Reviews

Don't Judge is the fourth book in the Nothing Special series. I'm in LOVE with this series and these men. I've been listening to them in audio and Aiden Snow is so fanfreakingtastic I can't get enough! We've known Austin Michaels for a while and I love him! He's new to God and Day's team as their sniper. And he's yummy! He's been watching his team fall in love and be happy and he wants that. He wants someone to share his life with like all his friends do. Something goes wrong and a suspect gets away. God calls an old bounty hunter friend, Judge, for help. Michaels doesn't want help. Judge doesn’t want a partner. They don't like each other. At all. But their anger quickly turns to lust. As they are chasing their suspect, they get to spend extra time together. They are so hot and sexy together. Two alpha males fighting for dominance. Michaels has a softer side. He loves to cook and read romance novels! Judge is rough and tough, but he falls for Michaels. When Judge's family needs him, he runs. He's afraid of what he feels for Michaels and he just can't deal. He's going to have to beg and plead to get him back and I loved watching Judge beg! I loved this story! This is one of my favorite series' of all time and I wish I could listen to Aiden all day! I love the way he uses his gruff voice to show emotion. He's the perfect narrator for these sexy men. Overall, I loved every second of it. I laughed, got choked up, swooned, got hot and bothered and chuckled a lot. I loved seeing the whole team again and I can't wait to listen to more from this series!

whatcha_listening_to's review against another edition

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5.0

Oh lala, I am so glad Michael’s got his own book! I was hoping but I wasn’t sure.
I read the Promises series first so I wasn’t expecting Duke to be single or that he and Judge would have something going on that was odd. But I get it.

I completely understood Michael. We have to remember that in the older books he watched all these men find their love. 4 years is a long time to be single one offs just don’t do it when your surrounded by men who are out and openly in love. So I understood his anger.

I freaking loved how they both came together it was exactly what Michael needed but it was also what Judge needed. Man these two are HOT, I mean freaking HOT!!!

I really want Curtis and Gen to get a story!!!

The narration ooohhh weeee fans-self Aiden just gets better and better with each book.

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4.0

Re-listen #1. This is my least favorite of the series.

nephilimitless's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

We meet the Bounty Hunters. We get so much police action. We get forced proximity (a fave of mine). We get AE Via's perfect tension-building. We get Aiden Snow's flawless audiobook narration. And we get 2 absolute jerkwads to figure themselves out and take what they want, and MAN is it good.

reading_rainy's review against another edition

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4.0

This is the story about how a lonely (needs anger management) sniper and a moody (relationship avoider) bounty hunter fall in love.

It begins with Judge

Spoiler

having sex with om,

which was a mood killer. However the steam was ott alpha/alpha, all big muscles and hairy asses once he and Michaels got together. They were both incredibly turned on by how real and unprocessed the other was. It was sweet and a nice change from the groomed ideals we are often fed.

That end with God and Day!!

Audiobook read by the talented Aiden Snow. His voice acting makes this series.

lexee9's review against another edition

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4.0

I really enjoyed this story! It pulled me in from beginning to end and I loved getting to see Michaels come into his own and find his happy ending. We met Michaels in the last book in the series and at the end of that book, he got his chance to join God and Day's task force. This one takes us outside of Atlanta as they chase down a fugitive that escaped from the task force. I loved watching Michaels and Judge come together and figure things out. There was plenty to pull me in from beginning to end and truly hold my attention and engage me. I loved this and I can't wait for more in the series!
The narrator was fantastic with the voices and emotions and really bringing all of the characters to life, not just our two main men.

galleytrot's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

FIRST READ: Dec 2022
SECOND READ: Jan 2023
FORMAT: Audio

SUMMARY:

In this action/romance we leave the Atlanta PD for a bounty hunt. Michaels blames himself for letting a felon (and the drugs) get away during a narcotics bust, and when God calls in Judge to track the man down, Michaels volunteers to join to ensure a clean arrest. Judge doesn’t do partners, and Michaels just wants to get his man – neither expects for their infuriating company to develop into something more.

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 4.5 / 5 ⭐

This is a pretty standard enemies-to-lovers trope where the two main characters are immediately attracted to one another and aren’t exactly happy about it. The sexual tension is high from the start, and I was very into the chemistry between the two. Their relationship develops over the course of the hunt, with Judge acting as a willing outlet for Michaels’ frustrations and Michaels showing Judge that he’s capable of connecting with someone again, despite his past. The spice level between the two is perfectly up my alley and I was here for all of it.

I have to say about Michaels’ character – he is not the Michaels that we are introduced to in the previous book. He is depressed, he is anxious, he is alone, and he is chock full of pent-up emotions with only one way to get that cathartic release – through aggressive behaviour. I can see why some people may be turned off of his depiction in this book, but in my case... he is me. I can relate to Michaels in all the worst ways, and so I grabbed on to this story and its progression with an intensity that I can’t really describe. His despondence in both the first and third ‘acts’ of the book hit extremely close to home; I felt it deep in my soul.

TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 4 / 5⭐
This is the fourth installment of the “Nothing Special” series, the second series of Via’s that I have gone through. I don’t usually enjoy m/m romance series, because “Oops, All Gay!” takes me out of it in the worst way. This series is no exception – I simply can’t suspend my disbelief when everyone within a community just happens to be gay/bi/demi. If it’s established that they’re a community because of their orientations (e.g., they all previously connected to each other at a gay bar), then that’s one thing. This series is not that at all.

Despite that, I have greatly enjoyed each installment of this series so far, both for the characters represented and the stories they each tell; even if I might wish they could feel a bit more standalone. This particular installment gets some breathing room by taking the story onto the road and away from the department.

I listened to the “Nothing Special #1-5 box set” audiobook version of this, and it has introduced me to Aiden Snow as a narrator. I’m greatly taken by his performance, he does an excellent job with the spicier scenes, and his voices are versatile and distinct. Once I was done the whole box set, I immediately replayed “Don’t Judge” because I wanted to hear it again!

FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 4.25 / 5⭐

I recommend this book to anyone who might like their romance on the aggressive side between two Alpha Big Dogs with Something to Prove. If you like Via’s other works, there’s a good chance you’ll like this one, too. If you like canine sidekicks, this book does a (mostly) decent job of portraying the dog as a dog! That’s not praise I’m willing to give very often!

This book doesn’t offer much representation in diversity.

The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.

This book contains: struggles with depression and anger management; chronic/terminal illness leading to a death; physical brutality (fighting, use of brass knuckles, struggling against an attacker); the use of alcohol to numb the feels; gun violence (a given, as the main character is a marksman/sniper); and, the use of additional force against someone already in custody.

Content Warnings

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