XanderIf I had to describe Sean Bailey, it would be: a surly, temperamental pain in my ass. Never in that equation would I ever include the word boyfriend—and not just because he’s straight. The older brother of my life-long best friend, Sean is a detective for the Chicago PD, and is also known as Detective “Dick” for being…well, a surly, temperamental pain in everyone’s ass. He also happens to … ass. He also happens to be the best they have, which is why I find myself on his doorstep the night my life is threatened by an anonymous stalker.
I only wanted the name of a bodyguard; I didn’t expect for Sean to volunteer for the job. Now, not only do I have a bodyguard, I also have a fake boyfriend.
Sean
It must be so hard to be Alexander Thorne, the number one prime-time news anchor in the country, with millions of dollars and a car that costs more than my house. I mean, I’m allowed to give him a hard time about it, but when some creep decides to cross the line and go after him, they’re gonna have to answer to me.
Going undercover has never been an issue in the past, so I don’t see why there’d be a problem now. Xander and I have known each other for years, so this should be a breeze. Except suddenly my stomach’s flipping when he looks my way, and my body comes alive whenever he brushes by me. I know I’m good at my job and playing a character and all, but this is getting out of hand.
I can’t be sure that either of us are playing anymore.
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Inside Affair is book one of the Prime Time series and is not a standalone. Book two, Breaking News, will release 7.27.20, followed by the final book, Headlines, on 9.28.20.
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It’s telling when I go straight on to getting books 2 and 3… Loved. Recommended.
I fell a bit in love with Sean when he was first introduced as “Detective Dick”, in “Henri”. What can I say… I just love the assholes and Sean’s character was right up my alley. I hoped his book would be awesome, and I am so glad to say that it was. It’s just the cliffhangers in all these series that are getting to me a bit.
I had no idea when I signed up for this one, that it would be a “same characters” series. I still enjoyed it, but it did leave me wanting…
So as I already explained, this book is about Sean, Craig Bailey’s brother, who we have all come to know as Detective Dick and Alexander “Xander” Thorne, who happens to be Bailey’s best friend. He’s also quite the famous news anchor, and that is where things are starting to get complicated, or should I say interesting.
You see Xander seems to have picked up a nasty stalker, and his boss is demanding he gets protection. And who would be better at protecting his brother’s best friend, than Detective Dick!!
But how in the world are they going to explain Sean hanging around Xander 24 hours a day… Yep, you guessed it… we get a “fake boyfriend” trope. Sean is an undercover master after all. This is actually one of my favorite mm tropes. You know what I am also a big fan of … the “I thought I was straight but now I seem to have lusty feelings for another dude” trope. Such a treat!!
I am not going into the plot more than this.. You should just give it a go yourself. If you loved Sean as much as I did, you will definitely love him in this one. It took me a bit longer to warm up to Xander though… He gave off a bit of a “spoiled brat” vibe.
Very curious to see what’s next. The romance and steam were a bit mild in this one, but the promise of what is to come was high enough to keep me interested from beginning to end. Can you say “blue balls” !!!
Let’s hope time flies so I can get my grabby hands on the second book 😉
I am always in the mood for good romantic suspense. Add in Ella Frank’s brand of M/M writing, and it’s bound to be a hit. Inside Affair is a frenemy to lovers type romance—a sexy, brooding cop who has volunteered to play bodyguard for his brother’s famous best friend.
I loved the dynamic between the two heroes, Sean and Xander. Both alphas in their own right and may not seem a likely pair, but it’s dynamic perfection when the two finally come together.
The ending will have you at the edge of your seat. Yes, people, that means another book from Ella. I tell you what, as much as I usually hate cliffies it seems that Ella Frank has a way of making me love them! I can’t wait to get my hands on book 2!
4.75 Stars
Xander and Sean.
We already met them in previous books – but you do not need to have read those books to understand this series. You should’ve read them – just because they’re adorable – but you don’t hafta
OK.
Xander has been a famous news anchor for some years now. Being in the public like that and being openly gay … that gets the attention of lots of crazy folks. But now his boss thinks the newest crazy person might be the real deal. A very dangerous stalker type. Boss man orders a twenty four hour bodyguard for Xander.
Xander wants to ask Sean – the cop brother of his best friend Bailey – for a recommendation. But Sean decides to do it himself. He needs a break from being an undercover cop for a bit. Why not play the pretend boyfriend for this rich TV guy who he’s known since they were kids?
What neither of them expected were the sparks though …. it should be mentioned that Sean is not gay!
LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN …
I really enjoyed reading this!
Funny, sparky, scary, adorable!
Sean is this grumpy, manly man-y, jeans & t-shirt cop who has always been making jokes about Xander and his money and job and lifestyle.
And Xander. He’s this expensive clothes, award gala, maserati, penthouse kind of guy.
Those two living together in Xander’s multi-million dollar penthouse? Adorable!
I loved those two together. So different – but we all know that opposites attract.
It obviously takes a little while for them to get that there IS attraction between them. But we adore every moment of that while!
Plus we’re also looking for that dangerous stalker idiot. Very exciting.
Great first book in this new series.
I would’ve preferred to only get one longish book – I don’t like trilogies all that much – and I hate waiting.
And the sexiness and romance part was a bit missing in this first one obviously.
And I kind of expected Xander to be a tiny little bit more … suave? Cooler? No. Manly? No. Grrr. No idea what I mean. He was a tiny bit too softish for my tastes. It’s clear that Sean is supposed to be the tough guy here – and Xander is supposed to be scared and all… but still. I wanted Xander to be a tiny bit more tough millionaire or something.
But I still loved them both!
I really loved reading this first book – I might even say that this is/could be my favorite thing of Ella’s since Tate and Logan …
I need the 2nd book asap!
Because …. C L I F F Y
Wow! Like always Ella Frank’s books are wonderful, this new series is a little be of everything. Xander the prime time anchorman, rich, handsome and a nice guy who received a few disturbing threat and is force to get a bodyguard and contact Sean Bailey how is his older brother’s best friend…ohhh I like this troupe so much… Sean Bailey is a Detective for the CPD. He offers Xander to help him to catch this guy making the treats and the only way is to be his Bodyguard/Fake Boyfriend… I like this tooo!…so he can be with him all the time and this is when everything starts, this two together are awesome to read the banter, the sexual chemistry and the connection, you know this two will end up killing or kissing the hell of echa other… I voted for the latter!… Xander is gay and all the feelings he’s having for Sean have him confused because he has known him for more de twenty years and know he can help but to be attracted to Sean and feeling frustrated that he can act on it and then we have Sean who is supposed to be “straight” but the also start to have dreams about Xander and what it will feel like to kiss him…when this two have their first kiss I was great!! You can feel the chemistry between them in every page. I didn’t want to finish the book and that end kills me… I’m so looking forward for the next book. Xander and Sean make a great couple! If you love Enemies to Lovers, brother’s best friend, GFY this book is for you. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Beware of an intense story with a cliffhanger!
A romance. A mystery. A cast of characters to study. A plot that goes from lighthearted to perplexing to frightening… Wonderful!
Inside Affair is the first book in the new Prime Time trilogy by Ella Frank and it is was just as brilliant as I was hoping it would be. Xander and Sean were absolute deliciousness!!
Alexander (Xander) Thorne is one of Chicago’s number one news anchors and he is at the top of his game, loving life. All that changes when he is informed by his boss that he has been receiving some very personal and very threatening letters. His boss informs him that he must hire a bodyguard immediately who they will do it for him. Xander can’t imagine someone being around him 24 hours straight much less having to live with him, so he only has one option. Go to his best friends’ brother, Sean and see if he can help him find a reputable bodyguard that he can trust.
Detective Sean (Dick) Bailey just got off a long undercover case and is looking forward to taking some time off to catch up with family and maybe relax when he gets an unexpected call from his brother’s best friend, Xander. The minute Xander shows up frustrated and completely freaked out, Sean is on high alert. After hearing what he has to say Sean has concluded that the best for the job his himself. They come up with a plan that Sean will pretend to be Xander’s boyfriend that way no questions arise as to why Sean is basically Xander’s new shadow.
Sean and Xander are complete opposites. While Sean is all cargo shorts, t-shirts and totally straight, Xander is suits, penthouses and totally gay. They both know that this will be a challenge spending so much time together, but they are both willing to commit if it means keeping Xander safe. As they spend more time together both start to realize that the other is not quite what they thought they were. Sean is so much more than a smartass in a comfy tee and Xander is more than the suits he wears. When Sean starts to notice things like Xander’s eyes and the angle of his jaw he is terribly confused because he has never had feelings for men before.
Not only was the story a great build of angst, romance and drama their banter was hilarious. Xander wasn’t going take Sean’s shit and vice versa. Sean really makes you fall for this story because while he might not have ever been with a man before is 100% sure about his feelings and has no problems showing them. He really did make this book for me because he is the best kind of hero. Not going to lie I did not know that this was going to be a cliffhanger, so it took me by surprise. I would still read this book over again because their story is just getting started. I can’t wait to read what happens in Breaking News book two in the Prime Time series.
This author has a way of making her characters fall madly in love with each other and making the way for the straight to feel something they have never felt and realize it’s not that they have always felt for the opposite sex, but that one in particular. Sean Bailey is one of those characters, he knew Alexander Thorne his whole life, never did he think taking on a side job would make him feel things he never thought could happen. The passion that comes to the surface can’t be real, but it’s more than real, its electric. This was a great intro to what’s to come for these characters and I am looking forward to all of it.
Overall a good read/listen. I liked the way Frank developed Sean’s character. The plot was a bit…’over the top’, but it was fun.
The end was a bit distressing, but if you read enough Ella Frank books, you get used to being distressed by at least one volume of a series.
As far as I can tell, all of Ella Frank’s books are connected in some fashion. You don’t need to read any other series to know what is going on, but it does add a little bit of fun to listen for any ‘Easter eggs’.
This book didn’t tug at the heart strings quite as much as Tate and Logan’s books, but it was still entertaining. The narrator does a decent job, and I was glad to have a chance to listen to him read an Ella Frank book.
Awesome!!
Who doesn’t love a hot bodyguard? Especially when paired with a bisexual awakening – Ella always brings the hot men and this story is no different. Sean and Xander are steamy and sexy and their sizzling attraction makes for fantastic reading! The stalker trying to get to Xander brings the tension to the story and the cliffhanger ending is what we expect from Ella. Not to be missed!
Who doesn’t love a hero!?!
The gruff Det. Dick makes for an awesome roommate (my inner child is screaming NOT!!!!). Okay so he isn’t really Det. Dick- or at least not all the time! Sean is finding more and more reasons to not be such a jerk. Starting with Xander’s eyes…
Things start off rocky but when these two give in…phew, the heat! Ella Frank likes her tension thick, lust smokey like a haze, and desire a five alarm fire. Inside Affair is all that and a cliffhanger!
i would warn you but we both know- we wouldn’t have it any other way!
I’ve read every single book Ella Frank has written! I’m a huge fan of her writing style and definitely her characters!
Xander and Sean, loved!
Reading about a hot news anchor and super hot cop, yes please! Opposites attract in this one and boy do they attract lol
Such fantastic wit, loved the dialogue. Loved the funny, sweet and intense moments too.
I about three my iPad at the cliffy, you’ve been warned lol
So good!
I couldn’t wait to get Sean’s story. Was it an unexpected twist? I mean, sure, since as far as anyone knew (including himself), he was heterosexual and didn’t lean in that direction at all. But Xander has a way of getting under your skin. Attractive, wealthy and just really a good guy, Sean will have his hands full trying to protect Xander from someone who plans to do him harm. Will they butt heads? More often than not…this IS Sean we are talking about…Detective D…Ends on a bit of a cliffy so be aware but don’t stay away…it is still a worthy read.
I have yet to find a book by Ella Frank that I did not enjoy. I could not put this book down. I love Xander and Sean. I could feel the tension between them. Two men who has known each other almost their whole lives and yet they never actually saw the other person. This book isn’t about instant attraction or love. They had to get to know each other and be around each other to see what they have been blind to. At first I did not like Xander because of his attitude towards Sean but he redeems himself in my eyes.
I was told to wait until the next book came out before starting the series and I should have listened. I am dying for the next book. I highly recommend this book to everyone! Ella Frank does not disappoint.
Xander is famous, being the face of the ENN news channel. After he got several disturbing threats, his boss demands he hire a bodyguard. Sean is the older brother of Xander’s best friend and knows people in the bodyguard scene, he will know someone. Indeed, Sean has the answer, he himself will protect Xander as his bodyguard. To be as convincing as can be he will act like Xander’s boyfriend.
Xander fights him with all he’s got but, in the end, has to surrender, Sean is right, he is the best.
They can’t stand each other, biting each other’s heads off, pissing each other off, and both offending af, even close to killing the other. Me? I loved it all!
But working close together makes them aware and they see things now they never did before.
Still, they have to cooperate 24/7. Finding the threatening stalker is easier said than done.
One of my favorite tropes is enemies to lovers. Both are headstrong men and every fight was delicious. I loved it that everything and everyone was suspicious. First, I was a bit afraid it would be predictable, but no, all quite well done. Just like in the movies, many characters circling the main character, and all are suspicious, and everyone could be the attacker.
We got here a smoldering slow-burn narrative, with some touching emotional passages.
The whole story was strongly written, with snarky characters. Everything felt sparkling dynamic and quite entertaining.
Thank goodness next month will bring the continuation because this story ended with a HUGE cliffhanger.
I have to say, Frank sure knows her way around real, fine MM romance writing.
I enjoyed Inside Affair soooo much. But I don’t know if I can pinpoint why. It was one of those reads where you feel at home right away. From the first page, the characters, the backdrop, the plot, the whole ambience, just everything, sucked me in. I loved both Sean and Xander. Despite only getting hints of their backstory, they had me instantly intrigued and left me wanting more.
This is also a complete teaser read.
It’s short AF and ends on a cliff-hanger. I knew going in that it was the first in a series, so I knew I wouldn’t get full closure at the end. But still. I thought there would at least be some sort of semi-closure. And hot, hot lovin’. But I got none of those things. I’m not sure Inside Affair could really be defined as a slow-burn romance. Xander’s and Sean’s attraction is too fast for that and there’s lots of innuendo, teasing and starts and stops as they begin to explore that attraction. But it is absolutely slow going where romance is concerned. It’s a bit like those really cheesy soap-operas where there’s always a break just when something dramatic happens. And then, once the break is over, all the tension’s gone and a new build up starts. Inside Affair is just like that. And I still loved it. It’s perplexing really.
I should be irritated because this read left me feeling so un-fulfilled. But that’s just because I need to have the rest of the story. Right now! Unfortunately, I’ll have to wait until July for that. But damn, it was good. You should read it!
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Ella Frank never disappoints me ,.
Her latest trilogy is Inside Affair ,Book one is Prime Time , its a hell of a read ,
When Sean Bailey aka Detective Dick works as a body guard for Alexander (Zander ) Thorne , who is being stalked , they have to work closely , then the story begins.
Zander is Baileys Best friend.
Sean is Baileys brother.
They have known each together for most of their lives , but do they really know each other?
They think they do !
The snarkiness between them is hilarious it goes from one to the other , backward and forward.
This is a GFY / Bi story line which is beautifully written , trust , feelings to work out and then it becomes more , come into play .
When I finished I said “ Wow ! what a book “.
I adored everything in this wonderful book , awaiting book two with anticipation
This book is pure foreplay! It’s about an attraction that forms between two people who’ve known each other their whole lives… it also comes as a shock to both! I love how they start to really see each other for who that person really is, rather than their idea of who that person is based on a lifetime of assumptions. I love how they start to fall for that other person, gobsmacked that they were so blind their whole life!
I can’t wait to see where they go from here. That last chapter, though…!
Inside Affair is actually a 4 1/2 star read. Inside Affair is a spinoff series from the Confessions series, and focuses on Sean Bailey, a detective with the Chicago police department and Craig Bailey’s older brother, and Alexander “Xander” Thorne, an extremely popular and well known prime time news anchorman and Craig Bailey’s best friend. I have to admit that the GFY trope is not my favorite trope to read, but Ella Frank has done a great job telling Sean and Xander’s story, and the underlying mystery that brings the two of them together in a different manner leading to an entirely different assessment of their relationship. Inside Affair opens with a bang and continues to take its reader on one heckva journey throughout, which, sadly, ends in a cliffhanger, but the way in which Ella Frank weaves in the suspense and mystery of who is stalking Xander and Sean trying to protect him from the stalker with the changes that are starting to take place within Sean and Xander’s relationship will leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more.
Sean and Xander have known each other since they were kids, and generally have had a tumultuous relationship. Sean and Xander have very different personalities. Sean tends to be gruff, and says whatever he is thinking without any forethought or consideration, and Xander tends to be extremely uppity and caustic. However, once Xander reaches out to Sean for help with a stalker, requiring Sean to go undercover, Sean and Xander both begin to realize they may not know each other as well as they believe, which leads to deeper understanding of the other, causing feelings to change and turn more towards the romantic.
Inside Affair is a great start to a new series. The dialogue between Sean and Xander is witty and sarcastic, and I absolutely loved it. We also got to catch up with Henri and Bailey, whom I love. Overall, Inside Affair is a wonderfully written romantic thriller that will have you begging for more once you hit that huge cliffhanger at the end, and wanting book 2, Breaking News, ASAP!! Great job on this one, Ella Frank.