Fish out of Water

By: Amy Lane

Narrated by: Greg Tremblay

Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

PI Jackson Rivers grew up on the mean streets of Del Paso Heights and he doesn't trust cops, even though he was one. When the man he thinks of as his brother is accused of killing a police officer in an obviously doctored crime, Jackson will move heaven and earth to keep Kaden and his family safe.

Defense attorney Ellery Cramer grew up with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, but that hasn't stopped him from crushing on street-smart, swaggering Jackson Rivers for the past six years. But when Jackson asks for his help defending Kaden Cameron, Ellery is out of his depth and not just with guarded, prickly Jackson. Kaden wasn't just framed, he was framed by crooked cops, and the conspiracy goes higher than Ellery dares reach and deep into Jackson s troubled past.

Both men are soon enmeshed in the mystery of who killed the cop in the minimart, and engaged in a race against time to clear Kaden's name. But when the mystery is solved and the bullets stop flying, they'll have to deal with their personal complications and an attraction that's spiraled out of control.

©2016 Amy Lane (P)2016 Dreamspinner Press

Action from start to finish!

I has not read any of this series before and have no idea how I missed them. I can see that i will be spending a lot more time in this world. It’s a bit darker than I anticipated but Lane makes sure to resolve enough of the story arc to satisfy. Obviously more to come, and so I’m off to get the next book. As always, Greg Tremblay brings added dimension and energy to the story. He’s an insta-buy for me.

Fantastic Mystery Suspense

This is the start of a wonderful series that only gets better and more nuanced with each book. Ellery and Jackson are so different and yet, fit together so well. I love them as standalone characters and I love them together. The plot and overall mystery is well thought out and made sense as the clues unfold. Throw in engaging secondary characters and this series has become a favorite, especially with Greg's outstanding narration. On to book 2!

Fish should be scared of water!

Where does Fish out of Water rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'd say high enough that it will be listened to again.

What did you like best about this story?

The gradual progression of Ellery and Jackson's relationship.

What about Greg Tremblay’s performance did you like?

Tremblay throws himself into any story he tells. If a character is happy, sad or pissed off, you know immediately by the tones and inflections of his voice alone, before he reads the part of the story that would tell you what the character is feeling were you simply reading the book.

Who was the most memorable character of Fish out of Water and why?

Ellery, hands down. If not for Ellery, Jackson would never have found his way to love. As hard as Jackson pushes him away, flat out tells him to go away, Ellery stands steadfast and unwavering.

Any additional comments?

What a rush this story was. The web of suspense, lies and corruption was so insane and the story so intense, it should come with blood pressure medication. And the way it ended definitely leads me to believe there will be more.

Lane put these two complete opposites together, trying to forge a relationship while pretending not to like each other while be forced to work together to save each other so, of course, they fall in love with each other. Said relationship was so intense and passionate. There is this one particular scene where Ellery tells Jackson, "you stay there and decide what you want while I go get what you need." and, oh goddamn, what ensues about five seconds later almost set my iPod on fire.

Worth a listen if you like stories about two men that decide plowing each other into oblivion, while trying to stay alive, would be so much more fun than trying to kill each other. Of the charts hot and so damn good!

Fantastic!

I’ve heard people raving about this series for a long time and it’s been on my TBR list for a long time. Why did I wait so long to listen to this? Greg Boudreaux performed this book and if you’re familiar with his work that says it all. If you’re not familiar with his work, what are you waiting for?

The story was thrilling, nail-biting action and adventure all the way. Just when I thought things might calm down a bit something else happened. Jackson Rivers doesn’t do relationships but Ellery Cramer has been crushing on him for ages and that feeling only becomes deeper when they start working together to figure out who framed Jackson’s friend Kaden.

There were a lot of twists and turns in this book and I listened to it straight through. A lot of things were resolved but there is what I call a soft cliffhanger because there is still at least one bad guy in the wind. I’m ready to start on the next one!

This is a mystery

Any additional comments?

*Sigh* Greg Tremblay could read me the phone book, and I’d enjoy it. Luckily, Fish out of Water is a lot more entertaining, and Greg opens up all the suspense, passion, and frustration of the story bringing all the characters and situations to life.

Two things all listeners should know – Jackson is bisexual and there is on page, descriptive sex with a woman very early on in the story, and there is a cliffhanger ending which leaves the reader in suspense of several dangling threads in the storyline.

It was a bit rocky at first, the m/f sex notwithstanding, but Lane gets into her groove after about a third of the way in, the easy banter and sarcastic humor got a lot better, and the flow of the story moved along a lot easier. And Greg narrates it all beautifully.

Greg captures Jackson and Ellery’s banter, rapport, and sarcastic snarkiness well, and there’s a really nice thread of hurt/comfort here that I loved.

Note that this isn’t a romance, it’s a mystery. Dirty cops abound, there’s a lot of action…and once the story stopped trying so hard it settled into a good rhythm and flowed nicely by the end.

I enjoyed the narration, and hope Greg will be back for any sequels.

First Timer for Amy Lane

enjoy action romance and suspense love this book will look for more can't wait for a second book

Engrossing!

ex-cop, law-enforcement, lawyers, ghetto, m/m-romance, m/m-mystery, language-issues, violence, violent-crimes, murder-investigation, corruption, friendship, friends, drugs-issues, suspense, thriller, threats, criminal-acts, criminal-injustice-system, crime-thriller, fiction, LGBT, PTSD, banter, snark-fest, family-drama, family-dynamics, action, unputdownable*****

The cop from the ghetto who didn't die but was tossed out of the force collides with a really up-tight high end attorney and the sparks (and bullets) fly. Fast paced with nonstop action and a lot of really convincing characters made this made this intense thrill ride unstoppable. And the narration by voice actor Greg Tremblay knocks it up more than a notch!

A+ rating...

My Review:
Overall: 4.75
Performance: 5.0
Story: 4.75

I didn't really have high expectations for this book. Although I love Amy Lane, that cover just didn't do it for me and really messed with my perceptions of what this book would be. OMG, was I ever wrong in my pre-judgment of this book. This story was PHENOMENAL...seriously, almost perfection and the audiobook version of it was perfection. It truly took an incredible book and the audio raised it just one notch higher. Greg Tremblay...happy sigh...he is just a fantastic narrator. I love what he does with his voices.

So, this book. Ellery is a lawyer. Jackson is a PI that works for his law firm. They've worked together for years, but have basically just circled around one another. They really don't even like one another, but that's because they really have no idea what the other one is about. To Ellery, Jackson is a manwhore. Jackson thinks Ellery has a stick up his butt. They are both right and wrong. What they're missing in their perceptions is exactly why the other is like they are and as they begin to work together to get Jackson's brother cleared of killing a cop, they begin to get to know one another...and realize there is so much more.

Jackson...OMG, my heart wept for him. His story is just so tragic. And I loved how protective and alpha Ellery became about that and Jackson. OMG, Ellery started out this book as such a beta, but by the end he was kicking butt and taking names. I loved that. The two of them together were just EVERYTHING. The romance in this story is perfection...everything I love about romance. They grow to respect one another and that becomes so much more as the relationship evolves and deepens. I LOVED JACKSON AND ELLERY TOGETHER!

But there is also a mystery about what really happened in that gas station that night that is also really well done. I loved the corners they wended their way through and all the places their investigation took them.

It was just an incredible book. I HIGHLY recommend it and am so excited to read book #2. I'm just sad it's not out in audio yet. So, I'll read it first...and then listen to it when the audio comes out, too. I LOVED THIS BOOK!

I loved this book

I so enjoyed this. The characters were deep, honest, and so clean. I absolutely adore Ellery, Jackson annoyed me at times but I would not have liked this so much if he hadn't, it just made him more believable and realistic. I am now a fan and put Ms. Lane right up there with Rhys Ford.

And what can I say about Greg Tremblay other than he is always wonderful and I can pretty much listen to him read me the dictionary.

Wonderful

I loved this audiobook, Greg did an amazing job bringing the characters to life. Can’t wait to listen to the next one.