Friendly Fire

De: Cari Z.

Narrado por: Nick J. Russo

In a battle of wills, stubbornness could cost you your life.

Elliot McKenzie is the king of reinvention. Five years after losing his job, his lover, and almost going to prison, his self-help program, Charmed Life, is more successful than he'd ever dreamed. He thinks he's put his sordid past firmly behind him, until he starts receiving cryptic threats, and realizes it might not be as over as he'd hoped.

Security expert Lennox West has been lost since a deadly skirmish in Afghanistan led to his forced retirement from the Army. His PTSD makes helping his ex raise their daughter a challenge. When his ex's sister asks him to set her boss up with a security system, Lennox isn't expecting anyone like Elliot McKenzie - a man who captures his attention, and makes him feel relaxed for the first time since leaving the service.

But Elliot is dangerously stubborn. Even as the threats against him escalate, he refuses to involve the police, and Lennox fears that stubbornness could kill him. A battle of wills ensues that brings them closer to each other than either man expected. But if the threats turn real, they might not live long enough to get their future together.

©2016 Cari Z (P)2017 Riptide Publishing

Fun, Exciting, and Sexy - Nick J. Russo is great

Listening to this one just makes me want more Cari Z.! Creative characters and a great story - this was just a bunch of fun all the way through. There's an interesting mystery with a great twist at the end, fast moving action, and super hot sex. Winner for me... and Nick J. Russo is excellent.

Enjoyed it - better than I expected.

📖 Story comment: I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. The characters were engaging, the story was interesting and the pace was good. I liked that Lennox's PTSD wasn't just glossed over, that it had affected his family and that he was working on it and getting help - and that the mistakes of Elliott's past were still affecting his present.
I enjoyed Lennox's daughters character ... such a teenager😆

🎧 Narrator comment: I enjoy Nick Russo as a narrator, he suited the characters, has good cadence, inflections and intonations and it's easy to distinguish the characters from each other. Overall an enjoyable performance and he bought the characters of Friendly Fire to life.

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7.5
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough • 5 enjoyed it • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4⭐] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5⭐] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75⭐] • 10 own it in all formats [5⭐] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5⭐]

Excellent story

This is the second story I've listened to by Cari Z. I was not disappointed! Great story and fantastic narration by Nick J Russo. Highly recommended!

Listen

It’s wonderfully written: the sex is hot without being cliche, the characters are well rounded and it passes the bechdel test. 100% will listen to again

3.5 stars- Good twists, lacked some depth early on

I’ve enjoyed the romantic suspense series Cari Z co-wrote, so I decided to try one of her solo books. Friendly Fire had a lot of the hallmarks I love- interesting characters, punchy dialogue, fast-paced action scenes, and some hold-your-breath suspenseful moments. Sadly, although I loved a lot about this book, it did take a while for the characters to grow on me and I felt there were some missed opportunities.

Elliot’s past sparked my interest from the get go and as he filled Lennox in on the full story, I was even more intrigued. Similarly, I liked the idea of an ex-military soldier dealing with PTSD while adjusting to civilian life and being a good, reliable father to his daughter. Though both characters had interesting backstories, for much of the book they lacked some depth- both individually and then as a couple. Even the romance felt a bit superficial- the men got together fairly quickly and their relationship seemed more lust-fueled than a budding chemistry. As the story progressed, I could see Elliot and Lennox working as a couple, I just wished it had more time to fully develop. I did really enjoy the intensity of the action scenes in Friendly Fire, as well as the unexpected twists as the story wrapped. Overall, I liked the book and would definitely look for more of this author’s solo projects going forward.

Friendly Fire was narrated by Mr. Russo, who did a great job keeping a smooth rhythm and delivering the scenes with just the right amount of emotion without overacting. I’d certainly recommend this audiobook for fans of romantic suspense looking for an exciting read.

*Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*