Layla Rayne shares three fictional partnerships she loves

Thanks so much AAR for having me as a guest blogger today. I’m delighted to be here to chat about my male-male romantic suspense series, Agents Irish and Whiskey. For those who haven’t checked it out yet, AIW follows FBI agents Aidan “Irish” Talley and Jameson “Whiskey” Walker as they investigate cybercrimes and the murder of Aidan’s late husband. Aidan, whose family fled Ireland during the Troubles, is the top field agent in the FBI’s San Francisco field office, and Jamie, twelve years his junior, is a former basketball star turned Cyber agent.

Irish and Whiskey’s partnership—professional and personal—is at the heart of the AIW series. It’s also one of the reasons I love writing romantic suspense. Sure, the intricate plots, high stakes and car chases are a draw too, but having been raised on a steady diet of cop shows, this genre is a natural fit and first love. When asked about my inspirations for Talley and Walker, there are plenty, but here are three in particular, one each from books, television and film:

Book: Ty Grady and Zane Garrett, Cut and Run Series, by Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban

Ah, Ty and Zane. I don’t think I’ve ever swooned as hard as I did for these two loveable grumps. Enemies to lovers, reluctant partners, and so very hot together. Their push and pull through nine books is epic, and their HEA well-earned. Aidan and Jamie come at their partnership from a different place—never enemies and never truly reluctant—but I wanted that same sort of Ty/Zane spark and push/pull for Aidan and Jamie as they learn to work and love together.

TV: Jimmy McNulty and Bunk Moreland, The Wire

I bet you thought I was going to say Mulder and Scully here, didn’t you? My devotion to The X-Files and MSR is well-established, and yes, they’re the reason I’m a slow-burn romance fan, but Detectives McNulty and Moreland inspired Aidan and Jamie too. While never romantic, Jimmy and Bunk were totally in-sync as partners. One scene in particular – the infamous “f*ck” scene from Season 1, Episode 4, in which McNulty and Bunk dissect a crime scene with that one word—was the sort of rapport between partners I wanted to portray with Aidan and Jamie.

Film: Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

If Bunk and McNulty were the inspiration for the symbiotic side of Aidan and Jamie, Solo and Illya were the inspiration for too cool, smirking, flirty side. Yes, Gaby was awesome too, but if you missed the vibes between Solo and Illya, you missed the best part of the movie, IMHO ;)[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_section_separator divider_candy=”top” icon=”” icon_color=”” bordersize=”1px” bordercolor=”” backgroundcolor=”” class=”” id=””/]

Single Malt is out now and on sale for just 99 cents this weekend! Cask Strength is also available now, and the final book of the series, Barrel Proof, releases August 7. Audio versions of each book will also be released on August 7. Happy reading![/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_section_separator divider_candy=”top” icon=”” icon_color=”” bordersize=”1px” bordercolor=”” backgroundcolor=”” class=”” id=””/]

2016 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist, Layla Reyne, was raised in North Carolina but now calls San Francisco home. She enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline fueled suspense and heart pounding romance. When she’s not writing stories to excite her readers, she downloads too many books, watches too much television, and cooks too much food with her scientist husband, much to the delight of their smushed-face, leftover-loving dogs.

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