{"id":5852,"date":"2026-03-19T10:30:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T10:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=5852"},"modified":"2026-03-19T10:30:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T10:30:33","slug":"honeycomb-by-r-a-van-vleet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=5852","title":{"rendered":"Honeycomb by R.A. Van Vleet"},"content":{"rendered":"

An action-packed, novelistic sibling to Jason Bourne and James Bond that shakes a cocktail of romance and high-stakes action<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Honeycomb <\/em>is R.A. Van Vleet\u2019s third installment in a series of thrillers starring former security professional turned DEA agent Ian Martin. The action takes us into Hollywood\u2019s seedy underbelly as we follow Ian\u2019s entanglement with Sam Williams, a blonde bombshell of an actress with a hidden past.<\/p>\n

Early and often, we see Van Vleet\u2019s action scenes written with great skill and precision:\u201c<\/em>Ian stepped into the punch, blocked it with his left forearm and jabbed him in the face with his right fist.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d<\/em> There\u2019s a sort of natural choreography unfolding on the page, making it always easy to visualize and immerse ourselves in the cinematic thrill we come to expect from the Bournes and Bonds of the world. There\u2019s plenty of peril in Honeycomb<\/em>, too, so Van Vleet\u2019s strength is showcased often.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Ian Martin is a well-worthy thriller protagonist too\u2014a conscientious gentleman, both professionally and romantically. He stands in direct opposition to Ray Calderon, the book\u2019s vile antagonist. Unlike our hero, Ray is the kind of guy who \u201ctried to search his other pocket, for the small packet of Rohypnol pills his producer friend Harvey Weinstein gave him.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In a book where the bad guys are characterized as crass goons who attempt and discuss rape with shocking frequency, Ian is an anchor of a good man, leavening the bitter pill of the villains\u2019 casual misogyny and repeated sexual threats. \u201cIt ain\u2019t rape if they don\u2019t remember nothin.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>Decency aside, Ian is also just a refreshing character to spend time with\u2014a tough but principled everyman, like Bogart or Cagney.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For all that I appreciate in Honeycomb<\/em>, there are still a few points of struggle, primarily the manner in which sexual violence, attempted rape, and misogyny are graphically discussed and causally portrayed on the page. <\/em>It is clear that Van Vleet is setting the \u201cbad guys\u201d in opposition to Ian\u2019s decency, but the language and level of detail is graphic and oft repeated.<\/p>\n

The density of description works against the pacing at times too. There are large blocks of backstory and character description throughout, and while the cosmetic detail is thorough, plot detail can run thin. Readers who have already familiarized themselves with the first two Ian Martin novels will likely have their needs met when it comes to understanding his work with the DEA, but new readers to the series may feel it pulls up short there.<\/p>\n

Honeycomb<\/em>\u2019s romance plot elevates the novel to its most satisfying peak. Sam and Ian\u2019s relationship develops naturally and with genuine reader attachment; it\u2019s a fulfilling love story and excellent companion to the thriller plot. Despite the rough patches delivered from the antagonists, what matters most is that the action is aplenty and the romance is so sweet you can\u2019t help but root for it.<\/p>\n

The post Honeycomb by R.A. Van Vleet<\/a> appeared first on Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An action-packed, novelistic sibling to Jason Bourne and James Bond that shakes a cocktail of romance and high-stakes action Honeycomb is R.A. Van Vleet\u2019s third installment in a series of thrillers starring former security professional turned DEA agent Ian Martin. The action takes us into Hollywood\u2019s seedy underbelly as we follow Ian\u2019s entanglement with Sam […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5852"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5852\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}