Fish Out of Water

*Audible code provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my listening pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

Jackson was born to a teenage, drug addict mom and had to learn to take care of himself at a young age. In elementary school, he became friends with Kaden and soon became a member of his family. Growing up in a bad neighborhood, his goal was to become a police officer, but his career was short lived when he decided to turn in his dirty partner. Once able, he began working as a private eye for a law firm. Ellery is a defense attorney in the same law firm and has had a crush on Jackson for the six years he's worked there but Jackson ignores him, even though Jackson has one night stands with every man or woman in his path. When Jackson's chosen brother Kaden is accused of killing a police officer, he demands Ellery to take the case to save him. Ellery grew up in a completely different world from Jackson and struggles to accept that there are corrupt police officers but the further Ellery and Jackson get into Kaden's case, the more Ellery has to accept that not everyone is trustworthy.

This story is narrated by Greg Tremblay and he did a fabulous job with both male and female characters! I was able to easily distinguish between the many different characters, it was well paced, and the appropriate emotions came through in the narrator's tone based on what was happening. Truly a wonderful job!

Bravo to Amy Lane for telling this story! It was a very touchy subject matter of police and political corruption and she did not shy away from the topic. There was a lot going on in this story, but there were moments that lightened up and made me actually laugh out loud. Even though Ellery was an uptight attorney, he completely knew how to work Jackson and I found their interactions to be engaging and brilliant!

I typically listen to audiobooks when I'm in my car but with this one, I couldn't do that. I found myself listening at home and at work because I had to know how the story ended. Though, Amy, if you're ever looking for some ideas, I could totally support a series that follows the cases of Ellery and Jackson. Their interactions together and the way they were able to work together would really be enjoyable to read again! This audio is one I will listen to again and I made sure to buy the book so I could also read it. The entire book is just wonderful and I can't recommend it enough!

Overall: 5 stars!
Performance: 5 stars!
Story: 5 stars!

Fish Out of Water felt different than most of Amy Lane’s books - it was more focused on the legal/investigation side of the drama, than the love story. But I loved it - Lane did a great job at creating two very distinct main characters with deep-seeded issues, coming together to find out what happened when a cop was murdered.

At first, I was a bit worried that the book was going to be centered around racial issues and discrimination in the U.S. - and while the story had heavy undertones and was racially charged in some ways, it was the thread that pulled everything together, not the main star of the plot. Instead, the reader gets to watch Jackson struggle through his own past, need to do the right thing, racial injustices on behalf of his family - and most importantly, trust an outside to make his life whole.

Ellery on the other hand was quite literally, a fish out of water. The stereotypical white male with money - was a lawyer because of the money-making potential in the profession, and was always calm and collected… except for his crush on Jackson. And when he steps into his role, he does so with power and drags Jackson onto his side.

This is a great read for anyone who likes unraveling a mystery to make sure the right party pays, opposing backgrounds coming together to make each other better and decent people finding their happily ever after.

Review copy provided by Dreamspinner Press for an honest review.

If you're expecting the usual Amy Lane angst and romance, this may not be the book for you. It just proves that she is far from a formulaic writer. There is some angst and there's a hurt/comfort theme, but it's also crime-drama, action/suspense, mystery story. Not really character driven, but event driven. It also touches on the sensitive issue of how some police view black people and make assumptions based on nothing more than skin color. It's not preachy or soapbox about it, it's just present as facts of the story and Amy Lane has depicted it quite well. She also shows her chops with snarky, funny dialogue.

I adored Jackson and Ellery together. Jackson's character is tough and abrasive, leery of Ellery for reasons in both his past and present. Ellery is an ambitious defense lawyer, on the fast track to partner in the law firm where Jackson is the firm's PI. They've admired and lusted for each other from afar for six years. Jade is Kaden's sister, the other member of Jackson's chosen family and his best friend-with-benefits. She's also a secretary for the law firm. They pull Ellery into a world he wasn't ignorant of but he was completely naive. He comes from a wealthy, privileged background and was unprepared for the truly dirty cops and the betrayal that cost Jackson his law enforcement career and nearly his life, before. That history smacks right into the details of Kaden's case. There's a lot of action, danger and bullets flying in this story. It's a fast, engrossing read.

There were a couple of things in the book I wish were done differently. Not enough to pull down my rating but keep it from being an all-time favorite. There's a brief MF scene in the first chapter that I could have done without and don't feel the graphic part was necessary. Fortunately it was very brief and was a closure between Jade and Jackson. I also missed seeing more slow burn and UST. There was some UST, as they didn't get together until around 50%, but it still was only a couple of days after the case started. So, we were just told about six years of it, with some details that came out over the course of the story. It was a fairly long book, so more info would have made it unwieldy but I was left feeling dropped into the deep end at the start of the story. The feeling didn't last long, because Amy Lane is skilled at adding the pertinent parts into the narrative. The sex scenes were pretty hot, although some of the metaphors and the screaming were just not sexy. Both of them. Screaming orgasms. Literally screaming.

Secondary characters were terrific. Kaden and his wife Rhonda weren't on page long, but their connection to Jackson was palpable. I liked Jade and her love and loyalty to him and Mike, Jackson's neighbor was hilarious. Another character appearing only briefly was Taylor, Ellery's mom. She was a blue-blooded hoot! She was a match for Jackson's snark and her depiction told a lot about how Ellery's character was shaped. There has to be a sequel coming. It's not a cliffhanger but there were details not fully resolved. I'd recommend this to anyone that likes the action and suspense and doesn't need the romance front and center. (less)

There are no words to describe what Amy Lane does every time she writes a story. Her writing evokes the deepest feelings in the characters.
Jackson and Ellery are in the middle of a mystery that made Jackson suffer immensely and from which he is trying to protect his family … and his heart.
Ellery is trying to help him and teach Jackson that he can be trusted with Jackson’s feelings.
Resolving the mystery and their relationship is a matter of deciding who is innocent and who is guilty.

It's pretty much a given that I get excited about any new release by Amy Lane. It doesn't matter what genre, the plot, the characters, etc. I just love to read her work. 'Fish Out of Water' sounded so good and hit a few of my triggers. Jackson is from the wrong side of the tracks, a hardened former cop who now works as a PI. Ellery is from privilege and is all about making partner. I was fairly certain the author was going to give me something to sink my teeth into.

“We have a black president,” Jackson retorted. “If the last two years since Ferguson have proved anything, it’s that old prejudices don’t go away just because liberals like to hope a lot. Kaden can’t go to prison—he’ll never make it. And he can’t go free unless—”
“Unless we find out why this happened and all the bad guys are put away first,” Ellery said, his stomach knotting. Oh God. Jackson hadn’t been kidding—this was the case that could make a lawyer’s career. Or it could shatter it into a thousand teeny tiny pieces."

This book started off with a bang and the pace never let up. That might have quite a bit to do with Jackson's "I'll bowl you over like a tsunami" attitude. Jackson is always focused on working hard, getting the information, and since he's the top PI for a large law firm, he ensures what he gets them is the best. But this is Kaden, his brother in everything but blood, and everyone else is affected by Kaden's arrest: his wife Rhonda and their two kids, and his sister, Jade. These are the only people on the planet Jackson loves. So he's going to make sure no stone goes unturned in his hunt for why Kaden was set up.

The dialogue between Jackson and Ellery is stellar. The heat between them is off the charts. But to be honest, two very smart guys working together and using their brains… oy I needed a faster setting on the fan. Not just their minds were hot, either, their vulnerabilities and insecurities just did it for me. Well, that and the amazing thriller the author penned. The further Jackson and Ellery go down the rabbit hole, the more dirty cops, dirty bureaucrats, and dirty business they find and it leads in a direction they never could have imagined.

"Jade and Kaden and Rhonda were his home. They were the only ones who had never betrayed him or left him. He didn’t have to worry what he said in front of them, and they knew all his secrets. For nearly twenty years, that had been his touchstone. Even before the working undercover—and Patrick Hanover—no relationship had ever been as important as the family he’d clung to when nobody else gave a shit. But now someone else gave a shit."

Oh I enjoyed this immensely. I'll admit that in my opinion it's more murder light than a true, gritty, crime novel, but that didn't take away my enjoyment. I like it that the romance portion was in my face and I particularly liked that it had such moments of gentleness and tenderness. For me, personally, the romance was the best part with the mystery portion coming in second.

Now Ms. Lane, the way you ended this hints at a sequel so I'm going to be on pins and needles until then. Don't be surprised if I start nagging you. Just saying.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews