Temporary Partner – Nicky James

Synopsis

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 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. Please view any trigger warnings by using the Look Inside feature**

My Thoughts

One of my absolute favourite tropes is enemies-to-lovers. Rivals-to-lovers falls right in line for that, and I am absolutely here for that. Especially with Quaid and Aslan on the case of a missing infant.

Aslan wants nothing more than to pretend he isn’t helping MPU (missing persons unit) with their case. But he will take every opportunity he can to tease and taunt Quaid, who, honestly, probably needs it. Quaid’s ex (who’s a pretty disgusting waste of space) won’t leave him alone, and he could use the distraction that Aslan offers. And he offers *quite* the distraction.

Neither of them can deny their attraction to the other. Where Aslan is more expressive about his attraction to Quaid, Quaid is more reserved. Neither of them can get the kiss they shared at the end of the prequel novella out of their minds. But it doesn’t really sound like they want to. But first, they have to solve a case.

Again, despite the rivalry between their departments, they prove how well they work together. There’s bickering, banter, and one shattered glass involved. But they do come together to solve the case, each contributing their own expertise to the mix. And the mystery itself had so many twists and turns, I was on the edge of my seat almost the whole book. Watching Quaid and Aslan put pieces together that I hadn’t even picked up was fantastic. This book is a wonderful mix of plot-driven and character-driven narrative.

But let’s be real, for me, someone who gains the most enjoyment from becoming emotionally attached to the characters I read, the real draw is absolutely the rivalry, bickering, and banter between Quaid and Aslan.

And if there’s a little hanky panky involved. Well. That’ll be their own little secret. For now. I have a feeling there’s going to be some strong relationship development coming soon for Quaid and Aslan.

~ by Aubrey Smith on April 22, 2024.