Title: Promises Part 4
Author: A.E. Via
Series: Bounty Hunters Series
Edited by: Sue Laybourn
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
PAGE COUNT: 395
Release Date: March 9, 2018
Amazon
Synopsis
Men found him attractive, interesting even. He was like a fascinating experiment gone wrong that men liked to investigate. He’d get a date – or two, if he was lucky – but it wasn’t long before Brian’s darkness showed, and the men were running from him.
Brian King was honorably discharged from the United States Navy five years ago. He’d left with the highest honors a man can receive in his country, but he’d paid the ultimate price to earn them. He was considered one of the best; an Intelligence Officer in a Joint Special Operations Delta team that’d been a twelve-man wrecking crew. They’d thought they were invincible… until they weren’t. Brian was the only member that survived the ambush. He survived ten months of pain, of torture, only to emerge on the other side a warrior. A POW survivor. He’d returned home with all his limbs, his right mind, and with his only brother Ford, at his side. But, one thing had been lost, maybe for good… his voice.
Now, being a bounty hunter is Brian’s only means to satisfy his need to calculate, track, and capture. His only outlet to the stress caused by his silence. He was good at what he did. But, all work and no play for a forty-four year old man was taking its toll. Brian wasn’t a faulty experiment. He missed companionship, he missed communicating. So, when he met Sway Hamilton – in the most unconventional means – he’d been surprised at his special way of understanding Brian’s every look… and touch.
Sway grew up in the rough part of ATL, trailing behind his twin brother Stanton and his best friend, Dana. He and his brother had a bond only twins could understand. So when Stanton’s life was taken during their sophomore year in college, Sway didn’t think he’d ever recover. He finally finished school, got his masters in nursing, worked hard, and focused on taking care of his mother. However, Sway knew there was more to life than heartache, and caring for others. There had to be. But he didn’t know what any of those things were until he met a dark hunter that blew his mind… and the intense man had never uttered a single word.
Brian and Sway can feel the powerful connection between them. It was there from the start—but both of them have battled with loss and anguish for so long, neither understand that love can ease all of it. Do they have the courage to battle through it together? Sway has to learn to trust in love, and Brian has to believe that Sway will always understand him even if he never speaks again.
Sway held him tight around his neck, “I don’t need you to talk, Brian. I can hear you just fine,” Sway whispered softly, kissing his throat.
This novel is a part of a series but can be read as a standalone. No cliffhangers.
Trigger Warning: This story contains acts of bond recovery agent violence. Mention of war zones and descriptions of war prisoners. This story DOES NOT contain overly-described acts of torture.
Excerpt
Sway groaned. Why was he still sitting there next to Brian’s sleek car asking himself silly questions?
He checked his phone one last time to see if his mom’s nurse had answered his text from earlier. Tweetie had texted him back that everything was fine, and his mom had just finished eating dinner and they were getting ready to put away her goodies she got at the market before it was time for their prime-time shows. Tweetie’s last text made him laugh and gag all at the same time.
Tweetie: My cuzin Jamar. Remember the gay barber?? He said something about lubricashun being important. Did I type that right? Do you got some of that shuga?
Oh God, why me? He put the phone on vibrate and tucked it into his book bag, not daring to dignify any of that with a response. Okay, he was going to have to really find this Jamar and tell him he’s giving his sweet little cousin way too much information. Sway got out the car and made quick work getting to the door. He was dillydallying. He wiped his hands on his jeans one last time and pushed the doorbell. He took a calming breath and released it slowly just as the door opened.
The relaxing breath did nothing, because the sight of Brian in lounging pants and a black wife beater—that couldn’t hide the ample, slick black hair on his chest—made Sway’s heart do that flippy thing when he was nervous. Instead of passing out, he swallowed hard and gripped the porch railing. Maybe his fatigue and elevated heart rate were making him feel this way and not how sexy Brian was. His cock thickened when one side of Brian’s mouth kicked up, as if he knew all of Sway’s dirty thoughts. Brian unlocked the screen door and moved to the side to hold it open. Next thing he’d noticed was Brian had cut quite a bit of length off the top of his head; the man bun was gone. He liked it. It was mature and sexy. Sway moved down from that handsome face to Brian’s thick biceps in that tank top and the way they flexed while he held the heavy door. As Sway got his legs to move, he stepped past his host and into the dark foyer. He looked around quickly before his eyes went right back to Brian’s chest. He smelled delicious, or was that coming from the kitchen? Maybe both.
Brian smiled easily and stepped into his personal space. The closer he got the more Sway had to crane his neck to see those intense eyes. Brian said so much with his expressions that it always took Sway a moment to prepare for all the feels. Brian stared down at him as if he was waiting for a sign. Sway felt his heart stammer as he got lost in the darkness of those black orbs. So much behind those eyes. Want, warmth, hurt… pain. Sway stared back at him. Three little words came to his mind when he reached up and touched the center of Brian’s chest and felt his heart beating at an even faster pace than his own.
I’m here now.
4 of 5 Stars
I’ve been waiting for Brian’s book for what seems like forever! I was dying to find out more about him! This book is more relationship driven than hunter driven although there is a couple of ‘hunts’ that happen. During one of the ‘hunts’ we get cameo appearances by some of the Nothing Special guys which I don’t think would make sense without having read those books.
Sway and Brian are pretty perfect together when they can get out of their own way. Sway is afraid to enter a meaningful relationship because he’s too afraid to love and lose. Brian is extremely sensitive and surprisingly vulnerable about his mutism because he is dismissed or made fun of by most men. They have off the charts sexual chemistry. Sway ‘reads’ Brian well…like they’ve known each other forever. He sees and understands Brian in a way no other has. There isn’t a lot of angst between them…just a couple of bumps along the way that are sorted quickly.
My favorite scene hands down is when they get dressed in formal wear…I think my heart stopped for a minute. There are a couple of other powerfully emotional scenes that I don’t want to spoil but will stick with me.
Ford surprised me in this one…he selfishly wants Brian to talk again so he feels better about Brian’s recovery. Ford put unnecessary pressure on Brian and I really think it slowed Brian’s process. There were a couple of side characters that were nasty and I could have done without them.
My only complaint is the length…this one seemed needlessly long and I skimmed a couple of scenes. This is probably my favorite of the series but it looks like we’ll have more coming in the future.
Other Books in the Series
Promises: Part I (Bounty Hunters Series)
Promises: Part 2 (Bounty Hunters Series)
Promises: Part 3 (Bounty Hunters Series)
About the Author
A.E. (Adrienne) Via has been a best-selling author in gay romance for five years now, but she’s no stranger to MM. She’s been an avid reader of gay lit for over twenty years before she picked up her laptop to place her own kiss on this beautiful genre. She’s also the founder and owner of Via Star Wings Books, having published a couple of great new up and coming MM authors.
A.E. has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Virginia Wesleyan College that she used to start her own paralegal firm after she graduated in 2008. She spent five years preparing and filing bankruptcy petitions for struggling blue collar workers who couldn’t afford to file with a lawyer. It was a rewarding and satisfying career… but another path called to me. Writing.
A.E.’s writing embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure, to scandalous. Her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.
Now that she’s gotten over her 10 books published hump, she’s kind of known now for her play rough and love hard, bad boy, alphas. However, I do like to push myself to step out of my comfort zone and explore with different tropes, but I never push myself into a whole other genre. I’m head over heels for gay romance and I have tons of more hot stories to tell.
Be sure to visit Adrienne on her social media pages and subscribe to her newsletter to never miss another release date! https://goo.gl/GbfCyk or Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or a sneak peek on upcoming work, free reads, VSWB submissions, and where she’ll appear next.
Links
Amazon Link: https://goo.gl/1Yx86r
Smashwords: https://goo.gl/AjV7mx
Goodreads: https://goo.gl/U5UVd3
Author Official Website: http://authoraevia.com
A.E. Amazon Author Page: https://goo.gl/AVpOeJ
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/aeviaauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorAEVia
Giveaway