Title: Bulletproof
Series: Matter of Time book #5
Author: Mary Calmes
Narrator: Jeff Gelder
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 7 hours and 5 minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (02-01-13)
Heat Level: Moderate to Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 hearts
Reviewer: Tams
Blurb: Jory Harcourt doesn’t have to go looking for trouble. Wherever he goes, it seems to find him particularly when his partner, Sam Kage, is working undercover on a federal task force.
After the recession forces him to close his business, Jory goes to work as a match-maker and event planner. From there, it’s only a matter of time before his big mouth and up-front attitude make him the rope in a tug-of-war between a trust fund baby and a drug-smuggling criminal. Then, as if that situation weren’t delicate enough, Jory’s undercover lover shows up working for the smuggler.
Between the men who want him and the men who just want him dead, Chicago is getting a little crowded for Jory, so on the advice of his brother, his boyfriend, and the FBI task force, he heads for Hawaii… where a serious accident threatens his quality of life. Can Sam and Jory keep the faith and prove that their relationship really is bulletproof?
Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3578
Review: Let me start by saying this is my favorite M/M series. Mary Calmes has created the two most visual characters I’ve ever read with Sam and Jory. Polar opposites that bring out the best and the worst in each other. I listened to volume 1 & 2 (which is actually books 1-4) and HAD to know what happened next. So I purchased the kindle books for Bulletproof and But for You. Now, the first books were narrated by Paul Morey, best narrator available in my opinion. Bulletproof was taken over by Jeff Gelder, worst narrator available in my opinion. So, I am reviewing the audio version here, and sadly, Gelder will lower my rating. But story, writing and characters… Best series available in the M/M genre to date!
Jory and Sam are separated again. Sam has gotten a promotion to US Marshall and gone undercover to try to bring down a drug kingpin. The economy hit a little hard and Jory and Dillon had to close their design firm, so he’s been working with another firm in the interim. Of course, his knack for getting into trouble hasn’t changed so at a party he saves a young man from being thrown over the railing, the young man just happens to be the little brother of drug king pin Christo Liron. The same drug king pin that Sam has infiltrated undercover. Can you say awkward?! Especially when Christo sets his eyes on Jory.
If there is one thing Jory is good at, aside from his innate ability to find trouble around every corner, it’s aggravating Sam to no end. And Jory spending time with a psycho drug lord definitely raises Sam’s hackles. Long story short, there is only one man for Jory and that is Sam. Christo doesn’t take rejection well, and in an effort to remove Jory from the situation until the sting operation can bring Christo in… Sam and Dane convince Jory to take a little vacation to Hawaii. And yes, in fact, Jory can find trouble in the most beautiful place in the world! In his defense, this time a hit is put out on him, but still.
An ex boyfriend, an unwanted suitor, an inability to swim and chew gum at the same time, and a couple of pesky killers make for an interesting vacation. We get to see a lot of Jory without Sam in this instalment as he navigates his way through the separation anxiety and the continued threat around every corner. Must be Thursday! But then Sam’s life is put in danger, and Jory makes a split second decision that could cost him everything.
I loved how Calmes managed to work a little ‘angry sex’ into the mix though, when Jory and Sam ran into each other in the club while Sam was still undercover. And the declaration Sam makes when he thinks Jory is sleeping, about exactly when he knew Jory was his, Le Sigh. The way these two characters compliment and complete each other while trying not to kill each other, or be killed, is equal parts astonishing and hilarious. And the sex is hot enough to peel paint!
I loved everything about this, except the narration. Gelder simply read through the story and at a rush at times, with no change in nuance or tone from one character to another. This isn’t the first book I’ve listened to that Gelder narrated, but it will be the last. Sorry, but he just ruins the story. So I will still recommend this book, this series, ANY Mary Calmes book because I have yet to find one I didn’t like. But I’d pass on the audible copy and make the time to read it.
** I received a copy of this audio book from Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review through MM Good Book Reviews **
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