“Single Malt is full of explosive chemistry, captivating characters, and edge-of-your-seat suspense. A must read for any romantic suspense fan!” Megan Erickson, USA TODAY bestselling author
Eight months after the car crash that changed everything, FBI agent Aidan Talley is back at work. New department, new case and a new partner. Smart, athletic and handsome, Jameson Walker is twelve years … a new partner. Smart, athletic and handsome, Jameson Walker is twelve years his junior. Even if Aidan was ready to move onand he’s notJamie is off-limits.
Jamie’s lusted after Aidan for three years, and the chance to work with San Francisco’s top agent directly is too good to pass up. Aidan is pricklyto put it mildlybut a growing cyber threat soon proves Jamie’s skills invaluable.
Jamie’s talents paint a target on his back, and Aidan is determined to protect him. But with hack after hack threatening a high-security biocontainment facility, time is running out to thwart a deadly terrorist attack. They’ll have to filter out distractions, on the case and in their partnership, to identify the real enemy, solve the case and save thousands of lives, including their own.
Book one of the Agents Irish and Whiskey series
This book is approximately 68,000 words
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I love this m/m suspense series so much!
Let the games begin
I’m in love! Jamie and Aidan have stolen my heart and I’m forever more a fan of Irish Whiskey. Single Malt has it all; mystery, charm, danger, explosive chemistry and the beginnings of what I know will be an all-encompassing love. Of course, we can’t just end with a happy for now. We are left with a bombshell that both worries and thrills me. A phenomenal suspense that grabs you from the beginning and one I know I’ll re-read again and again.
Great characters, compelling story.
I didn’t know what to expect from this book since I have never read the author, nor am I into M/M books. I had heard that it was a good book, but that was by people who love M/M books, so to say the least, I was a bit skeptical going in. Luckily, the hype was upheld and I enjoyed the book thoroughly.
What I enjoyed most about the book were the characters and their relationships. Not just to each other, although the building of their romance was done exceedingly well. But to others as well. Family, friends, loyalty, and trust are some of the building blocks in this book and more likely in the series. I listened to this book a few weeks ago, and what has stayed with me is the depth of the characters and the warmth I feel towards them.
The only thing I didn’t care for, or should I say bothered me a time or two, was the narration. I’m not sure if this was due to the narrator or the writing itself, and it wasn’t a major problem. There were a few times in the book where I wasn’t sure who was talking, and I had to rewind. Then again, it could have been me, as I sometimes have a problem comprehending the spoken word and do better with visuals. But Christmas time is not the time to read a book if you can listen.
Overall, I enjoyed this audiobook and would recommend it to anyone who likes a good romance, breaking in a new partner, and catching the bad guy. I will be reading more of this series as I’d like to know more about Jamie and Aidan.
This was a pretty good book. For me it contained it all – action, romance, heartbreak. I really enjoyed the dynamics of the extended family. The WhoDoneIt aspects kept me hanging on to each page looking for clues. The vulnerability of the main characters was endearing. I will definitely be reading the next in series.
Audiobook review:
Performance – 5
Story – 5
Overall – 5
Wow, what a great story!
I know that I’m way behind the times in reading this book but I’m so glad I finally made the time. I’ve read a few other books by Layla and loved them but they were standalone stories. I think I was maybe a little wary of starting a series that I might not have time to finish right away. I shouldn’t have worried. I loved this story and, while not everything was wrapped up neatly, the main storyline was finished and there was enough of a teaser for the next book to make me want to keep reading, but I also felt like I’d be OK to wait a few weeks to read the next one if I need to.
The blurb is really good so I’m just going to say how much this audiobook grabbed hold and didn’t let go. I was nearly able to finish it in one session except that I started it way too late in the evening. I finally gave in to sleep around 3:00 a.m. and quickly finished the rest of it the next morning.
There is heart-stopping action, suspense and pretty hot scenes between Aiden and Jamie. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
About the audiobook – this is the first book I’ve listened to by Tristan James and I thought he had a perfect voice for this story. I was very happy to learn that he did the rest of the books in this series.
4.5 Stars
This is the first book in the Agents Irish and Whiskey series by Layla Reyne. This is a M/M romance, so be aware before picking this book up.
I am not exactly sure what I was expecting when I picked this up but I was happily surprised by this new gem series. I am excited to dive into more stories by Reyne in the future.
I think what I expected was a lot of gratuitous sex and not a lot of story. This book is the exact opposite of that. As you read this you fall a little in love with both of these people. You get to dive into their heads and see what they are thinking and how they react to everybody and what all the people around them expect of them as gay men. When I read this I see two guys. Two hot guys who just happen to like guys instead of girls. You don’t get the whole stereotypical flamboyant gay guy who is more of a sidekick character. You get a real man. Real men. That is so refreshing so see in print.
And the story is not just a throw away part of the book either. It is amazing and it really keeps you interested. I enjoyed the slow burning romance between the two agents but it was the story that kept me reading. These two agents, their job and their romance and how they manage to pair the two is just key to the success of this book.
Agent Irish, Aiden Talley is hurting after the death of not only his husband, Gabe but his partner, Tom in the FBI was also killed in the same car accident. Eight months later he is still reeling and gun shy about getting involved in another relationship. The department forces a new partner on him who is not only younger by twelve years but also a previous NBA super star and now a cyber security expert. Not to mention Aiden believes he is straight. So he needs to keep his hands off of him.
The story and the romance paired together make this one excellent read. Highly recommended.
Wow. Just wow! I so loved this book, if I loved it any harder my Kindle would break – I kept squeezing it so hard from adrenaline and sheer fangirling going on! And they way the they called each other “Whiskey” and “Irish” – so s*e*x*y! *melting in a puddle hot*
It’s the first time I read about agents investigating cyber crimes and I thought to myself: “Oh well, I will survive through this”. But it was so engrossing, so new and fresh I could not stop reading – even though I was right there with Irish and technobabble problem! The way those two worked together like a well-oiled machine was amazing. The tension between them could be cut with a knife. And when they finally got together it was just so beautiful, so tender and thoughtful and so steamy at the same time. I loved them!
The secondary characters were all instrumental in building the world around Whiskey and Irish telling subtly their own point of view about them and showing the funny, the professional, the personal and the crazy sides of both MCs and making me like them more and more in the course of the book.
The final showdown was very intense and edge-of-your-seat gripping and oh so very satisfying. And the direction the relationship between Jamie and Aidan turned intrigued me. I think it will be an awesome love story between them and I can’t wait to see how they are together in the next book. I highly recommend it!
I could have sworn I’d read this before. In fact, I am one hundred percent I’m positive I’d read this one before. I just couldn’t find any proof. My Kindle insisted I hadn’t, and I didn’t find any notes about it. Oh well – if I had read it before, it would be a book very well worth reading again.
Jamie and Aidan are both excellent characters, and both for different reasons. I think I connected a little bit better with Jamie, but it’s a little harder for me to connect with gazillionaires so that probably makes sense.
The scenario in the A plot – the terrorist attack at the biocontainment facility – was easily plausible. I had no trouble following that and believing in it wholeheartedly. I grieved with Aidan for his loss, although I had a little trouble swallowing that the Bureau would allow family members to pursue such a vendetta. (And I know – it was supposed to be off the books. It’s the FBI. Nothing is off the books and you only have to turn your television to the news to realize that.) It wasn’t hard for me to suspend my disbelief for very long.
Jamie’s reasons for leaving his basketball career behind were understated, and it would be easy to criticize Reyne for understating them quite so much. The thing is, Single Malt isn’t about a professional athlete. It’s about two FBI agents, one of whom has a past as a professional athlete. While his reasons were valid (and sad), the book wasn’t about that past.
If you want non-stop action and drama, this book is for you. The relationship between Aidan and Jamie is inappropriate, under the circumstances, but I didn’t care while I was reading it. I still mostly don’t. Your mileage may vary, however, so I thought I’d throw the warning out there.
** fair warning: my cat deleted this entire review before posting, and I’ve had to recreate it. **
FBI agent Aidan “Irish”Talley, recuperating from a devastating loss, is back at work with a new case and a new partner. He’s not ready for a relationship, much less one with someone he works with, but there’s just something about Jameson “Whiskey” Walker the appeals to Aidan.
Cyber guru, and famous sports star, Jameson Walker has lusted quietly over Aidan for the last few years. Discovering Aidan will be his mentor is cause to celebrate, but denying his attraction will be harder then expected, and Jameson isn’t sure if he should open that particular can of worms.
Both Aidan and Jameson bowled me over with their sharp intelligence, dominant attitudes, and charged banter. (It didn’t hurt that they were both good looking either.) The chemistry was off-the-charts sexy, but holy smokes, did they have one heck of a slow burn! The fireworks were pretty darn good too…
To be honest, I can’t remember where I saw this title, but I’m so glad I gave this story a chance! The mystery aspects of the terrorist case was fascinating, layered, and really well done. I also enjoyed the romantic aspects for the same reasons. While I did eventually figure out the villain, I had to work at it and was thrilled it took me a bit! I’ll definitely be checking out other books in this series!