Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Cask Strength 
SERIES: Agents Irish and Whiskey #2
AUTHOR: Layla Reyne
NARRATOR: Tristan James
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Audio
RELEASE DATE: August 7, 2017
LENGTH: 6 hours, 58 minutes
BLURB:
Professionally, the FBI team of Aidan “Irish” Talley and Jameson “Whiskey” Walker is as good as it gets, closing cases faster than any team at the bureau. Personally, it’s a different story. Aidan’s feelings for Jamie scare the hell out of him: He won’t risk losing another love no matter how heart-tripping the intimacy between them. And loss is a grim reality with the terrorist Renaud still on their trail, leaving a pile of bodies in his wake.
Going undercover on a new case gets them out of town and off the killer’s radar. They’re assigned to investigate an identity theft ring involving a college basketball team in Jamie’s home state, where Jamie’s past makes him perfect for the role of coach. But returning to the court brings more than old memories.
As secrets and shocking betrayals abound, none may be more dangerous than the one Jamie’s been keeping: a secret about the death of Aidan’s husband that could blow his partner’s world apart and destroy forever the fragile bonds of trust and love building between them.
REVIEW:
Cask Strength and Tristan James held me captive more than the previous book – I only needed to listen to it once 😉
Maybe it was because James put more effort into his narration this time around, or I was more focused on the book from the get go and forced myself to stay in the book throughout. Either way, I had a great time listening to this story from start to finish.
Aiden and Jamie have been partnered for five months, and lovers for almost as long. But things aren’t as good as they might seem on the outside. Aiden is running scared, afraid to commit and pushes Jamie away by dating other people. He’s afraid to love again, to lose again, of hurting. Normally I don’t like the constant push-pull in relationships, but it fits with this one. It makes their love story credible. It isn’t flawless or picture perfect. It takes work, communication and daring to make that jump. Add in a close call, an ultimatum and their relationship is tested to the limit.
At the same time as we feel with Aiden and understand his fears, we also feel with Jamie and his fears. The fear of what will happen when Aiden finally finds out about the secrets that has been kept from him. I felt for Jamie, the spot he was put in. Knowing that the secrets he kept would destroy the man he’d fallen for. Knowing that, that same man wasn’t ready to truly love him back in the way he needed to be loved.
But this book isn’t all about Aiden and Jamie’s relationship – far from it. They have another case to solve. One that requires Jamie to go undercover in his old hometown, where the past isn’t as far passed as they might wish and secrets won’t be kept for long.
Tristan James is a good narrator. He always nails the pacing, and he always nails the Irish accents effortlessly. Sure he narrates the books instead of performing them, living them, but he still brings quality to what he does. And there’s something with his voice that just makes me relax – and let me tell you,, that’s not as easy as it might sound.
Fair warning, this book ended with a cliffhanger, so I recommend you to have Barrel Proof ready to go – that is if you’re anything like me and just have to know what happens next and any kind of cliffhanger is pure torture. Other than that, this book is highly recommended,
RATING:
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