First Impressions

Auckland Med. #1

by Jay Hogan

Michael:

Two years ago, I made a mistake, a big one. Then I added a couple more just for good measure. I screwed up my life, but I survived. Now I have the opportunity for a fresh start. Two years in NZ. Away from the LA gossip, a chance to breathe, to rebuild my life. But I’m taking a new set of rules with me.

I don’t do relationships.
I don’t do commitment.
I don’t do white picket fences.
And I especially don’t do arrogant, holier-than-thou, smoking hot K9 officers who walk into my ER and rock my world.

Josh:

One thing for certain, Dr. Michael Oliver is an arrogant, untrustworthy player, and I barely survived the last one of those. He might be gorgeous, but my daughter takes number one priority. I won’t risk her being hurt, again. I’m a solo dad, a K9 cop and a son to pain-in-the-ass parents.

I don’t have time for games.
I don’t have time for taking chances.
I don’t have time for more complications in my life.
And I sure as hell don’t have time for the infuriating Dr. Michael Oliver, however damn sexy he is.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, Enemies To Lovers, Audiobook, LGBT, Crime

329 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 25, 2018

About the author

Heart, humour and keeping it real.

I am a two times Lambda Literary Award Finalist—2020 for DIGGING DEEP and 2024 for THE ART OF HUSBANDRY.
I have also received the The Romance Writers of New Zealand 2021 Romance Book of The Year Award for OFF BALANCE.
I am a New Zealand author writing mm romance and romantic suspense primarily set in my home country. I write character driven romances with lots of humour, a good dose of reality, and a splash of angst. I’ve travelled extensively, lived in many countries, and in a past life I worked as a critical care nurse and a counsellor. My family love and somehow put up with me, and my gorgeous Cocker Spaniel thinks I spend too much time at my desk but keeps my feet warm.

Join my reader group to keep up with my news.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/hogan...

You can also find me at:
https://www.jayhoganauthor.com where you can buy my audiobooks direct at a discount.

https://www.facebook.com/JayHoganAuthor

Reviews

[Lyn❤Loves❤Listening to Real Voices Only!!!!❤️🎧📚 Addict ON HIATUS · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/11/22

Chirp is having a sale on the audio for .99 it ends today so grab it while you can.

https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks...
____________

Audio 5 Stars...Gary Furlong...😍😍 The man puts a lot of sexy in his sarcasm. Love him! 😍😍

Story 4 Stars

There's more focus on the relationship drama than there is on the crime drama. Sometimes the crime case felt like an after thought. The resolution was definitely anticlimactic. But I'm a sucker for an alpha meet alpha love story. Add in arrogance, push-pull and some sweet cuddly moments and I'm sold.❤

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

*sigh*
I wanted to love this much more than I did.
I can't ignore the fact it took me so long to finish...sometimes RL is the cause for this but not in this case. I just wasn't...engaged.
As you might imagine, their first impression isn't the best. I always love it when an author flips my disgust around and Hogan did redeem their rocky start.
I love a man in uniform and was instantly drawn to Josh.
But...I just couldn't quite connect to him or Michael.
And I was irritated with inconsistencies with the story.
I did love the secondary characters immensely though.
The ending would have made me much happier without the way the separation was handled.
I just...wanted so much more than what I got.

*2.5/3 coulda-woulda-shoulda stars*

[Cadiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.

ETA: This is a debut novel from Jay Hogan with a Kiwi feel to it which is subtle but definitely plays a part in the narrative.

It's a classic enemies to lovers with a bit of a suspense/crime drama element on which the quite lovely (if somewhat dramatic) relationship is sat upon.

The pacing is good (I had an ARC so there were edits which I believe are to be ironed out in the final copy) and there are some time jumps which are managed well and clearly marked and which definitely were needed to advance the plot along.

Both Josh (oh Josh!) and Michael are fully fleshed out characters with believable human frailties and both acted like utter arses at times and both were vulnerable and made mistakes - as happens very much in 'real life'.

Josh is easier to relate to (although still an arrogant arse!) but Michael eventually wormed his way into my heart because he really needed Josh (much as he didn't want to) and he had an epiphany about his own behaviour which felt earnt and not just chucked in for the dramatic effect.

I enjoyed this one a lot, it's a decent length and the pacing allows for the romance to develop from the instantaneous lust which hits them both at a most unwelcome event - the scene of a police raid on a gay nightclub.

The secondary characters are good too (I want both Cam and Mark's stories next please Jay!) and Josh's almost 12-year-old daughter is well written, not an uber child speaking like a grownup, but a developing mini-human learning to deal with changes.

When these two finally do give in to the lust, the scenes are explosive, powerful, passionate and - in a complete turnaround for Michael - with a hint of a submissive kink and a whole lot of emotions neither man was expecting.

The crime element of the story I thought also worked well, it hooked into the very real drugs issue which plagues some of New Zealand's major cities and I felt it had believable outcomes and the police elements were also well researched (imho as someone who spent almost 20 years as a journalist dealing with the police a lot!)

I'd love a follow up for these guys a few years down the line because I did honestly believe in their HEA.

#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.

[Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5* Not terrible, but also not exceptional. An ER doctor and a single father, K-9 police officer.

Enemies to lovers
Wounded manwhore who refuses to settle down.
Stoic single dad who refuses to take a chance on love again.
The ‘you’re too good for me’ trope
Typical 3/4 break up scene

Huge props to the author for making these two men have the exact opposite issues. One was cheated on, and the other did the cheating (in previous relationships).

I’m not really sure what happened to the gang/mystery side of this story, but it seem to disappear until the end.

Not one to complain about too many sex scenes in a story, I just wish the author had included a little more communication to go along with all of that steam. Their chemistry was a building on fire 🔥🔥🔥

A good narrator can make a mediocre story all that much better. Gary Furlong did a wonderful job voice acting these characters.

[Rosabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well hello Jay Hogan, nice to meet you sir. *wink, wink*😉😉❤

I must say I had my doubts with this one, the series has very opposite reviews overall and even though this one has a cop as a main character, (wich I love!!!) I dunno, I was hesitant, but I shouldn't have, this was really good! The characters started with an "I hate u" vibe that had me really invested in this, they had their reasons of course, but I´m never gonna say no to this type of dynamics because I knew that when they crashed! IT WAS GOING TO BE EPIC... And it was, fire meet gasoline right there! I also enjoyed them as individuals and as a couple and I adored the little girl even though she read older than 12 years old. At the end of the day, the author managed to create a very warm enviroment.

Besides the main characters I really enjoyed the rest of the story, the other plots surrounding the leads complemented it perfectly and it was all well developed, the secondary characters were also fun to meet and they had such strong personalities that it promised for future books. My only issue is that the trope that every author uses was present here, the: I love you but I´m not good for you so I´ll just dump ur ass... I saw it coming a mile away and it bothered me, that´s why it´s a 4 stars read. But at the end I really enjoyed this, the book has character and it was fun/hot and lovely.

I do have a question: The other ones in the series are worth the read or should I stop? 🙈🙈❤

[lakshmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Choking from the amount of testosterone this book pumped out 🤧🥴

[Eugenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aside from suffering from bouts of toxic masculinity whilst reading this Kiwi tale, I enjoyed it. 3.3 Stars.

It was hot
Two alpha males
Enemies to lovers
One becomes a power bottom (although he tops from time to time by the end to keep up appearances 🙄)

The story started with a crime plot, but then got forgotten in the haze of lust. It did get picked up again at the end so as to finish the book off.

Best part of the story? Gary “makes me change my panties” Furlong narrated 😍💥😍💥😍 5 Panty Narration 🩲🩲🩲🩲🩲

I hope the author stops referring to anything that’s not uber masc as “girly” or “wimpy” or some such shit.

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~]

DNF @ 54ish%

It's a good thing this book wasn't my first impression of this author, or I'd be returning the second book in this series to Audible along with the first. Needless to say, my expectations for book 2 have dropped quite a bit.

There's nothing new here. Once you've been reading M/M for awhile, you've read every single trope in this book a few dozen times over. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and I was willing to go along with it once the MCs got over themselves and started getting along, but unfortunately, the way they got along was in bed. Three chapters in a row with way too-long sex scenes, that took up the majority of those chapters. Then she managed to go a whole chapter before doing it again. And not just any kind of sex either. No. My favorite: wild, full-on sex after serious injury including concussion. Seriously, like the very next day after getting the crap kicked out of him, they're at it like horny teenagers. Because Michael being covered in bruises really turns Josh on. Ugh! I skipped the majority of the sex scenes, but what little I did listen to was nothing original either. Oh, yes, and there's also the female character (in this case, a sister, ew) who is way too interested in her brother's sex life. But wait, there's more! The gay nurse in the ER also gets to be way too invested too. Authors - please get rid of these characters! All this does is fetishize gay men (even more than the numerous sex scenes were already doing) and it's gross.

And because so much time was dedicated to the sex, there was little time for anything else. You know, like the plot. For an emergency room doctor and a cop, we see them do very little of their jobs. Also, Josh has an eleven-year old daughter who gets thrown into a scene now and again to remind us she exists because Josh does very little parenting. Then she started throwing in a subplot with Josh's ex that I couldn't care less about. Oh, and K9s must be trained entirely differently in NZ than they are in the US. They're not pets or family dogs, and I don't think their handlers are supposed to be leaving them alone with other people, so those parts were strange to me as well. (Edit: So some have said that K9 dogs can be family dogs in the US, but considering they're trained to attack, I don't know how much I'd trust such a dog with a child. YMMV.)

Then there's the narration. I love Gary Furlong, so it wasn't entirely him, I don't think. His American accent has improved somewhat. I have no idea if his Kiwi accent was accurate or not, but it did sound inconsistent to me. Also, for some reason, he only used an American accent when reading Michael's dialogue but not when reading Michael's POV chapters, so it was hard to keep track of whose head I was supposed to be in. I don't know if that was his choice or the author's choice or if neither one of them even thought about it, but the inconsistency was a constant source of irritation.

If I'd finished this, I could see myself giving this 2 stars easily, maybe 2.5 if she managed to get the characters out of bed long enough to wrap up the plot in a satisfactory way, but even though I skipped about 25% of the first half due to the sex scenes, it was already starting to feel too long for me.

Edit: Oh, and let's not forget the "Latino skin." Latinos can be white, black, or anywhere in between. We're not all brown, which is what I assume the author meant. And another character is simply described as European. Ok, but what does he look like? 🙈

Then I saw that this was originally published by DSP and it all makes more sense.

[Kaity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread/Relisten #2: January 2024

Like before I wanted more interactions with Sasha and Michael, but overall I really enjoyed the reread!

Reread/Relisten #1: September 2022

Same as before, Gary Furlong + any accent = perfection

I am excited to read about Cam next!

Original Read/Listen: March 2021
Audio: 5 stars, can be found on Scribd (now Everand)
Book: 3.5-4 stars

The audiobook was amazing! That New Zealand accent, mmm*chefs kiss*! I’d give it 5 stars for that..but there were parts of the book that just didn’t work for me.

There was trouble with Michael and a drug cartel or gang or something but it was in the background until it was needed again... don’t get me wrong I love that kinda drama but not if it randomly pops up when convenient.

Also I wished we got more scenes with Michael and Sasha rather than being told about it. And I feel like the miscommunication between Josh and Michael could have been handled a bit better... but not gunna lie the accent brought to me by the audiobook really made it easier to swallow, because if I were just reading it I don’t think I would have finished the book to be honest...

Overall great audiobook but okay book in my opinion haha

[Drache.... (Angelika) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 stars.
Another reread that wasn't as good as I remembered.
There were sweet parts, I enjoyed those, even the action-scenes, but the last 15% were just too plain stupid to believe.
Josh and Michael were together for maximum a month without even committing to be boyfriends, then they were broken up for a few weeks,
then the kidnapping took place, and what does Michael? He flees to LA without a word, no contact for 4 months? Doesn't even check on Josh and his (kidnapped) daughter after they're safe and Michael is safe, too?
No thank you.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book, especially for the author's debut. For some reason, I was excited to read a book set in the medical setting, had a little more action/suspense than I thought it would but I did enjoy that part of the book.

[Papie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot sex, sweet feelings, banter, crime solving, awesome friends, family, love, two incredibly hot MCs, this book had everything.

I really loved it and I am very excited about the rest of the series, which seems to focus on Josh and Michael’s friends and coworkers.

To be truly perfect, I would have liked a bit more suspense surrounding the crime aspect, and more communication between the MCs. But it was still a really fun read!

[Melanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chemistry between Michael and Josh was incredible!! 🔥🔥🔥

[Christelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Auckland Med is an MM romance series with standalone stories. I can attest to that as I read book#2 first, LOL. As book#2 was a hit for me, I decided to give it a go with this one and once again, another hit with this kind of enemy-to-lover, opposite attract MM hot and sexy romance.

Josh is a single dad of an 11-year-old girl, has bigoted parents but a great bond with his sister and is a K9 police officer. He has a great sense of responsibility and wants a serious loving relationship.
Michael is very different : he’s a great and committed trauma doctor but can struggle with the stress attached to his job. He doesn’t do relationship and keeps his lovers at a safe distance.

When they meet, Josh doesn’t give a lot of credit to Michael : granted, he first sees him with the hand of a twink in his pants in a night-club. As for Michael, no way he’s ready to deal with Josh’s irritability, but he’s having a lot of fun rattling Josh. But maybe it’s Michael’s foundations that are going to be shaken.

I loved the way these two, beyond the considerable lust, fall for each other, despite their first impressions of each other and the mistakes they do along the way. The characters are well drawn, the pace of their relationship is on point, the sex is hot with a delicious dominant side from Josh and a nice dose of emotions. And the crime and drug subplot was good and well embedded.

Needless to say, I’m well into this series from Jay Hogan and on board for more.

ARC of “First Impressions” was generously provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Gabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally this would have been a dnf, but I was really desperate last week. I tried several books before this one clicked with me. The beginning was interesting: a doctor goes out clubbing, hooks up with some young thing in the back alley, only to be interrupted by a K9 officer literally with his dick hanging out. Doesn't sound very original does it? But somehow it worked for me. Micheal is a skinny, tattooed asshole with an attitude, not a very likable character, therefore of course I liked him, coz that's just how it goes with me. :)

After that it was a pretty predictable and light story, nothing special about it. Personalities clash; dislike turns to like. Hot chemistry between the guys. If you're  looking specifically for a story where both guys are exclusive tops and you're curious how they solve that problem, you can try this one.

Overall this was an average read for me.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

At like 80% in I was like…. If these fucking lil bitches don’t pull their finger out and get that HEA they deserve, I’m going to smash my kindle.........

Kindle status: is fully in tact 🥰🤭
(At what cost? who knows. At least it happens in the end though hahahahah)

[Gustaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book until the whole "you are better off without me, so I'll just leave and ignore you for 6 months" bullshit happened.

[Nelly S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Josh nipped his ear. “Don’t wanna hurt you.”
Michael squirmed, his arse clenching around Josh’s fingers.
“Well, considering you’ve earned yourself a frequent flyer card down there over the last month, by now you pretty much only need to look at me sideways and my ass seems to throw open the door all on its own.”

I enjoyed this way more than I expected to. This was Jay Hogan’s debut novel and you can tell that at times, but it’s still a great read. I loved the pairing of Michael, an emotionally closed-off American doctor working on a short-term contract in New Zealand, with Josh, a cop who has an eleven-year-old daughter. They’re both wary about entering into a relationship for good reasons. Michael recently had a traumatic experience losing a young girl on his watch in LA before he moved to Auckland. And Josh is still getting over an ex-boyfriend who cheated throughout their long-term relationship. Although their initial meeting is a disaster with both developing an instant dislike to each other, they can’t deny their strong chemistry. I liked the relationship development despite… you know it… miscommunication because of each other’s fears. The side characters are great, especially Sasha (daughter), Cameron (sassy nurse and MC in next book), and Mark (Josh’s best friend). I plan to continue with the series.

[CrabbyPatty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the second book in this series first, and started this one with some trepedition hoping it was not as bloated and melodramatic as Crossing the Touchline. Not to worry ... the sizzling relationship between Josh (self-described as the "boring, judgmental, vanilla, arrogant delight you see before you") and Michael, the charasmatic doctor Josh first meets in a bathhouse in flagrante delicto makes for a great read.

The author continually plays on the perceptions each man has of the other. Josh, solid single father of a daughter, prides himself on his self-control and stability. He dislikes Michael at first sight, seeing the handsome facade and the devil-may-care attitude as signs that Michael is just not hard-wired for any type of honest relationship. But despite Josh's "barely restrained pissy attitude" and his "withering dismissal," there is just something about Michael Oliver that "turned him on like a fucking switch. The guy was a menace to Josh's self-control."

And once Josh decides he can allow himself to accept the casual relationship Michael is offering, things get all kinds of toppy and steamy very quickly. As Michael thinks: "He just didn't get the guy. Damn reluctant to get in the bed, but once there, a freaking dominating sex machine with all the optional extras turned on." The sexual tension is palpable and translates into a very intense dynamic between the two men.

Without giving away too much, the author skilfully develops and deepens Michael and Josh's quickly not-so-casual relationship, while tossing in a deadly police situation and Josh's family drama with his homophobic parents, and the end result is a highly entertaining read that moves along at a steady pace, doesn't fall into needless melodrama and ends with a satisfying HEA. 4.25 stars for "First Impressions."

I received an ARC from Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review.

Stop by my new blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews

[Aricka Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A grin of pure delight settled on Josh’s face, and a surge of warmth shot through Michael, hitting him with absolute clarity. He wanted to please this man. He wanted to see that smile. He wanted to be responsible for putting it there, and the realization terrified him. He needed to get whatever this was the fuck under control or finish it."

4.75 ⭐️

The classic, lets be fuck buddies, no strings attached romance. I love that shit, cause you just know that strings are definitely going to attach their little selves to them and they are gonna fall hard. The fuck buddies trope always brings a good slice of drama with it as well, I love some emotional damage, drama, and I got it with this one. Michael and Josh cant stand each other, well they wanna fuck each other so bad they cant stand each other, and we get a whole lot of chasing, lusting, and close contact for a while in this book, which builds up knowing the characters. Both dudes have some issues they have had to face because of pace relationships and trauma, and this book really does deal with it. I mean, we get the emotional connection, they fiery sexual connection, and just some pretty cute shit, tossed in with some pretty random drama like drug dealer, getting beat, and kidnaped shit too. ER Doctor meets K9 police man and we get some pretty good stuff going on. I really enjoyed this book, but it didnt get 5 stars for one reason. I feel like some pretty important things just got glossed over, and we are told WHAT happened after, like 4 month skips, 9 day skips, 3 month skips, and we learn what happened in those times, I personally want to read at least some snips of their lives in those moments, not looking back and being told what happens. Thats the only downfall, because I feel like if we saw that, we could of got even better character development and emotional connections with the characters and the characters with one another. But whatever, I found myself tearing up anyways, so boohoo I guess. Anyways, this was great and I most likely will be continuing this series, even though I dont think it willl live up to my love for both Michael and Josh but we will have to see.

[Trio · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first novel in Jay Hogan’s Auckland Med series, First Impressions is now available as an audiobook. Beautifully performed by Gary Furlong, the whole experience of this story is enhanced by his spectacular narration, and makes First Impressions a highly enjoyable listening experience.

First Impressions is a fast moving thriller, with a good dose of dry humor, and creative, interesting characters. I enjoyed the mystery, but this novel is really about the romance. Two uber macho guys, both in need of some serious self-healing, gradually break each other’s walls down, and navigate through the choppy waters of a relationship.

In my opinion, enemies to lovers is one of the hardest tropes to write convincingly, and Jay Hogan totally nails this one. These are authentic and wonderfully developed characters. Their raucous humor, domineering posturing, and masculine blustering are wildly entertaining. And the peeks of insecurity they both show are refreshingly realistic. From the first moments these two men entertain changes in their relationship, it works for me.

Thankfully Jay Hogan doesn’t make us wait too long till they get between the sheets, because the sex scenes are fantastic! What starts as super raw and smoking hot sex gradually blurs as these two alpha men explore elements of dominance and submission. The intimacy they share as they each take turns bottoming for the first time in ages, opens up new facets of their relationship.

Gary Furlong’s sexy, sassy spin on these characters absolutely makes the most of this novel! He understands these complex men, and capitalizes on the chemistry between them. From the animosity which develops in the opening scene, through their grudging acceptance of a friendship, and the eventual explosion which happens between the sheets, Mr. Furlong clearly gets what Jay Hogan is going for in these guys.

Gary Furlong is brilliant with his voices, and I’ve never heard him do a Kiwi accent before. Of course, it’s wonderful! Josh and his mates have a ton of personality, and their banter is classic. Mr. Furlong really brings these New Zealanders to life.

I’ve heard that an American accent can be very difficult to do well. The way Gary Furlong flows between Michael’s flat Southern California twang and the rich, round tones of the natives is truly impressive. Plus, he adds in fascinating inflections, makes the most of emotions, and keeps the story rolling forward at the fast pace which Jay Hogan sets.

There’s a great deal of action going on throughout First Impressions. In addition to the gripping mystery, we get to know Josh and Michael’s stories. Josh has drama with his family and friends, and Michael works to make a new life for himself in Auckland. The supporting cast is interesting, and I’m glad we’re getting Cameron’s story next in Crossing the Touchline. I’ve got my fingers crossed Jay Hogan plans to take advantage of Gary Furlong’s superlative skills and bring the whole Auckland Med series to audio.

[Ariana (mostly offline) · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3,5 stars*

Darn, I thought I might like this more.

The scenario is great. The enemies to lovers trope is always a favourite, and the fact that there is a medic involved just seals the deal.
The writing is engaging and the relationship development has a lot going for it, like fab UST and (eventual) sizzle.

I liked both MCs in general, even if Michael has a tendency to behave like a giant a******. Of course, once we find out why he does that, I was quite happy to be more forgiving towards his attitude, but I still think that there's no need to let your own bad mood out on people at your work. It’s highly unprofessional (imo) and annoyed me to no ends.
Speaking of Michael’s job … we never hear a lot about it, at all. I found that a bit odd.

Josh is just a sweetheart, and I loved the ‘nightmare scene’ with a fervor. I do wonder though, why he feels obliged to tell his 11-year old daughter everything that goes on in his love-life? She is another young character who behaves way beyond her age.(sigh)

I think my main issue here is that Josh and Michael feel like book characters. Both are so gorgeous, so wonderful, so talented, and everything they feel is so extreme and so intense and so overwhelming, it just doesn’t feel real. As for the action plot towards the end … sorry, that took things a bit much into OTT territory.

Another thing – my head started spinning at all the ‘f***s’ here and there and everywhere. – and I’m talking about language, guys! You have to believe me that I’m really not a prude in that department. And constant expressions like ‘hunk of ass’ , ‘piece of ass,’ fuck ton’ of this or that etc etc simply don’t do anything for me. Not sure why the author felt that both MCs have to communicate like that. It’s certainly not sexy!

That apart, this is entertaining enough, but it left me scratching my head a little.

[fleurette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't write a review of this book right after reading it, and I owe it to myself. Now, a few days later, not only my thoughts fade in my memory, but so is the plot. The book is okay, although apparently it's not something I will remember for long.

You will find here a small enemies to lovers thread, which is one of my favorite tropes. But it is not very developed. When it comes to romance, it is a rather simple story. Michael and Josh meet in unusual circumstances and are interested in each other from the very beginning. Although Josh, due to his life situation, does not want a fleeting romance and Michael is not interested in a real relationship.

But I don't think I've ever fully understood why Michael is so shy about being in a relationship. His previous relationship with Simon was more than okay most of the time, Michael was the reason they broke up. So you can't really talk about the trauma caused by it. Hence, Michael's motives were not always clear to me.

Nor am I impressed by the big pointless breakup at the end of the book. For me, it was all too dramatic, especially when you consider how long it was before they explained the whole mess to each other. And it would all have been much faster if they had simply talked to each other before, acting like adults. It was, in my opinion, the weakest moment in this story.

But beside this, it's a pretty cute story with a fair amount of sex. The dynamics of their relationship turned out to be a bit different than I expected, but I had no problem with that. Generally, they fit together pretty well.

I saw that this is only the first book in the series. I do not know who will be the main character of the next books, I can see several candidates. Someday I will probably read about them.

[Cat the bookworm (semi hiatus ish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd rate it somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, rounding it up because of the narration of Gary Furlong.

Is the story of Michael, an American doctor who's living and working in Auckland for 18 months to try and get over some things that happened earlier in his life. And Josh, a cop, father of a very lovable pre-teen daughter, Sasha. Michael is witness to a murder, and therefore on the hitlist of said criminal, but the entire crime case isn't the prime focus in this book - is focused on the relationship between Michael and Josh.

I liked them together, but tbh (and I didn't think I'll ever say that about a book) there's too much sex and not enough other stuff happening. There are a few misunderstandings, basically because they don't talk enough about things that matter. There's an annoying ex, a sweet ex and a bit of (not quite) OM drama, which would have ruined the book for me if it did actually happen. But all in all it's a book that's good to listen to, with many sweet and a few tense moments.

I love the New Zealand setting of Jay Hogan's books, and I'm pretty sure I'll listen to the rest of the books from this series.

[Layla]

Sigh.... I love it!
Review to come

[True Loveislovereview · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars Michael and Josh, respectively the doctor and the cop.

They meet at a crime scene, Michael’s lower member in someone’s mouth.
Disgust is the word Josh feels for Michael, and it’s the other way around too.
They started in a bad way, they don’t like each other. But their sexual attraction is stronger than their aversion.
Josh has bad experiences with guys like Michael, as a single dad his daughter is his first priority. Michael has reasons for his behavior, and Josh will never hear about them.

They agreed that just, for the time being, they could have fun... just for the time being.
So they have fun, A LOT.

Both men are dirty-mouthed and very physical. What started as a horny fest for both, gets fast into something deeper. But both stubborn men are in denial.
Michael as a witness at a crime scene gets in danger. A nice addition to this story.
There is a lot of sexiness in this read and all delicious. After getting to know these guys outside the bedroom my heart broke at times. They both have a story to tell.

A fast-paced, dirty-mouthed story. With a lot of heavy emotions and a lot of sexual activity. The plot was well done. Josh’s daughter Sasha, his dog Paris, the family and business matters and the bit of angst were nicely woven into the story. I loved the strong attraction, I loved it both men had strong personalities and were hard-headed and sexy af. The end was very satisfying!

[Gaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had forgotten how hot this book was. I recently decided to continue this series, so I decided to give it a go and re-read this book. Of course, it also helped that it was narrated by the talented Gary Furlong. I really like his voice, but I am not super sure how good his American accent is LOL.

Michael is living in NZ after having some personal and professional issues back home in the US. While at a dance club, he finds himself randomly meeting Officer Josh, who does not like him at all. I am pretty sure I felt the same way the first time around, because Josh is extremely judgmental and mean towards Michael, and it is not at all Michael's fault. Like, what is so wrong with dancing while single to be on the receiving end of all that animosity?

Because Michael ended up being a sort of witness to a crime, he ends up being in close proximity with Josh, and even though they don't like each other, they decide to become fuck buddies. And Mr. I, never bottom, aka Michael, finds himself having the best time of his life, and let me tell you all that was very hot.🔥

I think my only issue is that most of their relationship development happened off-page, so it was hard to grasp what they actually meant to each other by the time the 3rd act conflict happened.

It does end in a very nice HEA, and I am very keen to continue the series.

[Raven and Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

Oh my gosh Michael almost broke my heart there towards the end. He finally realized though that he is just as worthy of a happy ending and the next guy. This book was so good. Both men had baggage but they eventually figured it out! And Sasha is a doll.

[JenMcJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I understand this is a debut novel. On the whole, I'd say it was pretty good. As far as the story. It was a little melodramatic and over the top and I'm not a fan of characters that run when things get messy and I get even more frustrated with characters that put up with toxic family but the MC's really had a lot of chemistry and the sex scenes were well done. I believed in these guys and they had a good sense of realism. I'm sure the author will only get better.

I think it was probably a little ambitious to write an American as a lead for a new author not embedded in American culture. It's hard for seasoned writers to get MC's from different parts of the world right, whether it's an American trying to write a Irishman or South African trying to write a Russian character. There are just things that go wrong. For this book, a lot of the words Michael uses (fuckwit, cock up) are just NOT American terms. But mostly, the author confused sports teams pretty badly at one point. The Cowboys are an American Football team. They would never play the Celtics in a basketball game and there were numerous other cultural misteps...

I know that seems petty but once I stumble on that stuff, it just gets my radar going.

All that said, I will keep my eyes open for the next book.

[Krishaines · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pet Peeve in Romance Books

When there is a separation, so I know they aren’t technically cheating, but they are in love with the other person, and they go out and hook up. Yes, in this book he just starts to get a blow job and doesn’t finish because he isn’t feeling it, but still, i hate when books justify characters hooking up with someone else, when “they don’t finish”

I’m sorry but is it just me but he still received oral sex, just because it’s crappy and he didn’t like it and stopped it, doesn’t mean he was faithful and the act didn’t occur!!!! Ugh. This drives me bonkers in books, and this book even more so because when he gets back together he says there’s been no one since you, yes you didn’t have anal, or finish, but you still had a hook up and it seems kind of shady not to share.