Greg Cage made me ugly-cry in the middle of a client Zoom call. Yes, with my camera on. Yes, my client noticed. No, I don't regret it.
Look, I came into this book knowing it was going to be emotional—it's Harper Sloan, it's Corps Security, it's a hero with a tragic backstory and a heroine who's barely holding her life together. But something about hearing Abby Craden deliver Meli's internal monologue while I was supposedly reviewing logo concepts just... broke me. The vibes are immaculate in the most devastating way possible.
When Two Broken People Collide
Greg and Meli are both carrying so much weight. He's drowning in guilt over failing to protect his mom and sister years ago, and she's been the rock for her family for so long she's forgotten she's allowed to crack. The dual POV format here is chef's kiss because you get to feel both of their walls coming down in real time.
Harper Sloan does this thing where she makes you wait for the emotional payoff, and honestly? The slow burn paid off. There's this moment—I won't spoil it—where Greg finally lets himself be vulnerable, and Sean Crisden's delivery shifted from his usual steady tone to something rawer. I had to pause my design work because my hands were shaking. (Dramatic? Maybe. But Abuela would've been clutching her rosary and crying right alongside me.)
The chemistry between Greg and Meli builds in layers. It's not instant fireworks—it's more like a fire that starts as embers and then suddenly you're engulfed. At six and a half hours, the pacing felt right for a commute listen, though there were a couple of spots in the middle where things dragged. I found myself speeding through some of the secondary character scenes to get back to Greg and Meli.
The Voices in My Head (Literally)
Okay, here's where I have to be honest. Abby Craden is incredible—she won an AudioFile Earphones Award for a reason, and her emotional delivery during Meli's most vulnerable moments genuinely wrecked me. But I can see why some listeners find her voice a little... much? There's an intensity to how she voices Meli's internal struggles that borders on whiny at times. Personally, I thought it fit the character—Meli IS struggling, she IS frustrated—but if you're sensitive to that kind of vocal quality, maybe sample first.
Sean Crisden handles Greg well, giving him this gruff protector energy that works for the character. But there were moments where he sounded almost... bored? Like he was reading the words without fully living in them. It's not consistent—when the emotional stakes are high, he brings it—but during some of the quieter dialogue scenes, the energy dipped. And his attempts at female voices? Unintentionally hilarious. I snorted during one scene where he voiced a minor female character. Frida (my cat) gave me a very judgmental look.
The dual narrator format mostly works, though. Switching between their perspectives kept things fresh, and the production quality is clean. No weird audio glitches or volume issues—just smooth listening while I'm hunched over my Wacom tablet.
Save This One for a Rainy Sunday
This is for when you want to feel something deep in your chest, when you're craving that emotional catharsis that only a good romance can provide. After You: A Novel gave me that same kind of soul-deep ache—different setting, same need to ugly-cry. If you're already invested in the Corps Security series, this is a must-listen. The callbacks to previous books add layers, though it works fine as a standalone.
Skip this if you need fast-paced action or can't handle heavy emotional content—there's trauma here, violence, and some seriously intense moments. And if whiny vocal delivery is a dealbreaker, definitely sample Abby Craden's narration before committing.
I finished this one at 2 AM, Diego curled up on my chest, tears streaming down my face. The ending hit exactly the way I needed it to. My heart. MY HEART.
Abuela would have loved this one.
