Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Deep Impact
SERIES: Wrecked: Guardians, Book 4
AUTHOR: Kelly Fox
NARRATOR: Zane Daniels
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 6 hours and 7 minutes
RELEASE DATE: July 22, 2022
BLURB:
DeShaun and I have been locked in a mutual imaginary affair with one another since the day we met.
So many close calls, drunken flirtations, exchanged glances…and then his unfailing sense of duty would kick in. He has always outranked me and was never going to cross that line.
Even though we’re no longer in the service, he insists he’s not good enough for me. And sure, he’s still the boss…of our highly illegal mercenary organization. But that’s not the only thing holding him back. He’s scarred and in pain and believes his physical limitations should deter me.
What he doesn’t seem to get is that I would sacrifice a limb for him. Major organs. My entire heart.
If he thinks he can push me away for good, he doesn’t know Odd Bash.
Odd, the quiet man with the strange name, believes he can love me as I am. I will never let him do that to himself.
The bad guys never take a break, and every time he’s in danger I lose another night of sleep. Fall apart a little more.
Physically, let’s just say my knee isn’t the only problem. There’s an experimental surgery, but…I’m not going through that again.
In a perfect world, no one would ever know the extent of my injuries or the toll it has taken on my mind. Odd insists he loves me without reservation, but he doesn’t understand the reality of my life.
And I love him way too much to ever put him through that.
Deep Impact is a mercenary MM romance set in Austin, Texas. It features a ’90s sing-along, an interfering sociopath, a surprise marriage, and a machine perfectly engineered for the bedroom.
This is the fourth and final book in the Wrecked: Guardians series. Several characters from my series about a gym for combat vets, Wrecked, crossover in this series. While you don’t need to listen to the Wrecked books to enjoy the slightly more nefarious Guardians, most folks end up wanting the juicy backstories.
REVIEW:
Kelly Fox’s Deep Impact concludes the excellent, highly entertaining Wrecked: Guardians audiobook series. If you’ve read these books in order – which I highly recommend – you’ll recall that in the third book, Most Wanted, a good amount of groundwork was laid for DeShaun Blaylock (aka DB) and Odd’s love story, which is what is finally told here in Deep Impact. That background is essential to this story, as it predominantly revolves around DB’s push/pull dilemma regarding his continued role as head of the Guardians, his fear and frustration over the physical devastation left behind on his body from a blast that nearly killed him when he was in the service, and his love for Odd but refusal to cross lines as his commanding officer, and guilt over saddling Odd with his limitations were he to give in to his feelings. Fox spends so much time on DB and Odd’s relationship, particularly DB’s experimental surgery and the unique and creative ways Odd assists in DBs recovery, that the data manipulation plot is relegated to window dressing. The balance felt off to me, and as such, the story resonated less.
That being said, the Bash Brothers (Odd and Anders, the latter featured in Full Contact) are a phenomenal duo, and I simply cannot get enough of their brotherly love and support, banter and busybody-ness, and of course, Anders’ kind of crazy. Luckily we get a lot of him as well as Omar in this book as Anders tries to support and encourage his brother Odd while at the same time supporting DB both as his doctor and as his friend. The story is an entertaining, violent, disturbing, romantic adventure told with the wry, sometimes demented humor that is trademark Kelly Fox prose.
While a satisfying, romantic, found family-full conclusion is delivered, I will admit that I‘m not sure I would have enjoyed this book as much as I did if I had only read the text. When listening to the audiobook of Deep Impact, you’ll quickly realize that the title really could have/should have been referring to Zane Daniels’ deeply impactful vocal performance. If you are an audiophile and have never heard Daniels, aka Zachary Johnson, your life will not be complete until you do. His skill and intuitiveness are par none, and his talent is simply staggering. Listening to a book performed by Daniels is like going to the theatre as compared to merely reading a manuscript. This is full-on vocal theater where these characters come to life for us – they sound real, they act real. Daniels inhabits these characters. He’s committed to the storyline, invested in his characters and successful in pulling us into the depths of his talent and the wonder of his incisive interpretation of the story Fox wants to tell.
Daniels utilizes a broad range of intonations, pitch changes, and vocal dynamics. He provides a nuanced performance with emotional engagement that can be felt in every fiber of your being. The pitch and tone he chooses for these men fit their description, demeanor, and attitude. Of course, it helps that Daniels has a deep, resonant bass/baritone voice that he leverages with great effectiveness to immerse us in the story. While no one approaches the inferno-level crackling heat of Anders and Omar, Daniels’ delivery of the sexy scenes will make your headphones go up in flames.
Daniels is a true rarity. His talent is immense, his execution is sublime, and the richness and texture of his voice are like melted chocolate. I could listen to him day and night – it doesn’t matter what he’s saying – I’m there for it. Daniels knows how to lock us in and go along for the ride, and he does that here in Deep Impact in spades. So go forth and seek out the Zane Daniels/Zachary Johnson M/M romance audios and revel in excellence. And, of course, Deep Impact and the whole Wrecked: Guardians series should be at the top of that list. Enjoy.
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