Dante Green is a cop…a good cop. He takes undercover assignments and he gets results. One night, Dante brings his new partner, Finn, to Smoke and Bullets, a cop/firefighter bar when he sees the one person he’s been trying to avoid for nearly ten years…his firefighter foster brother, Luke Parsons.

Luke has had feelings for Dante since he was 13 years old and he is ashamed of them. Luke is his brother for heaven’s sake. He has long since given up on Dante, realizing the reason Dante takes all those undercover assignments is to stay away from him. When he and Dante wind up in the same place and there is a colossal misunderstanding, Luke has to get a very drunk Dante out of the bar.

As they stumble along, the men witness a crime…a potential hate crime. Before they know it, they’re finding themselves on the trail of a dangerous man. Luke has his own reasons to want to catch the perpetrator and all Dante wants is to keep Luke safe. As the investigation moves on, Dante and Luke spend more time together than they have in years. Dante is finding it harder and harder to fight his feelings, and Luke is happy to wear him down. What’s going to happen if they become more than foster brothers?

I jumped on this book as soon as I read the title. I love men in uniform, and when you add the foster brother factor, Broken Protocol sounded like the perfect book.

I have to admit, after reading the first few chapters, I was becoming concerned. The story hadn’t sucked me in. In fact, I kept getting Dante and Luke mixed up and I was a little bored. I kept putting it down, walking away, and picking it back up, determined to finish because I’d committed. I’m very glad I pushed through because, soon, the action picked up. I stopped getting the men confused and I got completely caught up in the book.

Dante was difficult to get attached to, but as I continued to read, I began to understand what was going on in his heart and mind. I felt so sorry for him. He was on the streets at 12 until he was taken in by Charlie Parsons, his foster father. The feelings he developed for Luke haunted him and affected every decision he made since he left home and joined the force. Luke was a little easier to like, but as the story moved on, I started to see past his easygoing nature and realize he is just as tortured by his feelings for Dante as Dante is for him.

I don’t want to give too much of the plot away. I mean, I definitely want to, but I think you should read the book yourself in order to fully understand, not only the layers of the men’s lust and love for one another, but to see what’s going on with the case they are working together. Also, you get a look into the lives of firefighters and cops. It was all so interesting. The author obviously did a lot of research.

Dante and Luke were both well fleshed out and I felt like I really got to know them. I could physically feel the Dante’s angst and the mutual lust between the men, and believe me…there was a lot of lust. From their first night together, their encounters got deeper and more personal. They were the perfect sexual match. The scenes were extremely hot, but there was something more to them. Dante was almost desperate and Luke was more powerful than I would have imagined.

There are a few background characters I’d consider important to the story. I already mentioned Dante’s partner, Finn. Also, there were colleagues of Luke’s, Alex and Troy. They’re an established couple and they want Luke to be happy. However, they’re a little concerned about who it is that makes him that way. There are also a couple of minor characters like Charlie the foster father and both captains of the police department and fire department. None of these characters, both major and minor, get in the way. I do admit I found Finn to be a bit annoying, but he was a good foil for Dante.

I thought the mystery was nicely planned and put together. It kept my interest and its resolution was satisfying. However, it seemed to me, the case took a backseat to Dante and Luke’s budding love affair. That absolutely worked for me. I was so caught up in the men’s feelings, I could have actually done without the case altogether.

Broken Protocol was an excellent book and I highly recommend it. If you’re a fan of men in uniform, angst, explosive sex, and a good mystery, I think you’ll really enjoy it. I see A.R. Barley has more books out, and I have no doubt I’ll grab them and check them out.

3.5 stars

Synopsis: Dante is a police officer who does a lot of undercover work. He does it on purpose, so he can stay away from his foster brother, Luke. Because Dante has feelings for Luke that aren't brotherly at all. But his latest assignment is over, and Dante is back on his regular duties, which means that he runs in to Luke at the local cop/firefighter hangout.
Luke has had a crush on Dante ever since he can remember, but thinks that Dante is straight. Then Luke and Dante stop a hate crime in progress. Hearing the details that the victim provides, Luke is thrown back to his own mugging that he has never mentioned to anyone. Convinced that there is a connection to the uptick in recent mugging/bashing crimes, Luke asks Dante to take a closer look.
Dante starts an off the books investigation at Luke's urging, and in doing so, becomes closer to Luke and the attraction that he is trying so hard to fight.

What I liked: how natural Dante and Luke were together, even though they hadn't seen each other in several years, and hadn't really even talked. I liked that Luke's father was realistic about both his boys. Dante quickly realizes that he wants Luke in his life forever, even if others will think it wrong. Luke is determined to solve the case, and to have Dante, and won't let either go without a fight.

What I didn't like: the mystery felt a little flat to me, with very few clues about what exactly could have been going on. It also took me a little while to get in to the story, although once I got sucked in, it was full speed ahead.

*I received a copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked On Duty, the first book in A.R. Barley's Smoke & Bullets series so I was anxious to read Broken Protocol. I wasn't disappointed, because in some ways I liked this one even better. So... don't let the family connection in Broken Protocol scare you off.

I loved Dante and Luke, even though on the surface they were very different. They were both attracted to each other, but they weren't aware of how the other felt. Even if Dante would have known about the mutual attraction, it wouldn't have made a difference because of the loyalty he felt toward his foster father. Luke was his to protect, not to lust over. Now that Luke's a grown man, things should be different, but Dante still has a hard time getting past that invisible barrier. Luke doesn't have the same issues...

There were a couple twists and turns and some danger thrown into the mix, but the attraction - and denial of attraction - between Dante and Luke were front and center. Dante may have been the 'big brother' but Luke definitely knew what was best for both of them.

I'm not sure what A.R. Barley has in store for readers next with the Smoke & Bullets series, but I can't wait.

Growing up close, Dante and Luke both had the love and nurturing of an amazing father. What they also had was an incredible amount of affection and desire for one another. As the elder foster brother, Dante did what all self-respecting older brothers do...he ran. He ran from his inappropriate attraction to his younger brother and dove so deep into his police work that he couldn't find his way out. When his mind and body had finally had enough he found a place to settle and still went about avoiding Luke. Feeling abandoned and spurned, Luke dove into creating his own life. One mugging brought them back into each other's lives and as they try to investigate the case on their own time, something much bigger, much deeper builds between them until Dante can't, won't run and Luke will do almost anything to keep him.

I'm not a fan of encouraging jealousy or throwing your life in someone's face just because you're hurt by their reaction. In this case both of these acts were used to encourage Dante's response and it worked, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. I felt that Luke was immature and spiteful. Rather than showing his emotional cards he hid behind gratuitous flirting with the specific aim of rubbing Dante's face in it quite spectacularly on multiple occasions. It showed that he was willing to use others toward that aim as well and didn't speak well for his base character. Sure, he could have genuinely been interested in those men without Dante in the picture, but the way he went about it all was grating and disappointing. For all the times he claimed he wasn't a kid anymore he sure showed the maturity of one. Not being seen as a kid is more than just having the appearance of a grownup and some life experience under the belt.

That being said, while this happened two, almost three times in the story, we get enough of Luke on the job and in reminiscences that we see much more clearly who he really is. If all we had to go on was the various club and bar scenes I would have been immensely frustrated and disappointed. Instead, we see a brilliant mind, a lot of focus, determination, and selflessness, a huge amount of frustration and desire for Dante, confusion, tenderness, and understanding...a well-rounded person that could absolutely be the ideal partner for Dante.

Dante is a little easier to understand and like right from the start. While he's dark and broody and intense, he also tries his best and comes from an incredibly difficult upbringing. His past doesn't come to light until near the end when he finally feels that he's willing to risk everything he's tentatively built with Luke and it's agonizing. I believed his turmoil all through the story and when I learned the basis for it all I was a little shocked and a lot heartsick. Only with Luke has he ever been completely bare and, thankfully, Luke was the perfect person to lay it all out in front of.

Dante's back and forth up to this point is definitely a bit frustrating, but the roadblocks he sees are realistic and valid. Their connection isn't one that most people understand and their relationship is absolutely a cause for concern in most situations. These men belong together, however, and it takes a lot of courage for them to admit and embrace what they truly mean to one another. By the time they get together I actually believe that they can overcome their societal obstacles because of the background we get and the groundwork laid as they get reacquainted. With the added drama from the mugger, we get an intense situation that both pushes them closer as well as adds another layer to their difficult coming together.

The drama was always in the background because it was the initial force that brought them back into one another's lives but also because it was the investigation that was, in part, driving the plot forward. Maybe because the case needed to be handled in Dante and Finn's off time it changed the way he investigated it, but it felt like it was always there but never really thought through. One evening of going over files to make the connections between incidents to link them, one night of clubbing for the sake of interviewing (which is a whole other thing because we really just end up getting tiny snippets of interviews from Luke's various hookups and more than a little internal commentary on their tattoos and sexual encounters...), and one interview with Ryan from the couple that started Dante's involvement in the beginning. Including a few mentions of something that should be clicking but isn't and details that he should be focusing on and yet doesn't, the case that seems so important is also not given enough focus to actually matter. Only when Luke gets huffy and goes out on his own do things become clear and also quite dangerous. I can't say the end confrontation wasn't intense, fitting for the story, and worth the emotional confessions, but everything leading up to it seemed to lack the attention it deserved.

Despite my complaints of immaturity and lack of attention given to the investigation driving the relationship closer and the story forward, I liked the book. Dante was dark and troubled and needed the lightness that Luke brought to the table. Luke was young-feeling and intelligent and needed the grounding and devotion Dante offered. They're both committed to their jobs and one another. Dante's short, direct confession was perfect for him and for the couple. The overall story was interesting and drew me in so that I actually want more from the Smoke and Bullets series that will come.

Fosters brothers in love, but one is fighting it.

Broken Protocol is the second book in the Smoke & Bullets series by A. R. Barley but you don't need to have read the first book to enjoy this one. Characters from book one, On Duty, make brief appearances but you won't be lost if you haven't read it first.

NYC Detective Dante Green and NYC Firefighter Luke Parsons were foster brothers 10 years ago. Luke had a crush on Dante when he was young but didn't know that Dante shared his feelings; he's always thought that Dante is straight. Dante has kept himself far away from Luke over the past 10 years to avoid temptation; he's sure that his foster father wouldn't be happy if he learned that he's been lusting after Luke.

I really liked this story a lot. It's not told in a taboo relationship way (I usually hate those kinds of stories). There is no blood relationship between Dante and Luke and they were teens when Dante came to live with Luke's family.

Dante hates that he can't seem to control his feelings when he runs into Luke at the Smoke & Bullets bar. When he and Luke start working together, off the books, to try and find out who is targeting gay men, he finally has to admit defeat when he realizes that Luke also has feelings for him.

This was a very compelling story and I couldn't put it down. My feelings were fully engaged while reading this and the mystery surrounding the gay basher and the secret that Luke has been keeping from Dante had me on the edge of my seat in places.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Shift's End, which the publish says will be out later in 2018.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

I wish I could say I liked this more than I did, but I DNF’d it at about 70%.

It wasn’t really the book; it was me. I wasn’t much of a fan of Dante, one of the MCs, who came across as unlikable at the best of times. I thought further reading would change my mind about Dante; however, the opposite happened, unfortunately. Also, in my opinion, the story got off to a somewhat rocky start in the very first scene in terms of how it was described. The scene ended up being a bit jumbled in my head.

Ultimately, I couldn’t seem to care enough about what happened to the characters to finish, especially when there are so many other books waiting to be read.

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☆ ҉☆Family, a bond stronger than☆ ҉☆
☆ ҉☆blood and deeper than bone.☆ ҉ ☆
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I was waiting on this book. Had it on my list as soon as I finished book one On Duty. A.R. Barley used slow burn to keep the reader hanging on, and it was done with a good tale that had me fighting sleep in order to finish it.

In the city that does not sleep, a possible serial mugger was targeting men after they left the club.

After more than ten years of avoidance, Luke, a NY firefighter, welcomed his forever absent foster brother back into his life. Dante, a cop, wanted nothing to do with Luke. He had been using his job as an undercover cop to prevent the feelings that arose whenever the two got together.

Now there was no avoiding, as Luke was determined to solve a case that had been haunting him, now that two other man had been attacked. Plus, with Dante back in his life, there was no way he was letting the man go again. With feelings so close to the surface, Luke wanted it all. However, Dante only wanted to escape to prevent the backlash from Luke's father, his foster father and others who certainly would not approve of the two of them getting together. But getting to the bottom of the case was number one priority, especially when Luke kept putting himself out there to solve it.

3.5* A decent tale that brings foster brothers together, thankfully, nicely done and without any ick factor.

The tale follows the blurb pretty faithfully, with a believable premise to bring the leads back into each other's lives after they'd kind of grown apart. On Luke's part, it was because he thought Dante was straight, and on Dante's, because he didn't think himself worthy of the son of the man who'd taken him in and changed his life.

Both guys were decent, and there was proper liking and caring for each other that felt genuine, so that for me, bypassed any ick factor stemming from them having grown up as brothers - they met when Luke was 9. There's not a ton of sex in this, which actually helped the tale, and it ended in the start of a very believable HEA - the conversation that Dante had with his foster father was the sweetest thing, and seeing his dreams and hopes was along the lines of soppy romanticism.

ARC courtesy of Carina Press and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

Full review forthcoming and will be posted at Library Journal

Broken Protocol was a slow burn, slightly taboo read that I could not put down; finished in one sitting. The chemistry between Dante and Luke was smoking hot...literally! Good addition to the series, and I can't wait for book 3.

Dante is a 10-year veteran with the police department. He's always had a thing for Luke who was his younger foster brother and is now working for the fire department. Now they are brothers in service. Luke's firehouse squad has been deployed to a string of deadly fired and Dante's concern for Luke leads him to investigate. I think Dante held on to the foster brother hang up longer than was needed. Otherwise it was a great story with hunky characters. Supporting characters were also good.

This book started with a slow pace but became more and more interesting as I was reading it. Good characters, Hot scenes. I was just a bit disturbed by them being foster brothers. But overall Good book. This was my first book from A. R. Barley and I will definitely checked out the other books.
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review that is all my own.

I really enjoyed this book!! Broken Protocol is the second book in the Smoke & Bullets series by A.R. Barley. Luke and Dante were engaging, and their interaction was dynamite. I enjoyed the story and the characters immensely and look forward to reading more by this author

Broken Protocol is the second book in the Smoke & Bullets series and the first book by A.R. Barley that I've read. Probably won't be the last though.

This year might become the year of slowburners for me and I love it. Dante's and Luke's relationship sure started out slow, even though they both had the hots for each other for years. I liked how their relationship was portrayed and they opened up with their secrets, but one thing I don't understand. Might be kinda spoilerish, but I don't understand how Luke never saw the scars that Dante has. They lived together under one roof for years, how come he only finds out about them years later?

Another thing related to Dante's past and scars is that while it was explained, it felt a bit incomplete, like there was a piece missing in the way Dante told about his past. Might just be me, but that's how I felt about that.

Then I also had one issue with Luke, the fact that he hid the whole thing why he was so behind catching the culprit. I didn't understand why he had to hide that thing.

Apart from those points I liked Dante and Luke individually and as a couple. Dante's grumpyness and Luke's more cheerful character worked together.

I pretty quickly knew who the culprit was, but it was still fun seeing how Dante and Luke tried to figure it out.

Even though till this point I mentioned almost only negative points, I really liked this book. I'm just better with writing about bad stuff than good stuff. I personally like reviews more that point out bad things, so I can decide if this is also a dealbreaker for me or not instead of wasting time and reading half a book to find out that it does have stuff in it that I don't like. You know what I mean?

Anyway, I really liked this book and will catch up with the first book. Also I hope that there will be a third book, though I don't really have any idea about whom that could be, maybe Dante's partner?

Rating: 4 stars