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REVIEW: Angel’s Share by Layla Reyne
Agents Irish and Whiskey: Angel’s Share by Layla Reyne
Husbands Aidan Talley and Jameson Walker team up again as Agents Irish & Whiskey for their most precarious case yet in this established couple gay romantic suspense novel.
FBI agent Aidan Talley just wanted to spend the holiday weekend cheering on his husband’s basketball team. Instead, he’s investigating a cargo theft for the family business and coming face-to-face with a loose end from the case that almost tore him and Jamie apart.
Coach Jameson Walker may spend his days on the sidelines now, but Jamie refuses to stay there when it comes to his husband. When Aidan is cornered by his past, Jamie will do whatever it takes to ground him in the present, including stepping back into his hacker shoes for the Bureau.
Aidan and Jamie thought they’d seen it all, but the City of Angels has more than one ghost in store for them. As revenge and redemption collide, Agents Irish and Whiskey will have to trust in their love and their partnership to solve the case for the family they have, for the one they lost, and for the one they want to call their own.
Angel’s Share is the final book in the Agents Irish and Whiskey LGBTQIA+ romantic suspense series. While it can be read as a standalone, it is best enjoyed after reading the other books in the series.
Agents Irish and Whiskey by Layla Reyne were among the earliest MM books I’ve read (2017!). I never left Whiskeyverse because the succeeding spinoffs, Fog City, Trouble Brewing, and Perfect Play, kept me immersed in the City of Angels.
Angel’s Share surprised me because I didn’t expect we’d get another Aidan and Jamie story after the wedding novella. I didn’t want their series to end! I went from rating the first book, Single Malt 2 stars to one of the most memorable couples in MM romance.
This series finale opens with a luxury cargo stolen from no less than a Talley Enterprise ship. It led to a thrilling car chase with Jamie showing off his death-defying driving skills and Aidan meeting the last person he expected to see.
Angel is Aidan’s godson and the nephew of his late husband, Gabe. It seemed that the boy and his mother, Izzy, had fallen into hard times after they became estranged from their family due to their homophobic views. Aidan, in his survivor’s guilt after Gabe’s death, also distanced himself and had no idea that his underage godson was involved in illegal activities.
The plot brings the series full circle, interweaving Irish and Whiskey’s current lives with the case, exorcising past demons, and bringing closure to open threads. As Aidan is the SAC and Jamie is now a basketball coach and occasional FBI consultant/hacker, most of the action was told rather than shown. The rescue of Angel’s friend, Bev, would have been suspenseful, but it was mostly off-page.
This one is a me problem. I can’t exactly point a finger at a specific sentence, but the author has a way of writing, or maybe it’s the narrator’s style of delivery, that makes things seem more dramatic than they actually are. This is why I can’t finish the Perfect Play series. I kept rolling my eyes at how overly emo things sound. Here, it’s not as emo, and the story is very compelling.
Gripes aside, I loved the book! It felt like catching up with old friends! I am thrilled with everyone making appearances, from my fave badass babes, Mel and Helena, to Nick and Cam, even Levi, Marsh and their son, David, and of course Danny (my fave Talley). Even the other FBI agents who have their own books or I wish have their own books brought something fun to the table.
The newer characters were standouts as well. Angel went from a surly teenager to a protective friend and eager mechanic apprentice. It was a brief mention of them talking on the balcony but I’m totally shipping Angel and David. Hopefully, we get a book when they’re older.
Bev, our girl is feisty, sassy, and hella smart. Years of abuse and foster care didn’t dampen her spirits, and I’m happy she finally found her home.
And, of course, Aidan and Jamie giving me life with their strength and unconditional support to each other! It’s not so common to see the lives of married couples after the wedding, apart from epilogues. So I enjoyed seeing an established couple working together, saving their loved ones, with that absolute faith that his husband has his back no matter what.
Still with that palpable chemistry, that deep emotional connection, and that seamless synchronicity in work and personal life that makes Irish and Whiskey unforgettable even after all these years!
I complained about the “tell” parts earlier. The thrilling takedown made up for it, bringing in the big guns, bounty hunter Mel, and ninja assassin Helena, with Aidan’s team taking down mobsters, and dodging explosions. This is the action I’ve been waiting for!
Angel’s Share is about loss, grief, and long-buried fears, but it also reminded Aiden and Jamie of what matters most: love and the family we have or found. Fast-paced, and emotional, it’s happy forever we could wish for our Irish and Whiskey!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: The Angel’s Share
Artist: Elly
Album: The Angel’s ShareP.S.
Agents Irish and Whiskey books are best read in order. Don’t miss the spinoffs, especially Trouble Brewing (Nick and Cam are top faves!), and Fog City (Silent Knight wrecked me!). Don’t listen to me about Perfect Play. I think most people will like that series.
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ANGEL’S SHARE: Kindle I Audiobook
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RELEASE BLITZ: Angel’s Share by Layla Reyne
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COVER REVEAL: Angel’s Share by Layla Reyne
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Agents Irish and Whiskey: Blended Whiskey – Layla Reyne
You’re Invited
Aidan “Irish” Talley
and
Jameson “Whiskey” Walker
together with their family and friends
request the honor of your presence
at their wedding
Saturday, the Seventeenth of March
Two Thousand and Eighteen
at High Noon
Half Moon Bay, CaliforniaCongratulations!!!
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked itSoundtrack: This is the Life
Artist: Two Door Cinema Club
Album: Tourist History(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39308726-blended-whiskey)
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REVIEW: Barrel Proof by Layla Reyne
Agents Irish and Whiskey: Barrel Proof – Layla Reyne
FBI agents Aidan “Irish” Talley and Jameson “Whiskey” Walker can’t get a moment’s peace. Their hunt for the terrorist Renaud seems to be nearing an end, until a fire allows him to slip through their fingers—and puts Jamie’s life in danger. When Jamie is nearly killed, Aidan learns how many forms loss can take.
Aidan says I love you just moments before learning that Jamie’s been keeping a devastating secret about Aidan’s late husband. How quickly trust and love can go up in flames. When Aidan requests a solo undercover assignment, Jamie hopes Aidan will find a way to forgive him.
But the explosions are far from over. Aidan’s cover lands him in the heart of the terrorist’s conspiracy, and Jamie will have to put his life, his career and his freedom on the line to save the man who has become his entire world. Partners, always is a promise he intends to keep.
After meh ratings on Single Malt and Cask Strength, Barrel Proof, managed to rack up three stars. This is mostly thanks to the narrator Tristan James, who did a superb job wringing out the emotions in that dramatic scene after Cuba. He’s also awesome with accents, doing everything from Bostonian, Irish, Southern and Czech.
Barrel Proof is all about the end game. Here, we finally meet the notorious and mysterious Renaud who was out for revenge against Silicon Valley execs and financial bigwigs. This is also where we get the most action, starting with that explosive Cuban confrontation and ending with a suspenseful kidnapping situation where everybody had to pray for Mel. Because the book was case-focused, there were less annoying moments where Aidan and Jamie acted ridiculously emotional and more of them doing their jobs.
Mel, Danny and Jamie’s bestfriend, Cam were all in on the action. Lauren, with her hacking skills and quirks, was a great addition to the team. Nick the prosecutor also had major pagetime/airtime here and he was not the asshole they made him out to be in the second book. In fact, he turned out to be a really good ally and an interesting character too so maybe a Nick book please? We could all do with more of Nick’s sartorial polish.
Overall, this series garnered high reviews from fans but for me, there were a lot of unnecessary angst and drama, mediocre storytelling and long drawn out cases that could have been solve faster had everybody been as smart as they purport to be.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked itSoundtrack: Bonfire Heart
Artist: James Blunt
Album: Moon Landing(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34473508-barrel-proof)
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REVIEW: Cask Strength by Layla Reyne
Agents Irish and Whiskey: Cask Strength – Layla Reyne
Professionally, the FBI team of Aidan “Irish” Talley and Jameson “Whiskey” Walker is as good as it gets, closing cases faster than any team at the Bureau. Personally, it’s a different story. Aidan’s feelings for Jamie scare the hell out of him: he won’t risk losing another love no matter how heart-tripping the intimacy between them. And loss is a grim reality with the terrorist Renaud still on their trail, leaving a pile of bodies in his wake.
Going undercover on a new case gets them out of town and off the killer’s radar. They’re assigned to investigate an identity theft ring involving a college basketball team in Jamie’s home state, where Jamie’s past makes him perfect for the role of coach. But returning to the court brings more than old memories.
As secrets and shocking betrayals abound, none may be more dangerous than the one Jamie’s been keeping: a secret about the death of Aidan’s husband that could blow his partner’s world apart and destroy forever the fragile bonds of trust and love building between them.
This was marginally better than the first. For one, this airport scene is the best:
Mouth dry, heart racing, cheeks burning, Jamie’s fingers twitched with the urge to weave through the long red strands. Reaching down instead, he grabbed his phone, held it between his palms, and wedged his clasped hands between his knees, forestalling his impulse. He tried to force out a “hello,” but his brain refused to cooperate, all the blood in his body having raced south where his jeans became painfully tight.
Fuck.
He was gone. So far gone. Past casual, past a crush, past simple attraction.Poor Jamie!
I am now also mildly interested in the mystery of Aidan’s late husband’s connection with the terrorist and what Mel’s doing. I think this Renaud mystery could have been solved in book one already but book two had to end with a cliffhanger so we have to read the third book just to see things through. What a hassle! The basketball story was nothing spectacular and there were elements of predictability. It was pretty easy to guess the mastermind behind the identity theft ring once the character was introduced.
As I listened to the audio book, I love Aidan laying his Irish accent on thick as part of his disguise as sports agent. Jamie as Whiskey Walker, assistant coach was a good hiding-in-plain-sight twist with the added complication of his ex showing up on campus. I am still not a fan of the partners-to-lovers trope as shown here because there were too many emotional entanglements and unnecessary drama. It made the two agents who were otherwise competent, seem unprofessional and too emotionally compromised to do their jobs properly. Thank god for Cam, the voice of reason and sense, who didn’t even bat an eyelash at the scandalous photos nor made any snide comments at how the two agents are carrying on.
So, I’m still not getting why it has such high ratings in GR. Granted, there has been some improvements but I wouldn’t really go out of my way to recommend this series.
Rating:
2.5 Stars – far from hate but not quite a likeSoundtrack: Why Oh Why
Artist: Spearhear & Michael Franti
Album: Chocolate Supa Highway(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34033755-cask-strength)
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REVIEW: Single Malt by Layla Reyne
Agents Irish and Whiskey: Single Malt – Layla Reyne
The heart’s a resilient beast
Eight months after the car crash that changed everything, FBI agent Aidan Talley is back at work. New department, new case and a new partner. Smart, athletic and handsome, Jameson Walker is twelve years his junior. Even if Aidan was ready to move on—and he’s not—Jamie is off-limits.
Jamie’s lusted after Aidan for three years, and the chance to work with San Francisco’s top agent directly is too good to pass up. Aidan is prickly—to put it mildly—but a growing cyber threat soon proves Jamie’s skills invaluable.
Jamie’s talents paint a target on his back, and Aidan is determined to protect him. But with hack after hack threatening a high-security biocontainment facility, time is running out to thwart a deadly terrorist attack. They’ll have to filter out distractions, on the case and in their partnership, to identify the real enemy, solve the case and save thousands of lives, including their own.
God, I was bored. I found myself tuning out majority of the time because it was so dull. If this was an ebook, I wouldn’t be able to finish this. But I had the audiobook and I enjoyed Aidan’s Irish brogue and Jamie’s southern drawl enough to go through the whole thing but it mostly felt like a chore. Both agents were likeable but I couldn’t care less about the the mystery, the romance and the characters. A lot of people seem to love this. I’m beginning to think contemporary books and me just don’t click. I should stick with the historical, paranormal or magical.
Rating:
2 Stars – it’s a struggle to finish the damn book
Soundtrack: 300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues
Artist: The White Stripes
Album: Icky Thump(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33296928-single-malt)
