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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
The mystery was not as good as the first one which is why it took me so long to finish this but Yoon and Khalaji are becoming more and more interesting. And the tension between them is fun to read.
Looking forward to see where the author takes them, they have so much potential.
Looking forward to see where the author takes them, they have so much potential.
Jesus CHRIST if every sequel were as good as this I'd never get stuck while reading a series
I really liked the character development (Seong-Jae already had my whole heart but now he has it...more) and the teasings of the overarching mystery with the letters. I could definitely feel the suspense and frustration and the aura of mystery was wonderfully crafted.
I really liked the character development (Seong-Jae already had my whole heart but now he has it...more) and the teasings of the overarching mystery with the letters. I could definitely feel the suspense and frustration and the aura of mystery was wonderfully crafted.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood
I have a feeling my reviews for this series are all going to be very similar. I love the writing style. The mysteries are well thought out, and even though I pretty much pegged the right person as the "bad guy" from the beginning, I still enjoyed it. I know this is the slowest of slow burns so I'm just eating up any crumbs that Malcolm and SJ give us.
One aspect that I find a little hard to wrap my head around is some of the emotions described. Both our guys are often grumpy or irritated or mad about something, but I don't always *feel* that. We're just told it's so, so it must be true. But it doesn't always make sense to me. They get annoyed over the dumbest things. And I really really hate the trope of the "boss" threatening a detective for doing their job just because a suspect has money. Ugh, so cliche and just annoying. Rich people shouldn't be above the law, and it would be nice if superiors were shown actually doing THEIR jobs instead of stereotypically only caring about politics.
Overall, I really like this series so far. I like our guys, even when I feel like their animosity feels forced. I like the side characters, especially Slade. I wish I didn't have to push through the longest slow burn in history, but hopefully I'll manage.
One aspect that I find a little hard to wrap my head around is some of the emotions described. Both our guys are often grumpy or irritated or mad about something, but I don't always *feel* that. We're just told it's so, so it must be true. But it doesn't always make sense to me. They get annoyed over the dumbest things. And I really really hate the trope of the "boss" threatening a detective for doing their job just because a suspect has money. Ugh, so cliche and just annoying. Rich people shouldn't be above the law, and it would be nice if superiors were shown actually doing THEIR jobs instead of stereotypically only caring about politics.
Overall, I really like this series so far. I like our guys, even when I feel like their animosity feels forced. I like the side characters, especially Slade. I wish I didn't have to push through the longest slow burn in history, but hopefully I'll manage.
4.5 ⭐️
I wish I knew I needed Seong-Jae and Malcom sooner in my life, but I feel I’m appreciating more now!
This book was lighter on the case shenanigans and I admite I felt a bit flat for me this case… no wow, I love to say I did not see that coming. Also there’s some things that felt unrealistic about warrants and investigation procedures. Also Malcom was such and ass in this book… rude… I know why, but damn.. just share your thoughts with baby Seong-Jae ok? Was glade that they came to a understandingish in the end.
About them? I love everything! I’m loving the slow burn, that language difference, all the secrets, all that raw UST is really killing me ( in the best way).physically they are so goddamn hot that I have chills just imagining them together! I’m ok with waiting tho, and it’s totally like me
I wish I knew I needed Seong-Jae and Malcom sooner in my life, but I feel I’m appreciating more now!
This book was lighter on the case shenanigans and I admite I felt a bit flat for me this case… no wow, I love to say I did not see that coming. Also there’s some things that felt unrealistic about warrants and investigation procedures. Also Malcom was such and ass in this book… rude… I know why, but damn.. just share your thoughts with baby Seong-Jae ok? Was glade that they came to a understandingish in the end.
About them? I love everything! I’m loving the slow burn, that language difference, all the secrets, all that raw UST is really killing me ( in the best way).physically they are so goddamn hot that I have chills just imagining them together! I’m ok with waiting tho, and it’s totally like me
4.5 stars. Just as good as the first one. I was maybe marginally less into the mystery because there was less of a personal connection for either Seong-Jae or Malcolm, but I still found it interesting and didn't struggle to keep track of characters or what was going on (). I continue to love Malcolm and Seong-Jae's dynamic and how their attraction to one another is getting harder to deny. I like how they're still kind of figuring one another out and like each other but don't fully trust one another. I loved the bit where Seong-Jae's hurt by being called tall and Malcolm realizes he's hurt and makes him explain why, and how he's also hurt when Malcolm calls him "Yoon" and Seong-Jae makes a point of how it's not common to call other people by their given names, and then the couple of times Malcolm calls him "Seong-Jae" after that it's just… very intimate. But yeah, this was really good and I'm enjoying this series a lot. It reminds me a bit of a combination of Charlie Adhara's Big Bad Wolf series (minus the supernatural element, of course) and Cordelia Kingsbridge's Seven of Spades series (except a much slower burn romance than either of those series). Mostly just the m/m detective partners (I guess not in the Seven of Spades series, but close enough) working to solve mysteries while falling in love bits — it's very much its own thing otherwise.
Spoiler
although I did feel like it being the father was a bit more obvious than the villain in the first book, especially after you're introduced to all the major suspectsSpoiler
Also, Malcolm managing to save Seong-Jae's life twice was fun. AND THAT PHONE CALL AT THE END, when Seong-Jae wakes from a nightmare and calls Malcolm and Malcolm understands what he's dealing with and is like, "We can just stay on the phone like this," man, that was GREAT. And I enjoyed both of them remembering the kiss at multiple instances and it putting Malcolm on edge for like 50% of the book. Also, side note, but the mystery one night stand from the first book is 100% connected to Seong-Jae's past, right? It almost seems TOO obvious right now, but I guess I'll see how it plays out.
MM Romance
Detective Romance
S1 E2 (Needs to be read in order)
3 Stars ⭐️
Since this was made to read like a tv series, I am reviewing and rating it as one. So, while the first episode was more of an introduction to the cast, this one was definitely more in depth and I liked getting to know who these characters actually are and what makes them tick. I love being able to see into both these character’s minds, seeing the struggle to remain professional despite sharing that fuck hot kiss that haunts them both and I especially loved how this book ended.
But I’m not completely sold on this series yet and I so badly want to be because I know once I get further in, this will have the ability to captivate me due to the fact the writing is just so damn good and the characters are multifaceted. Unfortunately though, as of this moment, I am struggling with staying awake long enough to get there. I don’t find these books boring but compared to the books I usually read, these are compelling, deep and detailed and I find my mind wandering a lot while I read them. Right now they are just not easy reads for me so it took me forever to read this. I’m not exaggerating when I say every time I tried to get through a chapter I fell asleep. It’s like the book is so detailed that it made my eyes tired and I know that sounds bad but it’s been awhile since I’ve picked up anything other than romance in years. There’s all kinds of reasons for that but the biggest one is the medications I take for my chronic pain makes it hard for me to focus and unfortunately because the writing style is so detailed, I find myself reading the same lines over and over not retaining anything. Once I actually get into the story though, it’s hard for me to put it down but with both episodes I’ve read, I didn’t get into the story until around the 60% mark therefore it was hard to stay focused.
I really loved how this one ended though and it makes me want to read the next in series right away because I think once these two get together, my attention span will improve. Fingers crossed
Detective Romance
S1 E2 (Needs to be read in order)
3 Stars ⭐️
Since this was made to read like a tv series, I am reviewing and rating it as one. So, while the first episode was more of an introduction to the cast, this one was definitely more in depth and I liked getting to know who these characters actually are and what makes them tick. I love being able to see into both these character’s minds, seeing the struggle to remain professional despite sharing that fuck hot kiss that haunts them both and I especially loved how this book ended.
But I’m not completely sold on this series yet and I so badly want to be because I know once I get further in, this will have the ability to captivate me due to the fact the writing is just so damn good and the characters are multifaceted. Unfortunately though, as of this moment, I am struggling with staying awake long enough to get there. I don’t find these books boring but compared to the books I usually read, these are compelling, deep and detailed and I find my mind wandering a lot while I read them. Right now they are just not easy reads for me so it took me forever to read this. I’m not exaggerating when I say every time I tried to get through a chapter I fell asleep. It’s like the book is so detailed that it made my eyes tired and I know that sounds bad but it’s been awhile since I’ve picked up anything other than romance in years. There’s all kinds of reasons for that but the biggest one is the medications I take for my chronic pain makes it hard for me to focus and unfortunately because the writing style is so detailed, I find myself reading the same lines over and over not retaining anything. Once I actually get into the story though, it’s hard for me to put it down but with both episodes I’ve read, I didn’t get into the story until around the 60% mark therefore it was hard to stay focused.
I really loved how this one ended though and it makes me want to read the next in series right away because I think once these two get together, my attention span will improve. Fingers crossed
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No