Audiobook Review: Catch and Release (The Release #3) by BA Tortuga

Dakota Landry just got out of prison after twelve years. If anyone can understand how that feels, it’s his new friend, Sage, who is determined to help him get used to life on the outside—and believes Dakota didn’t commit the crime he was in for.

Jayden Wilson is a former prosecutor who agrees to look into the case at the request of Sage’s lover, Adam. He sets out to prove Dakota is just another “innocent” ex-con, but once they meet, Jayden is more and more convinced Dakota just didn’t do what everyone thinks he did.

Trouble follows Dakota, and nothing is easy as he struggles to figure out how to live, now that he has choices. And Jayden isn’t sure how Dakota, or any lover for that matter, fits into his life. Their path from friendship to romance is a slow one, but Dakota begins to believe he deserves a chance at life, and Jayden falls a little more for Dakota every day. Now they just need to tell each other how they feel.

Listening Length: 7 hrs 16 min
Narrator: Lou Lambert

Reviewer: R *A Reader Obsessed*


It seems I have a soft spot in my heart for this series that I can’t explain at all. It must stem from the fact that Terms of Release (go Sage and Adam!) was one of the first few M/M’s I’d read, and thus I have a certain attachment to the original characters.

Dakota, wrongly imprisoned, is finally released after 12 years of complete hell. Though he’s paid his time for a crime he didn’t commit, he just wants to live his life without drawing any attention to himself. That gets harder to do as fellow ex-con, Sage, won’t take no for an answer and slowly helps Dakota acclimate.

As a friend of Adam’s, Jayden’s innate curiosity as a past prosecutor, has him investigating Dakota's piss poor defense. When he sees some gaps, he makes it his mission to prove Dakota’s innocence. It doesn’t hurt that Dakota is attractive and wholly charming in his own quiet way. All Jayden wants to do is keep him safe and to make up for some of all that’s been taken from him.

Can these two overcome the obvious tough obstacles, and what if Jayden can’t exonerate Dakota? What then?

For me, Tortuga has never been the smoothest of writers, and to be honest, though this was better in editing than the first 2 books, there was still quite a bit of quick POV changes that were made even more mind boggling with the narration. Perhaps Lou Lambert couldn’t discern who was speaking either when reading this, but to say the least, he seemed like he was on an extra fast speed with very little variation between characters and exposition, making it all the more difficult to know what was going on and who was saying what.

However… this still had charm.

This had a good slow burn, as friendship turns into something more, and hurt comfort abounds. As a heads up though, this very disappointingly and surprisingly, had absolutely no smex - just kissing - and I do feel that the author neglected a very prime opportunity to capitalize on the potential intimacy and healing Dakota rightly deserved. Having said that though, we of course get our happy ending. I just unfortunately wanted a whole helluva lot more.