A Dangerous Dance

Haven Hart Series, Book 3

By: Davidson King

Narrated by: Philip Alces, Joel Leslie

Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Finally working for a man he can trust has given Bill a new purpose. His boss, Christopher Manos, commands respect and absolute loyalty, and Bill has proven himself worthy of a seat at Christopher's table. Becoming best friends with Christopher's husband, Snow, has further proven his allegiance and cements a place for him in the Manos family. When Snow's life is in danger, Christopher places his full trust in Bill to destroy anything and anyone that poses a threat to his husband. But hunting and wiping out the enemy for the safety of everyone Bill cares about means partnering with the one person he has vowed to never see again.

Mace wears a mask of vain cockiness and uses his model good looks to his full advantage. Known to many as "Without a Trace Mace", he's a deadly assassin well known for wiping out whole families and getting away without a trace. With a dangerous past and an unknown future, Mace uses his veil of conceit to keep others at a distance, rarely trusting anyone. When his boss, Black - the one man he trusts above all others - gives him his next assignment, he learns his newest partner is none other than Bill, the man he'd do anything to avoid.

Contains mature themes.

©2018 Davidson King (P)2019 Tantor

Just as I expected

I'd said in my last review of the previous book from this series that I was looking forward to this book and I was not disappointed. Mace and Bill's story was awesome. Great character building. Continuity from Book 1 to this book. I loved it. The narration was great as well. I was already a fan of Joel's but I am fast becoming a fan of the other narrator. Can't wait for Black's and Quill's story next. Downloading it as I type this review.

Brilliant Read & Outstanding Narration

Original Audiobook Listen November 2019:
First off, Bill and Mace are still just as snarky and at each other's throats(in more ways then one😉) as they were when I originally read A Dangerous Dance. And yes, I know it's the same story so of course that part wouldn't have changed😉 but I still found them just as beautifully written with what I like to call a spot-on blend of snark and cuddle.

I won't lie, I was a little apprehensive as to how the narrators were going to pull off such an equally alpha pair as Bill and Mace because let's be honest here, Christopher and Riordan are a tad more alpha than their respective partners, Snow and Teddy. Well, I needn't have worried because Leslie & Alces bring the guys to life with a flare that not only fits but makes them real, puts them in the room with you. I've said in other audio reviews of mine how I collect old radio shows of the 30s & 40s and when the narration is as spot-on and topnotch as Joel Leslie and Philip Alces, I truly feel like I'm listening to one from my collection. I expect to hear the sponsor break in with their ad or product placement. King, Leslie, & Alces are definitely a winning combination.

Original ebook Review July 2018:
When Bill found himself working for Christopher Manos he not only found a job and position suited for him but he finally found a home and a family in his friendship with Christopher's husband, Snow. "Without a Trace Mace" has spent a long time carving out a name for himself in his business of death and he couldn't have done it without the help of his boss Black. When Snow's life is threatened, Christopher cashes in a favor with Black and now Bill and Mace find themselves once again having to endure each other's company to get the job handed to them done. When all is said and done, will anyone be left standing? And more imporantly, will Bill and Mace's hearts be left intact?

Let's get it out of the way right now: there will be no spoilers in this review. As to what I will touch on the plot: HOLY HANNAH BATMAN!!! If you thought Bill and Mace got on each other's nerves in Hug it Out then you haven't seen anything yet. The animosity is so thick, well as the cliché goes: you could cut it with a knife. But, as thick as the tension is the passion is even more intense.

Okay, so that was all you'll get out of me in regards to the plot so onto the characters. I just knew Bill was going to be special when we met him in Snow Falling but I had no idea just how much I would love him. Did he burrow deeper into my heart than either Snow or Teddy? Probably not but I wouldn't want to try and measure the difference. As for Mace, he is a conundrum. You want to hate him because he is able to detach himself from his work, or at least it appears so, but he too has a soft side(don't let him know I said so😉). As much as I loved Snow/Christopher and Teddy/Riordan in books 1 & 2, I think that Bill and Mace blossomed the most so far in Haven Hart. Did they "grow"? No because I think that they have always been passionate people but they finally let someone else in and that is something they spent their lives keeping very limited.

Now that I've talked about the book let's talk about the author for a minute. I said in my review for Hug it Out "when their debut novel is as amazing as Snow Falling was, one wonders will their follow-up be The Empire Strikes Back caliber or go the way of Speed 2? I can safely and honestly say that Hug it Out is a TESB-quality sequel" and I can now say that Davidson King has continued with her amazing storytelling prowess. I would say that A Dangerous Dance is Return of the Jedi awesomeness but as ROTJ was George Lucas' concluding entry in the original Star Wars saga and Miss King is no where near done with Haven Hart I hesitate to make that comparison but for only that reason. The emotional and passionate WOW-ness Dance invoked was just as powerful as anything Mr. Lucas brought with ROTJ. Some might say I'm stretching that comparison a bit, well perhaps but when I reached the final page of Dance, the sense of satisfaction and entertainment is very similar to what I feel every time the heroes are left celebrating in the Ewok village.

Now one final note: A Dangerous Dance like all the entries in Haven Hart Universe are technically a standalone because each one centers around a new pair and their paths but I find it just flows better if you read the series in order. There are enough secondary characters and plot points that travel throughout to keep it connected. Will you be lost if you start with Dance? Probably not, but I highly recommend starting from the beginning, trust me you won't be sorry.

🎧 Audio listener 🎧

A Dangerous Dance(Haven Hart Book 3)by Davidson King. I really enjoyed Bill and Mace's story. This story develops nicely. A good combination of world building and character development. I enjoyed this story. Looking forward to the next book.
The Narrator's Philip Alces and Joel Leslie did a fantastic job bringing these characters and story to life.

Great series

I’m very much loving this series so far. I enjoyed seeing Bill and Mace dance around their reluctant attraction. This isn’t a soft flowery romance, it’s definitely a bit on the dark and gritty side.
I loved the dual narration! I’m a big Joel Leslie fan and I’m growing to love Philip Alces (not super familiar with him)

Not All That Rise are as Nobel as the Phoenix

This is the romantic story of Biil and Mace. It's a tough one, and the love is hard won.

Characters from previous books are featured, and move the plot along beautifully. Christopher, Snow, Lee, Jones, and Poe all have their parts to play.

The Marks family is not as defunct as believed, and their plans are to re-accquire Snow, and end the Manos family. New characters are introduced, some we love to hate.

Four stars are because there is some malicious torture included. Not because it's "needed," but because it brings pleasure to the sadistic character. Torture is a *squick* for me. It's not graphic enough for me not to listen to the book, but there is enough for a warning.

Narrator team Philip Alces and Joel Leslie nail this dark tale so well. I love it when they work together, and they are a Five star performance all the way.

so good

all her books are so.good and now just wonderful on audio I can't wait for more!

One Of The Best Series I've Listened To.

Ok, here it is. I have listened to so many M/M series, and this series is one of the best. It gives you everything. Drama, loyalty, friendship, family, and love, with two hot alpha men. Davidson King is killing the game with this series. Her develvoment and storylines, + writing her characters are remarkable. And the two narrator PA & JL are doing a fantastic job bringing these characters to life. There are 5 books in this series, I'm going onto the 4th. I pray🙏that DK releases book5 on adubile soon and not make us wait to long.🤞

as good as the ebook

The story is always 4 or 5 stars, because if I wouldn't like the story as ebook, I wouldn't listen to the audiobook.

The performance from the narrator is also very important for me. I can't listen to a lot, because my English as a non-native-speaker isn't so perfect to follow a whole story over hours, when the narrator speaks too fast or too sloppy. Normally I have to SEE the person, who is talking to me in English. It took me a little bit, to come into the narrator, but at the end, it worked. I only have to take a few breaks between. I'm just not yet finish with the book, but I listen enough to give a review.

PLEASE READ MY RATING SYSTEM!!!

To my ratings:

5* - very very good
it's like an A+

4* - very good and will be often re-listening
it's like an A

3* - it's more then a one-time-listening.
it's like a B