Some sequels fizzle, this one detonates. Sticks and Stones by Abigail Roux takes Ty and Zane out of the FBI office and into the mountains of West Virginia, where family drama, wilderness threats, and raw emotion push their relationship to new depths. It’s darker, more vulnerable, and absolutely unforgettable.

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What is Sticks and Stones by Abigail Roux all about?

After failing psych evaluations, Ty Grady drags Zane Garrett home to West Virginia for “rest and relaxation.” Instead, Zane meets Ty’s eccentric family, old wounds resurface, and their hike turns into a survival nightmare. Between wildlife, weather, and emotional landmines, Ty and Zane discover just how strong their bond truly is.

Sticks & Stones by Abigail Roux Book Review

Whenever Ty and Zane are together, I can’t help but sigh in happiness. These two are so sweet on each other that I can’t get over how romantic this series is despite all their alphaness, heartaches, action and jokes. There’s just so much depth in these characters and I don’t think I can put into words how much I love them together.

STICKS AND STONES takes a different route than the previous book in the series. When the guys are experiencing some problems with the psych evaluations at work, this puts them in a position where Burns asks them to take a little R & R. For Ty and Zane, this can’t be good news because when on vacation, you tend to be idle and an idle mind leaves lots of time with personal demons. I feel like this book was slightly darker than the first one. There’s less joking around and more focus on Zane’s demons. He’s still experiencing nightmares and can’t really find a break long enough for him to truly relax. It seems that when he is with Ty, he gets some relief.

So now that they are stuck with all this extra free time, Ty takes Zane to visit his family who are a bunch of crazies just like Ty. It must run in the family or something because they are just so great! However, Ty harbors these hard feelings towards his dad, Earl when the old man starts putting his son down. Zane doesn’t like this and his protectiveness starts to rise, but then what can he really do to Ty’s father without causing some extreme tension?

I loved reading about this side of Ty and Zane. We get a far more deeper peek into their lives through Ty’s family life and also through the pains that Zane is experiencing. Their relationship is inspected by Ty’s brother, Deacon and some problems within their relationship are brought to the forefront. I think in a way this only solidified the fact that they are so meant to be together!

The moments between Ty and Zane are just precious. They are loving and moving and the sweetest thing I’ve read in M/M romance for awhile.

As Hunter and Roux develop this amazing unbreakable bond between Ty and Zane, there’s also the suspense subplot to look forward to. So this made for a read that seemed to go by too quickly. I can’t wait to read the next one!

By the end of Sticks and Stones by Abigail Roux, you’ll be emotionally wrung out in the best way, laughing at Ty’s family antics one moment and aching over Zane’s demons the next. It’s messy, tender, and pulse-pounding, proving once again that Ty and Zane aren’t just surviving together, they’re falling harder, page by page.

About the Cut & Run Series by Abigail Roux

Sticks and Stones is book 2 in the Cut & Run series, co-written at this point by Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban (who later on sold her rights to Abigail Roux exclusively). Following the explosive partnership of Ty and Zane, the series blends murder investigations, biting banter, and M/M romance that set the gold standard for the genre. This installment deepens both the danger and the intimacy.

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