I'll keep this brief. I'll try. This is an offshoot of the Nick Williams Mysteries, the beginning of new series, and the only unifying theme I can see is SUPER EXTRA INSTA LOVE, with Nick as nudger, pusher, and guiding force for the couples at hand. The insta is a prevalent quality in the NW Mysteries, and was a big component of Nick & Carter's relationship, but I didn't mind. Nick is such good company and so cantankerous that he cuts any kind of treacle. Sadly that's not the case here. Ben and Carlo are a couple who feature in [b:The Unexpected Heiress 34709065 The Unexpected Heiress (A Nick Williams Mystery, #1) Frank W. Butterfield https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1490774525s/34709065.jpg 50849071] and more prominently in [b:The Amorous Attorney 40623889 The Amorous Attorney (A Nick Williams Mystery, #2) Frank W. Butterfield https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1529853325s/40623889.jpg 51155447]. In the first book Ben, who works for the police, is set up on a date with Carlo, a firefighter like Carter. Ostensibly it's meant as a ploy to get information from Ben about the raids on known gay establishments and the leaking to the press of such events. However all of that is sort of set aside and Nick moves on to other things. By the second book Ben & Carlo are enjoying a “honeymoon” in Ensenada, courtesy of Nick's deep pockets. This book sort of does a recap of both those books, but from Ben's POV, and solely to do with the relationship between him and Carlo. That would be fine save for the fact that these two are perhaps the most uninteresting people ever. I don't think I even mentioned them in my reviews for the other two books. I don't hate them and I think they may have an ongoing role in the rest of the series, and perhaps become more interesting, but I could've done without this book, brief as it was, or if needs be, a short story would've sufficed. Ben is an average height blond boy who fell into being a police officer as he could've been anything else. He really wants to work in Hollywood, not as an actor, and maybe that's something that will pan-out int the rest of the NW series. He's also a bit timid (we can't all be brave), obsessively clean & neat, and a tad judgey. Carlo is the son of an Italian family, who in the first three books, counting [b:An Enchanted Beginning 32067313 An Enchanted Beginning Frank W. Butterfield https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474157809s/32067313.jpg 52712435], touted his sexual prowess with women, and even got married! Of course it was only a matter of time until he “came out” and I thought perhaps we'd get a bit of that story here. Nope. Not a peep. He's built and tall like Carter, and something of a slob. When this story starts Carter knows he's part of their team ergo the set up with Ben. These two proceed to fall in love immediately. Over a weekend. Moving in together falling in love. Meet the parents who will disown you for loving a man falling in love. Yep. That happened. Still ....I can't be harsh, because I think that what the author is getting at is this notion that gay people have had to create their own family, safety, and happy out of whatever is available. Sad but honest. I think that the insta in this series goes down a little easier because clearly these stories (just check the title of this one) are premised on predestined love and also, for me, in a more realistic and pragmatic sense, the fact that at the time there wasn't a variety of partners to choose from. No dating apps. You had to be cautious about whom you could be open with. The consequences of a mistake could be fatal. They still are. So maybe, maybe, .... love the one you're with wasn't such an outrageous thing. Anyway ... you can read this as an extra to the NW mysteries or not. On it's own? I don't see it working too well for those who haven't read at least the first two books.
