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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
medium-paced
update 26/5/17
i reread this after finishing the monet murders because i had forgotten what happened and after seeing it fit between the two books it made this so much better
this book was so good, it had all my favourites; good murder mystery, thriller vibes, sexual tension, and characters from other books popping up
i reread this after finishing the monet murders because i had forgotten what happened and after seeing it fit between the two books it made this so much better
this book was so good, it had all my favourites; good murder mystery, thriller vibes, sexual tension, and characters from other books popping up
At first, I was excited! FINALLY Lanyon wrote a book with different characters and tropes!!! but sadly the execution was subpar. overcomplicated mystery with too many murders and no explanations. the romance didn't convince me either....
I'm a fan of Josh Lanyon and always loved his stories. This one is no exception as it is gripping and well written.
I rooted for the fleshed out characters and thoroughly enjoyed the story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I rooted for the fleshed out characters and thoroughly enjoyed the story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Didn’t figure out
mystery; didn’t believe
romance. Partly worked.
mystery; didn’t believe
romance. Partly worked.
I enjoyed this murder /mystery story set in a small Oregon town in the middle of nowhere. The developing romance relationship between Agent Darling and Rob the cop was textbook- only gays n the village magnetically attracted to each other, one is an FBI agent, the other a cop,Agent and cop hook up, agent falls for cop, agent denies feelings for cop, event occurs that makes them both open up...with a *nice *HFN epilogue ending.
However, I do find Lanyon hit and miss. Her work entertains, intrigues and occasionally amuses, but, so far, never gives me that addictive OMG thrill that certain other M/M writers do. I see her books as, solid and dependable, a cosy blanket to snuggle in- which is fine when my life is too fraught for me to cope with too many surprises in a story.
The audio book narration is by Gomez Pugh, who continues to amaze me with his wonderful range.
I can't believe this is Lanyon book.
I am a huge fan of Josh- fan in a "I don't think I ever gave his book anything less than 4*" way, so this caught me by surprise.
One thing I like about Lanyon books is how she always finds that perfect balance between mystery and romance subplot- romance and mystery just blend perfectly to tell a story.
Here, it was like romance and mystery got in each other's way.
Mystery has very good premise and pretty damn nifty idea for resolution, but delivery was clunky. The more we were getting close to culmination the more rushed and lazy it felt.
Spoiler
Gibbs named Berkle as killer, they go to talk to him and Adam is sure he is lying. And they...don't share his suspicion with anyone before Rob sees picture because...??? Berkle has means, he had an opportunity and nobody is keeping tabs on him, which allows him to knock out our hero. :\ We know he shared everything with this Kennedy guy in office- that means he told him that he thinks not only Berkle is lying, but that he thinks he is Roadside Ripper...So what do you do when experienced investigator tells you there are possibly two serial killers at large and name possible suspects? You assign surveillance? No, our professional, legendary FBI guy schedules dinner and our heroes schedule humphump. Because that's how they roll. :\
I could see that Berkle is going to attack Adam miles earlier. Also, everyone but Adam knew Bill was institutionalized and yet it never crossed Rob's mind he would dress as raven? :|
I also didn't like very deliberate and obvious try to point us in wrong direction with Zeke.
As for romance...this has to be one of most awkward, and frankly, lamest romance plot Lanyon has ever written. First, they hook up because they are the only gay guys around. I was never convinced when that attraction grew into something more. Never...they just, kinda realized they have feelings for each other. Hence, epilogue was completely lost on me. I never bought it. It actually got me thinking that romance, maybe even a premise, reminded me a bit of [b:A Casual Weekend Thing|17796292|A Casual Weekend Thing (Least Likely Partnership, #1)|A.J. Thomas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365895931s/17796292.jpg|24893819] an it was handled better in that book.
Then...the writing. This doesn't read like Lanyon book. It reads like any other, generic, already-seen-so-many-times book.
I present you the worst sentence in it:
"Rob would have been willing to bet money that there was not a gay bone—or boner—in Buck’s body."
My brain cannot fathom that this sentence is a product of Lanyon's brain.
This is such a bummer for me, 'cause Lanyon is my favorite... :(
I am in serious mm funk for months and Winter Kill was the one I counted on to get me out of it.
Let's hope next one will be much better.
I'm ready for Fair Chance.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I read a fair share of romance novels, and don't consider myself a prude.
It would be nice if synopses were upfront about sexual content- here it took about 10% before that first graphic scene hits.
The detective storylines were interesting, but the main characters constantly pining after each other really took the excitement out of the thriller portion.
I read a fair share of romance novels, and don't consider myself a prude.
It would be nice if synopses were upfront about sexual content- here it took about 10% before that first graphic scene hits.
The detective storylines were interesting, but the main characters constantly pining after each other really took the excitement out of the thriller portion.
Liked the couple and the epilogue and one of the mysteries. I think the other case should have been more developed. Still, a good book and a reminder of why I like Josh Lanyon's work.