Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Tied Over
SERIES: Marshals, Book 6
AUTHOR: Mary Calmes
NARRATOR: Nick J. Russo
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 6 hours and 53 minutes
RELEASE DATE: January 3, 2024
BLURB:
Josiah Redeker has been tied up, tied down, and just plain tied to Bodhi Callahan since the younger marshal was paired with him five years ago. It was an easy slide from partners to best friends, and though Bodhi wanted more, Josiah thought Bodhi could do far better than him. That made for a bumpy ride, and, of course, the moment Josiah realized that trying to live without the man he loved more than anything was not something he could do, that was when Bodhi broke the big news that he was getting married. Adding to that nightmare, they got reassigned as partners because other people needed them more.
It’s a disaster all around, and all Josiah sees ahead of him is pain—and not only from getting shot.
But what he thinks he knows for sure isn’t exactly all there is. Turns out, he’s not the only one who’s missing his touchstone, and Bodhi might be fraying at the edges, coming undone. When two people have been tied together over and over for so long, it’s not so easy to get loose. And maybe neither wants to be free of the other, and that could be their future, as long as no one comes between them… with a gun.
REVIEW:
Mary Calmes’ addictive Marshals series is often cited by readers as one of their top MM series ever, and I have to agree. Miro Jones and Ian Doyle are magic, but even when the focus shifts to the romance between two side characters – Bodhi Callahan and Josiah Redecker – nothing about the quality of the writing, the witty dialogue, the couple’s crackling chemistry, or their well-deserved HEA slips. Tied Over is the best of both worlds: it feels like a Miro and Ian story, but serves up a best-friends-to-lovers romance that feels fresh and new. It’s funny, sexy, a little bit angsty, and has us falling in love with the Marshals universe all over again as we fall for two endearing, charismatic characters in Bodhi and Jed. Calmes then ties it all together with a subplot that brings us found family in full force, and rejoice because there’s Miro and Ian and all the rest. Hail, hail, the gang’s all here and it’s fabulous.
I would love to give an unqualified endorsement for the audiobook format of this fantastic book, but alas, I cannot. The Marshals series is unusual in that a few different narrators are used across the series. Tristan James’ performance of Miro and Ian’s romance, which spans four books, is top-notch (or at least books one through three) – among my favorite MM audiobooks full stop. Calmes employed a different narrator (Scott R. Smith) for book five which tells Eli Kohn’s story, and I respect her considered choice in getting a new narrator to help distinguish that different story from Miro and Ian’s. It follows that she’d similarly choose a different narrator for Jed and Bodhi’s romance in Tied Over.
Nick J. Russo is a solid choice. A well-liked narrator with a lot of experience. He’s quite good with emotional connection and he’s technically precise, albeit sometimes too precise. My view on Russo’s narrations runs the gamut: he’s done some stellar work, yet other times, he’s missed the mark. Here, he more misses the mark than hits it, although admittedly, Tristan’s James’ seemingly effortless vocal performances on the Miro/Ian books don’t do him any favors. Russo sounds like he’s trying too hard, and that undermines the oh-so-easy relationship between Jed and Bodhi.
Compounding that is Russo’s accent work, which is fundamentally flawed. Notwithstanding how solid Russo is in other aspects of this audio, accents are not Russo’s forte. I don’t know if it’s a lack of skill, intention, or preparation, but when he uses an accent, he misses the mark (case in point, Russian bad guys that sound like they are from Scotland) and then he fails to use an accent for our beloved Jed, who grew up on a ranch and is a cowboy through and through. If you’ve listened to the previous books in the series, you know that Tristan James portrays Jed as he should be – with a strong cowboy accent. In book three, Miro meets Bodhi and Jed for the first time and remarks that “Redecker had a deep, rich cowboy thing happening in his voice.” We hear that in the text of Tied Over too, with his dialogue and mannerisms, all of his No, ma’am, Yes, Ma’am, Yessirs, and his aw, shucks charm. Jed’s voice is deeply tied to who Jed is and without the accent, I couldn’t help feeling bereft because Jed’s cowboy charisma is stripped away. From Russo’s portrayal, Jed just doesn’t feel like Jed to me.
Audio is extremely personal and what I love or loathe may be the exact opposite of you. For me, the accent work is a fatal flaw, but that may not be so for you so I suggest checking out the sample to see what you think. Tied Over is an amazing book so definitely partake in it, whether you read or listen or both. The book squarely landed on my Best of 2023 list for a reason. I wish I could commend the audiobook as well.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
I’m disappointed by the low rating, and I hope we can get a different perspective. For me, sometimes attempts at accents are distracting rather than helpful. For instance, K.C. Kelly, who narrates Frog by Mary Calmes, absolutely makes the book special. A few others I could name would have been better off toning down their efforts at an accent. And I guess, in my head, I never heard Jed with an accent, so Nick J. Russo’s narration was just fine. There are so few books I love getting to audio format that I’m mostly just happy that they do. That being said, another recent new audio book was a disappointment due to the narrator, so I know it’s a very personal thing, as was mentioned above.