Hush

I first tripped over Tal's books when searching for recommendations on a Facebook page. I had a look on Amazon, read a bit of the blurb and thought "political thriller. Meh, not my thing". But Tal's Executive Office series got recommended again and again. The first book was only 99p, so not a lot to lose. The book then sat on my Kindle for a few weeks, getting passed over for other titles until I finally sat down on a free weekend and started it.I didn't look back.Tal has an amazing way with words. The imagery he can produce with his descriptions is unlike anyone else out there. His attention to detail and research are second to none. During the course of reading his books i have found myself googling Knights Templar, The Swiss Guard, Vatican City, Russian prisons, the artic circle, layouts of a submarine, airforce one inside and out, Camp David the oval office, the white house at Christmas, The AIDS memorial Quilt, Basset hounds and pompadour haircuts.With Hush, Tal has drawn me in again. To a world so alien to this mid forties wife, mother, and numerous pet owner but described in a way that I am not bogged down by too much information, but I am learning new things as I go.Mike is a Deputy US Marshall attached to the courts and Tom is the youngest and newest judge based in Washington DC circuit. Mike is an out gay man, while Tom, after an incident in his youth, is hidden far back in the closet with the doors bolted and barricaded.The first part of the book deals with the blossoming romance between these two men. Mike is trying to get over being constantly disappointed when all he wants is someone to love and Tom works hard to take steps in coming out and end the lonely life he has lived for over twenty five years.In the second half of the book, we deal with the trial of an international terrorist act and how that plays out both on the world stage and in the lives of those affected.I don't wish to post any spoilers to the book and the intricacies of the plot so will not give any of the story away.Suffice to say Tal Bauer is an absolute wonder at plot twists and turns. Just as you think you know what is happening, he throws another spanner in the works and makes you reevaluate everything you previously thought.I cannot get enough of this authors writing and wait eagerly for each book release. In a world where self published books can be sloppy in both content and editing Tal Bauers books stand out with an attention to detail and a professional polish that are a credit to both him and his editor.

Anyone who's read any of my reviews of TB's books will know that I'm a massive fan and also lucky enough to be a beta. I've read this book about 4 times, and each time I've discovered something new that I'd read, found interesting but then had a eureka! moment and pieced together as being a DETAIL. Detail is huge in TB books, as you'll know from the Executive Office, and this is no different.It's hard to review Hush without Spoiling it as it's a complex tale and there's a lot going on - we get to see deep into both Tom and Mike, and they're very different guys, in the best possible way. Tom has been fashioned by events, lived-history and people from his past, spending twenty-five years closeted and alone, and when he meets the vibrant, full-of-life, out and unashamed Mike, his awakening begins. These guys have had such different lives, but both have been searching for something that the other fulfills perfectly and their coming together is satisfyingly slow, stunningly beautiful, sensual and to be savoured. The love scenes, and they are love scenes, rather than sex scenes, are some of the best, some of the most authentic that I've read in gay fiction. They are love scenes written by a gay man who's happily married and in love, and it shows.This is not only a love story with amazing characters who had me at the start of a 'Dear John' letter to my beloved Ethan and Jack from the Executive Office, my all-time fave MM series, but with a proper tale. One that works perfectly and that had me going off on various different tangents. Several times I thought that I had things sussed, only to find that I'd been taken in by a red herring. It's a tale that hit me, via Tom, with an emotional sledgehammer, and via Mike and his needs, his wants, his dreams and emotions, like a sledgehammer to my brain and heart, and via the plot, with a 'OMG!!! Really? Really? I totally did not see that coming. How did I not see that coming? TB is such a tease' impact.The research that TB has done, and the writing, are superlative. The elements of the US justice system and the LGBT issues that TB writes about were a voyage of discovery, broadened my mind and hurt my heart, respectively. I had to pause in my reading to go and research things and to fact-check for TB, and I can tell you that he did not miss a trick - this tale will have you asking how much of this was fiction for TB, and how much of it he's lived.All I can do right now is spew adjectives about it - Vivid. Emotional. Painful. Sad. Heart-wrenching. Heartwarming. Happy. Awakening. Complex. Detailed. Fascinating. A Keeper. Oh, and tell you to buy it and read it and think about the messages in it.

I've only recently stumbled across Tal Bauer, and feel like I've landed in an alternate reality. His books grip your heart, your mind, your sanity. You cant turn the pages fast enough, always sitting on the edge of a cliff wondering "what next?" If you're into suspense, drama, good guys falling in love, intense stories that feel so real its terrifying, then Tal Bauer will tick all your boxes. Tom, the incorruptible, closeted 'baby' judge, meet marshal Mike, out proud and damned good at what he does. Landing one of the biggest world headline cases, brings its fair share of bone rattling fear in the baby judge as he navigates his way through the quagmire of fact and truth vs lies and corruption. But identifying who, what, where and why is less than easy. Mike is determined to protect his judge with everything he can, prepared to risk his career and his very life if it keeps Tom safe. The suspense is high, and the surprises keep on keeping on to the very end. Read the other reviews for more info, I would just be repeating them. The book is brilliant, so just take the leap off the edge and settle in for a ride of your life

Another superb story by a master story-teller. Strong characters, strong story line; beautiful, perhaps because fragile main characters who grow and become more developed throughout the story. Extraordinary attention to details. Whenever I read something by Tal Bauer it feels like I am stepping into an alternative reality that embraces me and makes me feel welcome. His heroes are human - oh so human and attractive at a deep level. I feel like I know them or could meet them any time. That Tal writes a tale full of suspense with a style of his own so that it feels like he is telling me, personally, a story - only adds to the pleasure.

I need to preface this review by telling you that I am a _crazy_ Tal Bauer fan. My love of his writing began when the bff texted me: “Oh. My. GOD. You _have_ to read this series called The Executive Office!” Okay, I may have paraphrased a little, but that’s essentially what she said. And so I did. And… Oh. My. GAWD! You _have_ to read his Executive Office series, but this review isn’t about those books so I won’t gush about them overmuch.I recently found out that Tal has only been writing for 18 months. Whaaaaaaat? Shut the front door, not possible, and yet he’s the one who said it so it must be true. Tal’s attention to detail and fact floor me. The massive amount time he has spent researching is what breathes life into this and his other books. His knowledge on a wide array of the subjects he writes about is truly impressive. And knowing that he does a deep dive into those areas he’s unsure about in order to make the stories authentic only makes his books that much more real. Both The Executive Office series and Hush could be ripped out of multiple headlines in today’s media. He tackles politics, prejudice, racism, climate change, intolerance and persecution head on in a thoughtful and factual manner.Take Hush, the book this review is about, it came out on July 13, 2017 and the story captivates you from the very first sentence.The book is about Tom Brewer, a _deeply_ closeted 40-something year old US Federal court judge who is a recent appointment to the Washington bench. Tom’s closet was built from past events that impacted him profoundly and caused him to lock that part of himself away for the past twenty-five years. He has channeled all his passion into law, cutting himself off from his community and isolating himself from everyone but his beloved basset hound, Etta Mae, in the process.But the changing social landscape of the world and an unexpected friendship with co-worker U.S. Marshal Mike Lucciano, as well as a supernova heat of attraction, slowly coax him out of his closet one terrifying and painful step at a time. And you do _feel_ his pain, his fear, and his anxiety with every word Tal puts to paper. But it will make you hurt sooo good. Tom and Mike will rip your heart out, toss it into a wood chipper, gather up the shredded pieces, and then make you whole again.Mr. Bauer not only lets you see one of the most terrifying chapters in LGBTQ history through Tom’s eyes but he makes you realize how profoundly, and rapidly, the world has changed as he shows you the same world through slightly younger man Mike’s eyes. He makes you see how much just a few short years can impact and change the world. Tom and Mike come from different places in the struggle for LGBTQ rights and somehow manage find common ground in the slow burn of mutual attraction and flared passion; they celebrate together the joy and colours of Pride as Tom takes his first brave steps into outing himself to the world and then…Tom’s world turns on its axis, and he and Mike are thrust headlong into events that neither of them could have dreamed of in their worst nightmares. Their newly formed romance is threatened by events beyond their control; but not just their love is in danger of being destroyed, Tom’s life may be on the line as well as he is thrust into the international spotlight and forced into a role that he never thought he’d find himself in.How far will Mike go to keep the man he loves safe? Will Tom allow his newly found courage to wither and die before it had chance to flourish, chasing him into his Narnian deep closet once again? Will the world, which teeters on the knife edge of war, tip over to chaos or back into peace? If the first half of the book was a slow seduction, the second half is a nail-biting car chase that leave you breathless and constantly second guessing yourself, and the author.Tal Bauer compliments the main characters with fully fleshed out secondary characters (and Etta Mae) who will make you fall in love with them, sympathize with their plights or hate and despise them completely. From cover to cover, Hush will leave you feeling punch-drunk and like you’ve survived the most amazing thrill ride you could possibly imagine. And yet, despite the political and legal backdrop, the thriller aspects of the story, at the very heart of this book it is about relationships; about accepting yourself, opening your heart to love, to the possibility of happily ever after and being unafraid and proud to live your life. THAT is what makes it such a profound read, everything else? That’s the icing on the delicious cake. I cannot recommend Hush enough. Go, buy and read it ASAP! You’ll thank me.(I also suggest you have a fresh box of tissues next to you because this book hits you right in the feels. All the feels!)

So, I’ve been a massive fan of Vince Flynn for many years, crushing hard on his hero Mitch Rapp, the ultimate bad-ass, kicking lots of bad asses. Then I read Tal Bauer’s series The Executive Office and fell like a ton of bricks for Special Agent Ethan Reichenbach. Who wouldn’t? Any man who’d tear down the world to get the love of his life and kick bad asses on the way was a superhero. So the newest book Hush, really had two epic heroes that managed to vie for the crown of newest superhero and in all fairness they didn’t even have to kill anyone to take the throne.Federal Judge Tom Brewer the ultimate incorruptible man and U.S. Marshal Mike Lucciano, the man who not only shows Brewer how to be a proud gay man, but has vowed to protect him from all harm. Two men very different and yet so alike. Brewer closely closeted hasn’t had a relationship in twenty-five years. He fears the ramifications of being gay. He is a very lonely man, alone in the world. Lucciano, is out, proud and vibrant, the ultimate macho bad-ass who has a penchant for flaky, narcissistic toy-boys. After working together for more than a year, and following the savage break up of Lucciano’s relationship with yet another toy-boy,Brewer realizes that the man he respects and admires, and has a crush on is gay. The two men suddenly find themselves open to the possibility of a friendship which evolves into more. Then Brewer lands the ultimate hearing, the trial of an assassin and his handler charged with the attempted assassination of the visiting Russian President on American soil, and the murder of four Secret Service agents, (three US and one Russian.) What should be and open and shut case is suddenly far from. It’s a case that could incite World War Three if not handled properly.Tal Bauer once again has cleverly created two strong men, with interesting personal issues that complement the strengths of the other as a partnership. The connection between them was real and warm and wonderful. Especially poignant was the exploration of the plight of gay men in the USA, particularly through the end of the 90’s when homosexuality and sodomy was still a criminal offence. It made Brewer’s struggle so much more real, and painful and compelling and his strength of character to bury what essentially was the core of him, under so many layers, sad and painful to witness. I don’t doubt for a minute actions like his were not singular, many men I imagine hid for likely the same reasons. Fear. The other excruciating journey to bear witness to was the frightening loss of a generation of gay men, their deaths exposed within the history of Brewer’s life. It’s a nasty stain for any country to try and make amends over. It was very painful and sad reading.What was uplifting to read was the comparison Bauer brought forward between Brewer and Lucciano, their different journeys due to the ten year age gap as gay men existing at different political times. It was compelling and highlighted the real growth made nationally with the acceptance and amendment of rights for people who identify within the in LGBT community in the US. It’s not perfect but at least it’s moving forward and it’s a world away from the sad reality of life for homosexuals in the USSR.While this was a love story it was so much more. The plot was rich, detailed without being bogged down and fast paced, filled with painful historical facts, espionage, intrigue and sedition, and while mostly centered within the Federal court in D.C, what easily could have been a dry and boring plot, was in fact far from it. So fast paced every page flew. When trouble came and moles were discovered, the baddie was revealed by natural progression. Not accidently guessed in the third chapter, which made this who-dun-it spy thriller so much more rewarding to read. I hope there is a book 2, in this new series. There were so many wonderful secondary characters, it would be a right shame to leave us all hanging. 6 stars.

Wow, I bought the book as soon as I got the email saying it was published and it was a mistake because I started reading it immediately and, well, Tal's books are a guarantee that you can't put his books down until you're done!The story flows perfectly, Tal's writing as poignant and rich as ever. I felt Tom's fear, shame, his need to change his life, but afraid of doing so at the same time, like they were my emotions, my fears. What Tom lived through, what even Mike couldn't really understand, was skillfully told, and even if I didn't live through it personally, I felt like I was experiecing it with Tom. That, in my opinion, is the trait of a great writer, and Tal Bauer is a master of his craft.Mike and Tom's relationship is sweet and everything you need from a romance book, while the suspense plot is interesting and it keeps you at the edge of your seat. All the characters are fleshed out, even the ones we don't get to really know, and they really enrich the story.To be honest, though, while I enjoyed the romance, the suspense, the political nightmare that is the trial Tom is supervising (and I loved that aspect, Law & Order is my favorite TV series ever), what will keep bringing me back to this book is Tom's gentle but strong character, with his flaws and his need for justice.