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Set Fire to This Cardhouse
They're just your average coworkers who got off on the wrong foot. Except with guns.
Agent Toby Brown—not his real name—is a damn good agent who knows his way around any IT system. Why, then, is he partnered with Agent Mike Redding—not his real name either—who is impulsive, contradictory, and hot as hell?
Toby didn't think they'd combine well, but somehow, they do. Yet when a high-stakes mission in the Mauritanian desert throws them for a loop, they make a decision that irrevocably changes their partnership. In between stakeouts, crawling through the jungle, and revealing pieces of truth about themselves, Toby learns that first impressions can be deceiving.
Sometimes it takes five continents to fall in love.
Set Fire to This Cardhouse takes two men who think they know what they want on an international romp filled with banter, sexual tension, and love—eventually.
Agent Toby Brown—not his real name—is a damn good agent who knows his way around any IT system. Why, then, is he partnered with Agent Mike Redding—not his real name either—who is impulsive, contradictory, and hot as hell?
Toby didn't think they'd combine well, but somehow, they do. Yet when a high-stakes mission in the Mauritanian desert throws them for a loop, they make a decision that irrevocably changes their partnership. In between stakeouts, crawling through the jungle, and revealing pieces of truth about themselves, Toby learns that first impressions can be deceiving.
Sometimes it takes five continents to fall in love.
Set Fire to This Cardhouse takes two men who think they know what they want on an international romp filled with banter, sexual tension, and love—eventually.
193 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2020
66 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Zarah Detand
20 books426 followersWriter of M/M romances. Chaos monkey. Coffee snob. Cheese is her love language.
People in love with other people is her jam, with a particular penchant for snappy dialogue and a slow burn that is all the more satisfying once it finally catches fire. Playing with tropes of the famous-meets-non-famous variation? Bring it on! Fake relationships? Yes, please. All's fair as long as everyone gets their happy ending.
People in love with other people is her jam, with a particular penchant for snappy dialogue and a slow burn that is all the more satisfying once it finally catches fire. Playing with tropes of the famous-meets-non-famous variation? Bring it on! Fake relationships? Yes, please. All's fair as long as everyone gets their happy ending.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
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November 10, 2023What is the star rating for a book that's technically solid (well written, well edited, exciting and snappy) but that leaves you feeling like this 😬?
Our heroes are agents of the Agency (which I would think was the CIA only it's based in Newark, NJ, which okay Zarah that's pretty funny), so I knew going in that things were going to be morally shady and the thing to do was relax, think of nothing in particular, and enjoy the ride. Plus, and this is important to what ultimately put me off, Toby and Mike are presented as unambiguously the good guys, using violent means for good causes.
So I winced when their first op involved Islamist terrorists. And their second op had a radicalized Muslim weapons merchant. And it's been at least a week so I don't remember the details but every op involved nefarious brown people and I started feeling a little twitchy and then one of the MCs let it be known that he had murdered the man who murdered his parents, which okay I do get why that would piss a person off but I was already pretending to myself that I hadn't noticed all the extrajudicial killing under the Agency's auspices and at that point the Secret Agent Romp was swamped by the ick.
See, if Toby and Mike were depicted as ruthless anti-heroes (I think that's how Mafia romances work? I can't with organized crime, so I don't read those), then (undertones of racism aside) the vast quantities of killing and that final murder would have matched the characterization. But as it is, the contrast between their characters as presented, and the non-cartoony violence they engage in, is jarring. Distasteful, in fact.
It's a bad blunder, in my opinion, and I wouldn't give Zarah Detand another look except that I'm so freaking thirsty for prose that doesn't make me want to peel off my skin. Also, most or all of her books seem to be on KU, so there's that.
Our heroes are agents of the Agency (which I would think was the CIA only it's based in Newark, NJ, which okay Zarah that's pretty funny), so I knew going in that things were going to be morally shady and the thing to do was relax, think of nothing in particular, and enjoy the ride. Plus, and this is important to what ultimately put me off, Toby and Mike are presented as unambiguously the good guys, using violent means for good causes.
So I winced when their first op involved Islamist terrorists. And their second op had a radicalized Muslim weapons merchant. And it's been at least a week so I don't remember the details but every op involved nefarious brown people and I started feeling a little twitchy and then one of the MCs let it be known that he had murdered the man who murdered his parents, which okay I do get why that would piss a person off but I was already pretending to myself that I hadn't noticed all the extrajudicial killing under the Agency's auspices and at that point the Secret Agent Romp was swamped by the ick.
See, if Toby and Mike were depicted as ruthless anti-heroes (I think that's how Mafia romances work? I can't with organized crime, so I don't read those), then (undertones of racism aside) the vast quantities of killing and that final murder would have matched the characterization. But as it is, the contrast between their characters as presented, and the non-cartoony violence they engage in, is jarring. Distasteful, in fact.
It's a bad blunder, in my opinion, and I wouldn't give Zarah Detand another look except that I'm so freaking thirsty for prose that doesn't make me want to peel off my skin. Also, most or all of her books seem to be on KU, so there's that.
February 12, 2024
3+
Naprawdę, wkurza mnie niezmiernie brak tych cholernych połówek na GoodReads 😡
Naprawdę, wkurza mnie niezmiernie brak tych cholernych połówek na GoodReads 😡
April 15, 2021
I lucked into getting this book on a day it was free, but just buy it. Wow. Wow. Unusual prose/structure, great romance plot between two agents (single POV), and just. I wish I could suspend the experience so I can read it again, right now. This writer is a master craftsperson. I am in awe, and also delighted--go read this one!
February 10, 2022
They kill terrorists
And fall in love. Slow burn, spies,
Niece, baggage, bodies.
And fall in love. Slow burn, spies,
Niece, baggage, bodies.
April 20, 2021
3.5 stars
(GoodReads, I need a rating better than a 3 & less than a 4 - whaddya gonna do about it?)
Highly entertaining bonkers book. A purist would object to the ease with which various baddies (all evil foreign blighters) were foiled by two men and a dufflebag. The UST drags a little. But I loved the dry narrative style -
(GoodReads, I need a rating better than a 3 & less than a 4 - whaddya gonna do about it?)
Highly entertaining bonkers book. A purist would object to the ease with which various baddies (all evil foreign blighters) were foiled by two men and a dufflebag. The UST drags a little. But I loved the dry narrative style -
Kroning Ltd. resides in a nondescript office building in a nondescript business district with the typical range of cafés and sandwich shops that cater to a typical white-collar crowd. The State Corporations Database lists it as a company dealing with high-tech compounds. The homepage looks professional, its sleek design liberally inspired by Apple, its ‘About Us’ section putting the employee count at roughly a hundred.and the high incidence of breezy one-liners.
It does not mention that the receptionist hides a rapid-fire gun under the counter.
“Love the goatee, by the way,” Mike adds. “Very... distinguished. Very I’m-gonna-rob-you-and-your-granny-blind-but-I’ll-do-it-wearing-a-tuxedo.”I could see myself re-reading this: I liked Toby & Mike.
February 25, 2023
3.5 stars.
March 17, 2021
Awesome! Fantastic! I love the way Zarahh Detand describes scenery, people and their actions. Her way of describing make you feel wrapped up in love, or sun or whatever the characters are up to at the moment. This book is no exception from her past writing and I really fell in love either the characters, almost as much as I did when I first read “pull me under”.
This book is a good five star and I am so curious about what else this author has written under other names!!
This book is a good five star and I am so curious about what else this author has written under other names!!
September 3, 2023
Not sure what it is with single POV books and an MC with the name Mike, I have yet to be disappointed. Enjoyed Toby and Mike’s simmering dance. New to Zarah Detand’s writing and after three books she is on my “if you write it, I will read it” list.
July 27, 2024
2.5 stars
To be honest, I was a bit leery when I decided to read this. Spy romance could be a bit ridiculous because nothing about the job felt "right", you know? Unlike romance with cops or private detectives.
Yes, unfortunately, this was the weakest and my least favorite from Detand's so far. The spy job authenticity was paper-thin, and I was sooooo over with Muslim terrorists plot in spy/military romance book. Really, author, with everything that happened with Palestine right now, drop the whole "Muslim is evil" thing, all right!
Toby and Mike occupations as "spies" seem to be only excuse to drop these men on globe-trotting plot. I couldn't feel invested enough in the relationship, even at times, there were sparks of those brilliant-emotion-conversations that I came to adore from Detand's other books (which probably where my 0.5 stars are given for).
I skipped pages here. I guess I should've listened to my instinct.
To be honest, I was a bit leery when I decided to read this. Spy romance could be a bit ridiculous because nothing about the job felt "right", you know? Unlike romance with cops or private detectives.
Yes, unfortunately, this was the weakest and my least favorite from Detand's so far. The spy job authenticity was paper-thin, and I was sooooo over with Muslim terrorists plot in spy/military romance book. Really, author, with everything that happened with Palestine right now, drop the whole "Muslim is evil" thing, all right!
Toby and Mike occupations as "spies" seem to be only excuse to drop these men on globe-trotting plot. I couldn't feel invested enough in the relationship, even at times, there were sparks of those brilliant-emotion-conversations that I came to adore from Detand's other books (which probably where my 0.5 stars are given for).
I skipped pages here. I guess I should've listened to my instinct.
May 10, 2021
Ok, but didn’t really grab me. Did a little skimming in spots.
August 17, 2024
So this is not an author one should turn to for espionage hijinks.
March 30, 2022
4.5 stars
The trope I like the best; secret agents/guns/danger/last minute rescues. Didn’t like the non/mis-communication, misunderstanding that went on a bit too long. I would have liked just a bit more steam and actual relationship time. I think this would make a good series. A girl can hope.
The trope I like the best; secret agents/guns/danger/last minute rescues. Didn’t like the non/mis-communication, misunderstanding that went on a bit too long. I would have liked just a bit more steam and actual relationship time. I think this would make a good series. A girl can hope.
April 22, 2025
liked the book, definitely not her best
I love Zariah’s books and was missing her voice so I chose one I hadn’t read before. This one is set in the world of secret operatives. As a romance it is fine but romance authors are not thriller writers. The secret operative aspects of the book just don’t work for anyone who is used to thrillers. The missions are too pat with everything resolved in a page or two. The missions are really never connected and the holes so wide you could drive a car through them sideways. If all you want is a romance away from the hugely overdone hockey arena this might be for you.
I love Zariah’s books and was missing her voice so I chose one I hadn’t read before. This one is set in the world of secret operatives. As a romance it is fine but romance authors are not thriller writers. The secret operative aspects of the book just don’t work for anyone who is used to thrillers. The missions are too pat with everything resolved in a page or two. The missions are really never connected and the holes so wide you could drive a car through them sideways. If all you want is a romance away from the hugely overdone hockey arena this might be for you.
November 14, 2023
This slow-burn MM romance is about two CIA agents who find mutual attraction while completing clandestine "jobs" around the world. I enjoyed the angst created when sparks ignited between these two characters. The missions are realistic and provide an interesting backdrop to the real story. Bas and Mike have real chemistry from the beginning and I couldn't wait to find out how it all turned out. So far, I haven't read a single book by this author that I didn't fully enjoy. If you enjoy MM slow-burn romance, then you'll really enjoy this book.
July 17, 2023
I loved this story. Quick, easy read with travel and adventure. The 2 main characters are secret agents who get partnered together and their missions take them all over the world. I enjoyed reading about the missions and their antics along the way to finding love. I would easily read 8 books in a series about Toby and Mike. This author is a must read for me and I have been knocking the titles off my list steadily.
June 7, 2023
Anything by this author is an automatic read for me at this point, as she never disappoints. I do wish that in this book we had gotten to know some of the side characters a bit more like in her in her other books, but given the profession of the main characters, it makes sense that we don’t. Overall, great rom and would recommend.
September 27, 2023
LOVELY
God. This book is fantastic. Detand always has such beautiful, authentic character development. She has become one of my FAVORITE authors.
Mike and Toby are so so sweet, and they had a hard fought happy ending. The angst and slow-burn is kind of heavy with this one, but the ending SURELY makes up for it. Fantastic. About to re read all of her other work.
God. This book is fantastic. Detand always has such beautiful, authentic character development. She has become one of my FAVORITE authors.
Mike and Toby are so so sweet, and they had a hard fought happy ending. The angst and slow-burn is kind of heavy with this one, but the ending SURELY makes up for it. Fantastic. About to re read all of her other work.
February 27, 2024
4.5 stars, I liked this better than Bring the Fire (sort of similar, partners and slightly enemies to lovers). really liked both characters even though they were sort of frustrating at times in their miscommunication and how long it took to get on the same page. but the plot and story were good and the relationship payoff was worth it!
July 11, 2024
Another great M-M romance from this author.
Trigger warnings - torture scene.
Adult content - explicit scenes.
I was nervous of this book and it’s not as good as some of the author’s other books but it does still have a nice story, is written well and flows well. Two agents work together to solve or investigate terrorist incidents aka a spy adventure story, all the while falling in love.
Trigger warnings - torture scene.
Adult content - explicit scenes.
I was nervous of this book and it’s not as good as some of the author’s other books but it does still have a nice story, is written well and flows well. Two agents work together to solve or investigate terrorist incidents aka a spy adventure story, all the while falling in love.
December 4, 2024
I loved this book
Honestly it could be the perfect book with MCs you'd like to meet, an attraction that's believable, and cases that are interesting and round out who the character is.
Or maybe it was the perfect book for me at this moment, but this author doesn't let me down.
Enjoy.
Honestly it could be the perfect book with MCs you'd like to meet, an attraction that's believable, and cases that are interesting and round out who the character is.
Or maybe it was the perfect book for me at this moment, but this author doesn't let me down.
Enjoy.
June 11, 2021
Loved it!
Loved Toby, Mike, the sly humour, banter, feelings - pretty much everything about the story. Also loved the illustrations at the beginning of each mission. Definitely recommend and will reread 😍😍😍
Loved Toby, Mike, the sly humour, banter, feelings - pretty much everything about the story. Also loved the illustrations at the beginning of each mission. Definitely recommend and will reread 😍😍😍
September 21, 2021
A real pleasure
This was a pleasant surprise. I loved this story. Excellent characters, breezy writing style with a witty, humorous dialogue. You’re sucked right in. Finished in one night cause I couldn’t put it down. The other books in this collection? Already in my TBR!
This was a pleasant surprise. I loved this story. Excellent characters, breezy writing style with a witty, humorous dialogue. You’re sucked right in. Finished in one night cause I couldn’t put it down. The other books in this collection? Already in my TBR!
January 2, 2023
Of the Zarah Detand books I've read this is the only one I would say is average. I still enjoyed it but it doesn't reach the level of the others and I would recommend them over this.
It is still worth a read if you have time.
It is still worth a read if you have time.
April 12, 2023
A blurb I read about this book sums it up perfectly, (I'm paraphrasing here) "a smile office romance, but with guns" lots and lots of guns, and things that go BOOM.
I spent the entire day yesterday reading this and enjoyed every minute of it. Wanted it to never end.
I spent the entire day yesterday reading this and enjoyed every minute of it. Wanted it to never end.
June 25, 2023
It’s well written
Maybe I’m just not that into spies. I dunno. Their relationship kind of skips along. There’s a lot of action and not a lot of time for their relationship to develop.
Maybe I’m just not that into spies. I dunno. Their relationship kind of skips along. There’s a lot of action and not a lot of time for their relationship to develop.
September 20, 2024
review!
So lovely and cute I liked how it was essentially all plot and not filler. Well written of course and entertaining as always with well thought out characters and arc. Would have loved to see some more resolution for Mike with his personal family but they were perfect.
So lovely and cute I liked how it was essentially all plot and not filler. Well written of course and entertaining as always with well thought out characters and arc. Would have loved to see some more resolution for Mike with his personal family but they were perfect.
April 29, 2025
Set fire to this Cardhouse
Great story. Almost couldn't put this one down, it is a long way to the certainty that they will declare their attraction without the jesting and teasing and it is so worth when they finally do.
Great story. Almost couldn't put this one down, it is a long way to the certainty that they will declare their attraction without the jesting and teasing and it is so worth when they finally do.
March 28, 2021
Fun Book
This is the second book I have read by this author and it is a good book. Strong character development and plot.
This is the second book I have read by this author and it is a good book. Strong character development and plot.
April 5, 2021
Brilliant story - absolutely loved it.
April 9, 2021
Could not put it down. Read all day. Feel better for it.
Can’t say more than that.
Can’t say more than that.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews