Dead Draw

A Marriage of Convenience Gay Romantic Suspense (Perfect Play, Book 1)

By: Layla Reyne

Narrated by: Christian Leatherman

When a marriage of convenience is the only play left…

Special Agent Emmitt Marshall knows how to: Wear a cowboy hat. Hack anything. Win at chess. Fall in love with emotionally unavailable men. He even knows the perfect play to catch the terrorists who killed his mentor.

Special Agent Levi Bishop doesn’t know how to: Move on after his wife’s death. Help his grieving son. Pay off his mountain of debt. Fix the mess some cowboy cyber agent made of his case. The same cowboy who proposes a marriage of convenience to stop a common enemy.

Marsh is either the answer to Levi’s prayers—or a handsome nightmare in a Stetson. Levi doesn’t know. But both men do know their cases and lives are at a dead draw. There’s only one play left… I do.

Dead Draw is the first book of the Perfect Play trilogy, a swoony, edge-of-your-seat M/M romantic suspense series featuring a cocky hacker with a heart of gold, a widowed father who needs so much help, and a plan only a cowboy could cook up. Grab your hat, hold tight to the reins, and enjoy the ride!

©2022 Layla Reyne (P)2024 Layla Reyne

Great start to a new series!

Christian Leatherman does an outstanding job of brining this story to life.
Layla Reyne has knocked it out of the park with Dead Draw, the first in the Perfect Play series.
I defy anyone to not fall in love with Marsh and Levi. These two are just so irresistable.

I loved the chemistry and connection they shared. Each wary of getting to involved. Both trying to keep things just business. That is impossible when they are so perfectly suited for each other.
The action and intrigue will keep you on the edge of your seat. This story will keep you guessing as you turn page after page.

It is the perfect blend of romance, intrigue, family and so much more.
I was left counting the days until I get the next installment in this series.
I'm hooked!

Slow Burn Romance

This story had a lot of twists which kept it interesting. The romance in this book took a while to get heated so if you like slow burn books this is it. Agent Bishop and Agent Marshall had so much pain in their life it took them a while to build that true romance. I love how this turned from a marriage for a job to the real deal. The narrator was easy to follow as far as switching characters which is a must when doing multi cast voices. I could have prob used a little more emotion but wasn’t bad over all. Layla did a great job writing plots that took you for a turn every step and packed a powerful heated romance at the end. I sooo need more of Emmit and Levi now that I had just a taste of their passion. Can’t wait for Bad Bishop to get released.

"Cowboy up Agent Bishop!" - Emmitt Marshall

📖 Story comment: good pace, likeable characters, entertaining banter, interesting story.
I was intrigued with Marsh's character in Silent Knight and What We May Be and delighted to find out he was getting his own series. Dead Draw drops us straight into the action with Marsh trying to fix a mistake made on an FBI Op gone wrong by proposing a marriage of convenience (... not a fake marriage ...) to Levi, giving them a way to work together to "fix things" and solve both their cases - that's all by the end of chapter 2 and the action never stopped. 😁

Dead Draw ticks all my boxes. I'm finding as I'm getting older, I enjoy older characters and books that are more story and less se*y times with some real life struggles and a life that isn't perfect. Smart, intelligent, well written characters with great chemistry and amusing banter. The cases Marsh and Levi are working are complex and interesting and kept my attention from start to finish.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dead Draw so will forgive the "bit of a cliff-hanger" ending and look forward to the next instalment.

🎧 Narrator comment: My experiences with Christian Leatherman are limited to Silent Knight and What We May Be, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed and Dead Draw is another stellar performance. He suits the characters giving them each their own voice and personality, has good timing, inflections and intonations and brings all the life and emotion to the story for a completely immersive experience.

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? solid 8 👍👍
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough • 5 enjoyed it • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4⭐] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4⭐] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5⭐] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75⭐] • 10 own it in all formats [5⭐] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5⭐]
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⚠️ I received a review copy of this audiobook at my request, it has in no way influenced my review.
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Love Levi and Marsh!!!

Loved the story!  Lots of action, intrigue, complex plot and delightful romance!     Levi and Marsh are so awesome together, they are sweet, steamy and so powerful together.   

Loved the narration!!   I enjoyed how the narrator brought  Levi and Marsh to life for me!  

This is book one of the Perfect Play Series and it does end on a cliffhanger.  I am so looking forward to Bad Bishop, the second of this series.

I could listen to Christian Leatherman any day

This is the first book I've listened to narrated by Christian Leatherman, and I have decided he is a favorite. I really enjoyed his voice, and the voicing he gave to characters.

This story is really good, drew me in. I haven't read anything else by this author, not realizing that the Marsh was a side character in other books by this author. I don't know if it would have helped to have read the other books or not. I didn't feel like I was missing anything, so it wasn't obvious if there was something I would have known.

This story does kind of end in a cliffhanger. We don't have resolution of the main suspense plot. The characters do end in a HFN.

Love Marsh and Levi 4.5⭐️

Levi and Marsh are such a swoony story along with all the edge of your seat suspense you’d expect. Dead Draw is the first book in the Perfect Play series and ends with a HFN (happy for now).

‘Ask for what you need and I’ll give it to you.’

Marsh really stole the show for me in this story. He has such a big heart and just keeps showing up even when he’s constantly underestimated. Gah! He’s seriously all the things - he’s unassuming and charming but also fiercely passionate and selfless.

The chemistry between Levi and Marsh is electric and fuels the deliciously delicate situation they’re trying to navigate. The intimate scenes, while few, are smoking hot and I’m excited for their relationship to progress in the next book.

My only complaint about this story is that the beginning feels a little like we left off in the middle of a series instead of the start of a new one. There’s a lot of action and players immediately involved and it feels like we’re missing some background that is assumed the reader should know.

Christian Leatherman did a fantastic job!

Great Listen!

This is the first book I read from this author. It was a good story. Two opposite FBI agents Marshall who seems to be a rebel hacker and likes to sometimes do things off the book and Levi who does things by the book. Marshall offers a struggling Levi a proposal, they get married so he could help Levi and also continue his investigation and Marshall will pay him so he could payoff some debts. It was a great, enjoyable story. I listened to the audio book and the narrator did a good job telling the story and giving the characters a voice.

Terrific Story & Listen🎧 Gripping & Heartfelt!

Layla Reyne pens another fabulous multi-genre novel, the story grabbed my attention right from the start and captivated it the entire time. I enjoyed her writing style and the wonderful characters and storylines she created, they are interesting and original, easy to relate to and connect with, the characters are easy to care about too. The world building and character development is fantastic, as are the layers and complexity of the story. Special Agent Levi Bishop is struggling not only with the loss of his wife, but with his grieving son and making it so much worse he is struggling to stay afloat and is close to losing his house and his car. He is busy working on a case that is close to his heart, but a lead in the investigation falls flat and they think they know why, or rather, who was behind it. Special Agent Emmitt Marshall, hacker extraordinaire, wants to catch the terrorists who killed his mentor, and he comes up with a plan that would bring him closer to them and that plan includes asking another agent to pose as his husband. The same agent whose investigation he just screwed up, though his intention was to help and not hinder that operationI adored both lead characters, my heart went out to Levi and what he was going thru and Marsh just came in and stole my heart, a smooth talker with a big heart and personality. He gave Levi an out of his predicament, of course he takes it, but what happens after was not what he was expecting. I loved the chemistry between them and how well they worked together, also loved how Marsh was with David, Levi’s son. Besides the romance storyline, there is the case he is working on, a criminal investigation, and Marsh is involved with that, too. I loved how everything played out in this cleverly plotted story, there is plenty of drama, relationship and crime drama, mystery, action, thrilling suspense, heartfelt emotions and a slow burn romance. The author is not finished with these characters yet, so there is more to come for Levi and Marsh this fall, which I am looking forward to. Layla Reyne, thank you for another fantastic story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the terrific narration, Christian Leatherman is a talented narrator and a versatile voice artist, he gave each character their own voice and personality, making it easy to follow along and tell who is who. His portrayal of the characters was spot on, he took each role, ran with it and made it his own. You could hear how much heart he puts into his work as he captures the character’s emotions and projects them into his performance. Leatherman is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another great listen.

Great story...

...not so great performance. Thankfully, both the suspense and the romance could stand on their own without any assistance from the narrator, who suffered from a terminal case of reading-not performing, and sometimes missing the cues even then. Both Special Agent Levi Bishop and Special Agent Emmitt Marshall are heart-wounded, reeling from losses that only their work seems able to make bearable. The way they meet and end up married seems a bit thin, plot-wise, but that would be the only other weakness that I can find in this story. I'm not a fan of the way it ends, either, (no spoilers!) but I suppose an HFN is better than nothing. I can't wait for the second installment.

A Must Listen

Dead Draw is pure perfection. The steam, the chemistry, the romance, the representation is all there in spades. Reyne has hooked me with this couple, and I desperately need the next installment.