The Talented Mr. Rivers

Sexy, suspenseful - kept me on the edge of my seat. This is the second book in the Tough Love series but it can be read as a standalone with no problem. Characters from the first book do make a significant contribution to this story but I don’t think you will feel lost if you haven’t read it. In The Talented Mr. Rivers, Ms. Dimon once again tells a gripping story. Will Rivers’ father, sister and brother are truly evil people. Somehow Will managed to escape the family “business” but he wasn’t completely oblivious to what was going on. Hunter, an undercover German agent working with the CIA, was assigned to be Will’s bodyguard by his sister. His mission is to infiltrate the Pentasus organization so that it can be brought down. When Will’s family home explodes in a ball of fire, with Will and his brother and sister inside, Hunter frantically searches for him to no avail. The sister is found dead but there is no trace of Will or his brother. Hunter’s personal mission becomes finding Will; they have unfinished business. The sexual tension between Will and Hunter was there before the fire but Hunter couldn’t let anything happen; he was on a mission and couldn’t let personal feelings interfere. Once Hunter locates Will things begin to change. Hunter still has a mission to accomplish, however; he must help the CIA bring down Pentasus, the organization that Will’s family started. Will is conflicted, he knows that Pentasus must be stopped but he still mourns the loss of his sister who helped to protect him when he was younger and kept him away from the family business. Hunter doesn’t like that he feels so much for Will; it’s interfering with his mission to bring down Pentasus. The Talented Mr. Rivers is full of suspense, intrigue and sexual tension. Will doesn’t know that Hunter is a spy but he knows that something isn’t quite right about how he shows up. This story was a nice change of pace from the more romance focused stories I usually read. Don’t fear though, there is plenty of sexual tension and romance; it just isn’t in your face as much as some books are. I hope there will be more books in this series. ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my review. Review will be posted to Xtreme-Delusions dot com on or after release date.

This is book two in the Tough Love series and picks up where book one ended. I recommend you read book one to get a better understanding, but can be read alone but I guarantee you will go and read book one. A fantastic read of spies, suspense, and hot m/m sex. We met Hunter and Will in the first book and now we get their story. There is an intense attraction between the two but can they trust each other, especially when bullets start to fly. I highly recommend this story, fair warning, you will not be able to put down once started.

THE TALENTED MR. RIVERS is book two in HelenKay Dimon’s action-packed Tough Love series, and this time it’s the enigmatic German intelligence service agent Hunter Cain who finds love with Will Rivers. I couldn’t wait for these two to get together, and I was thrilled at the outcome. Will and Cain don’t have it easy, and they’re not easy to love either, as both have terrible trust issues, which is not surprising considering their respective families. Although this book can be read as a standalone, some subtleties will be lost to new readers when it comes to the Rivers family and their horrendous organisation, the Pentasus, however the romance and action more than make up for it. I really enjoyed the romance in THE TALENTED MR. RIVERS; I felt the emotions and the conflicts that Will and Hunter experienced felt genuine, and I really cared for them. It was not sappy, I felt that it really was happening between two men, and neither of them felt like a female character in disguise, if you will. And Will, O Will! He is one of the best characters ever written; so complex, so real. I could see him, hear him; Will is a marvellous character that exceeded all the expectations I had, and then some. And that cover: it totally reflects the mood of the book; genius! THE TALENTED MR. RIVERS is a gay romantic suspense where everything rang true! (But what is Hunter Cain’s real name? That still remains a mystery…) I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.