How Much for the Whole Night?

Shadow Team, Book 1

By: RJ Scott

Narrated by: Sean Crisden

Driven by a combination of alcohol-induced recklessness and an overwhelming desire for something real, Josh ventures into a dark and seedy bar and lusts after a sexy, enigmatic hooker. When Josh negotiates a price for one night of pleasure he can't know that when his time with Ethan is over, he'll be left shattered and forever changed by the encounter. Fleeing with his son is the only means of ensuring their survival amidst the chaos of what comes next, and there's only one man he can trust to keep them safe. A hooker who isn't a hooker at all.

Ethan is on the brink of completing a covert operation that will enable him to infiltrate a human trafficking ring. Yet, when his conscience clashes with his mission, Ethan disobeys orders, jeopardizing everything he's worked for. Forced to escape, he takes Josh and his son, but he has nowhere to go, and now, their only hope lies in seeking refuge in an isolated safe house far from prying eyes. Protecting Josh, Ben, and a tuxedo cat called Oreo, is Ethan's priority. Only he has no choice but to resume his undercover role, and he must leave Josh and Ben behind. When a gun is pointed at his head, his final thought is that he's lost everything that matters; can he make it home to his new family? Or will he have to die to protect the people he loves?

Contains mature themes.

©2023 RJ Scott (P)2025 Tantor Media

A Miss for Me

As a huge fan of RJ Scott, I was so excited to dive into this book but unfortunately, this one just didn’t live up to her other stories for me.

The biggest issue was the lack of character building. I never felt like I got to really know the main characters, and their relationship didn’t feel believable. The “insta-love” was especially jarring, so much so that when one character suddenly said “I love you,” I honestly thought I had skipped ahead a few chapters by accident. It felt rushed and unearned, especially coming just 2 days after meeting.

On top of that, you really need to have read her Sanctuary series to understand the supporting characters and some of the context. Without understanding what 'Sanctuary' is, parts of the story might feel confusing.

I still adore RJ Scott’s writing. She has a gift for creating emotional, heartfelt romances, but this book just fell short compared to her other work. I’ll definitely keep reading her, but this particular story wasn’t for me.

As always, Sean Crisden's performance was phenomenal!

I liked it

This was a very entertaining story. Good plot and character development. Sean Crisden did a wonderful job bringing the book to life. You could tell which MC was talking and the story flowed very nicely. Would definitely recommend you to listen to it.

Where To Start…

I feel like this story is very rushed and it almost seems like a lot is missing. First, Sanctuary is involved, which is another RJ Scott series, but there’s not a lot of info to tie it together, so some things don’t make as much sense since I haven’t read that series yet. Second, there’s almost no backstory for either character, so you won’t learn much about them. Third, they “fall in love” almost immediately, even though Ethan isn’t that great to Josh. They have almost no interaction throughout the story, but they’re in love, like WTF? Add to that, the entire premise starts off with Josh, who is fighting for custody, doing the dumbest thing possible the night before the hearing AND accepting Ethan with almost no reservation. Josh is supposed to be super protective and worried about his son, but his actions don’t support that. Finally, you will miss most of the action because POVs switch and scenes are cut off. It honestly feels like this book was written very quickly and not much thought was put into it. The epilogue tees up the next book, so we’ll see how that one fares. The narration was good, but even Sean Crisden couldn’t elevate this one to a higher rating from me.