Dangerous Ground The Complete Series

Dangerous Ground #1-6

by Josh Lanyon, Adrian Bisson (Narrator)

Listening length: 22h 17min

Dangerous Ground
Special Agents for the Department of Diplomatic Security, Taylor MacAllister and Will Brandt have been partners and best friends for three years, but everything changed the night Taylor admitted his feelings for Will. Yeah, it's complicated...

Old Poison
Friends, partners, and now lovers. If it was complicated before, it's even trickier now that Will has been assigned a case which guarantees he'll be working side-by-side with ex-boyfriend David Bradley.


Blood Heat
It's a bad time for DSS Agents Brandt and MacAllister to find themselves stranded in the middle of the New Mexico wilderness responsible for the health and welfare of a suspected terrorist. In other words, another day at the office.

Dead Run
The strain of a long distance relationship is beginning to tell after eleven months of Will being posted in Paris. A romantic holiday in the City of Lights could be just the thing to bridge the ever-growing distance--if it doesn't kill them first.

Kick Start
Will is finally braced to bring Taylor home to meet the folks. Unfortunately, not every member of the Brandt clan loves Taylor the way Will does. Then again, not everyone loves the Brandts.

Blind Side
With resources already overstretched, the last thing Will and Taylor need is another client. And the last thing Will needs is for that client to turn out to be an old boyfriend of Taylor's

Genres: LGBT, Mystery, Contemporary, Audiobook, Friends To Lovers, Suspense, M M Romance

23 pages, Audiobook

First published January 30, 2020

About the author

Author of 100+ titles of Gay Mystery and M/M Romance, Josh Lanyon has built her literary legacy on twisty mystery, kickass adventure, and unapologetic man-on-man romance.

Her work has been translated into twelve languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first Male/Male title to be published by Italy’s Harlequin Mondadori and Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan’s annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list). The Adrien English series was awarded the All-Time Favorite Couple by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. In 2019, Fatal Shadows became the first LGBTQ mobile game created by Moments: Choose Your Story.

She’s an EPIC Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), an Edgar nominee, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads All Time Favorite M/M Author award.

Josh is married and lives in Southern California with her irascible husband, two adorable dogs, a small garden, and an ever-expanding library of vintage mystery destined to eventually crush them all beneath its weight.


Find other Josh Lanyon titles at www.joshlanyon.com
Follow Josh on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Reviews

[Gabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the first book I decided to change my perspective regarding my expectations of this series, because it's not like the author's other books. And once I did that, I enjoyed it way more. This is an action-packed, fast-paced series with characters who clash a lot and you just want to knock their heads together. And I loved it in all it's OTT glory. XD

Thanks to my BR group for joining me on the ride. :)

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF the fourth of these. Before that:

Dangerous Ground: 3 stars. This is readable, but I had several issues with it. Although I liked the two MCs, they were hard to tell apart at first, and that is annoying. The pacing is amateurish. It's worth reading for the evolution of each character, but it's a bit sappy, and I didn't buy that last sex scene where their hands are magically clean enough for face touching again.

Old Poison: Surprisingly slow. But I like Will's unwilling response to the ex despite feelings for Taylor being significantly deeper. Very human. The climactic scenes are good. But I think this one could've been shorter than it was.

Blood Heat: This one takes surprising turns. Best of, so far; every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was wrong.

Dead Run: Oh, man, I'm pages into this one and I just can't stand it. I might return. I might not.

I did not. Noping out.

[KarenHe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall 4.5 stars

Action & Adventure
Suspense & Mystery
DSS Agents
Friends-To-Lovers
Partners in Every Possible Ways

Book overall ★★★★☆
Audio ★★★★★

花了好幾個月終於看完了Dangerous Ground。六個中篇，合共750頁左右。講述一對好搭檔並肩解決案件並從好友到戀人轉變的故事。整個系列來看是低開高走，前面沉悶無聊，後面漸入佳境。

兩個主角都各有優缺點。Taylor太固執莽撞，常常導致兩人陷入困境，不過Taylor對Will真是一往情深。Will沉著冷靜，是組合的理智擔當，經常阻止Taylor的脫線行為，但同時在感情上拖泥帶水的處理方式確實讓人窩火。

感情線起起伏伏波浪式推進，每集總會出現不同的感情危機：遠距離，失憶梗，前男友攪局等等，嵐永拆鴛鴦真是毫不手軟，反正主角必須經歷各種磨難才能真正HE。

劇情方面是一集一個獨立案件，但由於主角是外交安全局(Diplomatic Security Service)的特工，並非FBI也非警察，這些案件都不是謀殺案，而是反恐、反黑、押送嫌犯之類的事件。有懸疑，但更偏向動作冒險類。

Audiobook出過兩個版本，我選的是Adrian Bisson版本。一開始不太喜歡他把Will演繹成一副漠不關心的語氣，後來發現這就是Will的性格。再者，他對各種口音的演繹也十分驚喜！

下面是每一集的掃文，有些許劇透，請斟酌觀看。

Dangerous Ground
★★★★☆
Will拒絕了搭檔Taylor的酒後示愛，兩人多年的好友關係出現了裂痕，也間接導致了Taylor因情緒不穩而在執行任務時中槍。Taylor傷愈復工再次與Will搭檔，尋找因墜機意外而失踪的劫匪。倆人在荒山野嶺之中情不自禁地來了一場溫泉play。關係破冰後，兩人戰鬥力隨即大增，與凶狠的犯罪團伙鬥智鬥勇也尋回了失落的贓款。

Old Poison
★★★★
Will和Taylor這對搭檔剛剛確立了戀人關係就迎來了臨時重組，Will被派去海軍基地執行任務，Taylor則被派去保護元首太太。Will這次任務的協助對象正是Will的海軍前男友，那個前男友動不動就向Will拋媚眼，Will也蠢蠢欲動，天啊這令我太生氣了!

另一邊廂，Taylor不斷收到恐嚇信，起初不以為然，後面竟然被人綁架了，還害新搭檔被害。Will查出事件真相竟與Taylor十幾年前在日本的艷遇有關，成功拯救了Taylor。但綁匪實在太蠢了，直接影響案件的觀感。

Blood Heat
★★★
這一集不好看。
Will和Taylor再次搭檔緝拿一個潛逃的女嫌犯歸案，竟然發現女嫌犯身懷六甲還快要生了。Taylor又開始作死，明明沒有押送孕婦的經驗還不願找幫手，Will無奈答應了。果不其然，一路上不是賞金獵人就是山洪暴發，嫌犯一會兒喊肚子餓一會兒喊肚子疼。儼然成了一部公路小說，非常無聊。

Dead Run
★★★★★
當我快要放棄這個系列之時，嵐永老師卻又寫出了本色發揮的好故事。

Will被分配到了巴黎。與Will分隔11個月的Taylor終於申請到休假去巴黎與Will相聚，誰知在機場懷疑碰上恐怖份子而白白蹉跎了一天，凌晨給Will打電話竟然發現Will正與海軍前男友在家暢飲，這一切幾乎耗光了Taylor那所剩無幾的安全感。

兩人一見面就用力過猛，拼命證明兩人關係堅固如初。事實上，兩人的Sex依舊火辣，然而Sex之外卻一直吵架，根本原因在於互信不足。一方面Will對Taylor從容面對即將被派遣到伊拉克而不在意兩人的未來感到不滿，另一方面Taylor對Will與ex保持關係良好感到不悅。

Taylor在飛機上遇到的懷疑恐怖分子真的來襲，兩人火速回歸工作崗位。以嵐永的尿性，往後必有差落井下石的一著。果不其然，她竟玩起來選擇性失憶的戲碼！Will被炸飛之後竟然選擇性忘記與Taylor交往時期的記憶，這也太狠了吧！

Kick Start
★★★★☆
Will和Taylor經歷了巴黎事件，深知在原來崗位上再次搭檔已是不可能，於是Will建議離開DSS自立門戶，開一所安全顧問公司，這樣兩人就又可以一齊搭檔工作了。然而，這並非易事，才過了幾個月兩人不論財力和體力都撐不下去了。

工作不順，Will決定帶Taylor會老家見見家人。但原來Wiill在老家並沒有出櫃，只有Will的老爸知道Will的性取向。這一集主要就是講Will和Taylor在處理家庭矛盾的同時解決了一件民事糾紛，主打溫情，案件不重要。

Blind Side
★★★★★
這一集太好看了，不論案件和感情都寫得很好。因為嵐永又搬出了殺手鐧：前男友！不過這次是Taylor的前男友。

在Taylor繼父的資助下兩人的安全顧問公司終於開始蒸蒸日上了。此時Taylor的初戀男友找到了Taylor和Will的公司，聲稱自己母親的遺產被非法佔據並且他自己也被人追殺。Taylor護友心切不顧公司資源匱乏以及Will的反對接下了這個活。調查之後才發現這個前男友其實並不簡單，整個事件也暗藏殺機。

後來，Will機智地射殺了案件主謀保護了Taylor。然而Taylor卻大受打擊，因而疏遠了Will，兩人的關係又降到了冰點。聖誕將至，兩人決定去夏威夷度假，希望陽光海灘能融化彼此之間情感冰牆。嵐永的粉絲們都懂聖誕節在嵐永作品裡面都是個神聖而歡樂的節日。終於，兩人在夜色中傾訴愛意，敞開心扉，翌日原地結婚，效率極高！最後一部分的情感拉扯看得我太滿足了！

[Ele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm thinking of giving the series 5 stars but not because I loved it. In fact most of the time I felt uncomfortable. It started with a few things that felt wrong in book 1&2 and it got "worse" as the mc were trying to navigate from partners to life partners while facing present obstacles & ghosts from the past - challenges which brought the weaknesses of their relationship to the surface.

So many wrong / impulsive choices were made.
So much arguing was the consequence.
The tension the fights were raw & annoying-ly real. I didn't think they would make it. That's ROMANCE for you. Someone else would've walked away.

Each novella usually ends with a new recognition of what's not working and with the opening of a new door towards a better "together", but a door to rush in (with everything "rushing into sth" implies 🙈) They do grow with each novella - but some realization/changes need several attempts

The ending of the series fits the pattern perfectly. They talk things out, they evaluate choices made, they make plans about one aspect of their future but it wouldn't be them if they didn't rush SOMETHING (in a HEA way) in the end still 😅

TAGS (in general)
mmromance | thriller | friends to lovers

TAGS (spoilery but not really)

book 1
-friends to lovers
-outdoor sex

book 2
-young relationship
-secrets in a relationship
-apart in many ways when they shouldn't be

book 3
-fairly light in comparison to other books but a difficult decision is on hold
-difficulties when partnered with a loved one
-outdoor sex

book 4
-long-distance relationship
yea..that is not working AT ALL

book 5
-family relationships
-small town minds
-will they ever realize they have a thing for outdoor sex?

book 5
-ex-boyfriends (s sore topic, again)
-trust/respecting eo/listening to eo once again challenged
-crazy mystery (i like)

series overall explores
- the line bw (over)protective & controlling bf,
- trust / respect in a relationship

book x
There're a few codas (set after the series) on JL's blog and I'm happy (&surprised😅) to see they're sweet future glimpses (no drama) quote: "So, see, Will was learning. Learning to keep his mouth shut, anyway." 😅

why it's not a 5 star after all:

Two things bother me
(spoiler possible although I'm fairly vague)
still bother me even after the series last book.
I have to have it out of the system.

1)In book 2 - when their relationship is very new - there's a scene which a lot of ppl (but probably not everyone) would consider cheating. However, the character from whose POV we see it doesn't see it like that at all. And it's never mentioned again.

Tbf, him "running into" the other guy and the not bothering to mention it to his bf (because nothing happens so why stir up sth) is a recurring topic for arguments & there's a change eventually. But that one scene is never questioned...

and it was so early on, it wouldn't make sense to mention it once he starts being more sensible about the topic..so it's ok once again annoyingly real. And yet, I'd rather he never agreed to the affectionate gesture to begin with.

SPOILER:

2) It's the last book in the series and it's clear they won't suddenly have any problems at all, but to drop a word like SPOILER |||depressed||| in the end is not exactly a happy/hopeful outlook... I hope they take/treat the condition with necessary attention, but it's not in the book 🥲

--
good audiobook (although Will's voice was sometimes to "growly" 😅) but it IS a really good audiobook!

The first 2 books i wanted to read too (and i did)
starting from book 3 i was in the audiobooks mode and it was easy to follow and intense enough (sometimes I'm more responsive to reading)

[Jenny Saul-Avila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had listened to books 1-4 years ago, before books 5 & 6 were released. At the time, I was meh about it - I enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away.
But when the full 6-book box set came out, I wanted to give it another shot. I'm so glad I did - I enjoyed the first 4 books more this time around. I became increasingly riveted as the books went on - I think the last one was actually my favorite. I finished most of book 5 and 6 in one day, both wanting to see it resolved, but feeling I would've been happy to see the series go on for another book or 5 more. (There does seem to be at least one unresolved bit of the overall arc that could result in another book, so maybe there's hope).
Will and Taylor both make some seriously questionable decisions & sometimes seriously suck at communicating, or at least interpreting what the other person is really saying, but that fell in line with their personalities & upbringing. I can see that being irritating to others, but I'm pretty forgiving about that in books. I liked them and there were a couple side characters I liked and wouldn't mind seeing more of if the series were to continue too.
The narration was pretty good; I feel like Will's voice might've changed a bit in one of the latter books, but I'm not positive, as it was very slight. It could've just been that it was a newer recording. Otherwise, the differentiation of voices & emotion was very good.
All in all, not my absolute favorite Lanyon series, but definitely worth the listen & maybe someday a relisten.

[Ulysses Dietz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each one of these action-packed novellas is a page-turner, its core mystery ratcheting up the tension until what is always an explosive finale (sometimes literally).

But what really drives this whole series, aside from Lanyon’s wonderful prose, is the deep character study over the six books in the series. Taylor McAllister and Will Brandt are complicated men, and their lives are complicated by the career they’ve chosen (Diplomatic Security Service) as well as their pasts.

Over the years Lanyon has published this series, Taylor and Will have gotten into a lot of trouble, but they’ve always had each other’s backs. The trick is whether or not their relationship can survive the rest of their lives. As she has done since her brilliant Adrien English books, Lanyon takes us deep into Taylor and Will’s minds, letting us understand what motivates these smart, dedicated, loyal men—both personally and professionally. They’re not superheroes; they’re not without their weak spots and insecurities. Protecting each other’s lives—and the lives of their clients—is the easy part.

You’d think the fact that talking about their feelings is the hard part would be funny; but it’s not. That’s where Lanyon’s skill as a story teller triumphs. Without unnecessary stupidity or avoidance, she drags us over the rocky emotional road to the place she wants her readers to be.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I binged the entire Dangerous Ground Series by Josh Lanyon. I pretty much love everything Josh Lanyon. This one was a bit harder to get into, but once I got going I kept reading.

This is the love story of two "Diplomatic Security Agents" - career diplomat Taylor MacAllister and former Marine Will Brandt. They are partners and shouldn't get involved, but you can't stop love. I don't love how Will thinks Taylor is a hothead with baggage, when it's Will who constantly disappoints Taylor. But ya gotta have drama or there is no book. Also, Will has a dog so he's forgiven.

Here's a breakdown of the books:
Dangerous Ground: The one with the camping
Old Poison: The one about Taylor's Japanese past.
Blood Heat: The one you can skip - seriously it's boring. But it's the one with the annoying woman they need to transport.
Blind Side: The one with the French Terrorist... and amnesia. . . and when you start to hate Will and realize it's Taylor who can do better.
Kick Start: The one with Will's family and his Hillbilly neighbors.
Blind side: The one with Taylor's ex-boyfriend.

I listened to these on Audible. Adrian Bisson was an excellent narrator.

[MariF · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good entertaining value if you don't expect anything realistic. I was happy for the lack of excessive violence and gore. I really liked Andrien English series but read vey few other books from the author since murder mysteries/detective genre is not my cuppa.
I chose this series because everyone was saying it's not your typical Josh Lanyon and gave them a try.

I saw a lot of criticism about the plot or some things that from the prism of current day look strange or way outdated but I looked up and the first book was published in 2008 when things were very different and what is taken for granted today was a pipe dream back then.

I knew from the first two chapters that it's more of a fantasy than reality, thus was not disappointed.
It's true that some books in the series were better than others and some situations and conflicts were too contrived but that didn't diminish my overall enjoyment.
If other series/books are in the similar vein, I'll likely read them too to destress from reality.

[RE Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read the last of these a while back without realizing it was the end of a series. It's definitely better when read with the rest of these, though they all have a bit of a novella feel, which is why my rating will remain a solid 4 stars (rather than being higher). My biggest complaint here is that I like all the holes filled in rather than jumping from one thing to the next, and I especially wanted more of the holes of their relationship filled in. :/

Still, Will and Taylor are an intriguing couple, and they worked pretty well together (even though I found it annoying that Will insisted on leaving for Paris for 2 years -- even though it ended up not being that long -- right when he and Taylor were just learning how to mesh together. I wanted to see more of Will's family (and the challenges they were facing), and I felt like things weren't fully resolved with their PI/security business, but all in all, it was a good collection. :)

[BeckieLouLou · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.25 stars. Audiobook. Stick with it! Series of 6 books for a total of 748 pages, so more like a collection of novellas, but so well done after you get through the first book. Keep going. The first book has an unusual start, where we are dropped into a story that has already started, there is a bit of did-I-miss-a-few-chapters and we jump to some outcomes awfully quickly, but the whole series isn’t like that, it smooths out to full, rich, wonderful, traditional storytelling. The couple is great and the journey through just-friends to lovers to live-of-my-life is great. Lots of wonderful conversations and the cases/jobs/clients are interesting and entertaining. Highly recommend this author.

NOTE: there is jealousy but no cheating.

HEA, series, same couple, m/m, federal agents, medium spice, mild angst.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

May TBRChallenge 2023: Freebie- I checked out the entire audio collection from the library.(https://wendythesuperlibrarian.blogsp...)

I really enjoyed this series. Adrian Bisson has great character voices, but started out with a very stilted delivery. As the novella progressed I felt his style and delivery improved and I enjoyed his narration of the 6th novella the best.

The novellas range in grades from B- to B+, With the fourth novella, Dead Heat being my favoirite. I enjoyed the last one quite a lot, too. I had intended to write a shor treview of each novella but probably won't. they are definitely worth reading, and worth it on audio, too.

[MyDoRyS · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audio: 4 Stars

Story: To summarize the whole series.....poor writing, filled with impossible, full of stereotypes, tons of sexism from someone who is supposed to be part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, misinformation and incredibly poor character construction. Immature characters who are incredibly incompetent at their job and at a true romantic relationship.
I did not expect the series to be this bad from other stories I've read from this author...but I was SO disappointed. Not because this is a work of fiction it means that the writing needs to be lazy. Happy Readings!

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid set of novellas, so good to smash out on a cold day stuck indoors. A bit basic, in terms of plot development and characterisation, but totally acceptable for the novella style. I prefer a bit more meat on my romance bone… so to speak.
I loved Taylor and Will, particularly the way their relationship was not overly romantic or so flawed it wasn’t plausible.
As far as novellas go, this was a great little series. I give it 3.6 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ overall for the series. These two had their moments but they were never in sync really. You never felt like their relationship was rock solid. There was always someone testing their feelings and they both were insecure. Would have loved a better relationship and the conflicts to be outside of it and just keep making them more solid. I love this authors newer work and I definitely see the improvement of their writing. I went to their backlog hoping for more of the same but this wasn’t it

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

They really named their firm American Eagle and had it placed in a mall. I was so confused that I had to reread that part several times to understand they weren’t talking about the store. *cries*

And WILL...I love you, but I hate you. It amazed me many, many times when Taylor didn’t just up and leave your frequently insensitive ass. But by the end of the last book, FINALLY, all was well.

[Shane C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and engaging story of a developing relationship over the six stories that follow sequentially. Great characters and fun and surprising plot twists. Wonderful read.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 - 4⭐️
#2 - 4⭐️
#3 - 3.5⭐️
#4 - 3.5⭐️
#5 - 3.5⭐️
#6 - 3.5⭐️