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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
Yes
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Reading this book was like watching a crime show. I enjoyed the twists and turns the mystery took. It was a bit slow in the way the investigation and reveals went, but I understand that it's because it's more romance forward. The romance was sweet, but I feel Rav and Jack could have been explored more as characters. It felt like a few bits and pieces were given about them without really delving into anything. I didn't connect with the characters much because of this. Overall, it was an entertaining book that romance fans who like mysteries will enjoy.
He’s to Die For
A hot, NYC detective, Rav, who happens to be a Brit with dual citizenship, investigates a hot, rockstar, Jack, who may have un-alived a sleazy music dude. There’s immediate attraction between these two, but obvs, Rav can’t just get it on with his main suspect! Thus, he attempts to find the real perp so he can get all-access, VIP tickets to the hot rocker! Of course, things aren’t that open and shut.
While I enjoyed this debut, it felt a bit long and overly complicated at times. I do appreciate that the suspense aspect was present and not just a background setting. We actually follow the case with Rav, his partner, and other colleagues. However, the suspense didn’t work for me, as it felt too disjointed and sort of all over the place. That being said, I didn’t guess the who-until right before Rav did, which added to my enjoyment of the suspense! The romance was sweet, fade to black, but a bit to insta-love for my tastes (though, others have called it a slow burn so… 🤷♀️). Our two MCs were down bad from the start, but the push pull of the power imbalance was handled well and added to the realism of the relationship. I enjoyed the introduction of many side characters, and should the author continue to write within this world, I’d be interested in reading more!
Read if you like:
🎸Leads with an accent
🕵Rockstar meets normal person
🎸Romantic suspense
🕵️Fade to black (few details)
🎸Song lyrics as a love language
Thanks to the publisher for the arc. All opinions are my own.
Thanks to the publisher for the arc. All opinions are my own.
slow-paced
When I saw this book advertised for fans of Brooklyn 99, I had to check it out. Sadly, I’m not really sure where that comparison came from because this book was not funny and I kept waiting for the humor to kick in. It was enjoyable once you got into the meat of the story/case, but it took a while.
Rav Trivedi is a young detective in the Homicide division, trying to prove himself time and time again. When he and his partner are assigned a high-profile case, it leads to him crossing paths with Jack Vale, lead singer of The New Knickerbockers, time and time again. Even though them being together was complicated, it wasn’t illegal. They have an instant chemistry and their connection is sweet in a way I didn’t expect from a rockstar and a high-born detective.
This story took a while to pull me in, just when I thought I was going to call it, it finally got me invested for good. But, I think this book being advertised as a romance isn’t correct. Rav and Jack were adorable together, yes, however the crime dominated the story. It was interesting but had a lot of players and moving pieces to keep straight and I’m not so sure it accomplished wrapping things up as well as I hoped. I was interested and invested but wanted more of the Rav and Jack storyline and less of the crime in the end.
Rav Trivedi is a young detective in the Homicide division, trying to prove himself time and time again. When he and his partner are assigned a high-profile case, it leads to him crossing paths with Jack Vale, lead singer of The New Knickerbockers, time and time again. Even though them being together was complicated, it wasn’t illegal. They have an instant chemistry and their connection is sweet in a way I didn’t expect from a rockstar and a high-born detective.
This story took a while to pull me in, just when I thought I was going to call it, it finally got me invested for good. But, I think this book being advertised as a romance isn’t correct. Rav and Jack were adorable together, yes, however the crime dominated the story. It was interesting but had a lot of players and moving pieces to keep straight and I’m not so sure it accomplished wrapping things up as well as I hoped. I was interested and invested but wanted more of the Rav and Jack storyline and less of the crime in the end.
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-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
He’s To Die For is my first read by Erin Dunn, and I loved the romance/mystery blend of this novel. It’s difficult to blend any two genres, but both the romance and the mystery were well-developed, evenly paced and compelling. I was drawn into the mystery in particular and finished the book very quickly. The story has many twists and turns which made it nearly impossible for me to put down.
Rav is a queer British NYPD detective whose first case is investigating the homicide of a music industry executive. Things get interesting when one of the potential suspects is a hot musician, Jack Vale, who Rav is immediately attracted to. The case has many ups and downs, and the Rav’s partner and other officers he works with are funny and have good banter.
When Jack is cleared as a suspect, he and Rav start texting and end up spending the night together after a stalker attempts to shoot Jack. They have great chemistry and many deep conversations that lead to both developing feelings for each other. The situation takes a dramatic turn when Jack once again becomes the lead suspect in the murder, and Rav is suspended from his job. Rav works tirelessly to solve the crime with the help of his partner and a quirky hacker.
Rav has a great sense of humor and his POV is snarky and fun. I would have loved to have a dual POV narration here with Jack. That would have really strengthened the romance to know more about what Jack was thinking. Both characters seem to be falling in love, but Jack was sometimes distant and it wasn’t clear that they both felt the same way.
This story had many funny and great characters. The plot and mystery were complicated and really held my interest. I really felt the attraction and connection between the two main characters and was cheering for them throughout the story. This was a great read and debut novel.
Thank you to Erin Dunn, Minotaur Books, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Rav is our NYPD Detective that is polished, well-spoken, dressed to the 9s and openly gay. He also happens to be the son of a lord so every chance his co-workers get they are ribbing him about it.
Jack is our lead singer of the band that Rav is investigating for the murder of a character Jack is closely linked to and he is reportedly bisexual.
Rav and Jack's situation-ship evolves over the investigation because Jack is Rav's number one suspect.
I will say I felt like the story dragged on a bit as there was a lot of over explanation and sometimes I forgot they were in the middle of a murder case because of the behaviors exhibited. I did enjoy the well crafted mystery which aligned with the story perfectly. I just felt like there was something missing with the pacing. It felt a bit slow, IMO. I also enjoyed the banter between the two main characters. It felt witty and swoon-worthy.
Overall, a 4 Star due me not really vibing with the POV, that is my only gripe with this novel.
Jack is our lead singer of the band that Rav is investigating for the murder of a character Jack is closely linked to and he is reportedly bisexual.
Rav and Jack's situation-ship evolves over the investigation because Jack is Rav's number one suspect.
I will say I felt like the story dragged on a bit as there was a lot of over explanation and sometimes I forgot they were in the middle of a murder case because of the behaviors exhibited. I did enjoy the well crafted mystery which aligned with the story perfectly. I just felt like there was something missing with the pacing. It felt a bit slow, IMO. I also enjoyed the banter between the two main characters. It felt witty and swoon-worthy.
Overall, a 4 Star due me not really vibing with the POV, that is my only gripe with this novel.
Detective Rav Trivedi has been working his way to the top for years, despite less than stellar treatment from the older detectives in the precinct. Apparently being a lord's son, dressing fabulously, and having a penchant for following his own gut instead of senior officers advice, doesn't make you many friends. This time a massive case involving the murder of a record executive lands in his hands, and he's thrilled to do everything he can to solve it and hit the big leagues.
*****
I really wanted to love this book. The setup of being similar to Brooklyn 99 immediately had me snatching it up and diving into it. Unfortunately, it didn't feel anything even similar to the punchy, topically-relevant cop program that dives heavily into social issues and diversity struggles. From the get-go the author relied way too much on current day cultural references to try to get that feel, instead of digging into relatable social call-outs instead. There were references to X/Twitter, QAnon, Bridgerton, Brooklyn 99, current day movie stars, etc. We also are constantly inundated with brand names and designer labels as fill-in descriptors to highlight quality. The writing relied so much on cultural references (his LT is described as like female Captain Holt, and his partner as an off-brand Tom Brady) that it was limiting for someone who would have to look up that information to figure out what a character looked and acted like, instead of just having them properly described.
The third POV also felt like an interesting choice for the novel. Along with it we had so much tell and not show that I felt a distance between the two leads as a romantic couple. We get told they talk on the phone for hours, yet we get a quick flash of the start of the convo, if anything. We get intimate scenes that start fully detailed and then quickly get extremely vague and jump ahead. It's like the author was torn between open door and fade to black and blended them together for intimate scenes with odd gaps in them. Overall it left me not invested in the leads as a couple, as their growth wasn't really on page.
For the mystery element, it started out great and then stalled when the story switched to highlight Rav falling for Jack instead. It seemed like the balance between the two plots of the story was barely present, and it dragged through until the last 20% when things finally start happening. If this hadn't had been an ARC, I most likely would have DNF'd by the 60% mark because I just wasn't interested in any of it, nor did Jack seem at all interested in Rav outside of the physcial.
It's also an extremely dialogue-heavy novel. As someone who prefers balance of a rich world along with great dialogue and banter, this just felt overly heavy-handed on conversations, and less so on world building.
All in all, it was an okay book, with slower pacing. If you're up to date on current cultural references you may enjoy it moreso than I did.
*****
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
*****
I really wanted to love this book. The setup of being similar to Brooklyn 99 immediately had me snatching it up and diving into it. Unfortunately, it didn't feel anything even similar to the punchy, topically-relevant cop program that dives heavily into social issues and diversity struggles. From the get-go the author relied way too much on current day cultural references to try to get that feel, instead of digging into relatable social call-outs instead. There were references to X/Twitter, QAnon, Bridgerton, Brooklyn 99, current day movie stars, etc. We also are constantly inundated with brand names and designer labels as fill-in descriptors to highlight quality. The writing relied so much on cultural references (his LT is described as like female Captain Holt, and his partner as an off-brand Tom Brady) that it was limiting for someone who would have to look up that information to figure out what a character looked and acted like, instead of just having them properly described.
The third POV also felt like an interesting choice for the novel. Along with it we had so much tell and not show that I felt a distance between the two leads as a romantic couple. We get told they talk on the phone for hours, yet we get a quick flash of the start of the convo, if anything. We get intimate scenes that start fully detailed and then quickly get extremely vague and jump ahead. It's like the author was torn between open door and fade to black and blended them together for intimate scenes with odd gaps in them. Overall it left me not invested in the leads as a couple, as their growth wasn't really on page.
For the mystery element, it started out great and then stalled when the story switched to highlight Rav falling for Jack instead. It seemed like the balance between the two plots of the story was barely present, and it dragged through until the last 20% when things finally start happening. If this hadn't had been an ARC, I most likely would have DNF'd by the 60% mark because I just wasn't interested in any of it, nor did Jack seem at all interested in Rav outside of the physcial.
It's also an extremely dialogue-heavy novel. As someone who prefers balance of a rich world along with great dialogue and banter, this just felt overly heavy-handed on conversations, and less so on world building.
All in all, it was an okay book, with slower pacing. If you're up to date on current cultural references you may enjoy it moreso than I did.
*****
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
🅷🅴'🆂 🆃🅾︎ 🅳🅸🅴 🅵🅾︎🆁
𝚋𝚢: 𝙴𝚛𝚒𝚗 𝙳𝚞𝚗𝚗
𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝕪𝕠𝕦 🫶🏻 @minotaurbooks and @smpromance for free book and #smppartner All opinions are my own.
𝔽𝕒𝕧𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕖 𝕢𝕦𝕠𝕥𝕖 💕
“I feel like the waves keep tossing us back into each other. Like the universe won’t take no for an answer.”
𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪 ✏️
Homicide detective, Rav Trivedi, has a weakness for designer suits and a penchant for throwing caution to the wind if someone is in trouble. When he is assigned the high-profile murder of a record executive he must focus on the task at hand and not become distracted by the gorgeous rock star with the heart of gold who just happens to have a clear motive and no alibi.
𝕄𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 💭
If you are looking for a true to life police procedural then be aware that this is not it. There are lots of twists and turns but overall it is a super cute romance with just the right mix of mystery and spice. Rav is the sweetest MMC. He and Jack have quite a push and pull for most of the story but I enjoyed their journey very much! If I had to sum this one up with one word, it would be: charming
He’s to Die For is a fun and entertaining romance-filled whodunit. If that is your vibe then this is a great one to add to your list!
ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕚𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 📖
✩ Whodunits
✩ Text/Phone flirting
✩ Anxiety Rep
✩ Rock star romance
✩ LGBTQ+ Rep
✩ Some spice
This book delivers a fantastic mix of romance and mystery! Each element could shine on its own, but together they create an engaging reading experience that keeps you hooked. Watching the chemistry and trust build between Rav and Jack is a thrill, all while you’re piecing together the clues of a cleverly crafted murder plot.
What really stands out are Rav and Jack themselves. They defy stereotypes, each bringing their unique quirks to the table. It’s hard not to root for these characters as they navigate their complex lives and relationship.
I’m left hoping this book sparks a series! I wouldn’t mind spending more time with these captivating characters and diving deeper into their world. If you’re looking for a read that combines intrigue with romance, this one’s a must!
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes