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.