Customer Reviews

The Assignment

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this book at least in part because of all the high-star reviews and yes, I'm gonna be the first low star giving some balance here. Where do I begin?

THE GOOD: the sex. This isn't the kind of book you read for the plot -- and boy does this sucker have holes in it you could drive a truck through. Putting two essentially straight guys in a situation where they are "forced" to be physically (read: sexually) affectionate with each other and causing them to discover a passionate 'beyond gender' love is about bringing on the happy gay sex and not much else. It does in fact lead to sex and the sex is hot times. The idea of the relationship and the few glimpses of them acting what constituted as normal for them was also fun, even if the characters themselves struck me as inconsistent.

THE BAD: not enough straight.

Let me clarify here; one of the things that really draws me to these types of stories is the conflict and the tension. A straight man developing sexual feelings toward his male best friend is a major life change, especially when both are involved in a traditionally homophobic career like the police force. In a light-hearted smut novel, chapters of conflicted and questioning self-identity aren't needed, but the tension is. I should have been desperately anticipating the eventual sex scene and cursing the "but I'm/he's straight" barrier that kept both of them back from that final plunge.

And I just couldn't.

The book suffered, mostly, from too much telling and not enough showing. Instead of "Suddenly Gay", to me this read like two closeted gay men discovering their sexuality with each other. Which is a good premise for a story too, just not what I think this one was going for.

It starts out with Valenti, the main POV, already knowing he's attracted to his partner. From the get-go, we're denied full enjoyment of his revelation that his feelings go beyond friendship. Since we don't see from O'Brian's perspective until the bonus story, we're denied it from him too. Both O'Brian and Valenti are shown as being attracted to each others most masculine traits -- nothing wrong with this, but finding out that you like flat hairy chests as much as big bouncy ones should be a big deal and it never is. There's a lot of talk about them being attracted to and dating women, but it's never shown (at least in part because women never appear on screen). Valenti, especially, never reflects on ever having any kind of desire for anyone who wasn't O'Brian. For his part, O'Brian's willingness and eagerness to play "boy-toy" to Valenti's "daddy" for the mission killed all my belief that he's an Irish-Catholic from Boston with a chip on his shoulder about being called gay because his pretty looks. Killed it dead. The stance that he was *only* going this gung-ho to bring down an evil coke dealer didn't convince me at all, especially not when he spent more time coming up with lurid, fake-first-time sex stories and bouncing around in short-shorts than actually looking for any cocaine.

But the thing that I couldn't suspend my disbelief over the most was the dialog during the sex scenes. There were a ton of I love you's that were believed to be "only said in friendship" (do friends with benefits even confess "friendship love" to each other so passionately during sex?) followed up by a lot (A LOT) of "you feel/smell/taste so good", "need you to come for me, do it babe", and considerable enthusiasm expressed for certain appendages in certain orifices. This was all before they officially admitted to loving each other in the romantic sense, and yet somehow Valenti still believed that not only was O'Brian straight as an arrow, but that O'Brian *couldn't possibly realize Valenti's love for him*. I think most people would have clued much sooner.

Because I couldn't believe that, it ended any investment or excitement I had for the two of them getting together at the end.

THE UGLY: I gotta address this too. Valenti is tan skinned, of Latino descent, but describes himself as being more of a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) because when he was three, his dad moved them all far away from Mexico and their heritage when the family came into money. This rubbed me wrong for several reasons; it's lazy writing to justify a person of color that sort of isn't, for one. But I'll avoid this rant here.

In short, okay for the sex. Not so good for a classic "Suddenly Gay" story.

Detectives Sean O'Brien and Nicholas Valenti have been partners and best friends for six years. They are total opposites in demeanour and looks - Valenti who is from a wealthy Italian family is tall, dark and repressed and O'Brien who is small statured, blond and good looking is very much the product of his outgoing, affectionate large Irish family. They have supported and depended on each other through Valenti's divorce and other disasters while on or off duty and each knows that the other would take a bullet for him in a heartbeat.

Their latest assignment is to go undercover at the RamJack, a gay resort, posing as two gay men to catch a drug kingpin who is flooding the gay bars in the city with poison cocaine. While at the resort Valenti would be the `sugar daddy' and O'Brien his `boy' a designation that Detective O'Brien abhors, and he complains bitterly that he is being type cast. Nick has his own reasons for not wanting the assignment. Lately he has been seeing his best friend in a totally different light and he is becoming strangely attracted to him in a sexual way and when Sean suffered a near-fatal injury in the line of duty several months ago he realized he was in love with him. Nick knows it will be extremely difficult to hide his feelings from Sean while they are undercover, sleeping in the same bedroom and pretending to everyone that they are a couple.

The assignment proves to be even more difficult than Nick anticipated as Sean proceeds to make his life miserable by touching him whenever possible in public and even in private under the guise of practising their role so that they would appear to be a genuine couple when they meet their 'host'. In the middle of the danger all around them Sean seems to take a great deal of pleasure in tormenting Nick and upping the ante to get a rise out of him.

Their undercover assignment brings out feelings in Nick and Sean that they have kept buried and they can no longer hide their love for each other. Since they are both straight, this is a quandary that neither has any idea how to resolve and there is the added dimension of their job where being gay detectives is not something that is acceptable. The tension and the drama of the final take-down plays out very publicly and Nick and Sean are left to deal with the outcome and emotions they never anticipated having for each other.

THE ASSIGNMENT continues to be one of my favourite all time stories. It has everything - two great looking charismatic characters, heightened emotions which added to the suspense, danger, a terrific story with excellent dialogue, wonderful pacing and a plot that held my interest until the very end. The first time I read this book eighteen months ago I loved the story and fell in love with the characters who were genuine and three dimensional. The two protagonists blew my mind; not only were they very much in love with each other, they genuinely liked and were sensitive to each other's needs even before they had sex which was so hot it seared the pages. Sean and Nick did not start out as gay characters in the book but as long-time partners who were friends and this history made the love and sex between them seem even more authentic and believable. The sex scenes were tender, funny and affectionate and I thought that Sean O'Brien was so well drawn he could walk off the pages of the book and into real life; Nick Valenti was no slouch either.

I have no hesitation giving this book 5 stars and two thumbs up.

In I'LL BE HOT FOR CHRISTMAS, the LooseID stocking stuffer included in the book, it's been year after the RamJack where they first confessed their feelings for each other and Detectives Valenti and O'Brian have been sharing an exclusive and white-hot relationship, when Valenti suddenly pulls away.

Sean is understandably upset because it has been more than a month since he and Nick have seen any action under the sheets or anywhere else for that matter and he is determined to find out why he is getting the cold shoulder especially just before Christmas! Since Nick's involvement in a recent shooting incident he has been placed on administrative leave until cleared by Internal Affairs and he has changed, but not for the better. He can't wait for Nick to be back on duty and his partner once more, in the ways that really matter. The last straw for Sean is Nick being assigned to a charity event by the Commissioner on the anniversary of their RamJack bust.

Sean comes up with a seemingly brilliant plan that would ensure he has Nick's undivided attention. His plan involves handcuffs and Nick's body at his disposal and he is determined to make him disclose what's bugging him this time so that they can get on with the business of loving each other.

I'LL BE HOT FOR CHRISTMAS is a great follow up to THE ASSIGNMENT and the story demonstrates why fans are so hot for Sean and Nick who seem to get into situations where misunderstandings blow everything out of proportion and affect their relationship in a negative way. But Sean is not one to let anything screw up what he and Nick have together.

This story is yet another great piece of writing by Evangeline Anderson and will be of interest to new readers and fans alike.

Detectives Sean O'Brian and Nick Valenti have been partners for years. Affectionately dubbed "the Mick and the Spick" by their forward-thinking fellow officers, they are often teased for their close relationship. Just how close they are will be put to the test by a new assignment - undercover in a gay resort to catch a drug dealer. The only problem is that Valenti has been hiding a new desire for his friend, but he's sure O'Brian is straight. Isn't he?

This is a gay romance so it's no surprise that these two become a couple. And their assignment doesn't have much mystery either, though it is pivotal to the romance. What this novel does have is a fabulous dance between the two men. O'Brian really throws himself into the role of "boy toy" and Valenti convinces himself that Sean's just a good actor. Since the story is told from Valenti's point of view, the reader only sees Sean's actions through his partner's eyes. The men constantly misunderstand each other's intentions and the pent up sexual frustration becomes palpable. Yum! What made the situation especially page turning is that it's realistic. Generally, men do not communicate their feelings (about much of anything, let alone this) to each other the way women do (gay, straight, doesn't matter). The author builds the tension so well that when it finally breaks, the scene is explosive. The dance and the assignment reach their peak at the same time. And the explicit sex is very satisfying. The resolution to the case was predictable, but not in a bad way. They're after a drug dealer; in most mysteries the cops get their bad guy. Same here, readers just know who he is from the get go. The assignment is important in how it forces the guys to make their pretense believable, and engage in kissing and groping that both of them want to be real. What fun!

The book also includes a bonus short story that takes place a year later. Insecurity doesn't simply go away after the men admit their feelings. Communication is still necessary, and still difficult, for our couple. Valenti is under mandatory desk duty after a justified shooting. And O'Brian is assigned a temporary partner. A young, good-looking temporary partner. When Sean handcuffs Nick to their bed to learn what's eating him...no I won't go there. That pun is way too easy, but you get the idea.

Overall this was an excellent, if somewhat short, romance. Though the characters aren't given much background, they come alive with the promise of more "assignments" for these two detectives. Families are hinted at, and could easily take center stage in another book. I can't wait to read more. And I love the sexy cover art!

Like Slave Boy, Anderson's other m/m erotica romance, The Assignment is essentially a lengthy sexual-romantic fantasy. While The Assignment has some obvious plot holes, the well-written connection between the two protagonists is so strong and engrossing, that the reader can easily overlook the problems in favor of enjoying the emotional and sexual relationship developing before our eyes.

Sean and Nick are two cops who have been elected in the early 1980s to visit a luxurious and sybaritic gay resort owned by an alleged drug king pin whose wares are turning up in the veins of gay club patrons. Their captain choses them because they are the only cops who can successfully portray gay men without vomiting or giggling.

Unfortunately, Nick has been trying to suppress his new and surprising romantic and sexual feelings toward his partner of six years, Sean (much like the characters in Slave Boy). While being forced to pretend to be gay lovers might seem like a dream come true given those feelings, Nick is terrified at having his feelings exposed and rejected. He is further confused by Sean's quick interest in the job and once at the resort, his even quicker interest in pursuing physical intimacy. While Sean is advocating that they need to be able to be physically comfortable with each other to protect their cover, Nick is undergoing the agonies of the unrequited love and lust.

Nick and Sean embark on a few ill-fated adventures at the resort, including a "Wankathon" while somehow managing to never actually look for evidence of the owner's drug business. The owner inexplicably never bugs the two men's room, but nonetheless deduces that they are straight and eventually, that they are undercover cops. As in Slave Boy, this authority figure coerces the two men into further sexual intimacy, after which the two men are conveniently rescued by their fellow cops.

Once returned to their normal lives, Nick cannot deal with the aftermath of their physical intimacy, whose memory tortures his unrequited love. Will the two men find their way together?

As contrived as the plot was, nonetheless the characters and especially Nick's well-drawn emotional life were totally compelling and made the book impossible to put down. The sexuality was erotic and flowed beautifully from the men's emotional life. If you are looking for mystery or suspense or a strong plot, seek another book. However, if you are looking for a good romance with high quality erotica, read this book asap.

I just finished reading The Assignment, it was my first gay read, and I enjoyed it very much. I loved that both characters Sean O'Brian & Nick Valenti were so well defined and not characatures, they represented people that I've known in my life, that is how realistic they are. I have a lot of favorite scenes in the book, but my favorite and the one that hit close to home for me was when Nick is remembering the first time he realized he was in love with Sean, when they were on a stakeout and he looked over at Sean & realized he loved him more then just a partner or best friend, the way Nick described his feelings was "dead on" I found myself saying "yup that's so true". This book is such a wonderful read, it has humor, vunerability, and realistic love. The love scenes are quite Hot!!! I would definately recommend this book.

Hot sex, likable characters and a silly plot - two out of three ain't bad but I am giving this book 5 stars anyway because it leaves you with such affection for the characters. If you like light, hot-sexy and fun m/m books, you'll like this.

After reading this book in one go, I have to confess that it blew my mind! What a great novel written by Evangeline Anderson. Straight romance novels are published almost each day of the week but M/M novels are harder to find. If you stumble on a M/M novel that a) has a good story; b) has hot erotica and c) flows like good champagne to the end than you have a real gem in your hands! The Assignment is all of that and more! It was a very rewarding story! Sean O'Brian and Nick Valenti are two very hot believable characters! After reading their adventures you have become friends with them like soap opera characters and you hope that Mrs Anderson is going to write many more stories about them. The back story of this novel gives room to many more novels to put the protagonists and their love into in a rollercoaster ride untill the end! Start writing Mrs Anderson your fans are waiting!

This book is so good - I wanted to eat these two men up. I could not get enough of these two exploring their feelings undercover - literaly. Valenti is a dark and brooding man paired with Sean who is drop dead gorgeous and openly affectionate. You will devour this book, I know I did. They were just perfect and so believable - infact I demand a sequel!

Other reviewers have already given good synopses of this book. The two main characters are credible, admirable men, believable cops, dedicated to their jobs and to each other as best friends and partners in the office. They have been partners for a number of years and they each believe themselves and their partner to be straight. Then they are sent undercover to a gay resort to ferret out a dangerous criminal, where they are forced to "prove" that they are gay to avoid being hurt or killed by the criminal and his cohorts. That leads to enormous conflict between the two and I was not sure how or even whether that conflict would be resolved until the very end of the novel. The plot kept my attention, being both a romance novel and a mystery. The erotic parts were icing, not the focus of the book, and that's fine with me. If you are looking for a good story rather than erotica with a thin plot, then this book is well worth a look. I gladly assigned it five stars, though I may be a bit too high in my estimation. Enjoy.

Valenti and his partner O'Brian, are working undercover at a gay resort
hoping to bust a drug supplier named Vincent Conrad. They have been
partners and best friends for a long time. Valenti is attracted to
O'Brian and he has no idea what to do about it. These feelings he has
for his partner are new, but undeniable. Hiding his desire is getting
more and more difficult, especially because part of posing as a gay
couple means they have to touch each other.

O'Brian is willing to act his part wholeheartedly and Valenti accepts
it because he wants his partner so much he's willing to take whatever
he can get. But when touching turns to passionate kisses and more
intimate touches, Valenti finds his heart breaking because his partner
seems to be just acting while he is expressing his true feelings.

When their cover is blown and the partners are forced to act out
Conrad's wishes, Valenti fears that his relationship with O'Brian will
finally be over. But when the dust settles Valenti discovers that he
might be wrong about how O'Brian feels about him. He might have a
future with the man he loves.

The Assignment is a story with many heartfelt and deeply passionate
moments. The angst and longing that Valenti feels is heartbreaking at
times and the acceptance that O'Brian shows him is sincere and tender.
Valenti and O'Brian's passion is scorching! I was craving them by
the end. The Assignment is sexy and emotional, leaving me panting for
more!

Nannette
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed