Reading Risky Behavior, I was reminded how much I enjoy the law enforcement partners trope in romance. Whether the partnership is based on trust or distrust, working in close proximity to crack a case is often a great recipe for some explosive chemistry. Granted, Darren and Andreas spent more time chasing the bad guys than chasing each other, but they still found a little time to burn up the pages on my Kindle.

The two of them had great chemistry but it was definitely a slow burn. While I usually appreciate some good UST and investigative legwork, I definitely remember cursing the hold-up well into the book. But good things come to those who wait and yeah, they were definitely worth the wait. The sex was super hot, but I must admit I was disappointed when their attraction went from a slow burn to a low burn as the case took top priority once more.

Their investigation itself was very large in scope despite just the two of them working the case, and a lot of the time it felt very “them versus the world.” All that tension of course added to the thrill of the chase and the intensity of their chemistry. However if you’re not into the intricacies of detective work, this book might not be for you as it really does get quite detailed and the romance takes a backseat for most of it. Thankfully it was well-paced so it never got boring or tedious for me personally. There were a couple of times that I wondered how on earth they were getting approval for warrants and witness protection, etc without looping in their captain, but otherwise it was a pretty smooth read.

This paragraph contains spoilers so please highlight to view: I really appreciated that the book had an MC who is HIV+. I thought the representation was well-portrayed and very positive while still acknowledging the existing stigma surrounding the disease. I loved that Darren was able to give Andreas a refreshing and well-versed perspective and show him that it shouldn’t be a dealbreaker for intimacy. The book managed to find a nice balance between the care and consideration that goes into living with HIV, and being with someone who’s HIV+ — all of this without overwhelming the focus of the story, so kudos to the authors.

While I’m familiar with LA Witt’s works, this was my first time reading Cari Z. I’m not sure if they’ve co-written before, but I thought overall it was a pretty successful collaboration. Both characters were well developed with distinct voices and I found them to be believable both individually and as partners. As I mentioned before, I could’ve used more romancing with all that detective work, but I thought the book ended on a respectable HFN. If you like cop romances with an emphasis on the “cop” then Risky Behavior might be for you.

"Risky Behavior" is a crime procedural with a M/M romance element. Newly-minted Detective Darren Corliss is partnered with Detective Andreas Ruffner, widely believed to be a dirty cop with a drug problem, and IA is leaning on Darren to report any suspicions to them. Not exactly the best way to start a new partnership with someone who should have your back ...

But eventually Darren earns Ruffner's trust and what he learns makes him rethink everything he's been told about Ruffner - both professionally and personally. The investigation and its twists and turns held my interest throughout, and the conclusion is suspenseful and unexpected. And while the romance element definitely takes a backseat to the police drama, I like how Darren and Andreas start to trust one another with their secrets and tentatively begin a pretty steamy sexual connection.

I'm giving "Risky Behavior" 4 stars and am looking forward to the next book in the Bad Behavior series to see how their relationship develops.

This one grabbed my attention and didn't let it go until the last word on the last page.

It seems like I've been landing on a lot of police procedurals lately. While I never considered it one of my favorite genres, I sure have been enjoying these new ones.

Although I consider myself a romance reader, the truth is that I prefer romance in my stories as oppossed to stories about romance. That's not a tomato 🍅 vs. tomatoe comparison. There's a difference.

This edge of your seat mystery was hard to figure out until it was laid out in plain sight. Then it was hard to see how it would resolve. Finally, it was impossible to imagine where it would end. Until the end. So, you see how it kept me glued to the pages.

The reveals were slow to come. I felt like I had to work for them. No chance of guessing because - bam! - one would come out of nowhere. Then another. And another. The whole thing was brilliantly plotted.

The romance part of the story is about Andreas and Darren who are detectives. Andreas is a hard-ass. Darren is newly minted. There's quite an age gap, but it doesn't figure much into the plot. More important are the personal issues they have to deal with.

Andreas is bisexual. He's a loner and he's hiding secrets. I related so much to Andreas. Maybe it was an age thing. I completely understood his thought process, his worries and his reactions.

Darren is gay. He's young. He's good looking and he's trying to move up the ladder in the career of his choice. I loved easy going, charming Darren. It didn't hurt that he was also smart and communicative. A winning combination all around.

It's not a great love story. Rather, it's a story about two men who are attracted to each other, realize they are compatible, work through the issues of getting to know each other, and find their HFN. (All while trying to stay alive and bring down a crime syndicate in their city that seems untouchable.)

Yes, I enjoyed this book very much! 4.5 stars

I enjoyed reading this. I thought it was a good police procedural story with two great characters. My only quibble is that it wasn't really gripping enough for me. I still enjoyed it because these two characters have quite strong and distinct voices, and the story is told from the perspective of both characters.

Risky Behaviour is about two cops who overcome personal and professional difficulties so that they can take down dirty public officials and it has a sprinkling of romance because the two men have to deal with their attraction for each other.

Andreas - the difficult partner is not above bending the rules way back. His reputation in the force proceeds him but not in a good way. He is generally disliked and distrusted by the police hierarchy and he operates as a lone wolf. Darren - the newbie detective, always plays by the book and comes from a family of people who worked in law enforcement. When internal affairs pressurise him to inform on his new partner, Darren has to learn to play the game.

The story has a low level feeling of suspense running through it which gradually builds up towards the end, so if you like a good cop story then this is one for you. It is more mystery than romance so if you want something more romantic you might be disappointed. I enjoyed it because I need the mystery and suspense more than I do the romance. The only thing I didn't like about this story was the health condition. I don't think the use of medic alerts for this condition is standard practice and it's depiction here threw me out of the story.

So a good story and possibly the first one in a new series. Definitely worth reading and watching out to see how the series develops.

Copy provided by Riptide Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book has been such an amazing read. It kept me guessing as to what the end game was for a while. Andreas was such a complex character. I could easily picture him in my head and not because he was overly described but because his personality shaped him for me. Darren was the same way. This whole book was complex and gripping, so much so I read it straight through in one sitting. I couldn't stand putting it down. The suspense was phenomenal and thrilling. It was so exciting. The writing was simply amazing. I would love more of these two. I highly recommend this book. Definitely a 5 star plus read for me.

4* Could very easily have been a 5* read had there been a hint of a HFN, or a follow-up. As it was, especially because of one lead's personal issue, it felt too open-ended.

I've read these authors' works independently, but never as a collab, and tbh, I couldn't tell which had written which chapters or which had written which characters - the tale read very smoothly, in the same voice and I had no issues following it.

It's a well-done police procedural with many rules being broken, with 'not all as it might seem' being the theme of the day, with characters that don't get revealed to readers in their entirety until quite a bit later on in the tale, which added to the intrigue. It's a hard tale to review without Spoiling it, but it's worth a read. However, it's not what I'd really call a romance, and tbh, I'm not sure how much these authors in fact would themselves class their tale, and their individual tales, as, which is not a criticism, just some questioning on my part.

I read this expecting a strong-ish romantic element, but I got one that didn't quite hit the mark. Because of a reveal that came some way towards the latter part of the novel, and because the leads didn't get 'together' til the same time/ish, I needed more of the 'them' that I felt was being created but I didn't get that. I didn't even get a hint that the 'them' was anything resembling a HFN - a HEA certainly didn't feel like it was on the cards, for more reasons than one. Had there been a hint of more between them, or a hint of more tales to come, I'd have been a little happier with this, but it was still a decent POLICE PROCEDURAL, if not a romance, for what it was.

ARC courtesy of Riptide Publishing and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

Rookie detective Darren Corliss is excited to finally start his career as a detective. Stepson of the former police commissioner, Darren spent seven years as a beat cop before sitting for his detective exam. Though still young, he wanted to come on board with experience. Unfortunately, he’s been enlisted by IA to keep an eye on his new partner, an experienced, older man—a hard-ass detective who’d sooner break the rules than abide by them. And yet, Detective Andreas Ruffner has never been caught at anything other than bucking the system.

And Darren soon finds out why as Andreas proves to be evasive and stubborn in his refusal to share with Darren. But Darren isn’t what Ruffner thinks, and he soon shows he’s tougher than Andreas thought—and then proves he’s so much more than just a good cop partner. Darren and Andreas are attracted to one another, a fact that’s even more certain once they begin to establish some grounds for trust. That trust is shaken along the way, but not enough to completely upend the attraction, and definitely not enough to stifle the lust that burns between them.

When things start to really heat up on the case they’re working and Andreas is framed and put on suspension, Darren’s true nature comes out. He can also be sneaky and a bit of an ass, but he’s trustworthy and loyal, and despite what he lets others think, he doesn’t give up on Andreas—no matter what.

This is a wonderfully complex, exciting, and emotional roller coaster ride. These gifted authors prove how versatile they can be as they work together to bring us an extremely interesting story, complete with political intrigue, betrayal, dirty cops, danger, and major sexy times. I highly recommend this book to lovers of MM romance, especially those who enjoy enemies to lovers, age gap, law enforcement, and just plain old excitement. Kudos to the authors!

I really enjoyed this story and it pulled me in right from the beginning. I liked the pull between the characters, the whole struggle for trust, it just made when they came together all the more explosive. The case they works is what bring them together and tell you more about them.

I was a bit nervous going into this one because while I really enjoy Cari Z's books, Witt is very hit or miss for me (more misses if I'm being honest) so I wasn't sure what to expect. This ended up being an enjoyable start to this series.

I would classify this as being a romantic suspense (& I'm super excited to see these popping up in the m/m world). The story is focused more on the police case with the readers getting to know the two MC's as they get to know each other. The men have a lot of chemistry and over the course of the book they realize they are attracted to each other and they act on it. The ending is what I was call a HFN and since this is tagged as the first book in the series, I'm hoping we'll see the romance grow as the subsequent books come out. I personally am ok with that. Some of my favorite couples are the ones who fall for each other a little more each book. I don't want to make it sound like there's no romance because there is, it's just not the only focus.

The story alternates between the two MC's povs and that worked well. The chapters transitioned smoothly and I found that I liked both of them equally. The writing was solid and so was the plot.

Overall I enjoyed this and I will definitely be checking out the next in the series.

**ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for a honest review**

I'm a big fan of M/M.
That being said, I liked this story. It was a bit over the top with police protocol - a little light on the actual relationship between Andreas and Darren. The plot was good, almost something you'd see in the headlines. I like the plot twists - characters, good and bad - the arrogant men...
All in all, it was good.

Risky Behavior by L.A. Witt and Cari Z is a fast pace, action packed book that includes two head strong detectives with a strong attraction towards one another.

Andreas Ruffner doesn't want a partner, they are liabilities, people he can't trust because they always let him down. Andreas doesn't like to play by the rules, which has IA on his back. He is so close to shutting down the largest criminal ring in the city, and he does need his new partner getting int he way.

Darren Corliss, fresh new detective, has no idea that his partner is the stubborn, secretive, brute Andreas Ruffner. Not only does he have to deal with Andreas, he also has IA telling him he is to investigate Andreas, because they suspect he is a dirty cop. Talk about stress. Darren doesn't want to jump to conclusion, he wants to get to know his partner, but Andreas doesn't make it easy.

As they work to take down a criminal ring, their attraction for each other grows, but will they be able to surrender to their feelings and finally trust one another? One things is for certain, things are gonna get worse before they get better.