Beneath This Mask
Enhanced World, Book 3
By: Victoria Sue
Narrated by: Nick J. Russo
Series: Enhanced, Book 3
Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 06-26-18
Language: English
Publisher: Dreamspinner
Press LLC
Whispersync for Voice-ready
Enhanced World: Book Three
Gael Peterson has spent
years hiding behind the enhanced abilities he wears like a mask, even though he
is an important, confident member of the FBI’s exclusive H.E.R.O. team. The
hurt and betrayal of his mom’s abandonment and his father’s fists are secrets
buried deep beneath the ugly scars on his face, and he doesn’t trust Jake, his
new regular human partner, with any of them. In a world where those with
special abilities like Gael’s are regarded as freaks and monsters, it won’t be
easy for him to rely on Jake to have his back, especially when the abilities of
a vulnerable nonspeaking enhanced child make that child a murder suspect.
Tempers rise and loyalties
are challenged, and when the serial killer targeting the enhanced finally sets
his sights on Gael, not only will Gael have to trust Jake with his secrets, he
might have to trust him to save his life.
Buy links DreamSpinner Audible Amazon
Buy links DreamSpinner Audible Amazon
Cat gives this one 5
Meows...
This is book three of the
Enhanced series and does need to be read (or listened to in order). Wow oh wow
this series gets better and better. Just when you think the last one couldn’t
be topped pun intended) it does. Gayle and Jake are new partners and Gayle
fought against having a normal partner knowing it was futile. But Jake’s ex job
makes him dislike him more. Then they get called on a school for special needs
kids and Gayle meets a small special needs boy Derrick that is also enhanced.
They bond quickly. Derek is blamed for
murdering the transport driver taking him home from school and then the plot
thickens…and twists.
I sat on the edge of my
seat, nibbled my nails and was scared to death at times for poor Gayle. Holy
cow! All I can say is read (or listen to this book(series)
The narration makes it
even better. Nick J Russo gives the story a special boost, adding more
excitement, intrigue and great voices.
Excerpt…
“WELL, WELL. Look what we have
here.”
Gael didn’t so much as
raise an eyebrow to acknowledge the mocking tone. He didn’t need to look. He
knew who it was.
Shit. So much for him
trying to face his fears.
“Are they even allowed in
here?” a second voice said.
“Better let Bernie know. I
mean, he’s gonna want to know he’s got an infestation problem in his bar,” the
third voice crowed.
“Oh, I think we can take
care of his rodent problem.”
Gael did look up then,
straight into the murky green eyes of Sergeant Mac Carmichael, ENu team leader
and general all-around douchebag. Gael yawned deliberately, as much to calm his
racing heart as for effect. He took the last swallow of his beer, almost giddy
with relief that he didn’t have to choke down a full glass. An empty glass was
an excuse to leave, right? No one was chasing him out.
“Just let me know when you
take care of your personality problem as well,” Gael drawled and stood to
leave.
Carmichael’s hands fisted,
but Gael had at least a very satisfying three inches on every one of the guys
standing in front of him. He took a step toward Carter, and the man stepped
backward. Gael dwarfed a lot of regular guys, and the five feet eleven inches
of Mac’s teammate didn’t even merit a thought. In fact, if Gael had found the
situation at all amusing, he would have laughed. But as it was, he was
struggling to keep his beer still in his stomach and to make sure none of them
knew that.
“Hey, Mac,” one of the two
guys entering the bar called. Carmichael glanced at them and then back to Gael.
“We still need to have a
little talk about your new partner. No one interferes with my team,” he added
threateningly, then turned sharply to greet his friends.
Gael threw a twenty on the
table and walked out. Slow. Unhurried. Like he had all the time in the world.
Not like he wanted to run. His new partner? Carmichael could have Jake Riley
back anytime he said the word.
Gael cleared the door at
the same time as a mob of drunken twentysomethings fell out of the bar entrance
opposite him, and Gael—heart about to pound out of his chest—ducked his head
and slipped into an alley.
Breathe.
It was dark. No way they
could see his face, his scar. Making all six feet four inches of him invisible
was downright near impossible, but he would try.
They all stumbled past,
and Gael had a second to wonder what the hell he had been thinking, coming out
in the first place, when every hair on the back of his neck rose, and one hand
went for his gun as he turned sharply.
“Whoa.”
Gael stared at the
man—boy?—standing stupidly with his hands raised in a surrender gesture.
“Settle down there,
hotshot,” the man said, grinning. He lowered his hands slowly without being
asked, seeming completely unfazed by Gael’s hand on his Glock, by his scar, or
by his mark. Gael relaxed his arms and gazed at the pint-sized guy. He wasn’t a
child, Gael realized now that he could see him properly, but he had to be a
good five years younger than Gael’s own twenty-eight. Gael’s eyes roamed over
the spiky blue hair and laughing blue-gray eyes. He had more freckles on his
nose than Vance’s niece had on her entire face. The fact that the guy barely
had any clothes on made Gael wonder if he was going clubbing, though it wasn’t
even eight o’clock.
The guy took a step
closer, and Gael resisted backing up. He had to be, what, five feet four, if
that? And there was definitely nowhere to hide a weapon in those tiny black
shorts—so tight he would be lucky to be able to bend down—or the ripped neon
green T-shirt that strategically displayed both nipple piercings.
“You okay?”
Everything in Gael wanted
to suddenly scream no until he saw the man was looking at him with concern,
worry, and something else Gael wasn’t sure about. He took another breath,
forcing air into his lungs. He hadn’t had a reaction like that in a long time,
but then, it was the first time he had gone drinking in a public place on his
own in what seemed ages. Make that never.
“Maybe we can get a
drink?” the guy interrupted Gael’s thoughts with a purr, and a bright purple
painted nail lightly scored Gael’s chest.
Gael finally processed the
other look on the guy’s face, and his mouth fell open slightly. “Wait, what?
You’re propositioning me?” The question came out on a squeak, and the guy
smiled wide and then arched an eyebrow that definitely had been plucked and
tweezed at some point. Gael was dumbstruck. The mark of the enhanced was
usually enough to send regular humans running for the hills, but couple that
with the ugly way the left side of his face puckered and twisted from the burn
injury, and most people didn’t hang around for a second glance. And this guy…
was smiling?
Gael narrowed his eyes. He
must be high, drunk, and blind. Talon had been propositioned before, but not
Gael. One evening when they’d both had way too much of the Dutch vodka Talon
liked, he had told Gael how he used to regularly hook up. That some guys got
off on the danger. Enhanced could and sometimes did lose control, and Gael
supposed if that was what one was going for, a mind-blowing orgasm would help
hurry things along. The funny thing was that Talon was the most tightly
controlled individual Gael had ever met, and of all of them, the least likely
to lose it.
Victoria Sue... Wrote her first book on a
dare from her hubby two years ago and he says he has regretted it every day
since. Loves writing about gorgeous boys loving each other the best—especially
with either a paranormal or a historical twist. Had a try at writing
contemporary but failed spectacularly when it grew four legs and a tail. Loves
her wolves!
Is an English northern
lass but is currently serving twenty to life in Florida—unfortunately, she
spends more time chained to her computer than on a beach.
Loves to hear from her
readers and can be found most days lurking on Facebook.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
great excerpt
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