Series: Pros & Cons
Volume: 1/?Publisher: Self-Published
Genre/s: MM Romantic Suspense
Length: 83 000
Read in: English
Review copy format: epub
Rate:✮✮✮✮✰✰
Here they are – a group of "merrie men" blackmailed by a deceased criminal (!), consisting of five guys tainted by sins the disclosure of which can completely ruin their lives. To repent and free themselves from the constant danger of their sins being revealed, they are forced to work with one another in order to execute 5 tasks, given to them by a lawyer on behalf of the deceased.
The first one is given to Steele Alvarez, a thug with charming personality who works as a bodyguard. His mission is to eliminate an influential and dangerous senator who threatens the lives of an incredibly attractive Breck and his equally appetizing friend. However, getting rid of the problem is not the only part of this game, as Breck wants to have his vengeance on the senator.
The first one is given to Steele Alvarez, a thug with charming personality who works as a bodyguard. His mission is to eliminate an influential and dangerous senator who threatens the lives of an incredibly attractive Breck and his equally appetizing friend. However, getting rid of the problem is not the only part of this game, as Breck wants to have his vengeance on the senator.
"Pros & Cons of Vengeance" is the first volume of a quite appealing series, which undoubtedly has great potential. However, it is hard not to notice that the action develops rather slowly, so the readers must be patient before the plot starts to be really interesting and eventually engrosses them in this book. I admit that this slow pace is a minus of this story, because it requires the reader's trust and faith that something will finally start to happen in this novel. On the other hand, the advantage in this case is the fact that we have the opportunity to focus on the characters, who we meet in the prologue, and the events that take place at the beginning of the novel, as they are our main guide to full understanding of the story presented here. This is all the more important because the sooner we know what is going on in "Pros & Cons of Vengeance", the faster we are able to enjoy reading it.
I mentioned that when we start reading "Pros & Cons of Vengeance" we must believe that the story will gain momentum and finally, in a way, it will absorb us. Fortunately, that's what happens, as A.E. Wasp doesn't disappoint the readers. Step by step, the speed of the plot increases and the novel becomes really interesting in many different ways – when it comes to the story, the characters and their feelings. In the end, we are dealing here with a unique team, which seems to be an embodiment of the promise of some interesting events and a great advantage of this book. I admit that even as a child I had a weakness for stories in which instead of one lonely hero, the world was saved by a lovely group of friends or soon-to-be friends, if they were at the beginning of their journey. By themselves they could do a lot, but only together they were able to gain the real strength to fight. And that's how things are in this novel. Instead of watching the struggle of only one character, we become part of a crazy team that doesn't let us get bored.
In "Pros & Cons of Vengeance" I really like the fact that our characters remind me of the oreo cookies. As the group of thieves, cons or simply people who have something on their conscience, they are like villains, and that's the part of their nature which is symbolized by the hard, dark cookie. And yet, when we finally get to know them better and see into their souls, we see something good in them, a predisposition to help people instead of harming them. And that's what I would compare to the light, creamy filling inside the mentioned oreo. The fact that in the novel we discover the character traits that the protagonists, or at least some of them, try to hide under their hard armor, which makes them inaccessible, bad and sarcastic, has an irresistible charm. As a result, the author in a way raises the topic of ethics. Let's be honest, our team is not some group of saints, so they don't try to overcome evil with good. And this makes our interest in both the presented story and, above all, the characters themselves deeper.
Another advantage of "Pros & Cons of Vengeance" is the variety of characters, who differ primarily in terms of their personalities. Thanks to it, their interactions are sometimes difficult to predict - funny or full of seriousness, characterized by indifference or intensity, ferocity or quick surrender. It also influences the chemistry between Steel and Breck which is clearly visible to the naked eye. All the things that make these two who they are, also make them so perfect for each other. This, in turn, is important for the readers who can judge by themselves how much they like individual characters or don't. Personally, I became a huge fan of Steele, who is really incredibly charming and quickly conquered my heart. I won't deny, however, that other characters also managed to make me like them, and I can't wait for the moment when I will learn more about them.
In summary, "Pros & Cons of Vengeance" is not a perfect book, as besides its obvious advantages, it also has some clearly visible drawbacks, but it undoubtedly offers the reader quite an interesting entertainment. The readers who will manage to "survive" the first rather slow chapters, certainly won't regret their decision to read this novel to the end. As I mentioned at the beginning, the novel has a potential and is clearly enjoyable.
Headcanon: Breck sometimes likes to sexually provoke Steele to the limits of his endurance, to the point Steele turns into a real beast.
Fanfiction idea: Breck and Danny make Steele drunk enough to handcuff him to the bed with some pink fur handcuffs. And that's because Breck wants to experiment on his lover with a light BDSM using feathers, ribbons, etc.
AU idea: Steele's sister, who works as a servant for the Pfeiffers - an aristocratic family - is sick and she asks Steele to replace her at work. The man agrees, although he's not happy about it. Seeing his "new" attractive housekeeper, Breck decides to tease him a bit in various bizarre ways.
MOODBOARD IN PROGRESS
Here's some more about:
It is a standalone story
Five Men. Five Chances for Redemption. One thing’s for sure, these guys are no angels.
Blurb
Book Title: Pros & Cons of Vengeance (Book 1)
Author: A.E. Wasp
Cover Artist: Angsty G
Heat Rating: 3 flames
Release Date: January 18, 2019
It is a standalone story
Five Men. Five Chances for Redemption. One thing’s for sure, these guys are no angels.
There’s nothing like being blackmailed by a dead man to really bring a group of cons together. And what a group we are: a hacker, a thief, a con artist, a thug, and a Federal agent with an axe to grind. The deal is simple, we do the jobs and Charlie’s lawyer wipes the slate clean for each of us, one at a time.
Since job number one calls for some muscle, it looks like I’m up first. I’m Steele Alvarez, ex-Special Forces Close Protection Specialist (aka, a bodyguard for some not so nice guys).
After learning what the job is — taking down a seemingly untouchable senator with a penchant for beating up young male prostitutes — I’m in. No questions. A bullet ought to do the trick.
Then I met Senator Harlan’s latest victim: Breck Pfeiffer, the gorgeous hooker with a heart of gold and the soul of a fighter. One look at him and I’m gone. That kid laid me out harder than any punch ever did. I’ll do anything to protect Breck, even kill for him. But Breck doesn’t want the senator dead, he wants vengeance.
If we’re going to find a way bring down the slimebag and get the blackest mark on my record erased, I’m going to need all the help I can get.
Like it or not, we’re all in this together.
Since job number one calls for some muscle, it looks like I’m up first. I’m Steele Alvarez, ex-Special Forces Close Protection Specialist (aka, a bodyguard for some not so nice guys).
After learning what the job is — taking down a seemingly untouchable senator with a penchant for beating up young male prostitutes — I’m in. No questions. A bullet ought to do the trick.
Then I met Senator Harlan’s latest victim: Breck Pfeiffer, the gorgeous hooker with a heart of gold and the soul of a fighter. One look at him and I’m gone. That kid laid me out harder than any punch ever did. I’ll do anything to protect Breck, even kill for him. But Breck doesn’t want the senator dead, he wants vengeance.
If we’re going to find a way bring down the slimebag and get the blackest mark on my record erased, I’m going to need all the help I can get.
Like it or not, we’re all in this together.
Buy Links - Available on Kindle Unlimited
Excerpt
Thank Christ someone had been bright enough to leave the air conditioning on in Charlie’s mansion. Dead men paid no electric bills, I guess. Fucking Florida.I’d been gone too long and had somehow forgotten how truly miserable the humidity could be. Sure, it could hit a hundred and fifteen outside of Baghdad, but it was dry heat.
I thought about taking off my suit, or at least my tie, but until I knew what the hell was going on here, I wasn’t going to let my guard down.
Besides, I looked good in a suit.
“Nice house, huh?” Wesley said from my behind me, as I was busy assessing the layout of the house and cataloging any possible pinch points. Like I said, I didn’t know what I was doing here, and I wasn’t taking any chances.
“I’ve seen bigger.” In my most recent incarnation as close protection specialist and hired muscle to some very rich and very bad men, I’d been in mansions that made this place look like a pool house. Not that this place sucked. Not at all. The cabin I’d grown up in could have fit in the foyer with room left over.
We followed Ms. Miranda Bosley, Charlie’s attorney, single-file down the tiled hallway of the big house like a line of ducklings. Wesley was the only guy I knew and consequently the only one in the group I trusted enough to walk behind me. Even Ms. Bosley looked like she wouldn’t hesitate to stab me in the kidney if she felt she needed to.
Seeing Wes at the funeral had been a surprise. A quick, stilted conversation had revealed that he was here for the same reason I was – we were both being blackmailed by Charlie.
I couldn’t imagine what Charlie had on the kid. I’d only worked with Wes twice before, but he was more a gray hat than a black hat hacker; the kind of person who didn’t mind doing the wrong things for the right reasons. A cross between MacGyver and Anonymous, the kid had probably been on an FBI watch list since he was twelve.
Wesley had triggered my protective instincts from our first meeting, but he’d never really needed much help beyond muscle. Sure he could take of himself with that jujitsu or whatever, but sometimes some people just needed their faces punched, and I was more than happy to do that for him. It was satisfying.
Now Angel-Face, as I’d taken to calling the gorgeous blond kid who’d been sitting a few rows ahead of me at the graveside ceremony, hetriggered other instincts in me. Made me think things I probably shouldn’t be thinking at a funeral. But then again, Angel-Face hadn’t seemed exactly consumed with grief either. I hadn’t been completely surprised to see him following Miranda after the funeral along with Wes and me. Very interesting. What had that choir boy done to be in such bad company at such a young age?
About the Author
A dreamer and an idealist, Amy writes about people finding love, family, and magic in the everyday world. From professional hockey players to professional thieves, her boys work hard, play hard, and love harder. She invites readers into her characters’ lives and worlds when they are their most vulnerable, their most human, and living with the same hopes and fears we all have.
Born on Long Island, NY, Amy has lived in Los Angeles, London, and Bangkok. She currently lives in a town suspiciously like Red Deer, Colorado.
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