Stars & Stripes (Cut & Run Series Book 6)

This is a review for the entire series, not just this one book.The series was recommended to me on social media by a friend of a friend who said it was different from most male/male books as the focus was on the plot, characters and story-line rather than the sex. Thus, I decided to give the first book a go; I really enjoyed it and ended up buying, reading and enjoying the entire series.As the person recommending it to me said it is not all about the sex. In fact the sex does not make up a great part of the series; yes, there is a fair amount of sex and there are some detailed and long scenes. However, it doesn't seem forced and step-by-step, it feels very real and about two men in love, not just two men having sex. Also, for the most part the sex was a necessary part of the books and moved the story forward rather than just being there in order to titivate.I got caught up in the world of Zane & Ty and enjoyed the case aspect of the books as well as the personal aspects. It showed a different side to the FBI from what I had hitherto seen or read. All of the characters were real and far more than just cardboard cut-outs - even those who had very small, at times 'walk on', parts. The writers are clearly fanfic writers (which is not a criticism or a negative thing, quite the opposite) who have branched out into mainstream writing and have, for the most part, made an extremely good job of doing so. The fact that I did read the whole series is proof of that. It is a series I thoroughly enjoyed and read all the way through without breaking off to read any other books.So why have I only given it three stars? Well, because there were a few things which irked and even irritated me and spoilt to an extent my reading of the series.Firstly: Why, oh, why, oh why, with twenty-six letters from which to choose, did the writers decide to give both leading men surnames that began with the same letter? That's one of the huge no-nos in writing. It completely spoilt the first book for me, as every time the surname was used by anyone other than Zane or Ty, I had to pause and remember (even go back on occasions) who was being spoken to or about. That even happened a few times in later books. Given in one of the books the authors use a similar thing when they give another pair of lovers the same initials but reversed, I'm guessing they thought it was cute or something - it really wasn't; it was very annoying.Secondly: The chapter lengths in a lot of the books were far, far, far too long. Twenty, thirty, in some cases forty minutes for a chapter (and I'm a pretty fast reader) is a ridiculous length.Thirdly: The formatting in some books could have been better. There was a lack of proper hyper-links in some of the contents pages (i.e. you couldn't go to a particular chapter) & also the fact that a couple of the books only allowed you to see the reading time of the whole book rather than the length of individual chapters. These mistakes are unnecessary as it is so easy to create a contents page with links to chapters.Fourthly: The price. I bought the ebooks and thought, especially given the formatting in some books, them to be somewhat expensive for what they were. I would have expected them to have been priced at a least a pound less than they were.Would I recommend the series? Yes, insofar as it's a good, well-written, gripping series with very good characterisation and plots and a male/male romance where the sex is not the main theme of the books. On that score it's very recommendable. However, due to the above mentioned 'issues', at the price the books are I'm not certain I could wholeheartedly recommend the series - not without mentioning the cons as well as the pros.All that said, it is a series which I shall reread.

Like many others this has fast become one of my most favourite series ever. I have read every one of them avidly and sighed disappointedly everytime when I've got to the last page. The plot lines containing the crime cases that they have been involved in are cleverly crafted and have always been exciting ,edge of the seat, with action and suspense aplenty, aswell as being extremely well written in a fast, pacy kind of way that jumps off the page! Ty and Zane are definitely the type of kick ass heroes that would grace any big screen action movie. There is plenty of humour too, in the dry, witty style that always works well in these types of books.But, what I think has made these books a cut above a lot of LGBT crime m/m romances is the relationship between Ty and Zane, both complex men and both carrying a lot of baggage from their pasts. Over the six books we have seen the love between them grow stronger and more intense with each story and the chemistry they share is palpable. The way they fiercely support and protect each other, even at times from each others family members, is a joy to read. Ty and Zanes mum, priceless!In this story we learn more about Zanes family as he is called home when his father is shot on his ranch and this segues into their next perplexing crime, it is also contains their "coming out" moments ( which they've been putting off )and the reactions from all who are important to them. Loved the scene with Ty's family and Zane's dads reaction was hilarious. Great stuff!Like other reviewers this has become my fave in the series, originally it was 'Fish & Chips', but they've all been Fab and even though the original pairing of authors split after book 4, Abigail Roux has managed to keep the feel and flow of the series going really well on her own and in my opinion actually enhanced the pairing of Ty and Zane and their relationship. Please keep 'em coming Ms Roux!!

I have to admit that I had become a little jaded with the typical angst-ridden gay romance that has so recently flooded the world of digital print books, though I will always give thanks for the rise of digital printing that has allowed these gems of a once shadowed niche market to come alive. However amid the typoed plots and shallow characters there sprung the story of Ty and Zane. I am glad a mere whim made me buy that first book, 'cut & run', for I would never have discovered such a wonderful pair of men as those two. The plot lines are superb, their interactions written so beautifully and more importantly, are entirely believable. No longer must one wallow in the over-written angst-filled 2D world that has categorized a majority of gay romance novels. For years I longed for a book written in the fashion of any good main-stream fantasy, crime drama or romance. The interesting plots, the depth of characters, exceptional and detailed worlds be it fantasy or the here-and-now of every day... such things as the readers of heterosexual books take for granted but which those fans of the gay variety were so very starved for.A book that just happened to have two men as the main romantic element. Was that really so much to ask for?Finally we have a series, not just one book but a whole series, that fills that void of good plot and believable characters. Cut & Run went from a curiosity to one of my most favored reads, alongside that of Goodkind, Anne Rice, Simon Scarrow and Martina Cole.Please Miss Roux, can we have more?