Mason

Federal Protection Agency #1

by Eve Riley

There is freedom in acceptance…

Agent Mason Wright works for Homeland Security focusing on crimes against children. He takes some much-needed time off to visit his brother, but his vacation unexpectedly turns into more work when he’s assigned to create an impromptu task force to track down a corrupt cop on the run.

Detective Jarod Lopez is a new rookie on the police force. He keeps his head down and doesn’t make waves, but that leaves him with little chance of his skills being put to good use. The coveted opportunity to join a recently developed task force drops in his lap and Jarod jumps at the opening.

Will desire ignite between the pair while they chase down the bad guy?

A sizzling, suspenseful romance, Mason is Book 1 in an exciting action adventure mm romance series.

Content Warning: Murder, Drugs, Abuse, Captivity, Crimes against children.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Crime, Contemporary, LGBT, Suspense, Mystery

460 pages, ebook

First published August 18, 2022

About the author

Please see my new profile and pen name under Evie. Thank you!

Reviews

[Amur Thera · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good
+ How open and honest Mason and Jarod were to each other
+ No pressure on the kids to force more information out of them
+ Mason being the one to confess his feelings first. Did not expect that, but I was pleasantly surprised

The neutral
o I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. My review remains honest and unbiased
o I feel that Mason's PTSD was handled badly, but as I have no experience with it and I'm not educated on the subject, I'll refrain from providing (false) criticism
o Mason mentioned he's very adventurous in the bedroom, but as all bedroom scenes took place in hotels and motels, this side couldn't really come out

The bad
- Mason was a K9 agent, but his partner Koda was hardly mentioned at all. Koda was never a part of any mission
- Jarod kept petting and cuddling Koda without asking for permission. That's not proper when confronted with a K9 (or any dogs, for that matter)
- Especially Mason, but also Jarod, was very prejudiced. They thought in stereotypes and couldn't let go of them. I was especially bothered by the small guy / big guy stereotypes, and the stereotypes regarding intelligent people. Saying "I'm into small guys who like to bottom" is so much better than "I'm into small guys because they like to bottom". Just a tiny change that makes a lot of difference regarding stereotypes
- Mason noticed early on that Jarod was not surprised Monroe was a criminal. Yet later, he says they interviewed everyone who was connected to Monroe. Shouldn't they also have interviewed Jarod, since it was obvious he knew something was off?
- The solution to the case was a major letdown. They couldn't save the trafficked kids, didn't even try, and they were all very happy with the outcome. That rubbed me the wrong way
- Many questions were left unanswered. For example, how was Monroe able to kill an average of five children per year? A question that was asked in the book, but never answered
- How was Monroe's guilt proven? They acted like Monroe's death closed the case, but the evidence was still the same as it had been before the task force started their investigation. The only clues they found (a burner phone and a grave) could easily be pinned on Monroe's wife
- Jarod didn't contribute anything to the task force. Aside from the lead he provided to get into the task force, he added nothing of value to the investigation. In fact, his lack of field experience made him more of a liability than an asset
- Mason never mentioned the power imbalance in their relationship. As Jarod's boss, he should be mindful of abusing his power and he should at least have made sure he told Jarod his job would be safe, or any reassurance really


I really think this author has potential. Some rough editing could already do wonders for this book. However, the manhunt storyline really requires some major improvements. I'd also like to see less prejudice and stereotyping, especially when the main characters complain about it being done to themselves (for being gay and/or Latino). As it is, I wouldn't recommend this book. But maybe I'll give another one in the series a try someday, because the characters in the task force caught my attention.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok Mason 😊

I actually liked the story more than the writing , there’s too much repetition but I chose to ignore that because the story was good and the conclusion was anticlimactic as well but it was worth the read. Honestly the sex is what made me continue to read 😂🙈 and I’m continuing with the series ☺️ and keeping my fingers crossed that it gets better or I’ll just be a masochist

On to the next case 😃

[a. · Rating 1 out of 5]

repetitive, unanswered plot questions, the love declarations came out of absolutely nowhere

[Edga · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by this lady, I was looking forward to a good mystery/romance, but didn't feel that it delivered. I didn't feel the bond between Mason and Jarod, and felt that their romance was full of gay stereotypes. I requested the ARC because Mason was part of a K9 unit, the dog was hardly used on investigations. I also found the ending unsatisfactory, (spoiler here)...... the missing children were not recovered, all was resolved simply by the death of the villain! I really wanted to like this, I loved the premise, I just thought that it could've been better executed. I don't know if the author is new, but I felt that a little incoming advice and editing would've made a difference.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mason is feeling burned out from his job as a federal agent chasing down child predators. He takes a vacation to visit his brother but gets pulled into a horrific case involving a bad cop and his brother's boyfriend. His boss asks him to set up a special task force and he pulls members in from both federal agencies and local police. One of the locals is Jarod, who becomes Mason's partner, both in the field and in bed. This is an exciting story that is difficult to pull away from. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Robin Reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the 3rd book in this series first. I enjoyed it more than this one, so I came back and read the first two. One of the biggest issues I have with this book is fixed (mostly) in the next book. This review contains spoilers but you know very early in the book who the bad guy is and the rest of the book is bringing him down. I also tried to write things as vaguely as possible and still be able to convey my point.

There is a dirty cop who has been using foster kids in an illegal business and has killed some and sold some into sex trafficking for the last TWENTY years. He has 8 or 9 kids at a time. I definitely question the procedure in several parts of the book. I also think it is inconceivable a foster parent would be able to kill or get rid of that many foster kids without a lot of people noticing. Teachers, neighbors, coworkers, etc. would have noticed. Even if half of the social services department was working with him (and I'm not saying that is how it turned out), there is no way someone wouldn't have noticed.

Then there is Jarod, who is kind of flat. He is written to be a super smart guy. While we do see that some until he gets assigned to the team, everything he is involved with after or says indicates he is ignorant of things he wouldn't be ignorant of. For instance, someone tells him that people who hurt children get abused and molested in prisons. I'm pretty sure that's common knowledge in the general populace. Jarod would have already known this. Other conversations are similar, but none quite as bad as that one.

Some reviews downplayed what Jarod did contribute, but without that, they wouldn't have been able to move forward at all. There are definitely some errors made that seemed to be done to allow someone else in the story to play a different role or to be the one to think of something. This happens in the 3rd book, too.

The plot and many aspects of the story needed to be bolstered some.

Mason is visiting his BROTHER ROLAND. I capitalize that as some other 3 star or lower reviews have gotten those points mixed up or missing. (There is no one named Ryker in the book.) He is taking vacation, not forced leave. He has PTSD and he is intending to figure out how to combat that but that he never does, and that's not OK. It's OK for the storyline, but IRL, it wouldn't be.

It is a major bummer the dog isn't used in actual police work. About the only thing he is used for is to show that the dog approves of Jarod.

There are definitely some editing/grammar issues in this series. She has some misused personal pronouns in all of the books. She also likes to capitalize words that should not be. Such as, "all the cops in the Country wear blue uniforms." She does this a lot in the first two books, but I don't think she did in the third book. But in the third book, she all of a sudden started using the word "then" instead of "than" in several places. There are places where the grammar just needs to be polished. Such as she writes the phrase "went and" from time to time instead of just saying the action. ("He went and sat down." "He sat down," is the better option.)

All of the books need to be longer without adding time spent in characters heads. There isn't too much of that as they are written, but if the story was fleshed out, the temptation would be there to add more fluff, too. All of the stories are instant lovish, but in the 3rd book don't actually say the "I love you" part until a gap between the story and the epilogue at least two weeks later. That's better than after a week.

Police procedure needs to be better researched for the entire series. More research on the foster care system was needed for this book. The books could use a little more in the relationship department, too. There is some chemistry, but there is more lust than love that we see built.

There were many things that would have happened to close out this case, but that isn't what the team is about. They aren't about following up on all the paperwork. However, they should have done something to track down the children sold into sex trafficking, but that would have taken a whole series in itself. Quite frankly, I prefer the different story lines instead of a continuation of this one. It wouldn't have hurt to mention that was being taken care of. Their team of 6 or so isn't big enough to have tracked kids all over the world, but they could have given information about the kids they suspected to be missing to other agencies, and perhaps that did happen. There were things that were obviously going to happen behind the scenes that would have been boring to see.

Having said all of that, bringing down the bad guy was very unsatisfying. The final action they took would have probably ended with them all dead. They needed a much larger team, or at least an entire team trained in military infiltration instead of only two feds, two green police detectives, one ex-military, and a government hit man.

I recommend the 2nd and 3rd book. More the 3rd. I don't recommend not reading this one. I would suggest reading it just to knowing to keep expectations low and to meet the characters.

[Susan65 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of potential but too rushed in all aspects; the case, the relationship, and the lack of accountability to the officer who abused Jacob was a big loss to the storyline imo.

[Sue B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book of what is planned as a several-book series. It is a MM action/suspense/romance, written by a new-to-me author. I was gifted an advance copy of this book for the purpose of this impartial review. I have otherwise not been compensated in any way for this review.

PART ONE – the MC’s
Mason is a Federal Agent under the Department of Homeland Security. He is trained as both an investigator and a K9 handler. Mason has recently been diagnosed with PTSD, and is struggling with both the symptoms and the diagnosis itself. He feels that the diagnosis means he is somehow LESS THAN, since he knows others who have seen and experienced worse things than he has and have seemed to do so without adverse effects. Mason is taking some time to come to grips with things, and decides that an out-of-town trip to visit his older brother Ryker is in order.

Jarod is only 25, but has already been on a local cop for 7 years. He joined the force at age 18, spent 6 years as a uniformed office and 1 year ago was promoted to the detective squad. Jarod has some personal issues of his own. Jarod has a genius IQ, and has had certain social hurdles associated with that which he’s been dealing with his whole life. In addition, when Jarod was in his med-teens his father was imprisoned for some pretty notorious stuff, and his mother (already emotionally distant and self-absorbed) dealt with it by becoming a heroin addict. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Jarod is both gay and Latino in a precinct that welcomes neither. Suffice it to say that Jarod has made keeping his head down and playing “invisible man” a life skill.

PART TWO – the Set-up
While visiting Ryker (who is also on the local precinct detective squad), Mason becomes aware that one of Ryker’s colleagues, one Jasper Monroe, has not been exactly upholding the law. Jasper Monroe has been a respected detective for 30 years, and for 20 of those has been a foster parent, taking in primarily teens. What nobody knows is that Monroe and his wife have been using those teens as a labor force in the processing and packaging of cocaine. Also, over the years many of those kids have just kind of dropped off of the map, and according to witness testimony some were trafficked while others were killed outright.

Even though Mason is supposed to be on leave, Homeland Security picks Mason to head up a new inter-agency task force for the express purpose of bringing down Jasper Monroe and others like him. Mason is told that if the task force succeeds then it may become permanent, tasked with going after human traffickers nation-wide. The unspoken downside is that if the task force fails then it may mean the end of Mason’s career.

PART THREE – My take on things
I’m not going to address the plot any further for fear of getting into spoiler territory. However there are a few specific things I’d like to speak to.
The first is that I really LIKED how Mason went about choosing the members of the new team. Reputation and Skills were what mattered, not how many years on the job or how well-liked any individual was.

On the other hand, some of the law enforcement procedural things seemed very far-fetched to me; they were things that I suspect in real life would never fly and would lead to a case being thrown out of court. This bugged me a bit, but given the goal of the team (rescuing victimized kids) I was willing to suspend that bit of disbelief. After all, this is fiction, not a law-enforcement documentary.

The only other point was purely personal preference. When I read any romance, even an action/suspense one, I like to see a certain amount of 1:1 between the MC’s, aside from the bedroom. In the first book of a new series the author is always forced to spend a fair amount of time on world-building and identifying all of the secondary players (especially those who may be MC’s in future books). As a result of that, we didn’t get as much of the relationship-building between Jarod and Mason as I would have liked. This was somewhat rectified by clear interpersonal steps that were visible even in the action scenes. This book was much less heavy on the romance part, but there was enough depth that I at least did not feel short-changed.

PART FOUR – my Summary
I’m scoring this as 3.5-4 out of 5. I’m already liking the series and very likely will read the future books. My hope though, is that in future books we’ll get to see a little more development in the 1+1=2 area than what time allowed for in this book.

[Dionysus · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐⭐💫

This book had alot of potential from the Blurb....small town...cops and fbi agents...traffickers...I expected all the action and drama and suspense and in the end it was just blah..... Everything was so effing rushed that in the end most of the crime solving didn't make sense 🤦🏾‍♀️.

I'm gonna say I did love our MCs .Jarod our small town genius cop and Mason the tortured FBI agent. Their insta love thing was exactly what they needed and I loved how they immediately connected. Unfortunately the book was a bit rushed so we didn't get to see alot of them together or even them crime solving as a team.

I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

[Book Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reasonable, minor consent issues

Likes:
-The romantic leads respect each other and are not verbally of emotionally abusive.
-The romantic leads value children and are protective of them.
- The romantic leads have a conversation about STD testing, protection, and some boundaries prior to intimacy. Yea!
-Reasonable HEA

Dislikes:
-The Top introduces hitting without asking first.
-The Top introduces name calling without asking first.
-The Top conflates submission with automatically authorized consent to regurgitate body fluids into the mouth of the Bottom without asking first. (The Top gets lucky because this is a fiction book and the Bottom happens to like it, but he wasn’t asked first and that’s a consent issue).

Comments: Being an exclusive Bottom/Submissive does Not Ever automatically authorize consent for a Top/ Dom to Assume . . . Anything. . . about boundaries. This holds true even if the sub makes it clear he only wants to sub from the bottom in the initial conversation. The Top must figure out what the Bottom thinks submitting looks like, what edges the Bottom is willing to push, and what the hard boundaries are for this particular individual. The best way to do this is to communicate (with words) and have the sub lay out what it looks like, what it sounds like, whether there are specific things that make them happy. A sub may not have ever been given the chance to think about it and that’s okay, but they need to work it out before intimacy proceeds. Otherwise, how will the Top know he has succeeded in meeting the expectations of his sub? Introducing random physical abuse or verbal humiliation, which other subs have tolerated in the past, but obviously didn’t like well enough to stick around in a longer relationship, is not ideal or safe. Introducing random factors into a casual one-night-stand and then having the top assume he is reading non-verbal body language correctly, in someone he doesn’t know well, is an accident waiting to happen.

Personal preferences:
I prefer when the romantic leads are exclusive and support marriage.

1. Intimacy forms a chemical bond in a man’s brain with Vasopressin, whether he wants it there or not. It’s part of being human. It’s not a bad thing. Vasopressin is a bonding hormone and constantly forming and breaking chemical relationship bonds can interfere with the ability to form a long-term future relationship with a significant other as part of a social support network.

2. Permanent marital status increases resilience in a crisis and boosts the immune system.

3. STDS are a real concern and casual intimacy increases the chances of contracting one.

Finally, personal religious and emotional reasons mean that I prefer that romantic partners get married because it isn’t really a complete HEA to me, without a marriage. I don’t typically remove stars if there is no marriage because lots of people hurt and they may not be there on their journey yet. This was a pretty good romance aside from the minor consent issues, which I did deduct a star for. The romantic leads did discuss the STD issue, negative tests, and some boundaries prior to intimacy, which places this book well ahead of many in the romance genre. I don’t agree with the one incident of name calling during intimacy, but there is no other verbal abuse. I am comfortable saying this book is worth reading.

[Ale · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENG
Mason Wright is a federal agent, since he has issues with sleeping he goes by a psychologist and gets diagnosed with PTSD. He decides to go by his brother Roland, a detective, to get a break from work for about a month.
Instead his brother tells him the story of Tyler, his boyfriend (they are both gay), that when he was a teenager he has as foster father a detective who made him and others children to cook cocaine into his basement, some of them were killed because too sick or willing to say to someone about that or sold to the sex ring.
So instead of a break he became the supervisor of a new team that will try to find this detective on the run, find the bodies of the killed children and try to find the ones that were sold.
I read the book in a couple of days, the chapters are short and the story is really a “fast run”. In the book at the end the writer makes Mason say he was in the investigation for a month, but I really got the idea everything happened in days…
I liked the story, Mason and Jarod (one member of the team) are quite cute, maybe a little bit of… more describing them or their interactions (not the physical ones) would do some good.
I found a few minor typos in the book, like Jopez when Jason's surname is Lopez.
This is book 1 of a series, I know the last one published or to be is book 5 Noah, if anyone is interested.
Thank you so much to BookSirens for letting me read this book, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

ITA
Mason Wright è un agente federale, dato che ha problemi a dormire va da un psicologo che gli diagnostica la PSTD, un disturbo post traumatico. Decide quindi che lo psicologo è incompetente, ma va a farsi una vacanza di un mese dal fratello Roland, un detective.
Invece il fratello gli racconta la storia di Tyler, il suo ragazzo (entrambi sono gay) che quando era ragazzo in una famiglia adottiva, un detective collega di Roland, lo avevano messo in cantina a fare la cocaina e aveva visto che altri ragazzini come lui sé troppo malati o cha davano segno di voler dire della cosa a qualcuno venivano uccisi, altrimenti venduti al mercato del sesso.
Così Mason, invece di farsi la sua vacanza, si trova a essere Supervisore di un nuovo team che deve trovare il poliziotto in fuga, il luogo dove sono stati sepolti tutti i ragazzini uccisi e tentare di trovare quelli che sono stati venduti.
Ho letto il libro in un paio di giorni, i capitoli sono brevi e la storia è un susseguirsi di vicende molto veloci. A fine libro l’autrice fa dire a Mason che è stato sul caso per mesi, ma ho avuto la sensazione che fossero giorni…
La storia è carina, Mason e Jaros (uno dei membri del team) sono carini, anche sé penso avrei apprezzato che fossero descritti un po’ di più, anche le loro interazioni (non quelle fisiche).
Ho trovato qualche errore di battitura, qualcosa di minore, come ad esempio scritto Jopez quando il cognome di Jarod è Lopez.
Questo libro fa parte di una serie, l’ultimo pubblicato o in pubblicazione è il numero 5 Noah, sé qualcuno è interessato.
Ho ricevuto una copia gratuita dalla casa editrice tramite Book Sirens, che ringrazio per avermi permesso di leggere questo libro. Questa recensione contiene la mia opinione ed è pubblicata liberamente.

[Georgette B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gets 2.5 for accuracy/believability and 4.5 for the storyline.

The story is about Mason, a federal agent from Homeland Security, and Jarod a local police officer who joins his task force to take down a bent officer accused of trafficking children and using them to cook drugs.

Mason is taking a few weeks off work to deal with symptoms of PTSD and stay with his brother. While there, he gets involved in a case involving his brother’s former work partner. Specifically, the brother’s new boyfriend is a former foster child of said ex-partner. Troubled by the boyfriend’s reaction to the partner, the brother calls in his friend who is a social worker to look into the situation. They discover a hornet’s nest which leads Mason to get involved.

Here’s what I enjoyed:
1. 1st person POV
2. Diversity of characters
3. Easy read
4. Fast-moving story
5. Likable characters
6. Instalove
7. Hurt/comfort trope

What I found troubling
1. Lack of research about the area described in the story-the author continues to talk about Gaithersburg as a small town that lacks diversity and resources. In fact, Gaithersburg is a vibrant bedroom community in Washington, DC. It is one of the most diverse areas with a rich LGBTQI community and D&I mission
2. There were several references that seemed to go nowhere and thoughts expressed by the MCs that thus couldn’t possibly have known.
3. More research issues-foster care in Maryland is run by counties not individual cities.

The discrepancies may not seem like a big deal, but for a social worker who lives in MD, it was distracting. If the author had invented a city it would have been less of a hindrance to my true enjoyment.

I will definitely read Roland and Tyler’s story as it seems to exist on the same timeline as this story, but if it is as poorly researched, it may be a harder read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Val Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m pleased to say that the new Novel, Mason, by Eve Riley, proved less predictable than some run-of-the-mill M/M romance novels that are out for review.
The plot centers on a Homeland Security operative. Mason Wright and his dog, Koda. Having been diagnosed with PTSD, he’s taken some well-earned vacation time to visit his brother. Like him, his brother is also gay and working in law enforcement.
His vacation soon ends when he’s dragged into a child abuse case, something in which he specializes. The snag is that uncovering the problem’s actual extent means it’s become a permanent assignment for Mason.
Jarod Lopez is a rookie detective whose been burdened with an old-style cop, asshole, and all-around homophobe as his partner. Jarod has problems, one being that he has a mother whose only interest is getting her next fix.
Charged with setting up a new squad to deal with child abuse cases, Mason notices Jarod being given a hard time by his partner. He also discovers that the department has been wasting the rookie’s talents. The older cops use their newbie’s talents by having him do the jobs they’re too lazy to do.
He reassigns Jarod to become his partner in the new squad, and it doesn’t take long for the pair to find that they’ve more in common than policing.
This novel was exciting and well-paced. The characters are believable and engaging, particularly when Jarod and Mason discover their mutual attraction. Coupled with the pair is Koda, Mason’s police dog.
The new squad is hunting down a child abuser and uncovering a web of similar cases showing the extent of the problem. Their pursuit of Jasper Monroe, the perp responsible, takes them over the border and into Mexico.
I’m pleased to recommend this novel to those who enjoy M/M romances and anyone who wants a fast-paced crime novel.
——
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[TrishAM · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the start of a new series by Eve Riley and the first Eve Riley book that I have read. I quickly got interested in the story and the characters but I think that, like a lot of series firsts, a lot of time is used to introduce the characters and set the scene, I did however enjoy the book although there were a few instances where I thought that perhaps it was "writers licence" rather than how things would actually happen.

Mason Wright had worked for Homeland Security and had been asked to set up a task force to investigate crimes against children. With the help of his brother , a detective at the PD, he chose his team carefully, he wasn't bothered about the amount of experience, he wanted commitment, the only fly in the ointment was that Mason had recently been diagnosed with PTSD, was he fit to carry out the task ?

Jarod Lopez had a genius IQ, he was a rooky detective and being gay and Latino in a department of homophobic, Latino hating alpha males he had learned to keep his head down and roll with the punches, to add to his problems he has to hide his past, could he keep his job if they found out about his drug addicted mother and murdering father ?

Jarod was astounded to be chosen for the task force, there his hero worship of Mason began. When it was discovered that the child cruelty was nearer to home the majority of the PD were against them, how many of them knew ?

This story covers a whole range of triggers, murder, drugs, child abuse etc, the action is a bit limited but I am sure that as the series progresses it will get better. Little is said about Kobo, Mason's K9 partner, I though that he would have been more prominent. The attraction between Mason and Jarod is almost instantaneous and escalates at a very fast pace, I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

I received a free copy of this book and my review is voluntary.

[Laora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Triggers do apply: child neglect and abuse, child trafficking, forced labour in drugs, drug use in mention, murder, corrupt cvil servants

3,5 *
I have read the previous series by the author of which this is a 'spin-off'.
I really wanted to like it but, I felt a bit let down, however this is the first book in the new series, so I keep an open mind and can not place a finger on it. I was drawn ibto the plot about findibg Monroe and his accomplices.

We are introduced to a mostly new cast of characters for a new task force in relation to crimes against children.

The lead characters in this book are Jarod, local detective and Mason, the lead federal (K9 handler) investigator. We get a lot of background info on Jarod, less so on Mason.

I found their relation/ sexual attraction coming out of almost nowhere and I have to say who does what in f.e. the bedroom felt as unnecessary stereotyping. I also found it unpleasant that such a driven and law-abiding man as Mason would step over the fraternazition rules so easily.

I felt that Mason being a K-9 handler, that Koda , the dog, should be in on the action. However to me Koda, in this story at least,, felt more like he/she was treated and behaved more as a therapy dog.

The plotline about Monroe and all he did, and with who know else at social services e.a. and got away with for decades does not come to a satisfactory conclusion: children need to be re-homed, children need to be identified and many need to be found, but that it understandable that bot all can be wrapped up nicvely, since that is often not the reality. This is the first book in a new series I hope we as a reader will find out more in the additional books. I am highly anticipating the other books and hope the author conea back to this case in one of the future books in the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tags: M/M, action, mystery

3.5 stars

There were so many characters mentioned in the first couple of pages I thought this was a spin-off. It was a little difficult to keep track at first but it got better even though there were still a lot of people.

The mystery was fine but the detective work was a little shoddy. Things just kind of fell into their laps. I thought the whole thing was a little far fetched, especially my having been a foster parent for over two decades. But suspending my disbelief, the kids would still act out even with the threat of death. They wouldn’t tell but they wouldn’t be perfect students either.

Also, cocaine isn’t processed here. It is much easier to transport small quantities of white powder than coca leaves. I’m not sure it’s even cooked. The withdrawal isn’t nearly as bad either. It’s physical but more psychological to quit cocaine. What they are describing sounds more like meth although meth is a lot more dangerous to make and that’s really young to start. Not unheard of—my daughter’s birth mother had her cooking meth at eleven—but that was crazy.

I liked the characters. I wanted to know more about them. The falling in love was ridiculously fast. I just felt the whole book was like the Reader’s Digest Condensed Version. It just needs to be fleshed out more. The climax would have been great if it had been longer. I liked the danger but I needed more.

I loved that one of the MCs is half Latino. I wish more on the team weren’t white. I also wish they put at least one woman on the team. I know the series went on to have most if not all the team members find their gay true love. But make the team slightly bigger. I keep saying this: loving gay romance doesn’t mean I don’t care about women.

The dog got me to read it but he was completely superfluous and what federal agency has canine officers?

I’ll probably read the next one but I’m not overly eager.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

One sit reading. It was that good of an intense reading for me. A dual theme about child kidnapping and the resulting child trafficking (purchasing) for sexual enslaving and the difficulties (of) that the local law enforcement officers face from perceived faults and sexual preferences of one of their own department. Mason Wright, a federal agent K9 handler with Koda as his partner, is in denial about his PTSD. When he visits his brother he's drawn into this internal investigation of the local PD's favorite cop. The other M character is 25YOA Jarod Lopez who is an avid reader, but he has a timid personality, an exception to the perceived role of a cop. He didn't like being noticed so his offer to help people was done with an unassuming technique, so attention wasn't drawn to his IQ status. As the "newbie" detective in the department he carried the brunt of any newbie by doing the grunt paperwork of those senior to him. One officer, veteran Det. Baxter was a particular homophobic a**. When Mason and Jarod were chosen as partners, Koda exhibits an unusual attraction to Jared, which is totally NOT like the dog. Mason's one secret that he's always hidden from anyone, any way he can over the years, is that he's dyslexia. Upon admitting this to Jarod he gets an unexpected compliment from Jarod; "Just goes to show how determined and resilient you are." Their working and personal connection takes a turn for the positive from there. This is a story of how two men work through their insecurities and the trauma that affected both of their lives to come out the long tunnel and into life's light for a satisfactory ending; at least for this reader. I'm voluntarily reviewing a copy of this book via Booksprout.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mason Wright works for Homeland Security focusing on crimes against children working with his K9 partner Koda. Apart from his brother Koda is the only family he has. He was recently diagnosed with PTSD he took some time off to go and visit his brother but it turned into more work instead as he was assigned the job of creating a task force to hunt down dirty cop Jasper Monroe for his crimes. Monroe leads them on a merry chase but as they head into Mexico, Mason has a plan to take the dirty cop down. Jarod Lopez is a new detective in the police force and is saddled with a homophobic partner so Jarod stays in the closet, keeps his head down and doesn't make waves while he tries to care for a drug addict mother and hides his father's past as a criminal. This gives him little chance to use his skills and results in a lonely life. When the chance to join a recently developed task force Jarod jumps at the chance. When the chance to join a recently developed task force drops in his lap, Jarod jumps at the opportunity. Paired up with Mason as his new partner, Jarod finds himself experiencing things he never thought possible. Will the pair find love while they chase down the bad guy and bring him to justice?

I enjoyed this story with the bullying of Jarod as the new guy, the crimes of Jasper Monroe and the meeting of Mason and Koda. I loved how their relationship started and developed as they spent more time together. The crimes that Monroe committed were not good and it was heartbreaking the effect they had on innocent children. I enjoyed the fact that the two men had each other to lean on and comfort each other. Easy to read, feel and understand. This is an MM story with mature content. Please take note of the content warning at the bottom of the book description.

[Roger R · Rating 5 out of 5]

What drew me to this book was the front cover! The guy reminded me so much of the guy who played Captain Hook on “Once Upon a Time”. After reading the synopsis, I had to read the book! I’m very glad I did so! It was a thriller that takes place in a federal agency. I’m looking forward to the next book in the “Federal Protection Agency” series!

The story focuses on Mason who works for the Federal agency that works on child abuses and child trafficking cases. He had PTSD which he refuses to admit. He decided to take a vacation to visit his brother. When he got there, his brother discussed a case that he felt he had to be a part of, even though he was on vacation. It was a case of child endangerment and trafficking where foster children were being forced to produce drugs for the foster parents, one of them being a high esteemed police officer in the same department as the brother. With the bad guy on the run, Mason was asked to set up an agency requested by the governor to track him down and find the children who were either trafficked or dead. During the raid before the set up of the agency, Mason was paired up with Jarod, a detective in the police department. They worked well so after the set up of the agency, he requested Jarod to be part of the crew. That’s where it gets more interesting and steamy! But I’ll leave it at that and encourage you to pick up the book to read to find out what happens! A very good read for me!

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this one goes into the "I wanted to like this more than I did" category.
The first book in a series of interconnected M/M romances featuring the members of a special taskforce that deals with crimes against children, Mason had the bones of a good story but the execution proved somewhat of a letdown. Everything about this book felt too rushed: Laying out the set-up for the series, the suspense/action plot which would have required the suspension of a lot more disbelief than I could manage and which led to an unsatisfactory ending (in the course of which the supposed good guys evidently forgot they were meant to be law enforcement rather than some sort of shady paramilitary outfit and went full vigilante kill squad on foreign soil, which was apparently just fine and dandy with everyone in retrospect??), and the romance that should have been a huge part of this book but seemed to consist largely of the protagonists hooking up and shortly afterward declaring themselves very much in love without much in the way of chemistry or actual relationship development taking place on the page - in short, I just wasn't feeling it.
I'm also not quite clear on what the point of making the MC a K9 handler was when the K9 in question barely played a role... which was a shame, as it was one of the things in the blurb that caught my attention in the first place.

*** I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. ***

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mason is an agent for Homeland Security specializing in crimes against children. He has a K9 partner, Koda, has just been diagnosed with PTSD, and is gay. On vacation to visit his brother in a small Georgia town, he is drawn into the investigation and charged with setting up a task force to apprehend a detective on the local police force for crimes against children. The task force will include Federal agents from various departments as well as two younger detectives from the local police.

Jared is one of those detectives, Hispanic, gay, a rookie with little actual experience in the field, but a genius. He is excited to be on the task force and get to work with Mason, a man he is strongly attracted to.

As the team tries to track down the crooked detective, they follow the trail west, then into Mexico for a showdown to capture the rogue cop. At the same time, the attraction between Mason and Jared heats up, leaving them wondering if it could develop into something more as they face danger to finish the mission.

I have read other books in this series and really enjoy them. The characters are complex and interesting, the plots are fast-moving with enough action to stay interested, and the supporting characters are ones that keep turning up in other books, feeling like visiting with old friends. I look forward to the next book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Emilyrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

There was just something about this book that grabbed me and wouldn't let go. One minute I was being introduced to Mason and Jarod and the next minute I was 40% in and loving it. Then it seemed like I blinked again and I was at 80% on the edge of my seat and determined to finish the lot in one sitting. The storyline of this book was really engaging; the hunt for a criminal, the travelling, the mystery of the new team mates. I loved how Mason saw the value of Jarod when nobody else did and worked to boost his confidence without being patronising. They had wonderful chemistry and there were some really steamy moments that I enjoyed reading too.

This was my first book by this author but it won't be my last. Was it perfect? No. The 'I love yous' came a bit prematurely for me, the PTSD element wasn't hugely explored, I'd love to have seen more of Koda and whilst it's a HEA it's also really a HFN because the whole series clearly is only just beginning. However, none of these small things are enough to overshadow the fact that this is a great story and a good start to a new series. I can't wait for the next book and I've got my fingers crossed that the rest of the team have their books coming too in the near future. Overall, if you like MM romance with plenty of action then this is a book I'd definitely recommend.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books with animals in them. I especially love books with dogs, so this book had me interested from the cover. We don’t get to see Koda much, but he is a sweetheart. This book started out with a bang. First few pages in and there’s a case that needs solving. I felt kind of bad for Mason. I mean all the guy wanted was a nice, peaceful vacation with his dog and his bother. What he got instead was a case dropped in his lap. So much for that vacation. Working with him is Jarod Lopez, a rookie cop from his brother’s precinct who is a genius and might just be what they need to solve the case. The thing I really liked about this novella other than the fact that it packed a whole lot of story in seventy-five pages was the fact that we got to see Mason, Jarod, and the rest of the team really working the case. The author didn’t just say they were officers and give us breadcrumbs of a case. I also like that Mason clearly had issues that he needed to work on, and so did Jarod. I loved that Mason understood Jarod and wasn’t intimated by his intelligence but rather appreciated and respected it. I enjoyed every minute. Will I read more books by Eve Riley? Yes, yes, yes! Will I continue the series? Hell yes I am! I want to see the rest of the team get their HEA.

Until next time peace and happy reading.

[Babara-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

CLOSE PROXIMITY WORK MATES TO LOVERS!

I enjoyed how the culmination of the new task team came together by Mason and how he used his wits and listened to advice from his brother Roland on how he chose most of his team.

The storyline was good revolving around child trafficking, drugs, cartels and a corrupt police officer that took the new task force on a wild ride to Mexico!

Jarod is a child prodigy genius and that is what Mason sees and appreciates but I don’t like the fact that Mason judged Jarod by how he looked and assumed things before he got to know him and tried telling himself that Jarrod is not his type so basically Mason was living in denial regarding his PTSD and developing feelings towards Jarrod….

They worked well together as partners and roommates especially when they started opening up to each other and got to know each other on a more deeper level …

It was sweet how Koda, Mason’s K9 partner warmed up to Jarod immediately…

“Maybe Koda finally sniffed out your soulmate.” Roland couldn’t help but chuckle at that.“
“ I rolled my eyes at him and made sure he knew it. I didn’t believe in soulmates.”

I really enjoyed the first book of the series and look forward to Rafe and Finley next…

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Luz Rivas · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐ 3.5 It was good, but it could've been better

First of all, I liked the story, Jarod and Mason make a nice couple. I liked that both were clear with what they wanted from the relationship and there were no misunderstandings or miscommunications.

It was funny that Mason told himself that Jarod was not his type, without knowing that Jarod was indeed his type, 100% his soulmate.

Things to improve: The story is well done and developed, I have no doubt about that, but there is a point regarding the times when Jarod tried to get his mother rehabilitated. This is mentioned twice but the information is not entirely consistent.

Another thing that needs improvement is in terms of the closure of the story and plot. Throughout the book, both the plot about the Task Force Team and the relationship of Mason and Jarod, is developed in detail, step by step. However, when it comes time to close the case, catch the bad guy and solidifying the relationship between Jarod and Mason everything happens abruptly.

Finally, the points of view. On several occasions Jarod and Mason repeated dialogues, thought the same thing and used the same words to express their feelings and thoughts about something, At times it felt like it was a single point of view or that the characters had the same personality and way of thinking.

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntary

[Emily Pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mason and Jarod . . .

Mason, federal agent and Koda’s K9 handler in Homeland Security, has PTSD and is having trouble accepting that diagnosis. Others had been through worse than he has. Does that make him weak? He was perfectly capable of performing his job. But sleep issues and nightmares are disturbing. So he takes some time off to visit his brother Ro who is a cop. He didn’t expect to be pulled into an investigation of one of the police department’s officers whom his brother had worked with and who is accused of trafficking children and involving them with packaging drugs.

Mason is assigned to create a task force specifically to track down the dirty cop, Jasper Monroe, for his crimes. Jarod Lopez, new detective with an extraordinary IQ, sees this as an opportunity to use his skills and applies for the task force. He is paired with Mason as his new partner, and the two of them are attracted to each other. Will they allow their attraction to grow as they work together and strengthen their partnership? Will they put an end to Monroe’s operations that harm so many children?

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

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Just first also wanna say that I won't say and am not rating this story based on how accurate it is, don't wanna guess.

But usually tho. With most of my reviews I give my books ratings based on mostly how I enjoyed them and how fast I could finish them. If I enjoyed reading a book it will be 4-5⭐️.
——————

I honestly really enjoyed it and I feel like I got through it pretty fast looking at the number of pages. This book was quite enjoyable to me. Maybe not for everyone after looking at a couple other reviews but as I said I don't really care about the accuracy of the cases, fbi.

I feel like there could have maybe been more scenes with Mason and Jarod and I feel like Mason's K9 partner Koda could have maybe done more but since the story is how it is I also wouldn't risk putting a dog at risk in a gun fight. Other than that it was a good read.

It was I guess I could say intense at times, and I could just not stop reading. Was feeling a little frustrated because of the couple people being racist and homophobic.

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I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Arissa Utemark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a lot of high hopes for this, but unfortunately it did not deliver. This book felt like if someone held up flashcards to tell you a story, but it still somehow still managed to be muddled and unsubstantial. Very surface level and without nuance or depth.

The incredibly dramatic subject matter was treated in such a far-fetched way that it lost most of its impact in the process. Most of the plot points weren’t at all well researched and came off as absurd, which made me not trust the lengthy explanations characters (mostly Mason) gave. The formation of the task force was incredibly confusing.

But my biggest issue by far were the characters. I liked the personality at times, but the characters weren’t at all well defined. They all sounded the same. Mason and Jarod were lackluster and didn’t interact much until almost halfway through the book. Their romance was utterly unsatisfying. There was no development or growth and I really didn’t see them fall for each other at all. Jarod in particular had disappointingly little to do within the plot for a main character.

Also, not nearly enough dog. There absolutely needed to be more dog.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

********** Contains Spoilers**********

This is the first book that I’ve read by Evie Riley and it won’t be my last. I really enjoyed this book and thought that it was a good start to the Federal Protection Agency Series. This book covers a lot of heavy topics so please take note of the trigger warnings. I liked getting to know Mason & Jarod but I would’ve loved a bit more build up with their relationship as it went from them spending time together blowing off some steam to being in love very quickly but that’s just a small complaint. I enjoyed seeing how Jarod’s brain works but we didn’t get enough of seeing him in action.

I adored Koda, Mason’s K9 partner but he didn’t get nearly enough page time lol. Jarod has been through it and I’m glad that Mason saw not only what an asset he’d be for the new task force, but his worth. Even though there wasn’t much build up with their relationship I did enjoy seeing them open up to each other, Mason with his PTSD which wasn’t dealt with well at all and Jarod with his shitty childhood with neglectful parents, his father being a convicted serial killer and his mother having her own issues. I’m looking forward to reading Rafe next, as well as more books from Evie Riley in the future. I’d recommend this book and author to others.

[TLF · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book in series

This is a new to me author so it was great that it's also one of my favorite tropes with law enforcement. The story moves quickly with two MC'S finding themselves together because of a dirty cop. Detective Jarod Lopez is at a station where is partner is a homophobic a-hole and as a rookie he is ends up doing grunt work. Jarod has low self esteem even though his IQ makes him the smartest man in the room. With a sordid family history he is also gay but while not being in the closet he is not out and proud with his colleagues. Federal agent Mason while taking some time off visting his brother after being diagnosed with PTSD finds himself heading a task force to bring down a dirty cop. He meets Jarod Lopez and finds himself attracted to the detective who he chooses to be on his task force. While there were some great steamy scenes between them there could have been more romance and time alone with the MC's. Overall a good story with a HEA for these two but a HFN for the task force.