I liked this one a lot. It was a good mix of industrial spy novel, police/detective story, espionage and romance. I have a weakness for damaged characters and Jack hit all my buttons, I loved how he and Gareth were able to work together and how Gareth learned to be who and what Jack needed. Based on the epilogue, this looks like that star of series, if so I look forward to the next book. ( )

Cool premise, but I just couldn't get into the book. Maybe it got better later on, but a couple of chapters in, and I found that I couldn't remember the character's names after closing the book - not a good sign. ( )

‘Job Hunt’ is a remarkable novel on many levels, and I am having a very hard time organizing my thoughts into something that comes close to doing it justice. From the spine-tingling tension around more than one subplot to the emotionally superintense romance between Jack and Gareth, this story is realistic, held me in its clutches from beginning to end, and still left me wanting more. There are a few aspects that stood out for me. The setting is London, so a lot of the locations, behaviors, and language were very familiar to me; Jackie Keswick did an excellent job dusting everything with a slightly British flavor. The characters, from Jack and Gareth to the supporting cast, were complicated, multi-layered, and well motivated. Each of the three primary levels of the plot alone would be enough to fill a novel each: there is corporate espionage, a criminal investigation into child trafficking, and cloak-and-dagger spy stuff that I do not believe this first installment has even come close to uncovering. But above all this is Jack’s story. His journey from a past too awful to contemplate to who he is today and how he deals with his anger, need to help others, and debilitating flashbacks is as inspiring as it is heartbreaking to watch him deal with everything life has thrown (and still throws) at him.

Jack’s past is more volatile and leads to more consequences than most people’s. The full extent of it emerges slowly as this story develops, but most people in his situation would have given up long ago. Not Jack. He is a survivor, and a fighter, and he came out of it fists swinging. He has a knack for computers that make him one of the best hackers around. His stint in the Army has left him with the ability to defend himself and a link to Gareth he never thought could become more. All he wants after briefly working for MI6 is a job, and after careful research he applies to a company that ticks all his boxes – except for the shock of running into his former commanding officer, and the man he left the Army for. But as much as he tries to stay away, Gareth is still deep under his skin and the situation has changed.

Gareth is in charge of the Security Division at Nancarrow Mining, and running into Jack again rocks his world. He knows they work well together and he is still interested in Jack even seven years after the man saved his life and walked out the next day. Gareth also needs Jack’s help to trace the financial leak that is giving competitors insights into far too much of Nancarrow’s business. But getting Jack to accept the job offer is far harder than Gareth expected – not that he lets that stop him. And when he discovers all the other activities Jack is involved in he is not just impressed and worried for Jack’s safety – he is determined to protect the man as much as he can. Added to the incendiary heat the two of them generate now that they are no longer soldiers, it makes a very compelling case of “get as close as you can” in Gareth’s mind.

I loved all of the secondary characters as well, especially the boys Jack works so hard to save from being held by a cruel pimp. The courage all three of them show after what they have been through is amazing, and their feelings, fears and thoughts were very realistic. The people at Nancarrow Mining, from the CEO to the psychologist, the lawyer to Jack’s IT coworker, were extraordinary, quirky, and plain fun to watch as they did their jobs. Then there is the detective Jack does undercover for and with, and the woman at Scotland Yard warrants a mention. And there are so many more – all I can do is to recommend you buy and read this book for yourself.

If you like thrillers with as many layers as an onion, if you want to find out how two former soldiers deal with the sudden opportunity to explore a relationship they never expected, and if you’re looking for a read that is suspenseful, has a complicated plot with twists and turns that will make you want to take notes to keep track, then you will probably like this novel as much as I did. I think it is no less than brilliant and can't wait to read more in this series!


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )