Cuff Me by Lauren Layne

Narrated by Avalon Kingsbury

While I have a few Lauren Layne books on Mt. TBR, I think Cuff Me is the first one I’ve read or listened to. Trusted friends of mine recommended her work and I can tell they were right to do so. I think we’re going to get along fine.

Set in New York and based around the Morettis, a family of (mostly) cops, Cuff Me is the third in Layne’s New York’s Finest series. The story stands alone well but I am interested in getting the other books now that I know I like the author’s style.

Vincent Moretti is the family loner. A homicide detective with a sixth sense for nabbing the guilty, he has been partnered for six years with Jill Henley. Jill has had feelings for Vin for most of that time but Vin has never given Jill any indication they are returned.

The book begins with Jill returning from a three month leave of absence. She has been in Florida looking after her mother who had an accident and broke her hip and collarbone. Absence does make the heart grow fonder and Vin has finally clued in that he thinks of Jill as more than a friend and partner. Meanwhile, the Moretti family waits not-so-patiently for Jill and Vin to get their act together already.

When Jill returns engaged to a guy she met in Florida, Vin is gobsmacked and panicked and a little heartbroken. She’s marrying someone else and she’s moving to Chicago! If he doesn’t have Jill in his life, he doesn’t know what he will do. But, more than anything, Vin wants Jill to be happy. If this guy makes her happy who is he to stand in her way?

Jill and Vin investigate the murder of a golden-years-of-Hollywood movie star as all this plays out. For the first time, Vin’s sixth sense is on the fritz and they just can’t get a handle on the motive.

As the case gets cold, Vin’s desperation increases and so do the longing looks between Jill and Vin when each thinks the other isn’t looking.

While there is a small suspense element to the story, it is mostly a contemporary romance. The relationship is fully front and centre, with the case clearly secondary to that. This was just as well because the case wasn’t terribly interesting and I’m not convinced the portrayal of the life of a pair of homicide cops was completely accurate. As a foil for the romance though, it worked fine.

Jill’s fiancé is a nice guy and I can’t even tell you how happy I was to see that he wasn’t demonised. There’s also no cheating.

Ultimately, Vin has difficulty seeing himself as a person someone else could love and for that reason (or perhaps it’s vice versa?) he keeps himself apart from others. He sees himself as not-romantic or emotionally intelligent. But actually, he’s perfect for Jill if only they’d each get out of their own way.

The family dynamic was also fun. Jill has been long accepted as a de facto Moretti and enjoys a close relationship with all of them, most especially the only female Moretti sibling (and the only non-cop), Elena. The Moretti brothers, Luke, Anthony and Marco all give Vincent crap about everything (and it is fully returned). Nona is a hoot – this old lady has no filters at all.

The narration, particularly for the two main characters, was good. Ms. Kingsbury talks fast, which could be a problem for some listeners, but it fit with the New York vibe of the story. My impression was that the speed was her natural style but it could be she sped things up for that reason.

I also liked Ms. Kingsbury’s portrayal of Nona – there was a 2-pack-a-day rasp in there and the broad New York-Italian accent topped it off. The other female cast members were mostly well done but, with the exception of Nona, Ms. Kingsbury wasn’t that good at indicating age vocally.

Where things fell a little flat was with the other male characters. Vin was the only guy in the story who had a deepish voice. All the others sounded a little like they’d been sucking down helium. Combined with the speed, it was sometimes unintentionally humorous. I had to rely on dialogue tags and context to distinguish between Vin’s father and his brothers, Luke and Anthony. (Marco is based in LA and therefore didn’t have a significant part in the story.)

However, the humour and snap of the story was delivered well and overall, I enjoyed the listen. The book I finished immediately prior to this one was pretty grim and it was such a relief to listen to something light-hearted and fun.

“I’ll have the butternut squash lasagne,” she said. “And another glass of wine.”

Mandy was staring at Jill in wonder as the server took their menus. “Oh my Gosh, I love that about you!”

“What?” Jill asked.

“You didn’t even flinch when ordering carbs.”

“She’s a homicide detective”, Vincent said irritably. “If she doesn’t flinch at the sight of a decapitated drug dealer I don’t think pasta’s going to do her in.”

Kaetrin

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Narration: B-

Book Content: B

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence Rating: Minimal

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Cuff Me was provided to AudioGals by Hachette Audio for a review.

 

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