Hell & High Water

The blurb is a pretty good summary so no need to reinvent the wheel. What I enjoyed most about this audiobook was the humor. The narrator did a great job giving Dex this happy sound. Dex made me smile and chuckle and so I guess the narrator accomplished his job with the delivery of the wisecracks.

Detective Dex Daley was a riot. He was full of jokes and he was actually a happy person. It became evident that humor was his way of dealing with uncomfortable situations and also relating to others.
He came across as a very caring and thoughtful person even though he was shooting off at the mouth often. I like the world with humans and Therians (humans with a genetic mutation that allowed them to shift into allowed them to shape-shift into big cats). I thought he was a good fit at the Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron despite having family members there.

Sloane Brodie, Dex's team leader, took a little bit to warm up to since he was very moody. But once Dex turned on his charm, everyone began getting chinks in their Third's Armour and soon, Dex wiggled into their tight knit group.

I like the story had insta-attraction but not insta-love for Dex and Sloan. We knew something was there, but they were working towards it. I also like that the bad guy's motives mirror everyday rationale. It's stupid but it's very real. I look forward to what lies ahead for the Third as the gauntlet was thrown down at the end of this series opener. This was a good book 1.

I will hold out for book 2 on audio

New to the shifter genre, I was a bit reluctant to delve into this newly created world by Charlie Cochet. The first five minutes left me wondering if I had made a mistake but then the rest of the story and I could not wait to see where our protagonists, Dex and Sloane were going to next. Cochet's writing style kept you guessing and traveling fast in this interesting twist to the shifter genre. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and when it ended, I immediately went searching for the next part of the story...a good indicator that it's a good story. Mark Westfield did an exceptional job bringing the characters to life with his unique approach to the voices with his narration. I loved the dynamic between Dex and the cast of characters involved with this story. As I listened to the story, I pictured Dex as a subtle representation of Steve Martin's wild and crazy guy, with a serious side when it was called for. I laughed, cried, and became lost into this wonderful story offered by Cochet. I look forward to reading the next part of the series and I certainly would recommend this story!!!