LGBT Monday: Part & Parcel

Author: Abigail Roux

Series: Sidewinder, #3

Released: December 19th 2015

Publisher: Riptide

Length: 302 pages

Source: Publisher for review

Buy: Amazon

Nick O'Flaherty and Kelly Abbott had their happy ending in sight when a friend’s call for help almost ended with them losing it to the blade of a knife. Now, in the aftermath of near-disaster, both men are trying to heal and move on.

Moving on together, though, is harder than either of them realized it would be. Kelly struggles with simply being a lover instead of the Doc, while Nick is mired in his recovery. The distance between them inches along in stilted silence.

Desperately seeking solace, Nick finally gathers the courage to sort through the possessions his dear friend and fellow Sidewinder teammate Elias Sanchez left him when he died. Instead of comforting memories, Nick and Kelly find a stack of letters and strict instructions from Eli that prompt them to send out a call for assistance. With Eli’s letters in hand, Sidewinder sets out on one last mission together, seeking peace and absolution from beyond the grave—and from each other.

A goodbye to Sidewinder has been a long time coming and yet somehow we haven’t had nearly enough time. Nine books with Ty and Zane and three more with Nick and Kelly and I feel like I could spend time with these guys forever. To be entirely honest, I postponed reading this book for months because I suspected what it might do to me, but even I couldn’t predict such a quiet, emotional finale, so unlike Abigail Roux’s previous books.

So far, both these series consisted mostly of explosions and angst, but Part & Parcel really changed the pace. This final book is about repairing the substantial damage all those adventures have caused. It’s a book about assembling the broken pieces and moving on, finding a way to live with the memories and the guilt. So many battles fought, so many lives lost, and our boys are still standing, holding onto each other for dear life.

Part & Parcel brings together all living members of Sidewinder and Zane. A dead brother is speaking to them from the grave, knowing what they need even when they don’t know it themselves. Losing Eli Sanchez was hard for all of them, and almost a decade later they still have so much healing to do. Through his letters and his careful instructions, Eli gives them a chance to make peace with his death and finally forgive themselves.

Kelly and Nick go through hell in this book. Not their usual kind of hell, not the bullets and bombs, but something that might be even worse. Roux pushed them both to their limit and she pushed us alongside them. At times it felt like they should just give up and find someone with whom they don’t share two decades of painful history. Part & Parcel is very much Nick’s book, since he is the one who needs most forgiveness and healing. Nick was always hardest on himself and that part hasn’t changed. He blames himself for everything, even things that are not his fault, and it was so difficult to watch him finally come unglued. Roux did a wonderful job with him in this book. I cried so many times, wishing more than anything to somehow comfort him.

I loved reading about these Marines, seeing them fight and love and sometimes fight TO love. Even when it was hard, I enjoyed every second I spent with them.

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.