Take Down Texas Heroes Book 1
M/M Mystery
Dreamspinner Press
July 23, 2019
246
Attraction sizzles when Danny Jones sets eyes on Deputy Jake Perez, despite meeting over the discovery of a mutilated corpse. But being with Jake could cost Danny his family, and being with Danny could cost Jake the very thing that brought him to Everness, Texas—revenge against the man who killed his brother. How much will Jake sacrifice to take down a psychotic criminal and finally see justice served?
After college, Danny thrived as a gay man in Houston. But when his mom’s cancer brings him back to small, conservative Everness, he must go back into the closet or risk the wrath of his abusive father—a choice made even harder when Danny starts to see a future for him and Jake.
As the body count rises and Danny becomes a target, Jake is caught between his vengeance and protecting the man he loves. He never wanted to end up in a backward town like Everness, but Danny is the best thing that ever happened to him. Jake needs to keep Danny safe as his secrets catch up to them—especially when the threat might be closer to home than they imagined.
Reviewed by: Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team
Twenty-three year old Danny Jones had finally found a life in Houston free from his father’s constant criticism and free to be who he really is, a gay man. Unfortunately life has a way of spoiling one’s dreams and that happened when Danny discovered his mother had breast cancer. Knowing that his father would be useless to her and knowing that he is the only one able to give her the support she needs he left his life in Houston to return to the small town of Everness, Texas where he would once again find himself hiding who he was for fear of what his father and mother’s reactions would be, of course his father’s would be filled with rage and hostility but there was the fear of what the news would do to his mother while she was in remission.
On a delivery for his father, the owner of the town garage he found himself facing a parked car in the middle of the road and he was unable to stop. The crash left his truck totaled, just another thing to set his father off, when Danny went to look inside the car he came face to face with a bloody body and between the accident and the dead man he was just able to dial 911.
Deputy Jake Perez came to the scene of the accident and thanks to him and his quick thinking Danny’s life was saved when his truck exploded. From the first the two men were attracted to each other only Jake is openly gay and proud and Danny is the total opposite afraid of anyone discovering his secret. Jake is not one to hold back his feelings and comes right out and asks Danny if he is gay, when Danny responds with a yes Jake continues his advances. Jake is willing to accept the fact that Danny does not want to come out and is willing for the time being to take whatever he can get. There is nothing in the world Danny wants more than to have a relationship with Jake but that does not seem to be a possibility.
When Danny is shot at with a crossbow, when Danny is followed by a stranger and when another dead body is found by him Jake begins to believe that his arrival in Everness led to the trouble Danny is having. Jake came to the town two weeks ago to get justice for his brother who was killed by Leroy Hobbs a rich kid whose family bought the best lawyer and who got him off. Jake has not revealed any of this to his boss or to Danny and hopefully his silence will not lead to Danny’s death.
Although the majority of the book followed the relationship of Danny and Jake and not as much as I would have like about the murders it was still a wonderful book about two men, so different and yet so alike in what they want in their future, love, work and acceptance. There is sex, a mystery and small town bigotry.