BALL & CHAIN (Cut & Run #8) by ABIGAIL ROUX

´♥´♥ ´♥

Reviewed by Gitte

4.5 Ty & Zane Swoony Stars

First off, I love this series, it’s my indulgence, my kindle crack if you will. I start each new book that comes out with a beating heart and a huge smile on my face because I know, every time, it will feel like coming home. Abi Roux makes it so.

Ty and Zane are my boys and I will always love them, they make me laugh, swoon and cry. They test me yes, yet they always confirm why I love them so; their romance and passion is addictive and somewhat volatile at times. Their personal journey together and apart through this series is epic as it unfolds amongst the drama and the slightly insane conflicts they find themselves embroiled in, some brilliant some less so. But….it’s Ty and Zane after all. That warm and fuzzy feeling will never go away as these characters have a permanent place in my heart; they feel like old friends who’ll always be special to me. I will fight fiercely for these characters and often marvel at the protectiveness I truly feel over them. I always end up saying, I wanted more Ty & Zane and I think, actually I know that this is why.

‘Ty’s fingers tangled with his, lacing together. Ty didn’t say anything. They were content to hold hands as they lay on the floor together, soaking in the warmth of the fire and the morning sun stretching toward them.’

Adding Nick and Kelly so prolifically to the mix this time in Ball & Chain made it even better in some respects and it made perfect sense in regards to Nick which fell in line with Ty’s self-realisation and the part they’ve played through this series and will play. Though at times I did think they monopolised it too much and took away the much wanted and desired spot light from Ty and Zane’s relationship. Don’t get me wrong though, I’ve fallen utterly and completely in love with these lads too from their roles in this series and from reading Sidewinder. There were some truly beautiful and epic moments between Nick and Kelly in this instalment, I may have cried hard during one in particular! So yeah, mostly I loved that we got them too in Ball and Chain.

I’m not going to go into the story of Ty and Zane, after all this is book #8. What I will say is, please pick this series up. Whether you are new to m/m or old hat; this series demands to be read. It deserves to be read. The writing is brilliant, the characters are extremely lovable and there’s never a dull moment. In fact, at times it’s bloody exhausting with the predicaments they find themselves in, with the one constant simmering in the periphery that I’m guessing will be the next final focus now.

The character growth of Ty and Zane; the changes they’ve gone through, be they good or bad, self-inflicted or not, well it’s a journey that’s embedded in my heart. Ty and Zane make me cry for so many reasons; but mostly I cry over ‘the beauty of them’.

‘Zane thought he had experienced love before. Thought he had known what it felt like to be the center of someone’s world. He had been wrong, because it had never felt like this.’

I think this is the only time I’ve said to myself upon finishing that I wanted more and actually meant that there really and truly wasn’t enough of just Ty and Zane. The drama of the running storyline overshadowed all the beloved characters at different times. The balance felt slightly off kilter in my opinion. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy the drama and intrigue of the murder mystery which Ty, Zane, Nick & Kelly had to fight through. However, I wasn’t overly sold on the ‘whodunit Miss Marple style’~ stuck with a killer in a stranded location and drawing all the suspects into the drawing room for questioning/elimination with dead bodies left, right and centre. I wanted the gritty, suspenseful and raw emotion that’s been part and parcel of this series on the whole. Did I enjoy it less because of this, hmm not overly so, but it did play a part when having to rate it in comparison to the previous books.

To end this review I just want to emphasise that if you want to fall in love, cry, laugh, and feel your heart beating like the clappers from thrilling suspense yet also from intense passion and romance. Feel the value of friendships and family ties. Well, then I honestly urge you to pick this series up and be blown away by just how much you’ll end up loving and feeling…you’ll soon become addicted! Oh and if you can’t tell already, this is one of my favourite series EVER! That.Is.All♥♥

“You’ve taken a lot of hits in the last few days, Ty. Let me take this last one for you.”

Ty stared at him, struck breathless, struck speechless. He snaked his arm around Zane’s neck and hugged him tight. He nodded, still unable to speak.”

♥♥♥

THE CUT & RUN SERIES by ABIGAIL ROUX

* CUT & RUN – BOOK ONE
Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon AU

* STICKS & STONES – BOOK TWO
Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon AU

 *FISH & CHIPS – BOOK THREE
Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon AU

* DIVIDE & CONQUER – BOOK FOUR
Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon AU

* ARMED & DANGEROUS – BOOK FIVE
Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon AU

* STARS & STRIPES – BOOK SIX
Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon AU

* TOUCH & GEAUX – BOOK SEVEN
Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon AU

* BALL & CHAIN – BOOK EIGHT
Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon AU

* CRASH & BURN – BOOK NINE
Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon AU