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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
When I requested the book I didn’t realize how huge it is! And I enjoyed it immensely!
I used to read a lot of Western Novels in my teens. I grew up in Germany and Karl May is a very known author of travel novels and I devoured everything he wrote with a Wild West Setting.
This book has not much more than the setting in common, but it gave me the same vibes, the same feelings. It made me quite nostalgic and it played a huge part in why I liked it that much.
I’ll keep the plot vague because I think it is best to be enjoyed without too much knowing beforehand. I tend to go in books blind anyways, but I know many people don’t.
The book is written in Simon's POV and begins as he sets out to find and follow an outlaw.
He rambles a lot. And that is the charm of the book. It’s like he tells his tale and whenever he remembers something trivial he just tells that as well. Even though it’s not necessary for the plot per se, it gives the book this special vibe.
He eventually finds the band of outlaws and the story continues right out of a Wild Western movie. It is action packed but also everyday life. Many details make it easy to imagine the setting.
Some things were a bit over the top, but enjoyable nonetheless.
The romance was amazing! I knew it featured romance of course, but it expected something different and it took a while for it to get there.
Simon forms a bond with all the outlaws, but he gets closer to one than to the others.
It also wasn’t the main focus of the story. But Simon needed it to find himself and grow. His eyes got opened up very wide as he realized the world he lived in.
I used to read a lot of Western Novels in my teens. I grew up in Germany and Karl May is a very known author of travel novels and I devoured everything he wrote with a Wild West Setting.
This book has not much more than the setting in common, but it gave me the same vibes, the same feelings. It made me quite nostalgic and it played a huge part in why I liked it that much.
I’ll keep the plot vague because I think it is best to be enjoyed without too much knowing beforehand. I tend to go in books blind anyways, but I know many people don’t.
The book is written in Simon's POV and begins as he sets out to find and follow an outlaw.
He rambles a lot. And that is the charm of the book. It’s like he tells his tale and whenever he remembers something trivial he just tells that as well. Even though it’s not necessary for the plot per se, it gives the book this special vibe.
He eventually finds the band of outlaws and the story continues right out of a Wild Western movie. It is action packed but also everyday life. Many details make it easy to imagine the setting.
Some things were a bit over the top, but enjoyable nonetheless.
The romance was amazing! I knew it featured romance of course, but it expected something different and it took a while for it to get there.
Simon forms a bond with all the outlaws, but he gets closer to one than to the others.
It also wasn’t the main focus of the story. But Simon needed it to find himself and grow. His eyes got opened up very wide as he realized the world he lived in.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Slavery
Minor: Homophobia
It pains me to say this after I was auto-approved by this publisher (I´m sorry), but I couldn´t finish this book. As a matter of fact, I don´t think I managed to read even 1/3 (I´ll try again someday, though, because I´m curious about what other reviewers say about the plot and probably my current mood also has a thing to do with leaving this unfinished).
Now, why did I drop this? There´s a bunch of things:
- I felt like there was too much pointless narration. Let me give a couple of examples. The story begins with Simon (not his name back then, but hell anyway) living with his parents in a farm, explaining a bit about his dream of being a gangster in the Wild West and move to the West. There´s a good few chapters while he manages to go there and find a gang to join. Which left me wondering, couldn´t we have started the first chapter with Simon already out in the field searching for a gang? Why not use just a few paragraphs or a couple of pages of explaining his background and then go straight to the gang plot?
And here is the thing, not only plotwise I felt there were many unnecessary things, that also happened with descriptions or narration with more particular stuff. Like, right now I don´t remember what Simon was saying, but in a moment he began thinking about an aunt and what they did back in his hometown with her, and I was like, why is he telling us this? The aunt is not currently present, is not an important character as of now, why can´t you tell her story later if she ever appears?
That annoyed me, maybe also because I prefer very straightforward narrations. I like to get to the point.
- Simon´s dreams of becoming a gangster were... very childish.
It´s what I can imagine a kid these days wanting to be when they grow up. Not only his original plan of moving out to become a delinquent (cause he thought that was cool) seemed a bit strange, but he seemed truly taken aback when he realized that -surprise, surprise-, if you are a gangster you need to commit crimes, shoot weapons and be an awful person in quite a few ways.
How naive is this character? I´d say too naive, at least at the beginning of the story (don´t know if it got better).
- There was stuff that happened in the story that looked like a stereotyped western movie... And very unlikely to happen in real life.
An example? The gang was staying at a tavern and something happened (I think a waiter made a mistake). One of the gangsters got pissed, shoot someone in the foot and then continued eating his meal as if nothing happened. No sheriff came. No nothing.
I was, once again, asking myself, what am I reading?
- The way Simon entered the gang is also very surrealist. He tripped and unintentionally saved the gang´s boss of being shot. Then, by chance, the boss accepted him in the gang because he did this "brave" thing of saving his life that way.
This seemed taken strainght from a sitcom, but I didn´t mind because I like comedy. Although... Is this really a comedy? I don´t think so, not the way its narrated.
- The love story -or the part that I saw- was very... YA in a way?
I mean, Simon and Monty don´t get along well at the begining. Why is that? I´m not sure. The narration mentions Simon finds Monty too arrogant evn before we actually see how annoying Monty is. Thus, they randomly don´t like each other.
A bit later, when the train robbery happens, they randomly change their minds (Monty especially) and begin their friendships. Or well, maybe it was not so random: Simon planned something to escape the police and it worked, that was all it took to gain Monty´s respect (I say randomly because truly, the plan was not impressive at all).
I could say more but, overall, this book needs more editing. I read reviews saying it was hard to stop reading this story but, for me, the opposite happened: It was hard to pick the story and read.
It drags for too long and, when the action happens, it´s not very believable.
Now, why did I drop this? There´s a bunch of things:
- I felt like there was too much pointless narration. Let me give a couple of examples. The story begins with Simon (not his name back then, but hell anyway) living with his parents in a farm, explaining a bit about his dream of being a gangster in the Wild West and move to the West. There´s a good few chapters while he manages to go there and find a gang to join. Which left me wondering, couldn´t we have started the first chapter with Simon already out in the field searching for a gang? Why not use just a few paragraphs or a couple of pages of explaining his background and then go straight to the gang plot?
And here is the thing, not only plotwise I felt there were many unnecessary things, that also happened with descriptions or narration with more particular stuff. Like, right now I don´t remember what Simon was saying, but in a moment he began thinking about an aunt and what they did back in his hometown with her, and I was like, why is he telling us this? The aunt is not currently present, is not an important character as of now, why can´t you tell her story later if she ever appears?
That annoyed me, maybe also because I prefer very straightforward narrations. I like to get to the point.
- Simon´s dreams of becoming a gangster were... very childish.
It´s what I can imagine a kid these days wanting to be when they grow up. Not only his original plan of moving out to become a delinquent (cause he thought that was cool) seemed a bit strange, but he seemed truly taken aback when he realized that -surprise, surprise-, if you are a gangster you need to commit crimes, shoot weapons and be an awful person in quite a few ways.
How naive is this character? I´d say too naive, at least at the beginning of the story (don´t know if it got better).
- There was stuff that happened in the story that looked like a stereotyped western movie... And very unlikely to happen in real life.
An example? The gang was staying at a tavern and something happened (I think a waiter made a mistake). One of the gangsters got pissed, shoot someone in the foot and then continued eating his meal as if nothing happened. No sheriff came. No nothing.
I was, once again, asking myself, what am I reading?
- The way Simon entered the gang is also very surrealist. He tripped and unintentionally saved the gang´s boss of being shot. Then, by chance, the boss accepted him in the gang because he did this "brave" thing of saving his life that way.
This seemed taken strainght from a sitcom, but I didn´t mind because I like comedy. Although... Is this really a comedy? I don´t think so, not the way its narrated.
- The love story -or the part that I saw- was very... YA in a way?
I mean, Simon and Monty don´t get along well at the begining. Why is that? I´m not sure. The narration mentions Simon finds Monty too arrogant evn before we actually see how annoying Monty is. Thus, they randomly don´t like each other.
A bit later, when the train robbery happens, they randomly change their minds (Monty especially) and begin their friendships. Or well, maybe it was not so random: Simon planned something to escape the police and it worked, that was all it took to gain Monty´s respect (I say randomly because truly, the plan was not impressive at all).
I could say more but, overall, this book needs more editing. I read reviews saying it was hard to stop reading this story but, for me, the opposite happened: It was hard to pick the story and read.
It drags for too long and, when the action happens, it´s not very believable.
This is a gritty and action packed story, with a lot going on from start to finish. You can feel the passion the author has for this story from the detail that has been included. At times the story felt a little bit slower to read but the basis of it stayed strong and interesting.
I was definitely intrigued to find out what was going on. The slow build really added to the story, creating a great thriller. I thought the characters all fit within the story well. This is the first book that I have read by this author and although there were times I wanted more pace, it was a good story. I will look to read more in the future.
I was definitely intrigued to find out what was going on. The slow build really added to the story, creating a great thriller. I thought the characters all fit within the story well. This is the first book that I have read by this author and although there were times I wanted more pace, it was a good story. I will look to read more in the future.
adventurous
lighthearted
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:
Yes
Wow, I don’t even know where to begin. The book is long, it seems to me it could have been shorter and still give the same impact, but I am here to tell you, don’t let that stop you from reading this book, because it was fantastic. In the beginning I asked myself why I decided to take this on and by the end I felt like my heart was ripped out, the story was over and I was wishing it wouldn’t have. My emotions were up and down and there were times that I felt I had a grasp on who was killing the members of Red’s gang. By the end I was surprised at who the killer turns out to be, I didn’t see it coming, and my heart broke with the relationships and how they turn out. Simon seems like a good guy, I think his obsession with being in a gang and being notorious quickly became something he dreaded once he joined up with Red’s gang. But by the time he realizes he wants out, he has formed bonds and friendships he can’t imagine letting go. At first I hated Monty and by the end he was one of my favorite characters. Ford and Red quickly went down on my list, Ford seemed a little unhinged to me and Red seemed to be slowly going crazy with the murders happening. The way the romance is described is sweet and not detailed at all, the murderer and the way he murders is very inventive and fits in so nicely. I ended up really loving this book, I didn’t think I would because I am not really into western style reads. I look forward to more from this author.
Okay this book is actually infuriating because I loved it until I didn't. It had SO much potential and I really enjoyed the first 400-500 pages! I was rooting for the characters, I wanted to know what was going to happen, I was completely invested. I adored the slow burn, the love interests had amazing chemistry. The book was huge, but the plot gripped me and the pacing was fast.
But I had a few issues with it. Namely: it needed several more rounds of editing, a sensitivity reader, and that the genre/theme of the story were unclear. The focus on the mystery/thriller aspect really only begins after 400 pages or so, so the book really actually focused on the romance IMO (which was a really great romance!) but this is not a genre romance novel. Nor does it contain the tropes/expectations of a genre romance novel.
The main issue was the length and lack of editing. The author is clearly a talented writer and there were multiple points that I had the active thought 'this could be an amazing book if it was edited a bit more'. It needs to be cut down, 900 pages is way too long and did lose its momentum in parts. On the bright side, for the most part, it didn't feel like a 900 page book. It felt more like when you settle in for a 200k fanfic (which I can read faster than most novels). Because it was so long and lacked focus, the theme of the book was pretty unclear and the tone drastically changed from scene to scene.
This also needs to be said: when writing historical fiction, you have to decide how you're going to handle derogatory language, racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. and I did find that there could have been a bit more care and sensitivity when using period-typical language. There is a disclaimer in the beginning that these words do not reflect the views of the author, but there really isn't a need to keep in some words when you've already deviated from historical accuracy for the sake of readability. I do not think this was out of malice because there are points in the book where the main character makes his thoughts/feelings on slavery and indigenous peoples clear and is a good person, but a sensitivity reader could have really helped.
My last issue is with the how the romance was handled and the ending. (**Stop reading now if you don't want any spoilers.**) The two romantic leads were by far the most developed characters, so they were the heart of the story. So when one of them dies in the end in a relatively pointless way, it doesn't even further the other's story. It didn't need to happen, it didn't have much significance, it was just sad. The story was already wild and outlandish anyways, so the sad ending felt quite out of place. The main character didn't learn to live free and learn a valuable lesson from the death of the love interest (à la Rose from Titanic); our main character had already broken free and developed as a character mid-way through the book when he went against his father's opinion and started writing his memoir. So writing his memoir in the epilogue didn't feel poignant or meaningful. Queer characters can obviously die and be killed off in stories, but this felt a bit BYG. I actually think a sensitivity reader could have really helped in this area, too.
So all in all: this had the potential to be a great book. If it had a few more rounds of editing and a sensitivity reader, my rating would be much higher. Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ARC!
But I had a few issues with it. Namely: it needed several more rounds of editing, a sensitivity reader, and that the genre/theme of the story were unclear. The focus on the mystery/thriller aspect really only begins after 400 pages or so, so the book really actually focused on the romance IMO (which was a really great romance!) but this is not a genre romance novel. Nor does it contain the tropes/expectations of a genre romance novel.
The main issue was the length and lack of editing. The author is clearly a talented writer and there were multiple points that I had the active thought 'this could be an amazing book if it was edited a bit more'. It needs to be cut down, 900 pages is way too long and did lose its momentum in parts. On the bright side, for the most part, it didn't feel like a 900 page book. It felt more like when you settle in for a 200k fanfic (which I can read faster than most novels). Because it was so long and lacked focus, the theme of the book was pretty unclear and the tone drastically changed from scene to scene.
This also needs to be said: when writing historical fiction, you have to decide how you're going to handle derogatory language, racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. and I did find that there could have been a bit more care and sensitivity when using period-typical language. There is a disclaimer in the beginning that these words do not reflect the views of the author, but there really isn't a need to keep in some words when you've already deviated from historical accuracy for the sake of readability. I do not think this was out of malice because there are points in the book where the main character makes his thoughts/feelings on slavery and indigenous peoples clear and is a good person, but a sensitivity reader could have really helped.
My last issue is with the how the romance was handled and the ending. (**Stop reading now if you don't want any spoilers.**) The two romantic leads were by far the most developed characters, so they were the heart of the story. So when one of them dies in the end in a relatively pointless way, it doesn't even further the other's story. It didn't need to happen, it didn't have much significance, it was just sad. The story was already wild and outlandish anyways, so the sad ending felt quite out of place. The main character didn't learn to live free and learn a valuable lesson from the death of the love interest (à la Rose from Titanic); our main character had already broken free and developed as a character mid-way through the book when he went against his father's opinion and started writing his memoir. So writing his memoir in the epilogue didn't feel poignant or meaningful. Queer characters can obviously die and be killed off in stories, but this felt a bit BYG. I actually think a sensitivity reader could have really helped in this area, too.
So all in all: this had the potential to be a great book. If it had a few more rounds of editing and a sensitivity reader, my rating would be much higher. Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ARC!
EDIT 8/22/23 - Finished the book again on 7/21/2023 and thought I should update this review.I got a free copy for reviewing back in last autumn and wrote my first review on Goodreads, but I have been wanting to reread it ever since. So now that I purchased the book officially and finished reading it for the second time I feel I have something to add.
I like how the book handles trauma. So the length of the book might scare people off, but it adds to the overall feel of the book, and that is Fenimore James, who becomes Simon Shaw, ends up going through so much in the course of a year. It’s one of the things I find strangely relatable, like living through a short moment of time with an encyclopedia's worth of story to tell. It feels more than just a coming of age story, it feels like a life changing event that we the reader are sharing with Simon, as he goes from a naive farm boy with romantic ideas on what the life of an outlaw is, to seeing the actual crimes committed by the gang and how Simon tries to process it all in the moment, the outcome of the crimes as the gang is targeted by a vicious killer that could possibly be one of the many people wronged by Red over his career, to the epilogue itself as Simon finally has a quiet moment to process, reflect, and work through the events in the novel.
The romance is great because it feels like a slowly burning romance that becomes really intimated, as both characters begin to really get to know each other and their past, and actually become a closer couple. And there’s also quite a few sex scenes that just build on each other and ends up making the payoff feel more satisfying. The romance exists beyond the sex scenes though, with all the time spent on the pillow talk between the two I do actually find myself rooting for the two of them to make it to the end after all the work they put into their relationship. And it plays really well into Simon’s self discovery. Overall, I love the characters and the time put into them. I saw a review mention “World Building”, which I think isn’t accurate. I can’t really tell you about the world that gang exists in besides the fact that it’s the Arizona Territory between 1880 and 1881, but when it comes to the gang I can tell you about most of the gang, like Red Evans. He’s mostly a mysterious figure who interacts with Simon when needed and keeps Simon guessing as to who he is, but his past becomes an important part of the story. There’s the character of Rico Desilva who has like 5 lines mostly in Spanish but we end up finding out little pieces of his past like his family that he still visits in Mexico. The character building is top notch here and it pays off because I find myself really worrying for these guys when danger happens and even after I’m done with the story I wonder what Simon’s life is like in a time period where the best way for him to learn about his sexuality was to join a gang outside of the law.
The mystery is tense as they try to find who is the one sending them mysterious letters and killing them. I like it better on the second read because like most of the stuff in this book, it’s not a traditional mystery story. It’s not a detective that is trying to find this stuff out, necessarily, but there is detective work in it. It’s a gang of outlaws that doesn’t like to pull it’s punches in it’s descriptions, so it’s them trying to find the killer and kill him before he kills them. And the writing makes the psychological feeling stand out and makes this feel even more tense. Simon starts having nightmares that just get progressively more intense by the end and the killer actually seems to go back and forth between the real world and his dreams in a sense. Going back to the trauma, the way Simon reacts to the events of the year seems very believable. And the events affect the whole gang and causes them react in the situation that just adds to the tension, and the trauma, and adds a sense of urgency and danger. This book is well paced, I think, because it puts all this action and events and character reactions into the story while having plenty of moments where the characters breathe, take a bath, and reflect on the situation happening around them, and then later these moments are invaded by random acts of chaos that adds to the overall tense atmosphere the author seems to be creating.
To anyone looking at the length and really wondering if they want to take a chance, try and make it through the first 80 pages. You’ll find a few reasons to stick with it before then, I think, and after that point you’ll begin to care enough about the characters as they go through some of their first high stakes moments. Overall, great first novel by a first time author and a fantastic book to read a second time. It actually has gotten me back into reading on a regular basis again
***Original Review*** I was able to receive a free copy from a friend who likes historical thrillers. While I don't I read many romances, I am also a fan of historical thrillers and liked the blurb that promised a thriller and a mystery and I like to keep an open mind and read new things. The almost 800 page book reads as a pseudo-autobiographic that takes place in 1 year. Despite it's length it was a rather quick read. It doesn't start as a thriller but it does grab the reader in with it's action. Slowly the tension builds and becomes increasingly dark, and the changing narration highlights that dark change. The first part is an exciting introduction to Simon and the rest of the characters. It contains short adventures like a daring train robbery and the first appearance of the Man In Black that comes to Simon in a dream and transitions from one action packed scene to the next. The ending to part one is one of my favorite sequences, where the gang is on the lamb in a small town to celebrate Christmas and then the night climaxes in two exciting scenes at once. In the second part, the thriller side of the story begins to pick up steam and the plot begins to focus on an unlikely romance between Simon and one of the other male members of the gang while the gang is killed off one by one. It's a really sweet romance that takes place in the midst of chaos. The bed scenes can be pretty explicit at times. I don't know how it compares to other stories of its type, but they're not really pornographic. The scenes build on each other and explores the trust built between the characters in their situation. The struggle the couple faces is not how will their love be seen by society, since they are already in a gang of outlaws, but instead the struggle is will their romance survive the unfolding events and the tension this romance starts to create in the gang. The story explores the tensions and dark secrets in the relationship, as well. It has it's own great twists, I think, I was not able to predict some of them. The third part is packed with action and mystery as well. By this point it's a rather dark thriller with a lot of violence and actions which concludes in an unpredictable thrilling finale. At least I didn't predict the outcomes. It was a page-turner that kept me engaged for the length of the story. It manages to touch on many topics rather deeply and is saturated with spooky atmosphere and mysterious vibes. I liked the characters too. They were 3D and human beings, no good and bad guys there, and all of them seemed to change, evolve and react in realistic ways to the situation around them. Overall, I really do want to read it again because I wonder what will stick out to me the second time through. I wonder what clues about the killer I will pick up on the second read through, knowing his identity.
I like how the book handles trauma. So the length of the book might scare people off, but it adds to the overall feel of the book, and that is Fenimore James, who becomes Simon Shaw, ends up going through so much in the course of a year. It’s one of the things I find strangely relatable, like living through a short moment of time with an encyclopedia's worth of story to tell. It feels more than just a coming of age story, it feels like a life changing event that we the reader are sharing with Simon, as he goes from a naive farm boy with romantic ideas on what the life of an outlaw is, to seeing the actual crimes committed by the gang and how Simon tries to process it all in the moment, the outcome of the crimes as the gang is targeted by a vicious killer that could possibly be one of the many people wronged by Red over his career, to the epilogue itself as Simon finally has a quiet moment to process, reflect, and work through the events in the novel.
The romance is great because it feels like a slowly burning romance that becomes really intimated, as both characters begin to really get to know each other and their past, and actually become a closer couple. And there’s also quite a few sex scenes that just build on each other and ends up making the payoff feel more satisfying. The romance exists beyond the sex scenes though, with all the time spent on the pillow talk between the two I do actually find myself rooting for the two of them to make it to the end after all the work they put into their relationship. And it plays really well into Simon’s self discovery. Overall, I love the characters and the time put into them. I saw a review mention “World Building”, which I think isn’t accurate. I can’t really tell you about the world that gang exists in besides the fact that it’s the Arizona Territory between 1880 and 1881, but when it comes to the gang I can tell you about most of the gang, like Red Evans. He’s mostly a mysterious figure who interacts with Simon when needed and keeps Simon guessing as to who he is, but his past becomes an important part of the story. There’s the character of Rico Desilva who has like 5 lines mostly in Spanish but we end up finding out little pieces of his past like his family that he still visits in Mexico. The character building is top notch here and it pays off because I find myself really worrying for these guys when danger happens and even after I’m done with the story I wonder what Simon’s life is like in a time period where the best way for him to learn about his sexuality was to join a gang outside of the law.
The mystery is tense as they try to find who is the one sending them mysterious letters and killing them. I like it better on the second read because like most of the stuff in this book, it’s not a traditional mystery story. It’s not a detective that is trying to find this stuff out, necessarily, but there is detective work in it. It’s a gang of outlaws that doesn’t like to pull it’s punches in it’s descriptions, so it’s them trying to find the killer and kill him before he kills them. And the writing makes the psychological feeling stand out and makes this feel even more tense. Simon starts having nightmares that just get progressively more intense by the end and the killer actually seems to go back and forth between the real world and his dreams in a sense. Going back to the trauma, the way Simon reacts to the events of the year seems very believable. And the events affect the whole gang and causes them react in the situation that just adds to the tension, and the trauma, and adds a sense of urgency and danger. This book is well paced, I think, because it puts all this action and events and character reactions into the story while having plenty of moments where the characters breathe, take a bath, and reflect on the situation happening around them, and then later these moments are invaded by random acts of chaos that adds to the overall tense atmosphere the author seems to be creating.
To anyone looking at the length and really wondering if they want to take a chance, try and make it through the first 80 pages. You’ll find a few reasons to stick with it before then, I think, and after that point you’ll begin to care enough about the characters as they go through some of their first high stakes moments. Overall, great first novel by a first time author and a fantastic book to read a second time. It actually has gotten me back into reading on a regular basis again
***Original Review*** I was able to receive a free copy from a friend who likes historical thrillers. While I don't I read many romances, I am also a fan of historical thrillers and liked the blurb that promised a thriller and a mystery and I like to keep an open mind and read new things. The almost 800 page book reads as a pseudo-autobiographic that takes place in 1 year. Despite it's length it was a rather quick read. It doesn't start as a thriller but it does grab the reader in with it's action. Slowly the tension builds and becomes increasingly dark, and the changing narration highlights that dark change. The first part is an exciting introduction to Simon and the rest of the characters. It contains short adventures like a daring train robbery and the first appearance of the Man In Black that comes to Simon in a dream and transitions from one action packed scene to the next. The ending to part one is one of my favorite sequences, where the gang is on the lamb in a small town to celebrate Christmas and then the night climaxes in two exciting scenes at once. In the second part, the thriller side of the story begins to pick up steam and the plot begins to focus on an unlikely romance between Simon and one of the other male members of the gang while the gang is killed off one by one. It's a really sweet romance that takes place in the midst of chaos. The bed scenes can be pretty explicit at times. I don't know how it compares to other stories of its type, but they're not really pornographic. The scenes build on each other and explores the trust built between the characters in their situation. The struggle the couple faces is not how will their love be seen by society, since they are already in a gang of outlaws, but instead the struggle is will their romance survive the unfolding events and the tension this romance starts to create in the gang. The story explores the tensions and dark secrets in the relationship, as well. It has it's own great twists, I think, I was not able to predict some of them. The third part is packed with action and mystery as well. By this point it's a rather dark thriller with a lot of violence and actions which concludes in an unpredictable thrilling finale. At least I didn't predict the outcomes. It was a page-turner that kept me engaged for the length of the story. It manages to touch on many topics rather deeply and is saturated with spooky atmosphere and mysterious vibes. I liked the characters too. They were 3D and human beings, no good and bad guys there, and all of them seemed to change, evolve and react in realistic ways to the situation around them. Overall, I really do want to read it again because I wonder what will stick out to me the second time through. I wonder what clues about the killer I will pick up on the second read through, knowing his identity.
This was a really long journey, but I can say I enjoyed every second of it. I'm a really big fan of historical thrillers, so make it MM and I'm just here for it. This was such an interesting story and I was so invested in it. I just really enjoyed reading this one.
The Man in Black by L.R. Liverpool tells the story of Fenimore James. Young and naïve, Fenimore leaves home to pursue his life goal of becoming a real outlaw. First, he must choose a new identity, and he successfully becomes Simon Shaw. Being an outlaw takes a dangerous turn when Shaw joins the Red Evans gang because they start getting murdered one at a time. Despite the circumstances, Shaw falls dangerously in love. Nothing about being an outlaw or love is as easy it it seems. Part one is extremely detailed and slower going to setup everything else that happens in the book. Part two really picks up the pace and suspense.
Liverpool's character development is leaves out no detail and the world building leaves no stone unturned.
Liverpool's character development is leaves out no detail and the world building leaves no stone unturned.