Book safety, content warnings, and tropes & tags down below.

Why did it feel like he’d gone and met the man of his dreams, on a Wednesday night right here in Las Vegas?

This duet is probably my favorite duet, at least as far as romantic suspense goes, so it’s really difficult to review it. Let me just preface this with the fact that I LOVE Tal Bauer. I could go on and on and fucking on about his books and the writing.

He grinned up at Cole, still trying to catch his breath, his heart still thundering. “You know, I think I might be gay.” Cole threw his head back and laughed.

The romantic parts of this is (obviously) phenomenal. It’s Tal. The connection between Noah and Cole is instant, but there’s no instalove or that kind of deal. They just fit each other so well, and even when they’re struggling, you’re cheering for them to figure it out and get together so everyone can be happy, lol. It’s definitely not smooth sailing for them, and they have a somewhat unconventional start to their relationship, with a one night stand in Las Vegas. Even with the casual sex though, there’s so much more there. If you’ve ever read anything by Tal Bauer, you know the kind of connection he’s capable of writing. This one is no different. Whenever they’re together, it’s hot, it’s sweet, it’s heartwarming, and at times it’s a little heartbreaking. This definitely continues in The Grave Between Us.

Cole studied him. Noah felt his gaze trace over his profile, wander from his hair to his lips, lingering there, before roaming further south. He cast Cole a quick, sidelong glance. “Here? Now?” he murmured. “Can’t help it.” A flush rose on Cole’s cheeks. “You have me head over heels.”

The murder mystery/case solving part is also fantastic. You can tell that a lot of thought, planning and most likely research went into this. I have a strong stomach so none of the graphic details in this bothered me, but the content warnings are warranted. I will also say that after reading The Grave Between Us, this book seems rather tame in comparison, lol. It’s so well thought out though, and even when you think you have a handle on what the hell is going on, you’ll probably end up being surprised. Gah, the whole thing is just so damn good.

Romantic suspense is my favorite genre, so pairing that with my favorite MM author (who is arguably one of the best in the genre overall), you know I’ll go crazy for it. This is my third time reading this one, and it won’t be the last. Be warned that if you read this one and feel comfortable with the content, you might not feel the same about book 2 in the duet. That one turned my stomach a couple times, which hasn’t happened more than once since then. I’ll get to rereading that and getting the review up soon-ish. I believe you could comfortably read this as a standalone, as they get a HFN ending, and there’s no overall case/mystery bits that carry over to the second book, if I remember correctly.

Raising a teen, Cole had discovered, was a delicate balancing act between trying to keep them safe and not crossing the line into a full-on parental surveillance state.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
ONS to lovers
Closeted
First times
Single dad
FBI agent
FBI profiler
Case solving
Push and pull
Serial killer
Divorced MC
Whodunnit
Romantic suspense

⚠️⚠️ Content warning ⚠️⚠️
Torture
Gun violence
Gun shot wound
Hospitalization
Murder (off page)
Graphic violence
Attempted murder
Explicit sexual content
Attempted murder of a child
Graphic details of crime scenes
Death of a minor side character
Murdered children (crime scenes detailed)

⚠️⚠️⚠️ Book safety ⚠️⚠️⚠️
Cheating: No
OM/OW drama: No
Third-act breakup: Yes
POV: 3rd person, dual POV
Genre: Romantic suspense, M/M, duet
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles in this book.