CIA operative Fisher Braun arrives home to find his boyfriend Zach has been kidnapped. Fisher works for an elite, paramilitary arm of the CIA, but he has kept that part of his life a secret from Zach. And no one in his job knows that Fisher is gay, let alone that he has a life with Zach. But now that the bad guys have taken Zach, all of Fisher’s secrets are about to be revealed.

It turns out Fisher isn’t the only one hiding things. Zach is not the innocent IT geek that Fisher always thought and there is a lot more going on than Fisher knew. But even after the guys manage to make it to safety, Fisher can’t get past all of Zach’s lies. Fisher has always kept people at a distance outside of his CIA team, and everyone he has trusted has abandoned him or been taken away. So learning that Zach isn’t what he seems has Fisher reeling. For his part, Zach just wants Fisher to listen, hoping that he still has a chance to make things right, but fearing Fisher will never forgive him.

Despite their personal issues, there is still a deadly enemy out there, one that can’t be ignored. Fisher and Zach have to put aside their feelings and focus on defeating the bad guys. It is a mission that has a low chance of survival, but the men must fight to make it out alive and hope they can have a future together once it is over.

Mr. and Mr. Smith was a really fun thriller that starts off with a bang and reveals a lot of fun twists right at the start. I tried to be kind of vague here, because even though we find out most of the details fairly early on, the reveals here make for some nice excitement as the book kicks off. I loved the way we were thrown into the action, and feel the same disorientation as Fisher feels when he suddenly realizes things aren’t quite as they seemed.

I think Dimon does a nice job developing these characters and giving us a sense of their relationship, even though we don’t see them together prior to all the chaos of the story (other than a brief flashback of their first meeting). I could still feel their connection and their pain as they dealt with the aftermath of all the revelations. We can particularly feel Fisher’s sense of betrayal, as well as the internal battle he faces between being furious at Zach, but also still so clearly caring about him.

My only complaint here is that things get kind of talky in the middle and do drag a bit in this break from the action. Things are really intense in the beginning and end, but the middle is a lot of planning and arguing and discussing and I think we could have used either a little more action, or else maybe a tighter middle section. That said, the book kept my attention throughout and I found myself really rooting for these guys. The story gives us a high octane finish and nice resolution for Fisher and Zach, but does open the door for more adventures in the larger plot arc and it looks like there is another book coming in the series (and OMG, the pairing is going to be amazing).

So if you are looking for some sexy, exciting, romantic suspense, I would definitely give Mr. and Mr. Smith a try. It is a fun story with lots of thrills and it looks to be the start of a great new series.

HelenKay Dimon knows how to kick it up a notch and turn up the heat with the stories she creates, thus making me a fan and earns a spot on auto-buy authors list. And she proves her craft and skills to take things up a notch with not only plots but with character arcs and their relationships. I loved the aspects, the thrills, the action, the blowing shit up, the powerful women, the anticipation, the hot sexy this book brought to the table and took us readers for a ride. This was the kind of spin we needed. And the queer rep was greatly appreciated.

Sandy M’s review of Mr. and Mr. Smith (Tough Love, Book 1) by HelenKay Dimon
Contemporary Gay Romance published by Loveswept 24 May 16

HelenKay Dimon has become a favorite of mine when it comes to gay romance. Two alpha males who have secrets to keep the other safe, and when all hell breaks loose, the tension in all its phases blows sky high. As usual, I couldn’t put this book down, needing to find out what happened next, and how Fisher and Zach are going to work their relationship out.


These two have been together for months, and the sex between them is hot and explosive. But when Fisher arrives home to a ransacked place and Zach is missing, he loses his shit. And then when he discovers Zach is deep undercover – more than the geek he pretends to be – betrayal sets in. Despite the fact Fisher has kept his true job from Zach. That’s what makes this book so intense, each wanting the other safe and willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.

Both men are totally upstanding when it comes to their jobs and they’re very good at what they do. Lots of action and blowing up things in between the spying and secrets. I love the banter – Ms. Dimon has a way with back-and-forth dialogue that goes from sensual to frustrating and then serious in a heartbeat. Amid all of this, there are some wonderful tender moments from all this hot sexiness going on. Fisher and Zach have a lot to get through, while Fisher does his best to keep the bad guys away from Zach, and I enjoyed every minute of them dodging, fighting, and loving.

For me, HelenKay Dimon’s books have it all and are worth every second spent getting to know her characters and living their lives right along with them.

Grade: A

Plenty of drama, distrust and testosterone in this story. Fisher and his team go in to save Zach only he doesn’t really need saving. Except from Fisher anger at finding out the truth.

Two sexy spies to swoon over? Yes, please! Loved this so very much. All the feels!