GLOW World, $2.99
Romantic Suspense, 2013
Svenni Jorgensen is a thief who, when the story opens, heads over to a gay bar for his downtime. What do you know, the guy he has a crush on, Martin Branson, shows up and heads right at him. Isn’t Martin straight? Well, maybe not too straight, as he’s soon living up a hot – if somewhat cliché – gay bar clinch with Svenni here. Since this is a story by Gennita Low, however, Martin has his own agenda that eventually catches up with our duo, and Svenni soon find himself in a story involving a treasure map, some danger, and stuff like The Game and The Temple. The whole thing is stylish and slick, and the characters are so much cooler than you and me, they practically inspire sixteen Bond theme songs with every step they take.
Yes, you’ve read that right. The Pawn has two guys getting it on while getting around. Comparisons to Suzanne Brockmann’s Navy SEAL series may arise, as both authors serve up guys that live and breathe danger for the main course, but the author prefers to entertain instead of getting on the soapbox. So no, there is nobody on a rainbow pulpit here. Instead, this is a story that is all about hot sex and fast chases with zingers that are just as fast.
I have to admit, this is easily the most focused and tightest effort from the author since she ventured out on her own a few years ago. While this is a novella, the story doesn’t feel underdeveloped or rushed. By the last page, the tale feels satisfyingly complete for what it is. The romance isn’t too deep, but the story is all about fast thrills and sexy danger, so the romance fits in perfectly the way it is. A part of me wonders whether Martin is just being a bit too complicated when it comes to getting Svenni, since that guy isn’t playing that hard to get, but hey, I’m having too much of a good time so I’ll just go with the flow.
All in all, The Pawn manages to condense the best type of thrills the author can offer on a good day into one pretty neat package.
