Review: Catch a Ghost by SE Jakes

Title: Catch a Ghost by SE Jakes
Hell or High Water Series Book One
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, M/M, Erotic, Thriller
Length: 293 pages/Word Count: 70,600
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Everyone knows that Prophet—former Navy SEAL, former CIA spook, full-time pain in the ass—works alone. But his boss at Extreme Escapes, Ltd. has just assigned Proph a new partner and a case haunted by ghosts from Proph’s past. Suddenly, he has to confront both head-on.

Tom Boudreaux—failed FBI agent, failed sheriff, full-time believer in bad luck—is wondering why the head of a private contracting firm has hunted him down to offer him a job. Still, he’s determined to succeed this time, despite being partnered with Prophet, EE’s most successful, lethal, and annoying operative, on a case that resurrects his own painful past.

Together, Prophet and Tom must find a way to take down killers in the dangerous world of underground cage matches while fighting their own dangerous attraction. When they find themselves caught in the crossfire, these two loners must trust each other and work together to escape their ghosts . . . or pay the price.

Reader discretion advised. This title contains explicit violence.

The Review:

As a longtime fan of SE Jakes, I have been eagerly anticipating Prophet’s book and I am thrilled to say, it was SO worth the wait! In Catch a Ghost, we finally learn what makes this inscrutable man tick. He also meets his match in his new (and unwanted) partner Tom Boudreaux. And since this is the first installment in the Hell or High Water series, I am sure there are a few remaining secrets to uncover about both men.

Prophet is gruff, grumpy and haunted, both literally and figuratively, by a mission that went horribly wrong years ago. As an operative for Extreme Escapes, his skills are unsurpassed. There is little he won’t do when someone’s life is on the line. Even if that means impulsively acting on his own despite orders to the contrary. Preferring to work alone, Prophet goes through partners on a regular basis, so when his boss assigns newbie Tom Boudreaux to work with him, Prophet is less than thrilled.

Tom does not have a stellar track record with partners either, so he is not exactly happy with his new partnership with Prophet either. Like Prophet, Tom is also emotionally wounded but he is more approachable and definitely more tactful. Due to the circumstances surrounding their current case, most of Tom’s issues are revealed fairly early. Although Tom’s past may be out in the open, this does not necessarily mean he has made his peace with it. And it plays a direct role in a decision he makes at the novel’s end.

Both Tom and Prophet are alpha males so their partnership is a battle of wills. In the beginning, Prophet’s stubbornness forces them to work independently of one another. But when their investigations lead them to the same place, they reluctantly join forces. It soon becomes clear that the case is somehow tied to Prophet’s past but the reasons remain unclear.

With both men attracted to one another, it is inevitable that their relationship is going to take a personal turn. Following the same pattern as their professional partnership, Prophet and Tom are soon vying for dominance in the bedroom. This results in sex scenes that are rough with each man fighting to take control but there is also a certain degree of tenderness as well.

Just as things are heating up in bedroom, SE Jakes throws in some surprising plot twists which take the story in very unexpected directions. Prophet and Tom are not the typical romance characters and the storyline reflects this. Some of the plot is wrapped up while some of it is left up in the air. The ending of Catch a Ghost is not neat and tidy but it is guaranteed to leave readers impatiently awaiting Long Time Gone, the next novel in the Hell or High Water series.