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bitchie's review against another edition
4.0
I just love Joe and Kabe! I was also very surprised by how much I loved Joe's family. I was expecting his coming out to be a big huge thing, and in a way it was, but in the end, his family loved him anyway, and I just love it when that happens.
pam_h's review
3.0
I love this series, but this one was hard to read for several reasons:
>The case has a serious ick factor.
>Joe's parents bring the pain in a couple of different ways.
>Joe spends a large chunk of time angsting over a scary and unintended consequence of his and Kabe's S&M play, and the fact that Kabe brushes it off as unimportant leaves him in his head, alone, in a bad place.
And since we spend a lot of time in Joe's head, this combines for an unpleasant stretch of reading. This was the only book in the series that I had to take breaks from reading just because I needed a breather from the tension.
Oh, and also, THE RANDOM COMMAS!!! I have no idea if the first two books were this bad and I somehow missed it, but from this point forward the proofing is a bit rough. It's mostly just that commas are dropped all willy-nilly into sentences, but there's a fair bit of typos as well.
And yet, after my lowest-rated book of the series, I mostly just want to talk about how much I love this character. The author has such a firm handle on who Joe is that Joe can be completely flailing about as he tries to figure this out for himself while still remaining so consistently Joe. His core self is just so solidly rooted, he really can't go off-track very far. I also love that this series that very frankly discusses the flaws of this church/religion and how it can and has been warped and corrupted, also shows the lovely flipside of someone who truly embodies the good intentions behind these same teachings.
>The case has a serious ick factor.
>Joe's parents bring the pain in a couple of different ways.
>Joe spends a large chunk of time angsting over a scary and unintended consequence of his and Kabe's S&M play, and the fact that Kabe brushes it off as unimportant leaves him in his head, alone, in a bad place.
And since we spend a lot of time in Joe's head, this combines for an unpleasant stretch of reading. This was the only book in the series that I had to take breaks from reading just because I needed a breather from the tension.
Oh, and also, THE RANDOM COMMAS!!! I have no idea if the first two books were this bad and I somehow missed it, but from this point forward the proofing is a bit rough. It's mostly just that commas are dropped all willy-nilly into sentences, but there's a fair bit of typos as well.
And yet, after my lowest-rated book of the series, I mostly just want to talk about how much I love this character. The author has such a firm handle on who Joe is that Joe can be completely flailing about as he tries to figure this out for himself while still remaining so consistently Joe. His core self is just so solidly rooted, he really can't go off-track very far. I also love that this series that very frankly discusses the flaws of this church/religion and how it can and has been warped and corrupted, also shows the lovely flipside of someone who truly embodies the good intentions behind these same teachings.
quinnclancy's review
3.0
I received this book for free in return for an honest review.
This is my favourite of all the Deputy Joe books so far. I don't know if I was just used to the dialect or if the author had eased up on it making it more sparing but I could understand most of the sentences without having to reread them a couple of times. Kabe as well was more fleshed out and less of a prop for Joe's development.
It was nice to delve into Joe's family to see how he had become the man he is today from how he grew up. it helped to explain a lot about his character and how he behaved up til this point. I liked how much more focus we got on the case and how it was affecting everybody around them. This author does paint a full and vibrant world around the main characters.
This is my favourite of all the Deputy Joe books so far. I don't know if I was just used to the dialect or if the author had eased up on it making it more sparing but I could understand most of the sentences without having to reread them a couple of times. Kabe as well was more fleshed out and less of a prop for Joe's development.
It was nice to delve into Joe's family to see how he had become the man he is today from how he grew up. it helped to explain a lot about his character and how he behaved up til this point. I liked how much more focus we got on the case and how it was affecting everybody around them. This author does paint a full and vibrant world around the main characters.
kaje_harper's review
5.0
Deputy Joe is one of my favorite characters in M/M, a man with deep convictions of what is right, what is just and fair, a believing Mormon, and yet a man who is gay and a top and into BDSM in a way that he sometimes has trouble reconciling with the rest of his life. And yet Joe doesn't lie to himself (at least not for long), and when pushed to the wall he doesn't lie to others either.
His partner Kabe, for all that he's young, has a similar integrity - the strength to be himself and to know what he needs. He can support Joe when there's trouble, push him when unpalatable truths arise, and keeps Joe safe in exploring what BDSM means between the two of them.
A lot happens in this book, but mostly in terms of past secrets exposed, and present truths faced. There is very little actual action here, compared to the previous books. This one has a different feel - it's about internal reconciliation and family, and figuring out how your life works. I gained a lot of respect for Kabe in this book - for his strength, his self-awareness, and his commitment to Joe. I think at last I see them as true partners with equal weight in the relationship, and I like that. The plot was well done, and although the revelations came thick and fast it didn't feel like overkill, but like one of those clusterfuck times when every time you turn around someone else is in crisis. Those happen, and Joe will only make it through if he can keep his relationship with Kabe strong, and remember what really counts.
This book could round out the series, given where it leaves the two MC's and Joe's extended family. But I will happily read more about these guys, any time.
His partner Kabe, for all that he's young, has a similar integrity - the strength to be himself and to know what he needs. He can support Joe when there's trouble, push him when unpalatable truths arise, and keeps Joe safe in exploring what BDSM means between the two of them.
A lot happens in this book, but mostly in terms of past secrets exposed, and present truths faced. There is very little actual action here, compared to the previous books. This one has a different feel - it's about internal reconciliation and family, and figuring out how your life works. I gained a lot of respect for Kabe in this book - for his strength, his self-awareness, and his commitment to Joe. I think at last I see them as true partners with equal weight in the relationship, and I like that. The plot was well done, and although the revelations came thick and fast it didn't feel like overkill, but like one of those clusterfuck times when every time you turn around someone else is in crisis. Those happen, and Joe will only make it through if he can keep his relationship with Kabe strong, and remember what really counts.
This book could round out the series, given where it leaves the two MC's and Joe's extended family. But I will happily read more about these guys, any time.
relly's review against another edition
4.0
Great
4 ⭐️
I enjoyed this instalment. Joe and Kabe have settled into their relationship and the issues came from outside sources.
This one really focuses on family and we get to see Joes family and the dynamics there. I liked Joes family. There are different personalities and not everyone is accepting but to me that worked. I was disappointed with Joe’s mum early on but she really redeemed herself during the book and the talk between Joe and his dad at the end helped me understand where his dad was coming from too.
The case Joe was working on was also family related as it concerned his sister Rosie. I enjoyed watching Joe work the case and dealing with the things that popped up in the investigation
4 ⭐️
I enjoyed this instalment. Joe and Kabe have settled into their relationship and the issues came from outside sources.
This one really focuses on family and we get to see Joes family and the dynamics there. I liked Joes family. There are different personalities and not everyone is accepting but to me that worked. I was disappointed with Joe’s mum early on but she really redeemed herself during the book and the talk between Joe and his dad at the end helped me understand where his dad was coming from too.
The case Joe was working on was also family related as it concerned his sister Rosie. I enjoyed watching Joe work the case and dealing with the things that popped up in the investigation
catevari's review against another edition
4.0
Another really great entry into the series. Buchanan consistently delivers and never loses sight of who her characters are, while still expanding on Joe & Kabe's world and history. Laying Ghosts gets deeper into Joe's family, both when his parents return from a(n LDS) mission in Russia and Joe stumbles into a cold case involving the death of his sister, over 30 years prior.
One thing I really love about the books is Buchanan's deep and exquisite sense of place. While I don't feel like Buchanan pulls her punches about how parochial and bigoted the area can be, she still writes with an obvious deep love and understanding and balances those negatives with the corresponding positives. This is especially obvious when it comes to Joe's family, who have to grapple with their love for Joe versus the dictates of their faith. Some of them are better at it than others, but never in ways that feel like a caricature or unreal.
My ongoing complaint about the series has been that we never find out as much about Kabe as we do about Joe. On the one hand, we actually do finally get some significant information on Kabe's past, which is awesome, but on the other hand, they feel like tantalizing tidbits that get lost in the other events of the story (mainly Joe's).Now, I don't need or want the sordid details of Kabe's underage rape at the hands of a predatory Dom, but it does seem like an extremely significant moment in Kabe's history that gets glossed over fairly quickly, especially given Kabe's ongoing insistence/refusal to safe-word. I do hope that Buchanan plans to continue with the series (which seems like a good bet, given some developments toward the end of the book) and she'll continue to let us discover more about Kabe.
One thing I really love about the books is Buchanan's deep and exquisite sense of place. While I don't feel like Buchanan pulls her punches about how parochial and bigoted the area can be, she still writes with an obvious deep love and understanding and balances those negatives with the corresponding positives. This is especially obvious when it comes to Joe's family, who have to grapple with their love for Joe versus the dictates of their faith. Some of them are better at it than others, but never in ways that feel like a caricature or unreal.
My ongoing complaint about the series has been that we never find out as much about Kabe as we do about Joe. On the one hand, we actually do finally get some significant information on Kabe's past, which is awesome, but on the other hand, they feel like tantalizing tidbits that get lost in the other events of the story (mainly Joe's).
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