Review: Fit to be Tied

Author: Mary Calmes
Series: Marshals, #2
Released: September 18th 2015
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Length: 228 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Dreamspinner Press
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Deputy US Marshals Miro Jones and Ian Doyle are now partners on and off the job: Miro’s calm professionalism provides an ideal balance to Ian’s passion and quick temper. In a job where one misstep can be the difference between life and death, trust means everything. But every relationship has growing pains, and sometimes Miro stews about where he stands with his fiery lover. Could the heartstrings that so recently tied them together be in danger of unraveling?

Those new bonds are constantly challenged by family intrusions, well-intentioned friends, their personal insecurities, and their dangerous careers—including a trial by fire when an old case of Miro’s comes back to haunt them. It might just be enough to make Ian rethink his decision to let himself be tied down, and Miro can only hope the links they've forged will be strong enough to hold. 

For your average romance reader, a Mary Calmes book is better than cupcakes, better than tropical beaches, better than crack. There’s just something about the strength of devotion between her characters that captivates right on the first page. Her characters are always more than a bit eccentric, some are even a bit unhinged, but they are all magnetic and irresistible, for readers and their romantic interests both. I’ve been a fan of Mary’s books for years, and although she keeps producing the same type of romance over and over again, my idea of heaven remains one Mary Calmes book per day.


Fit to be Tied is the second in her Marshals series, loosely connected to her Matter of Time series. We rejoin Miro and Ian, partners at work and partners in life, several months after they finally acknowledged their love for each other. Things are going well for them and they love each other desperately, but while Miro is all in, Ian refuses to get married. This part of the book was very painful for me. The desperate love these two share was obvious on every page, but I kept imagining Miro down on one knee, being turned down by the love of his life. Ian had his reasons and they were valid ones, but the hurt was unbearably strong at times.

Professionally, things are going well for them both. Their newly promoted boss, our very own Sam Kage (SAM!), knows precisely how to handle them. When a serial killer escapes from a maximum security prison, a psychopath determined to hurt his arresting officer Miro Jones, Sam comes up with a plan that should keep both Ian and Miro safe.

The best thing is that even when they strongly disagree, Miro and Ian never fail to acknowledge the fact that they can’t and won’t live without each other. They need one another more than they need their next breath and they are extremely vocal about it. They are both frighteningly possessive, but instead of being overwhelming and psychotic, their connection and possessiveness just work.

As far as I’m concerned, the next book by Mary Calmes can’t come soon enough. Her plots are generally outlandish and her characters are always just a tiny bit crazy, but that’s precisely why we love them. In Mary’s case, reviews can’t convince anyone of the appeal… it’s something everyone has to experience for themselves.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.