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Warrior's Cross
by Madeleine Urban
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$17.99 |
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$16.19 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. |
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$1.80 (10%) |
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Paperback
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cameron Jacobs is an open book. He considers himself a common waiter with normal friends, boring hobbies, harmless dogs, and nothing even resembling a secret... except a crush on a tall, dark, devastatingly handsome man who dines alone at his restaurant on Tuesday nights. All it takes is one passionate night with Julian Cross to turn Cameron's world on its head. Julian's love and devotion are all Cameron could have hoped for and more. But when his ordinary life meets and clashes with Julian's extraordinary lifestyle, Cameron discovers that trust and fear can go hand in hand, and love is just a step away from danger.
| Customer Reviews: |
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| Wah! |
| Customer Rating: 1 out of 5 |
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This book was so bad, I couldn't finish it. Cameron Jacobs couldn't believe that someone as hot as Julian Cross could want him. Julian Cross couldn't believe how someone as cute as Cameron Jacobs could want him. After many, many pages of them repeating their disbeliefs, I gave up. I wouldn't want either of them, they're so whiny.
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| Warriors Cross |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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Warriors Cross by by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux was a cool read, but I did have a few issues with the depth of the world building. At times it felt kinda two dimensional, which was a little frustrating. The character development however, was nicely done and is what kept me reading despite that lack of richness in the surrounding detail. Nice tension was built and it was a reasonably satisfying read. I think these two writers do work incredibly well together, their styles mesh beautifully.
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| One of the best M/m Romances I've ever read |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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I've read many M/M romance books which tend to be more erotica and not so much on the romance. But I have to say that Warrior's Cross is the exception to the rule. Don't get me wrong, it does have some hot scenes in the book, but there is an actual story plot that makes you fall in love with Julian, the mysterious sexy stranger. The chemistry between Cameron and Julian is tangible and very romantic and sweet. Coupled with the action and danger that they face, this is one of the best romances I've read all year and one of the best M/M romances ever. A keeper for sure.
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| The Crosses Lovers Bear |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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One of my favorite themes in literature of any sort is that in order to have extraordinary love, you must risk extraordinary loss, and I think Warrior's Cross has this theme in spades.
Cameron is a quiet man with a quiet life--and he likes it that way. When he dreams of love, he dreams of an average love, sort of a 'friend that stays with you'--he doesn't dream of soul-rending, sweep-you-off-your-feet, every-touch-is-magic sort of love. When it happens to him, he is as afraid of the depth and intensity of the love as he should be of his mysterious lover, Julian Cross. Cameron trusts Cross with his life--but his heart, so long isolated and floating happily on it's average little life-raft-- is not nearly as fearless. The main conflict of the book comes from Cameron's worry that if Cross's danger-filled life comes to an end, he will never recover.
Julian Cross is a man of extremes--extreme love, extreme passion and extreme competence and fierce joy in his chosen profession. The thing he seems to love most about Cameron is that his little life raft is stable and kind, and Cross doesn't see a lot of kindness in his life. He is not so much afraid of the death of a loved one as he is afraid of loss--that the loved one will be afraid of him or will withdraw the love because of who Cross is and what he does. Cameron's willingness to overlook Cross' potential for violence (at first) charms him to his toes.
Urban and Roux's prose is, as always, lean and tight--the plot has some thrilling moments, and the two characters are well rounded and believable. The thing that I love (and have always loved) about this collaboration is that in the midst of this lean, masculine atmosphere, there moments of true tenderness and charm that are truly touching because they are not overblown. I enjoyed this book very much--I'd recommend it to the fan of romance of any sort.
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| Well-written, exciting, and emotional |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Cameron Jacobs is content with his quiet and introverted life. He enjoys his career as a headwaiter at one of Chicago's fine restaurants, and he looks forward to the visits by one of his regular customers - a handsome and quiet man who dines in the restaurant at the same time every week and who always sits in his section. Cameron is attracted to the man, but he knows the mysterious Julian Cross is out of his league in so many ways. When the evening comes that Julian approaches Cameron, speaks to him, and even asks to spend time with him, Cameron figures that it is a fantasy come true. And when the night ends with mind-numbing sex of exceptional closeness, Cameron is well on his way to losing his heart.
For all his large size and intimidating demeanor, Julian is gentle and soft spoken. He seems to cherish Cameron and even admits to loving him, but there is a part of him that he won't share with his lover. Although they see each other twice a week, Cameron doesn't really know who Julian is, what he does for a living, or even how to get in contact with him.
Cameron thought he could live with not knowing the details. He loves the man. He knows that whatever Julian does, it's dangerous, because his lover is frequently injured on the job - shot, bruised, even mauled by dogs. Julian insists that the secrecy that surrounds him is for Cameron's own good, but Cameron realizes that he simply cannot deal with his fear for his lover's safety. Julian is the most wonderful man he has ever known, and Cameron loves him completely, but he can't live with this fear on a daily basis. Cameron has no other option but to push his lover away, even though doing so will break both of their hearts.
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When I saw Warrior's Cross the first day after it was published, I had to refrain from a completely undignified squeal of delight. Not only is the cover art by the wonderful Anne Cain, but Ms. Urban and Ms. Roux are a one of my favorite writing teams. Knowing that I was in for a treat, I snagged this book almost before the pixels on my screen could settle, and I pushed everything else off my plate so that I could indulge myself and read it.
And it was worth it; I enjoyed reading this novel very much. It mixes two of my favorite genres, romance and suspense, and tosses in a little bit of action, a healthy shot of danger, and a heaping dose of angst and broken hearts. In this story, the authors' narrative is comfortable and flows smoothly, their plotting is tight, and their characters are well-developed and interesting.
I'll admit a certain fondness for tough guys as heroes, and Warrior's Cross gives us one such tough guy who is absolutely unique. Julian is the man of mystery. Although it is apparent that his job is anything but philanthropic, the authors leave us with just a soupcon of a doubt about his villainy. No man who is all bad could possibly be as gentle and soft-spoken as he is. I found him to be very compelling, and when I found out that he was a cat man? Well, I think I fell a little bit in love with him myself.
The suspense element of Warrior's Cross is very well done. There are many small mysteries, such as who Julian actually is, whether he will ever open up to Cameron, and what negative repercussions there might be for Cameron because he is involved with Julian. We spend much of the book anticipating some sort of disaster, and when the climactic moment comes, it packs an emotional punch that will take your breath away. I'll admit to wanting to search for a tissue at this time but also not being willing to put down the book long enough to actually go looking for one.
My only true disappointment in this book? That I've finished reading it. It was a little bit like a slice of birthday cake: beautiful to look at, satisfying to consume, and then mourned when it's gone. Suffice to say, I'll be on the eager look out for the next offering from Ms. Urban and Ms. Roux, because it's just plain good stuff.
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