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eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, this was a significant improvement on book 1. The story and writing was more coherent, and we got to know the characters better. I like them more now, both individually and together. Though Aidan did piss me off at times. The book flowed a lot better as well. That said, I'm not sure how many of Layla Reyne's books I'll be reading in the future. I'm not a fan of one-keeping-a-secret-from-the-other trope. And that's been present in both of Reyne's series I've read. I like the author, but I'll likely be selective about which of her books I pick up.
Now I'm gonna start the third book in this series because there was a cliffhanger, and I have no patience.
Now I'm gonna start the third book in this series because there was a cliffhanger, and I have no patience.
lollymac's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Infidelity, Outing, and Death
zaza_bdp's review against another edition
5.0
* 4.5/5 *
Ahlalalala mais c'était TROP bien !!! Pourquoi est-ce que je n'ai pas lu cette série plus tôt, hein ?
C'est un excellent RS, avec une enquête qui m'a davantage intéressée que celle du 1er tome. Bon ok, j'avoue que la résolution finale est un peu bancale et que certains éléments ne sont pas assez développés, mais, ça, c'est vraiment sur la fin. Le duo Irish/Whiskey bosse ici sous couverture, histoire de prendre de la distance avec San Francisco, et le terroriste qui les a dans leur ligne de mire.
Jamie reprend le chemin des terrains de basket, ici en tant que coach d'une équipe universitaire, afin de démanteler un trafic de paris clandestins qui pourrait compromettre les chances de l'équipe dans le championnat. Irish, lui, endosse le rôle de son agent et ami.
Pour Jamie, ce retour aux sources a un goût doux-amer, car il renoue avec son passé, et touche du doigt la vie qu'il aurait pu avoir s'il avait fait un choix différent toutes ces années auparavant. Une vie qu'il pourrait retrouver, en fait, et ça, Aidan en a peur.
Ils ont pris de la distance depuis la fin du 1er tome, et ici la romance n'a rien d'un long fleuve tranquille, bien au contraire. Aidan est encore trop meurtri par la perte de Gabe, et il a tellement peur de perdre Jamie qu'il se cantonne avec lui à une sorte de statu-quo douloureux. Franchement, à un moment donné du livre, j'ai détesté Aidan, même en voyant qu'il souffrait, j'avais envie de lui coller plusieurs paires de baffes, de le secouer comme un prunier, je ne pouvais pas croire à ce que je lisais ! Je cherchais une explication, même si je pouvais comprendre ses raisons, en même temps, ça me semblait tellement impensable, mais un détail me faisait tiquer ... En fait ça fait longtemps que je n'ai pas crié (littéralement) comme ça pendant une lecture ... Mais là Aidan franchement ... Les souffrances du couple m'ont retourné l'estomac, et certains moments m'ont vraiment bouleversée. LA scène que j'attendais m'a fait crier encore plus fort, j'ai vécu ça comme une libération, c'est incroyable comme parfois, on peut ressentir avec autant d'intensité les émotions des personnages ... Vraiment, j'adore ce couple, ils ont une rugosité qui me touche, ils sont à fleur de peau tous les deux, entre eux c'est chaud, intense, bouleversant ... Hormis peut-être la 1ère scène de ce tome, les scènes intimes ne sont pas "gratuites", elles arrivent toujours à un moment-clé de l'histoire, et pour nos hommes, l'intimité qu'ils partagent va vraiment au-delà d'un simple moment physique, c'est en quelque sorte la consécration de ce qu'ils ressentent l'un pour l'autre.
Sinon, côté intrigue, on retrouve également l'arc narratif concernant ce fameux terroriste, et c'est un double compte à rebours qui défile ici, et comme j'ai souffert pour Jamie, c'est tellement dur pour lui de garder pour lui ses secrets ... Ahlalala mon pauvre petit Whiskey, comme il m'a fait peine, tout au long de ce tome !
Bon alors là je crois que mon avis est vraiment parti dans tous les sens, mais ce qu'il faut en retenir, c'est que j'ai adoré ce bouquin, que côté romance c'est vraiment poignant, que l'intrigue principale est sympa et plus facile à suivre que celle du 1er tome.
Et cette fin de folie, on en parle ? Heureusement que le tome 3 est déjà sorti, sinon je pense que j'aurais vraiment perdu la boule ! Évidemment je me suis déjà jetée sur la suite, et je sais déjà que je vais avoir un p**tain de bookhangover dans les jours qui viennent !!
Ahlalalala mais c'était TROP bien !!! Pourquoi est-ce que je n'ai pas lu cette série plus tôt, hein ?
C'est un excellent RS, avec une enquête qui m'a davantage intéressée que celle du 1er tome. Bon ok, j'avoue que la résolution finale est un peu bancale et que certains éléments ne sont pas assez développés, mais, ça, c'est vraiment sur la fin. Le duo Irish/Whiskey bosse ici sous couverture, histoire de prendre de la distance avec San Francisco, et le terroriste qui les a dans leur ligne de mire.
Jamie reprend le chemin des terrains de basket, ici en tant que coach d'une équipe universitaire, afin de démanteler un trafic de paris clandestins qui pourrait compromettre les chances de l'équipe dans le championnat. Irish, lui, endosse le rôle de son agent et ami.
Pour Jamie, ce retour aux sources a un goût doux-amer, car il renoue avec son passé, et touche du doigt la vie qu'il aurait pu avoir s'il avait fait un choix différent toutes ces années auparavant. Une vie qu'il pourrait retrouver, en fait, et ça, Aidan en a peur.
Ils ont pris de la distance depuis la fin du 1er tome, et ici la romance n'a rien d'un long fleuve tranquille, bien au contraire. Aidan est encore trop meurtri par la perte de Gabe, et il a tellement peur de perdre Jamie qu'il se cantonne avec lui à une sorte de statu-quo douloureux. Franchement, à un moment donné du livre, j'ai détesté Aidan, même en voyant qu'il souffrait, j'avais envie de lui coller plusieurs paires de baffes, de le secouer comme un prunier, je ne pouvais pas croire à ce que je lisais ! Je cherchais une explication, même si je pouvais comprendre ses raisons, en même temps, ça me semblait tellement impensable, mais un détail me faisait tiquer ... En fait ça fait longtemps que je n'ai pas crié (littéralement) comme ça pendant une lecture ... Mais là Aidan franchement ... Les souffrances du couple m'ont retourné l'estomac, et certains moments m'ont vraiment bouleversée. LA scène que j'attendais m'a fait crier encore plus fort, j'ai vécu ça comme une libération, c'est incroyable comme parfois, on peut ressentir avec autant d'intensité les émotions des personnages ... Vraiment, j'adore ce couple, ils ont une rugosité qui me touche, ils sont à fleur de peau tous les deux, entre eux c'est chaud, intense, bouleversant ... Hormis peut-être la 1ère scène de ce tome, les scènes intimes ne sont pas "gratuites", elles arrivent toujours à un moment-clé de l'histoire, et pour nos hommes, l'intimité qu'ils partagent va vraiment au-delà d'un simple moment physique, c'est en quelque sorte la consécration de ce qu'ils ressentent l'un pour l'autre.
Sinon, côté intrigue, on retrouve également l'arc narratif concernant ce fameux terroriste, et c'est un double compte à rebours qui défile ici, et comme j'ai souffert pour Jamie, c'est tellement dur pour lui de garder pour lui ses secrets ... Ahlalala mon pauvre petit Whiskey, comme il m'a fait peine, tout au long de ce tome !
Bon alors là je crois que mon avis est vraiment parti dans tous les sens, mais ce qu'il faut en retenir, c'est que j'ai adoré ce bouquin, que côté romance c'est vraiment poignant, que l'intrigue principale est sympa et plus facile à suivre que celle du 1er tome.
Et cette fin de folie, on en parle ? Heureusement que le tome 3 est déjà sorti, sinon je pense que j'aurais vraiment perdu la boule ! Évidemment je me suis déjà jetée sur la suite, et je sais déjà que je vais avoir un p**tain de bookhangover dans les jours qui viennent !!
a_reader_obsessed's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
A solid sequel continuing 5 months later with Aidan and Jamie’s work partnership flourishing as they successfully solve cases, while Aidan remains under the impresssion that their “sex only” arrangement is keeping his heart safe.
What I liked:
You can’t help but smile when it comes to the hot loving these two always have a jonesing for. The chemistry is spot on if not just a tad bit OTT.
What niggled:
Rant time. I get it it. Aidan is hell bent on protecting his tender bruised heart. He’s convinced himself that if he doesn’t make the commitment out loud, if he isn’t monogamous (worriers should know that he does date around but never sleeps with anyone else), if he tells himself over and over again that being with Jamie is just “casual”, then he won’t and can’t get hurt ever again.
One. Love doesn’t work that way. Ever.
Two. Love doesn’t work that way. Ever.
What I hope for:
This ends with the imploding truth that Jamie has been keeping from Aidan regarding his dead husband, and it remains to be seen what the consequences are to his and Aidan’s future. These sorts of conflicts are not typically things I enjoy in my romance but again, all plausible, all understandable. I’m definitely looking forward to the bad guy, who has caused so much hurt and continues to cause so much damage in his wake, get his much needed comeuppance. We will see what the repercussions are and how deep the rabbit hole goes.
So, in between the main mystery that is driving this trilogy this still delivers on some great, albeit frustrating, romantic smexy! Off to the finale!
A solid sequel continuing 5 months later with Aidan and Jamie’s work partnership flourishing as they successfully solve cases, while Aidan remains under the impresssion that their “sex only” arrangement is keeping his heart safe.
What I liked:
You can’t help but smile when it comes to the hot loving these two always have a jonesing for. The chemistry is spot on if not just a tad bit OTT.
What niggled:
Rant time. I get it it. Aidan is hell bent on protecting his tender bruised heart. He’s convinced himself that if he doesn’t make the commitment out loud, if he isn’t monogamous (worriers should know that he does date around but never sleeps with anyone else), if he tells himself over and over again that being with Jamie is just “casual”, then he won’t and can’t get hurt ever again.
One. Love doesn’t work that way. Ever.
Two. Love doesn’t work that way. Ever.
What I hope for:
This ends with the imploding truth that Jamie has been keeping from Aidan regarding his dead husband, and it remains to be seen what the consequences are to his and Aidan’s future. These sorts of conflicts are not typically things I enjoy in my romance but again, all plausible, all understandable. I’m definitely looking forward to the bad guy, who has caused so much hurt and continues to cause so much damage in his wake, get his much needed comeuppance. We will see what the repercussions are and how deep the rabbit hole goes.
So, in between the main mystery that is driving this trilogy this still delivers on some great, albeit frustrating, romantic smexy! Off to the finale!
jagiaquinto's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVE THIS SERIES! I can not stop reading it! I listened to a solid 11 chapters in 1 day doing baking for Thanksgiving. I am obsessed with Aidan and Jamie's stories. (hell all the stories have left me obsessed!) I am dreading the fall out that is coming, but I know things will end up right. At least I hope so given what I know about the series!
Update: Still love this! And I am STILL dreading the fallout! I don't want to keep reading but I know things turn out ok... and I've already read Barrel Proof so I want to read that one again so I have read the whole (currently out) series!
Update: Still love this! And I am STILL dreading the fallout! I don't want to keep reading but I know things turn out ok... and I've already read Barrel Proof so I want to read that one again so I have read the whole (currently out) series!
divapitbull's review against another edition
3.0
Cask Strength picks up exactly where Single Malt left off. Aiden and Jamie are continuing to investigate -on the down low – Renaud; the terrorist who’s tied to the suspected murders of Aiden’s husband and his former partner Tom. Jamie- unbeknownst to Aiden is doing more undercover investigating at the behest of Special Agent in Charge Cruz – Aiden’s sister in law – who isn’t sure Aiden is ready to handle the information that her brother – his deceased husband, had ties to Renaud and may have set into motion the chain of events that resulted in his and Tom’s deaths. Gonna be ugly when he finds out…. except that I’m not entirely sure that Aiden’s going to have the right to play the betrayal card.
Once again, I have an Aiden issue. He’s accepted that he feels something for Jaime that he isn’t willing to give up and has come to terms with the loss of his husband…. but now he’s determined to “keep it casual”. Not in a grown up “let’s take it slow” way; but in a douche-nozzle “I’m going to let you think I’ve reverted back to my old tom-catting ways and throw all my dates in your face” way. I wanted to gut him with a dull steak knife. He was a selfish, self-absorbed coward. Willing to hurt the person he claims to have feelings for, maybe even loves because he’s too scared to live and risk loss. The only thing that saved him was that when he finally got his shit together and came clean – he pretty much said exactly that.
It’s a shame that his douche-nozzleness almost ruined for me his undercover transformation. Aiden and Jamie are getting too close to Renaud and SAC Cruz suggests an out of town case to make it look like they’re barking up a different tree. Jaime is going back to his roots – undercover as himself, a former FBI agent and now a Charlotte University Assistant Basketball coach - to investigate online sports betting used as a means of identity theft. Aiden is going along as Ian Daley his sports agent. Aiden loses the 3-piece suits in favor of jeans and leather, gives up the blond dye job in favor of his natural red and gives free reign to his Irish brogue. I was picturing a young Micky Rourke circa A Prayer for the Dying – which would have been nice except that his douche-nozzleness put a damper on things.
The sports betting story was reasonably interesting. The relationship was “meh” courtesy of douche-nozzle – apparently, I don’t get over things as easily as Jamie. Danny - Aiden’s brother and SAC Cruz (Mel to her friends) are back as likable secondary characters. The Renaud story heats up and it looks like there’s going to be betrayals all over the place…. or at least as far as the (SPOILER ALERT) histrionic Talley men are concerned…but that’s a story for the final installment.
Once again, I have an Aiden issue. He’s accepted that he feels something for Jaime that he isn’t willing to give up and has come to terms with the loss of his husband…. but now he’s determined to “keep it casual”. Not in a grown up “let’s take it slow” way; but in a douche-nozzle “I’m going to let you think I’ve reverted back to my old tom-catting ways and throw all my dates in your face” way. I wanted to gut him with a dull steak knife. He was a selfish, self-absorbed coward. Willing to hurt the person he claims to have feelings for, maybe even loves because he’s too scared to live and risk loss. The only thing that saved him was that when he finally got his shit together and came clean – he pretty much said exactly that.
It’s a shame that his douche-nozzleness almost ruined for me his undercover transformation. Aiden and Jamie are getting too close to Renaud and SAC Cruz suggests an out of town case to make it look like they’re barking up a different tree. Jaime is going back to his roots – undercover as himself, a former FBI agent and now a Charlotte University Assistant Basketball coach - to investigate online sports betting used as a means of identity theft. Aiden is going along as Ian Daley his sports agent. Aiden loses the 3-piece suits in favor of jeans and leather, gives up the blond dye job in favor of his natural red and gives free reign to his Irish brogue. I was picturing a young Micky Rourke circa A Prayer for the Dying – which would have been nice except that his douche-nozzleness put a damper on things.
The sports betting story was reasonably interesting. The relationship was “meh” courtesy of douche-nozzle – apparently, I don’t get over things as easily as Jamie. Danny - Aiden’s brother and SAC Cruz (Mel to her friends) are back as likable secondary characters. The Renaud story heats up and it looks like there’s going to be betrayals all over the place…. or at least as far as the (SPOILER ALERT) histrionic Talley men are concerned…but that’s a story for the final installment.
wildfaeriecaps's review against another edition
5.0
So much emotion in this one. I spent so long wanting to shake Aiden violently. And poor Jamie is stuck in an impossible position. UGH. But hot damn, did this book keep me turning pages. I couldn't find it in my heart to care even a bit about basketball and yet there I was, totally invested in Jamie and the Ravens. And that ending? Daaaaaaamn. Which is to say that yes, I've already started book three.
sauriemilia's review against another edition
5.0
This is an incredible sequel to an amazing story. Layla keeps weaving Irish and Whiskey's story bringing and new case while giving insight into the depths of our leads motivations. Things get steamier as mystery unfolds and the new found relationship is hanging by a thread. Action, romance, and red hot moments galore!
bookish_notes's review against another edition
4.0
Whiskey and Irish are back, and the stakes are higher than ever. After an explosive end to Single Malt (both figuratively and a bit literally), Whiskey and Irish are at a standstill.
Their sex life is hot, but things are casual. Aidan is terrified of getting close to Jamie, the remnants of his past still keeping him from turning their heart eyes and feelings into a permanent relationship. And Jamie's okay with that, or so he tells himself. He knows that Aidan meets up with other guys when he's not with Jamie, but Jamie doesn't want to mess up what they have by telling Aidan he's falling for him. No, instead we have two very stubborn men who keep their feelings bottled up inside.
At the FBI, Aidan and Jamie are at the top of their game, but not much closer to finding out who, or why, Aidan, his husband, and his FBI partner were targeted months earlier. The case is moving slowly, and just when they start closing in on the truth, someone stops them from getting too close.
Jamie's been called to go undercover in the one position where no one would suspect him to be undercover, by returning back home to a D2 college to help coach their men's basketball team. The case revolves around betting on the basketball players and both Aidan and Jamie have only days to find out who at the college might be behind it.
I thought this case was easier to follow than the one in Single Malt. Each of the characters are fleshed out a bit more in this story, so when a name comes up as a possible suspect, I didn't have to go hunt down who that person was. I loved the undercover aspect of this story, because we got to see glimpses of a very charming Jamie in front of the camera and the person he might have been in those early days where he wasn't Agent Walker, and was just Whiskey Walker, basketball star. One thing I would love, is if there's an audiobook planned for this, is for there to be a narrator who can pull off Jamie's Southern drawl and Aidan's heavy Irish accent he uses for his undercover role as a sports agent for Jamie.
There are a few characters from Single Malt who make some appearances in this book, those who actually had significant roles in the first book, or those who were just simply mentioned in passing. I think the romance storyline is weaved into the story more than in Single Malt, and I enjoyed reading every bit of Aidan and Jamie's story.
Cask Strength does end with a very shocking cliffhanger that will leave you questioning everything you ever read in this series so far. I'm just beside myself that book three, Barrel Proof, isn't out yet for me to snatch up and read immediately. Cask Strength is out May 1, 2017 and is an exhilarating, edge-of-your-seat read!
***Thanks to Carina Press for providing me an ARC through NetGalley***
Their sex life is hot, but things are casual. Aidan is terrified of getting close to Jamie, the remnants of his past still keeping him from turning their heart eyes and feelings into a permanent relationship. And Jamie's okay with that, or so he tells himself. He knows that Aidan meets up with other guys when he's not with Jamie, but Jamie doesn't want to mess up what they have by telling Aidan he's falling for him. No, instead we have two very stubborn men who keep their feelings bottled up inside.
Walker's visible disappointment stung, but the burn was a necessary reminder not to get attached. No attachment meant no loss. Aidan was having a wee bit o'fun and aligning a blockade of other men - his last line of defense - against anything serious, anything heart and life shattering, with Walker.
Casual. They were just fucking around.
Liar.
At the FBI, Aidan and Jamie are at the top of their game, but not much closer to finding out who, or why, Aidan, his husband, and his FBI partner were targeted months earlier. The case is moving slowly, and just when they start closing in on the truth, someone stops them from getting too close.
Jamie's been called to go undercover in the one position where no one would suspect him to be undercover, by returning back home to a D2 college to help coach their men's basketball team. The case revolves around betting on the basketball players and both Aidan and Jamie have only days to find out who at the college might be behind it.
I thought this case was easier to follow than the one in Single Malt. Each of the characters are fleshed out a bit more in this story, so when a name comes up as a possible suspect, I didn't have to go hunt down who that person was. I loved the undercover aspect of this story, because we got to see glimpses of a very charming Jamie in front of the camera and the person he might have been in those early days where he wasn't Agent Walker, and was just Whiskey Walker, basketball star. One thing I would love, is if there's an audiobook planned for this, is for there to be a narrator who can pull off Jamie's Southern drawl and Aidan's heavy Irish accent he uses for his undercover role as a sports agent for Jamie.
There are a few characters from Single Malt who make some appearances in this book, those who actually had significant roles in the first book, or those who were just simply mentioned in passing. I think the romance storyline is weaved into the story more than in Single Malt, and I enjoyed reading every bit of Aidan and Jamie's story.
Cask Strength does end with a very shocking cliffhanger that will leave you questioning everything you ever read in this series so far. I'm just beside myself that book three, Barrel Proof, isn't out yet for me to snatch up and read immediately. Cask Strength is out May 1, 2017 and is an exhilarating, edge-of-your-seat read!
***Thanks to Carina Press for providing me an ARC through NetGalley***