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sweetasumeshu's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
Anthology of short mystery/romance stories, with lots of variety. Some authors were known to me, and I had a pleasure to discover some anew.
My favourite story would have to be A Country for Old Men and Bling Man's Buff.
But overall, they were all well worth a read!
Anthology of short mystery/romance stories, with lots of variety. Some authors were known to me, and I had a pleasure to discover some anew.
My favourite story would have to be A Country for Old Men and Bling Man's Buff.
But overall, they were all well worth a read!
cabc's review against another edition
4.0
Mysteries + Romance - yes please!
I quite enjoyed this collection of mystery romances. Some definitely stood above the rest, but they were all fun reads.
My favorite by a mile was A Country for Old Men by Dal Maclean. I’ve never heard of this author much less read anything by them. Well, I’m glad I have now! This story grabbed me from the first page and was an absolute page-turner. I couldn’t get enough and would love to have more stories in this world; or even more about the main characters. The Scotland setting is gorgeous, the mix of English and Gaelic fascinating, and the narration plenty entertaining. The mystery wasn’t impossible to figure out, but it was fun watching the puzzle pieces come together.
I recommend this anthology especially to anybody who loves a good mystery romance. I’m glad I gave it a try; I don’t think I’ve read any of the authors involved, so this was a bit of a gamble for me. One that paid off well.
I quite enjoyed this collection of mystery romances. Some definitely stood above the rest, but they were all fun reads.
My favorite by a mile was A Country for Old Men by Dal Maclean. I’ve never heard of this author much less read anything by them. Well, I’m glad I have now! This story grabbed me from the first page and was an absolute page-turner. I couldn’t get enough and would love to have more stories in this world; or even more about the main characters. The Scotland setting is gorgeous, the mix of English and Gaelic fascinating, and the narration plenty entertaining. The mystery wasn’t impossible to figure out, but it was fun watching the puzzle pieces come together.
I recommend this anthology especially to anybody who loves a good mystery romance. I’m glad I gave it a try; I don’t think I’ve read any of the authors involved, so this was a bit of a gamble for me. One that paid off well.
rissa53's review against another edition
5.0
I know! Every time I read an anthology, I'm all I LOVE ANTHOLOGIES!!!! <3<3<3
And this is no different! I loved this! I enjoyed all the stories! I hope there will be future works like this! Love finding new authors too! :)
And this is no different! I loved this! I enjoyed all the stories! I hope there will be future works like this! Love finding new authors too! :)
clak5686's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was an opportunity to read short stories by authors I had not read before and to read short stories from familiar authors.
Stranger in the House by Josh Lanyon was up to the high standards expected from this author. Miles Tuesday inherits a home in Montreal from his deceased mother's best friend. He spent summers there when he was younger and is excited to move there. He is a teacher who now has the opportunity to pursue his love of painting. He reconnects with Linley Palmer, the son of the woman who owned the house. He had a crush on Linley when he was younger. There is mystery and romance with a little steam. A great short.
Dal Maclean's A Country for old men was heartbreaking and lovely. Callum goes home to his hometown to work for the small town policy. He's trying to bury his past and deny who he is. He is forced to work with his former lover, Adam. He is afraid to come out because he doesn't think his parents will accept it. But, finding out some information about the past lets him move on with a future with Adam. I re-read the story twice before moving on to the next.
C.S. Poe's Lights, Camera, Murder was the first I've read by this author. PI Rory Byrne goes undercover on a historical romance set. He realizes he's not the man he wants to be when he meets actor, Marion Roosevelt. This had an interesting mystery, personal growth in the characters and a good love story.
Z.A. Maxfield's Pepper the Crime Lab was an interesting story with interesting characters. I enjoyed Rick and Lonnie and the mystery. I really loved that Rick knew what he wanted and wouldn't settle for less. Lonnie was fairly pathetic when the story started but he learned a lot about himself and what he wanted.
L.B. Gregg's Blind Man's Bluff was my least favorite of the stories included in the anthology which is strange because I am a big fan. I just couldn't connect with the setting of the story. Adult friends are playing capture the flag in an abandoned mall when things get ugly. Two of the friends want to be more which happens in the story but I just didn't feel connected.
C.S. Wynne's Reality Bites was the first story I have read by the author and I will definitely read more. Jax Thornburn produces a reality show where someone is murdered. Detective Decker is assigned the case. He's surprised at what a great guy Jax is. The mystery is good. The development of the relationship is really good.
Meg Perry's Twelve Seconds was my first read by this author. I really enjoyed the story. Both main characters were interesting and really good together. The setting of the space industry was also really cool. I will read more by Ms. Perry.
Nicole Kimberling's Entree to Murder was another first read by the author for me. I enjoyed the characters and the story which was fairly gritty. I loved Mac and Drew. I enjoyed Mac's protectiveness. The side characters were also great. Another author on my TBR list.
Overall, a very good book.
Stranger in the House by Josh Lanyon was up to the high standards expected from this author. Miles Tuesday inherits a home in Montreal from his deceased mother's best friend. He spent summers there when he was younger and is excited to move there. He is a teacher who now has the opportunity to pursue his love of painting. He reconnects with Linley Palmer, the son of the woman who owned the house. He had a crush on Linley when he was younger. There is mystery and romance with a little steam. A great short.
Dal Maclean's A Country for old men was heartbreaking and lovely. Callum goes home to his hometown to work for the small town policy. He's trying to bury his past and deny who he is. He is forced to work with his former lover, Adam. He is afraid to come out because he doesn't think his parents will accept it. But, finding out some information about the past lets him move on with a future with Adam. I re-read the story twice before moving on to the next.
C.S. Poe's Lights, Camera, Murder was the first I've read by this author. PI Rory Byrne goes undercover on a historical romance set. He realizes he's not the man he wants to be when he meets actor, Marion Roosevelt. This had an interesting mystery, personal growth in the characters and a good love story.
Z.A. Maxfield's Pepper the Crime Lab was an interesting story with interesting characters. I enjoyed Rick and Lonnie and the mystery. I really loved that Rick knew what he wanted and wouldn't settle for less. Lonnie was fairly pathetic when the story started but he learned a lot about himself and what he wanted.
L.B. Gregg's Blind Man's Bluff was my least favorite of the stories included in the anthology which is strange because I am a big fan. I just couldn't connect with the setting of the story. Adult friends are playing capture the flag in an abandoned mall when things get ugly. Two of the friends want to be more which happens in the story but I just didn't feel connected.
C.S. Wynne's Reality Bites was the first story I have read by the author and I will definitely read more. Jax Thornburn produces a reality show where someone is murdered. Detective Decker is assigned the case. He's surprised at what a great guy Jax is. The mystery is good. The development of the relationship is really good.
Meg Perry's Twelve Seconds was my first read by this author. I really enjoyed the story. Both main characters were interesting and really good together. The setting of the space industry was also really cool. I will read more by Ms. Perry.
Nicole Kimberling's Entree to Murder was another first read by the author for me. I enjoyed the characters and the story which was fairly gritty. I loved Mac and Drew. I enjoyed Mac's protectiveness. The side characters were also great. Another author on my TBR list.
Overall, a very good book.
lillian_francis's review against another edition
5.0
Entrée to Murder: 4*
I adored Big Mac. Clever twist on the mystery which was already keeping me guessing. Hated Drew's best friend. Loved the elderly couple. Did I say I adored Mac?
Twelve Seconds: 3.5* Another solid entry in the anthology. Not sure about the logistics of a cop giving info to a reporter he's only just met but I liked both guys, thought they were a good match and the mystery was interesting and not something I'd heard of before. Appreciated older MCs.
Reality Bites: 3.5* Decker was an unreliable narrator, down on himself in everything from his age to his wage to his taste in food and wine. He certainly didn't think he was good enough for a tv producer with a big house and mega bucks and because it was only in his pov it was hard to know what Jax really saw in him. But that's part of what I liked about this story, Decker's insecurities, his reluctance to get involved, his denial he wanted more. The mystery was good too.
Blind Man's Buff: 3* Struggled to get into this one at first, but once it hit its stride I was hooked. The romance is very low key.
A Country for Old Men: 5* Beautiful, lyrical, heartbreaking. I sobbed ugly tears during this one. Mystery was good too.
Pepper the Crime Lab: 4* This was fun. Relationship style reminded me very much of Kit and JX. I kinda pegged the killer from the first meeting but the story was lots of fun.
Lights, Camera, Murder: 4.5* This is first CSPoe I've read. I'll definitely be picking up more. Really enjoyed this.
Stranger in the House: 4.5* Yeah. Great writing, interesting plot. I could have done with a scene or two more to fully commit to the romance but I think they'll make it :) And I like both of the MCs. I'd love a catch up at dinner point (Christmas coda?)
I adored Big Mac. Clever twist on the mystery which was already keeping me guessing. Hated Drew's best friend. Loved the elderly couple. Did I say I adored Mac?
Twelve Seconds: 3.5* Another solid entry in the anthology. Not sure about the logistics of a cop giving info to a reporter he's only just met but I liked both guys, thought they were a good match and the mystery was interesting and not something I'd heard of before. Appreciated older MCs.
Reality Bites: 3.5* Decker was an unreliable narrator, down on himself in everything from his age to his wage to his taste in food and wine. He certainly didn't think he was good enough for a tv producer with a big house and mega bucks and because it was only in his pov it was hard to know what Jax really saw in him. But that's part of what I liked about this story, Decker's insecurities, his reluctance to get involved, his denial he wanted more. The mystery was good too.
Blind Man's Buff: 3* Struggled to get into this one at first, but once it hit its stride I was hooked. The romance is very low key.
A Country for Old Men: 5* Beautiful, lyrical, heartbreaking. I sobbed ugly tears during this one. Mystery was good too.
Pepper the Crime Lab: 4* This was fun. Relationship style reminded me very much of Kit and JX. I kinda pegged the killer from the first meeting but the story was lots of fun.
Lights, Camera, Murder: 4.5* This is first CSPoe I've read. I'll definitely be picking up more. Really enjoyed this.
Stranger in the House: 4.5* Yeah. Great writing, interesting plot. I could have done with a scene or two more to fully commit to the romance but I think they'll make it :) And I like both of the MCs. I'd love a catch up at dinner point (Christmas coda?)
isalaur's review against another edition
4.0
This is an anthology of m/m mysteries and includes works by some of my favorite authors so it was a no brainer to read! I skipped around in reading order, choosing some of my very favorites first as I was in the mood for some clever writing and witty dialog.
The first story I read was Lights. Camera. Murder by CS Poe. With the opening paragraph of the prologue I knew it was a good choice. “Now I knew I needed to pick up milk, sugar, bread, and a new boyfriend.” Love it! And then shortly after, “I’ve been called worse things by better people.” I was all in already!
I’ll start out by saying one of the things I really like about Poe’s work is that her MCs are grown-ups. It makes the snark and wit that much more realistic. Rory is a 45-year-old PI who is hired to go undercover on a filmset in Queens to solve a theft with over 100 potential suspects. Marion Roosevelt is the star of the television show filming on the set Rory is sent to investigate and therefore a potential suspect. Of course, Rory is immediately attracted to him.
There are of course several secondary characters that make up the suspects in the case and also, interestingly used as a plot device, the ex-boyfriend referenced in the first quote above who acts as a kind of Jiminy Cricket piling on to Rory’s self-reflective inner monologue.
The stakes are raised on the investigation when Rory discovers a dead body. The hints to who is behind the crimes are cleverly interwoven and once revealed cause the reader to have that head-banging aha moment! The crisis scene is appropriately tense and has a satisfying resolution and the ending is sweet. Great story!
The second story I read was Stranger in the House by Josh Lanyon. Like Poe, Lanyon writes great grown-up characters with flaws and snark and intelligence. Her books are the closest to Agatha Christie, the master of the clever detective story to my mind, of anyone writing these kinds of books today. I always wonder what Christie would have thought of the m/m romance element of the mysteries.
In Stranger in the House we meet Miles, an American high school art teacher who has just inherited an estate in Montreal worth millions from his godmother. He arrives to find strange happenings at the estate and the belief that there is someone else in the house and that items are missing. When he spots some of the items in a pawn shop window he is sure something is afoot. Miles also has to deal with the two sons of the deceased woman and he has some guilt about that, especially since he has long had an unrequited crush on the younger brother.
The writing is clever and several red herrings are woven into the tale. Things appear to be explained after a death occurs but of course that would be too simple. The crisis moment reveals all and brings the story to a sweet conclusion though there are some strange tidbits left hanging.
I look forward to reading the rest of the stories in the book. Mystery is one of my favorite genres and I am always happy to find stories that while also including romance concentrate on the mystery element of the story.
And that point is yet another reason why Poe and Lanyon are among my favorite writers. The mystery is as big, if not bigger, than the romance element of the book. Too many books today give short shrift to the cleverness of the mystery in favor of adding as much steam as possible. Good writers know how to balance and appeal to the mystery genre’s readers. If I want erotic stories I’ll select that genre. When I want a mystery I turn to those writers I can depend on to do the genre justice and Poe and Lanyon are among the best.
*I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my objective review *
The first story I read was Lights. Camera. Murder by CS Poe. With the opening paragraph of the prologue I knew it was a good choice. “Now I knew I needed to pick up milk, sugar, bread, and a new boyfriend.” Love it! And then shortly after, “I’ve been called worse things by better people.” I was all in already!
I’ll start out by saying one of the things I really like about Poe’s work is that her MCs are grown-ups. It makes the snark and wit that much more realistic. Rory is a 45-year-old PI who is hired to go undercover on a filmset in Queens to solve a theft with over 100 potential suspects. Marion Roosevelt is the star of the television show filming on the set Rory is sent to investigate and therefore a potential suspect. Of course, Rory is immediately attracted to him.
There are of course several secondary characters that make up the suspects in the case and also, interestingly used as a plot device, the ex-boyfriend referenced in the first quote above who acts as a kind of Jiminy Cricket piling on to Rory’s self-reflective inner monologue.
The stakes are raised on the investigation when Rory discovers a dead body. The hints to who is behind the crimes are cleverly interwoven and once revealed cause the reader to have that head-banging aha moment! The crisis scene is appropriately tense and has a satisfying resolution and the ending is sweet. Great story!
The second story I read was Stranger in the House by Josh Lanyon. Like Poe, Lanyon writes great grown-up characters with flaws and snark and intelligence. Her books are the closest to Agatha Christie, the master of the clever detective story to my mind, of anyone writing these kinds of books today. I always wonder what Christie would have thought of the m/m romance element of the mysteries.
In Stranger in the House we meet Miles, an American high school art teacher who has just inherited an estate in Montreal worth millions from his godmother. He arrives to find strange happenings at the estate and the belief that there is someone else in the house and that items are missing. When he spots some of the items in a pawn shop window he is sure something is afoot. Miles also has to deal with the two sons of the deceased woman and he has some guilt about that, especially since he has long had an unrequited crush on the younger brother.
The writing is clever and several red herrings are woven into the tale. Things appear to be explained after a death occurs but of course that would be too simple. The crisis moment reveals all and brings the story to a sweet conclusion though there are some strange tidbits left hanging.
I look forward to reading the rest of the stories in the book. Mystery is one of my favorite genres and I am always happy to find stories that while also including romance concentrate on the mystery element of the story.
And that point is yet another reason why Poe and Lanyon are among my favorite writers. The mystery is as big, if not bigger, than the romance element of the book. Too many books today give short shrift to the cleverness of the mystery in favor of adding as much steam as possible. Good writers know how to balance and appeal to the mystery genre’s readers. If I want erotic stories I’ll select that genre. When I want a mystery I turn to those writers I can depend on to do the genre justice and Poe and Lanyon are among the best.
*I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my objective review *
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