READING: Crush & Burn (Cut & Run #9) by Abigail Roux

Publication date: March 18 2015
Published by: Dreamspinner Press
Genre: MM, Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Suspense, Crime
Rating: 

It’s been five years since Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett first worked together to solve the Tri-State murders, and time has been both harsh and kind. Engaged now, they face the challenge of planning a deeply uncertain future together. Zane is at the pinnacle of his career with one last mystery to solve, while Ty is at sea in a world where he’s no longer the tip of a spear.

There’s just one more hurdle in the way of their happy ever after: a traitor from their inner circle who threatens to burn their world to the ground.

Squeezed between the Vega cartel, an unknown mole, and too many alphabet agencies to count, Ty and Zane must gather all their strength and resources to beat the longest odds they’ve ever faced. To make it out alive, they’ll need help from every friend they’ve got. Even the friends who might betray their trust.

"We can still cut and run. We can open up a flower shop and sell black-market orchids from the back. Just say the word." 

I started the Cut&Run series around May this year and I went through 9 books very slowly, stretching it out, trying to make it last, savoring every word. But Ty and Zane's journey had to, inevitably, come to an end.
Before I get too emotional, I am going to keep this brief.

Cut&Run came into my life when I needed it the most. I was going through a lot of shit back then, and it seductively offered me a way out which I couldn't possibly refuse. I will always be grateful to Abigail Roux for creating these amazing characters that helped me forget my problems even for a second, and rekindled my love for reading. Despite the fact that I still think that some parts of the books were plain bad and that we, Zane fans, were left very unsatisfied in the end, I will always love this series, defend it and recommend it to anyone who would listen.

It's not a secret I didn't like Cut&Run, as in book 1. It was sloppily written, mystery and suspense were lacking and dialogue was chaotic. Even then, something about Ty and Zane made me want to keep going and continue reading. After reading the last scene when Ty leaves Zane at the hospital, which was amazing and so unlike the rest of the book, I remember thinking "There is something there, I have to give it another chance." And I am glad I did, because not only Sticks&Stones is one of my favourite books, but also because I wouldn't otherwise have these great memories of living through Ty and Zane's amazing journey. It was all about those two from the beginning for me, and it was like that until the very end. They put me through the emotional wringer: they made me laugh, they made me angry, the made me sentimental, them made me hopeful. 

Reading about Ty and Zane, from beginning to end, was an indescribable experience that I will never, ever forget, and I will always love them for it ♥

(and that's me NOT being emotional...)

Now about Crush&Burn.
Was it the rightful ending to the series? No, I don't believe it was. But then again, not many would be. 
C&B had the least amount of romance of all the other books, as Ty and Zane's relationship sort of solidified and even though it did not necessarily lose its spark, it certainly settled into a comfortable and loving partnership. Like Ty said:

“You realize we’re looking at our future, right? Two of us in a retirement home, bitching about our catheters and heated blankets.”

I really liked how their marriage played out. Short, sweet, meaningful. And it was great that they got it out of the way in the beginning, if only for the mere pleasure of calling each other "husband" for the rest of the book. I loved everything Nick-related. I am just hopeless when it comes to him, I can't seem to find any fault. Not like Ty's super hero "can't do no wrong" stints. Because Ty can be a real dick sometimes. But Nick cannot, he doesn't have it in him. He's so like Ty, but not at all like him at the same time. I guess that's why these two are best friends but if they happened to hook up, they would have killed each other day 1. I couldn't ask for a better best-friend-relationship, really. What I didn't like, but sort of ignored C&B being the last book and all, was the amount of information and exposition we were constantly bombarded with, which if you put the facts down and think logically, doesn't make much sense. And even if it did, it's certainly not suitable for a last book in a series. Making Burns and Tanner into bad guys out of the blue, the two father figures Ty and Zane had and respected above all others (even though their perfect real fathers should have been enough) was just a cheap shot, cheapened even more so by the lack of emotion by both Ty and Zane by the revelation. Yes, they were taken aback by it, but Ty had known Burns his whole life. He called him uncle and pretty much killed tons of innocent people for him. That deserved a little bit more exploration in my opinion and it was sad that it was brushed off so quickly. Zane calling the other FBI officers "family"? Um what? Since when? He himself said he didn't want to share all the case details with them because he didn't trust them 100%. Roux was so desperate to give him friends because Ty's friends are so prominent, but in the end it doesn't matter. He doesn't have to have the same relationships with other people that Ty has. That's part of his character, that's who he is. The same goes for Zane. I liked how there were a lot of trivia and references from all previous books peppered throughout C&B. Also, Ty and Zane taking the piss out of the police officers when they are handcuffed at the back of a police car, the way that car was rammed by their pursuers and them trying to get away- clear homage to C&R. Another homage was the scene in F&C when Ty tells Zane he loves him from the first time before Zane falls I don't know how many stories into a pool to save himself. Stray observations: Ty playing violin? No. Ty saying "Shut your whore mouth!" when Zane told him he doesn't like baseball? Yes. Also yes: T:“What is wrong with my salve?” N: “Last time he put that on me it peeled my skin off!” T: “That was a bad batch.” N: “You’re a bad batch!” Can I have a book with just Mara and Beverly? Thanks.

There are several other parts of the book I wasn't particularly fond of, but this review is going to be super long if I try to explain them all. Also, I don't want to leave this last review on a bummer note.
C&B was what it was, but it was still a Ty and Zane book. At the end of the day, that's just enough for me :)