Monday, May 9, 2016

A Matter of Time (A Matter of Time #4) by Mary Calmes

Another great installment! I think it's my favorite up until now and not only because we FINALLY have Jory and Sam as a real couple and they stay that way the whole book (with a sort of HEA).

Though I read most of this book in one sitting, life truly got in my way and so it took me a few days to rap things up. I gotta say I really enjoyed getting a WHOLE novel. The previous ones were shorter and since they all ended with barely a HFN they felt more partial to a real full length novel. They also ended quite abruptly and resumed right were they ended.. so I actually see the three prior installments as a sort of a "full story" in which Jory and Sam get together. 


This one has a different mystery, one that was mentioned in the previous installment and was never actually "solved", someone, very similar in appearance to Jory, was murdered in an apartment Jory used to live in. It could have been done by the mob that were after Jory but there was no mention of it anywhere.. 

So, yeah, someone is after Jory AGAIN, but this time, our villain is SERIOUS, and so not only Jory gets abducted (yep, AGAIN), when the villain realizes as long as Sam is in the picture getting to Jory is nearly impossible - Sam is also being targeted and is hurt quite badly.

This is the point were Jory realizes that what Sam did, three years ago, leaving him in the hospital to go after the ones who tried to hurt his lover, what exactly what HE has in mind, so even though both the police and FBI are after the ones who abducted him and nearly killed Sam, Jory is on top of it all, and I gotta say - I LOVED getting to see him this way! It's not just how smart he is, and how intuitive his thinking is, it's how damn funny he is! Like after getting cuffed he runs away and enters a sex shop and asks if they can help him out since his lover lost the key.. the shop workers comment on how REAL the cuffs are but they still help him out, I laughed SO hard at that, also there is another instance he finds himself confined and he is damn brilliant in the way he gets himself out. It's just that he doesn't seem afraid of ANYTHING and so he says and does what he thinks will help him out even if it's dangerous. 

Sam, Dane and the police force, all try to stop him, but even when he promises he will return home and stop his sleuthing he takes a shower and a few cloths from home and sneaks out of the back door.. But unlike Sam, Jory keeps both Sam and Dane updated, not exactly where he is or what he is doing but at least that he is basically okay and when he finds out something of importance they call the police and so the investigation is always on with his HUGE help. Though both Sam and Dane had a hard time with Jory's reckless behavior I think Sam understands, even if he is REALLY not happy about Jory being in such a huge risk.

Concerning our villain, I had my guesses but there weren't as deranged as everything turned out to be in the end.. It made sense in a very sick way... 

HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED


Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 253 pages, 5-8 May 2016 / On GoodReads
 
 
ABOUT THIS SERIES
 
A Matter of Time is a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Contemporary MM Romance series by Mary Calmes
Telling us the story of Jory (Keyes) Harcourt & Detective Sam Kage romance story. The relationship buildup goes through the books, don't expect the HEA or even the HFN too soon - these guys have a lot to go before they can sit and watch the sunset together, yet throughout the series they do formalize their relationship and later on adopt two kids. 

The whole series is told from Jory's POV. Jory is one of my absolutely favorite characters, he is a JOY to read. He is funny, and a bit strange, he is very good with little details when it's about people but real life and everything around him? he can totally miss out on. Though he is basically an orphan he acquired a family through his boss - Dane Harcourt. He was the best personal assistant Dane could ask for, but after years working together they come to the conclusion they are much more than a boss and employee and so they part ways work-wise so they can become each other's family. Dane is also a character I absolutely LOVE. 


Detective Sam Kage is a complicated character. His whole life he saw himself as straight but he can't deny the attraction he feels toward Jory. He has a lot of struggles concerning his sexual identity, mostly when it comes to what he expected his life to be and also the fact he is a cop and being one and having a relationship with a man doesn't work that well together. Sam has a very loving and caring family but though they love Jory almost as much as he does, he is more close minded and so it's hard for him to find the path to what he truly wants. But when he finally realizes Jory is "it" for him, he is determined to NEVER let him go and doing all he can to be by his side and protect him (from himself mostly, or rather from his tendency to ALWAYS get into MAJOR trouble). 


Sam is truly the "alpha" in this series, it's usually not something I care for, but though he has his temper, Jory is mostly amused when Sam gets all ruffled up. Jory wants to "submit" to him, but their relationship is still very equal. Even when it comes to taking care of life and death situations they find themselves in. Jory is NOT a "damsel in distress", on the contrary. 


The 7th installment - "Parting Shot" - is different from the others focusing on another couple - Aaron Sutter and Duncan Stiel. We've met Aaron in the 3rd installment, he and Jory were in a rather serious relationship for a year and a half while Sam was away breaking apart the drug cartel who were responsible for Jory's injury in the 2nd installment. While Aaron and Jory stayed friends it was mostly Aaron staying close enough in case he and Sam broke up.. later on he tried replacing Jory with a sort of "duplicate"/"replica" of Jory until Jory makes a strange decision near the ending of the 6th installment to try and "hook him up" with Duncan Stiel a Detective he and Sam meet on their stay in Phoenix. Really enjoyed this one as well, Aaron and Duncan fit in a way I didn't see coming. It was so very different from Sam and Jory and also I loved seeing Aaron in a different lighting or rather seeing who he REALLY is. 


Notes -

  • Originally, the first 4 installments were published on their own, which is why I have separate reviews for them. A while back they were discontinued and instead of them two books were published -  "A Matter of Time Vol.1" containing the first and second installments and "A Matter of Time Vol. 2" containing the third and forth installments. It's basically the same. 
  • Jory and Sam's story is basically told in the first 6 installments. The 8th installment is a free closure novella of Sam and Jory getting re-married. The 7th installment as mentioned above is of a different couple (also mentioned in the 8th installment)
  • The 4 bonus short novellas - "Just Jory", "Ears, Eggs & Bunnies", "Hannah's Big Night" (told from (10 years old) Hannah's POV) and "Another Day With Jory" are free online reads (click links to read). 
  • If you've just finished this series and BUMMED that it's the end, it is and it isn't.. you can catch many glimpses of Sam (and a bit of Jory and the kids) in "Marshals", where Sam is the boss of the two MCs. 

Books:

1. A Matter of Time, #1 (published 1 October 2009) ★★★★★ 
2. A Matter of Time, #2 (published 2 November 2009) ★★★★★ 
3. A Matter of Time, #3 (published 30 November 2009) ★★★★½
4. A Matter of Time, #4 (published 15 December 2009) ★★★★★
5. Bulletproof (published 1 September 2011) ★★★★½
5.5. Just Jory (published 9 October 2012) ★★★★★ 
6. But For You (published 12 October 2012) ★★★★
6.5. Ears, Eggs & Bunnies (published 18 April 2014) ★★★★
7. Parting Shot [Duncan StielAaron Sutter(published 18 July 2013) ★★★★★
8. Piece of Cake (published 12 August 2015) ★★★★
8.5. Hannah's Big Night (published 27 November 2015) ★★
8.6. Another Day With Jory (published 24 December 2016) ★★★
 
 

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