Stars & Stripes (Cut & Run, #6) in Riptide Publishing

Sep 11, 2012 LenaLena rated it did not like it

Shelves: mm, action

Most romance books have an epilogue. It's that bit at the end where it shows the couple a few days, weeks or years later all happy and solid in their relationship, usually with a few cute references to quirky, couple-y things that happened to them in the process of getting together. Things to make the couple (and the reader) chuckle at their previous antics, now happily in the past. Epilogues are like the icing on the cake, the cherry on top: enjoyable, reassuring, but of little substance.

This Most romance books have an epilogue. It's that bit at the end where it shows the couple a few days, weeks or years later all happy and solid in their relationship, usually with a few cute references to quirky, couple-y things that happened to them in the process of getting together. Things to make the couple (and the reader) chuckle at their previous antics, now happily in the past. Epilogues are like the icing on the cake, the cherry on top: enjoyable, reassuring, but of little substance.

This book is like one big, endless, epilogue. Ty and Zane are together. They are totally committed. They are rock solid. Nothing shakes the foundation of their relationship. They reaffirm their love every couple of hours or so. Excellent. Wonderful. Good for them.

So what this book is, besides one mighty long-winded affirmation of mutual love and desire, is a unending collection of quirky couple-y things that are all different flavors of CUTE. Designed to make the fangirls sqeee and go 'Aaaaaawwwww' and do the Snoopy-dance.

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As you can see, the book is wonderfully successful at the cute and quirky. So, yay, well done. But OMFG it's like drowning in syrup for close to 300 pages!

The status updates mention some other problems I had. ...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Aves Raggiana rated it really liked it

You know, it's either my Inner-Cynical-Bitter-Bitchy-Queen has taken a Valium, or I'm willing to go along with where this series is going. What has prompted my reassessment of this whole series, was when someone very kindly left a "Like" and a comment on my review of "Sticks & Stones". I had quite forgotten what I'd written. When I re-read my own words, I was dumbfounded.

It turns out, that the turn in Zane and Ty's relationship was what I had wanted all along. So it bemuses me why I'm moanin You know, it's either my Inner-Cynical-Bitter-Bitchy-Queen has taken a Valium, or I'm willing to go along with where this series is going. What has prompted my reassessment of this whole series, was when someone very kindly left a "Like" and a comment on my review of "Sticks & Stones". I had quite forgotten what I'd written. When I re-read my own words, I was dumbfounded.

It turns out, that the turn in Zane and Ty's relationship was what I had wanted all along. So it bemuses me why I'm moaning so much about this turn as written in "Armed & Dangerous" and now "Stars & Stripes". In my "Cut & Run" review, I had complained long and loud about how these "two knuckleheads" could never get it together. Then I implored both writers for a wedding! I even anticipated Earl's acceptance of Ty and Zane as a gay couple. So why all this carping on my part, when the series as now written, is giving me exactly what I want?

About "Stars & Stripes": Skillfully written? Without a doubt. Entertaining? Absolutely. Plausible? Not in the least. I'm not even talking about the plausibility of the plot of which there is no plausibility, of course. I'm talking about the believeability of Ty and Zane's relationship itself. As much as I really, really wanted them to succeed, and as strongly as I rooted for them through all six books, I have to wonder, could their relationship really have come this far, with all its gratuitous mushiness and toothache inducing sentimentality? I found myself enjoying far more the spoken input of the supporting characters such as Chester and Zane's father, Harrison and Ty's parents, Earl and Mara, than the whispered intimate exchanges between Ty and Zane. I'm hoping that the lone authoress of the remaining three installments will better calibrate the expressions of love and ardent devotion that are more and more becoming characteristic of Zane and Ty's relationship..

So, with the recalibration of my expectations of Ty and Zane's relationship, and with my feel-good-meter pinging at the high end of the scale, after reading "Stars & Stripes", I am resolved to continue reading all three remaining books, happy to just go along with Ty and Zane until the end, when we have to say "Good Bye" to them, and we hear from them no more. ...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Kerry rated it it was amazing

Shelves: e-book-own, m-m, series, favorites, kobo

Reread #3- August 2024

I have no idea why I said this was my least favorite in my original review. I love this book! My favorite part has to be Ty coming out to his family. I think it's the best coming out scene I remember reading. Grandpa Chester is the best! Zane coming out to his family was also good, although his mother is a major BITCH!

Ty and Barnum the tiger were great. I certainly have a better understanding of large cat animal sanctuaries after seeing The Tiger King on Netflix in 2020.
*** ...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Cindi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: series, m-m, favorites, 2012, pre-order

I think I fall a little more in love with Ty and Zane with each additional book in the series. I've never liked series that focus on the same characters throughout but I can't get enough of these guys.

The first 5%: Priceless. I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard reading a book. I had tears running down my face. Ty's parents (and Chester, God love him) are a blast.

"We wouldn't need your help normally, but this morning I cut your daddy's finger off and he says he can't hold a hammer.

...more

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Aug 14, 2012 SueM rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m, cowboy, favorites, favorite-series, cop-agent-military-pi, contemporary-romance, ipad-stanza, feel-good-comfort-read, animals-pets

Amazingly, this series only gets better and better for me, particularly as we gain more insight into both Ty and Zane. We learn not only more about their families, but also about their pasts - yet they still manage to solve a crime in the midst of the family drama!

I feel that we get to see the humanity of these two men in greater depth in this novel, as we did in Armed & Dangerous. This may be due to Roux now being the sole force behind the series, or it might have been planned that way from th ...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Tj rated it it was amazing

Shelves: have, read-2012, have-audible, animal-cat, cover-white, trope-secret-relationship, trope-lost-partner, read-2022, occupation-police-pi, genre-contemporary

A little lighter story for Zane and Ty. Still lots of action and etc. It seems this one was more about Zane and Ty taking more steps in their relationship and "coming out" to the families. Zane seemed more relaxed in this one and more likable and approachable. Ty and his interaction with the tiger was priceless as was his banter with the horse. Poor Ty always is getting shot and/or beat up. ...more

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