Scan barcode
a_reader_obsessed's review
4.0
4 Iffy Stars
Look. This is not Ian and Miro by any means. It’s basically a poor man’s Ian and Miro. However because Ian and Miro are in this I had to give it 4 stars because I take what I can get right?? One can see that I think Ian and Miro are the bees knees. Can I say Ian and Miro any more than I already have? Ian and Miro. Ian and Miro. Ian and Miro.
So it’s obvious what I wish this 5th installment was all about. If it weren't for the aforementioned lovebirds, I’d typically give this my standard 3.5 score. Rest assured that the classic Calmes components are present. There’s a Jory-esque character who is irresistible to all, takes no sass, and who’s in love with his best friend. Said straight best friend is clueless but is possessive of Jory (ahem, I mean Cel) like nobody’s business and then an epiphany comes, and it’s literally balls to the walls.
This is basically Ian and Miro 2.0 without the major swoon. Maybe it’s because I never really got a sense of who Eli was in the previous books except that he was a metrosexual ladies man - that minus the Marshals association, this was nothing overly special. However, revisiting my favorite guys and all the other badass marshals (and don’t forget king of the grumps, no nonsense Sam Kage) made me remember that I absolutely love this group of wily hooligans. Toss in the requisite mob presence because of course they’re involved, and this was still a solid entry to Calmes’s convoluted cuckoo Chicago universe.
Look. This is not Ian and Miro by any means. It’s basically a poor man’s Ian and Miro. However because Ian and Miro are in this I had to give it 4 stars because I take what I can get right?? One can see that I think Ian and Miro are the bees knees. Can I say Ian and Miro any more than I already have? Ian and Miro. Ian and Miro. Ian and Miro.
So it’s obvious what I wish this 5th installment was all about. If it weren't for the aforementioned lovebirds, I’d typically give this my standard 3.5 score. Rest assured that the classic Calmes components are present. There’s a Jory-esque character who is irresistible to all, takes no sass, and who’s in love with his best friend. Said straight best friend is clueless but is possessive of Jory (ahem, I mean Cel) like nobody’s business and then an epiphany comes, and it’s literally balls to the walls.
This is basically Ian and Miro 2.0 without the major swoon. Maybe it’s because I never really got a sense of who Eli was in the previous books except that he was a metrosexual ladies man - that minus the Marshals association, this was nothing overly special. However, revisiting my favorite guys and all the other badass marshals (and don’t forget king of the grumps, no nonsense Sam Kage) made me remember that I absolutely love this group of wily hooligans. Toss in the requisite mob presence because of course they’re involved, and this was still a solid entry to Calmes’s convoluted cuckoo Chicago universe.
teenykins's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, rounding down.
To be honest I did entertained the idea of rounding up because of the truly amazing narration by Scott R. Smith, but my niggles wouldn't leave me to do it.
I really liked Eli and Celso, their friendship was beautiful to read about and generally I enjoyed seeing their lives. Seeing being the keyword here. Mary gives such extravagant (not only financially) lives to her characters that I never felt a part of them, just an outside observer. At least I did noted here that the overly done descriptions and brand name dropping for clothes, cars, jewellery etc was lessened. For me as a reader they never give more to the story, instead they lessen it because I don't know half of the things described, nor do I care to stop and search them. I'm already thrown from the story let's not make it worse.
The most significant thing though, that didn't quite work, was Eli and Celso going from friends to lovers in the turn of a page, with no build up whatsoever. Yes we had Celso's musings about being in love with Eli, we had Eli's separate musings about Celso that never delved deeper than when the change happened. He never questioned before if he was Bi or Demi, never looked closely if he felt more for him apart that one point when he talked to Ian, and after that they both jump in the "we are boyfriends and ILUs" train? 0_O
Anyways it was an enjoyable story and look at me I'm not even griping about how the "critics" at some point in the story almost built a Celso altar of adoration... oooops, I guess I griped!
To be honest I did entertained the idea of rounding up because of the truly amazing narration by Scott R. Smith, but my niggles wouldn't leave me to do it.
I really liked Eli and Celso, their friendship was beautiful to read about and generally I enjoyed seeing their lives. Seeing being the keyword here. Mary gives such extravagant (not only financially) lives to her characters that I never felt a part of them, just an outside observer. At least I did noted here that the overly done descriptions and brand name dropping for clothes, cars, jewellery etc was lessened. For me as a reader they never give more to the story, instead they lessen it because I don't know half of the things described, nor do I care to stop and search them. I'm already thrown from the story let's not make it worse.
The most significant thing though, that didn't quite work, was Eli and Celso going from friends to lovers in the turn of a page, with no build up whatsoever. Yes we had Celso's musings about being in love with Eli, we had Eli's separate musings about Celso that never delved deeper than when the change happened. He never questioned before if he was Bi or Demi, never looked closely if he felt more for him apart that one point when he talked to Ian, and after that they both jump in the "we are boyfriends and ILUs" train? 0_O
Anyways it was an enjoyable story and look at me I'm not even griping about how the "critics" at some point in the story almost built a Celso altar of adoration... oooops, I guess I griped!
mar_cortz's review
5.0
Omg! I love this series. I don’t know how I never heard of it until now. All I can say is I’ve been missing out!
Miro and Ian are for sure one of my favorite MM couples if not my favorite. This is one of those series where you don’t feel like each book is unnecessarily dragging the story just for the author to sell more books. Each book is better than the previous one and I must be honest I’ve read this series in less than two weeks, I devoured one book after the other. And even though one PoV is not my favorite style Mary Calmes is the master of it.
Never during all these hours I invested reading, I felt like I was missing reading Ian’s PoV. It was all there for me to see through Miro’s eyes.
There is a natural progression to the their relationship and love that is so magical and wonderful to read. These two are definitely made for each other and in spite of all the action, running, visits to the hospital and the whole serial killer drama, this is truly a love story.
I love them, I won’t get tired of shouting wonderful things about this series and if Kage’s story is as good as this one. I’ll be forever a Mary Calmes fan.
Miro and Ian are for sure one of my favorite MM couples if not my favorite. This is one of those series where you don’t feel like each book is unnecessarily dragging the story just for the author to sell more books. Each book is better than the previous one and I must be honest I’ve read this series in less than two weeks, I devoured one book after the other. And even though one PoV is not my favorite style Mary Calmes is the master of it.
Never during all these hours I invested reading, I felt like I was missing reading Ian’s PoV. It was all there for me to see through Miro’s eyes.
There is a natural progression to the their relationship and love that is so magical and wonderful to read. These two are definitely made for each other and in spite of all the action, running, visits to the hospital and the whole serial killer drama, this is truly a love story.
I love them, I won’t get tired of shouting wonderful things about this series and if Kage’s story is as good as this one. I’ll be forever a Mary Calmes fan.
tobyryan's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
sammy_lou's review
5.0
I was so excited about this book that I stayed up late to read it. I loved Eli in the previous books, and I'm so glad that he has a story of his own. We do see Ian & Miro, they are as in love as always. Eli's leading man is Celso, he is a ballet dancer and fabulous!
Eli and Cel meet at a party, and we get to see this in flashbacks. We see these used beautifully here, and they help us to understand their relationship. They have a similar relationship as Ian & Miro had as best friends. Eli is clueless as to his feelings for Cel, but luckily those around him help him to open his eyes. I loved his discussion with Ian, and I was so proud of him. Ian has come a long way thanks to Miro.
I fell in love with Cel, he is beautiful inside and out. He has been a professional dancer since a young age, and it was all he knew. It wasn't until Eli's came along that it changed. He brought Cel into his world and gave him friends and love.
I adored their relationship, but it was so much better when they got together. They were so hot, and sexy as hell in bed together. They just click in every day and are made for each other. I was so happy to see people's reactions to them dating, especially his mum. People's reactions made me laugh, too.
There is a bit of mystery mixed in as always. This time it's in the form of a shooting at the ballet company, Cel works for. The case isn't the main focus, it's Eli and Cel's relationship. The mystery is just an added bonus.
I am in love with this series and just can't get enough! This was a great edition and I hope we get more in this series. I also get so happy when Sam Kage appears, he makes my day!
Eli and Cel meet at a party, and we get to see this in flashbacks. We see these used beautifully here, and they help us to understand their relationship. They have a similar relationship as Ian & Miro had as best friends. Eli is clueless as to his feelings for Cel, but luckily those around him help him to open his eyes. I loved his discussion with Ian, and I was so proud of him. Ian has come a long way thanks to Miro.
I fell in love with Cel, he is beautiful inside and out. He has been a professional dancer since a young age, and it was all he knew. It wasn't until Eli's came along that it changed. He brought Cel into his world and gave him friends and love.
I adored their relationship, but it was so much better when they got together. They were so hot, and sexy as hell in bed together. They just click in every day and are made for each other. I was so happy to see people's reactions to them dating, especially his mum. People's reactions made me laugh, too.
There is a bit of mystery mixed in as always. This time it's in the form of a shooting at the ballet company, Cel works for. The case isn't the main focus, it's Eli and Cel's relationship. The mystery is just an added bonus.
I am in love with this series and just can't get enough! This was a great edition and I hope we get more in this series. I also get so happy when Sam Kage appears, he makes my day!
missysreadingcorner's review
4.0
I want to start off by saying I love this series. The Marshals series is like going home for me. If I am feeling burnt out by life or reading, this series always makes me feel better.
For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I loved Eli and Cel. I enjoyed them as a couple as well as their "just friends" stage. I enjoyed how everyone around them assumed they were already a couple before they became official. I also enjoyed the angst, which was minimal. Calmes is great at dialogue and backstories, which this book was full of. Overall, it was a fun book to read.
While I did enjoy the bulk of this book, there were a few things I wish Calmes had done better. I wish we were able to see more of the relationship between Cel and Eli's mom. Yes, we knnew they were close but it wasn't touched on as much as I've would have liked. When Miro and Ian were friends (see book one), we saw how much Ian know about Miro's friends and how they interacted. I also felt the sex scene was boring. It wasn't the worst but it could've been better. Having Eli who has no sexual experience with men become an expert so quickly was a hard idea to swallow.
Despite all my criticisms, I enjoyed this book and would definitely read it again.
For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I loved Eli and Cel. I enjoyed them as a couple as well as their "just friends" stage. I enjoyed how everyone around them assumed they were already a couple before they became official. I also enjoyed the angst, which was minimal. Calmes is great at dialogue and backstories, which this book was full of. Overall, it was a fun book to read.
While I did enjoy the bulk of this book, there were a few things I wish Calmes had done better. I wish we were able to see more of the relationship between Cel and Eli's mom. Yes, we knnew they were close but it wasn't touched on as much as I've would have liked. When Miro and Ian were friends (see book one), we saw how much Ian know about Miro's friends and how they interacted. I also felt the sex scene was boring. It wasn't the worst but it could've been better. Having Eli who has no sexual experience with men become an expert so quickly was a hard idea to swallow.
Despite all my criticisms, I enjoyed this book and would definitely read it again.
eol's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cityofstarlightandbooks's review against another edition
5.0
the first half was a bit slow but as usual i love everything she writes!