There’s nothing like being blackmailed by a dead man to really bring a group of cons together. And what a group we are: a hacker, a thief, a con artist, a thug, and a Federal agent with an axe to grind. The deal is simple, we do the jobs and Charlie’s lawyer wipes the slate clean for each of us, one at a time.
Since job number one calls for some muscle, it looks like I’m up first. I’m Steele Alvarez, ex-Special Forces Close Protection Specialist (aka, a bodyguard for some not so nice guys).
After learning what the job is — taking down a seemingly untouchable senator with a penchant for beating up young male prostitutes — I’m in. No questions. A bullet ought to do the trick.
Then I met Senator Harlan’s latest victim: Breck Pfeiffer, the gorgeous hooker with a heart of gold and the soul of a fighter. One look at him and I’m gone. That kid laid me out harder than any punch ever did. I’ll do anything to protect Breck, even kill for him. But Breck doesn’t want the senator dead, he wants vengeance.
If we’re going to find a way to bring down the slimebag and get the blackest mark on my record erased, I’m going to need all the help I can get.
Like it or not, we’re all in this together.
BOOK 1
Book Title: Pros & Cons of Vengeance
Author: A. E. Wasp
Publisher: Tantor
Narrator: Tor Thom & Alexandre Steele
Release Date: April 2019
Genre: M/M Romantic suspense/romantic comedy
Trope/s: Bodyguard. Leverage meets Charlie’s Angels but more gay
Themes: Vengeance
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 8 hours 54 minutes
It is a standalone story.
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This is a new series to me. I’ve grabbed a couple of A.E. Wasp’s books, but I’m pretty sure they are in my TBR pile (although I will be digging through to find what I have!) What a great concept this series is! A bit of Charlie’s Angels but more gay (and with way more technology). 🙂 And the first book starts off with a bit of a bang.
This book is a bit more insta-love than I’ve read in a long while, but these two were definitely good contrasts for each other. Steele was all about protecting, and Breck definitely needed some additional protection as the entire group tried to work through Charlie’s first assignment for them. And wow, these assignments are no small feat. Taking someone down like the Senator they were working to demolish needed an entire team. I loved how these men all worked together to destroy this common enemy, despite them not having met previous to Charlie’s funeral.
I was not a huge fan of the narration of this book. I might have been okay (although I don’t know for sure) if there had only been one narrator. However, with two narrators, it pulled me out of the book in two different ways. One of the narrators, I just didn’t really like his voice a lot. And that happens of course, in every day life. I can usually get through that with audiobooks. In addition, though, one of the MC’s, (and I really only noticed it when it was one of the MC’s, and only when he was “speaking”). The two narrators’ voice for that MC were so different it was really confusing for me. Again, that happens. However, one voice was very deep, almost scratchy, while with the other narrator is was much higher pitched. I really struggled with the narration.
Definitely looking forward to the next story (see below) and seeing what Wesley has in store for Danny. 🙂
In the end…
Story: 3.5 pieces of eye candy
Narration: 2.5 pieces of eye candy
There’s nothing like being blackmailed by a dead man to really bring a group of cons together. The deal is simple, we do the jobs and Charlie’s lawyer wipes the slate clean for each of us, one at a time.
Job number two lands right in my lap. I’m Bond. Wesley Bond. (I can’t resist saying it that way. Blame my dad, if you can find him.) You could call me a hacker. I redistribute wealth – moving it from rich slimebags to poorer but infinitely more deserving people – and make a tidy profit as I do. My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to bring down some modern-day slave traders.
With the life of the one person in this world I love on the line, I can’t afford any screw-ups or distractions. Unfortunately, my biggest distraction is my biggest asset – Danny Monroe. Danny is a leftover complication from our first job. He’s a smart, funny, gorgeous ex-prostitute, who can’t seem to keep his clothes on. I can’t seem to keep my mouth shut around him. But I need a fake boyfriend, and Danny is the only option.
We don’t know who the bad guy is; we have no idea how to prove anything. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to need all the help I can get. Like it or not, we’re all in this together.
Book Title: Pros & Cons of Deception
Author: A. E. Wasp
Publisher: Tantor
Narrator: Tor Thom & Alexandre Steele
Release Date: June 2019
Genre: M/M Romantic suspense/romantic comedy
Trope/s: Fake boyfriends. Leverage meets Charlie’s Angels but more gay
Themes: Justice
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 8 hours 13 minutes
It is a standalone story but it helps to read the first one.
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This story, for whatever reason, resonated with me more than book 1, even the narrators.
I enjoyed this one a bit more, and laughed at a lot more of the dialogue. “Big Daddy”, the tiny little shorts, and all the quick comebacks were all very well done. The group seemed to coalesce a little more with their second case in.
Wesley and Danny were really sweet together, once Wesley got past his hangup with Danny’s age. And everyone allowing Danny to do something besides work on his tan, was great. He wanted to be useful for more than eye candy, although that ended up being some of what he did anyway, and that worked out well.
The narration was not as rough to me this time. It seemed to be less of a jump around for me on this book, and I enjoyed that more.
This series is starting to really come along, and I am looking forward to then next book in the series.
Story: 3.5 pieces of eye candy
Narration: 3 pieces of eye candy
A dreamer and an idealist, Amy writes about people finding connection in a world that can seem lonely and magic in a world that can seem all too mundane. She invites readers into her characters’ lives and worlds when they are their most vulnerable, their most human, living with the same hopes and fears we all have. An avid traveler who has lived in big cities and small towns in four different continents, Amy has found that time and distance are no barriers to love. She invites her readers to reach out and share how her characters have touched their lives or how the found families they have gathered around them have shaped their worlds.
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