Hell & High Water

By: Charlie Cochet

Narrated by: Mark Westfield

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

When homicide detective Dexter J. Daley’s testimony helps send his partner away for murder, the consequences - and the media frenzy - aren’t far behind. He soon finds himself sans boyfriend, sans friends, and, after an unpleasant encounter in a parking garage after the trial, he’s lucky he doesn’t find himself sans teeth. Dex fears he’ll get transferred from the Human Police Force’s Sixth Precinct, or worse, get dismissed. Instead, his adoptive father - a sergeant at the Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron otherwise known as the THIRDS - pulls a few strings, and Dex gets recruited as a Defense Agent.

Dex is determined to get his life back on track and eager to get started in his new job. But his first meeting with Team Leader Sloane Brodie, who also happens to be his new jaguar Therian partner, turns disastrous. When the team is called to investigate the murders of three HumaniTherian activists, it soon becomes clear to Dex that getting his partner and the rest of the tightknit team to accept him will be a lot harder than catching the killer - and every bit as dangerous.

©2014 Charlie Cochet (P)2014 Dreamspinner Press

Good humor to Military/shifter book

The blurb is a pretty good summary so no need to reinvent the wheel. What I enjoyed most about this audiobook was the humor. The narrator did a great job giving Dex this happy sound. Dex made me smile and chuckle and so I guess the narrator accomplished his job with the delivery of the wisecracks.

Detective Dex Daley was a riot. He was full of jokes and he was actually a happy person. It became evident that humor was his way of dealing with uncomfortable situations and also relating to others.
He came across as a very caring and thoughtful person even though he was shooting off at the mouth often. I like the world with humans and Therians (humans with a genetic mutation that allowed them to shift into allowed them to shape-shift into big cats). I thought he was a good fit at the Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron despite having family members there.

Sloane Brodie, Dex's team leader, took a little bit to warm up to since he was very moody. But once Dex turned on his charm, everyone began getting chinks in their Third's Armour and soon, Dex wiggled into their tight knit group.

I like the story had insta-attraction but not insta-love for Dex and Sloan. We knew something was there, but they were working towards it. I also like that the bad guy's motives mirror everyday rationale. It's stupid but it's very real. I look forward to what lies ahead for the Third as the gauntlet was thrown down at the end of this series opener. This was a good book 1.

I will hold out for book 2 on audio

19 of 19 people found this review helpful

Nothing like it...

New to the shifter genre, I was a bit reluctant to delve into this newly created world by Charlie Cochet. The first five minutes left me wondering if I had made a mistake but then the rest of the story and I could not wait to see where our protagonists, Dex and Sloane were going to next. Cochet's writing style kept you guessing and traveling fast in this interesting twist to the shifter genre. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and when it ended, I immediately went searching for the next part of the story...a good indicator that it's a good story. Mark Westfield did an exceptional job bringing the characters to life with his unique approach to the voices with his narration. I loved the dynamic between Dex and the cast of characters involved with this story. As I listened to the story, I pictured Dex as a subtle representation of Steve Martin's wild and crazy guy, with a serious side when it was called for. I laughed, cried, and became lost into this wonderful story offered by Cochet. I look forward to reading the next part of the series and I certainly would recommend this story!!!

14 of 14 people found this review helpful

Great Series

This is one of my absolute favorite alpha/alpha law enforcement series. Dex is just an amazing character. He is funny, sweet and can certainly kick ass. He is also remarkably sensitive to his family and team mates. Sloane, his love interest and new partner at The Thirds, is a somewhat tortured soul as he lost his former partner/love and is having a hard time recovering when Dex bursts into his life. The banter in this book is my favorite part as Dex has many really witty lines and his verbal war with Ash is priceless. This series has a great cast of characters and at least four couples, both human/Therian and Therian/Therian in future books. The narrator does a great job on all the voices, except Hudson’s English accent; but it doesn’t really matter because it is just a few lines in the book. Definitely worth a credit.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Good book!

What did you love best about Hell & High Water?

I loved how it lead you into the lives of the characters!

What did you like best about this story?

I liked how even the supporting characters were built up!

What does Mark Westfield bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He does a great job with the voices giving a slightly different tone to each.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Incredibly sexy narration brings the heat!

I listened to the audio after already reading the book a couple of years ago. All I can say is get the audio. The narrator has the sexiest voice, does the other character voices, and uses sound effects that make this a completely outstanding narration!

I was quite worried about how the sex would come across in audio. I've had some pretty bad audiobook examples of flat and stale sex...however here I seriously had no concerns after the very first scene with the C word (the boy one). Holey Moley! All I can say is I am so glad headphones were invented because all those people I ran by while listening would probably have been shocked at what was being pumped into my ears. If I was a guy that's not the only thing that would be swelling. I'm just sayin'.

Love the story and the world of Therian and Human. Great series that choice a wonderful narrator who can talk to me anytime! Highly recommended!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

A L'il SciFi. A L'il Romance. A Whole Lot Sexy.

A little bit romance, a little bit comic book/ superheroes, and a pinch of the Agents of Shields bundled into an exciting and suspenseful story. Despite moments when there seemed to be too much detail on the training/ fighting thing which really isn't for me, the plot was tightly written. The characters were quite unique, particularly Dex. The science fiction feel of a world with an alternate breed of beings added to the complexity and created a world unlike any other I had previously read.

Listening to the book on audio was a nice alternative but sometimes proved difficult in pulling in all the details. I slowed it down and was careful to listen carefully. This is not a story you can miss anything! Everything that happens has a point and the narrator brings in the emotion -tension and passion- of the story.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

One of the best series out there! Amazing!

YAY! Whooo Hoooo!

That is my response that when I found out that not only is there a sequel to this book, but at least six – count ‘em SIX- in the series!

This is one fantastic book, and it’s shaping up to be an amazing series. We have all the integral parts needed: shifters, a madman, true love, new love, family, orphans, gruff military men and hot alpha males. Phew!

The MCs:
Dex: sweet, happy, hot, stubborn, quick witted, cheesy, loyal and short-tempered.

Sloane: moody, brave, tough, scarred, hot, broken-hearted, loyal, fierce, tender.

If you made a list great series whose relationships built over the span of several books, these guys will be added to that list: Rhys Ford’s Cole McGinnis series, Cut and Run by Abi Roux, SE Jakes Hell or High Water series, NR Walker Turning Point series… you get the idea. Tough guys, slowly gaining one another’s trust, falling in love, and in the meantime kicking some serious ass!

Dex’s character gives us many funny lines and laugh out loud moments, but his interactions with his brother, father and Sloane make us go “awwww”. Sloane, at first, makes you want to pull your hair out, but by the end, you want to cuddle him up in a big hug and kiss away all his boo-boos.

The bad guy – not giving away who it is – but I bet you’ll figure it out soon enough – is a great bad guy. When I say “great” I mean, diabolical, crazy, smart, driven… the perfect counterpart to the good guys here.

I read this in pretty much one sitting – it moves along quickly and grips you right away.

I loved the themes of prejudice and scientific knowledge, segregation and safety, as well as the toys and powers we are shown in this first book.

The next book is coming out soon (August 4) and you can bet I’ll be reading it! I look forward to all the books, and highly recommend this book 6 out of 5 stars!


Audio

Mark Westfield is a new narrator for me but – WOW- does he do a great job here! He does a nice job with Sloane, giving him a solid, grumbly bass, and Dex a fun, flighty (but not at all feminine or twinky) lighter voice. He separates out the different voices, making it easy to identify the different characters. When there is emotion he lets it seep through and when there calls for it, he can make his voice sound like it’s coming at a distance or over a loud speaker, etc.

He really brings the story to life and I really, really enjoyed listening to this narration.

I give it a 6 of 5 stars

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Shifter cops in a dystopian present

Dex is a fun loving cop with a moral streak a mile wide, he cannot turn his back on the truth no matter what. Too bad the other human cops don't like it (or him); to keep him alive he's "promoted" to the THIRDS, the shifter branch of the police.

A view of current life, that would have been if "germ warfare" in the 70's created shifters.
Charlie did a good job of creating a world where shifters are an acknowledged part of society, without resorting to standard supernatural reasons. And the "Us vs. Them" mentality of some of her characters is real enough to be scary.

A great first book of a new series.

On a personal note: when I read this book - I felt that Dex's character was much more of a fun loving Prankster. And while Mark Westfield did a good job of narration, I read a lot of his taunts/replies as more snarky (he knows he's taunting and having fun with it), and Mark made them more matter-of-fact/conversational.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Wow! What a great adventure this was!

Wow! I totally loved this book! I can't hardly wait to listen to the rest of the THIRDS... Please Audible....hurry up and get this entire series on here!

I have to admit...starting out... I thought this was going to be a long drawn out boring book, half-way at an attempt to mix m/m romance with paranormal suspense...but NOPE! What I got was a complete emotional roller coaster! I totally fell in love with every single character... to included the relationships among Destructive Delta (the THIRDS team).

I wish there was a bit more smexy time...but the smexy time added to the story...the story didn't revolve around it... which is always a plus....

The side relationship with Dex's brother and Sloane's BFF...well now... that is going to be one interesting book! Oh let's not forget the two silent team members... Trust me...once you listen you will definitely know what I am talking about.

All in all this book was great. Dex was a cop, who got transferred to the THIRDS because he testified against his crooked partner. Fortunately for him, his brother and "dad" are members of this new shifter team of cops. Dex is cooky and off the wall with his antics but he is a great cop... and Sloane well...he comes off as this tough shifter team leader, but he was simply a man trying to cope with the loss of his lover. I loved the build up and angsty moments between Dex and Sloane...

Hopefully book 2 will flesh out their relationship a bit more...

So worth a credit or sale... Narration was good..not great...but good!

8 of 10 people found this review helpful

Good alternate history, intrigue and romance.

I actively avoid paranormal stories that involve shape shifting. But when I heard the Audible sample for this story, I was sucked in by the easy to follow explanation of the alternate history of the world since the Vietnam War. And so my adventure with the THIRDS began. The story rolled like an intelligent action movie through my mind - it was that vivid. The world building was excellent and the shape shifting element was explained so well that it did not feel like a paranormal story to me. The idea that it was a natural evolutionary phenomenon worked to make me feel invested in the story. The tensions that evolved between regular humans and those who developed shape-shifting abilities, were realistically described. They drew parallels in my mind with racial tensions all over the world at the moment. Then the author seamlessly weaved a good M/M romance into this framework.

Dexter, a police detective, bravely does the right thing giving evidence against his partner who committed a crime in the course of their work together. I admired Dexter immediately and related to him easily for his integrity. We meet him when he's suffering from the personal, work and societal repercussions of his actions. During this period, his true nature is leashed. But soon he is immersed in the THIRDS, an elite policing squad, where he meets new co-workers including his partner Sloane, who holds many secrets and a permanent scowl. The crew is grieving the loss of one of their members and aren't ready yet for the full force of Dexter's personality.

There were many entertaining Dexter elements: jumping work-relationship hurdles in order to fit in and be accepted; giving his all to the law enforcement adventures of the THIRDS; the ever-present shadow of danger; and of course, Dexter's growing relationship with Sloane. The alternative world history also provides the impetus for Dexter's interesting family dynamics which are integral to the story and heart-warming. As Dexter's confidence grows, his infectious personality escapes, affecting the morale of everyone around him. Sloane too is affected. Be prepared - Dexter is quite funny. I enjoyed reading his romance with Sloane.

This is a complete, stand-alone novel, but the beginning of a series of adventures involving Dexter and Sloane as protagonists. Later novels in the series showcase other members of the THIRDS as main characters.

This story was made all the more enjoyable by the fantastic narration of Mark Westfield. He was perfect, using distinctly different voices for each character and providing the right tone and comedic timing for the action. I recommend the story for lovers of M/M romance, sexy times, intrigue, and a dash of shape-shifting.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

4 stars read/listen

Any additional comments?

Dex makes a testimony that puts his police partner in jail. It also makes him boyfriendless and almost jobless. But his adoptive father steps up, and pulls Dex into the world of the Thirds, a shifter police-type force trying to keep the peace between the humans and the shifters. SLoane is the leader of the team DEx is placed in, and from the very start, he knows they still haven't dealt with the loss of their team mate, the one Dex replaces. There are other, darker forces at work, and when faced with the death of 3 HumaniTherian activists, Dex knows he has his work cut out to make the team accept him, especially Slaone, to whom Dex has a powerful reaction to.

A different take on shifters, the Thirds agents are mostly Therian, cat shifters of some kind, and they need extra special care after shifter, hence the need for a partner. Sloane and Dex have an head butting reaction, and its quite amusing how Dex deals with it differently to Sloane. Dex is witty, has excellent taste in *old music* but Sloane is straight laced, down the line, lets get this work done! These two, along with the rest of the team made for some interesting reading.

I enjoyed it, and will keep going with this series, Dex and Sloane dont get a full HEA, just a happy-for-now sort of ever-after, so there is more to come from these two! And it isn't going to be a picnic, I can tell!

Mark Westfield narrates, and this is the first I've listened to by this narrator. He has a deep clear *reading voice* and a clear distincion between the characters, making conversations between multiple characters clear and concise and with no problem making out who is talking at which time. Emotions come across in all the right places, and you get all the drama too, just where you need it. His voice made it easy for me to listen, and I will certainly listen to other work narrated by him.

4 stars for the narration, 4 for the story, and 4 overall.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Freaking Awesome :-)

I think I have found a new addiction, Thirds was everything I hoped it would be, the narration was good, not a narrator I have come across before but he did a great job

awful

so poorly written. Its full of cliches and bad tropes. so So bad. Save your money.

Really bad narration

The story was ok, and had promise, but it was like listening to 10 year old boys squabbling. I want sexy men, not a school yard. The narration being like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh really didn’t help either. His voice was so emotionally flat that I felt like his apathy and depression was contagious and left me feeling low. Narrators need to actually feel what they’re speaking and be an actor. Disappointed as this series has really high reviews, and the author’s more recent book Love in Spades is much better and has a great narrator and is what inspired me to give this book a go.

Great Read

loved it from start to finish, funny, witty , all wrapped around a serious story.

Fantastic

Love this book. Charlie takes you on a fast paced rollercoaster of a ride. Dex is an amazing loveable Dork and Sloane is everything you expect of a Alpha Male. The story is involved but never boring. if you like hot men, guns, high octane action and romance then read this book and the series. Amazing narrator who does a great job with all the characters.

Loved it!

Any additional comments?

I loved this series when I read it the first time so I was super excited to start the audiobooks. Mark Westfield is a superb narrator, I just fell in to this world again and was so immersed in the story I felt like I didn't take my headphones off for 2 days. I exploited every little opportunity to listen to it.

So this is book 1 where everything begins. This is the story of Sloane and Dex, but so much more than that it's the introduction to this fabulous world Charlie has created. Dex has been working for the human police force as a detective for ten years. Following an intense court case involving Dex having turned his partner in for murdering an innocent civilian he is dismissed from the police force.

Sloan Brody is a defence agent for the THIRDS and also a Therian. A virus that spread rapidly during the war was treated via a vaccination Eppione.8 thus starting a waterfall of events that lead to the mutation of the virus which changed human DNA creating Therians - humans who can shift in to animals. Sloane is a jaguar therian and team leader of destructive delta at the THIRDS (Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron).

Following his discharge from the HPF Dex is sent to work at the THIRDS and becomes Sloane's new partner. They get off to a rocky start as Sloane's original partner was murderered on the job and he's chased away every partner since. But Dex with his happy, teasing, snarky attitude eventually wins him over. I LOVE Dex, he's such a loveable MC and he's up there with some of my favourite book characters of all time. Sloane is more reserved and still full of hurt and pain following the death of his partner but I loved him too.

Secondary characters are absolutely amazing and so well developed. You can tell that every character has been thought out and planned and each with their own personality and style. Mark really portrays this well when you are listening to it and I commend him for being able to switch between voices so easily.

There's plenty of action, adventure, twists and turns and psychopaths in this story. Loved listening to book 1 and cannot wait for the others! On to book 2!

Great start to the series

I'd already read this book before getting the audio version so.I knew that I enjoyed the story but you get a different dimension when you listen to it versus reading it. Not a better experience but, if narrated well, an equally good one.
The narration was excellent and I'm pleased to see that the same narrator does the other books so that's something I will be looking forward to.
If you like law enforcement shape shifters, bad guys, conspiracies and m/m relationships with snappy dialogue that had me laughing out loud (thank god I was in the car!) then this might be one for you.

One of the best

One of the best series I have ever read (or listened to). Amazing characters and creative story lines. Love it

Good reader, poor story

It's a good idea, with some OK characters but it's not really the quality you'd expect even from a good fan fix. Grammatical errors, clumsy sentences, chunks of exposition, melodramatic internal dialogues, all make it a bit disappointing

0 of 1 people found this review helpful