The Spec Press, $2.99, ISBN 978-1311890481
Fantasy Romantic Suspense, 2014
Lia Cooper’s Hotspot was previously released as The Source and the Wire. I’m not sure whether this version has been edited or expanded in any way, however, so don’t ask me alright.
I confess that when I sit down to look at this one, I am not expecting much. Oh, this is a woo-woo romance? I am halfway expecting tired old mate-mate-mate tropes when I turn to the first page…
Hey, this doesn’t feel right! It seems… different.
Indeed, this one has all the fun stuff I can dream of packed in a not-that-long story: espionage, guns, dangers, chases, and two dangerous blokes making eyes at one another.
Simon Cowen is the woo-woo guy, and I have to confess that I feel like he’s just woo-woo because everything needs to be woo-woo. With some tweaking, he could have been completely human and the story won’t be that different. Still, I’m happy to play along.
He’s part of an elite, covert agency of hot folks that speak in that oh-so-sassy way folks that watch superhero movies would be very familiar with and they no doubt strike a pose just as well. Also in the team is Luc Allard, the object of that one true tired woo-woo trope on Simon’s part that I suppose must be included for the sake of propriety or something.
The story is fun. The pacing is brisk, adding to the whole exciting tension humming from every word, and the author deftly zips from past to present without disrupting the flow and making the whole thing feel gimmicky.
Sure, I don’t know that much about the characters, but what I do know is good enough as I’ve having a blast with these fellows.
Also, as a plus, the female characters don’t feel like overt superfluous filler additions or, how do I say that these days without getting cancelled… ah yes, British cigarette hags.
The momentum falters noticeably once the two men decide to hook up, but perhaps that is to be expected, as those parts of the story are the most formulaic aspect of the whole story. Still, I suppose those parts are what most readers are here for.
So yes, Hotspot is hot. Well, maybe not hot in that sexy-sexy-sexy sense where I am concerned, but it’s peak enough to have my attention piqued for the most part.
