Fish out of Water by Amy Lane Audiobook Review

PI Jackson Rivers grew up on the mean streets of Del Paso Heights—and he doesn’t trust cops, even though he was one. When the man he thinks of as his brother is accused of killing a police officer in an obviously doctored crime, Jackson will move heaven and earth to keep Kaden and his family safe.

Defense attorney Ellery Cramer grew up with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, but that hasn’t stopped him from crushing on street-smart, swaggering Jackson Rivers for the past six years. But when Jackson asks for his help defending Kaden Cameron, Ellery is out of his depth—and not just with guarded, prickly Jackson. Kaden wasn’t just framed, he was framed by crooked cops, and the conspiracy goes higher than Ellery dares reach—and deep into Jackson’s troubled past.

Both men are soon enmeshed in the mystery of who killed the cop in the minimart, and engaged in a race against time to clear Kaden’s name. But when the mystery is solved and the bullets stop flying, they’ll have to deal with their personal complications… and an attraction that’s spiraled out of control.

Length: 9 hrs, 20 mins
Narrator: Greg Tremblay

Book 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
I. Love. Jackson Rivers and Ellery Cramer. This is due to both Lane’s crafting of the characters and Tremblay’s ability to give them such distinct personalities through his performance. I also want to add that I thought the narrator did a wonderful job with the voices of young Jackson and Kaden, and Jade’s voice as well. One of the reasons I stick to M/M audiobooks is that I have a difficult time listening to sex scenes when the narrator is performing the character of the opposite sex – it doesn’t matter if the narrator is male or female, it just throws me. With Jade playing such a large role in the book, I was tickled pink that Tremblay performed her character so convincingly and it just goes to reinforce what I already knew – Greg Tremblay’s vocal talents are superb.

Now back to Jackson and Ellery. Theirs is a case of opposites attract as no one in either man’s life would ever pair them up. They come from two different worlds and appear to have very little in common, hence the book’s title. While the chemistry between them is palpable (and hawt), I enjoyed how the author brought them together gradually. Even when they finally wound up in bed together, there were no immediate vows of love. On the contrary, those vows were avoided and danced around until both men were comfortable with where the relationship was headed – and to be honest, I’m not 100% sure either man actually said the words. I should note that the book is written in such a way that even though the events progress quickly, as does their relationship, Lane avoids the insta-love feel. There is a history between Jackson and Ellery which makes it obvious that their coming together was a long time in the making, and that history added to the intensity of the investigation gives the progression of their relationship a more organic feel. I loved how Lane cajoled her characters to open up to one another, giving each man the chance to see behind the professional facade they each maintain, making them more relatable and realistic. I also loved just how unapologetically bisexual Jackson was and that Ellery never once questioned it or fretted about him not being enough for Jackson. As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve said practically nothing about the criminal investigation that the book centers around and that’s because I don’t want to spoil it for you. You have to read it for yourself because… um… WOW! I’ll just say that it’s the kind of police corruption you pray only occurs in fiction.

I am making a slight distinction regarding the rating for Fish out of Water because had I read this rather than listening to the audiobook, I’m not convinced it would have received five stars. Amy Lane is still a relatively new author for me because despite her large body of works, I’ve only read the books she’s written for the Bluewater Bay series, with each earning five stars. Fish out of Water has an entirely different feel to it and it’s one I enjoyed immensely. I’m a fan of romantic suspense novels and this had almost everything I look for – lots of action, heroes determined to take down the bad guys, believable steamy scenes that left me squirming, and romance. With that said, there is an element that was missing – the full resolution of the crime or an indication that there will be a sequel (or two), in which the bad guys will get their due. This lack of closure is one of the very few realistic elements I don’t enjoy in my fiction, but that’s on me. EDITED TO ADD: Since initially writing my review, I have learned that a sequel is scheduled for release (YAY!!!) and that makes Fish out of Water a solid 5-star read. I cannot wait to spend more time with Jackson and Ellery. And Billy!

AMY LANE is a mother of two college students, two grade-schoolers, and two small dogs. She is also a compulsive knitter who writes because she can’t silence the voices in her head. She adores fur-babies, knitting socks, and hawt menz, and she dislikes moths, cat boxes, and knuckle-headed macspazzmatrons. She is rarely found cooking, cleaning, or doing domestic chores, but she has been known to knit up an emergency hat/blanket/pair of socks for any occasion whatsoever, or sometimes for no reason at all. Her award-winning writing has three flavors: twisty-purple alternative universe, angsty-orange contemporary, and sunshine-yellow happy. By necessity, she has learned to type like the wind. She’s been married for twenty-plus years to her beloved Mate and still believes in Twu Wuv, with a capital Twu and a capital Wuv, and she doesn’t see any reason at all for that to change.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Fish out of Water (Fish out of Water #1) by Amy Lane, narrated by Greg Tremblay to listen to and review.