Friendly Fire

By: Cari Z.

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's Summary

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

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!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Engaging and Easy to Enjoy

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

Amazing

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

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*

Friendly Fire

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.