U.S. Marshal Wyatt Tanning has been on the hunt for a killer on the run in Turks and Caicos. A week into the investigation, he has absolutely nothing to show for his efforts. Feeling defeated he returns to Castillo Resort to drown his frustrations. There he meets UFC fighter, Rye Daniels. Now the resort’s bartender, Rye recognizes a man that has been beaten down, but he also senses a shared attraction that is hard to ignore. Wyatt might not be ready to step out from behind the shadow of lies, but Rye will stop at nothing to unleash the beast within.

My Thoughts:

Takedown is a 29 page m/m erotic story about two very tough alpha males who meet under quite unlikely circumstances. Wyatt is a Chief Deputy of the U.S. Marshals and has brought his team to the island of Turks and Caicos hunting a fugitive. After a long day of unproductive surveillance Wyatt heads back to his hotel and stops in the bar for a cold beer and meets Rye who is bartending for the evening.

Rye has made his home on the island for the last year and a half finding the relaxed lifestyle to his liking. He also has been a committed fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championships, making the ring his main focus over the previous decade. Rye is a bisexual who likes the men he beds to be rough and strong so he is immediately attracted to U.S. Marshal Wyatt when he comes into the bar.

Wyatt enjoys women but has repressed sexual fantasies about being with a man for years. He has no intention of acting on his attraction to men mainly becaus he feels having an intimate encounter with a man is unacceptable due to his job. Wyatt attraction to Rye is immediate and intense but he suppresses it. Rye, however recognises Wyatt’s interest, is keen for a challenge and when he finishes work pays a visit to the U.S. Marshal.

After a confrontation, Rye breaks down Wyatt’s defenses and they take pleasure in an explosive, hot erotic encounter. I thought Ms. Kennedy’s characterization of Wyatt and Rye was excellent as they are two dominant hot alpha males who are perfectly matched physically and in temperament. The thing I really liked about this story was that there was no promises of relationship commitment adding believability to the tale.

I found Takedown to be a feel good, well plotted short story and Ms. Kennedy pens a little twist at the end as to what the catalyst is that brought Wyatt and Rye together. Takedown is the first story I’ve read of Ms. Kennedy’s that she has written from a third person POV and I enjoyed it very much. I also love the cover art of Takedown. I’m looking forward to reading more of Ms. Kennedy’s work.

About Lea

Lea is an animal loving, tree hugging vegetarian who lives in Toronto, Canada with her family, which includes three dogs. She is a prolific reader and has been blogging and reviewing since 2008. Lea is a contributor at the USA Today HEA Blog and an active member at Goodreads.

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