I am voluntarily writing this honest review after listening to a free ALC of this audiobook via Valentine PR. LIVE, LOVE, SPY is the second book in the MASTERS AND MERCENARIES: NEW RECRUITS series by Lexi Blake. I absolutely loved this book/audiobook! Louisa Ward and TJ Taggart had been best friends since they were children. Louisa had been quietly pining for TJ with what she thought was unrequited love, but she had decided she wasn’t waiting for him any longer. Meanwhile, TJ secretly loved her back while putting distance between them, feeling unworthy of her. After being kidnapped, he made the decision he wasn’t going to hold back any longer. But would he be able to convince Louisa that he was really there to stay? The cast of characters in this series are a motley crew of personalities that will have you laughing over and over. Simultaneously, the author weaves an intriguing romantic suspense story with all the feels: the anxiety of a changing relationship and the emotions of finally coming home. There is a deep family connection between these characters who share a lot of love, a family which is a combination of blood relations and found family members connected to the McKay-Taggart Security Firm. The New Recruits are the younger generation, now adults themselves. There was a lot of advice and support available to the couple that made me want to be a part of that large, whacky family. The characters managed to thwart kidnappers, complete missions, and find time to play at the BDSM Club they built themselves. This contemporary romantic comedy/suspense story touches on the themes of found family, first love, best friends to lovers, an alpha hero protector, and BDSM. It is a spicy, open door, third person, dual POV audiobook, and narrator, Ryan West did a superb job with the various characters and distinct voices, and really brought this story to life. I read the book at publication time and it was a joy to experience it again in audiobook format. I am a huge fan of the series. This is a must read book if you enjoy spicy romantic comedy/suspense spy novels and the tropes listed above.

Narrated by Ryan West 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice ️️️️ This wickedly sexy and fast-paced friends-to-lovers is the second book in the Masters and Mercenary: New Recruits 2nd Gen series. With Ryan West narrating solo, I couldn’t have imagined anyone else doing it. This series is about the children, friends and cousins of the first series. TJ and Louisa (Lou) have grown up together, pining for one another since high school. But TJ never thought he was good enough for Lou. After a few failed attempts on her part, ending in TJ turning her down, Lou’s bound and determined to NOT ever go there again. But having a brush with death, TJ realizes he’s not waiting any longer and won’t take no for an answer. The way to her heart initially is the Dom/Sub relationship to gain her trust. Then Lou’s walls start to break down. And man, is TJ sexy and hot bringing his Dom out to play. And that’s just what she needs. I loved how driven and focused Lou is with her job, which makes her sub sessions with TJ all the more delicious. I appreciated that Lexi thoroughly explored the psychology and the inner workings of this Dom/Sub lifestyle for them. Lou is struggling with her feelings for TJ and doesn’t trust him. Both she and TJ have a great support system with friends and family that guide them through this. There are so many characters from past books making an appearance as they all work together. Erin and Theo Taggart, Boomer, Big Tag all make appearances which make this so entertaining with their sarcastic camaraderie. Erin is snarky…Big tag had me rolling laughing with the number of ways he cringed whenever the 2nd gen talked about sexual acts… Zach and Boomer giving TJ advice on how to win her…Molly, the bird’s, potty mouth… it is all so entertaining. Ryan West is phenomenal narrating this book. He does both male and female roles and I don’t miss a female narrator at all. And let me just say…he slayed it with the sexy talk. His range is amazing as he had to represent so many different characters. I’ve only begun to dabble in this series, enjoying this book so much. I’m excited to go back and catch up on the books I’ve missed.

This is the second book in the interconnected next-generation series Masters & Mercenaries: New Recruits. I love this series! TJ and Louisa/Lou’s slow burn, second-chance romance is complex and captivating, filled with tension, banter, passion, intrigue, action, suspense, humor, and twists and turns. TJ is handsome and determined, while Lou is beautiful, smart, and strong — they are perfect together. Their journey to love kept me hooked from start to finish. I also love the strong family ties in this series, especially the Taggart family. Ryan West did an excellent job bringing this story to life. His voice is pleasant to listen to, with a great range of voices and entertaining delivery. Looking forward to listening to Sweet Little Spies, the next in the series.