Speak No Evil by J. R. Gray
Blurb:
Weston
doesn’t believe in voodoo but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t believe in him. His
life and family were steeped in the stuff and it was fine, until voodoo took
everything from him, ripped his life from his grasp. And when it swallowed
whole the person he loved most he had to escape.
But there
were consequences. His voodoo goddess wasn’t going to let go of him so easily,
and her revenge was the pinnacle of evil. He could
have dealt with something like impotence or boils, but this was purely
depraved. She came for him and hit him where it hurts. She might as well have
taken his guns.
Weston
found himself unable to lie. A hitman who can’t lie. What a joke.
When his
handler throws him a bone, a job that requires no interaction only observation,
Weston takes it. He should be able to do this in his sleep, but he’s off his
game. He gets way too close. Nothing is as it seems, and someone else, maybe
someone worse than him, is stalking his mark. But he can’t leave the kid high
and dry. Not when Eli is all he can think about.
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This was my first experience with J.R. Gray’s. I was so
attracted to the teasers and the small snippets of the story that I didn’t even
read the blurb. Well, imagine my surprise when I realized that this is a MM
story. I don’t normally read MM romance but I have read a couple of them. With
that being said, I love Speak No Evil. I really enjoyed Weston and Eli. They
are both very strong in personality. I really thought it was fun (for me
anyway, perhaps not for Weston) to have a cursed situation and to see all the
people surrounding it that believed. I really found the aspect of voodoo and
curses to add this fun but kind of intense-type of feel. It really pulled me
into the storyline more than I had expected.
Who doesn’t love a good hitman story, especially when it’s a romance? We all want the big, bad man to fall in love. He was quite the man. Having to deal with Ava and this budding attraction that he tried to fight but just couldn’t. But, you can’t help but giggle a bit at all of Weston’s misfortune! Eli is a character that I was seriously rooting for. It could be that coast guard aspect. I do love me a good military-type man. Eli is pretty confused over this attraction too. I mean, I never would have guessed either of these men as being gay but… why not?
J.R. Gray is a fantastic writer! I was shocked with the humor level of this book. I don’t know if it’s because of the cover or the teasers, I didn’t expect so much funny! Weston and Eli bicker and fight so much through the story. So, we bicker and fight but there’s some amazing suspense too! Really, it’s my favorite type of stories… so full of fantastic writing and really entertaining me from start to finish. It’s something I can’t help but appreciate… some real and true writing talent. Plus, I mean, these guys finding their sexual way was pretty friggin’ delicious! I’m really excited to read more from this author! She’s going to have her a new follower!
I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.
Who doesn’t love a good hitman story, especially when it’s a romance? We all want the big, bad man to fall in love. He was quite the man. Having to deal with Ava and this budding attraction that he tried to fight but just couldn’t. But, you can’t help but giggle a bit at all of Weston’s misfortune! Eli is a character that I was seriously rooting for. It could be that coast guard aspect. I do love me a good military-type man. Eli is pretty confused over this attraction too. I mean, I never would have guessed either of these men as being gay but… why not?
J.R. Gray is a fantastic writer! I was shocked with the humor level of this book. I don’t know if it’s because of the cover or the teasers, I didn’t expect so much funny! Weston and Eli bicker and fight so much through the story. So, we bicker and fight but there’s some amazing suspense too! Really, it’s my favorite type of stories… so full of fantastic writing and really entertaining me from start to finish. It’s something I can’t help but appreciate… some real and true writing talent. Plus, I mean, these guys finding their sexual way was pretty friggin’ delicious! I’m really excited to read more from this author! She’s going to have her a new follower!
I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.
EXCERPT
One
Another day, another body—the family
business wasn’t pleasant, but it was all he had left. Weston would never
get used to it, even if he was numb to it. He wasn’t sure living was
worth it when he was barely surviving. He wasn’t sure any of it was
worth it anymore. Weston’s pocket vibrated. He ignored it. His hands
weren’t exactly free. Why couldn’t he ever get the short people?
Probably because he was nearly a giant himself.
There wasn’t a sound except the gravel
crunching under his boots. New Orleans was an eerie place, even in the
Garden District which was one of the nicest suburban neighborhoods. The
moon had set, casting the alley in darkness allowing him to move around
without notice, but it didn’t help his nerves. He would have felt less
like he was in a Stephen King Novel if there had been some kind of
noise, but the city’s rich nightlife didn’t extend this far.
He grunted and threw the body from over
his shoulder into the trunk. His back was already feeling the strain
from the short jaunt. He slumped against the bumper of the rental car as
he snapped off one flesh-toned latex glove and tossed it into the
trunk.
He answered without checking the caller ID. “Hello?”
“Weston, it’s Smith,” his handler’s rough voice came over the line.
“I’m kinda in the middle of something, as
you know. Can I call you back?” Weston adjusted the duct tape over the
judge’s mouth as he started to come to, wouldn’t want him to scream.
Weston turned slightly and leaned over to pin him with a stare. “This is
what happens to judges who take payoffs to swing verdicts.”
Smith laughed at the comment, but then
his voice flipped and lowered. “I need you on something else now,” his
handler’s tone was gruff, he was the no nonsense sort, but Weston didn’t
take him seriously. He would always be Uncle Smith.
“I don’t get paid if I don’t finish,” Weston said, letting his annoyance show.
“The judge dead?” Smith asked.
“I’m not talking to a dead guy…I’m not
that crazy, yet.” Weston tugged off his other glove and added it to a
paper bag next to the guy’s head. He would burn the contents later.
“This job takes priority. I’ll send my clean up team.” It wasn’t a request.
His spirits lifted for the first time in
weeks. “Can I leave him in the trunk? I really hate torture killings.”
He removed the evidence bag and slammed shut the back end of the car
before Smith agreed. The guy deserved what was coming to him, but Weston
liked things quiet, without the cleanup. “And take it out of your cut,”
he added as an afterthought.
“I’ll add it to the ‘back end’ as a
cost,” Smith said, and Weston envisioned him making air quotes as he
spoke. “Anyways, the big boss needs to know if this kid is talking about
an incident that happened a couple days ago. He wants full
surveillance, top priority ’round the clock. Might end in a hit.”
“What’d the kid do?” Weston clicked the
lock on the key fob, glancing around to make sure he hadn’t drawn any
attention. Being on the phone at two in the morning was unusual for this
part of town.
“I’ve not been informed.” Smith’s tone was curt.
“It makes my job easier when I have all the details,” Weston growled.
“Listen, I know you don’t kill the
innocent ones, but this is surveillance. You need the money, and I want
the best on it. Take the bone you’re being thrown so you don’t have to
do any more torture.”
This was his cue to shut the fuck up, so
he let Smith say what he wanted. He was, after all, the only person
still talking to Weston after the divorce, and Smith was right; he
needed the money.
“West?” Smith sounded hesitant.
“What?” Weston didn’t like the tone.
“Are the rumors true?”
He cursed under his breath, switching hands with the phone. “Yes,” Weston mumbled. It was impossible to lie.
“She cursed you?” Leave it to Smith to test the limits of the curse.
“Correct.” The word came out
involuntarily though he fought it hard. He had to end this call before
he did more damage, and the job was a perfect excuse. “I need to get out
of here and get on your boy.”
“You can’t lie?” Smith pressed.
Weston exhaled gruffly into the receiver,
static reverberating back into his ear. “Not that I’ve found.” He
squeezed the phone harder than was probably good for it.
“Shit, West.”
“Tell me about it.” He didn’t try and mask his emotions. “I hope this won’t affect our business relationship.”
“‘Least it means we can trust you, right?” Smith laughed.
“Too soon.” Weston winced. It wasn’t easy
to find trustworthy people in this line of work anymore, but Weston had
always been one of them, even before the curse.
“You’re still the best in the business,
and that’s including the rest of the Ames, Weston. If the big boss gets
wind, I’m going to play it like that. Should get you a few points,”
Smith said. It was more than anyone else was doing for him.
“Thank you, sir.” He was lucky Smith still had his back when everyone else had turned theirs.
“I’ll have the case left at the drop.” Smith hung up before Weston could.
About the Author
When not staying up all night writing, J.R Gray can be found basking
in the warm glow of the Miami sun, or at the gym where it’s half assumed
Gray is a permanent resident. A dominant, pilot, and sword fighting
enthusiast, Gray finds it hard to be in the passenger seat of any car.
Gray frequently interrupts real life, including normal sleep patterns,
to jot down nonsense. The bane of Gray’s existence are commas, and even
though it’s been fully acknowledged they are necessary, they continue to
baffle and bewilder.
If Gray wasn’t writing…well, that’s not possible. The build up of
untold stories would haunt Gray into an early grave or possibly a mental
institution where the tales would end up on the walls in crayon and
finger paint.
J.R. Gray is Gender Queer and prefers He/Him/His pronouns.
Check out all his other books:
https://jrgraybooks.com/
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