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Life takes delight in stabbing Gus Scott in the back when he least expects it. After Gus spends years running from his past, present, and the dismal future every social worker predicted for him, karma delivers the one thing Gus could never - would never - turn his back on: a son from a one-night stand he'd had after a devastating breakup a few years ago. Returning to San Francisco and to 415 Ink, his family's tattoo shop, gave him the perfect shelter to battle his personal demons and get himself together...until the firefighter who'd broken him walked back into Gus's life.
It’s day one of Darren Corliss’ career as a detective, and not only has he been assigned a notoriously difficult partner, but the guy might also be a pill-popping dirty cop. Internal Affairs needs proof, and Darren gets to be their eyes and ears whether he wants to or not. Detective Andreas Ruffner doesn’t play by the rules, and he doesn’t play well with others. With bodies piling up and a list of suspects who are way above his pay grade, the last thing he needs is a wet-behind-the-ears kid for a partner.
Seth Walker was my first love and I always swore he’d be my last. Even after he moved away our senior year in high school, we vowed to reunite after graduation. But when he suddenly broke things off without explanation and crushed my heart, it was my turn to run. After a decade in the navy, I’ve finally come home ready to move on with my life as Hobie’s newest firefighter. Unfortunately, the minute I set eyes on the new sheriff in town, I know I’m screwed. Hobie’s top cop is none other than Seth Walker.
Talon Valdez knew when he transformed into an enhanced human, his life and his dreams were finished. Reviled, mistrusted, and often locked away, the enhanced were viewed as monsters, despised by the public, and never trusted to serve in the military or any law enforcement agency. Years later he gets a chance to set up a task force of enhanced to serve in the FBI, but with one proviso: each enhanced must partner with a regular human.
Cloister Witte is a man with a dark past and a cute dog. He’s happy to talk about the dog all day, but after growing up in the shadow of a missing brother, a deadbeat dad, and a criminal stepfather, he’d rather leave the past back in Montana. These days, he’s a K-9 officer in the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and pays a tithe to his ghosts by doing what no one was able to do for his brother - find the missing and bring them home.
Charles Hunter’s team is on a mission to extract an unidentified ATF agent from an undercover job gone wrong. All they’ve got to go on is the rendezvous location — until Charles recognizes the ex he hasn’t seen in years. Their "simple rescue mission" is about to get a lot more complicated.
Life takes delight in stabbing Gus Scott in the back when he least expects it. After Gus spends years running from his past, present, and the dismal future every social worker predicted for him, karma delivers the one thing Gus could never - would never - turn his back on: a son from a one-night stand he'd had after a devastating breakup a few years ago. Returning to San Francisco and to 415 Ink, his family's tattoo shop, gave him the perfect shelter to battle his personal demons and get himself together...until the firefighter who'd broken him walked back into Gus's life.
It’s day one of Darren Corliss’ career as a detective, and not only has he been assigned a notoriously difficult partner, but the guy might also be a pill-popping dirty cop. Internal Affairs needs proof, and Darren gets to be their eyes and ears whether he wants to or not. Detective Andreas Ruffner doesn’t play by the rules, and he doesn’t play well with others. With bodies piling up and a list of suspects who are way above his pay grade, the last thing he needs is a wet-behind-the-ears kid for a partner.
Seth Walker was my first love and I always swore he’d be my last. Even after he moved away our senior year in high school, we vowed to reunite after graduation. But when he suddenly broke things off without explanation and crushed my heart, it was my turn to run. After a decade in the navy, I’ve finally come home ready to move on with my life as Hobie’s newest firefighter. Unfortunately, the minute I set eyes on the new sheriff in town, I know I’m screwed. Hobie’s top cop is none other than Seth Walker.
Talon Valdez knew when he transformed into an enhanced human, his life and his dreams were finished. Reviled, mistrusted, and often locked away, the enhanced were viewed as monsters, despised by the public, and never trusted to serve in the military or any law enforcement agency. Years later he gets a chance to set up a task force of enhanced to serve in the FBI, but with one proviso: each enhanced must partner with a regular human.
Cloister Witte is a man with a dark past and a cute dog. He’s happy to talk about the dog all day, but after growing up in the shadow of a missing brother, a deadbeat dad, and a criminal stepfather, he’d rather leave the past back in Montana. These days, he’s a K-9 officer in the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and pays a tithe to his ghosts by doing what no one was able to do for his brother - find the missing and bring them home.
Charles Hunter’s team is on a mission to extract an unidentified ATF agent from an undercover job gone wrong. All they’ve got to go on is the rendezvous location — until Charles recognizes the ex he hasn’t seen in years. Their "simple rescue mission" is about to get a lot more complicated.
After years of frustration as a PsyCop, Victor Bayne reports for duty at the Federal Psychic Monitoring Program. As a fledgling agent, he’s ready to smoke out a few ghosts and be home each night in time for dinner. But is he prepared to add a professional dimension to his romantic partnership with Jacob Marks? Jacob has already established his territory in the Program - he’s competent, he’s respected, and he’s pretty much fearless. The last thing Vic wants to do is screw up in front of him.
When Ward Johannsen’s little girl, Ava, shifted into a werewolf, she was taken into custody by the feds and shipped off to the nearest pack, all ties between father and daughter severed. Henry Dormer is an alpha werewolf and an elite black ops soldier who failed his last mission. He returns home, hoping for some time to recuperate and help settle the pack’s newest member, a little pup named Ava who can’t shift back to her human form. Instead, he meets Ward, who refuses to leave his daughter without a fight.
I don’t want Jason Vega. Not at all. It’s the worst idea ever. Ah, hell... Jason is handsome. Smart. Dangerous. Hot. He’s goddamn gorgeous - but he’s also sleeping on the street, hanging out with the local biker gang, and selling his body for a living. Our lives, our paths, couldn’t be further apart. I’m crawling toward the light while he’s falling into the dark. But it doesn’t matter how different we are or what logic dictates.
At 23, Poe Montgomery is going nowhere. He still lives in his father’s basement and spends most of his time tagging with his friends. When an arrest lands him in debt, Poe accepts the front desk job at Permanent Ink, the tattoo shop owned by his father’s best friend, Jericho McAslan. Jericho is nearly twice Poe’s age, but with his ink and prematurely graying hair, he quickly takes the starring role in Poe’s hottest fantasies.
Sergei Andronikov was a child when the Mafia wiped out his family, leaving him with nothing but a hunger for revenge. Years later, through ruthless strategy and tireless patience, he's a contract killer working for the three families ruling Cape Swan...and he's nearly in position to bring them all down from the inside. Domenico "Dom" Maisano is Mafia royalty, a made man...and a hitman. He's caught up in a violent life he can't escape, struggling to maintain an image he doesn't want, and suppressing desires he can't have.
MI5 agents have been executed and more agents have been abducted with no terms received from the kidnappers. An MI5 analyst is missing having accessed and downloaded prohibited security data. The trial of notorious radical cleric Mullah Al-Shaqqaf collapses, his extradition falls apart. A man known to have funded ISIS, recruit fighters for Syria and coerce teenagers to martyr themselves. Again he walks free.
Zack never intended to become a phone sex operator, but with half a college degree and a smart mouth, his options were limited. It helps that he has a knack for thinking on his feet and a willingness to roll with whatever his clients throw at him. Sure, he gets his fair share of creeps and unconventional requests, but it pays the bills, and he's in no danger of breaking his one rule: never fall for a client. Until a man named "John" starts calling, and Zack finds himself interested in more than a paycheck.
Matthew Elliot is one of LA’s best detectives. He’s been labeled the golden boy of the Fab Four: a team of four detectives who’ve closed down drug-rings all over the city. He’s smart, tough and exceptionally good at his job. He’s also a closeted gay man. Enter Kira Takeo Franco, the new boxing coach at the gym. Matthew can’t deny his immediate attraction to the man his fellow cops know as Frankie. But in allowing himself to fall in love with a man known to his colleagues, Matthew risks outing them both.
Reed: I've spent my whole life causing trouble for my parents, but this time I went too far. After the scandal I caused nearly ruined my mom's political career, they decided to do something drastic - and that's how I ended up in on a ranch in Ely, Wyoming, a zillion miles from civilization. But it's not like I care that I have no friends, my family despises me, and I totally ruined my life in a really public way. And I definitely don't cry myself to sleep every night. The good news? The ranch hand, Brady, is super hot. I mean, I only want to get him in bed to prove I can.
Special Agent Jason West is seconded from the FBI Art Crime Team to temporarily partner with disgraced and legendary "manhunter" Sam Kennedy when it appears that Kennedy's most famous case, the capture and conviction of a serial killer known as the Huntsman, may actually have been a disastrous failure. The Huntsman is still out there...and the killing has begun again.
Four original, unabridged, full-cast productions of Gail Carriger's most beloved fantasy short stories: "The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't, the Mummy That Was, and the Cat in the Jar": A mummified cat, a secret agent, and an aristocrat entangle Alessandro Tarraboti (father of Alexia Tarraboti from the Parasol Protectorate series) in a rollicking, wry adventure into the supernatural secrets of ancient Egypt.
Hearing those words from his very straight, very ex-best friend doesn’t put Nate in a helpful mood. Not only did Kellan Brooks’s father destroy Nate’s family in his quest for power, but Kellan broke Nate’s heart back in high school. Nate thought he could trust his best friend with the revelation that he might be gay, only to find out he was horribly wrong and become the laughingstock of the whole school. Kellan must be truly desperate if he’s turning to Nate now.
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.
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!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
A charismatic motivational business CEO is getting dangerously stalked and a military vet with a heavy dose of guilt and PTSD are the heroes in an exciting new standalone from a favorite author and read by a favorite narrator. Of course, I needed this one.
Friendly Fire introduced a great cast of characters and a good blend of character growth, suspense, and romance with family a strong element running through. The pair of guys are dissimilar, but exactly what the other one needs. Their vulnerabilities gave them more appeal, but I also enjoyed watching the trust build between them and the togetherness.
Lennox is a divorced man with a teen daughter and that plays a significant role in the story just as Elliott's past choices as an aggressive corporate lawyer causes him to be on the outs with his family. They are older guys who are somewhat road weary and need to find acceptance and home. Elliott is a captivating person who uses his charm to hold folks at a distance and he is genuinely interested in making things better. Lennox is gruff and he just wants to be left alone while he tries to cope. Once they get past a few initial hiccups things are steady going forward.
The story is gently-paced with a few action moments. I had part of the suspense element figured out, but not in its entirety. There was still one big surprise for me to discover.
Nick J Russo was fabulous in the narrator's role bringing to life all the characters, the humorous, the passion, the heartwarming, and the introspective moments. I felt he caught the essence of the story just right.
All in all, I was well-engaged and cheering on the romance and the solution to the danger situation. This was an easy-listen/read that I can recommend to m/m romantic suspense fans.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I took a chance on 4 reviews. This book is amazing. I loved every second. Very well written! Suuuuper hot. Worth every penny. I have only rated 7 books a 5 star in my 35 years of being the biggest book dork ever. Russo is amazing as always too. Keep on writing books like this dear!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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
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*
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes. It's an interesting story, with sexy men and an interesting storyline and I love Nick J Russo
What did you like best about this story?
I liked the characters. Both men are intriguing, broken and I liked the cockiness of Elliott.
What does Nick J. Russo bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He gives each character more personality and gives the story some great pacing. I love the way he lifts his voice in just the right time or drops it in sexy times.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No, not really.
Any additional comments?
I liked friendly fire. It was an interesting story with two very interesting broken men. I loved Elliots business that made the story quite unique and the mystery was intriguing and kept you on your toes.
If you like a second chance at life, broken men, reinvention, mystery, suspense and some hot man-sex you will like this.