DETECTIVE MARK KNIGHT has a serious problem—one that comes in the form of Auckland Med’s brand-new forensic pathologist. Six feet of delicious blond-haired, scary smart, stern and disapproving hotness—DR EDWARD R NEWTON.
The man is miles out of Mark’s league; completely opposite in almost every way, and shockingly immune to Mark’s flirtations. Mark should just let him go. But the alluring doctor … the alluring doctor has taken residence in Mark’s brain and is messing with his life’s plan—in particular Mark’s determination to skirt attachments and all the self-absorbed drama that goes with them.
Mark has spent two years watching his friends drop like flies to the white picket virus, only to suddenly find himself hankering for a hammer and some white paint. Edward, however, doesn’t want a bar of Mark’s roguish charm.
But it’s not like Mark can avoid the sexy pathologist—death brings them together on a regular basis. So when a string of murders threatens both their lives and sends them into hiding, something has to give.
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Edward, Mark, and Tink (an audio review)
Dr. Edward R. Newton has a good life. He left his job as a forensic pathologist in Christchurch after the massacre, and has made his way to Auckland for a new start. He’s staying in the luxurious home of a friend with his massive dog Tink. The one thing disturbing his ordered life? Mark Knight.
Mark is an unabashed flirt. He doesn’t do long term relationships. He’s very much a love’em and leave’em kind of guy. He flirts and has sex and walks away. His reputation precedes him. So Ed has already made up his mind before Mark even makes his move. Edward is bi and demi. Mark is gay and proud. One is shy, one is loud. They have everything going against them.
When they’re thrown together on a case, they have to put the animosity aside. Ed has found evidence of a cover-up, and suddenly the bad guys are bearing down. Mark wants to protect this man, but doing so is proving difficult. As the men race to track down a killer, their attraction grows. The question is – will they, or won’t they? Oh, and what does the R stand for?
There’s humor in this thriller, and a couple of times I laughed out loud. Dogs are always great for easing tension and by God they can be fun. I have to say I really enjoyed this book.
I adore Gary Furlong and this was the first time I’ve heard him do a New Zealand accent. This is the third book in the series and although I sank right into it, I plan to go back and read the previous two. So, just a great listen.
This book was another great addition to the Auckland series.
I really liked Knight and Newton. Knight has shown up in previous books, and this book explores the depth of his character. Jay Hogan does a great job of showing how stereotypes only reflect the surface of someone’s personality. My vote for favorite Jay Hogan character is a tie between Knight and Newton. One of them might be Hellblazer, and one of them collects Hellblazer. Both are wonderful traits.
The plot was interesting, but the conclusion didn’t have quite the bite that the mystery at the beginning did. The story overall was still engaging, and I would like to see more mystery/thriller style romance from the author.
I’m a fan of detective stories so this was the perfect combo of MM romance and cop drama! And I’m not much of a dog person, but I fell in love with the dog in this story (as did our hero). Steamy and action packed. Enjoyed every word.
A fantastic cop story full of intrigue and a huge slobbery dog called Tinkerbell. A love a character who delights in pushing buttons and Detective Mark Knight is a master at finding and flicking the Pathologist’s buttons – even if Edward seems unflappable and very put together. I thoroughly enjoyed the development of their relationship and the uncovering of the mystery in the plot – a fantastic read!
Wow! What a wonderful read this was. I grabbed this on KU on release day but whoops only just now got to read it and I started and couldn’t put it down! Loved all of it. Mark and Ed ..wow sparks fly right from the start…whirlwind with amazing dogs and intrigue mixed in made this a winning read!
The author has written a fantastic, suspenseful, gripping, grab-you-by-the-feels, amazing, slow burning, snarky, completely unexpected, exciting, and totally awesome mix of murder and simmering romance. Filled with mystery, danger, suspense, and more twists and turns than a roller coaster, I would DEFINITELY recommend getting this marvelous book immediately.
Living away from his family, under a lot of stress adjusting to a new place and a new job, Ed has no time for love. He has never been interested in hookups, ever! But sometimes a man can change his mind, right? Maybe? For the right, or not-so-right but so-much-fun guy?
Now I love my stories with mystery, mayhem and lots of one-on-one interaction, and this tale certainly delivered those and so much more.
Having crushes at his age comes as a surprise to Mark, especially if that someone he is crushing on is, at first glance, uptight and way beyond what he normally looks for in a hook-up. But no matter what he does, he can’t seem to shake the interest lose! This has never happened to him before, being attracted to someone totally different from him, or so it seems.
What follows is not really a dance but a pull and push? To and fro? But I love how Ms. Hogan told their story of animosity/dislike, attraction and eventually, acting on that attraction. I love the banter the characters do with each other, not just between the main characters but even the supporting characters. Seeing loved characters from previous books are always a bonus. The action of course keeps me rooted! With all of these elements how can I not enjoy this third book? This is another amazing read for me Ms. Jay Hogan, thank you!
I feel like I’ve been waiting for Mark’s book forever, and it certainly delivered! Has to be my new favourite in the series without a doubt. I lived for the tension and chemistry between Mark and the gorgeous pathologist, Edward. Their clashing personalities led to amazing banter and hilarious interactions, and as always, the writing is superb. Add in the fact there is a gripping murder mystery, and this had absolutely everything I crave in a well-balanced romantic suspense story.
Jay Hogan brings readers the third installment to the “Auckland Med” series, “Up Close and Personal”. She gives a creative, in-depth look at Detective Mark Knight and Dr. Edward R. Newton. They are put in a position that isolates them from others and it gives them time to communicate without too many interruptions. From heartbreaking situations to humorous ones, Mark and Edward take the time to listen to each other and really do some deep soul searching to understand their thoughts and feelings.
Besides giving readers insight into Mark and Edward, Jay Hogan also gives updates on some former characters. Josh and Michael and their family situation: Cam, Ruben and Corey with goods news but still fighting the issues fame brings. Of course Paris is back and makes a new friend too, Tink! Hogan gives us a little more teasing with Sandy. I’m sure there’s a story coming up for him at some point. I’m adding Connor to the list of interesting characters. Connor played a small part in the story but something about him just intrigued me.
I love a good murder mystery and Jay Hogan created an action packed, fast paced, suspenseful and danger filled thriller. The action scenes really jump off the page! The plot is well layered and just as the pieces fit together and you think you have the answers, there’s a surprise twist.
Jay Hogan makes “Auckland Med” and entertaining series with the variety of stories and characters. Looking forward to see what she’ll bring to the table next!
I love this author’s writing, and got hooked on this series with the first one I read. The characters and both work together to pull me into the story immediately, and I know when I start reading one of her books I have a couple of late nights ahead of me as I don’t want to put them down.
I loved both Mark and Edward, and it was great to see others from previous books in the series like Cam, Josh, Reuben and Paris, and touch base with where they’re at now. The supporting cast feel very well developed and I particularly liked the banter between Edward and his sisters. Tink deserves a mention too – I loved her as a character, and the important part she played in the story.
I love Sandy—he needs his own book.
The banter between Mark and Edward was great. It was flirty and cute, and felt like a dance with one step forward, then one or more back. I loved Mark trying to figure out what Edward’s middle name was, and how that figured into their relationship later on. I’m always happy when a character is a comics geek so that appealed too.
The action scenes were exciting, and had me turning just one more page, needing to make sure these guys were okay. The mystery plot was layered, well thought out, and intriguing and I found myself trying to figure out what was going on. The final showdown with the bad guys had me on the edge of my seat needing to make sure everyone was okay.
Another fabulous read from this author.
The perfect balance between romance and suspance.
I adore this series, and I love how all the three books are so different from one another. With some visiting characters, especially in this one.
The characters are great: prickly and sometimes fastidious pathologist Edward has all his walls build up a mile high, but when they fall down and he let’s loose, he’s wild!
Detective Mark is a carefree, no-strings-attached, no-commitment man, but when he sets his mind and his heart on something (or someone) he’s laser focused on the end target.
Jay Hogan’s writing is engaging and emotional, and brings you deep within the story!
Great book. A very interesting case with twists and turns, just the way I like them. Mark and Edward were scorching hot. They made a great professional team and once Edward let his walls down, they made a hot personal team. Can’t wait for more from this author.
Audiobook Review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 5
Romantic and Suspenseful
I’ve been binge listening to this series. The writing is fantastic, the story lines are great and Gary Furlong is doing a wonderful job with his audiobook performances.
Up Close and Personal is a great opposites attract story. It’s filled with suspense and romance. Mark and Edward really strike sparks off of each other but Edward does his best to resist Mark’s advances.
The mystery in this story was great and I was holding my breath at times wondering how Mark and Edward were going to get out of their predicament. I can’t forget to mention dog, Tinkerbell, who helps to save the day.
I’m so glad that after reading book 4 back in January, I finally made time to read the first three books. Reading them out of order really wasn’t a problem because they do standalone very well, but I’m happy that I was able to listen to 1, 2 and 3 without leaving much of a gap between them.
A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me at my request but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
Edward and Mark’s chemistry was hot, hot plus all the action and suspense surrounding them made this another great read in this series. I was sucked in from the start could not stop.
Edward and Mark
Mark noticed the new forensic pathologist Edward Newton, he liked what he saw. But Mark is a flirt with only one night stands. Lately, his mind is only focused on Ed.
If anything detective Mark Knight pushed all Ed’s buttons, only Ed doesn’t need a flirt. He’s looking for something steady.
Mark is intrigued by Ed, there is so much to discover under that cold demeanor.
Besides the case, they are working on we meet both men where they are attracted to each other and through work meet each other several times. That was fun.
Both lovable characters were consistently put down, what I missed was strong chemistry, the slow burn was for my pleasure too slow, that’s me I’m not a slow burn fan.
The investigation side of this story was well put together, there were some thrilling moments, thank goodness for codes 🙂
There are some very nice secondary characters even some with fur.
With the entertaining way of writing, the steady pace and good plot, it was overall a very enjoyable read.
I enjoyed watching Edward and Mark dance around each other. Edward was so not picking up what Mark was putting down but a little close proximity while working on a string of murders helps them develop a deeper connection. Their relationship journey is a great addition to the Auckland Med series.
*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book*
This is a great addition to this series. I love this slow burn between Mark and Edward. It is definitely perfect for this story. This story also a great balances of suspense and romance that really pulls me into the story. Such a great read.