Interlude: Cavatina by Tal Bauer

Interlude: Cavatina by Tal Bauer

SUMMARY

Cavatina: A solo in the midst of a larger composition 

Join the couples from your favorite Tal Bauer novels in Interlude: Cavatina, a collection of stories that brings everyone together in one volume! 

Jack and Ethan Spiers-Reichenbach are settling into their marriage and enjoying their second holiday season together, this time in Texas instead of the White House. A phone call sends them to Wyoming, where Ethan must confront his past and seek answers to a question he never got a chance to ask. 

Kris Caldera and Dawood Haddad have brought Dawood’s adopted son, Behroze, to America. But the family is struggling. Kris and Behroze fight constantly, with Dawood caught in the middle. What lingers in Behroze’s dark glower? How can Kris build a connection with his stepson? 

Adam and Faisal al-Saud take their first steps in public as a married couple. Immediately, questions fly, and the United States takes a special interest in Adam. Between navigating the Americans’ demands and trying to make sense of what their long-term houseguest, Doc, needs from him, Adam can barely keep himself together through Ramadan. 

In Rome, Cristoph and Luca battle risings and revenants and their own separate fears about Alain. Alain has pushed them both away, and as corpses pile up in Trastevere, Cristoph and Luca face their biggest fear: who has Alain become and what will they need to do? 

Sasha Andreyev has made a name for himself at NASA. He’s one of the best astronaut trainees in the class. When it’s time to fly home to visit Sergey Puchkov in Moscow, he’s able to secure a surprise for Sergey: he’s coming home with something special, and he’s ready to give Sergey the high-speed ride of his life. 

And in Washington DC, Tom Brewer and Mike Lucciano are ready to say those two little words: I do. 


Author Note: Each couple’s story is independent of the others. And, though they all appear together in this novel, each universe remains separate and distinct. The Executive Office and the Hush/Whisper universes are not connected. The A Time to Rise universe also stands on its own. Readers may not be familiar with every couple or have read every novel. It is perfectly okay to read only the couples you care to. 

MY REVIEW

New book, favourite old characters

• Cristoph & Alain from A Time to Rise - Vatican City, Rome 
• Adam & Faisal from the Executive Office series - Manama, Bahrain & Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 
• Kris & Dawood from Whisper - McLean, Virginia 
• Tom & Mike from Hush - Washington DC 
• Sergey & Sasha from the Executive Office series - Houston, Texas & Moscow, Russia 
• Jack & Ethan from the Executive Office series - Austin, Texas & Wyoming


Well, this was an interesting little novel for the hardcore fans of Tal Bauer. 

Obviously it is not an standalone and obviously if you have not read some of the previous books better skip the sections which include the continuation of these particular stories because you will not avoid the spoilers.

More or less I enjoyed the book, as it was a nice bridge to the next book by Tal that I pray that it will come soon because I keep experiencing withdrawal symptoms quite often recently.

Anyway, let's talk about the book. So, the stories alternate and some have more pages than others. Also, some stories feel like extended epilogues (you know, the HEA that was missing in the previous books) and the rest of the stories push the events forward.
But this in my personal opinion and maybe I got it all wrong. Maybe my perspective will change in the next books. I can understand it is hard to leave alone your favourite characters to continue with their lives without being watched and without being thrown into new adventures.

For example the story of Tom&Mike and the story of Jack&Ethan seem that they have reached their ultimate happy ending and no harm will be in their paths ever again. Fingers crossed.

The story of Cristoph & Alain seem that it has just started. The Time to Rise feels more and more like it was an introduction in this universe and now their short story in Interlude mostly creates questions than solves anything. Even the given solution in the previous book is abandon in this book. I wait impatiently for more vampire stories that take place in the Vatican please!

On the other hand the stories of Adam & Faisal and especially Sergey & Sasha I have no idea where they are going. Adam & Faisal is a beloved couple and definitely deserve their one book, but their story can simply stop here with Adam being happy and spoiled royally in Faisal's arms like a Harlequin character in a desert forever and ever OR everything can go to hell in the next book and they will need to prove their love once more. The tranquility and peace that they live right now is very fragile.
Sergey & Sasha still does not convince me as a couple. I have left them in an interesting place in Ascendent and now I feel that their story is going again nowhere. Will there be an Ascendent II? I am not so sure any more.

Finally, my favourite story is once more the one that includes Kris and Dawood. Still it is the most heartbreaking story and the most agonizing reality. Two civilisations, two religions, two so different men that now have a child to raise and show him that there is life, love, devotion and happiness away from the Afganistan mountains. I think that Kris is making once more the most sacrifices. 
Even in Whisper it felt that Dawood was doing everything for his sense of justice and duty, while Kris was doing everything for his unquestionable and heartwrenching love for his husband. I am not sure this story is their epilogue. They have so many enemies and there are so many complications in their lives. Bad things will happen again for sure.

Overall, if you know and like like Tal's writing style, you will know what t expect. The book is exactly what you imagine it is. Have fun!