Review: Locked by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine (PresLocke #2)


Note: This ARC was provided by Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review.

I traced the backs of my fingers down his cheek and asked once more, just to be sure, "Are you positive you want to do this?" 
Dylan learned into my caress and his eyes shuttered closed, his lashes thick and dark against his flawless skin. "No," he whispered, and my heart just about stopped. Then he opened those gorgeous eyes ad the expression there shocked me back to life. It was one full of apprehension, desire, and the same emotion I was feeling then--possession. "I'm not sure about any of this. But I am sure about you. I want you, Ace. And you come with all of this."

Oh my. Le sigh moments. Major book hangover. Too many pages bookmarked because of quotable quotes. Just three things that have become synonymous with the PresLocke series from evil genius goddesses, and one of my favorite writing duos, bestselling authors Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine. It all started with their respective series, Sunset Cove and L.A. Liaisons, where Dylan Prescott and Ace Locke were introduced--Dylan in Devil's Kiss and Ace in Hooker. These two stole the spotlight and demanded that they get their own stories told, but the fantastical idea of merging two separate supporting characters from tow different series and create a spin-off series just for them is why I bow before the brilliance of Frank and Blaine. An up and coming model and a box office superstar falling for another may be good enough for one full-length novel, but Dylan and Ace are such rich and deep characters that limiting to merely one book would have been a disservice and an injustice. Lo and behold, we're now going to have even more than I expected, what with me assuming (yes, yes, I know what they say about people who assume...) this was going to be a duet after having finished Aced. But more on that later on in this review...

Ace Locke may be the world's most famous action star and he's able to get whatever he wants as easily as picking up the phone, but even he can't control what the lengths the paparazzi will go to in order to get "the shot" and what a shot it is. He and Dylan Prescott half-naked, wrapped only in towels in one hotel suite paints one hell of a picture for the public to speculate over. They may all know that he's gay but to have a visual go with that could adversely affect his career. Now, Ace and Dylan find themselves adjusting to a new kind of normal, one that has both of them taking a stand and holding on to the one person they need most in this situation--each other. Their relationship may still be new but there's no denying how far both of them have fallen. But will all the scrutiny and the invasive nature of the business scare Dylan away? What more when the press begins to dig into his past or, even worse, his past suddenly returns to haunt him? The commitment Ace and Dylan have made to each other will be challenged and tested, not only by the press and the public but even by those closest to them. Will they survive and prove to everyone that theirs is a love that will last or will the pressure be too much for the new couple known as PresLocke?

I have a list of all-time favorite M/M series couples but there's only one that has yet to be toppled off of the top spot--Ty Grady and Zane Garrett of the Cut & Run series--but if there was ever a couple that is waiting right behind them and could very well threaten to knock them off their perch, it would be Ace Locke and Dylan Prescott of the PresLocke series. Ace and Dylan's story hasn't played out in any way, shape, or form that I even dared contemplate it would. Theirs is a complex and multilayered tale to tell, but at its very core is a very passionate and sincere set of emotions that make me wish they were real people, but fictional or not, I'm happily squeeing for them and am in constant fangirl mode. We get to learn more about both of their families and I must say that Dylan's past had my heart squeezing in empathy. I loved how devoted and supportive these two were of one another. In their world, chaos is to be expected, but when they're together, it's as if that world just disappears and the one they've created just for themselves is all that exists. Le sigh. Locked had all the feels and that surprise of a tidbit at the end had me squealing in delight, because yes, PresLocke fans, we're getting a third book next year! Five-plus stars. ♥

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Read my reviews for the PresLocke series:


Aced (book one) - five-plus stars - My Review

Locked (book two) - five-plus stars - My Review (posted above)

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Release Date: 02 September 2016 01 September 2016

Date Read: 31 August 2016

Learn more about Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine.

Purchase Locked on Amazon.

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