Kept in the Dark: Locke and Keyes Agency Book 1, Charlie Cochet

Entertaining from the start, it's obvious that D and Caiden have a whole lot of denial and grudge to overcome if they want something lasting to happen between them.  I really enjoyed the banter between the men, though sometimes there was too much sniping and not enough open honesty about feelings and motives.  Overall the men were absolutely hot for one another and once we got to know them, it was very clear that they were meant to be together.

D's introduction was a bit of a shock for me, mostly because I was NOT a fan of getting a graphic description of how he spends his free time with his more amorous pursuits.  It's not something we really have to read between the lines for with him, but to see it so explicit right at the start was not endearing me to him.  Add in all his back and forth with his wanting Caiden, then pushing him away harshly and barking at him for doing his job and I wasn't really believing his investment in them once things got real.  The "that's why I left" bit was unsatisfying as well because we got two different "reasons" before the truth came out and it was, yet again, different from the previous reasons.

The back-and-forth with Caiden was present from his side as well, but it was more from the "I'm all in, I give up" perspective.  I wasn't a huge fan of that version of push and pull either.  How he went from unkind teasing to a fully invested heart so quickly felt rushed and a little disingenuous.  But despite his initial huge outburst at their reintroduction, it didn't take me long to warm up to him.

Caiden's responses to D's humor were entertaining and their chemistry was absolutely incendiary.  I don't necessarily think there was enough depth to support all the sexy times, but it was relatively easy to put that aside because once they were both all in, it was hard not to love them just as much as they professed to love one another.  The huge declaration and surprising question kind of caught me off guard and was a bit too sappy considering the TPO, but it was weirdly fitting too considering who these men were.  Getting their "epilogue" was the right way to end the story too.  It was suited to the men, their lives, and their personalities.  We didn't get a lot of the other agents, but what we got was enough to spark a huge amount of interest.  I'm actually quite excited for more from this series and how more of the men of Locke and Keyes will meet their fiery matches.

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Former Army Ranger turned government assassin Álvaro Montero and CIA Officer Caiden Cardosa crossed paths two years ago in Vienna, where their encounter ended less than amicably—despite the explosive sexual chemistry between them.

Now Caiden is riding a desk at Langley after his cover is blown. And Álvaro—who was “killed”—has a new identity and purpose as Delta/D, an operative for the Locke and Keyes Agency, under the leadership of the mysterious Alpha Orion.

When D and Caiden team up in a deadly black ops mission, the urge to kill each other will have to take a back seat to the desire for revenge against the man who betrayed them both. Surviving the mission won’t be easy. Resisting the passion between them—that might be impossible.