Reviewed by Tori (Vicki)

TITLE: Leaning Into Forever 

SERIES: Leaning Into #7

AUTHOR: Lane Hayes

NARRATOR: Nick J. Russo

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 7 hours 31 minutes

RELEASE DATE: August 9th, 2018

BLURB:

Geordie de la Rosa is a legend among wine lovers in Napa Valley. His ultra-fabulous style paired with a penchant for leading impromptu sing-a-longs has made him a star attraction at Conrad Winery. Co-owning a well-respected winery was never Geordie’s aspiration but he likes the niche he’s made for himself. He won’t deny that his job and his friends have helped ease his heartache and grief after the death of his longtime partner.

Levi Yeager excels at the art of reinventing himself. He’s been a minor league baseball player, a college coach and now a restaurant owner. The problem is he doesn’t know anything about the food business. And when his chef quits unexpectedly, he’s afraid his new venture is doomed. But Levi isn’t a quitter. It may be the only thing he has in common with the beautiful, sassy man from the neighboring winery who agrees to help get his new business up and running. Neither man counts on their fast friendship or the wild attraction they feel for each other. However, they know they won’t stand a chance until they let go of the past and lean into forever.

Reviewed by Christian

TITLE:  Saving Ren

SERIES: Barretti Security Series, Volume 3

AUTHOR:  Sloane Kennedy

NARRATOR:  Michael Pauley

PUBLISHER:  Sloane Kennedy

LENGTH:  6 hours, 44 minutes

RELEASE DATE:  July 16, 2018

BLURB:

Three men brought together by circumstance who found something none of them knew they needed…

Ren Barretti has finally come home after a year of being held captive by the terrorists who slaughtered his entire Special Forces team. But he can’t escape the nightmares that torment him or the guilt that he was the only one to walk away. The life his older brothers have brought him home to doesn’t exist for him anymore, and to keep them and their loved ones safe from the rage and pain that consume him, Ren needs to disappear.

Police Detective Declan Hale has felt an undeniable pull toward the very straight Ren Barretti since the day Ren’s brother married Declan’s younger sister almost a dozen years earlier. But even though the Ren who has come home isn’t the one who left, all of Declan’s feelings come rushing back to the surface, and he steps in to help the only man he’s ever truly wanted. And even though there’s no future for them, keeping Ren safe is all that matters, and Declan will risk anything to make that happen.

Tough as nails former soldier and mercenary Jagger Varos has returned to Seattle after years of running from his past, and he’s hoping that joining Barretti Security Group will help him finally call the city he left behind home. But within weeks, his new beginning is tested after multiple run-ins with the gruff, infuriating Detective Hale. When he inadvertently discovers that Declan is hiding Ren from the very brothers offering Jagger a new start, Jagger finds himself torn between his newfound loyalty to Vin and Dom Barretti and the need to protect the young man he himself helped rescue from his captors.

For Declan and Jagger, it’s hate at first sight, but they soon realize that they will need each other if they have any hope of saving Ren from himself. And neither of them expects their mutual distrust in one another to grow into something else entirely or that Ren himself will find in both of them what he needs to rebuild his life and come to terms with who he really is.

Can the fierce attraction between three men become something more, or will the demands of the real world tear them apart?

Reviewed by Annika

TITLE: Broken

AUTHOR: Nicola Haken

NARRATOR: Joel Leslie

PUBLISHER: Self Published

RELEASE DATE:  June 19, 2017

LENGTH: 10 hours, 36 minutes

BLURB:

When Theodore Davenport decides to switch his mundane job for a career, he walks into Holden House Publishing with enthusiasm and determination to succeed. As he settles into his new role, makes new friends, and dreams of making it to the top, everything is going to plan. Until he meets James Holden, CEO of Holden House. James Holden hasn’t been able to stop thinking about his encounter with the timid man he met in a club bathroom last week, and when he discovers the one haunting his dreams is an employee, he can’t seem to stop himself from pursuing him. Just a little fun – that’s what James tells himself. He can’t afford to care for someone who can never reciprocate, not once they find out who he really is. James believes nobody deserves the burden of being attached to him. He’s a complicated man. Damaged. Difficult. Demanding. Broken. Is Theodore strong enough to confront James’ demons? More importantly, is James?

Reviewed by Annika

TITLE: On Davis Row

AUTHOR: N.R. Walker

NARRATOR: Joel Leslie

PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio

RELEASE DATE: July 31, 2018

LENGTH: 11 hours, 29 minutes

BLURB:

Nearing the end of a suspended jail sentence should unlock a brighter future for CJ Davis, only the chip on his shoulder is as hard to shift as his bad reputation. Born into a family of career criminals who live down Davis Road, an address the cops have dubbed Davis Row, his name alone is like a rap sheet that makes optimism impossible.

Brand-new parole officer Noah Huxley is determined to see the good in men like CJ. After all, he knows firsthand that bad things can happen to good people. His colleagues mock his doe-eyed optimism, but Noah soon sees CJ’s bad attitude and bravado are weapons he uses to keep people at a distance.

Both men know one simple mistake can change a life forever. At first glance, they might seem to be polar opposites. Yet underneath, they’re not that different at all.

Reviewed by Annika

TITLE: Reckless Behavior

SERIES: Bad Behavior #3

AUTHOR: L.A. Witt, Cari Z

NARRATOR: Michael Ferraiuolo

PUBLISHER: Riptide

RELEASE DATE: July 26, 2018

LENGTH: 7 hours, 19 minutes

BLURB:

After too many years of putting his job first, Detective Andreas Ruffner is getting his priorities straight. He’s ready to spend some quality time with his adult kids, not to mention come clean about some things he should’ve told them a long time ago. And introduce them to his partner and boyfriend, Darren Corliss.

But in a heartbeat, a family dinner turns into Andreas’ worst nightmare. When the dust settles, one of his kids is hurt, and the other three have been abducted.

Andreas is going to find his kids, and nothing, not even a broken ankle, is going to stop him. Thank God for his sharp, level-headed partner…who has a crisis of his own pulling him away when Andreas needs him the most. As both men try to support – and lean on – each other, they get no closer to finding the kids. And the longer the children are missing, the less likely it is they’ll ever be found.

Reviewed by Annika

TITLE: Suspicious Behavior

SERIES: Bad Behavior #2

AUTHOR: L.A. Witt, Cari Z

NARRATOR: Michael Ferraiuolo

PUBLISHER: Riptide

RELEASE DATE: July 2, 2018

LENGTH: 7 hours, 58 minutes

BLURB:

Detective Darren Corliss is hanging by a thread. In between recovering from a near-fatal wound and returning to work at a hostile precinct, he’s struggling to help care for his ailing brother. His partner and boyfriend, Detective Andreas Ruffner, wants to help, but doesn’t know how. And with his own family crises brewing, Andreas is spread almost as thin as Darren.

For cops, though, life takes a backseat to the job. When a stack of unsolved homicides drops into their laps, Andreas and Darren think they’re unrelated cold cases. But when a connection surfaces, they find themselves on the tail of a prolific serial killer who’s about to strike again.

Except they’ve got nothing. No leads. No suspects. Just a pile of circumstantial evidence and a whole lot of hunches. Time is running out to stop the next murder – and to pull themselves back from their breaking points.

Reviewed by Annika

TITLE: Dead Speak

SERIES: Cold Case Psychic #1

AUTHOR: Pandora Pine

NARRATOR: Michael Pauley

PUBLISHER: Self Published

RELEASE DATE: June 22, 2018

LENGTH: 7 hours, 32 minutes

BLURB:

Demoted to the cold case squad after shooting a suspect in the line of duty, Detective Ronan O’Mara knows that his career with the Boston Police Department is hanging by a thread. His first assignment is the case of Michael Frye, a five-year-old boy who has been missing for seven years. With no new leads or witnesses to interview, Ronan has to start from scratch to solve this mystery. When he sees a handsome local psychic on television, Ronan figures he’s got nothing to lose in enlisting the man’s help to find Michael.

Psychic Tennyson Grimm is riding high after helping South Shore cops find a missing child. He’s even being courted by the Reality Show Network about a program showcasing his abilities. He has no idea that his midday appointment with a customer, who instead turns out to be a police detective, is going to change the course of his life and his career.

With the blessing of the BPD, which badly needs an image make-over, Ronan is allowed to bring Tennyson in to assist with the Frye case. Being thrown together in front of cameras is never easy, but add in an emotional missing person’s investigation, a tight-lipped spirit, and a cop who’s a skeptic, and it definitely puts a strain on both men and their working relationship.

When the child’s body is found, the work to identify his killer begins. As Ronan and Tennyson get closer to solving the case, the initial attraction they feel for one another explodes into a passion neither man can contain.

Will working together to bring Michael’s killer to justice seal their fledgeling bond, or will unexpected revelations in the case tear them apart forever?

Reviewed by Annika

TITLE: Barrel Proof

SERIES: Agents Irish and Whiskey #3

AUTHOR: Layla Reyne

NARRATOR: Tristan James

PUBLISHER: Harlequin Audio

RELEASE DATE: August 7, 2017

LENGTH: 6 hours, 51 minutes

BLURB:

FBI agents Aidan “Irish” Talley and Jameson “Whiskey” Walker can’t get a moment’s peace. Their hunt for the terrorist Renaud seems to be nearing an end until a fire allows him to slip through their fingers – and puts Jamie’s life in danger. When Jamie is nearly killed, Aidan learns how many forms loss can take.

Aidan says “I love you” just moments before learning that Jamie’s been keeping a devastating secret about Aidan’s late husband. How quickly trust and love can go up in flames. When Aidan requests a solo undercover assignment, Jamie hopes Aidan will find a way to forgive him.

But the explosions are far from over. Aidan’s cover lands him in the heart of the terrorist’s conspiracy, and Jamie will have to put his life, his career, and his freedom on the line to save the man who has become his entire world. “Partners always” is a promise he intends to keep.

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.

Reviewed by Annika

TITLE: The Blinding Light

SERIES: The Tav #1

AUTHOR: Reneae Kaye

NARRATOR: Jonathan Young

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2015

LENGTH: 6 hours, 55 minutes

BLURB:

Jake Manning’s smart mouth frequently gets him into trouble. Because of it he can’t hold a job. Combined with some bad luck, it’s prevented him from keeping steady employment. A huge debt looms over him, and alone he shoulders the care of his alcoholic mother and three younger sisters. When a housekeeping position opens, Jake’s so desperate he leaps at the opportunity. On landing, he finds his new boss, Patrick Stanford, a fussy, arrogant, rude…and blind man.

Born without sight, Patrick is used to being accommodated, but he’s met his match with Jake, who doesn’t take any of his crap and threatens to swap all the braille labels on his groceries and run off with his guide dog unless he behaves.

Jake gets a kick out of Patrick. Things are looking up: The girls are starting their own lives, and his mum’s sobriety might stick this time. He’s sacrificed everything for his family; maybe it’s time for him to live his life and start a relationship with Patrick. When his mother needs him, guilt makes his choice between family and Patrick difficult, and Jake must realize he’s not alone anymore.

Reviewed by Christian

TITLE:  Changing Lines

SERIES:  Harrisburg Railers Hockey, Book 1

AUTHOR:  RJ Scott, V.L. Locey

NARRATOR:  Sean Crisden

PUBLISHER:  Love Lane Books Unlimited

LENGTH: 5 hrs and 10 mins

RELEASE DATE: July 25, 2018

BLURB:

Can Tennant show Jared that age is just a number and that love is all that matters?

The Rowe brothers are famous hockey hotshots, but as the youngest of the trio, Tennant has always had to play against his brothers’ reputations. To get out of their shadows, and against their advice, he accepts a trade to the Harrisburg Railers, where he runs into Jared Madsen. Mads is an old family friend and his brother’s one-time teammate. Mads is Tennant’s new coach. And Mads is the sexiest thing on which he’s ever laid eyes.

Jared Madsen’s hockey career was cut short by a fault in his heart, but coaching keeps him close to the game. When Ten is traded to the team, his carefully organized world is thrown into chaos. Nine years his junior and his best friend’s brother, he knows Ten is strictly off-limits, but as soon as he sees Ten’s moves, on and off the ice, he knows his heart could get him into trouble again.