In the Blood

Metahuman Files, Book 4

By: Hailey Turner

Narrated by: Greg Boudreaux

Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's Summary

Running out of time.

Captain Jamie Callahan is frustrated with his team constantly being at the mercy of the enemy in order to further the MDF’s goals. To make matters worse, his father’s political campaign is ramping up, and Jamie’s every move is being watched by the media. He is acutely aware of all the eyes trained on him, his team, and Staff Sergeant Kyle Brannigan in particular. Meanwhile, Kyle would give anything to stay in the shadows, but he refuses to leave Jamie’s side, no matter the scrutiny. Staying out of the spotlight becomes impossible when their families are threatened and vital choices about their future together can no longer be ignored.

Desperate measures.

Staff Sergeant Alexei Dvorkin and Agent Sean Delaney are enjoying their time together as a couple when Sean’s past catches up with him. As Alpha Team’s long-running mission gets derailed in the worst way possible, Alexei discovers the enemy is playing for keeps, and neither he nor Sean are in any position to beat the odds and win the game. As for Sean, he’s worried that even if they make it out alive, Alexei may never forgive him for giving into the enemy’s demands.

Stand your ground.

Manipulation is the name of the game, but Jamie is done playing by everybody else’s rules. So is the rest of Alpha Team, because if there’s one thing Jamie’s team knows? It’s that they’re a family - and you don’t mess with family unless you want to get hurt.

In the Blood is a 107k-word steamy gay sci-fi military romance with a HFN ending that skirts HEA. There is military violence and torture within the story that may not be suitable for everyone, so please listen with caution. There are also explicit intimate scenes that are not suitable for listeners under the age of 18. This is a direct sequel to In the Shadows, and hearing the previous books in the series would be helpful in enjoying this one.

©2017 Hailey Turner (P)2019 Hailey Turner

Blood and torture...

Greg Boudreaux is a master of narration. He takes an awesome book and makes it AH-MAY-ZING!!
If it was possible to give more than 5 stars this would be the book I'd give it to. Brilliant!


Audio ARC received for an honest review

love this book! it's one of the best in the series

I can visualize throughout this whole book, amazing writer and the narrator is the perfect choice.

Astounding but hard to listen to in places

This is a powerful story for so many reasons. The mission that went sideways in so many ways, the rising tension between Jamie Callaghan, leader of the MDF Alpha Team, and his father, the horror of the terrorist attacks in Boston...everything is portentous and too real in the world Hailey Turner has been building over the course of this series. The metahumans in Jamie's team are confronted with increasingly more difficult and -- thanks to Stanislav, the precog metahuman in the enemy camp -- unexpected challenges as they work to complete their mission. That the men were able to overcome, despite everything that happens to them, and find their way back to their lovers, is miraculous.

The pain in this story is overwhelming, and I need to say that upfront. It was hard to listen to and finishing the story took much longer than I had expected. I found myself supremely angry that the author chose to present so MUCH of the actual in-the-room torture that Alexei and Sean suffered at the hands of the Irish terrorist Killian. I understand the need for her to ensure that her readers fully appreciate and believe in the reality of the horrors the men had to endure, but to my ears, it seemed like overkill. I was not a fan of those parts of the story at all.

Greg Boudreaux does a great job of evoking the varying emotional statuses of the men whose journey we follow in this story. I enjoyed this book, probably more because of his performance than I would have had I had to read it on my own. Despite the awful agony of listening to some parts of it, his rendition made it easier to bear. Had I had to read those sections on my own, I would probably have skipped over them.

The author tore my heart out & stomped all over it

Okay at one point Ms Turner I was going to tell you how much I totally disliked you, okay I could have called you some really nasty names, because of what you did. But then that ending, how can one stay mad at you after reading that. This was a majorly rough one. What a couple of our heroes went through was absolutely brutal. And the one behind it got what he deserved. Okay I would have liked to have tortured him for a long time before the big finale, but it was satisfying. This One has such major feels. My cat was laying next to me looking at me like, stupid human why is there water running down your face. Yes it was ugly crying. There were times that I couldn’t catch my breath. Jamie’s father, boy he needs some brains beaten into him. I hate when he is around. I loved that we spent quality one on one time with both of our couples, the sexy times were majorly hawt!!!! I cannot wait for then next book in the series. I also can’t wait for the fraternization to be changed so they can be seen out together. They deserve it. If you have read the first three books in the series yet, stop don’t read this one. They need to be read in order. Well done Ms Turner, keep up the amazing job!

OMG the bad things that happened re-tore me up. Greg Boudreaux did an absolutely amazing job narrating this book.

Audio ARC provided by LesCourt Services in exchange for an honest review.

Second time is even better 😍

Reread via Audio book June 2020

Infinity Stars for the Audiobook.

Greg Tremblay rocks. The story is still as good as the first time i read it.

So basically, Hailey said: Fasten your seat belts, hold onto your oxygen masks, this is is going to be one hell of a crazy, adrenaline filled action packed ride. And damn! It was.

It was X-Men, Fantastic 4 and Avengers in one book, and I devoured it. I love action and reading the action scenes in this book was amazing I got to recreate them in my head.

The writing was good and flawless as always and kept me on the edge of my seat, the world building perfect and nothing was predictable. This focused more on the mission, we still get the romance and hot sex. The relationship development between the two couple has grown immensely and i loved that.

If you love action, sci-fi and superhero stuff. This series is highly recommended.

Intense! And I loved it!

Hailey, I must admit I wasn't ready for the torture parts, but dang did you give a good story. I like these characters and you have developed each one with their special characteristics to look forward to. Bravo...very good writing.

Greg, You are the Metahumans! Bravo!

Listener, this is an intense book that has elements of fear, love, sadness, excitement..I think I went thru every emotion with it...it's best to start from the beginning of this series, but you could listen to this one alone. It won't mean as much, but you can do it.

Non-Stop Action

This is the fourth book in the series and usually they tend to drag on and act as filler for the final book. (This is a great series and don't want it to end!!) The story picks up after Montana and all the fallout from the events play out in Jamie Callahan's life affecting primarily his relationship with his family. It's a worthy book continuing in the series.

Greg Boudreaux is amazing as the narrator of the story. I love the inflections, tone and subtle pacing to pull you into the story. I have over 40 books from this narrator and trust me when I say he is a superb performer. I am amazed he is able to switch from one voice to another in the story since there is a lot of dialog. Don't think the series would be as entertaining wihout Greg's performance.

My heart is in pieces! 😭❤️‍🩹💔 I loved it!

Once again, another incredible work by Hailey Turner, expertly narrated by Greg Boudreaux 👏 👏👏 Out of the first four books this one is my absolute favorite!!! The love and the tension and the action and the torture and the loss... all of it is meticulously melded together with amazing balance that just sings to me as a reader. The characters Jamie, Kyle, Alexei and Sean are so well written and simply break my heart over and over. The way Turner writes how they exercise their unyielding (and sometimes yeidling) endurance gives me strength. I can't wait to see what happens next. Onto book five of the Metahuman Files!!!

Intense, graphic, deep. Fantastic

Turner’s series is amazing, but this book added an intensity that I loved. Action, spies, amazing powers, secrets, family drama, ruthless bad guys, graphic scenes you can’t help but picture in your mind. The work Alpha team does is always dangerous, but this time our beloved team is damaged. The couples on the team suffer immensely, in grisly detail, but with pain comes growth. The book concludes with great joy - but we know there is more to come, healing to be done, relationships to fix in the ‘family’ - much like real life. Messy, complicated, but living and loving well for the moment. Greg Boudreaux performed beautifully!

Blood and Agony

The fourth book in the Metahuman series, In the Blood needs to be read after In the Shadows. This series needs to be read in order to fully understand and appreciate it. The three, free short stories are optional, but they add extra enjoyment to an already wonderful series.

Things are heating up with Alpha Team’s mission. Things are becoming harder to manage and balance, and Alpha Team will find themselves pushed and tested beyond anything else they’ve endured. There were some really hard action and capture scenes that made me squirm, but Hailey Turner is a wonderful writer and she handled those scenes masterfully. I loved this book and I adore the team dynamics between all the characters.

Greg Bourdreaux narrated this book, like he has with all the previous books in the series. He did a wonderful job, especially since he had to narrate some sensitive and graphic scenes that required a masterful performance. I really enjoyed his narration and I loved this audiobook.

Excellent series

I really like Jamie and Kyle as a couple, but now my favourite couple in this series is Alexei and Sean, they have much more depth to their relationship. I have much for respect for the MDF as they do care about civilians and innocent people that get hurt in their battles.

Wow!

Story: The most intense part by far! There are no punches held in this installment for sure! I loved all the intense emotions and the angst infused in this story. The overall story for the series is very well continued and I like the direction the author took it all. Definitely hooked on the series and can't wait to dive into book 5!
Narration: Perfect performance.

Great story

A well written story with and interesting concept. The characters are likeable and the narration is very good.

Another fantastic book by Hailey Turner

Fantastic, I’m just blown away by this series. Realistic with a great plot and so so sexy. Can’t wait to read for no:5

Fantastic!!

I love the details and complexity of the storyline. I'm notorious for figuring out plot lines and Hailey always manages to catch me with a few twists and turns. The world she created is so unique and the characters are all fantastic. Even the secondary characters have you fully invested. I adore Greg's narration hes honestly so perfect for these books!

Beyond Words!

This audiobook is fantastic beyond words! There is so much love, loyalty, and perseverance in the face of trauma, torture, grief, and heartache. It was phenomenally painful to listen to in parts...what Sean and Alexi went through. I have to say that I enjoy their dynamic more than that of Jamie and Kyle, but I love them all. There is plenty of pain, bloodshed, and sorrow, so be aware of that, but the story is so fantastic, I just couldn't stop listening, wanting to see how it would end, and hoping they would all make it out relatively whole. The battle isn't over yet, and I can't wait for more.

I can't say enough about how the narration made the story so much better for me! I don't think I could ever feel the emotions and angst so much just from reading the story myself. The narrator channeled the characters beautifully and made me feel like I was right there, watching and hearing everything that happened!

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this honest review.

Superb!

Of course, I knew this would be fantastic - as is the rest of the series. There’s some tough listening in this so be aware but Hailey Turner writes in such a way you just cannot stop listening. We know both these couples and I feel attached to them all in different ways. Prepare to get some tissues out though!

Greg Boudreaux, as always, is a fantastic narrator. I love listening to him and he’s pretty much an auto buy for me.

Just a note, it’s not stand alone so you need to have listened to the series. The whole lot are fab though so do yourself a favour and bulk buy them!

Amazing

This series is so great.
I loved the story, and hearing it narrated elevated it to a new level.
I cannot wait to listen to more of this series.

blew me away

You know in friends when Joey put his book in the freezer because he didn't want to know what happened next? I'm telling you, this book is incredible! So many times my phone nearly went on the freezer because it was ripping out my heart! The plot is incredible and Hailey had the balance of OMG, family, romance and heat just right.
Greg Boudreaux continues to deliver. His Russian accent is so hot and he brings so much emotion where it's really needed.
I think I need a lie down now.

Amazing!

This series just keeps getting better and better with each new installment, which is something I wasn't sure I could say after a few very hard to read, torturously heart-breaking scenes that played in gory detail while reading this book. Also, this series needs to be read in order, so if you haven't already, go pick your copy/audiobook of In the Wreckage and you can thank me later after you finish binging on it.

I love both Jamie and Kyle and Sean and Alexei, but there's something about the latter couple that just draws me in just a tad more. Yes, they're all hot and they're perfect for their respective partner, but where Jamie and Kyle are a bit about control/power play in the bedroom, Sean and Alexei are about lovemaking with a bit of kink to spice things up and I am a romantic at my core, so yeah.

I teared up and cringed in equal measure when I listened to what Killian was willing to do for revenge, but chapter 17 just about killed me dead. I'll just say I was very relieved that during the saddest part of that scene, I was waiting for the red light to change or I might have run the chance of crashing because of my tears.

Overall, this was a fantastic addition to the series, despite the violence and Hailey loving to torture the guys (and us!). It has a great balance between action, great story-telling and writing, passionate, intense sexytimes and amazing characters I can't get enough of.

Greg's narration was out of this world! All the different voices were very distinguishable and his tone was pleasant and he did great bringing forth all the various emotions this book elicited in me. Super recommendable!