Hush by Tal Bauer
Standalone
M/M Romantic Suspense
July 12, 2017
About the Book: A federal judge running from the truth.
A U.S. marshal running from his past.
A trial that can plunge the world into war.
Federal Judge Tom Brewer is finally putting the pieces of his life back together. In the closet for twenty-five long years, he’s climbing out slowly, and, with the hope of finding a special relationship with the stunning Mike Lucciano, U.S. Marshal assigned to his DC courthouse. He wants to be out and proud, but he can’t erase his own past, and the lessons he learned long ago.
But a devastating terrorist attack in the heart of DC, and the subsequent capture and arrest of the terrorist, leads to a trial that threatens to expose the dark underbelly of America’s national security.
As Russia beats the drums of war, intent on seeking revenge, and the United States struggles to contain the storm before it races out of control, secrets and lies, past and present, collide in Judge Tom Brewer’s courtroom. With the world’s attention fixed on Tom and this case, he suddenly discovers he may be the only person who can put everything together in time to stop the spark of a new world war.
I’m not exactly sure why I chose to read Hush. I’m sure it has something to do with my love of Romantic Suspense, and probably my love of romance in the criminal justice system. (When I wrote ‘criminal justice system’, I heard the voice & intro beat for Law & Order… and I don’t even watch the show! That’s how much it’s permeated our culture!) I also saw a lot of reviews talking about how much research and time went into developing the plot, and in my favorite romance novels the plot and the relationship are equally developed.
For whatever the reason, I did pick up this book, and it’s true. It was extremely well written and developed. The characters were completely fleshed out and 3 dimensional, and the plot had more depth than your average romance novel. This was a conspiracy, well plotted and paced, and it almost kept me hooked.
Yes, I said it almost kept me hooked. It’s a crazy thing, because I loved how intricate this court case was. I can’t say it enough, it was extremely well thought out. I loved 90% of everything about the plot. There were just a few times I found myself skimming some of the longer winded scenes about Russia and the potential incoming war. The courtroom was so exciting to read. The conversations between Mike and his co-workers, or Tom and his co-judges, they were all spectacularly written. It was the random scenes between soldiers, or government officials, that caused the pace to drag.
Thankfully, Mike and Tom’s romance was always there to pull me right back into the story. Their relationship was paced just as well as the plot. Hush is not a slow burn, but it also wasn’t instalove. Tom and Mike are friends, there are crushes, and when they do come together the relationship develops slowly. It helps that Hush was a longer book, so they had plenty of time to get to know each other and adjust to their developing love.
I really have no complaints about this one. It was solid, with great characters and a fascinating story. It won’t be the last book I read by Tal Bauer.
Birdie Bookworm 