• Temporary Partner

  • Valor and Doyle, Book 1
  • By: Nicky James
  • Narrated by: Nick J. Russo
  • Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (286 ratings)

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Temporary Partner  By  cover art

Temporary Partner

By: Nicky James
Narrated by: Nick J. Russo
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Publisher's summary

Can two rivals work together to solve a case?

When an infant is taken from his carriage in broad daylight, missing persons detective Quaid Valor must race against the clock to find the child and bring him safely home to his family. Unfortunately, Quaid’s partner isn’t available, and his team is spread thin. Begrudgingly, Quaid must accept the help from his rival, homicide detective Aslan Doyle, if he wants to get the job done.

Aslan is Quaid’s opposite in every way. He’s bold, outspoken, arrogant, and the office playboy. And much to Quaid’s chagrin, Aslan seems to have set his sights on Quaid as his next conquest.

Quaid doesn’t have time to deal with Aslan’s flirty behavior when he’s trying to solve a case and juggle his cheating ex’s incessant interruptions.

It doesn’t matter how attractive Aslan is or the undeniable chemistry they seem to have. Getting involved with Aslan would be a huge mistake.

But as tension with the case builds, Quaid keeps forgetting he’s supposed to hate this new partner. Maybe Aslan is exactly the kind of distraction he needs.

Temporarily, at least.

Right?

Temporary Partner is the first in the Valor and Doyle Mysteries.

©2022 Nicky James (P)2022 Nicky James

What listeners say about Temporary Partner

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Amazing start to a new series

After reading Department Rivals, I knew I needed to know more about Aslan and Quaid.

Temporary partner was just what I needed.

The chemistry between Aslan and Quaid was off the charts and smoking hot.

I definitely need more of this series!!!!!!!!

The narrator performed an amazing audio delivery and narration.

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4 people found this helpful

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A brilliant start to an exciting mystery series!

Is there anything Nicky James can’t write? Every genre she explores yields gold and this new mystery series is proving the point.

Temporary Partner brings us into the story of Valor and Doyle’s tempestuous relationship as detectives forced to work together to solve the case of a missing baby. From the beginning we are met with fascinating main characters : Quaid Valor, an uptight, straight arrow, missing persons detective dealing with a persistent cheating ex… and Aslan Doyle, an incessant, arrogant flirt brought in from the homicide department to help when missing persons is short of staff.

The connection between Quaid and Aslan is laced with witty banter and off the charts sexual tension. Though there’s definitely an enemies to lovers tone throughout the book with these two, you can also sense the underlying respect and concern these men feel for each other. That dynamic makes their opposites attract story all the more fun to follow.

But wait, this book also involves a mystery, and that aspect is just as riveting. As usual Nicky James crafted a smart, well thought out tale that has us guessing who could have taken the baby. In Temporary Partner, she gives us a few suspects and ensures that we won’t trust anyone. I love a story that keeps me guessing every step of the way and then pulls out extra surprises. This one truly delivers. I was quickly captivated and loved the pacing. There was never a wasted word or a boring second.

For this audiobook Nick J Russo brings heated emotion to every character. He makes you feel the tension in the room, be it anguish, suspicion, or sexual chemistry. His French accents and well done female voices add a rich layer to his already masterful character differentiation. And finally, his top notch acting make this audio a fabulous listening experience. I loved getting to meet Valor and Doyle with Russo’s help.

While the case of the missing baby gets solved in this story, it is clear that we are only starting the journey with Aslan and Quaid. They have begun what is looking to be an exciting relationship (working and otherwise). I can’t wait to see what happens next with this fun new pair of detectives!!

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Fantastic!

Revisited this on audio and it was still just as fabulous! Nick J Russo does a fabulous job bringing Quaid and Aslan to life along with the big cast of side characters and accents. He was spot on with the emotion and the tension as everything unraveled. Thoroughly enjoyed this!

Whew, what a ride this book was! I was absolutely fascinated with the entire mystery and riveted as I was watching all the clues and pieces being revealed as it built to the epic conclusion! This book was just fantastic. Nicky James has such a knack for writing mysteries that keep me guessing until the end and flipping pages frantically to race to the big reveal!
While the case is being solved, we are treated to a temporary partnership between Quaid and Aslan, rival detectives who just get under each other's skin. Their banter was spot on, their UST was off the charts, their chemistry palpable. I just love Aslan. His self assured, arrogant swagger on the outside with such a kind, caring man he doesn't let everyone see on the inside. He is perfect for by the book, uptight Quaid who doesn't see his own self worth. This was definitely a slow burn between these two as they navigated possible feelings neither wanted to admit amidst working around the clock trying to solve the case.
We are just getting started with these two and I cannot wait for more of their books to come out to watch their relationship evolve over time. Just a fabulous read!

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great listen!

Nick Russo did an amazing job with this! He really brought the characters and story to life and I loved it!

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My Newest Favorite LEO series

Reading Temporary Partner was fun and I couldn’t get enough of Valor and Doyle. Now, listening to Nick J Russo’s performance made me love the story even more.

Nicky James did an awesome job with this story keeping me on my toes, throwing “whodunit” guesses and completely blindsided when she tied it all up together.

Now I’m on to the next one book of this series!

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An enjoyable whodunit 😍

Again the Nicky-Nick combo has given me a win.

The book: Quaid and Aslan work in rival departments in the Toronto PD and they are put together on a case.

To say that Quaid doesn't like Aslan is a understatement. He shows it every chance he gets. But he's also attracted to him which, in his opinion, is inconvenient.

Aslan on the other hand is extremely attracted to Quaid and after that kiss they shared, he wants more, Even though they have different needs. Aslan is a playboy who doesn't want commitment while Quaid want a monogamous serious relationship and a family.

That doesn't stop the sparks from flying though and they finally succumb to these sparks, with a NSA hookup.

I loved seeing Aslan the playboy unconsciously start falling for Quaid.
Quaid is a tougher nut to crack, but there were some interest from him as well.

There was a good balance between the romance and the mystery, and I loved that neither overshadowed the other. I loved the procedures described and I loved their banter.
And the steam? yum!

The audiobook: Nick Russo absolutely nailed the voices. I adore his narrations, and this audio is no exception. the emotions, the tones he used: He was prefect for this book.

Niggles:
- Aslan came off as too much of a horndog in the beginning. Thank goodness it petered down.

- Quaid taking his ex back after SO MANY cheating incidents made him come off as a bit spineless . It made me question his judgment and took me a while to warm up to him.

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A new favorite

I loved the chemistry between the characters and the slow burn of the romance between them. A few hit sex scenes are all that is needed when they are written well. Having a mystery is the icing on the cake a gives it a story line. I will continue reading the series

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So Good!!

So when I initially read this book, I asked myself “what now?”, because I enjoyed it SO much! So here I am taking it for a spin again in audio, and dare I say it was almost better? Having read it before I picked up on some little pieces and clues I missed along the way. Oh! And the swoony-ness of Aslan and Quaid just popped so much more for me! Nick J Russo did a fantastic job of bringing these two, and their case, to life! Nick did an amazing job portraying their banter, the way the fed off each other, and most of all the amazing UST that built along the way. Their chemistry together was fantastic and I so enjoyed how it played out throughout the story of the missing child. I was so invested in the case as Quaid and Aslan worked through it together. They each brought their own unique twist to the case, and it certainly kept me on my toes! I thought I knew who was involved, but I got twisted around just as quickly! I loved how the case unraveled. I’m super interested in seeing how Quaid and Aslan’s relationship unfolds with this case ending. How will they find their way back to each other? Will Jack rear his ugly head again? Most likely… (insert eyebrow raise here). I’m really looking forward to seeing Quaid grow through the series and find who he is and his own self-worth. I’m also eager to see Aslan work through his feeling for Quaid, and how that plays out. It’s going to be a long couple of months waiting for the next one!

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Wonderful audio

I love when a narrator is so good that you fall in love with the characters all over again! NJR is that type of narrator. He did an amazing job with Aslan and Quaid!

I love a good cop/mystery story and this was so well done!! Aslan and Quaid are complete opposites in both personality and work and rivals while at work. They are forced to work together due to too many cases and not enough people. I loved their rivalry and the automatic chemistry you could feel from both. This is a slow burn romance taking place over working the case of a missing child. The mystery surrounding the case definitely keeps the reader engaged but the heat level between A & Q is also VERY engaging…lol!! Aslan is very snarky and Quaid is very rigid and “anal retentive” and it leads to some fun times but also helps lead to the solving of the case. I loved this book soooo much and while it’s not necessarily a cliffhanger, we do go a HFN ending with a promise of more to come. I can’t wait to see what’s to come!!

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Loved it

I really enjoyed this story. The characters are wonderfully flawed and the mystery took you for a spin as you tried to figure out what was going on. I figured it out before the main reveal, but it was cleverly written so it wasn't that easy, unlike most mystery-type books. Quaid and Aslan are brilliant characters and I can't wait to see what happens when they finally stop fighting what is right in front of them, it's cute how much they protest.
Nick J Russo is a fantastic narrator and really does these two justice.

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