Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Rogue
SERIES: Mike Bravo Ops, Book 2
AUTHOR: Eden Finley
NARRATOR: Tim Paige and Gomez Pugh
PUBLISHER: Absolute Books
LENGTH: 7 hours and 35 minutes
RELEASE DATE: August 9, 2022
BLURB:
TRAV
I remember the first time I met Dylan Rodriguez. It was one sweaty encounter I’ll never forget.
The second time we met, he arrested me. I can still see the hot scowl on his beautiful face as he slapped handcuffs on me and realized I was…me.
Dylan’s main goal in life is to forget he ever met me. My goal is to make him mine.
Turns out, I’m better at this game than he is.
DYLAN
When my law enforcement career falls to pieces in front of my own eyes, I don’t know who I can trust.
I have nowhere to go. No one to turn to.
Asking Trav for help is a last resort, but I’m desperate.
If he can’t get me out of this mess, I may as well turn myself over to the guys hunting me down.
I’m not sure which will be more difficult: protecting my life or my heart.
Because when it comes to love, my heart wants what my brain doesn’t. It wants Travis West.
REVIEW:
Eden Finley’s special forces/black ops, action-adventure romance series Mike Bravo Ops continues with Rogue. Mike Bravo Ops is a series of interconnected standalones that you can read individually. If you’ve read book one, Iris, you know that each of these stories delivers a romance wrapped in an action-adventure romp featuring this Mike Bravo Ops LGBTQ+, ex-military, security services team. Rogue follows that template, broadening it to include a new player, DEA agent Dylan Rodriguez.
Finley’s forte is in rich character development. Iris is a perfect example of that, with two dynamic characters driving the plot. We see rich characters in Rogue too, although the interaction between Trav and Dylan doesn’t drive the plot like it did in Iris. Trav and Dylan’s relationship feels like it exists in its own sphere separate and apart from external events – i.e., Dylan trying to clear his name and expose his boss as the traitor/murderer he is. The relationship development happens alongside the manhunt for Dylan, but one doesn’t depend on or tie into the other. As a result, the plot didn’t feel as smooth or cohesive as Finley’s storylines typically are.
That being said, Rogue shows off two things Finley does exceptionally well: push/pull relationships and found family. On the first, she treats us to a delicious push/pull, cat and mouse game between Trav and Dylan that spans several years and brings Dylan, unwittingly, into Trav’s orbit where they trade professional “favors” (they trade other spicier, physical “favors” as well …) Finley develops this oxymoronic attitude in both men where Trav wants Dylan but acts like a jerk to Dylan to keep Dylan from falling for him because he shouldn’t want Dylan. Dylan, in turn, hates Trav but wants Trav, but doesn’t want to want Trav, and hates that he’s never been able to get rid of his attraction to and longing for Trav since their first mind-blowing bathroom stall hookup. But circumstances finally force his hand, and Dylan ends up on Trav’s doorstep looking for help and protection, and Trav is the only guy who can do the job. The back-and-forth banter and needling from Trav sometimes get to be a bit annoying, but for the most part, it’s amusing. Factor in the sexual chemistry, and it’s not long before these two give in to their magnetic attraction once confined in forced proximity.
On the second point, found family, Finley deftly creates a strong found family unit in the Mike Bravo Ops team and then integrates that tightly knit group dynamic into the storyline and the featured relationship between Trav and Dylan in a meaningful way. We get to spend a good amount of time with the other members of the team, especially Iris, Saint, and their dog, Princess Smooshy Face, and their roles directly impact the plot and Trav and Dylan’s relationship. These are my favorite parts of the story – the joking, banter, silliness, alpha male hotness, action heroics, the unwavering dedication of these brothers in arms, and their open arms welcoming to new members, like Dylan.
On the Rogue audiobook, we have a narrator switch-up. Tim Paige is back again as Trav and Gomez Pugh enters to portray Dylan. Paige displays his solid vocal skills in his intuitive performance of Trav. Paige’s deeper, huskier tones fit Trav well. He does a nice job balancing Trav’s intimidating professional side with his flirty banter and irreverent antics while not losing sight of Trav’s PTSD-laced vulnerable side (I wish Finley had done more with that in the story). Paige emphasizes the right emotions in the right places with his thoughtful, appropriate use of intonations and dynamics.
Pugh takes on the role of Dylan and performs it well. He’s clearly in character, he gets the intonations and dynamics right. His tone is rougher than Paige’s, and you can hear a Latin edge to his voice which felt consistent with Dylan’s character. Pugh’s pacing within the lines is on point. His overall tempo, however, is way too slow. It doesn’t fit Dylan’s character or his situation. He’s a man on the run so he has frantic anxiety over being a) caught and killed or b) caught and stripped of his job and thrown in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Option a seems the more likely, and the bad guys are pulling Trav into the mix as well. Typically I’d say just speed up the playback, but that’s an annoyance when Paige’s tempo is just right. You’d have to switch it back and forth every chapter, and who wants to do that? (Not me.) As an aside, Trav, on paper, sounds more like Pugh’s voice than Paige’s and vice versa as to Dylan. I think either combination works, but the raw, rough quality of Pugh’s smoky voice seems to fit better for Trav.
Overall, I recommend the Rogue audiobook. It’s a fun, sexy, frisky story full of alpha males going badass on the bad guys while still having time for witty banter and camaraderie. Paige and Pugh get the most important things right – their performances are invested and absorbing, and they capture the dynamics of the story as Finley intended. While I take issue with some aspects of the audio, it doesn’t detract from the overall enjoyable listening experience. I am looking forward to the next book in this exciting series.
RATING: 
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