Locked Down by Jess Anastasi

A charming, confident FBI analyst gets more than the fling he bargained for when his lover lands smack in the middle of his investigation.

Gabe Lopez travels to Everness, Texas, to investigate and profile a dangerous group of white supremacists living on the outskirts of the small town. As far as he’s concerned, the assignment can’t end soon enough. When he stops to help Matt York with a flat tire, he anticipates a sexy distraction—nothing more. But Matt has a knack for getting himself into trouble, and soon Gabe is torn between protecting Matt and doing his job.

Matt left a successful life and business back in San Francisco to fulfill a promise to his aunt: find his runaway cousin and bring him home. But Tommy is on a dangerous path, and someone is trying to scare Matt off—or worse.

When the situation escalates, Matt turns to Gabe, who doesn’t like mixing business and pleasure. But in Everness, the secrets are buried deep, and like it or not, Matt is at risk of being buried right alongside them.

Book 2
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veronica – ☆☆☆
FBI Analyst Gabe meets coffee shop owner Matt in the middle of nowhere Texas, after he stops to help Matt with a flat tyre. Turns out they were both headed to the small town of Everness, where they end up in the same motel.

I liked the way the story began. There was plenty going on to hold my interest. There is Gabe's investigation, Matt trying to get his cousin to talk to him and go back to San Francisco with him, and of course, the budding romance between Matt and Gabe. The danger and violence in the town comes out early in the story and the suspense of who is behind the attacks was good. The problem for me was, the longer the story went on, the more the romance, and in particular the sex, took over. And it is such a shame because when we get to the big dangerous finale it is really well done and engaging. But the balance between story and sex was out of whack. For an FBI analyst with an investigation, he didn't really do much investigating.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and I liked being back in Everness and seeing Danny and Jake from book one again. While this book wasn't perfect, I'm interested in seeing more of what this town has to offer, so I'll be continuing with this series.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/M Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Matt is on his way to try and see if he can convince his cousin, who's more like a brother to him, to come home. He wants to fulfill what his aunt and mom have asked of him. But leaving the comforts of San Francisco isn't easy and his day isn't going well... to top it off, he isn't quite sure what he's getting himself in to.

Gabe is an analyst who loves his job. The FBI has sent him to find out whether or not a growing group of malcontents is going to become a full-fledged terrorist group. Gabe isn't one to do anything brash, but when he sees someone in need on the side of a very deserted road, he can't help but stop to try and help.

When Matt sees Gabe, his tongue ties in knots. Gabe is also a little stunned. Who knew that they'd find someone they were attracted to in the middle of Texas? What makes it more is that they find themselves in close proximity whether they want it or not.

They try to fight their attraction, but when it becomes clear that Matt might be part of the case that Gabe has been sent to investigate, Gabe knows he can't have any more sexy times with Matt. But with strange things happening all around Matt and Matt's cousin being less than excited that Matt has tracked him down, Gabe will need reinforcements and Matt will need to trust that the people around him are capable of keeping him safe.

This book had a lot going for it. The action and protection detail were entertaining. The romance was more of a lust-induced relationship, but it served the purpose of keeping the main characters coming back for more. Overall, it was entertaining, but somewhat flat in the romance portion.

Also Available in the Texas Heroes Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our Take Down post.

JESS ANASTASI has been making up stories ever since she can remember. Though her messy handwriting made it hard for anyone else to read them, she wasn’t deterred, and now she gets to make up stories for a living. With a multi-award-winning science fiction romance series to her name, her books feature larger-than-life heroes with relatable vulnerabilities who find themselves in situations that push their resolve to the limit. Jess is a tea addict who loves loud music, dancing in her kitchen, and a good book on a rainy day. A fangirl at heart, she probably spends too much time watching too many TV shows. Jess lives in regional Victoria, Australia. Find out more about Jess and her upcoming releases on her website.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Locked Down (Texas Heroes #2) by Jess Anastasi to read and review.