Book 78, 2024

[chez_jae]

Hitched by Lucy Lennox

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Over the course of the weekend I read Hitched by May Archer and Lucy Lennox. It's the second book in their "Horn of Glory" series, which is a spin-off of the "Licking Thicket" series. Main characters are Percy "Champ" Champion, owner of Champion Security, and Quinn Taffet, event planner extraordinaire.

Champ doesn't do relationships; he's more of a one-night-stand kind of guy. However, his current one-night-stand has been going on for over twenty nights, not that he's counting. Quinn is smart and sexy, challenging and sassy, and Champ is comfortable with him. That may prove distracting just when Champ can least afford a distraction. His team provides security for Jacob Horn (of Horn of Glory gaming fame), and a stolen HOG device, which may contain potentially explosive intel on a dangerous drug cartel, has wound up in the wrong hands. Champ doesn't want to involve Quinn, but Quinn is already involved--he's busy planning a wedding for the daughter of the man who bought the HOG.

Quinn doesn't do relationships, which is why he's astounded that he keeps letting Champ come around and sex him up. He figures their days nights together are numbered, so why not enjoy it while it lasts? When Champ horns in on his wedding planning, Quinn can't help but wonder if he's just a means to an end or does he mean more to the gruff former Marine?

Loved this story. I always enjoy revisiting Licking Thicket in all its ridiculous glory, and I was delighted to reconnect with familiar characters. Everyone in town knows that Champ and Quinn are smitten with one another, with the exception of Champ and Quinn. They're still deluding themselves that they can quit whenever they want to. Not only did we get to follow the convoluted path to their HEA, the story also involved lots of drama and action and mystery. The plot pelted along, and I laughed out loud several times while reading it. The book was sweet and sexy and everything I look for in a male/male romance.

Favorite lines:
♦ Seriously, why did the universe make the hot ones so damn annoying?
♦ "He and I are kind of still on the outs from when I accidentally commandeered his orc forces to storm the Forbidden Quagmires of Sod."
♦ What was the most polite way to state that I'd rather light myself on fire than sit through another planning meeting?
♦ Riggs's face morphed from hardened soldier to demented cow like it always did when he thought about Carter.
♦ "If you thought my peace-offering donuts were good, wait until you try my peace-offering tacos."
♦ Hercules cocked his head like he wanted to help but didn't have enough toe beans to count that high.
♦ Served him right to be on the receiving end of someone else's monkey wrench for once.
♦ Was there a word for people who became suddenly anxious around men with badges? I was suddenly, irrationally sure that I'd not only killed someone that morning and forgotten about it, but I probably also still had the gun on my person.
♦ "I will not report to that egotistical orc-hoarder for all the pips in Hornlandia."
♦ I simply couldn't work up a single iota of righteous indignation. And since on any given day half my body weight was comprised of righteous indignation, this was a big deal.
♦ "I had one condition in a man, and it was that he knew how to subdue insurgents with grace while I hijacked a plane."

Hot and hilarious--five stars!