Thin Ice

Pine Cove, Book 6

By: HJ Welch

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Kamran’s ex broke his heart, tricked him into aiding a bank robbery, and now he wants him to do one last job. There’s only one way to say no: Seek the protective custody of the biggest, grumpiest FBI agent ever. And pretend to be his boyfriend for a weeklong family reunion in their giant mansion. Wait, what?

Agent Lee Marshall is notoriously all work and no play. Letting a flirty, hot-as-sin playboy like Kamran get under his skin is not an option. He has to protect him, not hook up with him. But pretending they’re an item for a week? That couldn’t hurt....

Kamran swore he’d never love again, but Lee will do anything to keep him out of harm’s way. Maybe there’s a teddy bear heart under the hunky FBI agent’s gruff exterior, and Kamran is the only one who can tease it out. What started out fake becomes all too real, but when Kamran’s past catches up to him, Lee must risk everything to save him.

Book six of Pine Cove. Thin Ice is a steamy stand-alone MM romance novel with a guaranteed HEA and absolutely no cliff-hanger.

©2021 HJ Welch (P)2021 HJ Welch

Fantastic Story & Narration🎧 Gripping & Delightful

I loved everything about this book, from HJ Welch’s wonderful writing style to the amazing characters and storylines she created to the fabulous narration performed by Nick J. Russo. This is the sixth book set in Pine Cove, like the other books in the series it stands on its own. I am a late comer to the series since I started with the third book and as soon as I finished that book I put the first three in my wishlist and will catch up with the earlier books soon. Ms. Welch makes it easy to fall in love with her characters, and Kamran Amir and Lee Marshall are no exception. Kamran is full of personality he knows how to put on a show and hides his insecurities well. He made a huge mistake getting involved with Chaz Bolt, his now ex boyfriend. Chaz is a dirt bag who manipulates people to get what he wants. He used Kamran for his driving skills and it hurt Kamran to find this out. When Chaz approaches him with another proposition, Kamran wants nothing to do with him or his offer. Lee Marshall, an FBI agent working out of the Seattle office, he is a workaholic aiming for a promotion. He is finally taking time off to visit his family in Pine Cove when his boss calls him with a lead in a bank robbery case and the person of interest in Pine Cove. With the promotion within his reach, Lee agrees to go talk to Kamran and tracked him down in the club. Their first encounter was interesting, especially what, or rather, who Kamran was in between. Lee did not get any useful info from Kamran, but Kamran’s ex did not know that and sent a few goons to for him, he managed to escape. Fearing for his life, he felt he needed to call the big, bad FBI agent for protection. Instead of cancelling his family plans, Lee brings him along, Kamran will be safe at his family’s home and Lee can keep him close to protect him and get more info out of him. The best way for this to work is to introduce him to his family as his boyfriend. I just loved how everything played out in this book, the story is fabulously plotted with plenty of drama, a tough of angst, some humor, some twists and turns, action, thrilling and suspenseful moments, heartfelt emotions and what starts as a fake relationship turns not only real but really hot too. HJ Welch, thank you for another awesome story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the exceptional narration, Nick J. Russo is perfectly casted to bring these characters and their story to life. He has a complete understanding of the characters he portrays, giving each a voice that fits that character’s persona to a tee, sounding believable and just as I picture the character to sound. He sets the perfect tone for the story, captures all the character’s emotions and projects them into his performance. Russo is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another awesome listen.

Protect me in your arms and your heart

Another juicy love story in our cozy Pine Cove town, I have been waiting for Kamran’s story for a long time already. So I’m very happy that he finally got his own happily ever after.

Kamran had been leading a fairly normal life until his scumbag of an ex turned up and threatened him with the only black spot in his life, helping him do another crime as one last time. Kamran obviously didn’t want to turn up in jail or help his ex commit his crime so he has no other choice but ask for the help from authorities. And a very sexy and handsome FBI agent always shining knight in amor came rescuing him while also introducing him to his family as his boyfriend as a part of their ruse. What could possibly go wrong when our work focused and serious FBI agent Lee finally fell in love with his ward Kamran who’s flirty and witty.

This is quite thrilling and exciting and at the same time romantic and fluffy. I really loved the interactions between Lee, Kamran and their families and the final confrontation with Kamran’s douchebag ex. If you are looking for cozy small town romances, pine cove series and HJ Welch is definitely the right author for you. And NJR is definitely the right narrator for this wonderful series.

4.5 protect me in your arms and your heart stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫


Audio rating

Story - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Performance - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall - 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Totally Amazing!

Love this story, it may just be my favorite in this wonderful series so far, Karan and Lee are sheer perfection together and although it was a rocky and unconventional start, I absolutely love the way their relationship develops. There is so much more to Karan than I ever would have thought and Lee is the perfect match for him. They truly bring out the best in one another, The narrator did a spectacular interpretation of the story and performed the characters flawlessly. I voluntarily reviewed a gifted copy of this audio book.

Enjoyed!

Thin Ice is a wonderful addition to the Pine Cove series. Nick J. Russo does a terrific job of bringing this story to life. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook.
Lee and Kamran appear to be as opposite as can be. When they find themselves keeping company they realize maybe there is more there than they thought.
Lee, a workaholic, and Kamran is just the guy to help him relax and enjoy life a bit more than he has been.
With family, exes and life causing problems they turn to each other and sparks fly!
I enjoyed this book and the entire series very much!

Great new addition to the series

I have followed this series from the first book and this new addition is just as great as the rest of the series.

Kamran and Lee's Fake-Boyfriends Love Story

‘Thin Ice’ was given to me as a free ARC after I requested a copy. This voluntary review will express some of my thoughts and opinions after having listened to it. Even though it is a later book in the ‘Pine Cove’ series, I think it stands alone well. I’ve read a couple of previous books and can attest that those books are well worth a read too.

Kamran’s past comes to town in the form of ex-boyfriend Chaz Bolt, who tries to coerce Kamran into repeating a criminal mistake from the time when they were together. Lee, an FBI agent on his way to his family’s Pine Cove estate, interviews Kamron hoping to get information to put Bolt behind bars. When Kamran find himself in danger, he seeks protection from Lee. This is the set-up for a delightful fake-boyfriends scenario.

This story features a few tropes, the most prominent being the aforementioned fake-boyfriends. Lee and Kamran have just met when posing as boyfriends becomes the easiest way for Lee to protect Kamran. Other trope-y goodness includes: a sorta-slow-burn mixed with insta-love (you’ll see what I mean); opposites-attract; close-proximity; and a protector/man-in-peril romantic suspense. Welch combines all of this into a true-to-life story filled with the love and joy of finding the one person that gives meaning and completeness to life.

I sometimes mention the sexy times in my reviews when I think they’re particularly well-written into the story itself. Without being graphic or spoiler-y, I’ll attempt to explain. The steamy scenes feel completely appropriate to the overall story that Welch is telling. These scenes progress in a way that matches the emotional level of Lee and Kamran’s relationship.

Seeing Nick J Russo as narrator enticed me in equal measure as the story by Welch. Russo is one of just a few voice performers that get an instant click from me. His ability to convey the style and emotion of an author’s story is superior to most others. ‘Thin Ice’ is no exception; it's brilliantly voiced by Russo.

Highly recommended.

Interesting Sunday Afternoon Listen

This has an interesting concept/troupe; FBI agent and getaway driver from a bank robbery. Kamran needs protection and Lee is up for the challenge, after he’s the one to accidentally get him in more trouble with his ex. They have an instant connection in certain areas, but takes effort on others. Lee don’t have the best relationship with his family and Kamran helps bring Lee happiness.

The narrator was good, but slow. I had to speed up my listening speed, but I know that’s only for some people. I haven’t listen to Nick J. Russo much, but he was enjoyable and I had no issues with telling characters apart like with some. I would listen to him again.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and the narrator really brought the story to life. I do enjoy HJ Welch ID many in many of her novels. I like her writing. It’s that type of novel that you read/listen to on a Sunday afternoon to relax, which is exactly what I did.

*Listener Note: I received a free copy of this audiobook through Gay Romance Reviews (GRR) and this is my honest review.

Fake Boyfriends Romance with Some Suspense

FBI Agent Lee and witness Kamran are thrown together after the case against Kamron's bad news ex-boyfriend takes a dangerous turn. Determined to keep Kam safe, Lee takes him under protection as they pose as fake boyfriends at Lee's weeklong family reunion and the two grow steadily closer until the line between a real and fake relationship is blurred while outside threats linger.

I enjoyed the slow-build of feelings and trust between Lee and Kam as they gradually let their guards down around each other, and their steamy times are also sweet. The reappearance of Kam's ex toward the end adds some welcome heightened suspense to the story. Lee's grandmother is also a delight, but his disapproving father and brother are a bit OTT terrible.

Narrator Nick J. Russo is always a pleasure to listen to, and he gives a solid performance here with distinct voices, especially for Kamran. I received this free review copy audio book by request and have left this honest review voluntarily.

Fun Fake to real

This is a fun addition to the series. We don't really get to see much of previous characters but are introduced to some new ones. There's a bit of mystery involved of course because it involves Kam. Overall I enjoyed the story and Russo made it pretty entertaining to listen to.

Excellent!! Loved Kamran and Lee!!

Sooo good!! Kamran’s ex tricked him into being a getaway driver in a bank robbery. He ran to Pine Cove to hide and lick his wounds. Lee is an FBI agent on the rise, he’s come one to Pine Cove for his parent’s 40th wedding anniversary. He finds out that Kamran is in Pine Cove and might be able to help him bring down his ex. This was sooo good!! I loved the fake boyfriend troupe in this one. Low angst and plenty of hot and steamy times! A little bit of danger and suspense thrown in make a great story!! Nick J Russo did a great job with the narration!!