Hell & High Water: THIRDS Book 1, Charlie Cochet

Okay, so I know there are issues:

-Sloane is SUCH a jerk and I'm NOT a fan of how he treats Dex.  Yes, a dual POV really gives us better insight, but nothing he says or does redeems his awful behavior.  Especially because there's only a wink toward an HFN and it's a pretty weak wink at that.

-The action supplants the romance.  It's a series so there's a bunch of world-building, tech/gear description, character establishment, and set-up to be had so with a big picture in mind, I find this a little more excusable.

-An easily predictable villain complete with a stereotypical monologue.  Yeah, there are a bunch of clues and questionable things, but I feel like because Dex catches on to those clues and thinks of them as a suspect, it's not an extremely annoying situation of everyone brushing them off until the end when it's a big "surprise".  Still doesn't make the over-the-top monologue and crazy okay, but it's a little easier to swallow.

-Barely an HFN and a helluva cliffhanger.  I'm torn on this one.  I can get behind the cliffhanger because I like that not every series will have each and every villain/consequence neatly tied up with a big ol' ribbon in each and every story within the series sometimes.  Plus, more Dex...seriously, how can anyone NOT want more Dex?!  The HFN always bothers me, but more so here because Sloane is such a d-bag before the end.  The glimmer of a promise isn't enough for me.

So why the super high rating despite acknowledging the inherent issues?  One word.  Dex.  He's everything I love...well, aside from a bit of the doormat thing with Sloane.  His snark, extreme ridiculousness, intelligence, observational skills, insight, determination, honesty, sense of justice, love of certain snacks, cheerfulness, relationship with his brother and father...need I continue?  I mean, I had to stop reading sometimes so I could totally laugh out loud because of his antics.  And I don't really emote in real life while reading books very often, so for me it's a huge deal.

I also completely didn't mind the info-dumps.  For me they were captivating and interesting because I was so invested in the world and the premise.  Gear descriptions were organic in their placement and appropriate level of descriptions too.  And because a female is giving the info because she's a bad-A all on her own and as part of the team gives it something admirably extra.

With a cast of characters I can't wait to get to know and a world I'm absorbed in, it's hard to give in to anything but a high star rating despite knowing its weaknesses.  I have incredibly high hopes for the series and can't wait to see where we go from here.  I'm already chanting "more Dex, more Dex, more Dex!" and putting together a Dex-inspired playlist.

*$4.99 on Amazon!

Action. Comedy. Romance. And that one weird guy.

When homicide detective Dexter J. Daley's testimony helps send his partner away for murder, the consequences - and the media frenzy - aren't far behind. He soon finds himself sans boyfriend, sans friends, and, after an unpleasant encounter in a parking garage after the trial, he's lucky he doesn't find himself sans teeth. Dex fears he'll get transferred from the Human Police Force's Sixth Precinct, or worse, get dismissed. Instead, his adoptive father - a sergeant at the Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron otherwise known as the THIRDS - pulls a few strings, and Dex gets recruited as a Defense Agent.

Dex is determined to get his life back on track and eager to get started in his new job. But his first meeting with Team Leader Sloane Brodie, who also happens to be his new jaguar Therian partner, turns disastrous. When the team is called to investigate the murders of three HumaniTherian activists, it soon becomes clear to Dex that getting his partner and the rest of the tightknit team to accept him will be a lot harder than catching the killer - and every bit as dangerous.