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Love in the Line of Fire
Agent Jonah Pratt heads the Secret Service team guarding the President’s husband. When a routine day turns into a dangerous assassination attempt, the stranger who dives into the melee and takes down the assassin complicates the situation, sparking Jonah’s anger.
Just back from multiple tours of duty in Iraq, Benji hides the fact that he brought the war home with him and that it continues to haunt him. His actions in stopping the would-be assassin are more instinct than strategy. And his first conversation with a furious Jonah doesn’t end well.
Losing a member of his team turns Jonah’s world upside down. And if Benji seems to know exactly what Jonah is experiencing, it’s because he went through the same thing in combat. Jonah’s work consumes him, leaving little room in his life for anything else, and Benji focuses on his studies, working to keep his nightmares at bay. But when they get together, Jonah and Benji recognize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for love and happiness—one worth fighting for.
Just back from multiple tours of duty in Iraq, Benji hides the fact that he brought the war home with him and that it continues to haunt him. His actions in stopping the would-be assassin are more instinct than strategy. And his first conversation with a furious Jonah doesn’t end well.
Losing a member of his team turns Jonah’s world upside down. And if Benji seems to know exactly what Jonah is experiencing, it’s because he went through the same thing in combat. Jonah’s work consumes him, leaving little room in his life for anything else, and Benji focuses on his studies, working to keep his nightmares at bay. But when they get together, Jonah and Benji recognize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for love and happiness—one worth fighting for.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 23, 2017
6 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Michael Murphy
25 books126 followersWho am I? One of these days I need to decided what I want to be when I grow up.
I am a middle-aged man, born in the far reaches of upstate New York - parts that give the word "rural" meaning. Now I live in Washington, DC.
When one of those milestone birthdays hit me and scared the crap out of me, I realized there were more years behind me than there were in front of me. My mortality hit me like someone dropping a load of bricks on me.
With that realization, I constructed a bucket list of things I absolutely had to do in the years (hopefully many) that I have left. Writing a book was one of them and was near the top.
My biggest influences when growing up were my two grandmothers. Both were ferociously strong women who were widowed way too young and had to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives and try to put them back together again. And they did! They were incredible women and I adored them both.
These women loved to read and to tell stories, so it just always seemed a natural thing for me to want to do the same. One Christmas when I had a break from work for a few days I had an idea - just a simple single flash of an idea. I sat down at my computer and typed out the one sentence idea. And then I thought for a moment. And then I started typing again - and like magic this story started to pour out of me. I was amazed, in awe, floored by what was happening.
It was like the characters were coming to life and telling their story and I was just tagging along for the ride. I typed as fast as my fingers would fly across the keys (one of the 17 jobs I had while I was going to college was typist, so I'm a pretty fast typist). I couldn't wait to see what happened next. It was the most amazing experience I think I've ever had. Okay, maybe not THE most amazing, but it ranks right up there near the top.
My boyfriend finally came to me a couple of days into this,sat down, looked so serious, and asked, "Are you mad at me?" I assured him that no, I was not mad; I had just been kidnapped by my two characters who refused to let me go. He sort of believed me. When I handed him a printout of the entire book he really believed me, although he wasn't all that thrilled about the book. What can I say, he is a biomedical scientist who primarily reads non-fiction. The fact that I got him to read any fiction was a huge step.
I sent my finished book to Dreamspinner Press. Much to my shock and surprise they accepted it. Out of the hundreds of unsolicited manuscripts that they receive every year they only accept a tiny fraction from new, unknown authors - and I was part of that tiny fraction.
When I got the news I was riding on the subway to work one morning. I screamed and hugged the man sitting next to me - I don't have a clue who he was and I'm sure I scared the crap out of him, even though I tried to explain why I was so happy. When I got to work, a co-worker joined me in doing a happy dance.
Once I started writing the spirit of my departed grandmothers started taking over and story after story started to come out. Dreamspinner and Harmony Ink Press have published a total of eight books so far, with the next one due out in a few weeks. Three additional books are under contract, scheduled to appear in the months ahead.
When I'm not writing, I'm editing and proofing, proofing and editing. When not doing that I work for a small organization in downtown DC located a few hundred yards from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. My work is primarily IT project management which can be thrilling and at other times drive me to distraction.
All in all, I'd rather be writing. If people keep buying my books in the same way they have I might actually be able to consider that as an option. Oh, please! Oh, please! Oh, please!
I am a middle-aged man, born in the far reaches of upstate New York - parts that give the word "rural" meaning. Now I live in Washington, DC.
When one of those milestone birthdays hit me and scared the crap out of me, I realized there were more years behind me than there were in front of me. My mortality hit me like someone dropping a load of bricks on me.
With that realization, I constructed a bucket list of things I absolutely had to do in the years (hopefully many) that I have left. Writing a book was one of them and was near the top.
My biggest influences when growing up were my two grandmothers. Both were ferociously strong women who were widowed way too young and had to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives and try to put them back together again. And they did! They were incredible women and I adored them both.
These women loved to read and to tell stories, so it just always seemed a natural thing for me to want to do the same. One Christmas when I had a break from work for a few days I had an idea - just a simple single flash of an idea. I sat down at my computer and typed out the one sentence idea. And then I thought for a moment. And then I started typing again - and like magic this story started to pour out of me. I was amazed, in awe, floored by what was happening.
It was like the characters were coming to life and telling their story and I was just tagging along for the ride. I typed as fast as my fingers would fly across the keys (one of the 17 jobs I had while I was going to college was typist, so I'm a pretty fast typist). I couldn't wait to see what happened next. It was the most amazing experience I think I've ever had. Okay, maybe not THE most amazing, but it ranks right up there near the top.
My boyfriend finally came to me a couple of days into this,sat down, looked so serious, and asked, "Are you mad at me?" I assured him that no, I was not mad; I had just been kidnapped by my two characters who refused to let me go. He sort of believed me. When I handed him a printout of the entire book he really believed me, although he wasn't all that thrilled about the book. What can I say, he is a biomedical scientist who primarily reads non-fiction. The fact that I got him to read any fiction was a huge step.
I sent my finished book to Dreamspinner Press. Much to my shock and surprise they accepted it. Out of the hundreds of unsolicited manuscripts that they receive every year they only accept a tiny fraction from new, unknown authors - and I was part of that tiny fraction.
When I got the news I was riding on the subway to work one morning. I screamed and hugged the man sitting next to me - I don't have a clue who he was and I'm sure I scared the crap out of him, even though I tried to explain why I was so happy. When I got to work, a co-worker joined me in doing a happy dance.
Once I started writing the spirit of my departed grandmothers started taking over and story after story started to come out. Dreamspinner and Harmony Ink Press have published a total of eight books so far, with the next one due out in a few weeks. Three additional books are under contract, scheduled to appear in the months ahead.
When I'm not writing, I'm editing and proofing, proofing and editing. When not doing that I work for a small organization in downtown DC located a few hundred yards from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. My work is primarily IT project management which can be thrilling and at other times drive me to distraction.
All in all, I'd rather be writing. If people keep buying my books in the same way they have I might actually be able to consider that as an option. Oh, please! Oh, please! Oh, please!
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 6, 2021
When I realized that ‘Love in the Line of Fire” is, in essence, a sequel for ‘The President’s Husband’, I was over the moon. Yes, it’s not a direct continuation that stars the same characters, but Gray and David appear numerous times, the style of writing is very similar, and the quality of Jonah and Benji’s story is just as high as Gray and David’s. Some of the difficulties Jonah and Benji have to deal with, both individually and as a couple, are very similar: the pressure and stress in Jonah’s job are high, Benji has his studies to focus on. But other problems are very different: both men have to deal with the loss of men under their command and while it is a fresh issue for Jonah and in the past for Benji, the nightmares are similar enough for them to be able to support each other. The result is a beautiful love story that I found very rewarding.
Please find my full review of the second edition on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review of the second edition on Rainbow Book Reviews.
June 8, 2017
Jonah Pratt ist für die Sicherheit des First Husband verantwortlich und nimmt seine Aufgabe äußerst ernst. Als bei einem Zwischenfall einer seiner Agenten stirbt und sich dabei auch noch ein Zivilist (wenn auch sehr professionell) einmischt, erlebt Jonah eine schwierige Zeit, in der er seine eigenen Fähigkeiten in Frage stellt. Einen Mann, der auch noch ein Freund war, zu verlieren, schlägt sehr auf seine Psyche nieder.
Benji, der Zivilist, kennt dieses Gefühl. Er war im Krieg und hat dabei Freunde und Kameraden verloren. Zurück im Zivilleben, versucht er sein Leben neu zu ordnen, studiert und sucht eigentlich nicht nach einer Beziehung. Doch Jonah kommt in sein Leben und bleibt – irgendwie. Erst scheint es Freundschaft zu werden, doch dann kommen sich die beiden Männer näher und öffnen sich einander weiter. Doch Benji leidet an PTSD und Jonahs Job bringt ihn immer wieder in Gefahr.
Je mehr er für Jonah empfindet, desto schwerer kann Benji mit dessen Job und der Gefahr umgehen. Und Jonah lebt für seinen Job. Vor Benji hatte er auch kein Privatleben und seine Kollegen wissen weder von seiner Homosexualität, noch von Benji. Das wird spätestens bei einem weiteren Zwischenfall zum Problem. Denn als Jonah schwer verletzt wird, kann Benji alles nur aus der Ferne beobachten, hoffen und bangen. Und dann scheint plötzlich alles verloren, aus und vorbei.
Der Plot hat mich von Anfang an fasziniert, aber ich war mir unschlüssig ob ich es wagen soll. Doch Michael Murphy konnte mich sehr schnell fesseln und bei Laune halten. Der Schreibstil ist sehr flüssig, phasenweise humorvoll und sehr intensiv. Benji hat noch immer Schuldgefühle und leidet unter den Folgen des Krieges. Bei ihm kann Jonah seine Probleme artikulieren und findet Verständnis.
Mir gefiel es sehr gut wie sie sich kennenlernen, sich annähern und eben sehr nahe kommen. Jedoch geschieht viel in Gesten, Berührungen und Blicken. Es fällt ihnen beiden schwer über Gefühle zu sprechen, auch wenn sie diese enge Verbindung spüren und sich durchaus darauf ein lassen können.
Es gibt im letzten Drittel dann einen Bruch zwischen den Protagonisten. Erst vermag es der Leser nicht zu verstehen, doch dann klärt sich das Bild und Michael Murphy versteht es dann sehr geschickt, nachvollziehbar aber auch gefühlvoll Jonah und Benji wieder zueinander zu führen. Das hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Insgesamt hatte ich seinen sehr guten Eindruck von der Geschichte und werde wohl bald ein weiteres Buch lesen, das in diesem Umfeld spielt.
Benji, der Zivilist, kennt dieses Gefühl. Er war im Krieg und hat dabei Freunde und Kameraden verloren. Zurück im Zivilleben, versucht er sein Leben neu zu ordnen, studiert und sucht eigentlich nicht nach einer Beziehung. Doch Jonah kommt in sein Leben und bleibt – irgendwie. Erst scheint es Freundschaft zu werden, doch dann kommen sich die beiden Männer näher und öffnen sich einander weiter. Doch Benji leidet an PTSD und Jonahs Job bringt ihn immer wieder in Gefahr.
Je mehr er für Jonah empfindet, desto schwerer kann Benji mit dessen Job und der Gefahr umgehen. Und Jonah lebt für seinen Job. Vor Benji hatte er auch kein Privatleben und seine Kollegen wissen weder von seiner Homosexualität, noch von Benji. Das wird spätestens bei einem weiteren Zwischenfall zum Problem. Denn als Jonah schwer verletzt wird, kann Benji alles nur aus der Ferne beobachten, hoffen und bangen. Und dann scheint plötzlich alles verloren, aus und vorbei.
Der Plot hat mich von Anfang an fasziniert, aber ich war mir unschlüssig ob ich es wagen soll. Doch Michael Murphy konnte mich sehr schnell fesseln und bei Laune halten. Der Schreibstil ist sehr flüssig, phasenweise humorvoll und sehr intensiv. Benji hat noch immer Schuldgefühle und leidet unter den Folgen des Krieges. Bei ihm kann Jonah seine Probleme artikulieren und findet Verständnis.
Mir gefiel es sehr gut wie sie sich kennenlernen, sich annähern und eben sehr nahe kommen. Jedoch geschieht viel in Gesten, Berührungen und Blicken. Es fällt ihnen beiden schwer über Gefühle zu sprechen, auch wenn sie diese enge Verbindung spüren und sich durchaus darauf ein lassen können.
Es gibt im letzten Drittel dann einen Bruch zwischen den Protagonisten. Erst vermag es der Leser nicht zu verstehen, doch dann klärt sich das Bild und Michael Murphy versteht es dann sehr geschickt, nachvollziehbar aber auch gefühlvoll Jonah und Benji wieder zueinander zu führen. Das hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Insgesamt hatte ich seinen sehr guten Eindruck von der Geschichte und werde wohl bald ein weiteres Buch lesen, das in diesem Umfeld spielt.
February 4, 2017
A Joyfully Jay review.
2.5 stars
The first couple chapters of Love in the Line of Fire set up an action-packed series of events that were paired with two truly engaging alpha males. And then everything fell apart in rather spectacular fashion. Let’s start with the positives. The basic plot to this book was intriguing and did a good job of pulling me in. It was nice to see that Jonah and Benji were evenly matched right from the start, each of them strong enough to support the other and both insecure enough to do their own measure of damage. They aren’t fully developed characters, but neither are they one dimensional. There was enough development to appreciate at least some of their actions towards the end of the book.
Almost from the start, I struggled with the writing style of Love in the Line of Fire. For lack of a better word, I found it rather juvenile. It seemed overly simplistic and somewhat cluttered. I’m no great writer myself, so I usually let this sort of thing go unless the grammar and style are just incredibly bad. But this book’s voice just rubbed me wrong right from the start. Additionally, many of Jonah and Benji’s actions during the first days of their relationship are frankly absurd. For example, the first time Jonah is invited into Benji’s apartment they drink too much and rather than go home, Jonah stays the night. Fine. I’m on board so far. But then Benji insists that Jonah share the bed (and not for fun sexy times mind you) and it turns out that both of them sleep naked and can’t possibly sleep any other way. Really? Two complete strangers are incapable of tossing on a pair of pants for the night? Aside from feeling utterly contrived, this whole scene was just silly. And unfortunately, Love in the Line of Fire is filled with moments like this. They either make no sense or just come off as awkward and stiff.
Read Sue’s review in its entirety here.
2.5 stars
The first couple chapters of Love in the Line of Fire set up an action-packed series of events that were paired with two truly engaging alpha males. And then everything fell apart in rather spectacular fashion. Let’s start with the positives. The basic plot to this book was intriguing and did a good job of pulling me in. It was nice to see that Jonah and Benji were evenly matched right from the start, each of them strong enough to support the other and both insecure enough to do their own measure of damage. They aren’t fully developed characters, but neither are they one dimensional. There was enough development to appreciate at least some of their actions towards the end of the book.
Almost from the start, I struggled with the writing style of Love in the Line of Fire. For lack of a better word, I found it rather juvenile. It seemed overly simplistic and somewhat cluttered. I’m no great writer myself, so I usually let this sort of thing go unless the grammar and style are just incredibly bad. But this book’s voice just rubbed me wrong right from the start. Additionally, many of Jonah and Benji’s actions during the first days of their relationship are frankly absurd. For example, the first time Jonah is invited into Benji’s apartment they drink too much and rather than go home, Jonah stays the night. Fine. I’m on board so far. But then Benji insists that Jonah share the bed (and not for fun sexy times mind you) and it turns out that both of them sleep naked and can’t possibly sleep any other way. Really? Two complete strangers are incapable of tossing on a pair of pants for the night? Aside from feeling utterly contrived, this whole scene was just silly. And unfortunately, Love in the Line of Fire is filled with moments like this. They either make no sense or just come off as awkward and stiff.
Read Sue’s review in its entirety here.
January 6, 2021
When I realized that ‘Love in the Line of Fire” is, in essence, a sequel for ‘The President’s Husband’, I was over the moon. Yes, it’s not a direct continuation that stars the same characters, but Gray and David appear numerous times, the style of writing is very similar, and the quality of Jonah and Benji’s story is just as high as Gray and David’s. Some of the difficulties Jonah and Benji have to deal with, both individually and as a couple, are very similar: the pressure and stress in Jonah’s job are high, Benji has his studies to focus on. But other problems are very different: both men have to deal with the loss of men under their command and while it is a fresh issue for Jonah and in the past for Benji, the nightmares are similar enough for them to be able to support each other. The result is a beautiful love story that I found very rewarding.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
March 6, 2023
Darum geht’s:
Secret Service Agent Jonah Pratt leitet das Team, das den First Husband bewacht. Ein Attentat kann durch das mutige Eingreifen eines Zivilisten verhindert werden, doch ein Teammitglied und Freund Jonahs stirbt dabei. Der Zivilist, der den Attentäter stoppte, ist nicht so harmlos, wie es auf den ersten Blick scheint. Benji hat Auslandseinsätze als Soldat hinter sich und weiß ziemlich genau, wie Jonah sich jetzt fühlt.
Meine Meinung dazu gibt’s hier
Secret Service Agent Jonah Pratt leitet das Team, das den First Husband bewacht. Ein Attentat kann durch das mutige Eingreifen eines Zivilisten verhindert werden, doch ein Teammitglied und Freund Jonahs stirbt dabei. Der Zivilist, der den Attentäter stoppte, ist nicht so harmlos, wie es auf den ersten Blick scheint. Benji hat Auslandseinsätze als Soldat hinter sich und weiß ziemlich genau, wie Jonah sich jetzt fühlt.
Meine Meinung dazu gibt’s hier
February 5, 2017
When I read the blurb for this book I had to have it. A secret service agent and a military guy? Where do I sign up. In my mind I thought it was going to be a big action suspense sort of thing with a romance weaved in. It wasn't exactly that. Love in the Line of Fire was much more emotional than I thought it would be. It didn't really focus so much on what Jonah and Benji do. It was more about who they are and how they make a relationship work.
The opening of this book was very suspenseful and then sad. When a lone gunman shoots at the President's husband and takes out one of Jonah's men it really tore at my heart. More so when we realize how close he and Jonah were. Of course this was the same moment we met Benji. His entrance is one for the grandkids. It's how these two meet and how their story begins.
I adored Benji throughout this entire book. He helped Jonah cope with the loss of his friend, he guided him through dating and romance, he rubs his aches and pains from him. He is just an amazing person. He suffers from PTSD and at one point it affects Jonah and his relationship horribly.
Now, I didn't hate Jonah. I found his shyness toward Benji in the beginning to be refreshing. As the head of security for the President's husband he doesn't have a lot of times where he doesn't have to make choices. When Benji takes the reins it's a beautiful thing. Jonah isn't horrible to Benji but I did find him undeserving of his love. Especially when Benji reacts out of fear, slight paranoia, and love. This also affects Jonah's job and it was how Jonah treated Benji after that that really bothered me. I didn't feel the forgiveness. It just didn't come across like I think it should have. I would have made Jonah grovel until his knees bled.
Other than that it's a love story about two alpha guys with a lot of busy in their lives. They need each other and they need a lot better communication. It's not high on the action and suspense but it is very high on the emotion and medium on the angst.
The opening of this book was very suspenseful and then sad. When a lone gunman shoots at the President's husband and takes out one of Jonah's men it really tore at my heart. More so when we realize how close he and Jonah were. Of course this was the same moment we met Benji. His entrance is one for the grandkids. It's how these two meet and how their story begins.
I adored Benji throughout this entire book. He helped Jonah cope with the loss of his friend, he guided him through dating and romance, he rubs his aches and pains from him. He is just an amazing person. He suffers from PTSD and at one point it affects Jonah and his relationship horribly.
Now, I didn't hate Jonah. I found his shyness toward Benji in the beginning to be refreshing. As the head of security for the President's husband he doesn't have a lot of times where he doesn't have to make choices. When Benji takes the reins it's a beautiful thing. Jonah isn't horrible to Benji but I did find him undeserving of his love. Especially when Benji reacts out of fear, slight paranoia, and love. This also affects Jonah's job and it was how Jonah treated Benji after that that really bothered me. I didn't feel the forgiveness. It just didn't come across like I think it should have. I would have made Jonah grovel until his knees bled.
Other than that it's a love story about two alpha guys with a lot of busy in their lives. They need each other and they need a lot better communication. It's not high on the action and suspense but it is very high on the emotion and medium on the angst.
February 13, 2017
Love in the Line of Fire by Michael Murphy
4 stars
M/M Romance
Triggers: PTSD, shooting
I was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads.
Benji is a later in life student. After doing several tours, as a soldier, he's come home to learn how to be a civilian again. That's not exactly easy when you're plagued with PTSD symptoms and when you interject yourself in an attempted assassination. Not only does he jump right in to the fray, he does so without thinking. It's an instinct.
Jonah is a secret service agent in charge of watching over the President's husband. He loves his job and has sacrificed a lot to get where he is. One of those sacrifices is compartmentalizing his personal and professional life. When he is confronted with losing his best friend due to the attempted assassination on his charge, he lashes out - he punches the guy who kind of saved the day.
Losing a friend and co-worker is something that Jonah does not handle so well. Not only does he punch Benji, but he also leaves Benji hanging for several weeks, even after Benji talks him down and through his normal grief process. Benji sees those signs and gives Jonah a wide range of latitude, he understands where Jonah is coming from.
Their relationship is fairly organic - acquaintances, friends, lovers. When the relationship becomes more apparent, both are struggling because this is uncharted territory for both. Benji realizes that being with someone who is constantly in danger for their job is much more stressful than being the one in danger. When he was a solider, he didn't really think about it, but being on the other side is both stressful and painful. Jonah realizes that he is falling in love with Benji but takes what Benji is feeling to heart.
There is some extreme emotions evoked, at least there was for me. Anger, sadness, guilt. I wish that we could have seen more of the relationship towards the end, but understand that we are left to know that they will work on things.
4 stars
M/M Romance
Triggers: PTSD, shooting
I was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads.
Benji is a later in life student. After doing several tours, as a soldier, he's come home to learn how to be a civilian again. That's not exactly easy when you're plagued with PTSD symptoms and when you interject yourself in an attempted assassination. Not only does he jump right in to the fray, he does so without thinking. It's an instinct.
Jonah is a secret service agent in charge of watching over the President's husband. He loves his job and has sacrificed a lot to get where he is. One of those sacrifices is compartmentalizing his personal and professional life. When he is confronted with losing his best friend due to the attempted assassination on his charge, he lashes out - he punches the guy who kind of saved the day.
Losing a friend and co-worker is something that Jonah does not handle so well. Not only does he punch Benji, but he also leaves Benji hanging for several weeks, even after Benji talks him down and through his normal grief process. Benji sees those signs and gives Jonah a wide range of latitude, he understands where Jonah is coming from.
Their relationship is fairly organic - acquaintances, friends, lovers. When the relationship becomes more apparent, both are struggling because this is uncharted territory for both. Benji realizes that being with someone who is constantly in danger for their job is much more stressful than being the one in danger. When he was a solider, he didn't really think about it, but being on the other side is both stressful and painful. Jonah realizes that he is falling in love with Benji but takes what Benji is feeling to heart.
There is some extreme emotions evoked, at least there was for me. Anger, sadness, guilt. I wish that we could have seen more of the relationship towards the end, but understand that we are left to know that they will work on things.
February 15, 2017
3.5 stars - I was given a copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
Never mind romantic suspense - this story about the secret agent responsible for protecting the gay American President’s doctor husband is pure utopian fantasy. Perfectly timed, this author’s alternative White House is so much more inspiring than the one in the news every day!
This story starts with a traumatic event that leaves Secret Service agent Jonah unsteady and acting out of character. Army veteran Benji understands Jonah’s reaction and offers his friendship and his own experience of trauma to help the agent. The friendship between these two is tentative and the trust between them builds slowly. Theirs is a grown up romance with both men bringing baggage, secrets and a little bit of PTSD to the relationship.
I found the pace of this story slightly erratic - between the action and suspense scenes, time sometimes drags. It takes time for the relationship between Benji and Jonah to really catch fire and at times neither man pursues the other with any real urgency.
There are exciting scenes here, but I struggled at times with the mix of sweet/dark/suspenseful in this story. Some moments are just too touching and too emotional for me to fully believe that one man is Secret Service and the other is a battle hardened soldier.
But ultimately, I did invest in this story. I wanted to believe in the author’s alternative reality. I wanted to believe in the wise and good President and I really wanted the HEA for Benji and Jonah. The story is more romance than suspense and a little bit fluffier than the blurb suggested but I really enjoyed it.
Never mind romantic suspense - this story about the secret agent responsible for protecting the gay American President’s doctor husband is pure utopian fantasy. Perfectly timed, this author’s alternative White House is so much more inspiring than the one in the news every day!
This story starts with a traumatic event that leaves Secret Service agent Jonah unsteady and acting out of character. Army veteran Benji understands Jonah’s reaction and offers his friendship and his own experience of trauma to help the agent. The friendship between these two is tentative and the trust between them builds slowly. Theirs is a grown up romance with both men bringing baggage, secrets and a little bit of PTSD to the relationship.
I found the pace of this story slightly erratic - between the action and suspense scenes, time sometimes drags. It takes time for the relationship between Benji and Jonah to really catch fire and at times neither man pursues the other with any real urgency.
There are exciting scenes here, but I struggled at times with the mix of sweet/dark/suspenseful in this story. Some moments are just too touching and too emotional for me to fully believe that one man is Secret Service and the other is a battle hardened soldier.
But ultimately, I did invest in this story. I wanted to believe in the author’s alternative reality. I wanted to believe in the wise and good President and I really wanted the HEA for Benji and Jonah. The story is more romance than suspense and a little bit fluffier than the blurb suggested but I really enjoyed it.
February 18, 2017
Review can be read at It's About The Book
Jonah is head of a Secret Service detail protecting Dr. David Hammond, the husband of the President. Jonah’s life is his work, and his days are pretty much the same, one after the other – until the moment an attempt is made on Dr. Hammond’s life. This story started with a bang as, on the first few pages, there is a scene depicting an attempted assassination. My attention was definitely focused as the shooter was taken down by a student named Benji, and Benji was then taken down – in a matter of speaking – by Jonah.
Jonah was hard for me to read throughout this story. He was pretty high-strung and defensive based on his first encounter with Benji, which was less than respectful. For someone who was supposed to be a composed, together SS agent, I had a bit of trouble with his disrespect of Benji. Yeah, he was shaken by the shooting and one of his agents being down, but still. Sure, Benji was a little bit cocky, but Jonah’s harsh treatment of him seemed way out of line to me.
Benji is a combat vet, now out of the military and studying at Georgetown. He reacted instinctively to stop the shooter when he saw the man running away after making an attempt on Dr. Hammond’s life. Benji’s training kicked in but he didn’t get much for his efforts, other than Jonah’s ire. I had some issues believing this whole scenario. Benji was questioned on the scene and allowed to go home. After just stopping someone who had tried to kill the President’s husband and shot a SS agent? Okay. Moving on…. Jonah reconsiders his treatment of Benji and tracks him down to apologize. The two men realize they are a bit of kindred souls and start up a friendship, knowing there is a strong undercurrent of attraction as well. Their time getting to know one another involves coming to a mutual understanding of stressful jobs/situations, healing old hurts, and the effects such jobs and baggage can have on relationships. Neither of them had previously been involved in legitimate relationships, so they had that learning curve to deal with too. Both men had seen their share of carnage; Benji had lost soldiers under his command in Iraq and carried that guilt, combined with PTSD. On top of all this, Jonah was not out at work. Once they actually connected, both men were respectful of each other, were good together and actually rather sweet, as well as totally in sync in bed. The fact that they took some time to actually get to know one another before starting to have sex showed a nice maturity level. I liked them both at this point.
Concern about Jonah’s dangerous job, and possibly losing him, do crop up in Benji’s mind. He was open about this to Jonah and they discussed it. Inwardly, Jonah starts second guessing the whole relationship. He doesn’t want to be unfair to Benji or to hurt him. This is what makes what happens next so inexplicable to me.
The men had settled into a nice routine, they had known one another several months when a situation occurred, after which Jonah completely shut Benji out. I did not appreciate how Jonah dismissed Benji, nor did I find it plausible. They had been getting along so well, talking about anything and everything for hours, not just ending up in bed. So to stop talking and shut him out, I never got over that. Benji was frantic for Jonah, and now that the chips were down, he was obviously not turning away because of the danger. He also went through some rough treatment from Jonah’s peers, who had never heard him mention Benji. I was pretty steamed at this point. Eventually Jonah got his head out of his rear and began trying to repair things with Benji. I was very glad Benji did not give Jonah an easy pass. Just as reconciliation was happening, the book …ended.
I have not read a previous book by this author, in which I assume the reader was given Dr. Hammond’s full story and character traits. In this book he struck me as a distant figure until over 2/3 in, when he suddenly took on the roles of Jonah’s conscience, mentor and relationship mender. Once I saw Hammond in action I liked him, but it would have been nice to have seen glimpses of his humanity much sooner, as an actual key individual in Jonah’s daily life.
As I’ve relayed, I had some plausibility issues with this story. There were also some verbiage uses and some timeline skips which are the type of items that tend to grate on me. The dramatic scenes in the story are gripping. Jonah and Benji do have some wonderful conversations and moments of connection. I appreciated how once Jonah shut Benji out, Benji, being very hurt, was not quick to forgive. The book has a few tense scenes of action and suspense, yet overall this is a character driven story about two men finding one another, learning to see themselves through the other’s eyes, slipping up – then ultimately finding their way back.
Jonah is head of a Secret Service detail protecting Dr. David Hammond, the husband of the President. Jonah’s life is his work, and his days are pretty much the same, one after the other – until the moment an attempt is made on Dr. Hammond’s life. This story started with a bang as, on the first few pages, there is a scene depicting an attempted assassination. My attention was definitely focused as the shooter was taken down by a student named Benji, and Benji was then taken down – in a matter of speaking – by Jonah.
Jonah was hard for me to read throughout this story. He was pretty high-strung and defensive based on his first encounter with Benji, which was less than respectful. For someone who was supposed to be a composed, together SS agent, I had a bit of trouble with his disrespect of Benji. Yeah, he was shaken by the shooting and one of his agents being down, but still. Sure, Benji was a little bit cocky, but Jonah’s harsh treatment of him seemed way out of line to me.
Benji is a combat vet, now out of the military and studying at Georgetown. He reacted instinctively to stop the shooter when he saw the man running away after making an attempt on Dr. Hammond’s life. Benji’s training kicked in but he didn’t get much for his efforts, other than Jonah’s ire. I had some issues believing this whole scenario. Benji was questioned on the scene and allowed to go home. After just stopping someone who had tried to kill the President’s husband and shot a SS agent? Okay. Moving on…. Jonah reconsiders his treatment of Benji and tracks him down to apologize. The two men realize they are a bit of kindred souls and start up a friendship, knowing there is a strong undercurrent of attraction as well. Their time getting to know one another involves coming to a mutual understanding of stressful jobs/situations, healing old hurts, and the effects such jobs and baggage can have on relationships. Neither of them had previously been involved in legitimate relationships, so they had that learning curve to deal with too. Both men had seen their share of carnage; Benji had lost soldiers under his command in Iraq and carried that guilt, combined with PTSD. On top of all this, Jonah was not out at work. Once they actually connected, both men were respectful of each other, were good together and actually rather sweet, as well as totally in sync in bed. The fact that they took some time to actually get to know one another before starting to have sex showed a nice maturity level. I liked them both at this point.
Concern about Jonah’s dangerous job, and possibly losing him, do crop up in Benji’s mind. He was open about this to Jonah and they discussed it. Inwardly, Jonah starts second guessing the whole relationship. He doesn’t want to be unfair to Benji or to hurt him. This is what makes what happens next so inexplicable to me.
The men had settled into a nice routine, they had known one another several months when a situation occurred, after which Jonah completely shut Benji out. I did not appreciate how Jonah dismissed Benji, nor did I find it plausible. They had been getting along so well, talking about anything and everything for hours, not just ending up in bed. So to stop talking and shut him out, I never got over that. Benji was frantic for Jonah, and now that the chips were down, he was obviously not turning away because of the danger. He also went through some rough treatment from Jonah’s peers, who had never heard him mention Benji. I was pretty steamed at this point. Eventually Jonah got his head out of his rear and began trying to repair things with Benji. I was very glad Benji did not give Jonah an easy pass. Just as reconciliation was happening, the book …ended.
I have not read a previous book by this author, in which I assume the reader was given Dr. Hammond’s full story and character traits. In this book he struck me as a distant figure until over 2/3 in, when he suddenly took on the roles of Jonah’s conscience, mentor and relationship mender. Once I saw Hammond in action I liked him, but it would have been nice to have seen glimpses of his humanity much sooner, as an actual key individual in Jonah’s daily life.
As I’ve relayed, I had some plausibility issues with this story. There were also some verbiage uses and some timeline skips which are the type of items that tend to grate on me. The dramatic scenes in the story are gripping. Jonah and Benji do have some wonderful conversations and moments of connection. I appreciated how once Jonah shut Benji out, Benji, being very hurt, was not quick to forgive. The book has a few tense scenes of action and suspense, yet overall this is a character driven story about two men finding one another, learning to see themselves through the other’s eyes, slipping up – then ultimately finding their way back.
June 20, 2019
I would give this 2.5 rounded down to a 2.
What I enjoyed:
~ the slow build -- I thought their relationship was nicely done for the first 2/3 of the book, and I enjoyed the slow fire between them.
~ the POV switches -- I like seeing through both MC's eyes.
What was okay:
~ the characterizations -- Jonah, especially, seemed pretty inconsistent. He was pitched in the opening scenes as this alpha male, but his behavior for the rest of the book was not at all like that, and I felt like the author didn't really have a grasp on what he wanted him to be. Benji was a little better, but honestly, he also had some inconsistencies, and it bugged me that his narrative voice was so cocky much of the time; it made him unlikable, imo.
What I didn't like:
~ Benji's know-it-all attitude -- I found it irritating that he talked to Jonah like he knew everything. His words and tone seemed pretty condescending to me, and as I mentioned above, that made him unlikable.
~ Jonah's actions in the last 1/3 - 1/4 of the book --
~ the telling -- yeah, there was a TON of telling rather than showing in this book, and it was simply clunky and weak writing.
So basically, this wasn't a favorite at all. I will admit that I haven't read the other book (about the president and his husband?), so perhaps if I'd had that background, I would've enjoyed this more...though I doubt it.
What I enjoyed:
~ the slow build -- I thought their relationship was nicely done for the first 2/3 of the book, and I enjoyed the slow fire between them.
~ the POV switches -- I like seeing through both MC's eyes.
What was okay:
~ the characterizations -- Jonah, especially, seemed pretty inconsistent. He was pitched in the opening scenes as this alpha male, but his behavior for the rest of the book was not at all like that, and I felt like the author didn't really have a grasp on what he wanted him to be. Benji was a little better, but honestly, he also had some inconsistencies, and it bugged me that his narrative voice was so cocky much of the time; it made him unlikable, imo.
What I didn't like:
~ Benji's know-it-all attitude -- I found it irritating that he talked to Jonah like he knew everything. His words and tone seemed pretty condescending to me, and as I mentioned above, that made him unlikable.
~ Jonah's actions in the last 1/3 - 1/4 of the book --
~ the telling -- yeah, there was a TON of telling rather than showing in this book, and it was simply clunky and weak writing.
So basically, this wasn't a favorite at all. I will admit that I haven't read the other book (about the president and his husband?), so perhaps if I'd had that background, I would've enjoyed this more...though I doubt it.
April 24, 2019
Damn! I don't know if I can even put into words how much I enjoy Love in the Line of Fire, the sequel to The President's Husband. Although a sequel, it focuses on a different couple, while still having appearances by Gray and David.
Michael Murphy's writing instantly draws me in with hot men, dangerous situations, fantastic story lines, and some hot sex.
Benji's a former Navy Seal who's now attending college where David, the President's Husband teaches. He's a broken men, full of guilt, a sense of failure, PTSD, and anxiety. The author excels in his description of the horrors of PTSD. Some scenes are truly heart-breaking.
Meeting Jonah is an extreme situation, the two get involved slowly, and in a wonderful manner. However, the fear of dating someone who's job involves taking a bullet to protect his charge is a struggle. With excellent writing, it's gritty, raw, and authentic. I love the angst in this book, as it's perfectly developed and absolutely realistic.
I love this book. Love in the Line of Fire is both compelling and riveting, as well as mesmerizing. I enjoy the couple, their romance, and the angst. Michael Murphy excels in this tale of two men who can help heal one another.
July 2, 2017
Love in the Line of Fire by Michael Murphy is a contemporary, romantic suspense novel. Jonah is the head of the secret service for the president’s husband. He’s working what should be a low-stress mission to guard the First Man at the college he teaches at. But when shots are fired, a stranger interferes with his life-saving protocol. That stranger is a former solider named Benji. The two men go from enemies to lovers very quickly.
Despite Jonah and Benji’s relationship unrealistic fast progression, I genuinely enjoyed this book. Benji, in particular, with his genuine warmth and kind heart won me over from the first. Closeted Jonah, on the other hand, was more difficult for me to sympathize with. He said all the right words, but when the chips were down, his actions didn’t match. That being said, Love in the Line of Fire is a compelling, well-written story with characters who will stay with you long after the last page.
Reviewed by Liz Cat for Crystal's Many Reviewers
Copy provided for review
Despite Jonah and Benji’s relationship unrealistic fast progression, I genuinely enjoyed this book. Benji, in particular, with his genuine warmth and kind heart won me over from the first. Closeted Jonah, on the other hand, was more difficult for me to sympathize with. He said all the right words, but when the chips were down, his actions didn’t match. That being said, Love in the Line of Fire is a compelling, well-written story with characters who will stay with you long after the last page.
Reviewed by Liz Cat for Crystal's Many Reviewers
Copy provided for review
July 16, 2018
Love in the Line of Fire by Michael Murphy, this is the first time I have ever read this author. I will be looking for more, I really liked the pacing of this story, and the love. There is a lot of heart and soul in this story and it really shines through.
Jonah heads the secret service team guarding the president’s husband. Jonah prides himself on being the best. He has lost his best friend and really trying to stay focused on his job.
Benjamin Campbell or Benji: he is a student. He instinctively took down a shooter. He understands the grieving process and allows Jonah some leeway there. Benji has been to war and has PSTD.
I found these two to really be what the other needs. They are well matched and really need each other.
The action and adventure was really good in this story too. I would love to read more from this author in the future. This story was one I couldn’t put down or stop reading.
Five Shooting Stars
Jonah heads the secret service team guarding the president’s husband. Jonah prides himself on being the best. He has lost his best friend and really trying to stay focused on his job.
Benjamin Campbell or Benji: he is a student. He instinctively took down a shooter. He understands the grieving process and allows Jonah some leeway there. Benji has been to war and has PSTD.
I found these two to really be what the other needs. They are well matched and really need each other.
The action and adventure was really good in this story too. I would love to read more from this author in the future. This story was one I couldn’t put down or stop reading.
Five Shooting Stars
May 6, 2017
3.5*
I enjoyed seeing that Gray and David and they are happy.
I enjoyed reading Jonah and Benji's story. The sights of DC were well done. And the way these two guys meet was excellently done! They both also haven't dated or been in a relationship so it's new to them. They both have to learn to communicate about the important stuff. The only thing I had a little trouble with was at times they seemed so young. Like late teen or early 20's.
I enjoyed seeing that Gray and David and they are happy.
I enjoyed reading Jonah and Benji's story. The sights of DC were well done. And the way these two guys meet was excellently done! They both also haven't dated or been in a relationship so it's new to them. They both have to learn to communicate about the important stuff. The only thing I had a little trouble with was at times they seemed so young. Like late teen or early 20's.
February 5, 2017
1.5 stars from me for a disappointing effort. This is a sequel to this author's "The President's Husband". David Hammond is the president's husband, and he is a university professor. Jonah is part of the secret service guard for the president and his family: he is assigned to protect the First Husband.
Right at the beginning of the story, someone tries to assassinate David, and the shooter is tackled by one of the university students named Benji. Before the shooter can be stopped, he kills one of the Vice-President's security team who is under Jonah's supervision. Benji, a former military man, holds the shooter until Jonah, or part of his team, can get to the shooter with handcuffs. Jonah, whether due to embarrassment or the fact that he is just an asshole, wants to crucify Benji for doing the job that Jonah and his team should have done. (Originally, I thought that Jonah was a bit of an ingrate, but subsequently I changed my thoughts and concluded that the character is just a poorly developed ass*ole.).
In his military career, Benji had people on his team die in front of him, so he offers some solace after the incident to Jonah, who is having problems coping with the loss of his fellow vice-presidential defender. Benji gets Jonah drunk one night and they spend the night together sleeping off a hangover. The next day, Jonah is still drunk so Benji let's him just lay in his apartment and sleep and he leaves a note saying that he is looking forward to speaking with Jonah again at some time.
Jonah finally wakes up, gets showered and dressed, and takes the note and his belongings and leaves Benji's apartment without leaving any evidence that he was ever there. There are lots of things wrong with the sleepover scene, and the fact that Benji let this complete stranger stay in his apartment after he left to start his day.
Thereafter, for the next 100 or so pages, this story turns into a gooey sicky sweet closeted romance novel of the love affair between Jonah and Benji. It is not until a few chapters before the end of the book that a story with any degree of merit is presented.
To move the story along a little, it is disclosed that Benji suffers from PTSD from when he was in the military. So any loud bangs or noises trigger flashbacks that completely knock him out for a couple of days. Jonah didn't know about the panic attacks until one occurs when the characters are having dinner at an outside restaurant. Jonah supports Benji emotionally after the anxiety attack, but Benji internally believes that he is too damaged for their relationship.
One day Jonah is protecting the president's husband at the opening of an LGBT center, and Jonah gets shot. Benji tries his best to get to Jonah in the hospital to see him and console him as his "great friend", but the Secret Service assholes don't want any interference from Benji since Jonah is not out of the closet and he has never discussed Benji with any of them.
One day at the hospital, Benji begs that the President's husband get a message to Jonah that he is waiting to see him. (Read the book if you want to know how the president's husband gets the job as an errand boy.). The president's husband lets Jonah know that Benji is waiting for him, but the response back is that Jonah does not want to see Benji. (As they say in the story, Benji was dumped by proxy, and the proxy was the president's husband.). Benji leaves the hospital with what little dignity he has remaining and went back to their home, vowing never to fall in love again.
When Jonah returns to part time work, the president's husband rides him concerning the reason why he hasn't called Benji to declare the deep seated love that the two share (since it was obvious even to the president's husband who had only seen Benji once.). Ultimate, Jonah, in the A-hole form that showed up at the beginning of the book, returns again when he tells the president's husband to back off and leave his personal life alone.
For some reason, Jonah finally gives in to his feelings for Benji, and they start dating again. FYI, In any real relationship, I do not think anyone would be nearly as forgiving as Benji was in the book after the disgraceful conduct of Jonah. But, we are supposed to believe there is a happy ever after ending here. (Cough, cough, b*llshit).
From book to book, I have found Author Murphy's work to be wildly inconsistent. Rarely, is any of his work merely mediocre. It is either fantastic or terrible. Unfortunately, in its present form, this book falls in the latter category.
This is a decent first or second draft of a story. It needed significantly more plot development development and character development so that the final 50 pages of the book (especially the hospital scene with the Secret Service Staff and the President's husband's involvement does not come as a complete surprise). This author had the chance to work out the kinks with these characters in a book called "The President's Husband" which was published a few years ago; instead, this book repeats and magnifies the problems that are present in his author's less stellar efforts.
Right at the beginning of the story, someone tries to assassinate David, and the shooter is tackled by one of the university students named Benji. Before the shooter can be stopped, he kills one of the Vice-President's security team who is under Jonah's supervision. Benji, a former military man, holds the shooter until Jonah, or part of his team, can get to the shooter with handcuffs. Jonah, whether due to embarrassment or the fact that he is just an asshole, wants to crucify Benji for doing the job that Jonah and his team should have done. (Originally, I thought that Jonah was a bit of an ingrate, but subsequently I changed my thoughts and concluded that the character is just a poorly developed ass*ole.).
In his military career, Benji had people on his team die in front of him, so he offers some solace after the incident to Jonah, who is having problems coping with the loss of his fellow vice-presidential defender. Benji gets Jonah drunk one night and they spend the night together sleeping off a hangover. The next day, Jonah is still drunk so Benji let's him just lay in his apartment and sleep and he leaves a note saying that he is looking forward to speaking with Jonah again at some time.
Jonah finally wakes up, gets showered and dressed, and takes the note and his belongings and leaves Benji's apartment without leaving any evidence that he was ever there. There are lots of things wrong with the sleepover scene, and the fact that Benji let this complete stranger stay in his apartment after he left to start his day.
Thereafter, for the next 100 or so pages, this story turns into a gooey sicky sweet closeted romance novel of the love affair between Jonah and Benji. It is not until a few chapters before the end of the book that a story with any degree of merit is presented.
To move the story along a little, it is disclosed that Benji suffers from PTSD from when he was in the military. So any loud bangs or noises trigger flashbacks that completely knock him out for a couple of days. Jonah didn't know about the panic attacks until one occurs when the characters are having dinner at an outside restaurant. Jonah supports Benji emotionally after the anxiety attack, but Benji internally believes that he is too damaged for their relationship.
One day Jonah is protecting the president's husband at the opening of an LGBT center, and Jonah gets shot. Benji tries his best to get to Jonah in the hospital to see him and console him as his "great friend", but the Secret Service assholes don't want any interference from Benji since Jonah is not out of the closet and he has never discussed Benji with any of them.
One day at the hospital, Benji begs that the President's husband get a message to Jonah that he is waiting to see him. (Read the book if you want to know how the president's husband gets the job as an errand boy.). The president's husband lets Jonah know that Benji is waiting for him, but the response back is that Jonah does not want to see Benji. (As they say in the story, Benji was dumped by proxy, and the proxy was the president's husband.). Benji leaves the hospital with what little dignity he has remaining and went back to their home, vowing never to fall in love again.
When Jonah returns to part time work, the president's husband rides him concerning the reason why he hasn't called Benji to declare the deep seated love that the two share (since it was obvious even to the president's husband who had only seen Benji once.). Ultimate, Jonah, in the A-hole form that showed up at the beginning of the book, returns again when he tells the president's husband to back off and leave his personal life alone.
For some reason, Jonah finally gives in to his feelings for Benji, and they start dating again. FYI, In any real relationship, I do not think anyone would be nearly as forgiving as Benji was in the book after the disgraceful conduct of Jonah. But, we are supposed to believe there is a happy ever after ending here. (Cough, cough, b*llshit).
From book to book, I have found Author Murphy's work to be wildly inconsistent. Rarely, is any of his work merely mediocre. It is either fantastic or terrible. Unfortunately, in its present form, this book falls in the latter category.
This is a decent first or second draft of a story. It needed significantly more plot development development and character development so that the final 50 pages of the book (especially the hospital scene with the Secret Service Staff and the President's husband's involvement does not come as a complete surprise). This author had the chance to work out the kinks with these characters in a book called "The President's Husband" which was published a few years ago; instead, this book repeats and magnifies the problems that are present in his author's less stellar efforts.
February 7, 2017
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
Jonah is a Secret Service Agent in charge of protecting the President's husband. What was a normal day changed drastically when a shooter tried to take out the President's husband. Jonah's team performed like they were trained, but unexpectedly a stranger came out of nowhere and tacked the shooter and held him down until police and secret service could get to them. Part of Jonah appreciated the help from the stranger, but another part was mad about what this stranger did. The stranger, Benji, expected to lead a boring life now that he's no longer in the military. But that changed one day when he was finished with classes and had to stop a shooter. Jonah and Benji clash over his actions, and after meeting a couple times for Jonah to vent develop a friendship that continues to grow.
Jonah is good at his job, and that's the only thing he has in his life. He keeps his personal life personal, and even though the President is gay and married, Jonah keeps his sexuality a secret. Jonah is cocky and annoying in regards to the shooter situation. He cannot handle that he's not the best, most skilled person. And it was understandable, he wants to be the best there is because he protects the President's husband, but I found it annoying that he gave no consideration that there were skills he could learn and that he didn't know everything. Benji's life revolves around trying to live normally and graduate college. He focuses on his studies and tries to keep focused on his life moving forward.
I loved the beginning of this book, and hated to put it down! The story flowed well and was engaging. The middle part dragged a little for me, as the relationship and dialogue between the men felt stilted and became more of montage of their relationship and less of the relationship. We didn't get to read of the developing relationship, since it was more that we were shown clips of them having dinner after work. And it really seemed weird that when Jonah was injured, we didn't get his perspective or any information about what had happened to him, it went from him being in the hospital to him being back at work, so I felt a bit cheated. Overall, this was an enjoyable story, although the second part didn't quite work as well as the first portion for me.
Rating: 4 stars
Jonah is a Secret Service Agent in charge of protecting the President's husband. What was a normal day changed drastically when a shooter tried to take out the President's husband. Jonah's team performed like they were trained, but unexpectedly a stranger came out of nowhere and tacked the shooter and held him down until police and secret service could get to them. Part of Jonah appreciated the help from the stranger, but another part was mad about what this stranger did. The stranger, Benji, expected to lead a boring life now that he's no longer in the military. But that changed one day when he was finished with classes and had to stop a shooter. Jonah and Benji clash over his actions, and after meeting a couple times for Jonah to vent develop a friendship that continues to grow.
Jonah is good at his job, and that's the only thing he has in his life. He keeps his personal life personal, and even though the President is gay and married, Jonah keeps his sexuality a secret. Jonah is cocky and annoying in regards to the shooter situation. He cannot handle that he's not the best, most skilled person. And it was understandable, he wants to be the best there is because he protects the President's husband, but I found it annoying that he gave no consideration that there were skills he could learn and that he didn't know everything. Benji's life revolves around trying to live normally and graduate college. He focuses on his studies and tries to keep focused on his life moving forward.
I loved the beginning of this book, and hated to put it down! The story flowed well and was engaging. The middle part dragged a little for me, as the relationship and dialogue between the men felt stilted and became more of montage of their relationship and less of the relationship. We didn't get to read of the developing relationship, since it was more that we were shown clips of them having dinner after work. And it really seemed weird that when Jonah was injured, we didn't get his perspective or any information about what had happened to him, it went from him being in the hospital to him being back at work, so I felt a bit cheated. Overall, this was an enjoyable story, although the second part didn't quite work as well as the first portion for me.
Rating: 4 stars
February 7, 2017
I love discovering new (to me) authors, especially ones who write suspense, so I jumped all over a book about a secret service agent and a former soldier turned college student.
Jonah is leading his own detail protecting the President’s husband—and can I just say right here that I loved how the issue of a gay President was handled (as normal). He takes his job very seriously, as he should, and is terribly shaken when the situation veers out of his control. The loss of a fellow agent makes him feel like a failure and instead of thanking the man that came out of nowhere to save the day, he was … less than nice.
Benji thought he left the battlefield behind, but when he sees a shooter on campus, those military instincts kick in. He also understands the loss Jonah is feeling, so he takes the hit he’s given and offers an olive branch in return. In my opinion, making him the better man.
Throughout most of the book, Benji seemed to be the stronger character, though more than once they both refer to themselves as alpha males. Considering Jonah’s line of work, this should be apparent, but he often came off as timid and submissive. I was okay with that as I know a lot of people in stressful jobs seek out a partner who’s stronger to provide them someplace to let go.
Where this book hit a snag for me was after Benji’s PTSD episode. We’re given the impression that it’s a continuously battle for him (which it really is) and that he’d only gone a few weeks since the previous incident, yet Benji changes drastically after this specific episode. He not only becomes fearful for Jonah, he puts Jonah’s job at risk (I needed more on that, BTW).
Still, when the very worst thing that could happen does, Jonah’s response and treatment of Benji is beyond reprehensible. How they went from that to forgiveness left me unsatisfied. I need more groveling and maybe that makes me petty, but knowing how fearful Benji was, to cut him off so completely and not even give him the courtesy of seeing for himself…as I said, Benji is the better man because he forgave and I’m not sure I would have.
Overall, Michael Murphy made me feel – I laughed and cried, got angry and really tried hard to find forgiveness. Though I had some issues with things that felt important (to me) being glossed over, I will keep this author on my radar.
3.5 Stars rounded up to four.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher
Jonah is leading his own detail protecting the President’s husband—and can I just say right here that I loved how the issue of a gay President was handled (as normal). He takes his job very seriously, as he should, and is terribly shaken when the situation veers out of his control. The loss of a fellow agent makes him feel like a failure and instead of thanking the man that came out of nowhere to save the day, he was … less than nice.
Benji thought he left the battlefield behind, but when he sees a shooter on campus, those military instincts kick in. He also understands the loss Jonah is feeling, so he takes the hit he’s given and offers an olive branch in return. In my opinion, making him the better man.
Throughout most of the book, Benji seemed to be the stronger character, though more than once they both refer to themselves as alpha males. Considering Jonah’s line of work, this should be apparent, but he often came off as timid and submissive. I was okay with that as I know a lot of people in stressful jobs seek out a partner who’s stronger to provide them someplace to let go.
Where this book hit a snag for me was after Benji’s PTSD episode. We’re given the impression that it’s a continuously battle for him (which it really is) and that he’d only gone a few weeks since the previous incident, yet Benji changes drastically after this specific episode. He not only becomes fearful for Jonah, he puts Jonah’s job at risk (I needed more on that, BTW).
Still, when the very worst thing that could happen does, Jonah’s response and treatment of Benji is beyond reprehensible. How they went from that to forgiveness left me unsatisfied. I need more groveling and maybe that makes me petty, but knowing how fearful Benji was, to cut him off so completely and not even give him the courtesy of seeing for himself…as I said, Benji is the better man because he forgave and I’m not sure I would have.
Overall, Michael Murphy made me feel – I laughed and cried, got angry and really tried hard to find forgiveness. Though I had some issues with things that felt important (to me) being glossed over, I will keep this author on my radar.
3.5 Stars rounded up to four.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher
January 25, 2017
2.5 Hearts
***While this is not marked as a sequel this story has several characters from The President’s Husband. I do feel this can be read as a standalone but I think it helped to know a bit more of Jonah’s background especially in regards to his job. Furthermore, with that said, Michael Murphy has another book that I’ve read and LOVED called Evac with a military vet named Benji, NOT to be confused with this Benji, two different people with the same name and similar military experience. My brain kept going back and forth so just be forewarned on those aspects. Let’s get to this book shall we….?
Love in the Line of Fire was undoubtedly a big disappointment for me. The first chapter with the action was great. I was totally into it then things just got incredibly unbelievable. I found myself scratching my head several times because I just didn’t get it. I also found Benji not likeable. He’s arrogant to a fault with an abrasive personality then BOOM it was like Jonah and Benji completely switched personalities. The back and forth, the erratic behavior, and the repetition on dialogue just killed this story for me.
Jonah lives for his job in the Secret Service. Earning the detail of guarding the President’s Husband Jonah acknowledges that this is hard work paid off. On a routine transport there’s an assassination attempt that throws Benji in Jonah’s path.
To say there initial meeting was rocky is an understatement.
Strangely enough a connection was made and the real weirdness of the story starts to unfold. I don’t want to give anything away but Jonah seeks out Benji and the two end up spending time together, and an attraction blossoms.
Benji suffers from PTSD so there are some psychological things that transpire. Jonah is closeted so there’s the whole secret relationship element. The assassination attempts were also strange. I get the need for action but this all seem forced.
I don’t know. This was just not for me.
Great cover though!
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
***While this is not marked as a sequel this story has several characters from The President’s Husband. I do feel this can be read as a standalone but I think it helped to know a bit more of Jonah’s background especially in regards to his job. Furthermore, with that said, Michael Murphy has another book that I’ve read and LOVED called Evac with a military vet named Benji, NOT to be confused with this Benji, two different people with the same name and similar military experience. My brain kept going back and forth so just be forewarned on those aspects. Let’s get to this book shall we….?
Love in the Line of Fire was undoubtedly a big disappointment for me. The first chapter with the action was great. I was totally into it then things just got incredibly unbelievable. I found myself scratching my head several times because I just didn’t get it. I also found Benji not likeable. He’s arrogant to a fault with an abrasive personality then BOOM it was like Jonah and Benji completely switched personalities. The back and forth, the erratic behavior, and the repetition on dialogue just killed this story for me.
Jonah lives for his job in the Secret Service. Earning the detail of guarding the President’s Husband Jonah acknowledges that this is hard work paid off. On a routine transport there’s an assassination attempt that throws Benji in Jonah’s path.
To say there initial meeting was rocky is an understatement.
Strangely enough a connection was made and the real weirdness of the story starts to unfold. I don’t want to give anything away but Jonah seeks out Benji and the two end up spending time together, and an attraction blossoms.
Benji suffers from PTSD so there are some psychological things that transpire. Jonah is closeted so there’s the whole secret relationship element. The assassination attempts were also strange. I get the need for action but this all seem forced.
I don’t know. This was just not for me.
Great cover though!
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
January 21, 2017
This was a good read that has a very sad start, but that sad start is what brings two men together.
Jonah is a secret service agent that protects the Presidents husband, Dr. Hammond. The detail has been pretty easy and pretty much the same routine each day. Then one day it isn't. An attempt at Dr. hammonds life leads to one agent dead, Jonah questioning what should have gone differently, and another man stepping in and taking down the shooter.
To say that Benji never expected to have to take down another shooter again is to say the least, once out of the military he never expected to be back in that position again. Once everything is over and the suspect in custody, the questioning complete, Benji finally meets one of the agents he has been keeping his eyes on, Agent Jonah Pratt.
What starts off as a meeting in a horrible situation turns into a friendship, which in turn turns instinct a relationship between Jonah and Benji. But Jonah is not the the only one who has difficulty dealing with horrible incidents of the past. Benji has flashbacks from his time in the military and does not know when they will hit. So Benji is having a hard time dealing with them and the fact that the man he is falling in love with is in a dangerous situation daily at work.
When Benji's worst nightmare happens and Jonah is injured in the line of duty, things may never be the same for the two men again. The injury is too much for Jonah to deal with so he pushes Benji away and once Jonah's wakes up and realizes he made a mistake pushing Benji away, it may just be too late.
This was a good read. There is times that things between the two men is so sweet and surreal and other times when the problems they have to face seem like just too much. I love that this book was more on the real side of things as far as both men had to fight to find a happy ending together. Michael Murphy did a great job on this book. I can't wait to read more by this author in the future.
Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review
Jonah is a secret service agent that protects the Presidents husband, Dr. Hammond. The detail has been pretty easy and pretty much the same routine each day. Then one day it isn't. An attempt at Dr. hammonds life leads to one agent dead, Jonah questioning what should have gone differently, and another man stepping in and taking down the shooter.
To say that Benji never expected to have to take down another shooter again is to say the least, once out of the military he never expected to be back in that position again. Once everything is over and the suspect in custody, the questioning complete, Benji finally meets one of the agents he has been keeping his eyes on, Agent Jonah Pratt.
What starts off as a meeting in a horrible situation turns into a friendship, which in turn turns instinct a relationship between Jonah and Benji. But Jonah is not the the only one who has difficulty dealing with horrible incidents of the past. Benji has flashbacks from his time in the military and does not know when they will hit. So Benji is having a hard time dealing with them and the fact that the man he is falling in love with is in a dangerous situation daily at work.
When Benji's worst nightmare happens and Jonah is injured in the line of duty, things may never be the same for the two men again. The injury is too much for Jonah to deal with so he pushes Benji away and once Jonah's wakes up and realizes he made a mistake pushing Benji away, it may just be too late.
This was a good read. There is times that things between the two men is so sweet and surreal and other times when the problems they have to face seem like just too much. I love that this book was more on the real side of things as far as both men had to fight to find a happy ending together. Michael Murphy did a great job on this book. I can't wait to read more by this author in the future.
Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review
January 23, 2017
**4.5 Secret Service Stars**
There is just something about Michael Murphy’s political reads, that I just cannot stay away from, and this one isn’t different. This book starts in a moment of action – as Jonah loses a team member and is saved by a “ninja,” Benji. From there, Jonah is left reeling and unsure how to move forward, so he does the most random thing and reaches out to Benji. Their first interactions were sweet, if a bit… odd. But OMG, from there it just got better and better.
For awhile at the beginning, you feel like the characters may be a bit “surface” level – especially Benjy. He tries for the happy go lucky act, supporting his new friend Jonah. But as the story continues on, layers and layers get pulled back for both characters and they are both anything but surface-level. The way Murphy has written them, and unveiled who they are throughout the story, was truly fun to read. I literally couldn’t put this book down and ended up reading it in one setting (yes, it was that good). And for those of you who are going to read this (YOU SHOULD!), definitely bring tissues, especially during the last part of the book.
This is a great read for anyone who loves a strong sexy secret service man and an equally hot “ninja” Army man. Together, they overcome their personal boundaries/restrictions and build something really special.
Review Copy of Love in the Line of Fire provided by Dreamspinner Press for an honest review. Reviewed by Mel from Alpha Book Club
There is just something about Michael Murphy’s political reads, that I just cannot stay away from, and this one isn’t different. This book starts in a moment of action – as Jonah loses a team member and is saved by a “ninja,” Benji. From there, Jonah is left reeling and unsure how to move forward, so he does the most random thing and reaches out to Benji. Their first interactions were sweet, if a bit… odd. But OMG, from there it just got better and better.
For awhile at the beginning, you feel like the characters may be a bit “surface” level – especially Benjy. He tries for the happy go lucky act, supporting his new friend Jonah. But as the story continues on, layers and layers get pulled back for both characters and they are both anything but surface-level. The way Murphy has written them, and unveiled who they are throughout the story, was truly fun to read. I literally couldn’t put this book down and ended up reading it in one setting (yes, it was that good). And for those of you who are going to read this (YOU SHOULD!), definitely bring tissues, especially during the last part of the book.
This is a great read for anyone who loves a strong sexy secret service man and an equally hot “ninja” Army man. Together, they overcome their personal boundaries/restrictions and build something really special.
Review Copy of Love in the Line of Fire provided by Dreamspinner Press for an honest review. Reviewed by Mel from Alpha Book Club
January 23, 2017
This book is incredibly sweet......surprisingly so, although not an unpleasant surprise!
The story begins pretty dramatically, with an event seriously affecting Jonah, who I found to be a very appealing character from the word go. The upside to the trauma comes in the form of Benji! Sweet, funny, compassionate Benji, battling his own demons whilst providing Jonah with a friend, a shoulder, an understanding ear.
The relationship that develops between these two is nothing short of adorable....a little at odds maybe with what you would expect from the Secret Service and the military, but a lovely example of why you should never judge a book by its cover! A fairly slow build, with lots of incredible sexy talk, eventually leads to some wonderful, hot, steamy scenes. Lots of steamy scenes, that whilst incredibly well done, came a little too thick and fast for my personal taste at times.
This story isn't without its drama and angst......infuriating, maddening fear and misunderstandings that had me longing to yell at the boys. Of course they didn't need me, they got there by themselves, but the journey was beautifully done, engaging, flowing writing that kept me turning pages.
A quite different tone to the story than I was expecting, having read The President's Husband, but nevertheless an entertaining, enjoyable read.
Reviewed for divinemagazine.biz
The story begins pretty dramatically, with an event seriously affecting Jonah, who I found to be a very appealing character from the word go. The upside to the trauma comes in the form of Benji! Sweet, funny, compassionate Benji, battling his own demons whilst providing Jonah with a friend, a shoulder, an understanding ear.
The relationship that develops between these two is nothing short of adorable....a little at odds maybe with what you would expect from the Secret Service and the military, but a lovely example of why you should never judge a book by its cover! A fairly slow build, with lots of incredible sexy talk, eventually leads to some wonderful, hot, steamy scenes. Lots of steamy scenes, that whilst incredibly well done, came a little too thick and fast for my personal taste at times.
This story isn't without its drama and angst......infuriating, maddening fear and misunderstandings that had me longing to yell at the boys. Of course they didn't need me, they got there by themselves, but the journey was beautifully done, engaging, flowing writing that kept me turning pages.
A quite different tone to the story than I was expecting, having read The President's Husband, but nevertheless an entertaining, enjoyable read.
Reviewed for divinemagazine.biz
February 21, 2017
Rating: 4 stars. I really liked that this was essentially a spin-off to the "The President's Husband". Just like with that book, you must really have a suspension of disbelief because in no way is this book realistic. There are things that happen in this book that in no way would be allowed to happen in a real life situation. Especially with some of the actions taken by the secret service. That being said, I found the book highly entertaining. Jonah as a character frustrated me to no end. I just wanted to reach into the book and shake some sense into him at one point. On the other hand, I really loved Benji and really sympathized with him and what he is put through in the course of the story. I was highly vested in their relationship and couldn't put the book down until I found out how their story unfolded. I highly recommend this book for anyone who can set aside reality for some good entertainment.
January 26, 2017
Not having read The President's Husband I was unfamiliar with a lot of the characters but it didn't detract from the story. Now I'm looking forward to reading the previous novel.
This novel isn't as fast-paced as I expected but the writing was solid and the authors knowledge of Washington D. C. and the machinations of the secret service shine through. The plight of a closeted partner was painful to read but very realistic.
This novel isn't as fast-paced as I expected but the writing was solid and the authors knowledge of Washington D. C. and the machinations of the secret service shine through. The plight of a closeted partner was painful to read but very realistic.
Read
January 30, 2017Review to follow.
I enjoyed The President's Husband and have enjoyed it again this year. This book appears to be just as good. After all, political drama has me by the balls.
I enjoyed The President's Husband and have enjoyed it again this year. This book appears to be just as good. After all, political drama has me by the balls.
February 6, 2017
3.5 stars
Read
October 12, 2017Dropped at 10% because I couldn't stand the change of PoV on every paragraph. One paragraph it's Jonah's PoV calling himself Jonah, the next it's Benji's PoV calling Jonah with his last name, Pratt.
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