Inside Affair

Prime Time #1

by Ella Frank

Xander
If I had to describe Sean Bailey, it would be: a surly, temperamental pain in my ass. Never in that equation would I ever include the word boyfriend—and not just because he’s straight.

The older brother of my life-long best friend, Sean is a detective for the Chicago PD, and is also known as Detective “Dick” for being...well, a surly, temperamental pain in everyone’s ass. He also happens to be the best they have, which is why I find myself on his doorstep the night my life is threatened by an anonymous stalker.

I only wanted the name of a bodyguard; I didn’t expect for Sean to volunteer for the job. Now, not only do I have a bodyguard, I also have a fake boyfriend.

Sean
It must be so hard to be Alexander Thorne, the number one prime-time news anchor in the country, with millions of dollars and a car that costs more than my house. I mean, I’m allowed to give him a hard time about it, but when some creep decides to cross the line and go after him, they’re gonna have to answer to me.

Going undercover has never been an issue in the past, so I don’t see why there’d be a problem now. Xander and I have known each other for years, so this should be a breeze. Except suddenly my stomach’s flipping when he looks my way, and my body comes alive whenever he brushes by me. I know I’m good at my job and playing a character and all, but this is getting out of hand.

I can’t be sure that either of us are playing anymore.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Enemies To Lovers, Gay For You, Mystery

239 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 27, 2020

About the author

Ella Frank is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Temptation series, including Try, Take, and Trust and is the co-author of the fan-favorite Preslocke series. Her Prime Time series has been praised as “highly entertaining!” and “sexy as hell!”

A life-long fan of the romance genre, Ella writes contemporary and erotic fiction. Some of her favorite authors include Tiffany Reisz, Kresley Cole, Riley Hart, J.R. Ward, Erika Wilde, Gena Showalter, and Carly Philips.​Ella is represented by:

Kimberly Brower
Brower Literary & Management
​kimberly@browerliterary.com

Reviews

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inside Affair is book one in the brand new trilogy, Prime Time, by Ella Frank. I was so excited when I heard about this new series. I didn’t realize at first that there were cliffy’s involved. But now that I’ve read the first book, does it matter? NO! Because it’s that awesome! I admit it took awhile for me to get invested, the build up was slow. But when I fell, I fell hard. Because I am in love with these men!



Alexander (Xander) Thorne is a respected, award winning news anchor. He’s living his dream, doing what he loves. But then his world is turned upside down when he starts receiving threats. Someone is fixated on him and his network is demanding he get a body guard. He doesn’t know who to go to except his life long friend’s older brother, a detective.



Detective Sean Bailey has been undercover for months. The case finally closed and he needs some time away from the precinct. The timing couldn’t have been better when Xander came to him looking for help. He’s known Xander most of his life. He knew he was the best man to keep his brother’s closest friend safe.

“It seemed my fate was sealed. I’d come in search of someone to guard my body, and ended up with the last person I’d ever expected.”



Xander’s sexual preference was men. He was polished, drove a fancy car, and lived in a posh penthouse. Sean was rough, grumpy, lived in a barely furnished house, and wore tshirts with holes and old jeans. He was also straight. These two men couldn’t have been more opposite. But as they spent time together, they started to notice things about each other. Sean can’t believe how he never noticed Xander’s eyes before. And how could Xander not realize that body under all those awful clothes? And Sean wasn’t nearly as grumpy as he seemed to be. There was a kind, caring man underneath all that gruffness.

“The more I watched, the more I felt this absurd desire to move closer to him. Like I was tethered to some pulley that was drawing me closer.”

As Xander and Sean navigate life while searching for Xander’s stalker, they are also trying to navigate the confusing feelings they are developing for each other. Especially Sean, who has never been attracted to a man in his life.

“My eyes locked on the man I’d known for as long as I could remember, and I felt as though I were seeing him for the very first time.”



Wow! This was just Wow! As I said earlier, the romance aspect of it builds slowly. But as Sean’s feelings deepened, I fell fast and hard. The things this man said and did. I was a goner. He is my favorite kind of hero, and hero he is. The next book, Breaking News, can’t get here fast enough. I need to see what comes next for Xander and Sean.

“You step into view and there’s nothing but you.”

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
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[Wendys Wycked Words · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fell a bit in love with Sean when he was first introduced as "Detective Dick”, in "Henri". What can I say... I just love the assholes and Sean's character was right up my alley. I hoped his book would be awesome, and I am so glad to say that it was. It's just the cliffhangers in all these series that are getting to me a bit.



I had no idea when I signed up for this one, that it would be a "same characters" series. I still enjoyed it, but it did leave me wanting...

So as I already explained, this book is about Sean, Craig Bailey's brother, who we have all come to know as Detective Dick and Alexander "Xander" Thorne, who happens to be Bailey's best friend. He's also quite the famous news anchor, and that is where things are starting to get complicated, or should I say interesting.



You see Xander seems to have picked up a nasty stalker, and his boss is demanding he gets protection. And who would be better at protecting his brother's best friend, than Detective Dick!!

But how in the world are they going to explain Sean hanging around Xander 24 hours a day... Yep, you guessed it... we get a "fake boyfriend" trope. Sean is an undercover master after all. This is actually one of my favorite mm tropes. You know what I am also a big fan of ... the "I thought I was straight but now I seem to have lusty feelings for another dude" trope. Such a treat!!



I am not going into the plot more than this.. You should just give it a go yourself. If you loved Sean as much as I did, you will definitely love him in this one. It took me a bit longer to warm up to Xander though... He gave off a bit of a "spoiled brat" vibe.

Very curious to see what's next. The romance and steam were a bit mild in this one, but the promise of what is to come was high enough to keep me interested from beginning to end. Can you say "blue balls" !!!



Let's hope time flies so I can get my grabby hands on the second book ;)


An ARC was provided to

in exchange for an honest review

 

[Shile (Hazard's Version) on-hiatus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook - 3 stars

Story 1st half- 0.5 stars, 2nd half - 2.5 stars

It is really sad that lately I can't seem to give Ella Frank's books more than 3 stars. Logan and Tate introduced me to mm. Her books have become so-so. Nothing new, same old storyline.



We met Sean and Xander in book 5 and 6 of the Temptation series and they had a love/hate thing going on. I was excited to read their book, unfortunately this fell flat in the first half. The second half was somehow okay.

I enjoy Ella books for the sexual tension and some hot chemistry. This book had all that missing. Sean a straight guy woke up one day and decided he is attracted to Xander, no build up, no sexual tension, no questions asked, just bam! boom! Sean is gay.



Anyhoo, I will listen to the rest of the audiobooks to find that zing.

Again! I will just say mystery/suspense is not for everyone. What the hell was that stalker thingy?

[Lucie V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

✅ Pace
✅ Characters
✅ 2 POVs
✅ “Bodyguard falling for their charge” trope
✅(🆗) Plot
✅🆗 Romance
🆗 Ending
❗️❗️Cliffhanger

2.5 or 3 stars...

I don't usually read contemporary romance, but I have the audiobook for this one so I figured I might as well give it a try...

This was not a bad book, but honestly, not much happened plot-wise, and the relationship development was not the best, in my humble opinion. I am still not convinced about the main couple…
I also realized while reading reviews of this book that this is a spinoff from another series. It is easy to follow and understand without having read the previous series though.

Xander is a renowned news broadcaster, and when threats are sent to his workplace, he is forced by his boss to find a bodyguard. Luckily for Xander, Sean, his best friend’s older brother is a great detective and has a lot of contacts, so Xander figured that he only had to ask him for the name of a trustworthy agency. Things don’t go exactly as planned though when Sean decides to take on the surveillance detail himself, because it makes more sense for him to do it than to have a stranger do it.

The easiest way to explain why Sean is suddenly spending so much time with Xander, and even moving in with him, is to pretend that the two of them are dating, and that’s where you introduce the “bodyguard falling for their charge” trope. There is definitely tension between them from the start, but it’s more due to the fact that they both find the other to be annoyingly insufferable, until they start to really see each other, and lust for each other.

The pace is good, and it’s a short and quick read, but I have to say that until the second half of the book, I felt that not much happened plot-wise. It was mostly focused on Sean and Xander being forced to move in together and adapt to their new situation, but there was no progress made with the threat and the stalker. Things developed a bit more in the second half of the book as the stalker became more aggressive and took more risks, but even as the book ended, I felt that things were not resolved at all. Sure, the stalker was caught, but we know nothing about them or their motives, and to me, it feels unsatisfying.

I like Sean, and I like Xander, but I don’t know if I like them together. I didn’t notice that this was labeled as “Gay for you” before I started the book, and I realize now that this trope might not be one that I particularly enjoy. I would define what Xander and Sean have as something based on lust, but I would not call it romance yet, so reading about them whispering sweet nothings to each other and thinking about how their life would have no purpose now without the other after they kissed a few times and got to second base seemed a little rushed and intense.

The fact that Sean, who considered himself to be heterosexual until he was forced to live with Xander and realized that he was actually hot and nice, was almost pressuring Xander to have sex with him and take things further was a little weird at first too. We saw through his chapters that he had conflicted feelings and that he was trying to figure out what was happening to him, but he still went from “this is my baby brother’s annoying and pretension BFF” to “shit that dude is hot and I have a hard-on every time he touches me” in a few days (or at least it seemed to be only a few days).

I might give the second book a try since I also have access to the audiobook, and this one ends up with a cliffhanger, but I am not in a hurry to know what happens next to be honest. While being enjoyable, this book just wasn't really meant for me I think.

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[Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read: 07.08.2021
I found myself wanting to re-read this as I couldn't actually remember much from it. I still liked it, but Xander did bother me a bit with putting his anger out on Sean who is just trying to help. But on the other hand, I do understand why Xander is angry in the first place. That said, this read was still enjoyable.

Other characters:
→ Jim Berkel, Xander's executive producer, had worked together for nearly six years.
→ Marcus St. James (42), the president of the news division where Xander works; is his boss. Carmen, his assistant.
→ Ryan, Xander's assistant.
→ Bailey, Xander's best friend (and ex-boyfriend) and Sean's little brother, ​and his boyfriend Henri Boudreaux, who owns a new PI company.
→ Mick Callahan, a detective (?) with the Chicago Police Department where Sean works.
→ Brent, an intern at the news division.
→ Kieran Bailey, Sean's brother.
→ Nichols, a friend of Sean from the station.
→ Cynthia, Xander's hair and makeup stylist.
→ Gerald, the building that Xander lives in's manager.
→ Marvin, works in the lobby where Xander lives.
→ Benton Hale, works with Xander who he has slept with?
→ Luis Kozlowski, the president of ABC’s news division.

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Glad I Changed My Mind*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

First read review:
As I had originally shelved this book as a checked won't read, I'm surprised that I found myself liking this book. It was intriguing and I didn't want to stop reading. I was not only hesitant about reading it after reading a bunch of reviews, but I haven't had that much luck with this author. So it put me off from wanting to read it in the first place. But somehow, after I saw this one on my dash earlier today, I thought what the heck, why not try it. And I am glad I did. I like the theme of fake boyfriends and I liked the characters Sean Bailey (how old?), the detective and Alexander Thorne (how old?), the news anchor and their chemistry was good. I had wanted more of the fakeness of the relationship shown in public, but other than that the book was interesting and enjoyable. I'm looking forward to reading book two, which wasn't the case with the author's Temptation series. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. Sure it wasn't the best book I've read, but it's one I quite liked. I hope we get to know the characters in more depth in book two.


Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Contemporary Romance (M/M).
Series: - Series, Book One.
Love triangle? - No.
Cheating? - No.
HEA? - No, cliffhanger.
Favorite character? - Sean Bailey.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Sure.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes, I do actually.
Will I read this again in the future? - Who knows.
Rating - 3.5 stars.

[* A Reader Obsessed * · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Off to a Good Start Stars

Now admittedly, Tate and Logan are my top Ella Frank MC’s so it’s going to take a lot to knock them off their pedestal if that’s even possible. However, Sean and Xander’s 1st installment easily reeled me in showing huge potential. If you want continuity though, it is recommended to read the series Temptation first and then Confessions next, before delving into this 2nd spinoff to truly appreciate the nuanced interconnections between all previous 12 books. One more caveat. If you’re really a stickler, this universe actually begins with the MF series Exquisite. Just saying.

To put it succinctly, workaholic detective Sean has known infamous news broadcaster Xander for years, and neither has noticed each other except for being a permanent fixture in their shared love of Bailey, either by being a big brother or a bff. There’s tolerance there - barely - but when Xander’s life is threatened, the only man he feels confident enough to catch the bad guy is Sean. What Xander doesn’t expect is for Sean to attack things 100%, going about it just a tad bit unconventionally by insisting on pretending to be Xander's boyfriend.

Ensue classic bodyguard falls for his charge trope, entwined with an enemies to lovers transition, simmering with barely restrained UST, a ton of smart silly snarky banter, a gleeful back and forth one-upmanship, and the slow undoing of both these men as the reliable animosity turns into confusing and irresistible lust and longing. Look no further if you want to see a tough uncouth brash hardass detective slowly come undone by never before felt feelings for a man. Uh huh.

This first installment was basically a tease, but what a yummy tease it was, ending on a nice little cliffie to make waiting for the next installment that much more tortuous! Luckily, I don’t have to wait long, and I’m excited to see what else is in store for these two because I‘ll tell you what. There’s definitely some smexy hella hot goodness awaiting us Ella Frank style. Oh yes.

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay to me. I neither hate nor regret picking this one up. It's my first time to read anything by Ella Frank and will pick more of hers surely in the future! The only major thing I have against this book is that it failed to make me swoon. This is a slow burn mm romance which involves the enemies to lovers trope. To be accurate it went more like this: 60 percent of them being enemies; 30 percent of them being confused and repressing their feelings; and last 10 percent of them being lovey dovey. You know what I loved? The banter between them in the first chapters. It was so funny that I screencapped some of it in my phone. Unfortunately, it was short-lived. What the hell! I wanted more intimacy too! Sex is definitely much better but cuddling, kissing etc etc are good too.

The ending was quite meh (my choice of words concerns me). Why end it with a cliffhanger?

Overall, this book felt more of a introduction to the whole series. I hope to see more good pacing and character growth especially to Xander who acted like a damsel in distress most of the time! I hope the next one is much better!

[Gabby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This ended up being just okay for me. I wanted to love this book because I've previously really enjoyed books from this author, but it was just okay. I love that it follows a gay news anchor and a detective who becomes his security guard. I'm obsessed with anything lately that takes place in a newsroom so I loved that aspect of it. But as much as I love slow burn I feel like this was way too much of a slow burn, because it took soooo long for anything to happen and I think this story focuses more on the reason why he needs a bodyguard instead of focusing on the romance. I didn't realize this would be a series when I started it so I was also surprised by the cliffhanger ending....

I'm not sure if I'll be continuing the series, we'll see.

[Al *the semi serial series skipper* · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

I love Ella Frank but I found this book mediocre. If you've read the blurb you've basically read the entire book. Nothing happens besides Xander being stalked.

I was expecting a GFY story like Tate and Logan instead Sean just decided one day that he is attracted to Xander and that was it. The stalker angle didn't even play much into the story,tbh.

The ending sucked as well, obviously it's not much of a cliffhanger if there are three books in the series, obviously Sean is going to star in it. What was the point of ending it like that. I didn't enjoy it, it didn't reach my expectations at all.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Same review on all 3 books in Prime Time series because I don’t feel like writing separate ones. No spoilers, promise.

This is one of those series’ that’s middle of the road, but addictive nonetheless. A quick sum up of what you can expect:

• A slow burn enemies to lovers/protector romance
• Two very lovely men
• Lots of romance...
• ...and eventually sexy times
• A stalker
• Bit of family drama
• Bit of newsroom drama
• A huge penthouse overlooking Lake Michigan with a revolving floor (it exists, I googled and WOW)
• More sexy times
• Hand holding. So much hand holding...
• ...and touching cheeks. Facial and derrière.

Not sure this needed to be stretched out as a trilogy and the stalker aspect was underplayed for me, but overall seriously easy-read romance, I enjoyed Xander and Sean together and motored through all three in as many days. Not standalones.

Inside Affair ~ 3.5 stars
Breaking News ~ 3.5 stars
Headlines ~ 4 stars

[*J* Too Many Books Too Little Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!

I really don't want to give this book more than 3 stars. Ella Frank is so frustrating with her need to drag a story out over 3+ books.

As a result this one moved at a snails pace. And that ending.



So annoying.

BUT....there's always a BUT. There's just something about Ella Frank that always has me coming back.

I like both Xander and Sean. There was some good attraction, connection, UST towards the end. The stalker bit was a bit lame, honestly but I get it's what brought them together. Curious to see what the next two books bring. Yes, I'll be reading those.

[Meags · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

I really enjoyed this. It felt like a tasty teaser for what Xander and Sean can (and will) become as a future couple across this trilogy.

With a lot of history between them, what with Xander being the ex-boyfriend but always best friend of Sean’s younger brother, these two share a tentative lifelong friendship, and are by all intents and purposes family.

They couldn’t be more opposite, with Xander living as an extremely wealthy out and proud gay man, working as the king of the nightly news desk, and Sean being a dedicated, simple-living, gruff cop, seemingly straight as an arrow... until now.

Here, Sean and Xander only just get started on becoming more than friends, sharing a new, surprising attraction and being blindsided by their suddenly evolving feelings, after they are forced into close quarters when a dangerous stalker makes Xander his prey, and Sean, protector that he is, offers to play bodyguard (and fake boyfriend) to flush the bad guy out.

This was a refreshing change of pace for Frank, and certainly the slowest relationship build I’ve witnessed in my many, many reading experiences with her stories. I kind of loved that, if I’m being honest. I guess, sometimes, I just need that slow-burn to start me off—it makes the payoff more worthwhile in the end, and I have a feeling Sean and Xander’s payoff will be so very worth the wait.

The cliffhanger was a bitch, there is no denying that, but god damn if I’m not now chomping at the bit to get my hands on book two!



Note: As a spin-off trilogy, of Frank’s Confessions series, I wouldn’t really recommend reading this one without having at least read Henri and Bailey’s stories first (Bailey being Sean’s brother/Xander’s bestie). I’m sure readers could catch on pretty quickly here, if this is all that really appeals to them, but seeing Xander and Sean in earlier stories really helped me form a fairly solid understanding of these guys before they became the focus characters—and it certainly helped build my excitement surrounding this opposites attract, GFY themed romance!

[Fabi NEEDS Email Notifications · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @61%

Elementary gfy plot. Needs a lot more character development for each MC in order to make it believable. Typos and cliffhanger ending didn't help this book's case.

[Cadiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ella Frank knows how to spin a tale, drawing the reader in and making them want to know everything about her characters.

That's one of the reasons why it's frustrating for me to read her books when they end on a cliff hanger like this one does 😁

I knew there would be one, it's become the usual path not only for her solo efforts but also for the books she writes with Brooke Blaine.

And it works, she has me wanting to read them even when I know I'll be left desperately needing the next installment.

Here she's outdone herself, because this book is about Sean Bailey and Alexander Thorne. Two men regular readers already know quite well.

Personally, I thought the way she showed Sean becoming aware of Xander as a man he was attracted to, despite identifying as 'straight' up to this point, felt very organic.

I believed in his journey completely, and while this book touches only the very start of the relationship, the UST explodes out of the forced proximity situation in spades.

I'm intrigued to see where/how the stalker element travels in book two and what will be the key plotline for that entry.

Bring it on!

#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.

[εllε · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just so... meh!

Sean was too eager to become Xander’s “fake boyfriend”, since the beginning. Everything felt flat, no persuasion or tension. It looked like Xander was the one to have the hardest time faking the relationship, not Sean. He was a ‘natural’(facepalm).
Xander didn’t impress me. Like a damsel in distress, his character had a “female personality”. Too superficial.
I expected this MM romance to be without the silliness that characterizes FM books, but I was disappointed.

The biggest let down was the writing. I can’t believe this is the same author that wrote the “temptation” series, which I absolutely adored. This book and its characters have nothing in common with Temptation. I just can’t believe it.

Overall, this was not convincing. There were some good paragraphs in some pages, but in general, the story and characters were unremarkable.

[Marilla ☘︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ✨

I liked it. And I really enjoyed the snarky banter between Xander and Sean. However, I wanted more build-up and tension. I wouldn't call this book insta-love, but it's definitely a fast-burn.

The stalker's letters though... Sure, they were creepy, unhinged and all that jazz, but most of all, they were sooo cringey. (intentional perhaps??) Either way, the second-hand embarrassment I got from reading them was rough.😳🫣

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

*one thing though: this book has a very similar scene and dialogue as exactly as that of the Taiwanese/Chinese series Trapped (History 3)

😭 That is so NOT the way to end a book!!!!

Give me the second book.

*Reviews can wait.

[Imme [trying to crawl out of hiatus] van Gorp · Rating 2 out of 5]

|| 2.0 stars||

This book was thoroughly underwhelming, and somehow manages to execute everything badly, thus being completely unsatisfactory as a whole.

When it comes to the two main characters of this book, I could honestly never seem to get a good grip on them. They appeared to constantly suffer from severe mood swings, and they even seemed to have a complete personality transplant ever so often.
It was annoying as hell, and made it impossible for me to ever feel connected to them, or see some sort of character development. After all, you need to know what a character is even like for you to see if they've underwent any kind of progress or development.
As it is, I have no idea who these characters really are: What makes them tick? How do they feel deep deep inside? How do they interact with others and the world around them? Hell, I didn't even have a full grasp on something as simple as what they look like.
All in all, we definitely needed more information and depth, because what we did get just didn't cut it.

Something I think contributed to the shallow feel to these characters, was how often we switched POV. It's as if we couldn't stay in one person's head for longer than a few pages, and it honestly became incredibly jarring.
This POV hopping makes it really difficult to truly get settled and get a feel for what a character is thinking and feeling. It makes it all very.. superficial.
And don't get me wrong, I usually love dual POV, but it just wasn't done right in this particular situation.

My favourite part about this book was probably the whole obsessed stalker plot, but this was hardly given enough detail, thought or attention.
The wrap-up was honestly entirely anticlimactic, and kind of pissed me off for being so lacklustre. Minor spoiler: The stalker turns out to be someone we quite simply just do not know. We've never met him, he's never interacted with Xander. He's just some random dude. And when he makes his 'attack' it's literally the most pathetic attempt ever, and is wrapped up in a few sentences. I thought he was supposed to be smart? *sigh* Guess not.

Oh and speaking of this whole life threatening situation Xander and Sean seemed to be in: WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE TWO??? They do not have their priorities straight at all.
I could frankly not cope in any way with the fact that they were continually lusting after each other when they should actually be concerned about their literal lives.
Imagine this: two people are scared about some psycho stalker, threatening to murder them both, but instead of, I don't know, be more concerned about that, they are entirely preoccupied with fantasizing about each other or thinking of how incredibly sexy the other is. Like, helloooo? I would imagine you have sliiiiiiiightly more important things going on right now. But no. No no no no. They apparently do not. They only have eyes for each other and be damned with any kind of rationality or logic!

Xander and Sean be like:
Homicidal stalker? Hmmm, inconvenient, but mwah, whatever.
Having a crush on someone? OMG OMG OMG, HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?? OMGGG, HOW CAN I HAVE A CRUSH ON HIM??? OMG OMG. NO WAY!!! OMG
*face palm*

[Lyndy Ann ♫ · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Ella Frank has done it again, I am in love with Sean "Detective Dick" Bailey and Alexander "Xander" Thorne, I haven't fallen hard for one of her couples like this since Logan and Tate, even though L&T will always be my favourite, Sean and Xander have jumped straight to second place with their first outing.

I read this within 48 hours I could not put it down, I loved every single second I spent with the guys, getting to know them better as we briefly met them in Bayley and Henri's books.

I was hooked in with the suspense of the stalker and then the development of their relationship, even though they have known each other for years thanks to Bayley, spending nearly every minute in each others company they both start to see each other through new eyes and feel differently, this is a slow burn, which I loved.

AND THE ENDING - OH MY GOD



I will be stopping everything to read Breaking News in July.

[✰ Bianca ✰ BJ's Book Blog ✰ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Xander and Sean.

We already met them in previous books - but you do not need to have read those books to understand this series. You should've read them - just because they're adorable - but you don't hafta ☺

OK.

Xander has been a famous news anchor for some years now. Being in the public like that and being openly gay ... that gets the attention of lots of crazy folks. But now his boss thinks the newest crazy person might be the real deal. A very dangerous stalker type. Boss man orders a twenty four hour bodyguard for Xander.

Xander wants to ask Sean - the cop brother of his best friend Bailey - for a recommendation. But Sean decides to do it himself. He needs a break from being an undercover cop for a bit. Why not play the pretend boyfriend for this rich TV guy who he's known since they were kids?

What neither of them expected were the sparks though .... it should be mentioned that Sean is not gay!

LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN ... ☺



I really enjoyed reading this!

Funny, sparky, scary, adorable!

Sean is this grumpy, manly man-y, jeans & t-shirt cop who has always been making jokes about Xander and his money and job and lifestyle.

And Xander. He's this expensive clothes, award gala, maserati, penthouse kind of guy.

Those two living together in Xander's multi-million dollar penthouse? Adorable!

I loved those two together. So different - but we all know that opposites attract.

It obviously takes a little while for them to get that there IS attraction between them. But we adore every moment of that while!

Plus we're also looking for that dangerous stalker idiot. Very exciting.

Great first book in this new series.

I would've preferred to only get one longish book - I don't like trilogies all that much - and I hate waiting.
And the sexiness and romance part was a bit missing in this first one obviously.
And I kind of expected Xander to be a tiny little bit more ... suave? Cooler? No. Manly? No. Grrr. No idea what I mean. He was a tiny bit too softish for my tastes. It's clear that Sean is supposed to be the tough guy here - and Xander is supposed to be scared and all... but still. I wanted Xander to be a tiny bit more tough millionaire or something.

But I still loved them both!

I really loved reading this first book - I might even say that this is/could be my favorite thing of Ella's since Tate and Logan ... ☺

I need the 2nd book asap!
Because .... C L I F F Y 😱😱😱


💜 💜

[haletostilinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this first installment in this new series by Ella Frank.

This story focuses on Xander Thorne, Bailey's best friend, and Sean Bailey, Bailey's brother from the two book love story of Bailey and Henri.

Xander is a very successful, gay and out reporter who is somewhat famous (so kind of like a Barbara Walters of today, but male and gay, I guess) and has been Bailey's best friend for years and years.

Sean Bailey is a detective who is seemingly straight, is a little rumpled and rough around the edges, but has more to him than being "Detective Dick" as Henri likes to call him.

When Xander gets legitimate threats against him, his boss wants to get him a bodyguard, but Xander wants someone he can trust, so he goes to Sean to ask if he knows anyone, and Sean says himself.

It's perfect time as Sean just got off a big case and he's taking some leave from work to take a break.

Sean and Xavier have never been particularly close. So much so that they have never been to where the other lives and needed to ask each other's addresses. They've been in each other's lives for decades, and yet have never really looked too closely at each other.

This, of course, changes all that.

At first they're combative with each other, and when Sean says the easiest way to explain his presence around Xander without it being obvious he has a bodyguard is to say Sean is his boyfriend, Xander is very against it...but can't deny it's a good idea.

As days go by and it seems like his stalker has given it a rest, a drive by in which Sean has to save Xander proves he hasn't, and when things start to escalate, Xander feels more and more unsafe and scared.

At the same time, as Sean and Xander spend more time together, attraction starts to form, and possible feelings too, feelings they'd never had before, or never realized before. It's like they're truly seeing each other for the first time.

With Sean being apparently straight, and these two being so combative at first, no full on sex happens in this one - I'm guessing that'll come in book two ;) - but some smut does happen and it is hot, so don't worry ;). I'm actually glad these ladies didn't have it all happen too fast with these two and have been building their romance.

This was really good, really exciting. These two had great chemistry and I was hooked from the start, and the plot with the stalker was interesting and page-turner worthy as well.

I'm excited to see where the story goes from here, and with the cliffhanger we get, I'm excited for more and glad we only have to wait 2 months to find out what happens.

[Bhavya Marya · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Your face. Jesus, Xander…it’s, like, blinding. I never realized how fucking stunning you are.”

I was actually gonna wait till the next one came out because I knew this ended on a cliffhanger. But I couldn't resist. It sounded so good and that cover is just 😍.
It doesn't matter now that I've read it. I still hate the cliffhanger but I can deal for two months. But I'm still gonna read breaking news as soon as it releases.
I just want to start by saying that I would give anything to live in Xander's apartment. That was some impressive stuff. I was reading that description with wide eyes.

I loved the time it took for both of them to realise that they were into each other and that their feelings were reciprocated. It was a little bit of slow burn and it was leading up to the kiss. The sexual tension in this book killed. I love this couple. Their chemistry together was sizzling.

“Well, it was a pretty hot fucking kiss.”

I totally agree with Sean. It was well worth the wait.

The one thing that I didn't totally love about this book was how the stalker thing unfolded. I feel like it wasn't well thought out.

In spite of that, this book is a great slow burn. I enjoyed the hell out of this. A solid 4 stars. It was a good start to the trilogy.

[Mirjam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alexander Thorne, 37, the number one prime-time news anchor, has picked up a dangerous stalker and his boss, Marcus St. James, orders him to hire a bodyguard. He turns to his best friend Bailey's older brother Sean Bailey, who also happens to be the best detective at the Chicago Police.





Sean, 38, the cynical, jaded pain in the ass and Xander have not really gotten along but the situation is dire enough for Sean to become Xander's bodyguard himself. To keep things under wraps they decide the best approach would be to become "boyfriends" and try to lure out the culprit.





Being with each other 24/7 and in each other's pocket things between them shift and the attraction becomes intense. But the stalker is still very much intend on making Xander his own.


The book ends on a cliffhanger, not one that has me running to the next book, because of course Sean does not die.
I was hoping to know more about the stalker, maybe when they search his apartment, because with his blue collar job, I'm wondering how he has been able to pay Xander's gift.



Part of the Prime Time Series and is best enjoyed when read in order

[Yarie ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate so much when the books end up on cliffhanger ...

In this book we know Xander and Sean, Xander is being threatened by an anonymous stalker who knows where he lives, what his routine is and even how he likes his coffee. Xander is terrified and rightly so, and Sean comes in, Sean is a detective who just closed a case successfully and "friend" of Xander's childhood (friend in quotes because although he and Xander have known each other since they were kids, Xander was always closer to his brother) as Sean wants to take a vacation after closing the case he offers to make Xander's private security.

As they do not want to attract attention, nor do the stalker back away Sean will pretend to be Xander's boyfriend instead of a security guard.
What really upset me in this book is that Sean is a detective, meaning he has connections to the police and at no point did they try to find out the IP of the person who left these comments and everything else that the police can do. It seemed super incompetent to be honest and quite convenient as well.
I like Ella Frank's books but this one was just meh.

Rating: 3 Stars.
Steam: 5.5 out of 10.
Triggers: None
Love Triangle: No
Cheating: No
HEA: Cliff

[L Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes the most interesting people are right in front of you. It just takes something monumental to make you see.

Alexander Thorne is a famous national newscaster and Craig Bailey's best friend. When a stranger begins sending him threatening messages, he reluctantly hires Bailey's older brother, Sean, a detective, to be his bodyguard. The two have known each other since they were children, but they've only ever barely tolerated each other. Sean's dickish personally made it hard for anyone to get close to him.

Since Xander needs protection 24 hours a day, Sean moves in with him and after a while their feelings for each other starts to change and both of them have a hard time understanding why and what do do with thise feelings.

I love Ella Frank's characters. It's the main reason I keep circling back to her stories, because honestly, more often then not, they fall short of my expectations (or in some cases, flat out disappoint me). Not every time, but enough that my expectations are kept fairly low.

I don't know if that low expectation is what allowed me to enjoy this more than I normally would, but I really liked this. Though on the surface Sean and Xander's attraction to each other seemed a little strange, I thought it was still believable. They both had a lot of angry pent up energy, they didn't mind verbally releasing it on each other, and most importantly, they didn't feel the need to hide who they really were from each other. Add to it that underneath all of that, Xander still trusted Sean to keep him alive, and it makes sense. I don't usually like the forced proximity trope, but I thought it was done well here.

I'm annoyed that this story is spread over three volumes 🙄, but that's what EF loves to do. The story ends on a cliffhanger, making it impossible to not read the next book.

*****
Sweetest Quote, especially since it's coming from Sean of all people:
“Blinding…I know I said it before but damn, Xander. You step into view and there’s nothing but you.”

I love how much he came to care about Xander! ❤️
4 stars

[Gustaf · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly this didn't work for me.
I mean it took me what? Two? Three? Months to bring myself to finish it.

The plot was lazy, the characters was not very well put together and the writing was sloppy. The ending was well... really bad. The author took the easiest way out possible. A sloppy (but huge) cliffhanger.
Since it ended in this huge ass cliffhanger I guess I'll have to read the other books at some point. But not today. Probably not in a long time.

Will leave it at this, I really don't have much to say.

[Mariam, · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure if I want to rate this book 3.5 stars or 3.75 ✨⭐✨⭐

One big FUCK YOU to Xander and all of his snobby, spoiled uppity ways. Fuck him for treating Sean like an embarssment, like Sean wasn't good enough, like Sean was an inconvenience, and DOUBLE FUCK HIM for having the audacity, THE NERVE to be MAD at Sean and loosing his temper, when literally ALL SEAN DID was HELP HIM!

*sigh* needed to get that out of my chest. I would've given this book 4 stars if it weren't that cluster fuck.

Sean is everything gorgeous and sarcastic and moody and sweet and fucking EVERYTHING. He's beautiful and he deserves to be treated better. I'm glad Xander's attitude got better towards the end cus I'll be damned if Xander continued to treat Sean like shit.

Then he traced a thumb over my lips and said, “Blinding…I know I said it before but damn, Xander. You step into view and there’s nothing but you.”

Also, Xander's personality was wayyyyy different from what I know of him from Ryan's book which is interesting, cus in Ryan's book, he was confident, steadfast, sure of himself and just a force to be reckon with and in this book, he was anything but.

But somewhere during this nightmare of a situation, Sean had become my anchor. He’d become my port in the storm, and in some weird twist of fate, it appeared I had somehow become his.

[Amina · Rating 3 out of 5]

✰ 3 stars ✰

​“​You stepped into view, and now there’s nothing but​ you. Blinding…”

​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ​I was surprised to find a typo this time around; I've always hailed Ella Frank's works to have the sharpest editing, so this was a bit of a let-down. No, don't take it too seriously, it was only one, all's good. ⭐ It still amazes me how she's able to write a romance that is pretty much a day-by-day affair that is broken down into chapters that align with the characters' dual thoughts and emotions, and still manage to create a compelling, okay, not exactly, compelling, but agreeable romance that keeps me relatively entertained if not amused by how it unfolds - despite how generic it does behave at times. 🤔🩵

​ “And I will do everything in my power to keep you alive. No matter how many times you manage to insult me in the space of five minutes.”

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ​The chemistry between Sean and Xander was alright. Aside from one really riveting scene where their sexual tension was viscerally palpable, I was bothered at how unserious and annoying Sean was to Xander's plight, that rather than getting under his skin, he could have behaved a bit more maturely to realize the gravity of the situation. Rather than treat his younger brother's best friend as he always does. 🥲 Xander's attraction to his best friend, once lover's handsome and very straight older brother, was palpable throughout. Sean may be Detective Dick, but most of the time Xander was thinking with his own at hard alert, wondering why he was suddenly attracted to Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dreamy - considering they've been in each other's orbits for more than thirty years! 😭 Never quite friends - just a constant presence in each other's eyes, never hinting or suggesting it could be any more than this tentative co-existence in Bailey's life.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ But, once Sean was the best bet to serve as Xander's bodyguard amidst these disturbing and intrusive stalker- threats, it's funny how you suddenly start seeing the same person you've always known in a whole other light. And while Sean's more of an awakening to have an attraction to a man - to Xander, no less, it's Xander's crippling resolve and determination NOT to fall for Sean, knowing that it would just complicate things more than it already is. 💘

Ah, if only they listened. 🙃

“Your face. Jesus, Xander…it’s, like, blinding. I never realized how fucking stunning you are.”

“And now that you’ve noticed?”

“Now that I’ve noticed, you’re all I see.”

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ It was fine, it was steamy, it was less in scope of developing the mystery, imo, not to mention how limited time we actually get in the TV anchor newsworld, when Ms.Frank is bold and determined to have entire chapters dedicated to the span of less than a few hours! It's amazing, I tell you. 😆 I've placed my bet on the likely suspect; the ending was very a la reminiscent of a certain famous bodyguard film, which pretty much makes me yawn on sight at the predictability of it. I was also initially annoyed with Sean's overbearing blase attitude, but once Xander put him in his place, changed up his look and personality to fit the mold of playing the right part as his doting charming boyfriend, he did loosen up. 😔

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ For their difference in lifestyles and personalities definitely lends a hand in creating that distinctive opposites attract that has them fighting off these sudden urges that seem to be emboldened by the forced proximity of Xander's lavish abode, in which they now have to endure each other's presence - 'the desire radiating from him calling to me in the most primal of ways.' 🥺 It's not so much testing each other's patience at how vast their differences are, but also finding a sense of comfort and solace in their newfound circumstances - calming the unease and tension that bristled outside for either of them - 'peaceful, calm, one of the most beautiful moments of my life'.

“—I think it’s you, and I think it’s me. Tell me you aren’t wondering what it would feel like to kiss me.”

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Their back and forth was nice and Xander's fluctuating emotions for his 'bodyguard' - 'straight and so completely not who I needed to go to for comfort at a time like this' - was captured nicely. Though, I felt that Sean suddenly realizing he wanted to kiss Xander was a little glossed over. 🤔 Yes, he admits that he never noticed the finer points of him - gorgeous looks and that passionate and earnest charisma - but the lack of shock over it - or even a real in-depth discussion between the two - felt missing. 'I wanted Alexander Thorne, and by some miracle of fate, he wanted me right back.' He just kinda accepted it, which maybe is not a bad thing, but it felt a little dismissive to me. Like I get it's simply because of his desire for him that's causing a stir in his loins, but maybe that fits his vibe, anyway... 🤷🏻‍♀️

“This was dangerous. Not just the threat against my life, but what Sean was doing to my peace of mind what exactly he saw now when he looked at me. ”

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ The rooftop balcony - sorry I mean, terrace scene was electric - crackling with sexual tension that vibrated in their words and their touches - a yearning so fierce that if neither backed away at that moment, they would regret the hasty decision of rushing into the heat of the moment. 🫠 Probably the only saving grace of what honestly did feel like a dull read, but not entirely deserving of being a troubling one. ❤️‍🔥

[Aricka Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Blinding…I know I said it before but damn, Xander. You step into view and there’s nothing but you.”

3.25⭐️

This is my second Ella Frank book, the first one being Try which I was not a big fan of at all, and surprisingly I enjoyed this one quiet a bit more to where I am actually interested in continuing the story of Xander and Sean. This book is far from perfect for me though, I went into it blind so I dont know what I was expecting but fake dating, kind of haters to lovers, my best friends/ex boyfriends big brother is all the tropes they are throwing at me here. I will get this out of the way, I never understood the big deal about dating a sibling of your friend. Go for it. Like what is the big deal? That is nothing to me, and for books like this that constantly bring up that issue or that its going to be an issue at all kind of make me roll my eyes. Why do my friends care who I date or why do they care if im dating their brother or sister? Never understood this, you wanna date my sister? Go ahead, I could give a single fuck. Anyways. I found this books fault was that I felt no chemistry between the two of these characters for more than half the book. Like 80% of the book actually. Maybe even more. Xander was a fucking diva, who was annoying the shit out of me and is kind of just a fucking asshole to Sean. And Sean was just some straight dude, who I didnt think was that bad. I suppose the whole chemistry debacle has to do with Xander just being a bitch for more than half the book. Now when they finally confess their attraction to one another, I suppose I can by the chemistry, and I will say its rather cute but like I needed more tension with the attraction. I think its there, but girl it fell super flat for me. I was like yo, bring in another character to seduce cause this shit is just obnoxious. I get it, yall like to bicker and be mean, but where is the sexy? Where is the oh god I want him but he cant know, like I read it but like I didnt feel that shit. I felt like I wanted to ring Xander's neck, and escort Sean to safety. Anyways, by the end of the book I was okay with it obviously because I am interested in continuing the series. I wanna see if these two genuinely have good chemistry out of these weird circumstances they find themselves in. I was entertained so I give it a little above a 3.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not convinced on this pair yet. I can understand the not noticing each other even though they've known each other their whole lives. I can even understand Sean not realising he may possibly have attraction towards men because he's effectively a super efficient workaholic.

What I don't get is how they both questioned exactly what is was they were feeling for over 70% of the book - neither are virgins or inexperienced, and I'm assuming they're both well into their 30s although we aren't told their ages. So how exactly were they not aware their feelings were attraction?? Xander surely would have know he was attracted to Sean as soon as he started feeling it, but even for Sean never having been attracted to a man, he's been attracted to women and surely had the same feelings of attraction before?!

I think if this hadn't gone on for so long I could have believed it, but 70%??? I was starting to think they were pod people.

I'm interested to see where things go though, and I'm predicting Bailey won't be pleases but as long as there's a little bit of Henri I'll be happy 😂