Finding Jackie (Vasquez & James Series)
4.5 stars for another fabulous journey of love, passion, murder, suspense, kidnapping, Oh... and Luki gets to blow things up! I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!
Once again I am totally in awe of Lou Sylvre and her writing, she has such a way with words that I become totally enchanted and enthralled for the duration of the book from beginning to end I did not put Finding Jackie down and the pages just kept turning. But not only is this series beautifully written, with the prose at times almost poetic, the characters are so fully formed and fleshed out that they have found a place in my heart and I don’t ever want this series to finish… I want to know about them when they are old and gray sitting out on the porch and reminiscing about the good old days. I think I need a personal Christmas newsletter each year on how they are doing and what calamities have befallen them… I can guarantee this series will remain one of my favourites, Lou Sylvre is one of those authors that can get into your head, building vivid images with words that make everything clear, where the characters emotions become yours and she is most definitely up there with my favourite authors, and you can be sure that I will buy anything she writes… I actually think she could make a shopping list exciting!
This book for me is a tale of two halves both of them woven together seamlessly with the pace starting off slow, and even though we have an ominous prologue from the Stepfather of three of the villains killed in Delsyn’s Blues... Dante Alessandro otherwise known as the Death Angel an assassin in his own right, plus we also know that he is going to make it his mission to kill those responsible for the death of his children, yet we are still lulled into a false sense of security, slowly building to an action packed second half that was full of some real heart in your mouth moments, and yes, I did have the whole tears and tantrums with these two and they wouldn’t be Sonny and Luki if they didn’t have me also laughing out loud.
The first half we see these two men finally tie the knot and it was just beautiful… a real aww bless moment that had me reaching for the tissues and Luki finally gives Sonny the most precious wedding gift of all!?!
“We’ll be saying our vows in just minutes, baby.” His voice held an edge of excitement that Sonny would have bottled if he could. Miracles like that thrill in Luki’s words, like that flush over his dusky skin, were not things that happened every day—even now, even after Luki had learned how to love. Sonny breathed deep in an effort to slow his thoughts enough to savor that and everything beautiful about the day. And Sonny was honest enough, and artist enough, to admit that he was part of the beauty—he and Luki both.
“Sonny, I promise to love you, never to try to change you, to trust you with my heart and with everything I have, and always to remember how precious, how fine, how beautiful you are to me. And I’ll keep you safe, Sonny. I’ll always keep you safe.”
I have to say things. I have to tell you that I… will love you and no other, body and soul… will honor your strength and cherish it. And, Luki, I promise to give you what I am. Every day I want to show you beauty—the beauty I see in the world. That vision is the best I have to give, the best of what I am. And….” His voice trailed to a whisper. “Thank you, Luki, for loving me so much.”
So… I am laughing writing this as these two just make me smile as I think about some of their antics, their Honeymoon starts off like all good Honeymoons should, full of romance and lots of loving, but this is Luki and Sonny and it isn’t long before they find themselves involved in a murder which of course escalates and they are then in a mad dash to get back to Nebraska to find Luki’s missing Nephew Jackie. Originally thought to be a runaway before they realise there is something amiss and Jackie’s life is in danger, and once again Luki needs to call in the troops to help out.
What I like most about these two characters are their flaws, they are both fallible and make mistakes, there is no hiding them and no apology made for them… because that is who they are. They have misunderstandings that can be infuriating for those of us watching on, but like all relationships they need to grow and learn. Throughout their lives they have not had an emotional attachment where the other person becomes more than themselves and a part of their whole being, their true soul mate, the one person that leaves them vulnerable. Lou Sylvre gives us a peek into their minds and enables us as readers to see what others around them don’t, their insecurities, fears and passions, all laid bare to give us a better understanding, and also to frustrate the hell out of us at times! But through all of it there is one constant, and that is the love they have for each other… it is undeniable and the passion, love and tenderness these two men share just leaves me breathless and melting in a puddle of lust, it is both poignant and beautiful, Lou Sylvre certainly knows how to write an emotional love scene.
The title of this book is Finding Jackie and not only do we get the POV’s of our two MC’s, but we also see inside the mind of Luki’s Nephew Jackie, which was sad and harrowing and left my heart breaking, a sixteen year old boy who had suffered abuse at the hands of his own Father and then was forced to perform on the streets to enable both him and his brother to survive, situations traumatic enough for an adult but Jackie had been a boy. Despite help and support from the family and his Brother Josh, he feels lost and alone but most of all guilty, for desiring something that he wasn’t even sure of himself, but he was desperate enough to run away in search of it... only he was running into the wrong hands.
So in this third instalment of Vasquez and James, more secrets are divulged and with each book we learn more about these two very complex characters, we also get to see some of the secondary characters we have come to love and a little more of Brian, Kate’s protégée, who turns out to be very helpful in more ways than one and I am hoping for a spin off series with two love interests which I would definitely like to see more from. The end of this book was just perfect and beautiful and fingers crossed that the lovely Lou Sylvre will still bring us more from Luki and Sonny as I really do not want to say goodbye just yet!
1 ~ Loving Luki (Vasquez and James #1)
2 ~ Delsyn’s Blues (Vasquez and James #2)
3 ~ Finding Jackie (Vasquez and James #3)
