Same fantastic narration, not my favorite story

I first listened this in 2014 and I gave it 4 stars but I didn’t formally review it. I’m a huge fan of Tristan James and I absolutely adore how GORGEOUS his voice is and how effortlessly he can turn even the most mundane sounding words into something sensual and rich.

In this case, I think he carries this and was the source of most of my enjoyment in the story. As I re-listened to this to give it a formal review I found myself not enjoying it nearly as much as I’d remembered – unfortunately.

The problem isn’t Tristan – he does a lovely job, as usual.

The problem is the story – not the writing – but the story itself. It’s just so far fetched that I kept finding myself falling out of the story as I was rolling my eyes or scratching my head or just groaning in frustration.

I HATE when the main obstacles in a story is a Big Miscommunication – something that can be fixed with a simple question – and this story is chock full of them.

Ivan thinks Parker is dating Neil. Parker doesn’t know if Ivan is gay. Ivan can’t tell Parker about his job because he thinks Parker is a bad guy. Parker knows something is fishy with Ivan but won’t ask him what it is. Ivan wants to sleep with Parker but Parker won’t tell Ivan about his sleep apnea… on and on. Just some simple communication would have cleared up most of the story line.

I LOVED that Parker is in his new body and unaware of his appeal, but I hate that he finds himself attractive only because of this. I was glad to see that Ivan emphasized how much he liked Parker’s heart as much as anything else.

I saw the villain coming a million miles away and I’m a terrible “solver of crimes” because I usually don’t care enough about the mystery to bother. So when I can tell “whodunit” you know it must have been easy.

It’s a May/December – they are separated by 12 years – and I have to say that on this second listen it didn’t feel as “good” as it did originally. Parker was just so naïve and Ivan and he really didn’t spend much time talking about real things or being together as a “real” couple after the Big Miscommunication is resolved for me to feel good about them as a long term couple.
(Their reconciliation at the end was way too rushed for me to feel satisfied.)

So… as much as I love this series, the author and the narrator – I find myself unbelievably giving this only a 3 of 5 stars. It was easy to listen to but not terribly convincing.

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Tristan James really brings these stories to life.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it's very well written and narrated.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ivan I think. I really liked the way he fought against his attraction to Parker for as long as he did. That inner monologue was hysterical.

What does Tristan James bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I didn't read it, so I'm not sure. But I love his voice, it's like honey, just so sweet and smooth.

Who was the most memorable character of Cover Up and why?

Parker. Poor thing!

Any additional comments?

Ivan Bekker literally still has the blood on his hands from a bust gone bad that landed his fellow cop and friend, Kurt, in the hospital fighting for his life when his Captain sends him undercover. Worse, he is technically off duty pending investigation and psych eval, so the assignment is off the books. At first Ivan thinks his Captain chose him for this particular assignment because the suspect is go, as is Ivan, but that is not the case. None the less, the more time Ivan spends with the suspect the closer he gets to not only breaking his cover, but falling for the bad guy.

On the surface, Parker Wakefield is supposed to be the middle man for a drug ring. As Ivan gets to know him his persona continually shifts. Parker is in college and has a boyfriend that comes and goes as he pleases, or so it seems. The more time they spend together, the stronger the attraction grows. Parker doesn't push it, thinking that Ivan is straight. Ivan uses every ounce of willpower he has not to throw Parker down and... you get the picture, because he thinks the intel on Parker is accurate. Well, both men are so wrong it's not even funny, Nor is the truth of what exactly is happening around them.

First off, I absolutely love Tristan James, so that made this a fun listen for me from the start. Thankfully, the story was deserving of the fantastic narration. Fast paced, action packed, lots of twists and turns as you follow this awkward journey with Ivan and Parker. Neither man are what they seem, but then everyone has secrets, right? It's just that not everyone's secrets can get them killed. It was so much fun to sit back and watch Ivan pine over sweet little naive Parker, and get to listen to what Parker is thinking at the same time. I was genuinely surprised at the end of the story when there are several revelations that throw everyone and everything for a loop. There were a lot of characters in this story as well, and James made sure every character had their own distinct voice for the story. And, if you listened to the first book, he carried over the tones he used for Kurt and Davey to this book when they have a small appearance.

A must read for fans of cop stories, slightly twisted plots, a little bit of angst and a very well written storyline. The attraction between these two simmers for a while, and it occasionally boils over, but when it does it's pretty fantastic!

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2 people found this helpful

Good story. Good narration.

Overall this was an entertaining read/listen. There was plenty of emotional tension and romance. The problem I encountered, was that I just didn't believe Ivan was an undercover cop. He was dreadfully unobservant, and his preservation skills were at the level of a milk drunk toddler.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and I like the writer's style. This book just didn't have the same impact. The narration was okay, but wasn't on par with other performances by Tristan James. The end does have a bit of a surprise twist which helped me keep this story in the like column.

If you liked the first book and you want to get to Ian's story without missing anything then I recommend this book, but don't expect an accurate representation of law enforcement.

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A realistic and enjoyable second part...

Finishing Cop Out, I went directly to Cover Up and I was not disappointed in the least. Is this book as fantastic as the first book...not to me, but I really liked this book. Despite some less than stellar reviews, I felt that the characters of Ivan and Parker were entirely relatable and realistic. Burn did a fantastic job letting the reader/listener feel the emotional turmoil that Ivan was experiencing based on the traumatic events that occurred prior to his meeting Parker. As a former "fat kid", I can so relate to Parker's being taken advantage of by his so-called best friend. I found myself screaming at Parker to stand up to that doofus, which only speaks to the presentation of Burn's story. Again, Tristan James did an excellent job with telling this story. I was seriously impressed that there was no lay-over from Cop Out...the character's were distinct and unique and the intermingling of the characters from the first book...James did a fantastic job. Another great story in this series and I look forward to reading/listening to the next installment...definitely recommend!!!

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6 people found this helpful

Failure to Launch

OK, I’ll be honest, the only reason I got this book was b/c Tristan James narrated it. Period. I enjoyed the first book AND the third book well enough, so I thought, oh well,, its Tristan James, he can make everything OK. Boy was I wrong. This book should have hit every “like” I have; hurt/comfort; geek/cop; supportive friends, etc.

And it started out great, I was really excited. What an epic fail that not even Tristan could save. I mean there is “angst” and then there is “angstapolooza” This get into the TSTL category for me at around the 60% mark of continued miscommunication and wrong assumptions. Well the angst went on into the 80% mark of this book. I was ready to pull my hair out. And it wasn’t the plausible miscommunication, no it was the WTF!! type of angst. For example, Ivan is supposed to be this great detective, but honestly, he came off like Inspector Clouseau in this book. Everyone kept “sneaking up on him” just by walking in the room; he got made tailing Parker (the other MC) on a college campus, by Parker; the “bad guy” was obvious to me at about the 25% mark but Ivan didn’t figure it out until there was literally gunman at the door, and that was by accident. WTF?

Parker, who I actually really liked as a character chooses to bury his head in the sand and his insecurities became annoying after a while. He is described as looking like a model, but he still sees himself as the “fat kid” and doesn’t think he is lovable. Now that theme could be great in the right story, but this wasn’t it. Overall, I would say just stick with Book 1 and 3 and just skip this one, unless you like torture.

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4 people found this helpful

Some parts dragged, but had likable characters.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If they like m/m stories with cops, an age difference between the leads (Ivan is 34 and Parker is 22), some humor, some angst, fairly light plot, likable secondary characters, and an excellent narrator, then yes. I definitely would.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Not really that kind of book. It did keep me entertained and I listened to it almost continuously because Parker and Ivan were interesting. It was nice that the POV switched between both characters unlike the first book where it was told only from the POV of one character.

What about Tristan James’s performance did you like?

Great voice, nice variation in character voices made it easy to tell the difference between characters, and good pace. Not too fast, not slow, just right.

If you could take any character from Cover Up out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Parker. He was adorable and exactly the kind of person I'm drawn to. Plus, I had a similar experience to his of being pudgy in Highschool then outgrowing it later in life but still have insecure moments. I identified with his character a lot.

Any additional comments?

Tristan James is still one of my favorite narrators and I wish I could pay him to read all the books I own.

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4 people found this helpful

predictable dialog

It was predictable from beginning to end but was a good one to listen to anyway.

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Narrator’s voice made story tolerable

Parker is more than TSTL. Ivan had zero common sense and should not be a detective at all. Just no. This would have been a DNF if not for the narrator.

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this book dragged

I found this one pretty slow and I really enjoyed book 1. The plot was unbelievable and it took a long time for action to happen. The narration was good but couldn't save it.

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Disappointed

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I'm not sure.

What was most disappointing about KC Burn’s story?

The main characters were bit TSTL IMO. Parker was too much of a doormat and let his 'best friend' walk all over him. Not a fan of this particular trope. Ivan was supposedly a smart cop who let himself be railroaded into an assignment that a rookie would have questioned. The story was a bit farfetched and unbelievable for me.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I've listened to other books narrated by Mr. James and because he was new, gave him leeway. I don't think that he's going to change his style. Still to wooden for me with not enough emotion. Even if he was reading my favorite book, I would have to give it a pass.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Cover Up?

Too many to mention.

Any additional comments?

I like K C Burn and will continue to read her stories - every writer has a less than stellar piece of work, but I will only listen if someone else is narrating.

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3 people found this helpful