Dead Draw

Layla Reyne pens another fabulous multi-genre novel, the story grabbed my attention right from the start and captivated it the entire time. I enjoyed her writing style and the wonderful characters and storylines she created, they are interesting and original, easy to relate to and connect with, the characters are easy to care about too. The world building and character development is fantastic, as are the layers and complexity of the story. Special Agent Levi Bishop is struggling not only with the loss of his wife, but with his grieving son and making it so much worse he is struggling to stay afloat and is close to losing his house and his car. He is busy working on a case that is close to his heart, but a lead in the investigation falls flat and they think they know why, or rather, who was behind it. Special Agent Emmitt Marshall, hacker extraordinaire, wants to catch the terrorists who killed his mentor, and he comes up with a plan that would bring him closer to them and that plan includes asking another agent to pose as his husband. The same agent whose investigation he just screwed up, though his intention was to help and not hinder that operationI adored both lead characters, my heart went out to Levi and what he was going thru and Marsh just came in and stole my heart, a smooth talker with a big heart and personality. He gave Levi an out of his predicament, of course he takes it, but what happens after was not what he was expecting. I loved the chemistry between them and how well they worked together, also loved how Marsh was with David, Levi’s son. Besides the romance storyline, there is the case he is working on, a criminal investigation, and Marsh is involved with that, too. I loved how everything played out in this cleverly plotted story, there is plenty of drama, relationship and crime drama, mystery, action, thrilling suspense, heartfelt emotions and a slow burn romance. The author is not finished with these characters yet, so there is more to come for Levi and Marsh this fall, which I am looking forward to. Layla Reyne, thank you for another fantastic story and emotional rollercoaster ride. 🎧📚🎧 And for the terrific narration, Christian Leatherman is a talented narrator and a versatile voice artist, he gave each character their own voice and personality, making it easy to follow along and tell who is who. His portrayal of the characters was spot on, he took each role, ran with it and made it his own. You could hear how much heart he puts into his work as he captures the character’s emotions and projects them into his performance. Leatherman is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another great listen.

Dead Draw is book one of a new series, but is also part of, at least, a duet…so it ends in a cliffhanger. Don’t let that scare you, though, because it’s an enjoyable read. And if you’ve met Marsh in an earlier book by the author, you definitely want to finally read his story! I really liked both characters and thought they were a good pairing. Levi was obviously both a dedicated dad as well as a man still mourning his late wife. It spoke to Marsh’s character that he was interested in asking questions about Levi’s life with his wife, and was so supportive of making this “fake” marriage easy on son David. Levi was torn between that grief and moving on with the feelings he was having for Marsh. They established a friendship as well as a work relationship while waiting on that slow burn attraction. There were some things that tweaked me, some nit picky, but they never took me out of the story enough to decrease my enjoyment. I’m waiting almost patiently to see what happens next with these men! As well as catching up to some Layla Rayne books that I’ve missed out on. I really enjoy her writing style and characters.