Body and Soul

Vanguard Towers, Book 3

By: Aiden Bates

Narrated by: Guillaume Dubois

Brax is too young. Too vulnerable. Too perfect. My dominant nature craves someone to care for. Someone to command. Brax could be that guy, if the circumstances weren’t all wrong.

His brothers would kill me if I hurt him. So would my FBI partner. That doesn’t mean I can stay away. The young artist is everything I want in a partner. And when danger comes for him, I need to keep him safe. But how can I keep him forever?

I’ll never be good enough. My brothers got me off the streets, but Ry doesn’t know the truth. I’m dirty. I’ve done things I’m not proud of. Things none of my former boyfriends could see past. Why would Ry be any different?

He sees the world in black and white. I know where I stand. But he looks at me with a heat I can’t ignore. And when I’m in danger, he keeps me safe. Will he accept me when he learns the truth?

©2020 Special Fiction Books (P)2021 Special Fiction Books

Such a great story

I was given a free arc copy from the author and the GRR arc team for review.

M/M
Brothers friend/friends brother
Hurt/comfort
Opposites attract

I really enjoyed book 2 but this was even better. RY and Brax made a perfect couple.

Looking forward to reading the firemen in the next book. I like that the last chapter was a preview of it and they seem like a great couple as well.

The narrator was ok. He kept good pace and expreased the emotions well. I just found his voice was not as pleasing compared to other narrators I love. Also, his variations in the different characters voices was barely noticeable. Alot of the time they all tended to blend and sound the same especially the 2 MCs

Great adventure

This was a great addition to the series I enjoyed Brax and Ry and all there action filled adventures. The storyline was great and interesting and the characters are all interesting. Love the twists and turns in the story. The narration was great.

Sweet and steamy

I absolutely love this series.

Brax and Ry make a great team and an amazing couple.

This book was action packed from the get go.

The characters were likeable and well fleshed out and the writing style was engaging.

The narrator did a great job on the audio delivery and narration

Longing fulfilled

The Vanguard Tower is probably my favorite series from this author and this particular story is my favorite from it so far. Braxton and Ry have been interested from afar almost from the moment Brax’s brother (and Ry’s FBI work partner) introduced them. When Brax turns to Ry for a rescue, it’s game-on for their fast forward relationship. I really like all the interaction with the rest of the brothers and their partners. The narrator has been growing on me, but I would still prefer more distinct voices between the characters.

Submission Isn't Weakness

I went into this book unsure about what to think...just needed a good MM book to listen to because that's how I deal with the stress of grad school. I was very surprised. I am very sex positive but don't have a lot of exposure to dom/sub literature.

What I learned in this book is this: dominance and submission relationships are not about weakness or abuse. They don't involve releasing your identity to the other person. Neither person is any less a "man" (or "woman")...but that gets into discussions about sexism and society's view that weakness equals femininity. Both Brax and Ry are complex characters...and while one is the dom, both are resilient, strong, and powerful. This is just expressed in different ways. It is just as powerful for someone to leave an abusive relationship as it is for someone to devote themselves to fighting crime. They learn from each other and give each other room to be human. The brothers surrounding Brax was comedic but I also appreciated Aiden Bates' decision to have the brothers empower Brax in his decisions.

I love this book...really. Guillaume Dubois was fantastic at narrating. He didn't overact...his performance was relatable and easily distinguishable. Two thumbs up on this one!

Brad and Ry

Ry is An FBI agent, who is wanting Brax for a long time, but doesn't want to offend his brothers, as he is so young. Brax is the youngest of the boys living in Vanguard Towers, brothers by choice not blood pressure, has been lusting after his older brothers FBI partner. At the start Brax is seeing someone, but that ends in disaster and Ry comes to the rescue. Love this series, narration was well done

Brax & Ry

Sweet age-gap/opposites attract romance with very, very light dom/sub dynamics between a young artist with a difficult past and an older FBI agent. The relationship starts casual, but it's clear neither feel that way. As they get closer, they have to juggle Brax's protective brothers and Ry's friendship with Hunter. Overall the book is low angst and not overly dramatic. The brothers make great side characters and I'm looking forward to their stories. The narrator has a nice voice, but he didn't really change his voice between characters and it got very confusing when they are in a big group. Also, some of the characters just didn't sound right. Brax and Ry are very different people, so it was strange to have them sound so much a like. Matt seems like he would have a very gruff voice, so it was strange to have him sound basically the same as Brax. One of the best parts of this series is the different brothers and their personalities, which gets a little lost when their voices are too similar. But still looking forward to the next book!

Sweet, steamy with a touch of kink. 

Sweet, steamy with a touch of kink.  Such a good listen!   Solid narrator and terrific story! 

Brax is the youngest of the 'brothers' and is an amazing artist, however he has suffered from living on the streets and is in therapy.  Brax is so beautiful and strong that you really want him to see himself through Rylands' eyes.  I really loved Ryland, who is strong, gentle and all good things a Dom should be. 

Brax and Ryland are fun together and will warm your heart and make you smile as they steam up your kindle.  I enjoyed the closeness of Brax's 'brothers' and how well Ryland fits into the family.  It was fun seeing the guys from the first books as they all contributed to the story.  

This is book three of the Vanguard Towers series and it can be read as a stand-alone.  I do however recommend both of the first two books in this series.  

Braxton and Ryland

Body And Soul is book 3 in the Vanguard Towers series. I love this series. I love how the brothers are all there for each other and take care of one another. This book is about Braxton, the youngest brother and an artist, and Ryland, an FBI agent and Hunter's partner. Though Ryland is so much older than Brax, they've had a secret crush on one another. It isn't until Braxton's then boyfriend hurts him and he calls Ry for a ride that something changes in their relationship. I love Brax and Ryland together. They are just who the other needs. It was nice to see Brax getting the help he needed by talking to a therapist. Definitely recommend this book and series.
Narrator Guillaume Dubois does an amazing job. He's definitely one of my favorite narrators.

Sweet and sexy!

I have to say, Guillaume Dubois does an amazing job with the sex scenes! He does really well overall, but sex scenes are tricky, and narrators tend to get either too excited or not excited enough. Dubois gets it just right! It lifted the story from sweet to sweet and hot.
I enjoyed how Brax handled the situation at Ian's flat, and I loved how Ryland kept working towards that fine line between care and independence for Brax. Recommend!