Ground zero, noun: the center or origin of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change.
Heat, humidity, and homicide are things veteran detective Sawyer Key expects to encounter on his first day with the Savannah Police Department, but the hostile reception from his new partner catches him by surprise. Sawyer isn’t a stranger to heartache and recognizes that Royce Locke is a wounded man who’s reeling from a devastating loss. Relentless and patient in all things, Sawyer is determined to make the new partnership work.
Savannah, Georgia is known for her quirky people, oak trees draped in Spanish moss, and antebellum architecture. Beneath the Southern charm and hospitality, festering hatred and violence is soaring with the summer temperatures. Locke and Key find themselves at the epicenter when their first case involves the death of a former shock jock who appears to be the victim of vigilante justice.
Opposites in nearly every way, the two detectives set aside their differences to take back their city and restore law and order. From this reluctant truce, an intense attraction grows that will either tighten or shatter their tenuous bond. Falling for his partner spells inevitable disaster, but Sawyer’s always been a sucker for wounded things. Sawyer could be the key to the life Royce has always wanted, if he’s brave enough to trust him. The fuse is lit, the clock is running, and the zero hour is upon them. Tick tock.
Ground Zero is the first book in the Zero Hour series, which follows Locke and Key’s investigations and evolving relationship. Ground Zero has a happy-for-now ending with no cliffhanger. It contains mature language and sexual content intended for adults 18 and older.
Zero Hours Series
M/M Romance/Mystery
Release Date: 09.22.19
Cover Design: Jay Aheer
Photographer: Wander Aguiar
Model: Jacob
Amazon – Kindle Unlimited
Locke in his tight black tee and shoulder holster. Locke sitting astride his motorcycle. Locke staring at Sawyer’s strip of exposed skin. Locke’s sexy voice when he’d admonished him for making assumptions about his acceptance levels or possibly even his sexuality. The last one reached Sawyer at the deepest level. The dreams went on and on until Sawyer woke with a leaking, aching dick with only himself to relieve it.
There would be no going back to sleep until he took care of his body’s demands. He hadn’t been this aroused since… He couldn’t finish the thought, wouldn’t allow anything to disrupt his driving need for release. Bones made a grumbling noise and jumped off the bed when Sawyer yanked open the bedside drawer at an ungodly, predawn hour. Smart cat. He fumbled around, searching for the lube to rub one out but paused when his hand bumped into the flesh-like dildo. It had a suction cup on the base, and Sawyer took it into the shower when the need for penetration overwhelmed him. This was one of those times.
Throwing back the covers, Sawyer grabbed the dildo and lube before padding across his room to the bathroom, his swaying balls so heavy and full they ached. While waiting for the water temperature to heat up, he ran a hand over his chest, sucking in a sharp breath when his fingers brushed over hardened nipples. He closed his eyes and pictured Locke’s face pressed against his pecs, licking and sucking his nipples while Sawyer fisted his blond hair.
Fantasies of Locke kissing a path down his body, stopping to dip his tongue inside his navel before running his nose through his happy trail, made him moan out loud. Sawyer fisted his throbbing cock, wanting to put himself out of his misery but not eager for the fantasy to end.
My favorite book from this author!
I was a fan of her Curled Up and Dye series, as well as the spin off. There are some other books in there, stand alones and even a collaboration with another author. I’ve read most, and this is my favorite.
Down to the why. There seems to be sort of a maturity to this book that I haven’t gotten before. Maybe because she has a nice back list behind her. Maybe she specifically looked to write this one differently. I don’t know the answer.
We meet Sawyer in the office of his new chief of police on the Savannah PD. He meets his new partner shortly after at a brutal crime scene. Locke is resistant, to say the least. In fact, early on he gives Sawyer a bit of a speech about how they won’t be friends in any way. Locke is a grieving, broken man.
But they work well together and there is no denying that. And then a drunk Locke shows up at Sawyer’s door.
It’s assumed that Locke is straight. And even after that night with Sawyer, he never says one way or the other. And Sawyer only questions him once. But the part I liked the most is that he just went with the flow. No internal dialogue of “omg what if I am gay?” “I’m touching a penis that isn’t mine!”. I read a lot of first time gay or gay for you books and those lines get really tired. So it was refreshing.
AND there were crimes in the book. That they worked on and solved. It wasn’t just them getting together, but also story. And no, they weren’t hard to figure out mysteries. But enough of a story, well stories, that they were well told and didn’t rush.
And except for silly, being a jerk kind of things, there were NO PET NAMES! Sorry. I despise cutesy pet names. There’s enough levity so it isn’t too serious, it is serious without being angsty and it is hot without relying on sex scenes in every chapter.
This is a great start to a new series and I cannot wait for more!
4.5 Pieces of Eye Candy
Ever since she was a little girl, Aimee Nicole Walker entertained herself with stories that popped into her head. Now she gets paid to tell those stories to other people. She wears many titles—wife, mom, and animal lover are just a few of them. Her absolute favorite title is champion of the happily ever after. Love inspires everything she does, music keeps her sane, and coffee is the magic elixir that fuels her day. I’d love to hear from you
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