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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
These characters and support characters get better each book. Jackson has to deal with pent up issues from being, ignored and eventually abandoned by druggie his mother. This killer is definitely using druggies and other things to mess with his mind. Elleroy tries to help him as Jackson tries to push him away. Really great relationship struggle as well as a story with support characters that are quite full themselves.
mysterious
~ 4.5 stars ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are like me and kinda OCD when it comes to the right chronological order of books in a series, my advice is to start this book at the back. There are 4 short stories added after the end of Red Fish, Dead Fish that happened between Fish Out of Water and this book. If you are listening to the audiobook, the short stories start at chapter 21.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are like me and kinda OCD when it comes to the right chronological order of books in a series, my advice is to start this book at the back. There are 4 short stories added after the end of Red Fish, Dead Fish that happened between Fish Out of Water and this book. If you are listening to the audiobook, the short stories start at chapter 21.
4.5*
Thanks to Kaje Harper for the advice to read the bonus stories first!
So, 2 down 1 to go - baddies that is, as well as the books!!
Jackson and Ellery continue to chase down the guys behind the bad guys and this time it is getting closer to Jackson. It is fairly grim and gritty as befits the people caught up in drug use and pushing.
Lots of leads to be chased, cops to harrass.
Again Jackson goes off on his self sacrificing missions, despite me thinking he was gettng over that by the end of book 1!
Luckily for the reader we do not get to see the psychopath in action, just dealing with the fall out of his madness. Though I did want him to pay more for his crimes than the relatively easy end he got.
So, still the madman behind it all to track down and the why, and corruption at high level no doubt.
Roll on book three!!
Thanks to Kaje Harper for the advice to read the bonus stories first!
So, 2 down 1 to go - baddies that is, as well as the books!!
Jackson and Ellery continue to chase down the guys behind the bad guys and this time it is getting closer to Jackson. It is fairly grim and gritty as befits the people caught up in drug use and pushing.
Lots of leads to be chased, cops to harrass.
Again Jackson goes off on his self sacrificing missions, despite me thinking he was gettng over that by the end of book 1!
Luckily for the reader we do not get to see the psychopath in action, just dealing with the fall out of his madness. Though I did want him to pay more for his crimes than the relatively easy end he got.
So, still the madman behind it all to track down and the why, and corruption at high level no doubt.
Roll on book three!!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
**** Read the short stories at the end of the book first ****
** This novel begins a few months after the end of [b:Fish Out of Water|30813756|Fish Out of Water (Fish Out of Water, #1)|Amy Lane|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1467239908s/30813756.jpg|51402108] - a time frame in which four short stories included at the end of the book have happened. If you like reading in order, as I do, check the TOC for "Accompanying Stories" - after the last chapter "New Currents to Explore." They are not essential to understanding the novel, but one scene in particular will be a lot clearer for having read them. And they're fun, with a bit of Ace and Sonny in them. :) **
The novel itself follows Jackson and Ellery, as they try to find dirty cop and killer Owens, the bad guy who slipped away in book 1. Despite the evidence they have against him, law enforcement is oddly reluctant to help them out. Until you realize that one issue with revealing a cop gone bad is that every case he touched as a cop is now tainted. Every bad guy he took off the street, every one of his testimonies in court, now has a chance to be undone. That's a can of worms that the department, already dealing with the fall-out from two bad cops, doesn't want to face unless forced to. So it's up to our guys to track down a killer who likes his victims young, pretty, and a bit dirty.
This book doesn't stand alone - Jackson's frenetic self-destructive tendencies, his vision of a relationship as an inevitable failure that he might as well just precipitate, reflects his past that we saw in book 1. Ellery's determination to hang on to this half-wild alleycat of a guy, despite the inevitable bites and scratches, makes sense when you know what they went through together.
The action is wild and non-stop. You have to posit that Jackson has the sky-high pain threshold of a young Labrador Retriever in the hunting field, to believe some of the things he manages to do. But then Jackson has faced a world of past pain, and learned to deal with it, as chronic sufferers do, so it only rarely pinged my limits. There is a lot of heat, and also tenderness expressed mainly as heat, because that's the only kind Jackson will take, or give. There are good cops, mediocre cops, bad cops, and a creepy new antagonist or two. The ending is solid for this piece of the story, but new bad guys still loom on the horizon.
For some reason the angst in this series doesn't stab me as deeply as some Amy Lane books do. (She delivers as good a blow to the heart as anyone I've ever read, in many of her angstier stories.) I'm not sure whether it's Jackson's self-destructiveness and bad choices, or the somewhat frenetic pace, but I was dragged through exciting times on page and felt moderate sympathy, particularly for Ellery, but less intense empathy. Jackson's story is full of pain, maybe so full that there's no resting point from which to experience it, so I read this as more thriller than romance. I think maybe in book 3, now that Jackson isn't struggling against the relationship trap so hard, the next story might be the one where his heart can show past the crazy. I'll definitely pick it up and find out.
** This novel begins a few months after the end of [b:Fish Out of Water|30813756|Fish Out of Water (Fish Out of Water, #1)|Amy Lane|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1467239908s/30813756.jpg|51402108] - a time frame in which four short stories included at the end of the book have happened. If you like reading in order, as I do, check the TOC for "Accompanying Stories" - after the last chapter "New Currents to Explore." They are not essential to understanding the novel, but one scene in particular will be a lot clearer for having read them. And they're fun, with a bit of Ace and Sonny in them. :) **
The novel itself follows Jackson and Ellery, as they try to find dirty cop and killer Owens, the bad guy who slipped away in book 1. Despite the evidence they have against him, law enforcement is oddly reluctant to help them out. Until you realize that one issue with revealing a cop gone bad is that every case he touched as a cop is now tainted. Every bad guy he took off the street, every one of his testimonies in court, now has a chance to be undone. That's a can of worms that the department, already dealing with the fall-out from two bad cops, doesn't want to face unless forced to. So it's up to our guys to track down a killer who likes his victims young, pretty, and a bit dirty.
This book doesn't stand alone - Jackson's frenetic self-destructive tendencies, his vision of a relationship as an inevitable failure that he might as well just precipitate, reflects his past that we saw in book 1. Ellery's determination to hang on to this half-wild alleycat of a guy, despite the inevitable bites and scratches, makes sense when you know what they went through together.
The action is wild and non-stop. You have to posit that Jackson has the sky-high pain threshold of a young Labrador Retriever in the hunting field, to believe some of the things he manages to do. But then Jackson has faced a world of past pain, and learned to deal with it, as chronic sufferers do, so it only rarely pinged my limits. There is a lot of heat, and also tenderness expressed mainly as heat, because that's the only kind Jackson will take, or give. There are good cops, mediocre cops, bad cops, and a creepy new antagonist or two. The ending is solid for this piece of the story, but new bad guys still loom on the horizon.
For some reason the angst in this series doesn't stab me as deeply as some Amy Lane books do. (She delivers as good a blow to the heart as anyone I've ever read, in many of her angstier stories.) I'm not sure whether it's Jackson's self-destructiveness and bad choices, or the somewhat frenetic pace, but I was dragged through exciting times on page and felt moderate sympathy, particularly for Ellery, but less intense empathy. Jackson's story is full of pain, maybe so full that there's no resting point from which to experience it, so I read this as more thriller than romance. I think maybe in book 3, now that Jackson isn't struggling against the relationship trap so hard, the next story might be the one where his heart can show past the crazy. I'll definitely pick it up and find out.
Ellery Cramer is a shark when it comes to being a lawyer. He got an eye-opening when he finally got to know PI Jackson Rivers, who was seeking a lawyer to defend his brother. When he learns of Jackson’s history: being a cop, almost being killed, and working undercover for way too long, he and Jackson found themselves facing police corruption, murder and plenty of danger.
Jackson, coming from a bad home life, became a member of an African-American family. But no matter how well he’s been treated and accepted by his adopted family, he’s always felt he wasn’t worth anything to anybody, except for a very unusual cat. His promiscuous reputation doesn’t do him any justice, either, and it still frustrates Ellery. Ellery gives his all to make Jackson feel that he is wanted and loved outside his little family.
While Jackson is still recuperating from injuries suffered after coming close to solving his last case, he gets back in the muck again with the murder of three people. Once again, Jackson and Ellery find themselves in the gruesome world of a serial killer, and the one who got away, Tom Owens.
Jackson also finds himself in a traumatic situation relating to his mother, which leaves him feeling torn, vulnerable, not to mention in danger. But Ellery is invested in Jackson and their relationship, and he’s ready to go up against a dangerous sociopath.
Amy Lane didn’t disappoint with this action-packed and suspense filled sequel to Fish Out of Water, which I highly recommend reading first. Besides all the action and danger, there are some wonderful emotional moments and touches of humor. The plotline is excellent, but it does get gory in an exciting fight to the finish. Ellery and Jackson are still working on their relationship and every once in a while, there’s frustration and jealousy, but they always seem to work things out. They definitely are from opposite sides of the track, but their pairing is dynamic.
Then there’s a cast of entertaining secondary characters: Jade and Mike, Kaden, “Lucy Satan”, Dave and Alex. I especially got caught up in Sean Kryzynski, wondering if he’ll ever get a love interest of his own. One thing in particular that I absolutely love about this series is its setting in Sacramento, California. Amy Lane made me homesick. She covered and described so many areas that I’m familiar with to give this series a great visual for me. I hope she has more plans for the Fish Out of Water series; I’m hooked!
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach
Jackson, coming from a bad home life, became a member of an African-American family. But no matter how well he’s been treated and accepted by his adopted family, he’s always felt he wasn’t worth anything to anybody, except for a very unusual cat. His promiscuous reputation doesn’t do him any justice, either, and it still frustrates Ellery. Ellery gives his all to make Jackson feel that he is wanted and loved outside his little family.
While Jackson is still recuperating from injuries suffered after coming close to solving his last case, he gets back in the muck again with the murder of three people. Once again, Jackson and Ellery find themselves in the gruesome world of a serial killer, and the one who got away, Tom Owens.
Jackson also finds himself in a traumatic situation relating to his mother, which leaves him feeling torn, vulnerable, not to mention in danger. But Ellery is invested in Jackson and their relationship, and he’s ready to go up against a dangerous sociopath.
Amy Lane didn’t disappoint with this action-packed and suspense filled sequel to Fish Out of Water, which I highly recommend reading first. Besides all the action and danger, there are some wonderful emotional moments and touches of humor. The plotline is excellent, but it does get gory in an exciting fight to the finish. Ellery and Jackson are still working on their relationship and every once in a while, there’s frustration and jealousy, but they always seem to work things out. They definitely are from opposite sides of the track, but their pairing is dynamic.
Then there’s a cast of entertaining secondary characters: Jade and Mike, Kaden, “Lucy Satan”, Dave and Alex. I especially got caught up in Sean Kryzynski, wondering if he’ll ever get a love interest of his own. One thing in particular that I absolutely love about this series is its setting in Sacramento, California. Amy Lane made me homesick. She covered and described so many areas that I’m familiar with to give this series a great visual for me. I hope she has more plans for the Fish Out of Water series; I’m hooked!
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach
Man, I am starting to love Amy Lane more and more. I'm so happy I gave this author a chance. All I'd heard before reading her books was that she wrote a LOT of angst, like that was her thing. And while that's true, she does it soooo well.
Ellery rubbed Jackson’s pouty bottom lip with his thumb. “I am insecure because you are….” He laughed, embarrassed. “Really hot.”
Jackson ducked his head. “So are you!”
~*~
“Tough. I love you. I’ve never loved another man like I love you. This thing that just happened to you, it feels like the end of the world. But the man in my arms?” Ellery squeezed him tighter, knowing that even if it hurt, Jackson could take it. “He’s still strong. Still good inside. It hasn’t stopped how I feel about him. It doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
Jackson goes through the grinder in this. I seriously had to wonder how he keeps surviving, because like holy shit? It's one thing after another in this. Some, he gets into himself because he's a stubborn ass who thinks he has to go it alone, and some is just thrust upon him by this shitty world.
But now Jackson has Ellery, who is just as big a stubborn ass, because he doesn't give up on Jackson, not once. He almost dares Jackson to leave him like Jackson is trying to get Ellery to leave him, but Jackson never does, for all his fear and insecurities and walls build up around him.
Ellery smashes through all those walls in this, eventually. And when they're down, and it's them together, it's beautiful. It's real and honest.
In this follow up to the first lovely novel, we find Jackson and Ellery still trying to track down Owens, and every few weeks a body shows up that they know Owens killed. But the police won't do shit because they don't want to have to uncover even more possible corruption done by Owens when he was a cop. Ugh. It's unfortunately realistic.
But these two don't give up, and in their pursuit of a seriously disturbed serial killer, horrible shit happens. To them - Jackson especially - and around them. The fear I felt throughout wondering if Owens was going to pop up out of nowhere and get them, that they'd find him and it'd all go wrong. It's wonderful writing, even if I hated seeing Jackson in so much goddamn pain and Ellery in pain because of his pain.
But also, Jackson is such a stubborn ass. He has to be pushed to the breaking point to easily and readily accept help. He does so grudgingly every other time. It gets soooo frustrating every time he says "I'm fine" while his shoulder is mangled to shit and he gets stabbed a little bit more and has bruises everywhere and also.
It's like Jackson was put under a pile of shit under a pile of bigger shit in this book. But the good thing was that he had Ellery there to pull him out of it, every step of the way. Their love is special and amazing and passionate.
Also, I love Jade and Mike too. They are awesome secondary characters and they continue to be amazing in this.
Jackson and Ellery eventually.
The ending is defffinntely telling us there is going to a third book. Given that there's another possible psychopath still at large, I got the feeling the ending was not the very end, and we're getting another one. We gotta get another book haha. The ending was fairly open ended, so I didn't get a feel that this was it.
And I'm excited for that book, because I'd love to read more Jackson and Ellery. These two together are electric and passionate and sweet and adorable.
Loved this!
Ellery rubbed Jackson’s pouty bottom lip with his thumb. “I am insecure because you are….” He laughed, embarrassed. “Really hot.”
Jackson ducked his head. “So are you!”
~*~
“Tough. I love you. I’ve never loved another man like I love you. This thing that just happened to you, it feels like the end of the world. But the man in my arms?” Ellery squeezed him tighter, knowing that even if it hurt, Jackson could take it. “He’s still strong. Still good inside. It hasn’t stopped how I feel about him. It doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
Jackson goes through the grinder in this. I seriously had to wonder how he keeps surviving, because like holy shit? It's one thing after another in this. Some, he gets into himself because he's a stubborn ass who thinks he has to go it alone, and some is just thrust upon him by this shitty world.
But now Jackson has Ellery, who is just as big a stubborn ass, because he doesn't give up on Jackson, not once. He almost dares Jackson to leave him like Jackson is trying to get Ellery to leave him, but Jackson never does, for all his fear and insecurities and walls build up around him.
Ellery smashes through all those walls in this, eventually. And when they're down, and it's them together, it's beautiful. It's real and honest.
In this follow up to the first lovely novel, we find Jackson and Ellery still trying to track down Owens, and every few weeks a body shows up that they know Owens killed. But the police won't do shit because they don't want to have to uncover even more possible corruption done by Owens when he was a cop. Ugh. It's unfortunately realistic.
But these two don't give up, and in their pursuit of a seriously disturbed serial killer, horrible shit happens. To them - Jackson especially - and around them. The fear I felt throughout wondering if Owens was going to pop up out of nowhere and get them, that they'd find him and it'd all go wrong. It's wonderful writing, even if I hated seeing Jackson in so much goddamn pain and Ellery in pain because of his pain.
But also, Jackson is such a stubborn ass. He has to be pushed to the breaking point to easily and readily accept help. He does so grudgingly every other time. It gets soooo frustrating every time he says "I'm fine" while his shoulder is mangled to shit and he gets stabbed a little bit more and has bruises everywhere and also
Spoiler
gets fucking pneumonia??? jfcIt's like Jackson was put under a pile of shit under a pile of bigger shit in this book. But the good thing was that he had Ellery there to pull him out of it, every step of the way. Their love is special and amazing and passionate.
Also, I love Jade and Mike too. They are awesome secondary characters and they continue to be amazing in this.
Jackson and Ellery eventually
Spoiler
take down Owens, cause duh! But there is also that whole "bad guy holds knife to your lovers neck and threatens to kill them while you stand there pleading with them not to kill your love" trope in this and i LOVED it. The truths Jackson finally admitted in that scene...damn. I mean, it sucked majorly, but I'm also a sucker for that trope, soooo ;)The ending is defffinntely telling us there is going to a third book. Given that there's another possible psychopath still at large, I got the feeling the ending was not the very end, and we're getting another one. We gotta get another book haha. The ending was fairly open ended, so I didn't get a feel that this was it.
And I'm excited for that book, because I'd love to read more Jackson and Ellery. These two together are electric and passionate and sweet and adorable.
Loved this!