Blood Heat (Dangerous Ground, #3) in Q&A with Josh Lanyon

Nov 25, 2013 Susana rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Things are not getting easier for Taylor and Will. In Blood Heat, they are working together again, as much in love as they were before, but problems seem to spring up everywhere they go. On chasing a runaway suspected terrorist, they are attacked by an unscrupulous bounty hunter, trapped in a flash flood which almost kills them both, and hunted by two professional marksmen working for the Russian mob. On top of all this, when they finally manage to get hold of the fugitive, she is very pregnant… Things are not getting easier for Taylor and Will. In Blood Heat, they are working together again, as much in love as they were before, but problems seem to spring up everywhere they go. On chasing a runaway suspected terrorist, they are attacked by an unscrupulous bounty hunter, trapped in a flash flood which almost kills them both, and hunted by two professional marksmen working for the Russian mob. On top of all this, when they finally manage to get hold of the fugitive, she is very pregnant… and about to give birth. All this produces an action packed really interesting story. But Lanyon being Lanyon, there is another whole story behind the action, that which deals with the feelings and emotions of both characters. And it is here where Lanyon is at his best.
Will and Taylor are having problems. Their feelings for each other keep interfering with their job. Will’s protective instinct goes into overdrive whenever Taylor is threatened, and that’s why he sometimes makes the wrong decisions. This is bad for their job as partners, and also for their relationship, as Taylor doesn’t like to feel Will’s overprotection. But the main problem is that Will has been offered a job in Paris, a very good position implying promotion and… two years away from home. Though he doesn’t know it yet, and keeps telling Taylor that he is still considering it, Taylor knows he has already made his mind, as he says
“Will had been making more of these physical gestures lately. It was one reason Taylor was pretty sure Will was taking the Paris job, even if he didn’t know it himself yet”
Taylor’s feelings about it are eating him alive. He tries to hide it and pretend to be happy for Will, but he feels betrayed and abandoned. Above all is the fact that Taylor would have renounced to a position abroad in order to be with Will. It is Taylor’s fears and insecurities what are killing him inside. At the end, when they are safe and sound, and Will recognizes that he is taking the job, they cling to the hope that they will survive the distance… but, will they? I am not that sure.
I love the way Lanyon depicts his characters, how easy it is to feel what they feel. I can understand the anguish of Will and Taylor, one forced to make a really difficult decision, while the other is forced to witness his lover’s departure… Trying to keep his dignity and heart intact. So good. I can’t wait to meet them in Paris… or wherever they are meeting next.
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Jun 29, 2011 Paola rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourite

Another excellent installment in one of my favourite m/m series.

Will and Taylor have overcome a lot of obstacles together, they work well as a team like a well-oiled machine, their relationship is solid and strong, but a lot of underlying tension is still there: Will fears he cares so much about Taylor he’d be unable to do his job properly when he’s constantly worrying about Taylor’s safety; Taylor, in this third book, appears more secure and, dare I say, stoic, than before (though he’s still th Another excellent installment in one of my favourite m/m series.

Will and Taylor have overcome a lot of obstacles together, they work well as a team like a well-oiled machine, their relationship is solid and strong, but a lot of underlying tension is still there: Will fears he cares so much about Taylor he’d be unable to do his job properly when he’s constantly worrying about Taylor’s safety; Taylor, in this third book, appears more secure and, dare I say, stoic, than before (though he’s still the more impatient, quicksilver type of the two, and occasionally displaying a disturbing disregard for his own life that can’t help but continuing to alarm Will), but he’s still not hiding very well his fears that Will’s promotion for an overseas posting (which Will is likely to accept) will spell the end of their affair ‘cause he can’t think they’d survive a long distance relationship.
Taylor’s insecurities are realistic ones, whether they’re based on true assumptions or not; and Will’s fears are no less realistic. I felt for both men: Will has declared his love and lifelong commitment to Taylor in so many ways and yet Taylor has still some lingering doubts about their future together; Taylor has come to depend so much on having Will in his life that despite ultimately trusting Will, Taylor can’t completely trust himself not to come apart at the thought of Will working even temporarily far away from him, or at least that the delicate balance they've achieved in their relationship won't survive their physical distance.
Taylor’s insecurities were not helped by his finding out that Will (view spoiler)[ had had a long-term relationship with a girl while in college, whereas Taylor had never tried sex with a girl, despite being more adventurous and kinky in bed than Will.

"Anyway, how do you know you wouldn't like sex with a woman if you've never tried?"
Will said, “I have tried."
The words just...popped out. Seeing Taylor's astonishment, Will wished he'd kept his mouth shut.
"You have?” Taylor was frowning. “When?"
"Back in high school."
"High school? You never mentioned it before."
Will shrugged. That was one thing that had always surprised him about Taylor. For all Taylor's sexual adventures, one thing he'd never tried was intercourse with a woman.
Hedwig asked, “You didn't like it?"
"I liked it fine.” Will was a little irritated at the way Taylor was staring at him—as though Will had confessed to having an extramarital affair. It was kind of ironic coming from a guy who'd had intimate acquaintance with such items as butterfly boards and piercing needles.
"Did you only try once?"
"Mind your own business,” Taylor told Hedwig. To Will he said, “How many times?"

One of the things I love the most about Josh Lanyon's style is how capably he can infuse humour even in the most tense of conversations.

Will sincerely wished he'd kept his mouth shut. “I don't know. A few. I had a girlfriend."
"A girlfriend? A steady girlfriend?"
Will nodded. Why the hell was this a big deal? For the life of him, he couldn't imagine, but he could feel Taylor's shock like an electromagnetic field.
"Why've you never mentioned this?"

(...)

"So...you consider yourself bisexual?"
"No, I don't consider myself bisexual. What are you talking about? Because I had a girlfriend in high school? A lot of people have girlfriends in high school and college."
"And college? Were you still seeing her in college?"
Will could happily have bitten his tongue out. “It's just a...an example."
"Were you still together in college?"
Goddamn that persistent, ruthless investigative streak of Taylor's.
"For a little while,” Will admitted.
"Well.” Taylor had that huffy, irritable tone he got when he was edgy or nervous. “This is certainly an interesting development."
Will looked away from the road to throw him an exasperated look. “Why would it be? It's nothing. It was a million years ago. A lifetime ago. I can't figure out why the hell we're even still discussing it."
"So this is why I've never met your family?"

(hide spoiler)]

The emotional side of the story is very well mingled together with the job assignment the guys are working on: a lot is happening here and the tension throughout the book is nicely counterpointed by frequent sparks of humour, that don't just relieve the tension but also reveal something important about the guys' thoughts and feelings. Some of the humour is also related to the guys being out of their depth in having to deal with a heavily pregnant woman, but ultimately both Will and Taylor display a lot of strength and resilience over and above their human flaws and insecurities, and like in the previous two novellas in this series no word or scene felt gratuitous or wasted.

I can barely hold on to my patience now, knowing that the fourth instalment is soon to be published :)
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May 29, 2013 Deanna rated it liked it

Shelves: adventure, fav-authors

Not the best of the series, but still good. I wanted more story. These guys make me want to laugh and to cry. Are they ending their relationship? Why can't Will tell David in no uncertain terms that Taylor is the one and only? ...more

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