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bookschaosnart's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful conclusion to the series and a great intro to Cam and Nic who have become my favorites. the audio book is one of the few I can listen to.
eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this series, and its ending, more than the Fog City trilogy. This had a grounded feeling to it while the other was more action-and-angst-heavy. I liked the focus on the characters. Also, Jamie is so great. And I loved how maturely he and Aidan handled things when it finally came out about the secrets Jamie had been keeping. The way the series ended was really good. And I liked that it set up a spin-off without taking any focus off the current protagonists.
I'm not sure if I'll end up reading the spin-off, but I'm definitely tempted. Despite saying, literally two days ago, about having doubts about reading more of the author's works. I have so little willpower when it comes to books...
I'm not sure if I'll end up reading the spin-off, but I'm definitely tempted. Despite saying, literally two days ago, about having doubts about reading more of the author's works. I have so little willpower when it comes to books...
gillianw's review against another edition
5.0
Reviewed for Just Love
4.5 stars
“I can’t, Whiskey.” I can’t do this.”
Say it ain’t so, Irish!
After a superbly exciting, action-packed opening chapter – that starts almost immediately after the events of Cask Strength – our favourite agents in love, Aidan “Irish” Talley and Jameson “Whiskey” Walker, are on the outs. Aidan has discovered that not only has his best friend, Mel, been keeping secrets from him, so has his lover and partner, Jamie – the man he trust above everyone else.
After finally getting his act together and declaring his love for Jamie, this revelation understandably rocks Aidan on his heels. Even after almost losing Jamie while pursuing the mysterious Renaud, Aidan is desperate to put some much needed time and space between him and the man he loves, looking to get a hold of his feelings of anger and betrayal before he reaches the point of no return.
Cradling his face, Jamie swiped a thumb over the corner of his grim smile. “I love you too, I know your kiss, and I know what goodbye tastes like.”
Aidan framed his face in both hands. “As much as I love you, I’m angry as hell. At you, at Mel, at Gabe, I need to get away from everything for a while. I want to be able to come home to you,” he said. “If I stay, my anger will ruin this.”
Temporarily separated, Jamie stays back to continue his investigation of Renaud and recover from a broken leg, while Aidan is offered the chance to go undercover as a Legal Compliance Officer for an investment firm, looking into possible investor fraud. But six weeks into his stint, both Jamie and Aidan are shocked to learn that Renaud may be a lot to closer to them than they think – and he’s headed straight for Aidan.
Barrel Proof was probably the most emotional book in the series, with both men coming to terms not only with the secrets that have been hidden and withheld, but what it means to truly be partners. Along with this comes the realization that the dangerous Renaud will stop at nothing to ensure his end-game is successful, even if it means that no one is truly safe until he can be stopped.
I loved everything about this book. Not only was it fast-paced and action-packed, it finally gets to the bottom of Aidan’s late husband’s involvement with Renaud and how it spun out of control to include both Aidan’s former partner, and Aidan himself. In addition, the emotional element I mentioned above provides a truly lovely and fitting HEA for Jamie and Aidan, something we’ve all been looking forward to since their first dance at the Tavern.
All in all, this was a very satisfying conclusion to the Irish & Whiskey series. Maybe, if we’re lucky, we’ll see a little more of these guys when the author writes that Cam and Nic book I desperately want (yes, I’m looking at you Layla Reyne!).
4.5 stars
“I can’t, Whiskey.” I can’t do this.”
Say it ain’t so, Irish!
After a superbly exciting, action-packed opening chapter – that starts almost immediately after the events of Cask Strength – our favourite agents in love, Aidan “Irish” Talley and Jameson “Whiskey” Walker, are on the outs. Aidan has discovered that not only has his best friend, Mel, been keeping secrets from him, so has his lover and partner, Jamie – the man he trust above everyone else.
After finally getting his act together and declaring his love for Jamie, this revelation understandably rocks Aidan on his heels. Even after almost losing Jamie while pursuing the mysterious Renaud, Aidan is desperate to put some much needed time and space between him and the man he loves, looking to get a hold of his feelings of anger and betrayal before he reaches the point of no return.
Cradling his face, Jamie swiped a thumb over the corner of his grim smile. “I love you too, I know your kiss, and I know what goodbye tastes like.”
Aidan framed his face in both hands. “As much as I love you, I’m angry as hell. At you, at Mel, at Gabe, I need to get away from everything for a while. I want to be able to come home to you,” he said. “If I stay, my anger will ruin this.”
Temporarily separated, Jamie stays back to continue his investigation of Renaud and recover from a broken leg, while Aidan is offered the chance to go undercover as a Legal Compliance Officer for an investment firm, looking into possible investor fraud. But six weeks into his stint, both Jamie and Aidan are shocked to learn that Renaud may be a lot to closer to them than they think – and he’s headed straight for Aidan.
Barrel Proof was probably the most emotional book in the series, with both men coming to terms not only with the secrets that have been hidden and withheld, but what it means to truly be partners. Along with this comes the realization that the dangerous Renaud will stop at nothing to ensure his end-game is successful, even if it means that no one is truly safe until he can be stopped.
I loved everything about this book. Not only was it fast-paced and action-packed, it finally gets to the bottom of Aidan’s late husband’s involvement with Renaud and how it spun out of control to include both Aidan’s former partner, and Aidan himself. In addition, the emotional element I mentioned above provides a truly lovely and fitting HEA for Jamie and Aidan, something we’ve all been looking forward to since their first dance at the Tavern.
All in all, this was a very satisfying conclusion to the Irish & Whiskey series. Maybe, if we’re lucky, we’ll see a little more of these guys when the author writes that Cam and Nic book I desperately want (yes, I’m looking at you Layla Reyne!).
zaza_bdp's review against another edition
4.0
*4.25/5 *
Snif, j'ai terminé mon marathon Irish & Whiskey ! J'ai enchaîné les trois tomes coup sur coup et là, j'ai un méchant bookhangover, mon dieu que la descente après un tel plaisir de lecture est rude ! Le fait d'avoir été complètement immergée dans cet univers pendant 3-4 jours fait que le retour à la réalité est difficile, et les personnages me manquent déjà énormément (et j'ai déjà relu plusieurs fois des passages dans les trois livres ... je suis gravement mordue !).
Donc ... Ce 3ème tome enchaîne directement sur la suite des évènements de la fin du tome 2, le 1er chapitre ne laisse aucun répit, ni au lecteur, ni aux personnages, qui en prennent ici plein la poire ! C'est aussi au cours de ce chapitre que mon coeur s'est brisé, pour la 1ère fois dans ce tome (et pas la dernière !), lorsqu'Aidan découvre de façon fortuite ce que Jamie lui cache depuis des mois.
J'ai vraiment aimé la façon dont l'auteur explore cette difficulté pour Aidan de pardonner, sa prise de distance est terriblement douloureuse, mais elle est pleine de sens, et Layla Reyne traite vraiment bien toute cette partie. Les épreuves que traverse ce couple donnent un côté réaliste à leur histoire, les écueils ne sont pas franchis avec facilité, ils souffrent, tous les deux.
La romance est heurtée, difficile, et ces 'I can't' de Aidan ont bien failli me tuer ! Une de leurs scènes intime m'a d'ailleurs bouleversée, j'avais une grosse boule dans la gorge en la lisant (et j'ai même chouiné en la relisant ...), tant on sent la force des sentiments qu'ils se portent, mais, que pour autant, ce n'est pas si simple, comme dirait l'autre. Jamie & Aidan m'ont beaucoup touchée, j'ai adoré leur complicité, la force de leur amour, ce lien qui, même lorsqu'il ne tient plus qu'à un fil, résiste. J'ai aimé leur maturité, j'aime toujours les histoires où les personnages sont + âgés que la moyenne, ont de la bouteille comme on dit, et ont un vécu qui leur donne du relief, une vraie épaisseur en tant que personnage. Ils entrent dans le club assez fermé de mes couples préférés, et comme je l'ai dit plus haut, ils me manquent déjà ! Je me garde bien au chaud la nouvelle que Layla Reyne a consacré à ce couple pour clore cette série, et j'espère bien croiser Irish & Whiskey dans le spin-off, que j'ai hâte de lire, mais je vais quand même essayer d'attendre avant de mettre le nez dedans.
Et sinon, l'intrigue principale suit son cours et l'étau se resserre progressivement autour du grand méchant de cette série, Layla Reyne réussit brillamment son pari, car les scènes s'enchaînent, et il y a certaines choses que je n'ai pas du tout vu venir. Le bémol, c'est que, comme dans les 2 autres tomes, il reste des questions sans réponse à la fin, tout est ficelé un peu trop vite à mon goût. Les scènes d'actions sont réussies, on a l'impression de les voir se dérouler devant nos yeux, et le combo action/geekerie m'a beaucoup plu, même si l'abondance de sigles rendait la lecture parfois compliquée.
Enfin bon voilà, je me sens bien bête maintenant que c'est fini, je me sens un peu perdue, un peu seule aussi, et je n'ai qu'une envie, relire tous les tomes pour les retrouver ...
Snif, j'ai terminé mon marathon Irish & Whiskey ! J'ai enchaîné les trois tomes coup sur coup et là, j'ai un méchant bookhangover, mon dieu que la descente après un tel plaisir de lecture est rude ! Le fait d'avoir été complètement immergée dans cet univers pendant 3-4 jours fait que le retour à la réalité est difficile, et les personnages me manquent déjà énormément (et j'ai déjà relu plusieurs fois des passages dans les trois livres ... je suis gravement mordue !).
Donc ... Ce 3ème tome enchaîne directement sur la suite des évènements de la fin du tome 2, le 1er chapitre ne laisse aucun répit, ni au lecteur, ni aux personnages, qui en prennent ici plein la poire ! C'est aussi au cours de ce chapitre que mon coeur s'est brisé, pour la 1ère fois dans ce tome (et pas la dernière !), lorsqu'Aidan découvre de façon fortuite ce que Jamie lui cache depuis des mois.
J'ai vraiment aimé la façon dont l'auteur explore cette difficulté pour Aidan de pardonner, sa prise de distance est terriblement douloureuse, mais elle est pleine de sens, et Layla Reyne traite vraiment bien toute cette partie. Les épreuves que traverse ce couple donnent un côté réaliste à leur histoire, les écueils ne sont pas franchis avec facilité, ils souffrent, tous les deux.
Spoiler
Même si mon petit coeur fragile a été mis à rude épreuve, j'ai trouvé ça beau qu'Aidan s'éloigne, parce qu'en fait, s'il ne le faisait pas, le ressentiment et la colère tuerait son amour pour Jamie.La romance est heurtée, difficile, et ces 'I can't' de Aidan ont bien failli me tuer ! Une de leurs scènes intime m'a d'ailleurs bouleversée, j'avais une grosse boule dans la gorge en la lisant (et j'ai même chouiné en la relisant ...), tant on sent la force des sentiments qu'ils se portent, mais, que pour autant, ce n'est pas si simple, comme dirait l'autre. Jamie & Aidan m'ont beaucoup touchée, j'ai adoré leur complicité, la force de leur amour, ce lien qui, même lorsqu'il ne tient plus qu'à un fil, résiste. J'ai aimé leur maturité, j'aime toujours les histoires où les personnages sont + âgés que la moyenne, ont de la bouteille comme on dit, et ont un vécu qui leur donne du relief, une vraie épaisseur en tant que personnage. Ils entrent dans le club assez fermé de mes couples préférés, et comme je l'ai dit plus haut, ils me manquent déjà ! Je me garde bien au chaud la nouvelle que Layla Reyne a consacré à ce couple pour clore cette série, et j'espère bien croiser Irish & Whiskey dans le spin-off, que j'ai hâte de lire, mais je vais quand même essayer d'attendre avant de mettre le nez dedans.
Et sinon, l'intrigue principale suit son cours et l'étau se resserre progressivement autour du grand méchant de cette série, Layla Reyne réussit brillamment son pari, car les scènes s'enchaînent, et il y a certaines choses que je n'ai pas du tout vu venir. Le bémol, c'est que, comme dans les 2 autres tomes, il reste des questions sans réponse à la fin, tout est ficelé un peu trop vite à mon goût. Les scènes d'actions sont réussies, on a l'impression de les voir se dérouler devant nos yeux, et le combo action/geekerie m'a beaucoup plu, même si l'abondance de sigles rendait la lecture parfois compliquée.
Enfin bon voilà, je me sens bien bête maintenant que c'est fini, je me sens un peu perdue, un peu seule aussi, et je n'ai qu'une envie, relire tous les tomes pour les retrouver ...
"Partners, Whiskey, always."
Jamie smiled as he repeated thr vow back to him : "Partners, Irish, always."
a_reader_obsessed's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Finale Stars
This is a solid trilogy that takes all three books to solve the central mystery!
What I liked:
Jaime is a standout character here for me. Reyne has depicted him to perfection. He’s made some mistakes but foremost is his devotion and loyalty to Aidan. Aidan finally realizes that love is worth the risk and potential pain, and despite Jamie not telling him all the truth from the beginning, Aidan realizes around the 50% mark that it’s just not worth it to remain angry and deny himself another chance at happiness. Fucking finally!
What niggled:
Not much this time around. If you like age gap, second chance romance, with separation, and plenty of internal turmoil, then I think as witnessed by the many reviews praising all three books, one will have no problem loving this series. Though I personally find secrets and denying one’s feelings a bit tiresome, the ultimate payoff was a good one.
So I’m impressed with myself for accomplishing this series pretty much in one go. It was entertaining, and it kept me on my toes with the varied cases Aidan and Jamie work on, showcasing their skill and dedication to the job and to each other. Again, this is all set against the backdrop of the bigger story arc of taking down an international terrorist who in his personal quest for revenge, is eliminating those who’ve gotten in his way, including many people who Aidan and Jamie care about. Though not containing my favorite tropes, this was an overall win with the strong love and smex that was hot and explicit, all with a satisfying HEA!
This is a solid trilogy that takes all three books to solve the central mystery!
What I liked:
Jaime is a standout character here for me. Reyne has depicted him to perfection. He’s made some mistakes but foremost is his devotion and loyalty to Aidan. Aidan finally realizes that love is worth the risk and potential pain, and despite Jamie not telling him all the truth from the beginning, Aidan realizes around the 50% mark that it’s just not worth it to remain angry and deny himself another chance at happiness. Fucking finally!
What niggled:
Not much this time around. If you like age gap, second chance romance, with separation, and plenty of internal turmoil, then I think as witnessed by the many reviews praising all three books, one will have no problem loving this series. Though I personally find secrets and denying one’s feelings a bit tiresome, the ultimate payoff was a good one.
So I’m impressed with myself for accomplishing this series pretty much in one go. It was entertaining, and it kept me on my toes with the varied cases Aidan and Jamie work on, showcasing their skill and dedication to the job and to each other. Again, this is all set against the backdrop of the bigger story arc of taking down an international terrorist who in his personal quest for revenge, is eliminating those who’ve gotten in his way, including many people who Aidan and Jamie care about. Though not containing my favorite tropes, this was an overall win with the strong love and smex that was hot and explicit, all with a satisfying HEA!
jagiaquinto's review against another edition
5.0
Finished this in less than 24 hours! I literally started this one right after Cask Strength. I could not just let the story stop there. I had to finish it! And I LOVED IT FROM PAGE 1! Layla Reyne is my queen! Even though I've already read Cam and Nic's two books that are out (waiting impatiently for February) I have to read them again now with the context of Aiden and Jamie's story in my head! SOO GOOD! Highly recommend!
Update! 2nd Read - OMG! I loved this one, even more, the second time around I took my time on this read but I put it on and played Minecraft and it was amazing! Now I can't play Minecraft without thinking of the story!
Update! 2nd Read - OMG! I loved this one, even more, the second time around I took my time on this read but I put it on and played Minecraft and it was amazing! Now I can't play Minecraft without thinking of the story!
divapitbull's review
2.0
Really 1 ½ stars….but rounded up cause I think it may be a case of “it’s not you, it’s me”.
Barrel Proof is the 3rd installment in the Irish & Whiskey series and sad to say my interest and enjoyment took a bit of a nose dive in this one. I wasn’t feeling either the relationship or the story. It started out pretty good, with Jamie, Aiden and Danny following hot on Mel’s heels to Cuba to either help her take down a terrorist or find out that she IS a terrorist. Unfortunately, the initial excitement gave way to a very tedious terrorist plot that often stretched the bounds of credulity and eventually devolved into mind numbing – please make it end now – boredom.
Early on Aiden finds out that Jamie was aware that his deceased husband and partner were being leveraged by the terrorist Renaud, and was in fact working in secrecy under Mel’s orders to investigate. And here comes the Drama Llama. Aiden, being Aiden (i.e. self-absorbed, emotionally immature, histrionic) runs wild with the Betrayal Card. Jamie knew that Gabe & Tom (husband & partner) had conspired with terrorist (Renaud) for 5 MONTHS – 5 MONTHS THAT THEY WERE SLEEPING TOGETHER!!!! 5 months during which they’ve been sleeping together and Aiden has been insisting it’s CASUAL and constantly throwing in Jamie’s face “drinks with Nic, dinner with Scott, hors d’oeuvres with Tom, Dick and Harry"….and somehow he thinks that he is entitled to some level of loyalty whereby Jaime goes against his direct supervisor and shares classified FBI information with someone he’s having CASUAL sex with?????? Jamie didn’t say it, so let me, “FUCK YOU”!
So, Aiden has a Scarlet O’Hara hissy and toddles off on a solo assignment because “I still love you but I’m soooo betrayed and I have to deal with my anger” (And did I say, “FUCK YOU”??? Cause seriously fuck you and the horse you rode in on and take your “goodbye sex” with you). Naturally Aiden’s solo assignment just so happens to put him smack dab in the middle of Renaud’s terrorist plot du jour. The story when it makes sense is a bit cliched and predictable and when it doesn’t make sense it’s sort of…. wait, what? Why would anyone do that???? The relationship - other than God Bless Jamie – I guess he can stand Aiden because he definitely hit my last nerve -does have a very happy ending and at times gets ridiculously schmaltzy.
Against my better judgement – it looks like my OCD is going to win out and I’m going to read the final novella and finish up the series. I’m probably going to regret it – it’s a Danny and Mel side story – and Danny is an even bigger drama queen than Aiden – so this ought to be good.
Barrel Proof is the 3rd installment in the Irish & Whiskey series and sad to say my interest and enjoyment took a bit of a nose dive in this one. I wasn’t feeling either the relationship or the story. It started out pretty good, with Jamie, Aiden and Danny following hot on Mel’s heels to Cuba to either help her take down a terrorist or find out that she IS a terrorist. Unfortunately, the initial excitement gave way to a very tedious terrorist plot that often stretched the bounds of credulity and eventually devolved into mind numbing – please make it end now – boredom.
Early on Aiden finds out that Jamie was aware that his deceased husband and partner were being leveraged by the terrorist Renaud, and was in fact working in secrecy under Mel’s orders to investigate. And here comes the Drama Llama. Aiden, being Aiden (i.e. self-absorbed, emotionally immature, histrionic) runs wild with the Betrayal Card. Jamie knew that Gabe & Tom (husband & partner) had conspired with terrorist (Renaud) for 5 MONTHS – 5 MONTHS THAT THEY WERE SLEEPING TOGETHER!!!! 5 months during which they’ve been sleeping together and Aiden has been insisting it’s CASUAL and constantly throwing in Jamie’s face “drinks with Nic, dinner with Scott, hors d’oeuvres with Tom, Dick and Harry"….and somehow he thinks that he is entitled to some level of loyalty whereby Jaime goes against his direct supervisor and shares classified FBI information with someone he’s having CASUAL sex with?????? Jamie didn’t say it, so let me, “FUCK YOU”!
So, Aiden has a Scarlet O’Hara hissy and toddles off on a solo assignment because “I still love you but I’m soooo betrayed and I have to deal with my anger” (And did I say, “FUCK YOU”??? Cause seriously fuck you and the horse you rode in on and take your “goodbye sex” with you). Naturally Aiden’s solo assignment just so happens to put him smack dab in the middle of Renaud’s terrorist plot du jour. The story when it makes sense is a bit cliched and predictable and when it doesn’t make sense it’s sort of…. wait, what? Why would anyone do that???? The relationship - other than God Bless Jamie – I guess he can stand Aiden because he definitely hit my last nerve -does have a very happy ending and at times gets ridiculously schmaltzy.
Against my better judgement – it looks like my OCD is going to win out and I’m going to read the final novella and finish up the series. I’m probably going to regret it – it’s a Danny and Mel side story – and Danny is an even bigger drama queen than Aiden – so this ought to be good.
wildfaeriecaps's review against another edition
5.0
This book was everything I could have possibly wanted it to be. After all the struggle, the hard won ending felt more than deserved. And to be honest with you, I felt totally vindicated in my side-eye of a character from book two. As with Fog City and Perfect Play, I know this series is going to be a frequent re-read for me. There's just something about Layla Reyne's books that tick all of my boxes.
bookish_notes's review against another edition
5.0
Initial Reaction: This was a wild, exhilarating ride from start-to-finish!!! Couldn't have asked for a better series conclusion!
Full Review:
I am just filled with all the feels right now. This book was a wild, exhilarating ride from start-to-finish. There is romance in this series, and it's so sweet and heartbreaking, but then there's the INTRIGUE. I'm not usually one for mysteries. It's weird, because I do watch an absurd amount of cop dramas and the like. But, somehow that never translated into books for me. Well, to prove me wrong, this Agents Irish and Whiskey series have just sold me on everything I'm not used to reading.
Way back when I read book one in this series, Single Malt, I said that characters seemed to be introduced left and right and I had no idea who was who. So, for anyone else who felt that way? Now would be a fantastic time to go back and re-read the first two books if you're binging your way through this series right now. I don't know if I've ever mentioned this in my previous reviews, but these books are not standalone novels. The stories are very connected. And while the romance itself is pretty HFN, book two, Cask Strength, ended with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger and I've been dying to read Barrel Proof ever since.
This book starts off shortly after the ending of Cask Strength. Melissa is suspected of working with the enemy and Aiden and Jamie are in a rush to find her. Everything that started before the events in book one have been building up to this book. Aiden's FBI partner and his husband dying in a car crash is no accident and the man responsible has plans up his sleeve that takes this story down twist and turns that I never saw coming.
Jamie has kept secrets from Aidan and everything reaches a boiling point. Aidan needs a break and decides to go undercover, finally putting both his law and business degrees to work. However, nothing that happens is ever incidental when it comes to the terrorist Renaud, and he has plans that are much more conniving than I would have expected.
I don't want to spoil anything, so apologies if this review is super vague. But I will say that a lot of characters are brought back, or mentioned at least, from previous books, while new characters are introduced in this one as well. What surprised me is how much I loved some of the new characters. I would not mind at all if we saw a spin-off with the FBI hacker Lauren, or with AUSA Nic.
As for this series, I love Aidan and Jamie. They absolutely broke my heart in this book, but they still manage to be sexy and almost nauseatingly cute together. I loved the ending. For a few seconds there, I thought I was going to be mad at the ending, but then it ended up being really lovely. So, five stars for this book and I can't wait to read more of Layla Reyne's books in the future!
And something random, but one of my favorite non-spoilerish moment from this book:
***Thanks to Carina Press for providing me an ARC through NetGalley***
Full Review:
I am just filled with all the feels right now. This book was a wild, exhilarating ride from start-to-finish. There is romance in this series, and it's so sweet and heartbreaking, but then there's the INTRIGUE. I'm not usually one for mysteries. It's weird, because I do watch an absurd amount of cop dramas and the like. But, somehow that never translated into books for me. Well, to prove me wrong, this Agents Irish and Whiskey series have just sold me on everything I'm not used to reading.
Way back when I read book one in this series, Single Malt, I said that characters seemed to be introduced left and right and I had no idea who was who. So, for anyone else who felt that way? Now would be a fantastic time to go back and re-read the first two books if you're binging your way through this series right now. I don't know if I've ever mentioned this in my previous reviews, but these books are not standalone novels. The stories are very connected. And while the romance itself is pretty HFN, book two, Cask Strength, ended with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger and I've been dying to read Barrel Proof ever since.
Partners, always.
This book starts off shortly after the ending of Cask Strength. Melissa is suspected of working with the enemy and Aiden and Jamie are in a rush to find her. Everything that started before the events in book one have been building up to this book. Aiden's FBI partner and his husband dying in a car crash is no accident and the man responsible has plans up his sleeve that takes this story down twist and turns that I never saw coming.
Jamie has kept secrets from Aidan and everything reaches a boiling point. Aidan needs a break and decides to go undercover, finally putting both his law and business degrees to work. However, nothing that happens is ever incidental when it comes to the terrorist Renaud, and he has plans that are much more conniving than I would have expected.
I don't want to spoil anything, so apologies if this review is super vague. But I will say that a lot of characters are brought back, or mentioned at least, from previous books, while new characters are introduced in this one as well. What surprised me is how much I loved some of the new characters. I would not mind at all if we saw a spin-off with the FBI hacker Lauren, or with AUSA Nic.
As for this series, I love Aidan and Jamie. They absolutely broke my heart in this book, but they still manage to be sexy and almost nauseatingly cute together. I loved the ending. For a few seconds there, I thought I was going to be mad at the ending, but then it ended up being really lovely. So, five stars for this book and I can't wait to read more of Layla Reyne's books in the future!
And something random, but one of my favorite non-spoilerish moment from this book:
Could he get out of a building where all the guards knew him? Fuck him and his Southern-bread manners, always greeting everyone.
Shit.
***Thanks to Carina Press for providing me an ARC through NetGalley***