Review: Alpha Barman (J.T.'s Bar #1) by Sue Brown

Jake Tyler walked out of Covert Ops two years ago, a devastated, broken man after he discovered his sister brutally murdered by her husband, Riley. Since then he’s found a kind of peace running a rural bar. The last thing Jake Tyler expects is his former team to turn up with grim news. Jake’s ex-brother-in-law has escaped from prison and is heading Jake’s way. The team is here to protect Jake, whether he likes it or not – a decision reluctantly shared by their leader, Jake’s ex-lover Mitch Mitchelson.

Mitch is angry and hurting. The man he trusted – the man he adored more than anything – abandoned both his team and Mitch. Jake never gave Mitch a chance to help or come to terms with his desertion. Regardless of mission protocols, Mitch isn’t about to open his heart again to that kind of pain.

But the strong attraction between them can’t be denied. How are they ever going to work together when Mitch still resents Jake’s disappearance, and to Jake, the team represents everything that destroyed him in the first place? And meantime they wait for Riley to find them... and to settle the threat once and for all.

This didn’t work for me and that makes me sad because this author is traditionally one that I really enjoy.

I’ll keep it simple.

I didn’t like the way Jake left Mitch. You don’t have a relationship with someone for two years and walk away without a word or a look back. That didn’t sit well with me regardless of Jake losing his shit over the murder of his sister. Just, no dude. Their reunion was full of repeat arguments that should have been put to bed with at least the third go ‘round. I never felt like they were a couple that were in love and it wasn’t because they had to hide at work. For me, that should have made them closer but, whatever.

The threat of Riley made a little sense but how this group of Alpha men that are part of a Covert Ops team did not. There are too many shows on TV today that have taught us how to profile a subject and these men, these former teammates of Riley seemed utterly clueless as to who Riley was. An actual motive was absent and really, the most action we saw was the men moving around the bar and talking about… nothing really. The additional plot of Jake’s sister’s murder was a head scratcher and so over the top that I couldn’t buy into it. I needed more.

I am okay with the relationship progression with Mitch and Jake. I’m totally fine with the side characters and their deal as well, but for me, this didn’t work at all.

The story had a lot of promise but too much was left out to make it believable while robbed me of enjoyment and yet, the last line intrigued me but I don’t know if I will move on with the series.

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