of the spoilers (including the tumblr accounts) from January onward. I suspect this helped.
Now, to address some of the concerns: I'm okay with the first meeting of Ty and Zane, largely because I've had more than my share of coincidental meetings in weird places that turn out to matter later. The kidney stone, well, I've had one, and passed the fucker without even noticing I had. The worst of it was when it was clogged halfway, which is what it sounds like Ty was dealing with. No disbelief issues there either - I'd done it myself! The beatings-up, we often see Ty take a hell of a beating, and he keeps right on ticking, so.,.. No big. I'm with Anne on the Zane Reaction to Ty's secrets - I'd have been livid, and I guaran-damn-tee I'd have thrown a punch, love or not. Why? Because it was entirely possible that this whole love thing was created for the sake of making me fall, and that the person I loved didn't even exist. Hell, I *have* thrown a punch at my husband before, over a similar level fight/secret kept, right before I dissolved into a puddle, sobbing, weeping and non-functional for three days. If I were a drinker (and especially a mean drunk), who knows what might have happened. o.o;; This is not to say it's okay. Not at all. But, if it really is love, and you're really trying to make up for the fact that you've just completely dissolved another person's sanity and stability, sometimes you suck it up and deal, talk it out later, and go forward.
I think that hit most of them.
I'm a voracious reader. I read, in a slow year, 50 books. And that's a VERY slow year for me. I've been this way since I was seventeen. This is now approaching 20 years. So, that's what, easily 1'000 books? That or more. I am also not an overly emotional person. In those 20 years, I've cried for a whopping two books. I cried for Sturm's death in _Dragons of Winter Night_, and I cried over both Ty's and Zane's pain in Touch & Geaux.
I've found the books to be exceptional, the characters likable, the interaction memorable, and the emotions real. I enjoyed the hell out of Touch & Geaux, from start to end, even through tears. I have found the books to get better as the series goes on - Zane becomes much less foreign to me, and much more deep a character, Ty is perpetually surprising me, and the addition of Sidewinder to this book brings together enough testosterone-fueled insanity to not only make a girl laugh, but to also shake her head thinking "they're so crazy this might actually work!" All in all, I adored the book. ADORED IT. Then we add on the launching of the new ship, and I'm over the moon. <3
Very well said Care. Very well said. I do drink, but because of several addicts in my family, I keep a tight leash on it. When I do drink, whatever emotion I'm feeling is amplified. So, had I been that upset with Ty and drinking, I totally would have tried to kick the shit out of him.
DeleteAnd, I agree about the kidney stone. Thom has had a couple and once they get past a certain point in there, you barely even notice it. So he says anyway.
I know some kidney stones are godawful from the moment they shake loose until the moment you pass them (and continuing soreness for days), but mine wer horrible pain from the minute I sat up in the morning (morning pee blocked by the stone) until I went to the hospital about 8h later, and I was fine the next day. I was supposed to pee in a strainer for a week, but otherwise... nothing.
ReplyDeleteI strongly suspect that a lot of these things will be seen as either authentic or inauthentic depending on the personal experiences of the reader. And really, our personal experiences are what allow us to talk about the books, find new ways of looking at things, and new points we hadn't considered before. I rather enjoy it, even if there is the moment of "Why did nobody else see this?!?" at the front. ^_^