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jaseryx's review against another edition
4.0
Damn, that was dark! And 2000 was a harsh time for gay men, and it was depicted harshly. I was not expecting how strong the homophobia would be, nor how dark the mystery would turn, and it was a strong mystery!
logan_turner's review against another edition
4.0
The killer was maybe a little more obvious than he/she needed to be, but I loved Adrien and his bookshop as the setting for this mystery series.
christine_aru's review against another edition
3.0
Not my cup of tea. I mean, it's entertaining sure but that's all I guess. I don't really understand why people are head over heels with this series. I don't even feel the chemistry between the characters and I don't like Adrien all that much. I think that's my problem. I have to like the characters to like a book at all.
lastofthewilds's review against another edition
4.0
[3.5] BABY BABY BABY OHHHHHH
on rereads, i grow even more amazed, baffled, and frustrated by Adrien English’s responses to the wacky circumstances he gets himself caught up in - no matter what he claims, deep down, he likes to play a role in manifesting these sticky situations
on rereads, i grow even more amazed, baffled, and frustrated by Adrien English’s responses to the wacky circumstances he gets himself caught up in - no matter what he claims, deep down, he likes to play a role in manifesting these sticky situations
liomee's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this one. A crime novel, well-written, easy to read, mystery, sense of time and place is nice and feels pulled together. The romance is very lowkey which I do like (though I do read a fair deal of romance-centric works as well don’t get me wrong).
Definitely a warning for homophobia coming from other characters though, so if that’s something you don’t want to read in your spare time, you can avoid it. I liked that our main character is settled in himself for the most part, it’s nice to read representation like that. Lets see how Riordan comes around on that front lol
Definitely a warning for homophobia coming from other characters though, so if that’s something you don’t want to read in your spare time, you can avoid it. I liked that our main character is settled in himself for the most part, it’s nice to read representation like that. Lets see how Riordan comes around on that front lol
joshlambie's review against another edition
The author looooooves the f-slur it seems! Good thing she only writes about queer characters and has ample chance to use it!
catari's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. I can see myself rereading this, easily.
First person POV, following Adrien-with-an-e , a writer who has a library, loves to scavenge rare editions and collections and is part of a weekly meeting of mystery authors. His life in turned upside down when his friend and coworker Robert turns out dead in an alley.
Some points that can be spoiler-ish, so I'll hide:
- I could only think on Riordan the author when reading the character's name LOL
- TIL: in my country, LGBT is a recent change, as it was GLBT before 2008 and probably was everywhere else as well, since the author won an award for GLBT fiction in 2006 for this book.
- 100% a fan of the romance up until Riordan calls Adrien 'baby' at the 100% mark of the book, since the relationship didn't seem to be at that point yet. I guess the lack of POV from him makes it difficult to understand what's going on in his head, but I didn't catch anything before that. Adrien wasn't flirty
(apart from the handcuff comment), Riordan wasn't as well. Maybe it'll be one of those that the plot will be better than the developement of the romance.
- The way the story gives so many suspects kept me on my toes.
First person POV, following Adrien-with-an-e , a writer who has a library, loves to scavenge rare editions and collections and is part of a weekly meeting of mystery authors. His life in turned upside down when his friend and coworker Robert turns out dead in an alley.
Some points that can be spoiler-ish, so I'll hide:
Spoiler
- I could only think on Riordan the author when reading the character's name LOL
- TIL: in my country, LGBT is a recent change, as it was GLBT before 2008 and probably was everywhere else as well, since the author won an award for GLBT fiction in 2006 for this book.
- 100% a fan of the romance up until Riordan calls Adrien 'baby' at the 100% mark of the book, since the relationship didn't seem to be at that point yet. I guess the lack of POV from him makes it difficult to understand what's going on in his head, but I didn't catch anything before that. Adrien wasn't flirty
(apart from the handcuff comment), Riordan wasn't as well. Maybe it'll be one of those that the plot will be better than the developement of the romance.
- The way the story gives so many suspects kept me on my toes.
rachellg's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this a lot. It's got kind of an old-school flavor to it, with the (eventual) romantic interest being a guy who hates himself for being gay and maybe hates Adrien for it, too, and nearly every side character turning out to have a problem with Adrien being gay. But that's not unrealistic for ten years ago, so it didn't bother me. I love this kind of genre -- amateur sleuth gets involved with murders and the cops -- and my favorite thing is "genre I love, and it's gay."
lddurham's review against another edition
4.0
Fatal Shadows is, in no uncertain terms, wonderful. I say this with complete and open enthusiasm.
I started reading Fatal Shadows without even looking at the small synopsis Loose Id gives. I didn’t need to; I knew I was going to buy it and read it. And actually, I am glad I did it that way because without knowing about the “hot and handsome LAPD detective Jake Riordan” I can tell you that the romance built so subtly, the attraction ignited so smoothly and naturally, that at its culmination it made total and perfect sense. And, boy, did I grin like a fool and cheer when it culminated.
But this isn’t at heart a romance novel. It’s a mystery. And what a delicious and exciting mystery too!
Read the entire review at Top & Bottom Book Review
I started reading Fatal Shadows without even looking at the small synopsis Loose Id gives. I didn’t need to; I knew I was going to buy it and read it. And actually, I am glad I did it that way because without knowing about the “hot and handsome LAPD detective Jake Riordan” I can tell you that the romance built so subtly, the attraction ignited so smoothly and naturally, that at its culmination it made total and perfect sense. And, boy, did I grin like a fool and cheer when it culminated.
But this isn’t at heart a romance novel. It’s a mystery. And what a delicious and exciting mystery too!
Read the entire review at Top & Bottom Book Review