Six Degrees of Lust (By Degrees, #1)

Dec 26, 2011 Nikyta rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mlr-press, broken-to-bits, deception-betrayal-lies-omissions, long-distance-relationships, adbp, all-time-favs, angst, closet-cases, m-m, mystery, contemporary, cops-fbi-etc, series-serial, published-on-amazon, cliff-hanger

First and foremost, I feel like I should say that this is the first part of a serial and thank God for that because I can't wait to read more of Mac and Sam! I absolutely loved these guys!

Mac, a man who manages a bar from Texas, flies to New York with his boss to look at possible places for a second club location. Sam, an FBI agent, meets Mac at the airport when he drops everything to rescue his sister and nephew. Their brief encounter is intense and leaves them both with a longing to hook up. W...more First and foremost, I feel like I should say that this is the first part of a serial and thank God for that because I can't wait to read more of Mac and Sam! I absolutely loved these guys!

Mac, a man who manages a bar from Texas, flies to New York with his boss to look at possible places for a second club location. Sam, an FBI agent, meets Mac at the airport when he drops everything to rescue his sister and nephew. Their brief encounter is intense and leaves them both with a longing to hook up. When they finally do get together on Mac's last day in NYC, their time together is cut short and afterward, they both think they'll never see each other again. Sam doesn't do anything beyond one-night stands, though, so when he can't get the Texan out of his head it leaves him baffled but unable to not contact the sexy Texan. From there, Sam and Mac just can't get enough of each other. What started as a botched one-night stand turns into something more that they both agree can only be friends with benefits but nothing more. Little does Sam realize his constant denial of his feelings for Mac and the way he keeps breaking his own rules of their arrangement causes Mac and Sam to yearn for something much deeper than the relationship status they've put themselves into.

I absolutely loved these two characters. Mac and Sam are such alpha males that the way they handle the feelings for each other was quite entertaining. I loved the conflict they put on themselves and the hurdles they go through as characters. Sam is quite an asshole to say the least but even with that it was hard not to love him. He has a heart of gold, coming to the rescue of his sister and nephew, Nicky, when they were in trouble. Sam is brash, blunt and brutally honest. He doesn't do relationships so he'll run at the first sign of them. With Mac, while he wants to run from what they're developing, he can't help but be drawn to Mac and continue with what they have, even at the risk of developing more feelings for Mac.

Mac, on the other hand, is just so adorable. He's calm, laid back and an all around nice guy. With his sexy Texan drawl and his ability of saying the exact things that will make Sam think he's challenging him and rile him up, thus cause Sam to react to Mac and ultimately spar with him. I loved it. While Mac is in the closet (view spoiler) he is not afraid to show or be seen in public with Sam and the way they are around each other made me smile so much. It was so great seeing Sam and Mac work through their feelings and work out how the other person made them feel. I felt like I could experience their turmoil. Sam's constant desire for Mac and his possessiveness and jealousy whenever he thought of Mac with another guy (which Mac would never do) was so funny and sweet at the same time. Mac's rare rage over thinking of Sam with another guy was just as entertaining but more than that, both of their constant pretending to be indifferent about each others words, actions and gestures made this read funny, angsty and definitely enjoyable!

There are a couple of things I really loved about this book (aside from the characters). I loved how Sam called Mac 'kitten' and 'Tex'. For some reason I have a soft spot for characters being called 'kitten'. Another thing I found extremely interesting was how all these characters are connected, both main and secondary, with each other and, in essence, in a circle. For example, Mac knows Sam who knows Logan who knows Christian who knows Mac. It was so fascinating to see who would know each other next. Definitely fits the notion that each person is connected with each other by six degrees.

The conflict of the story actually revolves around what Mac and Sam go through with their feelings for each other. How they meet, their connection and how they make a long distance friends with benefit relationship (even though it's clear they have something much, much more powerful together) work and how they deal with their emotions without getting in too deep. There's a side plot that deals with a serial killer targeting certain types of gay men which was very interesting but not the main plot. It all ties in together and makes reading this go smoothly.

In the end, I really loved this book. I was hooked right from the start, fell in love with Sam, Mac and all the other characters mentioned and the issues they go through. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book of Sam and Mac and seeing all the other characters and how they tie in together. Definitely recommended. (less)

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Jan 05, 2012 Lutawolf rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, reviewed-for-author

I admit to putting this off because of proof reading other Donovan work and it's soooo good that I had a hard time believing the author could strike gold twice. I owe Taylor a big fat appology because this is fucking magic. Everything and I do mean everything just sucked me in and I could not put the book down. The suspence both with the plot and in the relationship, the emotion, and oh God the amount of detial put into the story could have me orgasiming. This isn't a five star it's a fucking si...more

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Dec 30, 2011 MandyM rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance

There's plenty to enjoy in this epic mystery/romance novel. Whoever wrote the blurb for this novel is smarter than me! I tried to summarise the story for my review and found it quite difficult. There's just so many things going on.

The book starts off with a creepy prologue about a serial killer in the making (very "Criminal Minds"). We then meet Sam, an FBI agent whose team is investigating a series of murders of young gay men, at the scene of the latest murder victim. Sam is a loner. Past trag...more There's plenty to enjoy in this epic mystery/romance novel. Whoever wrote the blurb for this novel is smarter than me! I tried to summarise the story for my review and found it quite difficult. There's just so many things going on.

The book starts off with a creepy prologue about a serial killer in the making (very "Criminal Minds"). We then meet Sam, an FBI agent whose team is investigating a series of murders of young gay men, at the scene of the latest murder victim. Sam is a loner. Past tragedy has caused him to put walls up around his emotions and there is only a handful of people in his life that he lets get close. He's just taken in his sister and nephew Nicky, after rescuing them from his abusive brother-in-law.

The next scene takes place in an airport. Bar manager Mac arrives in NYC with his boss to check out a new nightclub they want to open. He bumps into a gorgeous dark haired man at the airport (Sam) and the instant attraction leads them to a one night stand that keeps repeating despite the many obstacles in the way. Mac is a big gentle Irish American. I really loved his character and I could see why he is the one to bring down Sam's walls. He's so calm and accepting. He's also smart and funny and not above using manipulation to get Sam where he wants him. Those emails where they negotiate the terms of their relationship are HYSTERICAL! One of the high points of the novel for me.

There's a VERY large cast of secondary characters. Sam's team and family. Mac's friends and family. There are subplots galore. I don't know if they're all necessary and a couple of times I felt distracted but this is a series and I figure the author knows where she's going with all this. In any case the secondary characters are very appealing. Logan, and the two kids, Nicky and Sasha, in particular. The two groups of friends lives are intertwined in ways that they themselves don't realise and it's quite Machiavellian and intriguing and I can't wait for the two sides to fully meet.

The romance is big, fun and sexy. It's also the catalyst for lots of personal growth for our two heroes, especially Sam, who seems to have the longest road to travel to happiness. There is a bit of chicks-with-dicks syndrome creeping in but I just went along for the ride and really enjoyed it.

The ending is HFN and a bit of a cliffie. A lot of stuff is unresolved. I have a feeling I'll be stalking the author for the release date of the sequel.;) Highly recommended for fans of contemporary and mystery m/m romance.(less)

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Jan 03, 2012 ElaineY rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm, fbi-cia-govt-agencies, wait-for-complete-series, liked-it-to-read-again

This started rather unpromisingly for me. While Mac and Sam got my attention right from their first encounter, the rest of the story for the first half of the book seemed undecided as to which genre it belonged to - romance or romantic suspense. I also had the same problem with it as Ami did - and I didn't read her review until now - the book was fractured by the intermittent scene changes involving a lot of secondary characters. I found it rather annoying because, like Ami, I, too, like keeping...more This started rather unpromisingly for me. While Mac and Sam got my attention right from their first encounter, the rest of the story for the first half of the book seemed undecided as to which genre it belonged to - romance or romantic suspense. I also had the same problem with it as Ami did - and I didn't read her review until now - the book was fractured by the intermittent scene changes involving a lot of secondary characters. I found it rather annoying because, like Ami, I, too, like keeping the focus on the couple and/or the murder investigation. I think I can see what the author was trying to do by connecting almost all the characters by a thin thread (we, the readers, know but the characters don't know they are connected) - make the story a little more complex and layered but in the end, I feel it rather backfired and came out contrived, instead.

So, anyway...first half was trotting along without much to convince me I hadn't started off the new year suckered into paying far too much for a regular 'mainstream novel-length' book. Then just past the halfway mark, the story takes off in a gallop, to my delight. How? By focussing on Sam and Mac - and Logan's support role. Even the serial killer thread faded in the background, somewhat, and I didn't care that much because I was glued to the MCs' relationship. I've not wanted to throttle a lead character as much as Sam and in every other case, I'd be hollering for Mac to kick Sam to the kerb but not this time. This time I could see Mac, despite being hurt by Sam's attitude, also reads him very well and knows how to play the guy...and I'm happy to let him cos it's clear Mac can hold his own and Sam - he does need someone like Mac.

It took half of this 117K-word book to get me caring about Mac and Sam and just when they get to the most critical stage of their romance, you see the dreaded two words, "The End". Worst still, you get a short Epilogue which is a cliffhanger about the serial killer. I thought I saw a footnote saying, "To read more, pay another $8.99" but that could just be my imagination.

Not clever at all, IMO. As a reader, I hate being manipulated like this. I may have ended up enjoying the romantic thread very much but as a customer, I like to know what I'm getting into, what I'm paying for. And in SDoL's case, I got an incomplete story for a pretty steep price.

I plan to read the sequel but only if I know the author isn't going to do to Sam and Mac what Urban and Roux did to Ty and Zane. I loved those two from the first book but hated the sequel and cut my losses with the third. If the same looks like happening to Sam and Mac then I'm going to have to reconsider buying the sequel.(less)

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Dec 31, 2011 Ami rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-cops-detective-guard, mm-romance-or-erotica

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I can see this is one ambitious novel, when I first see the length of it (the website said it came at 392 pages, while my Kindle noted 7496 -- you know how Kindle is, weird system!).

I also know that this is supposed to be released first (prior to the holiday short, Southern Winterland) but for some reasons (maybe editing process) we didn't get the release date until December, even if the book has been buzzing when it first appeared here in, uhm, what was it, September??

I'm not going to talk abo...more

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May 26, 2012 Jenn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own, m-m, fictionwise, series

I'll give this a 3.5.

Overall, I would say its an enjoyable read. Mac and Sam were beyond hot together, and I liked the push/pull of their relationship, but there were some problems preventing me from giving this a higher rating.

The prologue was pretty damn creepy, and I got really excited that this book was going to be a m/m series that was really dark. I don't think it lived up to that in that department. While the mystery is focused on a serial killer religious fanatic, after the prologue I n...more I'll give this a 3.5.

Overall, I would say its an enjoyable read. Mac and Sam were beyond hot together, and I liked the push/pull of their relationship, but there were some problems preventing me from giving this a higher rating.

The prologue was pretty damn creepy, and I got really excited that this book was going to be a m/m series that was really dark. I don't think it lived up to that in that department. While the mystery is focused on a serial killer religious fanatic, after the prologue I never really felt nervous or scared except for (view spoiler) I still kind of liked guessing things though. I love, love mystery books so I try to read any m/m book that has a mystery element.

I found myself often, however, more interested in Logan, Christian, and the elusive Remy than I was with Mac and Sam. Speaking of extra characters I get this is supposed to be an ensemble series, but it didn't really read like an ensemble series. For me, if its going to work like an ensemble I need to have for the most part equal time spent with the characters and have all of them progress from book to book. This felt more like in this book we'll learn mostly about Mac and Sam, and then we'll be introduced to a whole bunch of extra characters but not learn much about them but at some point they'll be more of a focus. I don't know but I guess in doing it like that it led to a lot of confusion and feeling unsatisfied. I wanted to know more if I was going to spend time with them. Plus the POV got to be a little tiresome as well as confusing sometimes switching sentence to sentence.

Now the cliffhanger. I agree that Sam and Mac (view spoiler) I still could have dealt with that though if at least the crime had been solved. It seemed fairly obvious or least down to 1-3 suspects for the killer so I don't really think it was necessary to drag it out for another book. Of course, I could be completely wrong about the options, but I still don't feel the mystery element had been built up enough to last another book or for the rest of the series. When it was over, I didn't feel like anything at all was resolved with any of the characters or the story arc and that makes be cranky.

Sighhh, but OK I still liked it. I still want Sam and Mac to be happy together and I want their friends to have some happiness. I'll read the next one, but I hope that we learn much more about Sascha, Logan, and we get some progress with Remy and Christian. Plus, (view spoiler)(less)

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Feb 08, 2012 SueM rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, mystery-suspense-thriller, cliffhanger-unfinished-ending, ipad-ereader, disowned-by-family, cop-agent-military-pi

3.5 stars.
Gack! Loved this story - a 4 - 4.5 star read - right up till the end - where it finished in a cliff-hanger!!! I know it said it was a first installment, but it actually feels like that it was a full length story that was chopped in half - leaving the reader (okay, me) floundering like a fish out of water. There really was no warning that the story was about to finish so abruptly, as usually at least one segment of the story is resolved by the end of the first book. Unfortunately, that'...more

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May 26, 2012 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, mm-mystery-crime-suspense, mm-cops-fbi-pis-bodyguards, on-kindle, 3-stars, angsty

This book went from 4 stars to 3 stars the whole time.. so I'm giving it a 3.5 stars. I did really like it and it probably would've been 4 or 4.5 stars if the book was more focused on the relationship between the two MCs and not everyone around them too. I'm already not a fan of books that show both MCs POVs, but I learned to deal with it because most books are like that... but in this book there were at least 5 different POVs and I hated that. There were pages and pages of characters' POVs of w...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks-i-own, favorites, kindle-mm-read, cops-hitmen-military-pi, kids-are-gross, growly-alpha-males, coming-out, crazy-killer-on-the-loose, gay-for-you, honey-baby-sugar-pie-gag, hot-as-hell, worth-buying-one-two-or-five-copies, this-really-should-be-longer, series-to-keep-an-eye-on, guilty-pleasure, favorite-author

5 stars

Ummmmmm WTF!?! Where is the other 400 pages that is needed to finish this thing? Or at least keep it going so I can figure out how things will end up...maybe? Gahhhh!!!!

I love Mac and Sam...Mac more than Sam because he's a big asshole...but I still like him. And Logan. Holy moly! I love him!

I wish I read this all at one time instead of starting it at the beginning of December and then getting sucked into other books and letting it fall to the wayside. Once I got into it again I couldn't...more

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Apr 03, 2013 GymGuy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance

I'm a little bit torn on rating this book. There was much to really like about it and then some things that I thought were awkward.

Here's what I thought didn't work: While I understand that the author was trying to lay the groundwork for future installments in the series, too much was presented in the first book. There were far too many characters and far too many relationships. After awhile I just glazed over. Most other books that do this try and keep each book self-contained to some degree....more I'm a little bit torn on rating this book. There was much to really like about it and then some things that I thought were awkward.

Here's what I thought didn't work: While I understand that the author was trying to lay the groundwork for future installments in the series, too much was presented in the first book. There were far too many characters and far too many relationships. After awhile I just glazed over. Most other books that do this try and keep each book self-contained to some degree. It would have been easier on the reader to have kept some of these characters to a minimum in this book and then re-introduce them more at length in future stories. It was overwhelming to have tried to do so much with this first one: just made for a rather unfocused storyline.

There were some nagging idiomatic mistakes. I found the same mistakes in another story by this author. This seems to be a colloquialism of the author's, but it is a mis-use of the word "for." "We need 'for' this psycho to make a mistake." "He wanted 'for' the guy to be the first." "he never allowed 'for' their sexual roles to influence..."

The overuse of words like Tex and Yankee got to me.

Finally I have to agree with Ami and Elaine Y. The ending was really a let down. I know that the author says that it is going to be continued, however that was well over a year ago and we are still 'waiting' for the next book. By the time the that one comes out, I will probably have totally forgotten about the series and perhaps not really care that much about either MC enough to read another in the series.

I stumbled a lot of times as to whom was actually speaking. This was because the pargraphing was ill-constructed. Quotations were often liked with the next idea instead of being grouped with the actual person who was talking. It just made for having to re-read sections and count backwards to try and determine the line of thought. It also was awkward when a quote was broken by a paragraph or two of explanation rather than keeping it all together.

The murder sub-plot was justs that. It didn't really capture much of my interest. Hopefully it will be wrapped up quickly in the next book, because it's not of much interest to me.

Now, what I found really good:

While the heat between Mac and Sam was slow to build, it was great as it fired up. Perhaps the whole alpha male sparring was a bit too drawn-out, but all in all it was fun to read.

(less)

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Oct 24, 2012 Elisa Ramblings added it

I remember I talked about this novel back in March with the author and she told me that this has to really be read as a whole series, that book 1 alone is only part of a more complex plot. At the time I didn't entirely realize it, also since this book alone is almost 400 pages long, a considerable lenght for today novels. Now, after the marathon it was this reading I totally understand, and I have to be true, I was a little upset with the author, but I was warned and indeed I was aware of her pl...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Karenna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-books, read-in-2012, romantic-suspense, slash

I knew going in to this book that it was part of a series and that there would not be resolution at the end, but I decided to read it anyway based on the interesting reviews.
What I liked:
1. I really enjoyed both Sam and Mac. I liked their interactions and I liked watching Sam gradually turn from complete jerk to moderate jerk.
2. I am not usually a fan of children characters, but I found The Nicky and Sasha storyline engaging and can't wait to read more.
3. The plot kept my attention and I did no...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Absolutely loved it! Good plot, but not so overwhelming that we feel cheated out of our romance story. And the romance! oh man, the tension between the two is sizzling, and you can actually see each step the take towards being a couple. They're so sweet!

The only reason i gave this story 4 out of 5 stars is because i felt the number of characters was somewhat too much, and following too many subplots at once: Sam's wife, Sasha,Sam's sister and nephew etc. I feel that, since it's going to be a ser...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Marissa rated it 2 of 5 stars

The writing itself was good but the pace of the story and the fact that it was UNRESOLVED AT THE END just didn't cut it for me. It started out as a mystery story but then went off into tangents with a whole lot of other subplots/plot lines that basically went no where at the end. I HATE stories where it seems to cut off totally at the end with nothing resolved-aka being an incomplete story as some others have mentioned.

It seems like a cop out, like oh you have to read the next book to figure it...more

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Jan 14, 2012 T.A. Webb rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sam Shaughnessy is a complex man. He is the team leader of an elite group of FBI agents tracking a serial killer preying an gay men. He is a family man, committed to his sister and his nephew, who he is on his way to fetch after his abusive brother in law takes it one step too far. He is the still grieving father and ex husband. And he is the flirt who has one night stands and never lets his heart come into play.

In the airport on his way to get his sister and nephew, he meets Mac O'Bannon. Mac i...more

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May 23, 2012 Stephanie M. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gah!! I really liked this story. It was well written with an incredible cast of characters. Sam and Mac are sooooooooooooo hot together! Warning, Sam is a major asshole. I wanted to deck him so many times. Seriously, Mac should really try and find someone who will treat him like a human being and not a piece of meat with no feelings. He has the patience of a saint because I would have told Sam fuck off a long time ago. Sigh. But you can't help but to not root for them to make it to coupledom. Ri...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Kazza rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book received 4 stars because it is, predominantly, a well written book. There is plenty of meat to the story, the character development was excellent (and there are quite a few characters). It could definitely evolve into a good series.

Sam is an FBI agent, based in New York, leading a team within a hate crimes division. Professionally, he is good at what he does and inspires loyalty from those that work for him. He is currently heading up an investigation into serial gay killings. Persona...more This book received 4 stars because it is, predominantly, a well written book. There is plenty of meat to the story, the character development was excellent (and there are quite a few characters). It could definitely evolve into a good series.

Sam is an FBI agent, based in New York, leading a team within a hate crimes division. Professionally, he is good at what he does and inspires loyalty from those that work for him. He is currently heading up an investigation into serial gay killings. Personally, Sam is shut-down and won't let many people in, particularly those that are of the potential love variety. He is a good uncle, son, brother and friend but very uptight, touchy and rude as partner material. He is open about being gay. He is the veritable good sort with attitude - so fucks plenty, doesn't do love making.

Mac comes from a political family, has entered into a promise to not 'embarass' his family by being openly gay, even has a 'beard'. He manages a sports bar, in Texas, that is gay friendly. He is not out at all, although he was previously in a long term relationship with a selfish twat named Travis. His family know but are in denial, his mother feels it's a "phase", his father is emasculated, so he has no open thoughts. In this book Mac does put his foot down, tells his mother that he is now going to be out and proud, you go Mac. He also let's his best friend, Remy, know he's gay during an interestingly awkward moment during a trip to New orleans. He is another good looking guy, but without Sam's attitude. He is quite alpha and there is a tussle for top/bottom with Sam. In spite of his physical size he is more calm and easy going, he has to be to have any sort of relationship with Sam. He takes a bit to get riled up and he certainly worked out how to press Sam's buttons, had to to stand a chance at being in the love game with Sam.

What didn't work for me - I did not like the way it ended, would have preferred it to have been self contained and then moved onto the next installment. There are very few books than can pull this style of writing off without pissing readers off (Dark Soul 1-5 being one of the few series I can think of that successfully leaves each book open ended, until volume 5, but there are a myriad of reasons for that, however I'm not reviewing that series here). You really did not get to know full details on what was going on behind the shut down mentality of the two MC's, for instance Amy is - a) married to Mac, b) Mac's non legal significant other? I don't know. What happended to Lyndsey, Sam's, dead baby girl? Why is he blaming himself for whatever it is that happened to her? What is Sasha's actual story? Just some clear glimpses would be good. While I didn't mind that the Leviticus serial killer is obviously going to be an ongoing part of the plot/series, leaving ALL the characters in limbo leaves you feeling greatly dissatisfied. I'm not a big fan of ongoing main character relationship development because the author runs the risk of boring readers with the characters that they once enjoyed. I did not like that the primary female characters were bitches or loons, gay guys can have female family and significant friends that are supportive and well balanced, I take offense. Mik was the only, seemingly, balanced, smart female in the group and she was a minor colleague, so it doesn't count. Gabi runs the gauntlet of emotions, you can't support LGBTQ and then go off on bisexuals. Seriously, there needs to be a bitch Bechdel Test equivalent for M/M books.

What worked for me - I liked the everday, yet flirtatious way Sam and Mac met. Their distance relationship was interesting. Their getting to know each other and their banter was quite good, annoyed the crap out of me at times, loved it at others - good, honest writing here. I liked Mac's original email to Sam, thought it was very open, pity Sam had to read ulterior motives into it. The sex between the two MC's was hot, yes indeed, I liked it. I liked the representations of different gay men here, they weren't all he-men alphas (outside of the 2 MC's), thank you very much. The relationship between Sam and Mac's friends, which actually formed a circle that they don't fully realise yet, was well written and totally believable. The interweaving of the different storylines was very well done. I liked the murder/mystery component of the book. I want to know more about Sasha, what is going to happen to Nicky, Logan, Christian, Remy. So there are plenty of characters to go on with which makes me happy.

I did not 'love' either of the 2 MC's, so the fact that I liked the book so much speaks volumes for Ms Donovan's writing prowess. If I don't really connect with at least one of the MC's the book is usually a miss for me and yet SDoL is a hit for mine. Sam and Mac - relationships needn't be so hard guys, get it together. Sam stop being so insular, Mac stop playing his games. So, you can see by my talking to fictional characters that I enjoyed the read and characterizations.

I've gone from accidently discovering Taylor Donovan's books (thanks to Sloan Parker and the Sweet Spot) to keenly looking for the next book in the series.(less)

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Apr 11, 2012 Yvonne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, m-m-action-suspense, m-m-mystery

Considering what's been happening lately with the books that I've read (not good) at least I was able to finish this one. Still this was a book construction mess. The idea is clever--to have characters who don't realize that they all share a connection in this story.

The story really starts off well with a body, a serial killer on the loose & Sam, the FBi leader trying to solve the mystery. At the same time he runs into a man he has an interest in on his way to the airport, at the same time...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Fangtasia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Beautiful characters, fell in love with them all! But, that was one of the problems I had, keeping track of them and remembering who was who and how he/she was related to everyone else.

The story, interesting, exciting. The romance maddening, sweet, sad and funny at times. The sex scenes, ohhh emmm geee... when Sam and Mac hooked up, there was no stopping until the scene was over. The serial killer, sick, completely mad, but strangely, STILL AROUND at the end...

Yes, for those of you who, like me,...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Samington rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: abusive-pasts, character-death, down-on-the-ladies, drying-paint, evil-exes, gay-for-you, in-the-closet, instalove, just-plain-douchebags, irritating, mf, kidfic, mystery, police-brutality, one-true-character, ridiculousness, tall-dark-and-brooding-boring, vacuous-villains, thriller, somehow-i-still-like-it

A relatively by-the-book whodunnit interspersed with huge amounts of subplots and mix-and-match character relationships. At points, it's a little hard to keep track of who's who (Sam/Mac/Logan/Duncan/Zane/Ryan/Adam/Sasha/Nicky/Braxton/Remy/Christian/etc./etc.) and how they know one another, because they're all gorgeous gay guys who go to Tangerine (well, not Nicky or Sasha, but I'm sure they would if they could). The jumpy way the book is written means that I found it difficult to invest myself...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Kade Boehme rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have got to start by saying that my absolute most favorite thing about this book was definitely Mac. He is pretty much in my dream man category. He's a big dude... like really big, ex firefighter, bartender, protective, really really sweet and so laid back. (and not a douche bag in any way, which would b a rarity in the shitty guys i am usually attracted to). He really goes for it. Against his family, his shitty old friend Amy, and coming out to his friends he still has that sweet courage to m...more I have got to start by saying that my absolute most favorite thing about this book was definitely Mac. He is pretty much in my dream man category. He's a big dude... like really big, ex firefighter, bartender, protective, really really sweet and so laid back. (and not a douche bag in any way, which would b a rarity in the shitty guys i am usually attracted to). He really goes for it. Against his family, his shitty old friend Amy, and coming out to his friends he still has that sweet courage to make a go of i with Sam, who i frequently wanted to smack with my kindle for not realizing what an amazing person he had trying go be part of his life.

Don't get me wrong here. Sam did grow on me. He is a good friend and a great uncle. He is just so caught up in his guilt with Gabi (bitch is BITTER!) that he denies himself even the basic human comfort of communication with those he loves because along the way someone made him feel like he didn't deserve it. But when he is not makin his man cry, Sam is also protective and has a big heart deep in there and some horrible scars. Its fun to watch the way Mac goes alpha and Sam tries to fight back with his alpha but then realizes maybe his alpha didn't win. ("I think Mac may have been topping from the bottom this whole time.")

As for the ensemble, i didn't find they distracted me as much as other reviewers lead me to believe. They were really kinda fun to have around and it was like you knew exactly how they were connected (Gabi was the biggest DUH ever). That said, i hope their stories continue to be the peripheral of the main story because there is soooo much left untied with Mac and Sam and they're truly the back bone of this story. (speaking of back bones, Sam's back tat is awesome).

I really hate when mystery arcs are left open. And here it felt like very little resolution in the mystery and the romance arc and soooo many unanswered questions ... especially with Mac's big agreement and Sam's daughter. But i can see enough hope for the next book that the only way this book will lose its 5 star rating is if Sam and Mac fall by the wayside and become the secondaries in the next book. Otherwise te writing was amazing, the sex was super hot, the angst was spot on, mystery ad technical stuff nicely done and the characters are great. Can't wait for the sequel! Great job!!(less)

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May 06, 2012 L-D rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cop-pi-bountyhunter, m-m, bars-bartenders-clubs, murderer-serial-killer-rapist, mystery, romance, series

Samuel Shaughnessy is an FBI agent who, after a bitter divorce, keeps himself emotionally unavailable. He finds the perfect solution to his physical needs when he bumps into Machlan O'Bannon at an airport. Mac is just in NYC on business and lives in Texas where he runs a bar. A one night stand with no chance of anything deeper is perfect for Sam. Mach wants to live as an out and proud gay man and after years of keeping his relationships under wraps, Mach is ready for something more serious. Whil...more

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Dec 31, 2011 Kiki rated it 2 of 5 stars

Very promising, but disappointing when little of the promise is fulfilled. None of the various (in some ways, too many) story threads are resolved.

There's the serial killer story/mystery, which isn't all that interesting anyway. (I'm so, so tired of serial killers.) Still, unsolved, unresolved. There's the mystery of what's going on with young Sasha. And Sam's relationship with his ex-wife and the mystery (to the reader) of what happened to his daughter. And probably a few other threads I've lo...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Sey James rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: re-reading

I absolutely loved this book. One of the most enjoyable reads for me this year! Excellent plot, great characters and so very well written. Congrats to Taylor on an amazing start to the series which has left me desperately wanting for more.

Loved this even more on the second read. Really one of my favorite reads to date <3

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Dec 31, 2011 Nithu rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was a little worried that this book would be a disappointment as I was so looking forward to reading it after reading the excerpt. I needn't have worried at all; the only disappointment is that it ended where it did (part of my brain is still whining 'OMG! How could you stop there?', but I have stopped screaming.)

The chemistry between Sam and Mac just leaps off the page. They are so hot together, my Kindle almost melted. Sam - I love him and hate him in turns. He can be such a prick to Mac, ye...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Danni rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance-read, mm-whodunnit-mystery

When I started to read this book, I knew that it was a part of a series, but I didn´t expect it to end so abruptly. So be warned :)
I am very excited to read the next part when it comes out.

Sam and Mac are kind of the main characters in this book. I say "kind of", because this story is told from so many different perspectives and involves so many characters, that sometime there is such a long break in Sam and Mac´s story that you almost forget there is a romance going on.
The author does do a goo...more

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Apr 05, 2012 Snowtulip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

So there I was, just reading along...and then the book just ended! Say it isn't soooo!! And then, I went to check for the next book and it isn't out yet :(

This turned out to be a very enjoyable read, I absolutely love Mac! This story is packed full of multiple story lines that are weaved together and I can't wait to see how everything ends up in the conclusion.

Sam, Mac, Logan, and Nicky are all such great characters that really pulled me into wanting to learn more about their struggles and hopin...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Jayhjay rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review was originally posted on my blog Joyfully Jay.

Machlan O'Bannon is visiting New York from Houston with his friend Braxton Sinclair when he literally bumps into a gorgeous man in the airport. The attraction between Mac and the stranger is strong and mutual, and in the brief exchange the man gives Mac his card with the request to call him in a few days when he returns to town.

Samuel Shaughnessy leads an elite FBI team tasked with investigating hate crimes, specifically those against th...more This review was originally posted on my blog Joyfully Jay.

Machlan O'Bannon is visiting New York from Houston with his friend Braxton Sinclair when he literally bumps into a gorgeous man in the airport. The attraction between Mac and the stranger is strong and mutual, and in the brief exchange the man gives Mac his card with the request to call him in a few days when he returns to town.

Samuel Shaughnessy leads an elite FBI team tasked with investigating hate crimes, specifically those against the LGBT community. He and his team are currently investigating a serial killer targeting gay men he picks up at night clubs, leaving their bodies wrapped in painted canvas. The killer has left bodies all over the NY tri-state area, and they are discovering victims in other areas of the country as well. Although Sam is consumed with his case, he can't stop thinking about the gorgeous guy he met in the airport and is thrilled when he gets a call from Mac.

The two men meet up for a hot night together, but both are clear this is a one night only thing. Sam is a pretty closed off, controlled guy and not looking for intimacy or a relationship. A bad breakup with his wife years before has kept him wary of getting involved again and holding anyone's feelings in his hands. And Mac isn't fully out yet, and not quite ready for a relationship. He has promised his political family that he would stay in the closet for five years to give his father a chance for his career to be established. Although that time is almost up and Mac can't wait to live life on his own terms, he is still doesn't feel he can have a real relationship quite yet.

But neither man can forget their evening together and they begin meeting casually and talking on the phone. Sam can't help but try to keep total control of things and sets up detailed rules about how the situation will progress -- how many phone calls, how often they can see one another, and most importantly, that they are not "boyfriends" or even dating. Yet Sam himself can't help but break some of the rules as he starts to fall for Mac, surprising himself with his own feelings. And Mac decides he has had enough of his family's homophobic attitude and realizes he wants more with Sam than he originally planned. The men's relationship goes further than either of them expected at the beginning, but not quite as far as either of them want quite yet.

The relationship between the men and the investigation of the killer are just two parts of a long and richly detailed book. There are a large number of side characters and the book also develops their stories. This includes Sam's FBI team and Mac's various friends in both Houston and New York. One subplot concerns Sam's sister and his nephew Nicky who are being abused and Sam takes them into his home. He becomes quite involved with caring for his nephew, especially when it appears he may be questioning his own sexuality. We also meet Sam's ex-wife Gabi and learn a bit about their relationship and the death of Sam's infant daughter, an event for which both he and Gabi hold him responsible. There are a host of other characters and subplots that are part of the story, many of them intertwining throughout the book.

I enjoyed all of these various subplots and I think they worked quite well in a saga that continues over more than one book. But I will admit that at times I had trouble keeping track of all the secondary characters and how they all fit together as they are quite intertwined. For example, Mac's good friend Christian lives in New York and happens to be best friends with Sam's ex-wife Gabi (although Sam and Mac don't seem to ever realize the connection). And Sam's best friend and team member Logan is good friends with Gabi and Christian's manicurist and the three of them meet and become friends. So every once in a while I found myself a little confused as to who was who, where they lived, and how they connected. But I do think the broad array of characters work well in a book like this one with its long narrative spanning multiple books.

The serial killer investigation is quite exciting and very well done. There are enough clues about the mystery to keep the reader engaged and following along, but it is not completely clear who the bad guy is just yet. The book opens with some internal dialog from the killer about 10 years before the main part of the story. It is clear that the man is torn between his desire for men and a strict religious background that has convinced him homosexuality is evil. We can see evidence of this internal chaos in the glimpses we get of his crimes and actions throughout the book. I really enjoyed this part and think Donovan did a nice job keeping the mystery moving and the pace exciting.

So in case I wasn't clear, this story is the first of a series and the plot is not wrapped up in this first book. Both the relationship between Mac and Sam, as well as the serial murder investigation are still developing by the end of the book. I wasn't aware of that and was a bit surprised when the ending snuck up on me and now I can't wait to read the next book in the series! I am not a patient waiter (just ask my husband!) but I think the series is definitely worth it. If you are looking for a detailed story you can really sink into, along with a great mystery and hot romance, I would definitely recommend Six Degrees of Lust.
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Mar 05, 2012 Kathleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, law-enforcement

I really enjoyed this story. It was so rich with detail and deliciously twisty when it came to the serial killer plot. I loved to read along as Sam and Mac danced around each other, not noticing they were growing closer due to their denial. Sam was absolutely adorable when he finally accepted that perhaps he wanted more from Mac than friends-ish with benefits. I occasionally became confused due to the large cast of characters but I definitely look forward to reading more in this series - especia...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Qi rated it 1 of 5 stars

Dear God, I hope they stop "profiling" soon. Their guesswork feels ridiculous to me (and wrong! Their assumptions are so freakishly wrong! -says the girl who watches too many crime dramas) and the narration explains things to the reader as if we're stupid. Oh, this one is different from the others. This is important, kids, because that means that this victim was special and we can learn more about the killer! I bet you would never have figured it out on your own!

There's also a moment of shock wh...more

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