Title: A Dangerous Dance
Author: Davidson King
Series: Haven Hart Universe #3
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Summary:Finally working for a man he can trust has given Bill a new purpose. His boss, Christopher Manos, commands respect and absolute loyalty, and Bill has proven himself worthy of a seat at Christopher’s table. Becoming best friends with Christopher’s husband, Snow, has further proven his allegiance and cements a place for him in the Manos family. When Snow’s life is in danger, Christopher places his full trust in Bill to destroy anything and anyone that poses a threat to his husband. But hunting and wiping out the enemy for the safety of everyone Bill cares about means partnering with the one person he has vowed to never see again.
Mace wears a mask of vain cockiness and uses his model good looks to his full advantage. Known to many as Without a Trace Mace, he’s a deadly assassin well known for wiping out whole families and getting away without a trace. With a dangerous past and an unknown future, Mace uses his veil of conceit to keep others at a distance, rarely trusting anyone. When his boss, Black--the one man he trusts above all others—gives him his next assignment, he learns his newest partner is none other than Bill, the man he’d do anything to avoid.
With the safety of the Manos family on the line at the hands of a brilliant maniac, Bill and Mace begrudgingly put their differences aside to ensure Snow, and his loved ones, are protected from harm. With their lives in grave danger and the clock ticking towards zero hour, they navigate deathly perilous situations and uncertain outcomes, hoping they survive long enough to keep the Manos family safe.
Bill and Mace’s traitorous hearts draw them closer together no matter how hard they fight the inevitable. With the lives of their loved ones hanging in the balance, they find themselves in the middle of a dangerous dance. But when the music stops, will they both be left standing?
When Bill found himself working for Christopher Manos he not only found a job and position suited for him but he finally found a home and a family in his friendship with Christopher's husband, Snow. "Without a Trace Mace" has spent a long time carving out a name for himself in his business of death and he couldn't have done it without the help of his boss Black. When Snow's life is threatened, Christopher cashes in a favor with Black and now Bill and Mace find themselves once again having to endure each other's company to get the job handed to them done. When all is said and done, will anyone be left standing? And more imporantly, will Bill and Mace's hearts be left intact?
Let's get it out of the way right now: there will be no spoilers in this review. As to what I will touch on the plot: HOLY HANNAH BATMAN!!! If you thought Bill and Mace got on each other's nerves in Hug it Out then you haven't seen anything yet. The animosity is so thick, well as the cliché goes: you could cut it with a knife. But, as thick as the tension is the passion is even more intense.
Okay, so that was all you'll get out of me in regards to the plot so onto the characters. I just knew Bill was going to be special when we met him in Snow Falling but I had no idea just how much I would love him. Did he burrow deeper into my heart than either Snow or Teddy? Probably not but I wouldn't want to try and measure the difference. As for Mace, he is a conundrum. You want to hate him because he is able to detach himself from his work, or at least it appears so, but he too has a soft side(don't let him know I said so😉). As much as I loved Snow/Christopher and Teddy/Riordan in books 1 & 2, I think that Bill and Mace blossomed the most so far in Haven Hart. Did they "grow"? No because I think that they have always been passionate people but they finally let someone else in and that is something they spent their lives keeping very limited.
Now that I've talked about the book let's talk about the author for a minute. I said in my review for Hug it Out "when their debut novel is as amazing as Snow Falling was, one wonders will their follow-up be The Empire Strikes Back caliber or go the way of Speed 2? I can safely and honestly say that Hug it Out is a TESB-quality sequel" and I can now say that Davidson King has continued with her amazing storytelling prowess. I would say that A Dangerous Dance is Return of the Jedi awesomeness but as ROTJ was George Lucas' concluding entry in the original Star Wars saga and Miss King is no where near done with Haven Hart I hesitate to make that comparison but for only that reason. The emotional and passionate WOW-ness Dance invoked was just as powerful as anything Mr. Lucas brought with ROTJ. Some might say I'm stretching that comparison a bit, well perhaps but when I reached the final page of Dance, the sense of satisfaction and entertainment is very similar to what I feel every time the heroes are left celebrating in the Ewok village.
Now one final note: A Dangerous Dance like all the entries in Haven Hart Universe are technically a standalone because each one centers around a new pair and their paths but I find it just flows better if you read the series in order. There are enough secondary characters and plot points that travel throughout to keep it connected. Will you be lost if you start with Dance? Probably not, but I highly recommend starting from the beginning, trust me you won't be sorry.
RATING:
“Billy Boy!” Mace said loudly with a clap, making Snow jump.
“Well, if it isn’t fuck face Mace.” Watching Mace’s smile fall and morph into anger made my entire week. If I was going to find any joy in this job, it was going to be repeatedly knocking that pretty boy off his self-made pedestal.
“Let’s put the pissing contest off for a later date.” Black’s gravelly, booming voice was powerful enough to make you snap to attention. But I couldn’t help myself. I shot Mace a wink and joined Snow when he sat on the couch.
“I’ll rip those eyes from your head while you sleep, fucker,” Mace whispered so only Snow and I could hear. I knew Snow was about to go rabid, so I beat him to it.
“You assume I sleep.”
Mace wanted to say something else, but when Christopher slapped a folder on the coffee table between us, it was all business.
Davidson King, always had a hope that someday her daydreams would become real-life stories. As a child, you would often find her in her own world, thinking up the most insane situations. It may have taken her awhile, but she made her dream come true with her first published work, Snow Falling.
When she’s not writing you can find her blogging away on Diverse Reader, her review and promotional site. She managed to wrangle herself a husband who matched her crazy and they hatched three wonderful children.
If you were to ask her what gave her the courage to finally publish, she’d tell you it was her amazing family and friends. Support is vital in all things and when you’re afraid of your dreams, it will be your cheering section that will lift you up.
A Dangerous Dance #3
Hug it Out #2
