Vice Enforcer

This book was provided for free by the author in exchange for an honest review via the MMRG Don’t Buy My Love Program.

Vice Enforcer by S.A. Stovall
Vice City #2

Themes: M/M, Mafia, Crime, PI, Cops, Kidnapping Ring.

Stovall does it again. This one is better than the first. This isn't a fluffy romance. You're not going to find that here. Pierce is the definition of emotionally constipated. He's a true anti-hero, an ex-mafia enforcer who will kill to protect his own.

Pierce and Miles are hiding from Jeremy Vice, and establishing new lives, when Pierce's PI trainer almost gets him killed during a surveillance mission.

Pierce gets wrapped up in a new mission that could endanger not just himself, but the family he and Miles are building.

Meanwhile, Miles is training with a charming police Captain named Rhett. He's smart, charming, onto Pierce, and a little too interested in Miles. Pierce hates his guts.

This is probably my favorite book since the Cut and Run series by Abigail Roux.

A little dubcon, if you squint, dark, gritty, and unapologetic. Occasionally crude and bombastic. I honestly can't wait for another installation. A true 5-star review, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I like how realistic the characters are. How determined Miles is, even how insistent Pierce is about seeing himself as a bad person, and his dry, deadpan sense of humor.

So, will we be seeing more of Rhett?

Eight months after faking his death, Nicholas Pierce assumed a new identity. He’s a trainee PI.
Miles Davenport, his boyfriend, is now a cop trainee and he’s at the top of his classes.

But when an investigation brings Pierce back to Jeremy Vice’s turf and his old life, Pierce and Miles realize that maybe their chance for a happy ending isn’t in the cards for them.

5 months and 1 week, that’s how long I waited this book, and yes I was counting.
After the sublime Vice City I had 5 months and 1 week to imagine and anticipated this book. And you know what, it was nothing like I was expecting.

The author took another path, a brilliant path, a necessary path.
In this sequel, we follow Pierce and Miles trying having a normal life, at least as normal as it can be with the two of them.
Pierce tries to have a legit job by being a PI. He’s still grumpy, blunt with no care for everyone except Miles. When the PI who trains him asks for his help in an investigation about human/child trafficking, Pierce accepts (not for free). He tries to play by the book, and the law, but in the end, because he is who he is, he decides to play by his rules, the one he knows best.

Miles is stronger than before, he’s one of the best trainees of his classes, and refuses to jeopardize his future by breaking the law, but he also refuses to let Pierce deal with his investigation alone. I love this new Miles, stronger, more mature. I love how he refuses to hide Pierce from his new friends, how he refuses to give up on Pierce at all, and when he has to make a choice between Pierce and the rest of the world, Pierce comes first…. That my friend, is love!

I love these guys. They’re perfect together, they’re the exact opposite of each other but also complementary. I also love how the book explores their relationship more. With Pierce experimenting the family life with dating his boyfriend, having kids around them (Miles’s little sister and brother), and, my favorite, jealousy. It was beautiful and poetic in a weird dark way (we’re talking about Pierce, guys), but it was also kind of naïve coming from him. I adore this about him, this vulnerability behind all his bravado and assholiness.

I love how the author took me in a completely different direction than what I expected. I admit, I was expecting a repeat of book 1 with the same dark violence atmosphere, the same noir Polar, and with the big bad revenge of Pierce. (I had 5 months and 1 week to think about it, and I have a wild imagination) I didn’t expect to see a “domesticated” Pierce, I was surprised, but in a good way. The Noir atmosphere, the dark side of the city and the ambivalence of the characters are still here, and it’s the soul of this series. But after what they’ve been through in book 1, they couldn’t go all guns blazing against Jeremy. I understand it now that they needed to heal, physically and emotionally. And I love that the author shows us this, how they healed and sealed their relationship. If we had a doubt about Pierce and Miles as couple in book 1, trust me, after this one there are none.

This sequel confirmed my love and admiration for this series and the author’s talent.

I highly recommend this book and series, really, you’ll love it, and for now, its the best Noir MM Romance I have read.

It’s 5 OptimuMMs (unofficially it’s still 20 out of 5).

Book – Vice Enforcer (Vice #2)
Author – S.A. Stovall
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 250
Cover – Perfect!
POV – 1st person, present tense, one character
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – Crime, Noir, Contemporary, Mob/Mafia, May/December
Triggers – violence, criminal activities, Dom/sub elements, dub/con (if you squint)


** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine


Wow! Another rollercoaster ride with my favourite mob enforcer.

The story jumps right into the action, with Pierce a PI in training. And, honestly, I never knew the rules of becoming a PI, but I love the attention to detail that Stovall added here, showing us how complicated it could be, and all the hoops Pierce had to jump through to make it happen, and start his new, clean, life.

There's still that gritty, almost underground feel to the writing that I really love. It feels like a crime noir, a mobster story, without being over the top or lack the detail. It was something that I loved in book one and that is still there in this book, too. I can't say how happy I am about that, because sometimes sequels don't really do a great first book justice. This one does. So much!

The story basically picks up not far from the end of book 1. We see Pierce and Miles maybe a few months or a year after all those events, and, at first, we don't really know the consequences of all that happened. We don't know what really went down between Pierce and Jeremy – though it's easy to guess, knowing Jeremy – until nearly halfway, when Miles manages to find the right encouragement.

When it comes to characters, I'll admit that I loved the old ones just as much – and loathed Jeremy just as much! – but I also loved the new ones. I loved how Pierce handled Lacy, Shannon and especially Jayden, even the cranky old Ms Timo from next door! It really showed a side to his personality I hadn't thought was there. And I'm thrilled to see that they, and probably Rhett, will be a part of the next book. Because, there is a next book, right? I have to see Miles take on Jeremy. I HAVE to!

What I really loved was that the writing style, the flavour of the story, and the way the plot was put together, was all the same as book one. Nothing had really changed, which can often happen with a sequel, as characters do need to grow and adapt after their experiences. But, the key to this series is that they grow, but they're still essentially the same people. They just grew up a bit. Miles is still the same submissive person, with a slight dominant streak that means there's a limit to what Pierce gets away with, and he's become stronger, smarter, and more assertive. But he still supports Pierce in all the ways he never knew he needed to be supported. And Pierce is the same; he's still the same gruff personality, still doesn't like people, life or romance, but he's a little more subdued, a little angrier and off balance after his experiences with Jeremy. There's a part of him that's broken, but it's reassuring to see that both he and Miles are still the same people down at the core.

Pierce and Miles definitely have a rough-around-the-edges relationship, but that's part of the charm, for me. It's not brutal or violent, but it's not cuddly and soft, either. They have moments of both, they have tempers and different views on things, and they both have their issues. None of that is masked under a fairy-bright facade. They are who they are, without shame. But they really get each other, in a way that means they say things without totally understanding the meaning (such as what happens in this book) and I love that. They have a real connection that is palpable. Despite all the power plays and the one instance of dub-con (where they basically broke the house fighting before sex) they're aware of who they are, each other, and their limits. And, despite everything, they talk – no matter how uncomfortable it makes Pierce. Because he knows that it's necessary.

When it comes to the writing, I'll never get bored of this series. It's got clear and distinct characterisation, a well thought out and formatted plot, great attention to detail, and an incredible amount of storytelling that shows rather than tells. Any background info is given organically, rather than info dumps, and I always find out what I need to know by the end of the book.

In short, it was just as brilliant as book one. It was a crazy adventure and the fight at the end made me cry, but I couldn't ask for anything better. I need to get these in paperback. Pronto!

~

Favourite Quotes

“Jesus Christ. The Pope himself would be tempted to kick this kid's ass. I swear he has the situational awareness of a cucumber. Just when I thought I might not hate his guts...”

““I got your back.”
He grips me tight. “I love you too.”
The statement catches me off guard. Is that what we've been saying to each other this entire time?”

“I wish I was half the person he thinks I am. I'd be a goddamn superman.”

4.5 Stars!

Vice Enforcer is book two in the Vice City series and it can't be read as a standalone, as it follows the same couple from book one and there's an ongoing storyline. However, if you're fond of Noir/suspense books, you don't want to miss this series.

Pierce is having a bit of trouble adapting to his new life, whereas Miles is doing great in the Police Academy, top of his class and teacher's pet all rolled into one. This, of course, creates friction in their relationship, especially when one of Miles's trainers shows a special interest in him and Pierce is feeling inadequate and jealous. Add to that, that the case that Pierce's boss at the PI office is working has to do with Jeremy Vice and Pierce is all out of sorts and unsure.

Pierce is still his grumpy self, but he's not certain where he stands with Miles, now that Miles is doing so well at the Academy and that bleeds into almost everything he does. And Miles, well, I'm not going to say he's oblivious to this, although perhaps he is a bit, but he also has a lot on his plate with his training, helping his mom with his siblings and Pierce.

Sometimes reading a follow-up story with a newly established couple can be tricky. Recapturing the chemistry and what made them work in the previous installment(s) is not easy. However, I think Ms. Stovall did a great job here in Vice Enforcer, showing us a more, dare I say, vulnerable side to Pierce, and at the same time, Miles' growth and maturity. It wasn't an easy road, but I felt that they were more secure in their relationship at the end of this book than they were at the start, which is always a good thing in my book.

The case Pierce was working on was really interesting and well done, and while there's some romance, well, that's not the focus of the story. The book is gritty and dark and deals with human trafficking, so yeah, not your usual run-of-the-mill hearts-and-flowers-romance, I still enjoyed it, though, so I have no trouble recommending it!

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by DSP Publications for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***