Steel Hearts

Brothers in Blue #1

by Jason Collins

AIDEN:

Lying is part of my job. Falling in love with a criminal isn’t.

I’ve finally landed the undercover assignment I’ve always wanted: taking down the local Mafia branch from the inside. Then I meet Chris, my sharp-talking, gorgeous mentor. The don assigned us a high-stakes heist on a jewelry store, and that means a lot of time together. Bad, bad idea.

I’m already falling hard for him—and now I have to ruin his life. When the heist falls apart thanks to yours truly, Chris is arrested along with the rest of the local Mafia. That’s when the surprise comes: he isn’t what he seems. Soon we’re in the sights of a wrathful Mafia don, and Chris and I have to learn to trust each other if we’re going to survive.


CHRIS:

Rule #1 in the Mafia: Don’t fall in love with another associate. But I’ve been breaking rules for a long time.

My life has always been all work, no play. It rocketed me to the top in the Mafia—and doomed my marriage to my ex-wife. Now that Aiden’s been placed under my care, I wonder if she and I were always destined to fail.

Every time I’m with Aiden, I can’t help myself. We’ve been tasked with pulling off a heist together, but it feels like I’ll go crazy if I don’t touch him. When the local cops get wind of our plans, things get even more complicated. I’m not what I seem, and I’ve been lying to everyone—including Aiden.

**This is the first book in the Brothers in Blue series. It can be read as a standalone with no cliffhanger. **

Genres: M M Romance

219 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 23, 2021

Reviews

[Megan [At The Cottage] · Rating 2 out of 5]

MM Romance
Cop Drama/GFY
2 stars

Ughhh. I’m reading the stuff that’s been in my KU forever but I want to ask myself WHY?? Why was this in there? I don’t remember sampling it so maybe I was half asleep one night and added it by mistake? Because while I like true crime, I’m not really into the whole cop/military/mafia tropes. This was SO boring!! Both characters were so blah even the sex scenes were boring. I almost DNF’d during one. I should have.

These guys are undercover yet they are both using their real names! WTF. Neither one gets any security detail when the mission ends even though the guy they are after makes bail. I’m not going to pretend I know cop procedures but that seems like a no brainer. Also, was I supposed to believe Chris had no struggle with liking a man for the first time? These two had ZERO chemistry. I cannot.

I’m in a serious book funk!! THIS is why I put off reading the books I know I’ll love because the hangover is real. Someone recommend me a MM book I’ll like more than Him/Us 😭

[Fernanda Parente · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mob stories are not my favorite kind of books but this book is very good
Aiden is an undercover cop who manages to enter a mafia organization and paired with the second in command of the mafia boss
Aiden and Chris spend a lot of time together while watching a jewelry store to be robbed and ended up developing feelings for each other.
These feelings lead Chris to start to realize that life is more than work

I received am ARC and this is my honest review

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 - 4.5 Stars

This was an exciting and fun new read from Jason Collins! I'm a sucker law enforcement stories and the undercover aspect makes it even better. I really liked Aiden and Chris and their exciting and entertaining journey.

Aiden is a detective getting ready to undercover in a local mob family. He and his department have a plan to get in and take the head of the local branch down. It all seems solid until he meets and starts to get to know Chris, the mob boss' right hand man. The two share an immediate connection that they cannot deny and that definitely complicates the situation. The two work together, planning a jewelry store heist but what happens after the robbery and the dust settles.

I enjoyed this book, it was fun and held my attention and always had me wanting more. Aiden and Chris are great characters, witty and caring and two guys you just find yourself rooting for. I really loved their tender moments, even with everything going on around them, all the chaos, their connection never falters. Their story has some good surprises and truths that are unveiled and it made for an entertaining read from start to finish. I'm definitely looking forward to more in this series!

[C.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What goes on in the dark. . . Aiden, lands a career building undercover gig with the mafia. He is assigned Chris as a mentor. The op is going well, except he is falling for Chris. Chris put his job ahead of everything. His marriage to his wife ended because of his misplaced priorities. He feels something off about the heist he and Aiden have been tasked to execute. Their relationshp is blurred by their professionalism, then by the secrets and complexities of their goals. There are lots of subtleties, conflicts and steamy moments. The heist goes sideways and Chris is arrested. Mr Collins excels at creating events and characters that revolve around exciting situations and conflicts that keep the reader glued to their kindle. Does Chris go to jail? Does Aiden go down with the others? Do they get found out? Who is Chris, really? Can they keep each other safe and complete the op? Exciting, suspenseful, hawt absolutely riviting! Well done! I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[RE Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. Overall, it was enjoyable, but the characters were pretty shallow. Aiden seemed pretty young to me, and Seth's narrative wasn't consistent. For instance, near the end he thinks that when he's undercover, he's completely that character, with no room for any compassion -- and this is after he's definitely gone soft over Aiden.

Both characters seemed like they'd just been dropped into the story, and even though their backgrounds were very briefly mentioned, we didn't get to *know* them at all. I just didn't care all that much about them or how things turned out for them, which made the read simply okay. And the undercover work was a little weak, as well.

[Terry Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read several of Jason's books--I mean there are authors out there who are putting out a tremendous amount of content, and he's one of them!

But content isn't enough, and what Jason does is give his readers reasons for coming back again and again. I'm already well into Brothers in Blue #2 and have #3 already on my Kindle. The police, FBI, and CIA are areas I still need to research for my own writing, but Jason seems to have it down. The story was delightful and put a very real hiccup in the middle. (You'll have to read it yourself to find out how it turns out for the main protags.) In the meantime, well done, Jason - AGAIN!

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could be a good choice for anyone wanting a no/low angst book. As you can see by my rating, this was a middle of the road book for me. I am a fan of law enforcement/military/security and other authority type of books. My complaints with this book are that the cop, Aiden, was supposedly a veteran police officer but seemed more of a rookie. He made stupid decisions. Mistakes that could have cost others their lives. Chris, an undercover agent, is undeniably the brains of the story, but even he made mistakes that a seasoned agent wouldn't. If you look past the obvious issues, you could find the book to be a decent enough read.

[Shelley Chastagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hold onto your hats as this one is a bit of a wild ride! Aiden is just a good man. He wants to stand against the evil in his city and I liked that even though he convinced the bad guys that he’s one of them, Chris can see the good shining through. Chris has spent his carrier infiltrating and taking down corruption. These two can’t stay apart and things heat up, lines get crossed, and they try so hard to keep the other out of the ensuing fray. There was plenty of action, both on the streets and in the bedroom to keep me turning pages.

[DENICE · Rating 4 out of 5]

AIDEN AND CHRIS FIND EACH OTHER’S SECRETS

I received this book for free and am giving my honest and voluntary review.

Aiden is an undercover police officer on his first case without training. Chris is the right-hand man to the mafia boss that Aiden is trying to take down. I love the way Chris and Aiden try to protect each other before Aiden’s first job in the crime world. This story is a wonderful way to show how people are willing to do for the love of another person.

[Tara Ramey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the worst book I’ve read…

Written in dual first person POV. Decent amount of M/M sexy times given the non-experience of one of the MCs. The biggest issue was the writing - at times it was awkwardly written and it seems that the author did absolutely no research. I’m not going to spoil anything but this book was not realistic in any way. Ends with a HFN that leaves one loose end that’s not even mentioned in the epilogue.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprise little read.

I really enjoyed this book, it had enough of everything, I even enjoyed the sex scenes. Everything was enough, side characters were great. Loved Chris and Aiden together they were great, though they could of talked more and got to know each other more even if they did not got into detail in the book but it was mentioned they spoke more. Off to read next one, think I have found another must read author.

[Jocelyn Whaley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loooved this book! Steel Heart is a great beginning for a new series. Two men who are on the opposite sides of the law, finds something in the other that appeals to each of them. When their work exposes something neither of them expected. They have to find a new normal. I loved this book. Ready for the next book.

[Karen Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read Aiden an undercover cop in with the mafia and Chris 2IC in the mafia family. The chemistry is between them is hot and very dangerous and with them both jumping in with both feet.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great new series

I enjoyed this undercover cop story. I liked the chemistry between Aiden and Chris. The plot flowed well and had me glued to my Kindle. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Coral Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aiden is thrilled to be undercover with a mafia boss, but his department is short on assistance and experience. Chris is an enigma to Aiden and he cannot help but fall for him with their forced proximity.

[Essie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Light, easy read.
The suspense plot was light, everything went smooth and there wasn’t any real excitement about how it was going to end.
Fluffy suspense, is that a thing?
But I liked Aiden and Chris together and enjoyed reading this.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

easy light read

I liked this story. It was sort of lighthearted but still a bit of spice.
My only reason for rating it 3 stars is they left me hanging with a mystery divulged close to the end but not resolved. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aiden goes undercover to infiltrate the Mob. Chris is the "Don's" right hand man. Chris thinks Aiden is a little "green" for the mob & takes him under his wing for the next job. Excellent chemistry. Surprise ending. I was offered an ARC for my honest opinion.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to a new series!

I liked Chris and Aiden. I liked how they interacted together, both when Aiden thought Chris was a bad guy and later when he found out he wasn't.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot is predictable thanks to Jason Collins give so much hints on the synopsis. Nevertheless, it's enjoyable and fun to read with little angst.

[devil · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting start to a new series. It took a bit to warm up to the characters, but I was totally invested halfway through. Loved their chemistry in the second half. It's worth a read.

[Tim]

DNF @ 15%... meh

[JMBooher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it

I do adore the universe you are making in this series; can't wait to see what you do next. Thank you for your hard work.

[thomas scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Completely unrealistic.