Dead Draw

A Perfect Play Novel

By: Layla Reyne

Narrated by: Christian Leatherman

Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

When a marriage of convenience is the only play left…

Special Agent Emmitt Marshall knows how to:

Wear a cowboy hat.

Hack anything.

Win at chess.

Fall in love with emotionally unavailable men.

He even knows the perfect play to catch the terrorists who killed his mentor.

Special Agent Levi Bishop doesn’t know how to:

Move on after his wife’s death.

Help his grieving son.

Pay off his mountain of debt.

Fix the mess some cowboy cyber agent made of his case.

The same cowboy who proposes a marriage of convenience to stop a common enemy.

Marsh is either the answer to Levi’s prayers—or a handsome nightmare in a Stetson.

Levi doesn’t know.

But both men do know their cases and lives are at a dead draw.

There’s only one play left…

I do.

Layla Reyne returns with an all-new M/M romantic suspense series featuring a cocky hacker with a heart of gold, a widowed father who needs so much help, and a plan only a cowboy could cook up. Grab your hat, hold tight to the reins, beware of the cliffs, and enjoy the ride!

©2022 Layla Reyne (P)2022 Layla Reyne

Terrific Story & Listen🎧 Gripping & Heartfelt!

Layla Reyne pens another fabulous multi-genre novel, the story grabbed my attention right from the start and captivated it the entire time. I enjoyed her writing style and the wonderful characters and storylines she created, they are interesting and original, easy to relate to and connect with, the characters are easy to care about too. The world building and character development is fantastic, as are the layers and complexity of the story. Special Agent Levi Bishop is struggling not only with the loss of his wife, but with his grieving son and making it so much worse he is struggling to stay afloat and is close to losing his house and his car. He is busy working on a case that is close to his heart, but a lead in the investigation falls flat and they think they know why, or rather, who was behind it. Special Agent Emmitt Marshall, hacker extraordinaire, wants to catch the terrorists who killed his mentor, and he comes up with a plan that would bring him closer to them and that plan includes asking another agent to pose as his husband. The same agent whose investigation he just screwed up, though his intention was to help and not hinder that operationI adored both lead characters, my heart went out to Levi and what he was going thru and Marsh just came in and stole my heart, a smooth talker with a big heart and personality. He gave Levi an out of his predicament, of course he takes it, but what happens after was not what he was expecting. I loved the chemistry between them and how well they worked together, also loved how Marsh was with David, Levi’s son. Besides the romance storyline, there is the case he is working on, a criminal investigation, and Marsh is involved with that, too. I loved how everything played out in this cleverly plotted story, there is plenty of drama, relationship and crime drama, mystery, action, thrilling suspense, heartfelt emotions and a slow burn romance. The author is not finished with these characters yet, so there is more to come for Levi and Marsh this fall, which I am looking forward to. Layla Reyne, thank you for another fantastic story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the terrific narration, Christian Leatherman is a talented narrator and a versatile voice artist, he gave each character their own voice and personality, making it easy to follow along and tell who is who. His portrayal of the characters was spot on, he took each role, ran with it and made it his own. You could hear how much heart he puts into his work as he captures the character’s emotions and projects them into his performance. Leatherman is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another great listen.

I could listen to Christian Leatherman any day

This is the first book I've listened to narrated by Christian Leatherman, and I have decided he is a favorite. I really enjoyed his voice, and the voicing he gave to characters.

This story is really good, drew me in. I haven't read anything else by this author, not realizing that the Marsh was a side character in other books by this author. I don't know if it would have helped to have read the other books or not. I didn't feel like I was missing anything, so it wasn't obvious if there was something I would have known.

This story does kind of end in a cliffhanger. We don't have resolution of the main suspense plot. The characters do end in a HFN.

Different yet interesting

I went into this one blind and had no idea what to expect and this wasn’t what I was thinking it would be but it was pretty good! I read tons on m/m but didn’t realize this was going to be one going in. At first I wasn’t sure about it since it threw me off with a fake relationship beginning since it took me a bit to realize Levi didn’t identify as straight like he was portrayed in the beginning. I loved Marsh, he had me cracking up with his personality. There was some angst too. I think I at first struggled seeing the connection with these two but now I felt it.

Great start to a new series!

Christian Leatherman does an outstanding job of brining this story to life.
Layla Reyne has knocked it out of the park with Dead Draw, the first in the Perfect Play series.
I defy anyone to not fall in love with Marsh and Levi. These two are just so irresistable.

I loved the chemistry and connection they shared. Each wary of getting to involved. Both trying to keep things just business. That is impossible when they are so perfectly suited for each other.
The action and intrigue will keep you on the edge of your seat. This story will keep you guessing as you turn page after page.

It is the perfect blend of romance, intrigue, family and so much more.
I was left counting the days until I get the next installment in this series.
I'm hooked!

So much action!!

I really liked this book. There was some good action, mystery, and suspense. There was instant attraction, maybe a little bit insta-love, but so good!

Cowboy and a single dad

A cowboy and a single dad in a romantic suspense storyline. Yep, I'm in. Except it took me a little while to get there. Not with Marsh and Levi. I loved the proposal for the marriage of convenience, and if that one scene doesn't make you love Marsh, I'm not sure what will. Of course, I'm kind of partial to sarcasm and wit, so that scene really works for me. The snarky teenager was easy to love as well, and my heart broke for him and Levi. What took me some time to get into was the suspense part of this romantic suspense. There is a lot happening, and our heroes do a lot of reacting rather than pushing forward on the offensive. I did finally get it all sorted, and once there, I was able to enjoy the rest of the book even more. I really liked the family time and the way Marsh interacted with all of Levi's family, especially David. The romance is a slow burn, which makes sense, knowing it will continue in the next book. And that brings us to the cliffy. It kind of suited the tension of the story, and I'll be interested to see where these guys land. Christian Leatherman narrates this one, and to be honest, I'm still undecided about him - although he is starting to grow on me. In the beginning, it almost felt like he was trying to get comfortable with the characters and their story, and once he did, things started improving. All things considered, the whole thing came together pretty well. Okay, except for Marsh and Levi's case... That's an ongoing issue.

Enjoyed the story.

I enjoyed the story line but it was hard to listen to Christian with the way he read. I had to speed it up to listen but still it was stiff.

Good start to series

I expected it to be a little steamier, but overall was an enjoyable listen. Felt there was a lot of build up to a hot relationship but fell short. I'd still recommend it, especially if you're familiar with the characters already.

Good read

Dead Draw was my first book by this author. It was a good read that had lots of potential. Levi and Marsh had an interesting love story that had a good amount of action and drama. I struggled with the third person point of view a bit, but overall I enjoyed the book. Christian Leatherman did a really good job portraying each character in the story.

Love Marsh and Levi 4.5⭐️

Levi and Marsh are such a swoony story along with all the edge of your seat suspense you’d expect. Dead Draw is the first book in the Perfect Play series and ends with a HFN (happy for now).

‘Ask for what you need and I’ll give it to you.’

Marsh really stole the show for me in this story. He has such a big heart and just keeps showing up even when he’s constantly underestimated. Gah! He’s seriously all the things - he’s unassuming and charming but also fiercely passionate and selfless.

The chemistry between Levi and Marsh is electric and fuels the deliciously delicate situation they’re trying to navigate. The intimate scenes, while few, are smoking hot and I’m excited for their relationship to progress in the next book.

My only complaint about this story is that the beginning feels a little like we left off in the middle of a series instead of the start of a new one. There’s a lot of action and players immediately involved and it feels like we’re missing some background that is assumed the reader should know.

Christian Leatherman did a fantastic job!

Amazing!!

I absolutely loved this MM romantic suspense!

Emmett and Levi were amazing together and I loved the chemistry between them.


This was such a scorching and sexy listen

The narrator performed an amazing audio delivery and narration.

I definitely recommend this sexy as sin listen

𝕃𝕒𝕪𝕝𝕒 ℝ𝕖𝕪𝕟𝕖 - 𝔻𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝔻𝕣𝕒𝕨 : LOVE IT

𝕃𝕒𝕪𝕝𝕒 ℝ𝕖𝕪𝕟𝕖 - 𝔻𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝔻𝕣𝕒𝕨: 𝔸 ℙ𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥 ℙ𝕝𝕒𝕪 ℕ𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝
𝔸ℝℂ

This is the first book by the author that I've read, so far so good, I'll definitely read more books of hers in the future 🥰

A marriage of convenience is the solution both Special Agent Levi Bishop and Special Agent Emmitt Marshall were looking for to put closure to some past issues.

"ᴊᴇꜱᴜꜱ"
-"ɴᴏᴛ ᴊᴇꜱᴜꜱ, ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴍᴀʀꜱʜ, ᴀɴᴅ ɪ'ʟʟ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀꜱ ᴀ ʏᴇꜱ"

Levi finds it difficult to accept Marsh's presence in his home, he finds it difficult to explain the situation to his son especially after he became a widower and he tries to find a way to comfort his son and hold himself day after day with a feeling of guilt and pain in his heart. Marshall slowly finds his way into the heart of David, Levi's son, with chess games.
The boundaries are crumbling, the emotions are spreading everywhere, and yet everything is at the rate of a slow burn that burns every cell in my body🔥🔥🔥
Mariana Zapata Be careful, there is a competitor for your title here 😂

“ʜᴇʀᴇ, ᴍᴀʀꜱʜ.” ʜᴇ ꜱᴘʀᴇᴀᴅ ʜɪꜱ ᴀʀᴍꜱ ᴡɪᴅᴇ, ɪɴᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. “ɪ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴘᴀʀᴛɴᴇʀ ʜᴇʀᴇ.” ᴛʜᴇɴ ꜰᴏʟᴅᴇᴅ ʙᴏᴛʜ ʜᴀɴᴅꜱ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ʜɪꜱ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ. “ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇʀᴇ.”
.
**Ended with a cliffhanger! Can't wait to listen to the next book 😍📚***

An audiobook copy of Dead Draw was provided by @valentine_pr_ and the author for the purpose of my honest review, all opinions are my own❤️‍🔥
Thank you for that🥰

What a great start to this trilogy.

I love a good “marriage of convenience” story; add in suspense, danger, and a cool hacker and this story was an even bigger hit for me. If you know Layla Reyne’s writing you already know that this story has a bit of a cliffhanger. The romance for the main couple is solid but the case they are working won’t be solved until the end of book three. The good news is that book two is available in ebook and audio, and book three releases in early June 2023 with the audio following very soon.

I loved how Marshall is with Levi and I especially love how he interacts with Levi’s son, David. Christian Leatherman does a wonderful job with all of the different voices needed in this book. My only complaint is that I think his pacing is off a bit at times – like pausing or not pausing when the sentence needed it. This was noticeable but didn’t ruin anything about the story for me and I promptly purchased book two after listening to this one.

I really loved Marshall when I first met him in What We May Be and this series is shaping up to be everything I could have wanted for him. What We May Be is an MMF standalone story that I highly recommend. However, it’s not necessary to read that before beginning this series.

Wow

crime novels are not usually my jam, but this one hooked me with the blurb and I'm so glad it did! I adored these two characters and their quirks. They work really well together, and the glimpses we get off them working together and with their coworkers warmed my heart to them.

The crime portion was so unexpected for me! I didn't expect everything to end the way that it did and I can't wait for the chance to dive into the next one to find out what happens. This is just one I've gotta know the answers to!

Christian Leatherman did a wonderful job narrating this one. His different accents made it easy to know who was taking and also gave a somewhat twisty story some fun. Wouldn't hesitate to grab any audiobook he did!

Loved this romantic suspense!

I really enjoyed this audiobook more than I expected! There is quite a bit of plot happening outside the romance, which can sometimes be annoying or fall flat. But for the set-up of this story, the combination of the two worked perfectly and I was totally intrigued by both the romance and the actual FBI investigation plot. If you occasionally dabble in crime/suspense reads in addition to loving the marriage of convenience trope, this story is the perfect combo of the two. Overall it was a very slow burn, but the heat that was served was scorching. This was my first read by this author, and the first time I’ve listened to this narrator and they did a fantastic job! The Texas accents were not over the top, but spot on (based on my experience living in Austin). Being that this is book 1 in the series there is a bit of a cliffhanger, but more to do with the FBI plot than the relationship.

Wonderful M/M marriage of convenience romance

Dead Draw is book one in the Perfect Play series and is the M/M slow burn, marriage of convenience, romantic suspense story of Emmitt (Marsh) Marshall and Levi Bishop.
Levi is a single dad and widower since the loss of his wife and is struggling to keep his head above water. He’s drowning in debt, grief and work when along comes a hot guy with a sexy Texan drawl and a cowboy hat who accidently ruins years of work Levi has been compiling. Feeling guilty and knowing they can help each other, Marsh approaches Levi with a proposition…marriage. Marsh will pay of Levi’s debts and in return Levi helps Marsh on his case as both cases are connected. The deal is a no brainer, except for Levi’s son David.
In the beginning everything goes smoothly and according to plan. There’s a mutual attraction between them but neither acts on it. Levi is not only afraid to move on from his wife, but he’s also worried about how David will react seeing him in a new relationship when he’s still grieving the loss of his mother. Marsh is reluctant to make a move because he can see Levi isn’t over his wife and he doesn’t want to fall for yet another emotionally unavailable person, plus he has a case that has turned into something of a personal vendetta, so he throws himself into solving it instead.
The relationship Marsh builds with David is so sweet. I love their time together and that they bond over chess. The slow burn forced proximity relationship builds to the most perfect, deliciously hot crescendo and when Levi and Marsh finally let their walls down and give in to the lust and attraction, WOW, sparks totally fly igniting a flame that will have you doing a happy dance all the way to take a cold shower!
Christian Leatherman is a new to me narrator and carries this audiobook solo. Christian had a job on his hands as he had numerous accents to tackle which he did incredibly well. His performance of Levi was amazing, seeing him grow from grieving widow to someone worthy of love again was executed beautifully, Christan really did this role justice. His portrayal of Marsh was pure perfection, from that sexy Texan accent, to cocky, heart-throb cowboy to sweet vulnerable guy who is afraid to open his heart for fear of having it broken again. Christian also tackles a harem of side characters and does so in such a fantastic way, especially Levi’s son David.
I loved this slow burn forced proximity, marriage of convenience, it showed the dilemma widowers face when considering moving on in a new relationship perfectly. I loved Levi and Marsh and am looking forward to more from this couple in book two.

Terrific Story & Listen🎧 Gripping & Heartfelt!

Layla Reyne pens another fabulous multi-genre novel, the story grabbed my attention right from the start and captivated it the entire time. I enjoyed her writing style and the wonderful characters and storylines she created, they are interesting and original, easy to relate to and connect with, the characters are easy to care about too. The world building and character development is fantastic, as are the layers and complexity of the story. Special Agent Levi Bishop is struggling not only with the loss of his wife, but with his grieving son and making it so much worse he is struggling to stay afloat and is close to losing his house and his car. He is busy working on a case that is close to his heart, but a lead in the investigation falls flat and they think they know why, or rather, who was behind it. Special Agent Emmitt Marshall, hacker extraordinaire, wants to catch the terrorists who killed his mentor, and he comes up with a plan that would bring him closer to them and that plan includes asking another agent to pose as his husband. The same agent whose investigation he just screwed up, though his intention was to help and not hinder that operationI adored both lead characters, my heart went out to Levi and what he was going thru and Marsh just came in and stole my heart, a smooth talker with a big heart and personality. He gave Levi an out of his predicament, of course he takes it, but what happens after was not what he was expecting. I loved the chemistry between them and how well they worked together, also loved how Marsh was with David, Levi’s son. Besides the romance storyline, there is the case he is working on, a criminal investigation, and Marsh is involved with that, too. I loved how everything played out in this cleverly plotted story, there is plenty of drama, relationship and crime drama, mystery, action, thrilling suspense, heartfelt emotions and a slow burn romance. The author is not finished with these characters yet, so there is more to come for Levi and Marsh this fall, which I am looking forward to. Layla Reyne, thank you for another fantastic story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the terrific narration, Christian Leatherman is a talented narrator and a versatile voice artist, he gave each character their own voice and personality, making it easy to follow along and tell who is who. His portrayal of the characters was spot on, he took each role, ran with it and made it his own. You could hear how much heart he puts into his work as he captures the character’s emotions and projects them into his performance. Leatherman is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another great listen.

A New Series by Layla Reyne

Dead Draw is the first book in Layla Reyne's new Perfect Play series. Clearly setting up the rest of the series, Ms. Reyne establishes both of the main characters, and gets them started in their relationship. I like their chemistry, and am looking forward to seeing where they go.

Layla Reyne always writes a clever, creative mystery.

Audio version performed by Christian Leatherman.

an audiobook copy of Dead Draw was provided for the purpose of my honest review, all opinions are my own

The Stetson and the Suit

Let me first start my review by saying this book might not have been possible if not for the messed up American health system. Canada’s not perfect, by any means, but universal healthcare means most people don’t lose everything because of catastrophic illness. If Levi’s wife’s illness hadn’t cost him almost everything, he wouldn’t be in the position of having to accept Marsh’s insane proposal. Because it’s nuts, right? Marry me and I’ll wipe out your debts. Oh, and maybe we can catch some bad guys. The second part never truly came into focus for me – how they could only succeed if they were married? Didn’t really matter – the book was good enough to stand as it was.

I was loving both these men. Marsh has swagger, but is also still reeling from the death of his mentor years ago. He’s been after the people who killed her and he’ll stop at nothing to catch them. Levi’s also on a mission. Women his wife helped have gone missing – along with plenty of other marginalized ones. He wants to shut down the traffickers before more people get hurt. Before more people die. Add in that he’s a grieving husband with a teenage son with attitude and it’s not a good situation.

Marsh brings some life back into Levi’s life. He engages Levi’s son by teaching him chess. He brings Levi and his son through some of the worst of the grief. But he also puts them in peril and the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger with nothing resolved. Reyne’s deft hand at creating series means there’s more to come and I can’t wait.

Have to mention Christian Leatherman. He narrated Reyne’s Fog City books and he’s a perfect choice to pair up with her. A talented duo and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Excellent Rendition by Christian Leatherman

This is a great romance, full of slow burn simmering 'want' between our two guys. However, it's also an excellent thriller/ mystery, I have to say that Ms Reyne is expert at combining the two. She uses very descriptive language and her characters are way easy to relate to. In this story she cleverly weaves the storyline into Marsh and Levi's everyday lives, the way in which she involved their families and friends just makes it more believable. I also love how she Intertwines her characters from past books together in new stories. It was great to see Marsh and Brax together again. The emphasis in this story is more on the mystery aspect, but the sexual tension between Marsh and Levi sizzles all the way through the story. Just their hands brushing against one anothers is enough to set your imagination ablaze. I always feel if you are able to lose yourself in a story, sharing the emotions the characters go through, then it is a story that is well written. Christian Leatherman narrates the story beautifully. He has the perfect voice for both Marsh and Levi. I'm already looking forward to listening to the audible of the next book in the series.