Reviewed by Annika

TITLE: A Dangerous Dance

SERIES: Haven Heart #3

AUTHOR: Davidson King

NARRATOR: Philip Alces & Joel Leslie

PUBLISHER: Tanto Audio

RELEASE DATE: April 16, 2019

LENGTH: 5 hours, 58 minutes

BLURB:

Finally working for a man he can trust has given Bill a new purpose. His boss, Christopher Manos, commands respect and absolute loyalty, and Bill has proven himself worthy of a seat at Christopher’s table. Becoming best friends with Christopher’s husband, Snow, has further proven his allegiance and cements a place for him in the Manos family. When Snow’s life is in danger, Christopher places his full trust in Bill to destroy anything and anyone that poses a threat to his husband. But hunting and wiping out the enemy for the safety of everyone Bill cares about means partnering with the one person he has vowed to never see again.

Mace wears a mask of vain cockiness and uses his model good looks to his full advantage. Known to many as “Without a Trace Mace”, he’s a deadly assassin well known for wiping out whole families and getting away without a trace. With a dangerous past and an unknown future, Mace uses his veil of conceit to keep others at a distance, rarely trusting anyone. When his boss, Black – the one man he trusts above all others – gives him his next assignment, he learns his newest partner is none other than Bill, the man he’d do anything to avoid.

REVIEW:

If you’ve read (or listened to) this series from the beginning you might remember Bill; goon for the sleazebag from the first book who’s head was offered as payment. Now he’s fiercely loyal to and protective of Snow and has earned the trust of Christopher Manos, his new boss. When a threat against Snow reaches them, Bill is tasked to take care of it. But the task is bigger and more dangerous than one man can accomplish, so he will need to work with a man he can’t stand – Mace.

This book was a bit darker than the previous books. It wasn’t all dark – far from it, but parts were definitely more explicit than I expected. I do like it when books surprises me though and there are few things I like less than when everything is smooth sails all the way through.

The chemistry between Bill and Mace is great. From that animosity seeping through every word and look in the beginning. Then slowly changes to a simmering heat that you know will end with one epic explosion. I liked their dance around each other, it was fun. As with the previous books in this series, don’t expect something credible. Suspend all beliefs and listen (or read) it for the great entertainment they are and you’ll come out of it one happy reader at the end.

I had one main issue with this book and that was actually on the technical side. A Dangerous Dance is narrated by Philip Alces and Joel Leslie, alternating chapters depending on which main character was narrating. That part all works out really great, and more on that in a bit, however it’s painfully obvious that they are using different equipment and settings as the volume changes each time. Which has the listener lowering or increasing the volume each time they switch off. And it’s not a minor volume difference but one will hurt your ears and the other is barely audible. I really wished that had been corrected in editing.

As for the narration itself I am a big fan. Joel Leslie is a great narrator who captures the characters and moments just right. He takes you into their world and makes you experience it all with the characters. And while he might not be my first choice of narrator for assassins and criminals he does it really well. Though I do prefer him for the lighter contemporary romances – and his historical romances (but those are m/f so I’m speaking quietly about them).

Philip Alces has the perfect voice for this kind of book and characters. It’s rougher and deeper – I’m a huge fan of it. He doesn’t quite compare to Leslie’s ability to truly emerge you into the story, but he’s not that far off. Their dual narration worked really well for this book – and this series in general – and I’m looking forward to see what else they have in store.

RATING:

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