Part & Parcel (Sidewinder #3)

Title: Part & Parcel (Sidewinder, #3)
Author: Abigail Roux
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: December 21, 2015
Genre(s): Contemporary/Series
Page Count: 302
Reviewed by: Renée
Heat Level:  4 flames out of 5
Rating:  5 stars out of 5
Blurb:

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.

I’m kind of speechless after reading this. It was so much better than I anticipated. Honestly, after Cross & Crown and how I suspended my disbelief for the Dan Brown-esque adventure in that one(worth it, but still), I was not expecting THIS.

But I should’ve. It was clear in Crash & Burn that all is NOT ok between Nick and Kelly. Kelly, fun-loving, sweet Kelly, had his foundation shattered when Liam inserted himself into the lives of Sidewinder. Particularly using Nick to do it. And Nick kept a LOT of secrets from Kelly. Richard Burns. Remembering every part of the marriage proposal. When that all came out in the open in Crash & Burn, Nick was gravely injured before these two could work that out, and it’s been festering. Well, here we go. I knew it had to come to the surface sooner or later.

Much of this book is Nick and Kelly working on things after secrets can tear you apart. It has a very similar feel to Ty and Zane’s Touch & Geaux, honestly. And that is SO not a bad thing. No complaints. Nick and Kelly made it their own.

What was very different is that Eli Sanchez had a very strong voice in this book as the final Sidewinder member. Nick goes through a box Eli’s mother gave to him after the funeral years ago, for the first time. And it gathers the Sidewinder team back together (including Zane as an honorary member) to go on one final adventure. The best part? It allows a lot of old hurts to heal that apparently Eli knew were still there not being addressed. He brings them out in the open through a series of letters to the team.

You can’t not have fun and laugh out loud when Sidewinder is together. The vegetable/fruit/berry conversation made me almost drop my Kindle. Giving me glimpses of my Ty and Zane? Perfection. Ty is still and will probably ALWAYS be my favorite character from a series. And I also think Nick and Kelly needed to finally push through what had taken place in Crash & Burn.

Every part of this book will punch you right in the feelz, and I loved every minute of it!

P.S. There is a lovely little bonus all the way at the end, so keep flipping pages until you find it.

 

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