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Assignment #1
The Assignment
Series Note: The Assignment is the first in a series of adventures of Detectives Valenti and O'Brian. Their story begins with The Assignment, followed by I'll Be Hot for Christmas, Fireworks and then Heart and Soul. I'll Be Hot for Christmas and Fireworks are only available at Loose Id.
Detective Nicholas Valenti, tall, dark and stoic, has been best friends with his partner, Sean O’Brian for six years. The two men have seen each other through divorce, disaster and danger and saved each other’s asses more times than Valenti can count. Exactly when he started seeing his blond, intense partner in another light, Valenti isn’t really sure. He only knows that he wants O’Brian in a way that had nothing to do with friendship and everything to do with possession. It is a desire he will have to hide forever because O’Brian is undeniably straight.
Just as Valenti is coming to grips with his new, unacceptable feelings for his partner their police Captain puts them on a new case that could blow Valenti’s cover once and for all. He and O’Brian are going undercover at the country’s largest and most infamous gay resort to bust a notorious drug lord and stop the shipments of poison cocaine that are flooding the gay bars all over the city.
Now Valenti will have to make a choice between friendship and desire. He and O’Brian will play the roles of gay men that will push the limits of their relationship to the breaking point. Will their time at the RamJack forge a new bond between them or destroy their partnership forever?
Detective Nicholas Valenti, tall, dark and stoic, has been best friends with his partner, Sean O’Brian for six years. The two men have seen each other through divorce, disaster and danger and saved each other’s asses more times than Valenti can count. Exactly when he started seeing his blond, intense partner in another light, Valenti isn’t really sure. He only knows that he wants O’Brian in a way that had nothing to do with friendship and everything to do with possession. It is a desire he will have to hide forever because O’Brian is undeniably straight.
Just as Valenti is coming to grips with his new, unacceptable feelings for his partner their police Captain puts them on a new case that could blow Valenti’s cover once and for all. He and O’Brian are going undercover at the country’s largest and most infamous gay resort to bust a notorious drug lord and stop the shipments of poison cocaine that are flooding the gay bars all over the city.
Now Valenti will have to make a choice between friendship and desire. He and O’Brian will play the roles of gay men that will push the limits of their relationship to the breaking point. Will their time at the RamJack forge a new bond between them or destroy their partnership forever?
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
72 people are currently reading
4740 people want to read
About the author
Evangeline Anderson
283 books5,015 followersEvangeline Anderson is a registered MRI tech who would rather be writing. And yes, she is nerdy enough to have a bumper sticker that says “I’d rather be writing.” Honk if you see her! She is thirty-something and lives in Florida with a husband, a son, and two cats. She had been writing erotic fiction for her own gratification for a number of years before it occurred to her to try and get paid for it. To her delight, she found that it was actually possible to get money for having a dirty mind and she has been writing paranormal and Sci-fi erotica steadily ever since.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 474 reviews
May 27, 2017
***3.5 Stars***
Well, well well....wasn't this a steamy little nugget.
This was a perfect, quick, gratuitously HOT read. Don't take anything seriously, and just go with the flow enjoying the cheesy dialogue and convenient directions the characters go in. Because, by the end, you'll only have one question to ask yourself?
February 24, 2015
So obviously looking for some spectacular plot in smut is like expecting good acting in porn.
And I'm ok with that. Heck this was probably gonna end up being a four star cause I'm also very biased when it comes to GFY. Yes, I have double standards. No, I don't care.
So the problem was, this was trying to hard to have a plot. I mean if you read this, you will understand. Stupidity 101.
It was also going for BDSM, where I, someone who cringes away from that was just laughing out loud at the sheer stupidity of these two. And the sex scenes, OMG, you have to at least have decent sex scenes!!!
If all else fails, YOU MUST HAVE YUMMY SEX!
And I'm ok with that. Heck this was probably gonna end up being a four star cause I'm also very biased when it comes to GFY. Yes, I have double standards. No, I don't care.
So the problem was, this was trying to hard to have a plot. I mean if you read this, you will understand. Stupidity 101.
It was also going for BDSM, where I, someone who cringes away from that was just laughing out loud at the sheer stupidity of these two. And the sex scenes, OMG, you have to at least have decent sex scenes!!!
If all else fails, YOU MUST HAVE YUMMY SEX!
October 8, 2011
Opening Line: "This is gonna take some getting used to."
Set in the early 1980’s (which kept me visualizing Starsky and Hutch and hoping for descriptions of Magnum-esque moustaches) THE ASSIGNMENT is a su-weet read. Just long enough at 161 pages and certainly steamy enough, I can see myself returning to this story again and again. Filled with suspense, random humour, genuine emotion and sexual tension so palpable it just about killed me, Valenti and O’Brian are a couple so deliciously hot and manly that you simply won‘t be able to get enough of them. Plus with cover art this good how can you go wrong?
Detectives Nicholas Valenti and Sean O’Brian have been best friends and partners for 6 years. Often teased because of their open affection, they’ve got each others backs on or off duty. Through danger, donuts and divorce there isn’t anything one of them wouldn’t do for the other including taking a bullet or giving the occasional back massage. That’s a good thing too because Captain Harris’s latest case is going to test the boundaries of even their tight relationship.
Nick and Sean’s assignment sees them going undercover at the infamous gay resort, Ramjack. Potentially they will be busting the notorious drug dealer who’s been flooding the cities gay bars with bad cocaine. It’s a plum job that’s going to look real good on their resumes, just as long as these hetro boys can convince everyone at the RamJack they’re really a gay couple that is. But just how far are these partners willing to go?
Once engaged in their roles as the "sugar daddy" and his "boy toy" the sexual heat literally jumps off the pages. Forced to ‘fake’ their affections in public Valenti and O’Brian’s discovery of each other though soft caresses and first kisses is beautifully done. And because Sean and Nick don’t start out as gay characters watching their miscommunications, emerging feelings and unfamiliar foreplay unfold is also interesting and exciting. Because of the way most men are, when the gentle embraces carry over into their private suite they don’t talk about their feelings or what’s happening between them, they just continue to misinterpret each other and wonder… The sex scenes here are erotic, tender and very satisfying. Eventually Valenti and O’Brian are left to deal with strong emotions neither anticipated having and a very straight world to go back to.
My only real disappointment would be the abrupt resolution to their big case. Its just over. However because I was still shaking from the previous eye popping events it just didn't matter.
A bonus 26 page short story called I’LL BE HOT FOR CHRISTMAS has also been included here. This takes place a year after the RamJack case and involves Valenti suddenly pulling away and distancing himself from an increasingly sexually frustrated and pissed off O’Brian. Could it have anything to do with his new and much younger partner? Sean becomes determined to find out what’s going on even if that involves kidnapping. Cheers
Set in the early 1980’s (which kept me visualizing Starsky and Hutch and hoping for descriptions of Magnum-esque moustaches) THE ASSIGNMENT is a su-weet read. Just long enough at 161 pages and certainly steamy enough, I can see myself returning to this story again and again. Filled with suspense, random humour, genuine emotion and sexual tension so palpable it just about killed me, Valenti and O’Brian are a couple so deliciously hot and manly that you simply won‘t be able to get enough of them. Plus with cover art this good how can you go wrong?
Detectives Nicholas Valenti and Sean O’Brian have been best friends and partners for 6 years. Often teased because of their open affection, they’ve got each others backs on or off duty. Through danger, donuts and divorce there isn’t anything one of them wouldn’t do for the other including taking a bullet or giving the occasional back massage. That’s a good thing too because Captain Harris’s latest case is going to test the boundaries of even their tight relationship.
Nick and Sean’s assignment sees them going undercover at the infamous gay resort, Ramjack. Potentially they will be busting the notorious drug dealer who’s been flooding the cities gay bars with bad cocaine. It’s a plum job that’s going to look real good on their resumes, just as long as these hetro boys can convince everyone at the RamJack they’re really a gay couple that is. But just how far are these partners willing to go?
Once engaged in their roles as the "sugar daddy" and his "boy toy" the sexual heat literally jumps off the pages. Forced to ‘fake’ their affections in public Valenti and O’Brian’s discovery of each other though soft caresses and first kisses is beautifully done. And because Sean and Nick don’t start out as gay characters watching their miscommunications, emerging feelings and unfamiliar foreplay unfold is also interesting and exciting. Because of the way most men are, when the gentle embraces carry over into their private suite they don’t talk about their feelings or what’s happening between them, they just continue to misinterpret each other and wonder… The sex scenes here are erotic, tender and very satisfying. Eventually Valenti and O’Brian are left to deal with strong emotions neither anticipated having and a very straight world to go back to.
My only real disappointment would be the abrupt resolution to their big case. Its just over. However because I was still shaking from the previous eye popping events it just didn't matter.
A bonus 26 page short story called I’LL BE HOT FOR CHRISTMAS has also been included here. This takes place a year after the RamJack case and involves Valenti suddenly pulling away and distancing himself from an increasingly sexually frustrated and pissed off O’Brian. Could it have anything to do with his new and much younger partner? Sean becomes determined to find out what’s going on even if that involves kidnapping. Cheers
September 12, 2010
A likable hero (Valenti) paired with a not-so-likable hero (O'Brian) + hot, kinly M/M sex scenes + silly plot with big, jarring holes = Dina was disappointed!
The premise of this book is simple: Nicholas Valenti and Sean O'Brian are two straight (but not homophobic) Homicide Detectives who, for whatever reason, are asked to work in a Narcotics Division's undercover operation to catch a big drug lord. The glitch? They have to pretend to be a gay couple in order to infiltrate the drug lord's headquarters, that happens to be located inside the RamJack, the biggest gay resort in the country. Needless to say, Valenti and O'Brian engage in a series of PDGA (Public Displays of Gay Affection) while they're at the resort - just to fool the drug lord and his cohorts, of course. (BTW, my favorite PDGA was the Wankathon. Yowza!!!)
Anyway, don't you mind the silly plot. It was nothing more than an excuse to have Valenti and O'Brian falling in each other's arms (and bodies) and discovering the "inner gay man" that lived undisturbed inside them. That worked for me - partially. The entire story is told from Valenti's POV, so it was easy to connect with him and understand his "uncomfortable" new feelings towards his long-time friend and partner. On the other hand, I was never let inside O'Brian's mind and that prevented me from understanding him. I didn't doubt he loved Valenti as a friend, but I needed to see him working things out in his mind. Considering his background - O'Brian was the ultimate Irish-Catholic Bostonian - I had a hard time believing the easy way he embraced his newfound sexuality.
The ending also left a lot to be desired, IMHO. I know this isn't romantic suspense and the drug lord storyline was secondary to Valenti and O'Brian's romance, but having the whole drug case wrapped up while Valenti was asleep - literally! - was too much. :(
All in all, this wasn't a bad read. Valenti's character was well written, but O'Brian's was lacking. I've heard that there's a sequel of sorts to this book, a short story where O'Brian gets to "voice" his POV. I intend to read it and, hopefully, I'll finally get him and believe his love for Valenti is real.
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EDITED TO ADD: I just finished reading I'll Be Hot for Christmas, the sequel I mentioned above, and I'm sorry to say I'm still not happy with O'Brian. :(
The premise of this book is simple: Nicholas Valenti and Sean O'Brian are two straight (but not homophobic) Homicide Detectives who, for whatever reason, are asked to work in a Narcotics Division's undercover operation to catch a big drug lord. The glitch? They have to pretend to be a gay couple in order to infiltrate the drug lord's headquarters, that happens to be located inside the RamJack, the biggest gay resort in the country. Needless to say, Valenti and O'Brian engage in a series of PDGA (Public Displays of Gay Affection) while they're at the resort - just to fool the drug lord and his cohorts, of course. (BTW, my favorite PDGA was the Wankathon. Yowza!!!)
Anyway, don't you mind the silly plot. It was nothing more than an excuse to have Valenti and O'Brian falling in each other's arms (and bodies) and discovering the "inner gay man" that lived undisturbed inside them. That worked for me - partially. The entire story is told from Valenti's POV, so it was easy to connect with him and understand his "uncomfortable" new feelings towards his long-time friend and partner. On the other hand, I was never let inside O'Brian's mind and that prevented me from understanding him. I didn't doubt he loved Valenti as a friend, but I needed to see him working things out in his mind. Considering his background - O'Brian was the ultimate Irish-Catholic Bostonian - I had a hard time believing the easy way he embraced his newfound sexuality.
The ending also left a lot to be desired, IMHO. I know this isn't romantic suspense and the drug lord storyline was secondary to Valenti and O'Brian's romance, but having the whole drug case wrapped up while Valenti was asleep - literally! - was too much. :(
All in all, this wasn't a bad read. Valenti's character was well written, but O'Brian's was lacking. I've heard that there's a sequel of sorts to this book, a short story where O'Brian gets to "voice" his POV. I intend to read it and, hopefully, I'll finally get him and believe his love for Valenti is real.
----------
EDITED TO ADD: I just finished reading I'll Be Hot for Christmas, the sequel I mentioned above, and I'm sorry to say I'm still not happy with O'Brian. :(
December 9, 2012
A really popular M/M romance story, "The Assignment", this is. I can see the appeal. It's a quick, mostly light (Valenti ignored the memo sometimes) and good read with great sex talk.
The time setting for this story could not be more perfect, early eighties
I felt like I was reading a written cheesy eighties porno scene:
Guy #1: "Oh no, I don't know how that penny got down there, let me lube my asshole and bend down on all fours, butt-naked and see how that penny fell to the floor!"
Guy #2: "Hmm..." [looks and grabs his hard dick, then pulls it out his pants] "Maybe you'll need some help."
Guy#1: [thrusts willing ass in the air] Only if you want to...I'm sure we can find it, together.
Guy#2: [bends down to help and accidentally penetrates Guy #1's ass] "Oh my...how'd I get in here? Well since we're on the floor..." [commences with ass pounding]
Yeah...
Thankfully the entire book wasn't like my fictional scene, there's some really good moments and I adore this author's work. She doesn't take her self too seriously, usually delivers steamy erotic work and will give you a couple of good laughs along the way.
My rating? THREE & A HALF STARS
The time setting for this story could not be more perfect, early eighties
I felt like I was reading a written cheesy eighties porno scene:
Guy #1: "Oh no, I don't know how that penny got down there, let me lube my asshole and bend down on all fours, butt-naked and see how that penny fell to the floor!"
Guy #2: "Hmm..." [looks and grabs his hard dick, then pulls it out his pants] "Maybe you'll need some help."
Guy#1: [thrusts willing ass in the air] Only if you want to...I'm sure we can find it, together.
Guy#2: [bends down to help and accidentally penetrates Guy #1's ass] "Oh my...how'd I get in here? Well since we're on the floor..." [commences with ass pounding]
Yeah...
Thankfully the entire book wasn't like my fictional scene, there's some really good moments and I adore this author's work. She doesn't take her self too seriously, usually delivers steamy erotic work and will give you a couple of good laughs along the way.
My rating? THREE & A HALF STARS
August 30, 2022
This was by far one of the silliest books I have ever read but it was so fun 🤣
See the plot is... non-existent
The characters are flat AF
There is no progression whatsover.
Even the steam was meh.
But I found myself reading it regardless and I have no idea why 🥲
That's it. That's my review. ✌🏻
See the plot is... non-existent
The characters are flat AF
There is no progression whatsover.
Even the steam was meh.
But I found myself reading it regardless and I have no idea why 🥲
That's it. That's my review. ✌🏻
September 7, 2010
I found this book in the "gay-bdsm" shelve, which is really an insult to somebody who, like me, is actually into gay-bdsm. "The Assignment" was the second Anderson book I read (the other was "Slave Boy") and it was a big, big mistake to give her a second chance. Basicly Anderson wrote the same book in two different settings, "The Assignment" for guys who are hot for cops and "Slave Boy" for sci-fi-fans, so both books suffer from the same almost painful to read flaws.
In both stories two men who secretly feel attracted to each other are assigned missions that bring them into circumstances which intensify their desire. The cops have to investigate a mafia boss who resides in the biggest gay resort in the country, where every "sponsor" has his "boytoy" or the two pseudo-Jedi's have to negotiate with the emperor of an alienrace which still upholds slavery, so the younger one has to be the "Slave Boy". In both stories the bottom (of course) is the lil blond one, who has to wear all the "arousing" costumes you can think of.
Slavetrading emperor and drugdealing godfaher are in both cases suspicious of the heros and the way to verify the sincerity of the roles the heros are playing is of course sex. Thats the only bdsm you will actually find in the stories, the two heros are forced by the curcumstances and the villains of the stories to have sex, which is in itself rather vanilla (with a few exceptions in "Slave Boy and the voyeurism of the various scenes). Combined with the secret emotions involved, the forced sex turns both tops into huge drama-queens and emotional masochists, guilt-ridden Augustine-sytle.
And thats my big problem with Mrs. Anderson: So far as bdsm is involved, she portrays it as something antagonsitic to the love the heros have for each other, as something foreign, something impelled by villains. That a top can genuinely love a bottom and non the less wants humiliation, voyeurism and pain as part of their common sexlife seems to be something that Mrs Anderson isnt able to comprehend. Her stories make it obvious that she simply doesnt understand (male?) bdsm. Thats why she has to come up with such ridiculous and twisted storylines, she needs a substitute for tops and bottoms who actually know that they want bdsm and like it. Thus the bizarre holier-than-thou, innocently childlike and almost masochisticly conflicted characters, who overcome the villains and overcome bdsm in the end. The latter is perfectly depicted by the last sex scene of "The Assignment" in which the bottom of the story fucks the tops.
Mrs Anderson doesnt write gay-bdsm stories, she writes ridiculous, stuffy anti-bdsm propaganda in form of slightly kinky stories.
In both stories two men who secretly feel attracted to each other are assigned missions that bring them into circumstances which intensify their desire. The cops have to investigate a mafia boss who resides in the biggest gay resort in the country, where every "sponsor" has his "boytoy" or the two pseudo-Jedi's have to negotiate with the emperor of an alienrace which still upholds slavery, so the younger one has to be the "Slave Boy". In both stories the bottom (of course) is the lil blond one, who has to wear all the "arousing" costumes you can think of.
Slavetrading emperor and drugdealing godfaher are in both cases suspicious of the heros and the way to verify the sincerity of the roles the heros are playing is of course sex. Thats the only bdsm you will actually find in the stories, the two heros are forced by the curcumstances and the villains of the stories to have sex, which is in itself rather vanilla (with a few exceptions in "Slave Boy and the voyeurism of the various scenes). Combined with the secret emotions involved, the forced sex turns both tops into huge drama-queens and emotional masochists, guilt-ridden Augustine-sytle.
And thats my big problem with Mrs. Anderson: So far as bdsm is involved, she portrays it as something antagonsitic to the love the heros have for each other, as something foreign, something impelled by villains. That a top can genuinely love a bottom and non the less wants humiliation, voyeurism and pain as part of their common sexlife seems to be something that Mrs Anderson isnt able to comprehend. Her stories make it obvious that she simply doesnt understand (male?) bdsm. Thats why she has to come up with such ridiculous and twisted storylines, she needs a substitute for tops and bottoms who actually know that they want bdsm and like it. Thus the bizarre holier-than-thou, innocently childlike and almost masochisticly conflicted characters, who overcome the villains and overcome bdsm in the end. The latter is perfectly depicted by the last sex scene of "The Assignment" in which the bottom of the story fucks the tops.
Mrs Anderson doesnt write gay-bdsm stories, she writes ridiculous, stuffy anti-bdsm propaganda in form of slightly kinky stories.
July 31, 2013
4.5 *
Second time around read on this and I must admit I'd forgotten what a fun sexy read it was. Two straight cops, Valenti and his cocky partner O'Brien best friends and partners for years, have to go undercover as a gay couple at a gay sex resort to bust a drug lord. Valenti has been married but over time has become secretly in love with his partner so obviously the temptation is excruciating and as the guys are put in so many steamy positions were they have to " prove " they're gay, the sexual tension racks up to boiling point. Three guesses what happens! ;)
Its not something that hasn't been done before and yep, its pretty far fetched but these two are so endearing you can't help loving them and their exploits and it is hot! Its one of those stories that I could read again because its such an easy feel good -at times - quite sweet read. Earth shattering... No. Enjoyable... Absolutely. I really like this one.
Second time around read on this and I must admit I'd forgotten what a fun sexy read it was. Two straight cops, Valenti and his cocky partner O'Brien best friends and partners for years, have to go undercover as a gay couple at a gay sex resort to bust a drug lord. Valenti has been married but over time has become secretly in love with his partner so obviously the temptation is excruciating and as the guys are put in so many steamy positions were they have to " prove " they're gay, the sexual tension racks up to boiling point. Three guesses what happens! ;)
Its not something that hasn't been done before and yep, its pretty far fetched but these two are so endearing you can't help loving them and their exploits and it is hot! Its one of those stories that I could read again because its such an easy feel good -at times - quite sweet read. Earth shattering... No. Enjoyable... Absolutely. I really like this one.
December 14, 2008
I really enjoyed this book a lot! I have had it for a while, however I put off reading it for some reason, and Im not sure why...
This is a story about two cops... Nick and Sean. They are exceptionally close friends. There are even some rumors going around the station that they are lovers... however Nick and Sean know better. They are just friends. Right?
Their Chief asks them to go undercover at a gay resort in order to catch an extremely evil drug dealer who dabbles in murder on the side. Sean and Nick have to be completely convincing as lovers, otherwise their lives will be at stake!
Pretty soon, the lines are blurred between what they are doing for the job, and what they are doing because they can't help themselves. Their friendship has definitely turned into something more, but will either Nick or Sean admit it?
The sexual tension in this story is unbelievable! I could tell right from the beginning that there was a serious attraction between the men that neither one was willing to admit. I loved seeing Sean coax Nick into some of the compromising positions they had to put themselves in, and I loved the uncertainty from both men about their sexuality and weather or not things had changed between them. The sex scenes were smokin hot and the "newness" of everything really ramped up the heat factor! I highly recommend this book!!
This is a story about two cops... Nick and Sean. They are exceptionally close friends. There are even some rumors going around the station that they are lovers... however Nick and Sean know better. They are just friends. Right?
Their Chief asks them to go undercover at a gay resort in order to catch an extremely evil drug dealer who dabbles in murder on the side. Sean and Nick have to be completely convincing as lovers, otherwise their lives will be at stake!
Pretty soon, the lines are blurred between what they are doing for the job, and what they are doing because they can't help themselves. Their friendship has definitely turned into something more, but will either Nick or Sean admit it?
The sexual tension in this story is unbelievable! I could tell right from the beginning that there was a serious attraction between the men that neither one was willing to admit. I loved seeing Sean coax Nick into some of the compromising positions they had to put themselves in, and I loved the uncertainty from both men about their sexuality and weather or not things had changed between them. The sex scenes were smokin hot and the "newness" of everything really ramped up the heat factor! I highly recommend this book!!
October 27, 2016
I really wanted to give this book the benefit of the doubt but there is only so much I can look past in the books I read. I must say, I am all for crazy and over-the-top story lines where I have to suspend reality for a minute, but The Assignment went a bit too far for me.
I LOVE friends to lovers story lines and especially when they are both "straight" and inexperienced - but Sean and Valenti did not do it for me.
For one, there was miscommunication galore. Seriously, if your best friend kisses you and sucks your dick just to make you "feel better" and to "comfort you", then he has feelings for you and is most likely not doing it out of friendship.
Seriously, these two grown ass men are tender as fuck with each other and find any way to be intimate with each other all the time - soooo....why was there any confusion? BAH! It was frustrating to read.
Besides the miscommunication, the story line was something I couldn't just looks past. There were so many eye-roll moments that it played like a bad porno with scripted talk and stereotypes. I just couldn't connect with this book and felt it was a bit cheesy.
On to the next!
February 6, 2016
2.25
Oh man, I'm a little bit bummed out. I was prepared for an over-the-top gay-for-you cop story with two straight best friends pretending to be together for an undercover gig in a gay resort to nail down a druglord. I was absolutely ready to accept this whole set-up - hell, I was kind of looking forward to it.
What I didn't expect was the utter ridiculousness of it all. If the story hadn't taken itself so seriously, it could have worked. But it did take itself seriously. And the ridiculousness didn't lie so much with the plot itself - as I said that was kind of to be expected and totally fine - it lay with the characters. Oh my freaking gods. Did Nicholas Valenti really seriously dive into an undercover mission that is allegedly superdangerous and did not prepare in the slightest?? Not a teeny tiny little bit? Valenti and O'Brian hadn't even talked about their basic cover story before (where did they meet, what did they do, how did they get together, etc.)? Are you kidding me? And, holy crap, how clueless can you get? Argh! And how many people are you going to tell about the whole thing beforehand? Isn't undercover more of a "need-to-know" instead of a "let's announce it broadly for all to hear" kind of thing (okay, I do overstate things a little bit here, I admit it ;-D)? And if Valenti is as incredibly uncomfortable and most of all unable to pretend otherwise with the whole thing, then why the hell would he do the op? He has to be aware that it could get him and the guy he supposedly loves killed! Who would do that??? If that is how these guys conduct police work, I wonder how they ever get any bad guy at all. Or maybe those just throw themselves at their feet in pity. I don't know. Man, I couldn't stop shaking my head the whole way through.
The ending was kind of sweet, though, which mollified me quite a bit. I don't think I'll read the sequels, however. There are so many other books I'd rather have in my reading queue.
Oh man, I'm a little bit bummed out. I was prepared for an over-the-top gay-for-you cop story with two straight best friends pretending to be together for an undercover gig in a gay resort to nail down a druglord. I was absolutely ready to accept this whole set-up - hell, I was kind of looking forward to it.
What I didn't expect was the utter ridiculousness of it all. If the story hadn't taken itself so seriously, it could have worked. But it did take itself seriously. And the ridiculousness didn't lie so much with the plot itself - as I said that was kind of to be expected and totally fine - it lay with the characters. Oh my freaking gods. Did Nicholas Valenti really seriously dive into an undercover mission that is allegedly superdangerous and did not prepare in the slightest?? Not a teeny tiny little bit? Valenti and O'Brian hadn't even talked about their basic cover story before (where did they meet, what did they do, how did they get together, etc.)? Are you kidding me? And, holy crap, how clueless can you get? Argh! And how many people are you going to tell about the whole thing beforehand? Isn't undercover more of a "need-to-know" instead of a "let's announce it broadly for all to hear" kind of thing (okay, I do overstate things a little bit here, I admit it ;-D)? And if Valenti is as incredibly uncomfortable and most of all unable to pretend otherwise with the whole thing, then why the hell would he do the op? He has to be aware that it could get him and the guy he supposedly loves killed! Who would do that??? If that is how these guys conduct police work, I wonder how they ever get any bad guy at all. Or maybe those just throw themselves at their feet in pity. I don't know. Man, I couldn't stop shaking my head the whole way through.
The ending was kind of sweet, though, which mollified me quite a bit. I don't think I'll read the sequels, however. There are so many other books I'd rather have in my reading queue.
December 15, 2015
I loved this story so much! Really, what could possibly go wrong with a plot like this:
Nick Valenti and Sean McBrian are partners at the homicide department. Valenti and McBrian have been best friends for years, but recently Valenti realized that his feelings for McBrian go deeper than mere friendship, but there is no way to act on them. It's the early 1980s and McBrian is 'straight as an arrow' anyway.
So, Valenti does have some troubles accepting their next assignment: Going undercover in a gay holiday resort in San Francisco - the RamJack - with McBrian acting as his lover, so they could get close to a drug dealer and bust him when he tries to sell them drugs.
But things get even worse for Nick, when Sean tries to play the part properly and wants to 'practice' being gay with Nick so they can be a convincing gay couple at the resort - going all the way if they have to. So all the kissing, cuddling, etc. almost kills Nick who desperately wants all this to be for real.
I admit you can imagine where this story is heading ;-)
It's sexy and cute, probably more on the erotica side than on the m/m romance side, but I really enjoyed these characters a lot. It was also great to read the story from Nick's perspective only, so there's always doubt about Sean's motives. It's a short read, but a really enjoyable one. I also think that some other later books were inspired by this (Ty and Zane anyone?).
5 stars and on my favorites shelf!
Nick Valenti and Sean McBrian are partners at the homicide department. Valenti and McBrian have been best friends for years, but recently Valenti realized that his feelings for McBrian go deeper than mere friendship, but there is no way to act on them. It's the early 1980s and McBrian is 'straight as an arrow' anyway.
So, Valenti does have some troubles accepting their next assignment: Going undercover in a gay holiday resort in San Francisco - the RamJack - with McBrian acting as his lover, so they could get close to a drug dealer and bust him when he tries to sell them drugs.
But things get even worse for Nick, when Sean tries to play the part properly and wants to 'practice' being gay with Nick so they can be a convincing gay couple at the resort - going all the way if they have to. So all the kissing, cuddling, etc. almost kills Nick who desperately wants all this to be for real.
I admit you can imagine where this story is heading ;-)
It's sexy and cute, probably more on the erotica side than on the m/m romance side, but I really enjoyed these characters a lot. It was also great to read the story from Nick's perspective only, so there's always doubt about Sean's motives. It's a short read, but a really enjoyable one. I also think that some other later books were inspired by this (Ty and Zane anyone?).
5 stars and on my favorites shelf!
November 6, 2012
This was a very sweet story and I loved both characters. This book brought me in from the first page and kept me there until the end. I laughed at times during this book, then I worried about the characters and their relationship. The fact they were friends before the book started was nice. Nick and Sean were so meant for each other, even when they were figuring themselves out, I knew. Really great book :)
January 11, 2019
Nick, if I can have you, I don't want or need anything or anybody else in the world. Call it whatever you want. Just say yes.
Rep: gay mcs
Where do I start with this one. It was such a mess, and so fucked up, like I'm all for the fake-dating trope normally, but the way this one did it? Count me out.
I have a bunch of notes I made while reading this book, so I'm just going to go through them in order.
First up, what is with the obsession with O'Brian's "heavy cock" in his "skin-tight pants"?? I mean, holy fuck, I got the message the first time, I didn't need it again. Surely it's sufficient to say he's wearing those skin-tight trousers? Especially at this point Valenti is just lusting after his partner. OK.
Secondly, what's the point of writing O'Brian's accent it doesn't do anything. You might as well just state what kind of accent he has at the beginning and then write normally. It's not even a well-written accent. I couldn't make sense of it, to be honest.
Turk and Twonnie are my next point. Holy shit, is the author playing on the stereotype of gay. Turk is so fucking camp. He keeps saying things like "ed-u-cate" (it's actually written like that too. What was I saying about accent before?) and it pisses me off. He's also always snapping his fingers at Valenti and O'Brian. How much more of a stereotype can you get? But don't worry, here comes Twonnie. Who appears just to fill in the stereotypical behaviours of gay men that Turk didn't. If you put Twonnie and Turk together you'd have the whole stereotype. Twonnie keeps calling everyone "honey" or "sweetie", and he wears pretty much the campest clothing you can get. I suppose they're meant to contrast with Valenti and O'Brian who are the "manly men" who you wouldn't expect to be gay. Fuck off, basically.
And then we get to the undercover situation. It's basically a resort where "daddies" and their "boys" come to commit various acts of debauchery. At this point, I'm kind of vomiting in my mouth, but wait. It gets worse. When a kiss is described as "oral rape" you know shit is bad. I don't care that it's consensual in this case. Please, please, don't describe it as rape.
Then we come to the BJ contest and the "Wankathon". What?, I hear you ask. Yeah, exactly. I don't know either. Turns out, they're just opportunities for exhibitionist sex. When the announcer says "Gentlemen, start your engines" to begin the BJ contest, I actually laughed out loud because it was so ridiculous.
But if you think that's bad then, boy, are you in for a shock because it gets even worse! The detectives' covers are blown and the bad guy captures them. And the option is, either one of them is gang-raped while the other watches (and then the other is also gang-raped), or they are forced to have sex with one another while the bad guy films it for blackmail purposes. I honestly hate this kind of plot point because invariably one of them forgives the other because they were forced to do it but it's still rape? Both would still be scarred by it happening, but obviously they never are. In fact, O'Brian even tells Valenti that he didn't mind it because he loves him! Like that would make a difference to the fact that they were forced to have sex against their will!!
Anyway, after all that, there is one more note I have made: I absolutely hate when lines like "O'Brian was no soft, easily damaged female who might cry out and beg Valenti to stop" are used. Please. Just stop.
TL,DR; a mess of a book. Don't touch this one with a mile long bargepole, I'm warning you.
January 11, 2012
Ah, what to do when you are undercover pretending to be a happy gay couple, Master and Sub, and you are straight...well, your partner is straight...but then he is so realistic as a gay twinky sub...and then he's kissing you....and touching you...but its' all an act, right? Welcome to The Assignment by Evangeline Anderson. The story goes that two cops, who have been best friends and partners for over 6 years are sent undercover into the lair of a reputedly brutal drug lord to arrest him for cocaine trafficking The catch? The drug lord is gay, they are undercover in a exclusive gay resort and one of them (Valenti) is secretly in love with the other (O'Brien). As the story goes, they, of course, are discovered and the punishment? Not death, no that would be easy...instead Valenti must have intercourse with O'Brien...forced intercourse...but how does one force the willing?
This little story had it all. A good action sequence, believable bad guys, humorous side characters (Twonnie, comes to mind immediately) and two MC's that you just can't help but fall in love with by the story's end. Truly there is nothing here not to like! Valenti, who is struggling with his newly found amorous feelings for O'Brien is someone you simply want to hug and reassure that everything will work out in the end. And O'Brien is just too damn cute for words...a perfect foil to Valenti's more serious character. And the best part...there is a sequel!
This little story had it all. A good action sequence, believable bad guys, humorous side characters (Twonnie, comes to mind immediately) and two MC's that you just can't help but fall in love with by the story's end. Truly there is nothing here not to like! Valenti, who is struggling with his newly found amorous feelings for O'Brien is someone you simply want to hug and reassure that everything will work out in the end. And O'Brien is just too damn cute for words...a perfect foil to Valenti's more serious character. And the best part...there is a sequel!
September 29, 2009
I had never heard of the "gay for you" genre - a story in which two supposed "straight" male characters develop mutual affection, love, and lust for one another. The setup - two lawenforcement "partners" are sent undercover at a gay resort, the appropriately named RamJack, in order to bust the drug kingpin that operates said resort.
This book was fun to read based soley on the "gay rules" that the characters have to follow in order to stay "undercover". The dominant/submissive roles were taken to extreme at this club and it is really ridiculous and hilarious at the same time. The final revenge of the drug kingpin is obvious, but no less enjoyable. More emotional angst couldn't be packed into 160 pages...
This book was fun to read based soley on the "gay rules" that the characters have to follow in order to stay "undercover". The dominant/submissive roles were taken to extreme at this club and it is really ridiculous and hilarious at the same time. The final revenge of the drug kingpin is obvious, but no less enjoyable. More emotional angst couldn't be packed into 160 pages...
September 12, 2014
3.5 stars!
This is the assignment for the Goober Squad!
Obviously meant to be over-the-top silly, because neither of these two bozos were good at detecting, well, anything.
Still, sexy read with quite likeable characters.
This is the assignment for the Goober Squad!
Obviously meant to be over-the-top silly, because neither of these two bozos were good at detecting, well, anything.
Still, sexy read with quite likeable characters.
June 8, 2016
Time: Early 80s
Place: Ramjack gay resort
Two straight cops (parterns and friends) for six years are taking up a new assignment. They will pretend to be a gay couple in the country's largest and most infamous gay resort, Ramjack. They were the only ones that they volunteered since there are not out gay cops. Out to each other maybe, but not to their brothers in blue.
Detective Valenti will play the sugar daddy role and basically the book is written from his POV. We learn early in the book that he is already in love with his partner for a few months now. O'Brian will play his toyboy in the resort and he is the weakest written character in the book. We don't learn his feelings towards Valenti until the very end of the book.
The sexual tension between the couple is unbelievable. Although the two friends are not homophobic, there are still strangling with their hidden desires and they still feel ashamed of their needs.
The dialogues are a bit cheesy, the story is not really believable but the couple is so sweet together and the erotic scenes are more tender than over the top hot and the main characters are really likable.
And anyway this is a romance book and in romance books anything is possible.
Place: Ramjack gay resort
Two straight cops (parterns and friends) for six years are taking up a new assignment. They will pretend to be a gay couple in the country's largest and most infamous gay resort, Ramjack. They were the only ones that they volunteered since there are not out gay cops. Out to each other maybe, but not to their brothers in blue.
Detective Valenti will play the sugar daddy role and basically the book is written from his POV. We learn early in the book that he is already in love with his partner for a few months now. O'Brian will play his toyboy in the resort and he is the weakest written character in the book. We don't learn his feelings towards Valenti until the very end of the book.
The sexual tension between the couple is unbelievable. Although the two friends are not homophobic, there are still strangling with their hidden desires and they still feel ashamed of their needs.
The dialogues are a bit cheesy, the story is not really believable but the couple is so sweet together and the erotic scenes are more tender than over the top hot and the main characters are really likable.
And anyway this is a romance book and in romance books anything is possible.
April 9, 2012
This was one HOT over-the-top-gfy story. Yeah, it was quite outrageous but still a fun read. It was so obvious that O'Brian was seriously hot for Valenti, so I got a little annoyed that Valenti kept failing to recognize their relationship for what it really was. It did get a little too crazy for me near the end, but it was still a sweet, funny, low angst read.
September 17, 2017
I remember loving this back n the day,but now it reads like the script for a cheesy 80s porno flick, full of unlikely situations resulting in lots of sex. Not bad, but no longer a favorite.
November 26, 2009
4,5 stars
My first acquaintance with the books of Evangeline Anderson was Str8te Boys. I’m pretty sure that it was at the same time my first M/M story ever. And it got me completely hooked at the genre! It was such a sweet story about two straight roommates who start feeling attracted to one another. In fact, The Assignment reminded me of that story in more than one way. Both are featuring best friends falling in love and straight guy(s) turning gay. And both are written from just one point of view, which keeps you guessing about the other guy’s feelings. And let’s not forget, both contain scorching hot M/M sex scenes!
The difference is that the protags of The Assignment are working together on an undercover assignment and that they can’t screw up their cover, so the suspense level is higher than that of Str8te Boys. The publisher even labeled the novel as ‘Romantic Suspense’ (and GLBT). Maybe that’s a bit too strong a label, although I found myself being unable to put the book down. I wanted to keep reading and reading, but that was more due to them making out and falling in love with each other than to the investigation or the threats of danger that were supposed to hang over their heads.
Overall, I loved The Assignment but there were a few things I had questions about. So, I like to share my High 5, Low 5 with you. The High Five are five things that have impressed me or that I really enjoyed, and the Low Five are five things that had me shaking my head in wonder or annoyance.
High 5
• Favorite subject, effectively done
I’m a sucker for the Friends Become Lovers subject. Can’t help liking that type of romances, but when it’s done well, these are the best. It’s because friends already know each other well and apparently like the other person for who he (or she) is. And it’s not only about physical attraction in these stories, but there’s a broader base. Now, Ms Anderson has a way of making this subject work for me. The doubts and insecurities that come with the feelings of love and attraction are made insightful and perceptible. At least those of Nick, since the story is told from his POV. There are a few flashbacks in which their history as friends becomes clear, their special bond and how things started changing and became more than just friendship. Nick’s reluctance to take the next step with Sean, time after time, is understandable because of the way he feels about their friendship and losing that. It was very easy to empathize with him thanks to the insight Ms. Anderson gave into his emotions.
• Lively dialogue
The way Sean and Nick interact with each other is lifelike. A big part of what made me enjoy this story is due to the lively dialogue, which was also funny at times. Just let me give an example:
“So you’re sayin’ if Valenti and I don’t act the part, we could be
in deep shit,” O’Brian said bluntly.
“That’s putting it mildly, sweetie,”
Twonnie said. “And from what Turk said, you’ve only got a week to practice your
act, so you better get to it.” He gestured at both of them.
“What, right
now?” Valenti asked, feeling slightly panicked.
“What do you want us to do,
kiss?” O’Brian asked, a lot more coolly than Valenti would have believed
possible. What had gotten into his partner lately? Valenti would have bet even
money that if someone had suggested that Sean O’Brian was willing to kiss
another man -- even his partner and best friend -- O’Brian would have punched
the chump in the mouth. But now here he was suggesting it himself.
Twonnie
looked amused. “No, honey,” he told O’Brian. “You’ll have to work up to that, I
think. But why don’t you take tall, dark, and beautiful here out for a spin on
the dance floor?”
“What, here?” Valenti asked, knowing that he
sounded like a broken record, but unable to help himself.
“Where else did
you have in mind, honey, Grand Central Station? Of course here. Don’t get
that panicked look on your face; I’m not asking you to throw your partner
facedown on the table and screw him. I just said dance.” Twonnie looked
disgusted with them. “If you can’t even dance with each other, then you might as
well forget it -- you may have to do a lot more than that to pass at the
RamJack.”
• Sweet, giving characters
Both Nick and Sean are very easy to like. They are good friends, willing to push aside their own needs to put the other at ease. Their appeasing words about what’s happening between them are meant well, even if they turn out to cause a lot of confusion and misunderstanding. In their lovemaking they’re sweet and giving as well, which makes that these scenes are not only hot, but also sensitive and affectionate.
• Great sexual tension
Yep, there’s plenty of that! And how can that not be a good thing in an erotic romance, right? It’s excellently done and it makes this a fast paced, page turning story that I didn’t want to put down.
• Memorable hot scenes
The Assignment does have a couple of hot scenes I won’t forget easily. One of them is when Sean tells other guests at the resort a bogus first-time story. This backstory is close to their real relationship except for the sex, which they hadn’t had yet at that point. He tells the made-up story while sitting on Nick’s lap, who’s sporting a huge erection at the time. Sean’s saving their asses and is voicing Nick’s deepest fantasy at the same time.
The other one is memorable in a weird sense, because the setting is awkward. A very intimate and hot moment takes place between the two guys while they’re accidentally participating in a very publicly jerk off contest (how weird is that, huh?). Because of that odd and unlikely setting I also mention it as one of the Low Fives, but memorable it was! And well written as well.
Low 5
• Single Point of View
I started missing the POV of Sean. For the most part of the book it works great that only Nick’s POV is shown. It adds to the tension and it makes you feel his doubts and fears as if they were your own (so to speak). But at the moment that Nick’s fears let him behave in a way I didn’t agree with and when the lack of communication between the two guys starts to get annoying, I thought it was time for a POV switch. But that didn’t happen, grrrr…
• Early 1980s?
It’s beyond me why Ms. Anderson had to date her story ‘Early 1980s’. I wondered about that for a while and it only made me realize that the guys would’ve been pushing the age of 60 in the year 2009 /:o. Luckily after the first chapter I forgot about it. Why did the author not just leave it to the imagination? Maybe it had to explain the lack of mobile phones when the guys are separated at the end?
• First names, last names
It bugged me a bit that someone calls the one he loves by his last name. They switched between first and last names, but a definitive choice for the first name with the progress of their loving feelings would have been so much sweeter.
• Suspense?
Like I said in my intro the publisher labeled this novel as romantic suspense. I thought the suspense storyline was a bit farfetched. It offered a good alibi for all the love scenes and it caused the kickoff of their relation to begin with, so it served a good purpose. But it got snowed under and the events became sort of unlikely. The guys are after this big drug baron who’s the owner of a gay resort, so they go undercover at that resort. But they hardly do any investigating. And when they sort of do, their personal issues get in the way. Not very professional... Even so, they know to arouse the suspicion of the bad guy. De drug baron exposes them and puts them in a highly unlikely situation, for a villain. For the love storyline it’s an excellent dilemma that brings the lovers to another level. But the suspense storyline gets wrapped up too quickly and not in a very satisfying way. Luckily I could easily discard that and concentrate on the romance part, but if you picked up this book for the suspense, it would’ve been rather disappointing I imagine.
• The RamJack? Really?
The location of the gay resort, the RamJack, put the guys in some awkward situations. I can hardly believe that such a place could be for real. And some of the regular activities were downright weird, like the on stage jerk off and suck off contests. But even though the protags participated in one of them, which was in itself nonsensical, Ms Anderson turned it into a beautifully written love scene. By concentrating on the feelings and actions of the guys as if they were the only people in the room, she succeeded in helping me get over the awkward feeling I had about the surroundings. And the emotional scene afterwards was even better done.
So, these were my five highs and lows. I did like The Assignment quite a lot, because of the excellent writing, the great tension and the sweet, loveable characters. And although I had a few annoyances and questions, they didn't bother me enough to take away from my enjoyment of the story. It’s definitely a hot and erotic M/M romance!
I’ve finished both sequels I’ll Be Hot for Christmas and Fireworks as well, but maybe I’ll write about them another time. Both are short stories and a nice addition to the novel.
My first acquaintance with the books of Evangeline Anderson was Str8te Boys. I’m pretty sure that it was at the same time my first M/M story ever. And it got me completely hooked at the genre! It was such a sweet story about two straight roommates who start feeling attracted to one another. In fact, The Assignment reminded me of that story in more than one way. Both are featuring best friends falling in love and straight guy(s) turning gay. And both are written from just one point of view, which keeps you guessing about the other guy’s feelings. And let’s not forget, both contain scorching hot M/M sex scenes!
The difference is that the protags of The Assignment are working together on an undercover assignment and that they can’t screw up their cover, so the suspense level is higher than that of Str8te Boys. The publisher even labeled the novel as ‘Romantic Suspense’ (and GLBT). Maybe that’s a bit too strong a label, although I found myself being unable to put the book down. I wanted to keep reading and reading, but that was more due to them making out and falling in love with each other than to the investigation or the threats of danger that were supposed to hang over their heads.
Overall, I loved The Assignment but there were a few things I had questions about. So, I like to share my High 5, Low 5 with you. The High Five are five things that have impressed me or that I really enjoyed, and the Low Five are five things that had me shaking my head in wonder or annoyance.
High 5
• Favorite subject, effectively done
I’m a sucker for the Friends Become Lovers subject. Can’t help liking that type of romances, but when it’s done well, these are the best. It’s because friends already know each other well and apparently like the other person for who he (or she) is. And it’s not only about physical attraction in these stories, but there’s a broader base. Now, Ms Anderson has a way of making this subject work for me. The doubts and insecurities that come with the feelings of love and attraction are made insightful and perceptible. At least those of Nick, since the story is told from his POV. There are a few flashbacks in which their history as friends becomes clear, their special bond and how things started changing and became more than just friendship. Nick’s reluctance to take the next step with Sean, time after time, is understandable because of the way he feels about their friendship and losing that. It was very easy to empathize with him thanks to the insight Ms. Anderson gave into his emotions.
• Lively dialogue
The way Sean and Nick interact with each other is lifelike. A big part of what made me enjoy this story is due to the lively dialogue, which was also funny at times. Just let me give an example:
“So you’re sayin’ if Valenti and I don’t act the part, we could be
in deep shit,” O’Brian said bluntly.
“That’s putting it mildly, sweetie,”
Twonnie said. “And from what Turk said, you’ve only got a week to practice your
act, so you better get to it.” He gestured at both of them.
“What, right
now?” Valenti asked, feeling slightly panicked.
“What do you want us to do,
kiss?” O’Brian asked, a lot more coolly than Valenti would have believed
possible. What had gotten into his partner lately? Valenti would have bet even
money that if someone had suggested that Sean O’Brian was willing to kiss
another man -- even his partner and best friend -- O’Brian would have punched
the chump in the mouth. But now here he was suggesting it himself.
Twonnie
looked amused. “No, honey,” he told O’Brian. “You’ll have to work up to that, I
think. But why don’t you take tall, dark, and beautiful here out for a spin on
the dance floor?”
“What, here?” Valenti asked, knowing that he
sounded like a broken record, but unable to help himself.
“Where else did
you have in mind, honey, Grand Central Station? Of course here. Don’t get
that panicked look on your face; I’m not asking you to throw your partner
facedown on the table and screw him. I just said dance.” Twonnie looked
disgusted with them. “If you can’t even dance with each other, then you might as
well forget it -- you may have to do a lot more than that to pass at the
RamJack.”
• Sweet, giving characters
Both Nick and Sean are very easy to like. They are good friends, willing to push aside their own needs to put the other at ease. Their appeasing words about what’s happening between them are meant well, even if they turn out to cause a lot of confusion and misunderstanding. In their lovemaking they’re sweet and giving as well, which makes that these scenes are not only hot, but also sensitive and affectionate.
• Great sexual tension
Yep, there’s plenty of that! And how can that not be a good thing in an erotic romance, right? It’s excellently done and it makes this a fast paced, page turning story that I didn’t want to put down.
• Memorable hot scenes
The Assignment does have a couple of hot scenes I won’t forget easily. One of them is when Sean tells other guests at the resort a bogus first-time story. This backstory is close to their real relationship except for the sex, which they hadn’t had yet at that point. He tells the made-up story while sitting on Nick’s lap, who’s sporting a huge erection at the time. Sean’s saving their asses and is voicing Nick’s deepest fantasy at the same time.
The other one is memorable in a weird sense, because the setting is awkward. A very intimate and hot moment takes place between the two guys while they’re accidentally participating in a very publicly jerk off contest (how weird is that, huh?). Because of that odd and unlikely setting I also mention it as one of the Low Fives, but memorable it was! And well written as well.
Low 5
• Single Point of View
I started missing the POV of Sean. For the most part of the book it works great that only Nick’s POV is shown. It adds to the tension and it makes you feel his doubts and fears as if they were your own (so to speak). But at the moment that Nick’s fears let him behave in a way I didn’t agree with and when the lack of communication between the two guys starts to get annoying, I thought it was time for a POV switch. But that didn’t happen, grrrr…
• Early 1980s?
It’s beyond me why Ms. Anderson had to date her story ‘Early 1980s’. I wondered about that for a while and it only made me realize that the guys would’ve been pushing the age of 60 in the year 2009 /:o. Luckily after the first chapter I forgot about it. Why did the author not just leave it to the imagination? Maybe it had to explain the lack of mobile phones when the guys are separated at the end?
• First names, last names
It bugged me a bit that someone calls the one he loves by his last name. They switched between first and last names, but a definitive choice for the first name with the progress of their loving feelings would have been so much sweeter.
• Suspense?
Like I said in my intro the publisher labeled this novel as romantic suspense. I thought the suspense storyline was a bit farfetched. It offered a good alibi for all the love scenes and it caused the kickoff of their relation to begin with, so it served a good purpose. But it got snowed under and the events became sort of unlikely. The guys are after this big drug baron who’s the owner of a gay resort, so they go undercover at that resort. But they hardly do any investigating. And when they sort of do, their personal issues get in the way. Not very professional... Even so, they know to arouse the suspicion of the bad guy. De drug baron exposes them and puts them in a highly unlikely situation, for a villain. For the love storyline it’s an excellent dilemma that brings the lovers to another level. But the suspense storyline gets wrapped up too quickly and not in a very satisfying way. Luckily I could easily discard that and concentrate on the romance part, but if you picked up this book for the suspense, it would’ve been rather disappointing I imagine.
• The RamJack? Really?
The location of the gay resort, the RamJack, put the guys in some awkward situations. I can hardly believe that such a place could be for real. And some of the regular activities were downright weird, like the on stage jerk off and suck off contests. But even though the protags participated in one of them, which was in itself nonsensical, Ms Anderson turned it into a beautifully written love scene. By concentrating on the feelings and actions of the guys as if they were the only people in the room, she succeeded in helping me get over the awkward feeling I had about the surroundings. And the emotional scene afterwards was even better done.
So, these were my five highs and lows. I did like The Assignment quite a lot, because of the excellent writing, the great tension and the sweet, loveable characters. And although I had a few annoyances and questions, they didn't bother me enough to take away from my enjoyment of the story. It’s definitely a hot and erotic M/M romance!
I’ve finished both sequels I’ll Be Hot for Christmas and Fireworks as well, but maybe I’ll write about them another time. Both are short stories and a nice addition to the novel.
November 29, 2010
I have conflicting emotions toward this book. It was incredibly funny at the beginning, I burst laughing a lot of times. This is the typical gay-for-you theme, where two cops have an undercover assignment and they have to pretend they're gay, but one of them has deep feelings for his partner.
The assignment that gives the title to the book is clearly a device to make the two come together (pun intended!), so it was a bit too light and unbelievable for me. This is clearly a personal preference because I like suspense stories heavy on suspense. The case here is resolved while the narrator is sleeping. Yep! big disappointment.
If the book is supposed to be light, then I prefer for it to be light until the end, but the scene that happens before the end of the book, when the two protagonists are blackmailed into having sex with one another, was incredibly hard to read for me. Please, forgive me for being so romantic and so immersed in what I read, but the narrator, Valenti, was so upset the whole time (and he had every right to be out of his freaking mind), that I didn't enjoy it at all, even if Sean, his partner, did everything to make him comfortable (and he was the one whose cherry was being so unceremoniously popped).
The book ends with hot, long and sweet sex and that reconciled me with the world.
I found the narrator a bit annoying at times, but the 80s setting gave me a lot of visuals. It was a good story but it was disjointed and uneven in its atmosphere and it left me unsatisfied, that's why I can't give a higher rating.
The assignment that gives the title to the book is clearly a device to make the two come together (pun intended!), so it was a bit too light and unbelievable for me. This is clearly a personal preference because I like suspense stories heavy on suspense. The case here is resolved while the narrator is sleeping. Yep! big disappointment.
If the book is supposed to be light, then I prefer for it to be light until the end, but the scene that happens before the end of the book, when the two protagonists are blackmailed into having sex with one another, was incredibly hard to read for me. Please, forgive me for being so romantic and so immersed in what I read, but the narrator, Valenti, was so upset the whole time (and he had every right to be out of his freaking mind), that I didn't enjoy it at all, even if Sean, his partner, did everything to make him comfortable (and he was the one whose cherry was being so unceremoniously popped).
The book ends with hot, long and sweet sex and that reconciled me with the world.
I found the narrator a bit annoying at times, but the 80s setting gave me a lot of visuals. It was a good story but it was disjointed and uneven in its atmosphere and it left me unsatisfied, that's why I can't give a higher rating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2010
I accidentally read this book in one sitting when I should have gone to bed early!! Oops!
It's the early 80s and Sean O'Brian and Nicholas Valenti police officers partners in California. They have seen each other through everything. Nick's divorce and Sean's recent stabbing. They are best friends and completely comfortable around each other. So when I drug lord starts passing out bad drugs at the local gay bars, someone needs to go undercover toe his exclusive gay resort. The police captain chooses Nick and Sean because they are the only men comfortable enough around each other to pull it off. The problem is that Nick has recently been thinking of Sean as more than a friend and so pretending not to enjoy this assignment is his real challenge.
I mostly enjoyed this book and the characters. It is told completely from Nick's POV and I would have liked to have seen some stuff from Sean's POV, but that wasn't a big deal. I think they were sweet and the romance really unfolded nicely. Although, when they discussed when they started having these thoughts about each other. I have a hard time believing that it wasn't a little earlier... (maybe in their preparation for the assignment).
At times I thought Nick's opinion of m/m sex was a little extreme and I wish their first experience was different than it was, there was something that almost verged on too dark about it. But I look forward to reading more about these two.
It's the early 80s and Sean O'Brian and Nicholas Valenti police officers partners in California. They have seen each other through everything. Nick's divorce and Sean's recent stabbing. They are best friends and completely comfortable around each other. So when I drug lord starts passing out bad drugs at the local gay bars, someone needs to go undercover toe his exclusive gay resort. The police captain chooses Nick and Sean because they are the only men comfortable enough around each other to pull it off. The problem is that Nick has recently been thinking of Sean as more than a friend and so pretending not to enjoy this assignment is his real challenge.
I mostly enjoyed this book and the characters. It is told completely from Nick's POV and I would have liked to have seen some stuff from Sean's POV, but that wasn't a big deal. I think they were sweet and the romance really unfolded nicely. Although, when they discussed when they started having these thoughts about each other. I have a hard time believing that it wasn't a little earlier... (maybe in their preparation for the assignment).
At times I thought Nick's opinion of m/m sex was a little extreme and I wish their first experience was different than it was, there was something that almost verged on too dark about it. But I look forward to reading more about these two.
January 17, 2013
This was painful for me to read in several places, and I admit I did some skimming. The sex scenes themselves were hot, but a lot of the in between was way too awkward and uncomfortable for me. From terrible police work to the worst undercover acting I could ever imagine, the worst of which was probably that last scene It just didn't feel believable to me unfortunately. I similar plot story that I thought was developed more fully and done more realistically is Laurel Heights.
Borrowed for January Promo from Jo *Smut-Dicted* in Bookie Nookie's Erotic Lending Group
Borrowed for January Promo from Jo *Smut-Dicted* in Bookie Nookie's Erotic Lending Group
March 1, 2009
Though short (just under 200 pages) the story was not rushed. Valenti is described as being tall dark and sophisticated. While O'Brian fills the oppisite page being compact, pale and street smart.
Both cops are sent on assignment to a gay resort called the RamJack. Valenti admitted to himself he not only loved his partner as a friend, but was in love and sexually attracted to him. O'Brian, while oblivious to his partner's inner feelings, was always touchy-feely and had no problems "acting" gay. Touching and Feeling, Valenti.
Without giving up too much of the development of the undercover job, it was fun to see that even with Valenti about to go off at the slightest notion that O'Brian might want to go further than a pat or pinch. The established friendship was what kept the beghinings of a romance able to play so well. There are laugh out loud moments. Touching moments. And goodness, are there
ever moments where you need a glass of something cool or open a window to let a breeze come in.
Evangeline Anderson, again, delivers.
Both cops are sent on assignment to a gay resort called the RamJack. Valenti admitted to himself he not only loved his partner as a friend, but was in love and sexually attracted to him. O'Brian, while oblivious to his partner's inner feelings, was always touchy-feely and had no problems "acting" gay. Touching and Feeling, Valenti.
Without giving up too much of the development of the undercover job, it was fun to see that even with Valenti about to go off at the slightest notion that O'Brian might want to go further than a pat or pinch. The established friendship was what kept the beghinings of a romance able to play so well. There are laugh out loud moments. Touching moments. And goodness, are there
ever moments where you need a glass of something cool or open a window to let a breeze come in.
Evangeline Anderson, again, delivers.
October 4, 2015
This was 'ok'...it was really quite a stupid storyline and I didn't know it was going to be set in the 80s. Everyone was very stereotypical in a very over the top way and the characters were quite 2D. The way their relationship developed was also quite stupidly done and unrealistic I thought - in fact it irritated me really because of how stupid it was. I almost didn't bother finishing it, but thought I would see what happened.
Pretty hot sex scenes, but apart from that not a lot else. The plot definitely seemed to be put together to allow the sex scenes so I think this should be classed as erotica - for anyone who likes proper romance this isn't really it at all as there is no depth to anything really. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had known that going in - I have to be in the mood for erotica or I get annoyed and bored with it!
Pretty hot sex scenes, but apart from that not a lot else. The plot definitely seemed to be put together to allow the sex scenes so I think this should be classed as erotica - for anyone who likes proper romance this isn't really it at all as there is no depth to anything really. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had known that going in - I have to be in the mood for erotica or I get annoyed and bored with it!
July 11, 2012
I thought this was okay. I really liked both Sean and Nick. What I didn't like was the plot; I thought that it was ridiculous. I just couldn't buy two 'straight' cops going undercover at a gay resort and being forced to do the things that they do.
September 17, 2021
Me dijeron que se parecía a Cut And Run pero no, ni un poco... Nada.
February 6, 2018
Fun Double-Gay-For-You Romance
Cop stories are at the top of my list for favorites. I am addicted to procedural cop dramas so when it's cop buddies who go from friends-to-lovers? I'm all in. I really enjoyed the premise of The Assignment since it's a little silly -Valenti and O'Brian are assigned to go undercover as a gay couple since they're the only detective team the captain has who are even remotely plausible as homosexuals- but it sets up a nice What If? scenario for stepping outside the bounds of traditional comfort zones.
Valenti was easy to love. He's that guy whose parents were more worried about money and status than his happiness while he was growing up. When he met O'Brian, the guy was able to pick up on this need in him for physical contact, friendship, and inclusion which resulted in them bonding closely from the Academy forward. I could buy he fell in love with his partner after almost losing him to a stabbing attack. Valenti definitely appreciates O'Brian on a physical level which was nice since O'Brian isn't the traditional "twinkie" guy with his heavily furred chest and short, stocky build. I liked Valenti really angsting over how he didn't want to ruin the best friendship of his life.
O'Brian was harder to get a read on since the story was from the POV of Valenti. I liked how he was blase about everything. He didn't have a problem with public displays of affection or even with joining "The Wankathon" while they were at the RamJack since he was like---well, we've had to do other things undercover and this guy really needs to be taken down, why not? I liked how he was more of a talker. I thought he came across as a very accepting guy. I was more surprised than Valenti when O'Brian agreed to go through with the blackmail their target set them up with after their cover was blown.
I really enjoyed the wrap of The Assignment since it was very much a friends-to-lovers moment. I believed in the romance. I think I would have loved this more if it hadn't inadvertently triggered my humiliation squick. (I have issues with characters being put into situations where they're extremely uncomfortable because it makes me uncomfortable by proxy.) I would recommend anyone who enjoyed this one to read the shorts which follow it up for more of Sean's perspective and more of these guys being awesome.
Cop stories are at the top of my list for favorites. I am addicted to procedural cop dramas so when it's cop buddies who go from friends-to-lovers? I'm all in. I really enjoyed the premise of The Assignment since it's a little silly -Valenti and O'Brian are assigned to go undercover as a gay couple since they're the only detective team the captain has who are even remotely plausible as homosexuals- but it sets up a nice What If? scenario for stepping outside the bounds of traditional comfort zones.
Valenti was easy to love. He's that guy whose parents were more worried about money and status than his happiness while he was growing up. When he met O'Brian, the guy was able to pick up on this need in him for physical contact, friendship, and inclusion which resulted in them bonding closely from the Academy forward. I could buy he fell in love with his partner after almost losing him to a stabbing attack. Valenti definitely appreciates O'Brian on a physical level which was nice since O'Brian isn't the traditional "twinkie" guy with his heavily furred chest and short, stocky build. I liked Valenti really angsting over how he didn't want to ruin the best friendship of his life.
O'Brian was harder to get a read on since the story was from the POV of Valenti. I liked how he was blase about everything. He didn't have a problem with public displays of affection or even with joining "The Wankathon" while they were at the RamJack since he was like---well, we've had to do other things undercover and this guy really needs to be taken down, why not? I liked how he was more of a talker. I thought he came across as a very accepting guy. I was more surprised than Valenti when O'Brian agreed to go through with the blackmail their target set them up with after their cover was blown.
I really enjoyed the wrap of The Assignment since it was very much a friends-to-lovers moment. I believed in the romance. I think I would have loved this more if it hadn't inadvertently triggered my humiliation squick. (I have issues with characters being put into situations where they're extremely uncomfortable because it makes me uncomfortable by proxy.) I would recommend anyone who enjoyed this one to read the shorts which follow it up for more of Sean's perspective and more of these guys being awesome.
April 7, 2024
There are better m/m stories in the world now
EDIT: I first read this over a decade ago, and I really enjoyed it. I’ve been going back through the paperbacks I first read in the m/m genre (back when there were maybe 200 m/m books, total), so I re-read this a couple of weeks ago, in 2024. My perspective has changed greatly in the past 10+ years: aside from my years as a 30-something woman, I also have a considerable amount of real experience now in the BDSM community. To put it bluntly, I didn’t find the book anywhere near as riveting this time around. I considered completely deleting the old review, but I figured my initial thoughts were still valid, so I'm leaving it up. What I will say this time around is that the book is chock-full of clichés, both in the m/m romance and in its depiction of BDSM. This wasn’t bad back in 2008 or so, as an entry in the newly burgeoning m/m genre. But there are hundreds—probably thousands—of books in existence now that blow this one out of the water.
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 8/10
PROS:
- Great sexual tension between two characters who think each other are straight.
- Likeable characters with a strong, believable friendship.
- Anderson does a good job of showing the non-POV character’s feelings by simply describing his actions and expressions.
- Good progression of sex scenes. Some authors write a real bell ringer of a sex scene and then place it in the middle of the book, so that all the sex scenes after it seem to fall short. Anderson knows how to make each sexual encounter a little more intimate/emotional/extreme.
- Sweet short story at the end of the book. I liked that it was from Sean’s POV instead of Nick’s.
CONS:
- Little thrown off / confused by the story’s setting. There’s nothing at all wrong with an author setting her story in the 1980s rather than the 2000s, but I didn’t find anything in the novel that made an early ‘80s timeframe necessary. And a story set in an historical period should include details that place it within its historical context—a love story in the Victorian era, for example, should include Victorian clothing, manners of speech, cultural mores, etc. Well, as cliché as it has become to relate the 1980s homosexual culture to the spreading of HIV, the fact is that AIDS was a very real concern in the gay community in the ‘80s, and there’s not a single mention of it in this book.
- Contrived voyeuristic situations that I didn’t much enjoy. Although I bought into (for the most part) the explanations of why the characters had to perform at times for an audience, I felt a bit cheated by those scenes. The character whose POV the story is told from is in anguish over his (assumed) unrequited love for his partner, and when he finally gets to show that love physically, I was almost sick at the idea that he couldn’t do so in private.
Overall comments: Great tale of friendship that blossoms into love. There’s some angst here, but it didn’t make me uncomfortable as it does in some other m/m books I’ve read.
EDIT: I first read this over a decade ago, and I really enjoyed it. I’ve been going back through the paperbacks I first read in the m/m genre (back when there were maybe 200 m/m books, total), so I re-read this a couple of weeks ago, in 2024. My perspective has changed greatly in the past 10+ years: aside from my years as a 30-something woman, I also have a considerable amount of real experience now in the BDSM community. To put it bluntly, I didn’t find the book anywhere near as riveting this time around. I considered completely deleting the old review, but I figured my initial thoughts were still valid, so I'm leaving it up. What I will say this time around is that the book is chock-full of clichés, both in the m/m romance and in its depiction of BDSM. This wasn’t bad back in 2008 or so, as an entry in the newly burgeoning m/m genre. But there are hundreds—probably thousands—of books in existence now that blow this one out of the water.
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 8/10
PROS:
- Great sexual tension between two characters who think each other are straight.
- Likeable characters with a strong, believable friendship.
- Anderson does a good job of showing the non-POV character’s feelings by simply describing his actions and expressions.
- Good progression of sex scenes. Some authors write a real bell ringer of a sex scene and then place it in the middle of the book, so that all the sex scenes after it seem to fall short. Anderson knows how to make each sexual encounter a little more intimate/emotional/extreme.
- Sweet short story at the end of the book. I liked that it was from Sean’s POV instead of Nick’s.
CONS:
- Little thrown off / confused by the story’s setting. There’s nothing at all wrong with an author setting her story in the 1980s rather than the 2000s, but I didn’t find anything in the novel that made an early ‘80s timeframe necessary. And a story set in an historical period should include details that place it within its historical context—a love story in the Victorian era, for example, should include Victorian clothing, manners of speech, cultural mores, etc. Well, as cliché as it has become to relate the 1980s homosexual culture to the spreading of HIV, the fact is that AIDS was a very real concern in the gay community in the ‘80s, and there’s not a single mention of it in this book.
- Contrived voyeuristic situations that I didn’t much enjoy. Although I bought into (for the most part) the explanations of why the characters had to perform at times for an audience, I felt a bit cheated by those scenes. The character whose POV the story is told from is in anguish over his (assumed) unrequited love for his partner, and when he finally gets to show that love physically, I was almost sick at the idea that he couldn’t do so in private.
Overall comments: Great tale of friendship that blossoms into love. There’s some angst here, but it didn’t make me uncomfortable as it does in some other m/m books I’ve read.
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