Enemies of the State (The Executive Office #1) in Q&A with Josh Lanyon

Apr 12, 2016 Beebs rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own-kindle, thrillers, m-m, contemporary, romantic-suspense, 2016-challenge-reads, arc, lgbt

Set "in the very near future" this plot felt so very real as it focuses on situations that are very similar to things that are currently happening worldwide. Now ordinarily I'd be running a mile if you tried to get me to read something like this, I read to escape the real world, but the blurb drew me in so I decided to give it a go.

Jack is the newly elected US President and Ethan is head of his security detail, rules forbid Ethan to fraternise with his protectee but watching Jack struggle to c Set "in the very near future" this plot felt so very real as it focuses on situations that are very similar to things that are currently happening worldwide. Now ordinarily I'd be running a mile if you tried to get me to read something like this, I read to escape the real world, but the blurb drew me in so I decided to give it a go.

Jack is the newly elected US President and Ethan is head of his security detail, rules forbid Ethan to fraternise with his protectee but watching Jack struggle to cope with the loneliness of life in the White House, he slowly relaxes the rules and they build a friendship. There is no insta-love here, Ethan is gay and makes no secret of it but Jack is 'straight' and a widower whose wife was killed in Iraq. Ethan knows he is falling in love with Jack and stands to lose everything but is powerless to stop it and Jack is in blissful ignorance until one night when everything comes to a head. What I liked about this book is that we are shown the struggles both men go through, it's not just a case of oh, we're in love and a happy dance off into the sunset. Both men really struggle with the implications of a relationship between them and the impact it will have on their lives. That said, I thought they were very lackadaisical about hiding their secret affair.

Now, to the plot, as I mentioned previously it mirrors current world events, terrorist attacks, wars in the middle east, tension between Russia and America, world summit meetings. Each chapter starts with a news release keeping us up to date with current world events and the politics Jack is struggling with at the time. I would hesitate to classify this as a romance, it's more a political thriller with a romance woven through the story.

So why 4 stars not 5? Although it was necessary to explain the plot and what was happening the beginning of the book was very slow. That said, the author has 2 more books planned for this series that I will definitely be reading.

Tal Bauer is a debut author and in my opinion "one to watch".

*ARC received from Nine Star Press in exchange for an honest review ...more

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Oct 16, 2017 Bibliophile rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m

**This review is for the series as a whole with a brief blurb at the end that's specific to this book.**

Tal Bauer is one of the best m/m action/suspense writers out there. His career in law enforcement and international humanitarian aid almost always adds an extra layer of authenticity to his characters and plots that somehow makes them pop and crackle on the page. His stories feel gritty and real--I often feel like he's giving me an insider's look into what life in the White House or as a feder ...more

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Feb 25, 2016 Deanna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, adventure, military, grabs-my-heart, mc-to-love, gfy

I love adventure, political intrigue stories. I love MM stories with strong MCs. This book had both. I enjoyed it but if political adventure is not your genre, is not your thing, then skip this because this love/lust story happens surrounded by politics and illegal military actions. I was in from the first paragraphs. My favorite part of this story is that it is about young silver foxes. They are in their 40s with tons of life experience.

Ethan is ex-military and current Secret Service on the Pr ...more

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May 11, 2017 Dana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m

Everyone has been talking about this series and finally, I read the first book. It was probably my best read this year. The slow burn romance is fantastic, but the political intrigue and action is amazing. The book could easily be a blockbuster movie or tv show. If you haven't checked out this series yet, let me add my voice to the many by saying it is a must read!! ...more

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Apr 27, 2025 Alison rated it really liked it

Shelves: my-e-things, queer, lgbtq, mystery-crime-thriller

I read this on a plane and it was an excellent book for that situation. It's fast-paced, over-the-top, really sappy, completely ridiculous, and super entertaining. It's a little TOO over-the-top most of the time, but whatever, it was fun. This is Tal Bauer, after all, and he specializes in over-the-top entertainment. He wrote a bonkers Vatican monster thriller--A Time to Rise--which I totally loved because it was just so bonkers. Anyway, this was entertaining and fun and completely ridiculous an ...more

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Aug 31, 2017 Allison rated it liked it

Shelves: bothered-me-attitude, 2017, ku

So, basically, this is a Michael Bay film in book form. I can almost see the slow motion shot of the group walking in various scenes. If that's what you're looking for, you cannot go wrong with this.
It's ridiculously OTT, and requires you to ignore so much it's almost unreasonable. But, it's kind of fun anyway.
Lots of problems with language, attitudes, and repetition, but, again, that's not why you're reading this either. The first half was un-put-downable for me, the second half was a bit slo ...more

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Oct 23, 2016 Irina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, mm, thriller, series, politics, bodyguard, alona-rec

Apart from an unbelievable romance between a president of the USA and his bodyguard - which, on its own, would make anybody roll their eyes - I actually enjoyed it. I might even surprise myself and read a sequel when it comes out.

***3.7 stars***

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Apr 13, 2016 ΛNNΞ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

"Not very likely ..."

This is what I thought throughout this entire book ... pretty much everything about this is ... Not. That. Believable. I can not imagine a US president acting anything like this ... his actions and behaviours were decidedly unpresidential ... he was weirdly insecure, unprofessional and childish for his age ... a lost soul? I did not find the secret service, or even the terrorists for that matter, all that interesting/believable. Considering that Ethan is ex-miliary (special "Not very likely ..."

This is what I thought throughout this entire book ... pretty much everything about this is ... Not. That. Believable. I can not imagine a US president acting anything like this ... his actions and behaviours were decidedly unpresidential ... he was weirdly insecure, unprofessional and childish for his age ... a lost soul? I did not find the secret service, or even the terrorists for that matter, all that interesting/believable. Considering that Ethan is ex-miliary (special forces no less!) and a 40 yo war veteran ... well, he was oddly weepy and at times a bit of a drama queen with a penchant for melodrama...

The MCs are bland and largely forgettable (or memorable but in the wrong way depending on how you look at it). The connection between Ethan and Jake was superficial at best and sometimes uncomfortably strange (often cheesy). The dialogue is really clunky ... cringeworthily so ...

And if inappropriate workplace relationships are not your thing, then this is definitely not the book for you!

I really hated the Hollywood styled arrogant sentimentality that the USA is a great, all-powerful and benevolent world-saviour and the rest of the planet is a cruel, messed up place in desperate need of American intervention. I was born/raised in Kenya ... and to me that is home and not that far away, exotic place where bad things always seem to happen and nobody really bats an eye because it is simply unfortunate collateral damage ... but not on US soil (or Western European soil) so it doesn't really matter ...

I loved the premise of this book and the promise of high drama and political intrigue ... sadly this book did not deliver on either front ... still, I kept reading it despite its flaws ... I typically would DNF but I didn't so there's that I guess ...

PS. I did get some strong demisexual vibes from the President (Jake) which was nice to see (rare ace representation) ... though that might have been muddied by some GFY/OFY vibes as well (not really a fan!) ... ...more

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Jan 24, 2017 K. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, hard-to-put-down-before-finishing, new-author, zz2017

An interesting book and quite bold. I enjoyed reading it, even if I had to suspend belief at certain places. It worked. I thought that altough it was set in an alternative timeline, it did give lot of food for thoughts. Though I do know that I would not like to live in that version of world.

It was kinda weird to read it after everything that happened in 2016. :D Very bizarre.

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Feb 25, 2017 Lisa ~ Books Are My Drugs ~ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: content-erotic, m-m, genre-romance, genre-contemporary, purchased-ebook, genre-suspense, trope-gfy, part-of-series, content-angsty, 200-499-pages

I really liked this story. It was completely engaging with political intrigue, suspense, danger, & some romance. I genuinely liked both MCs, thought they were both decent humans. I liked the way the romance developed between them. I thought the mystery behind the general's accomplice was well-played and not too obvious even though I was able to guess who he was.

I'm looking forward to continuing with the series. ...more

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