Real Risk

West Coast Forensics, Book 3

De: Elle Keaton

Narrado por: Michael Dean

It's possible they're a match, but first the two men will have to survive trial by fire.

Chief Flynn is fighting smoke and flames, tirelessly protecting the lives and property of his fellow islanders from yet another spate of fires.

Arson or accident?

When injury puts him on the sidelines, West Coast Forensics Arson Investigator Kimball Frye offers his assistance. Frye is the most irritating man in the world, a condescending know-it-all who rubs Devon the wrong way.

Or does he?

Decades ago, an arsonist stole his family from him; since then, Frye has devoted his life to putting them behind bars. At 49, he doesn't believe in permanent relationships, instead preferring the company of interchangeable younger men.

Is the arsonist trying to shift the blame onto Devon or trying to kill him? If it's the latter, it just might work.

Feeling the pull of attraction to Devon as the firebug grows bolder is inconvenient. Will Kimball listen to his heart or his head? The younger men he's always preferred are nothing like the solid, stalwart fire chief.

#SlowBurn #OppositesAttract #LoveLaterInLife #ProtectiveHeros #Bickering #SlowSlowSlowBurn

Real Risk is the third in the West Coast Forensics series and can be listened to as a stand-alone but may be enjoyed more if you hear Real Trouble and Real Danger first. It is dual POV following Devon Flynn and Kimball Frye as they bicker and fumble their way to their happily ever after.

©2022 Dirty Dog Press LLC (P)2022 Dirty Dog Press

Exciting

This was suspenseful and exciting. The storyline was intriguing with lots of mystery. Loved the characters Devon and Kimball they are a wonderful couple. The narration was good. I am excited to listen to more.

Real Risk

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Review Copy of this book.

This part of the review is specific to the audiobook version (see below for the story review):
I thought Michael Dean did a really good job with this story. There was enough variation to the characters to make it easy to follow. The pacing was good and and the narrator has a nice even flow.

Below is my review for the book:
Devon and Kimball were great together. The banter between them was great and we get a chance to see them build a connection in this book. The arson plot was okay, but the romance is really the highlight of this book. I could understand why both of them had some issues with relationships, but I think it made the connection between them even better. It was the little moments between them that really showed the bond (really want to try those pineapple waffles!).

Devon's sister, Birdy, is amazing. Not only is she a great deputy (more based on the other books, but I still stand by it), but she manages to wrangle he overly stubborn big brother. I also really liked Foster (looking forward to his book!). I also getting to see some of the characters from previous stories, a great chance to catch up (even just a bit) with some favorites.

*I think this book is better if you've read the previous books and the Veiled Intentions series for the background and secondary characters, but it isn't required.

This one is on fire!

I loved listening to this audiobook about the hawt firemen! The storyline is interesting and intriguing. It left me wondering who did the deed. The appearances of characters from other books makes my day!

Older Romance

Every once in a while I get in the mood to read about an older romance, and this one was great. Devon Flynn, our fire chief is in his late thirties and working on a small island. His island has been racked with too many fires, so an investigator is called in. Kimball Frye, is in his late forties and is the investigator called in to help. These two know each other, so it wasn't hard to feel that the banter between the two was genuine. Devon would tease Kimball about his dating habits and Kimball would harp on Devon about his eating habits. What I really enjoyed was watching these two grow closer during the case. They didn't have an instalove romance and they were enemies to lovers. They were acquaintances that grew to deeply care for one another. Even with the arson case as the driving plot, we were still treated to moments of them connecting and enjoying each others company.

A simmering suspense.

When I first started this book, I thought I’d need to read the other two in the series first to understand it and enjoy it. I wished I would’ve, cause I’m anal like that, but it isn’t necessary. Man, these two liked to push each other’s buttons! It wasn’t so much an enemies to lovers deal, it was more like foreplay. The suspense was set at a simmer throughout the book. I kind of wish the climax could have been more suspenseful, but it was still very good. I look forward to reading the first two of the series now.

Michael Dean is one of my most favorite narrators. He is so talented and I just love his voice.