Scan barcode
A review by sil_the_lobster
Fair Game by Josh Lanyon
4.0
I'm currently re-reading this one and noticed I haven't written a review yet *tsking at myself*
Although there's fantastic authors whose books I immensely enjoy and re-read, too, Josh Lanyon has become one of the two authors whose books I turn to when I need a comfort read. (The other's Georgette Heyer, in case you're interested.) There's just something about his storytelling voice that makes it incredibly easy to lean into.
Anyway. Elliot, agent-turned-professor, is asked to look into the disappearance of a college student and what starts out as a favour for an old family friend quickly turns into something more complicated and dangerous than Elliot had expected. Dangerous, because he finds himself being shot at, complicated, because FBI agent Tucker Lance makes an appearance and stirs up Elliot's quiet life.
Elliot and Tucker make up another pairing that I've grown very fond of. I like their chemistry, the magnetism that is still there after all this time, the attraction between the former colleagues/comrades/brothers-in-arms/whatever-you-call-it. I think it's one of the things that makes me enjoy reading Lanyon's stories so much - his ability to create living, breathing people with strengths and weaknesses, with flaws and likeable streaks.
And again, he's created a wounded hero, a former FBI agent who had to trade his active career for a teaching job after having his knee seriously damaged (and whenever Elliot flinches, I flinch, because I've had the dubious pleasure of knee surgery, too, although not as bad). When I say "wounded hero" I don't mean it in a dramatic Hollywoodesque sense, super tragic with his life all destroyed etc asf, but rather like someone who's had to re-evaluate his life and start all over again. Yes, there was bitterness, yes, there still is, but he's getting there without having fallen into the darkest pits of despair. Lanyon creates regular blokes with regular issues who may or may not be drawn into murders or mysteries but who are always believable. Likeable, too, not too picture perfect to be scary or unrealistic, just... well, regular blokes slightly glammed over for enjoyable reading.
So what makes this book a good comfort read? It has a plot. Yes, I feel the need to point that out because many m/m novels are too busy being hot to bother with a story in between the sex scenes, and while I'm not at all against reading hot sex, I like a good story to go with it. Otherwise it's just wanking material and while there's nothing wrong with spending quality time with oneself, I want a good story if I pay good money. Like in real life. Sex is so much better when I'm in the right mood, and boy is the sex good when Elliot and Tucker finally get it on. The build-up is excellent, the tension between them is tangible and it's just so beautifully written. Lanyon doesn't write an awful lot of sex scenes into his stories because the plot comes first (no pun intended), but when he does, it's hot. And beautiful. And sexy. And it makes me long for a straight version of Tucker in my life because, DAMN. Freckles and all. So, yeah, plot. Character development. Interesting secondary characters. Background story. Fast-paced, but not at breakneck speed. Pleasant language but not in love with itself.
Yep, this one has it all.
Only noticed a few days ago that there's a sequel. Most excellent. It's already on the Kindle, waiting to be read. And there's still a whole bunch of Lanyon stories I haven't even downloaded yet. Ah well. They will be mine. Oh yeah. They will be mine :-)
Although there's fantastic authors whose books I immensely enjoy and re-read, too, Josh Lanyon has become one of the two authors whose books I turn to when I need a comfort read. (The other's Georgette Heyer, in case you're interested.) There's just something about his storytelling voice that makes it incredibly easy to lean into.
Anyway. Elliot, agent-turned-professor, is asked to look into the disappearance of a college student and what starts out as a favour for an old family friend quickly turns into something more complicated and dangerous than Elliot had expected. Dangerous, because he finds himself being shot at, complicated, because FBI agent Tucker Lance makes an appearance and stirs up Elliot's quiet life.
Elliot and Tucker make up another pairing that I've grown very fond of. I like their chemistry, the magnetism that is still there after all this time, the attraction between the former colleagues/comrades/brothers-in-arms/whatever-you-call-it. I think it's one of the things that makes me enjoy reading Lanyon's stories so much - his ability to create living, breathing people with strengths and weaknesses, with flaws and likeable streaks.
And again, he's created a wounded hero, a former FBI agent who had to trade his active career for a teaching job after having his knee seriously damaged (and whenever Elliot flinches, I flinch, because I've had the dubious pleasure of knee surgery, too, although not as bad). When I say "wounded hero" I don't mean it in a dramatic Hollywoodesque sense, super tragic with his life all destroyed etc asf, but rather like someone who's had to re-evaluate his life and start all over again. Yes, there was bitterness, yes, there still is, but he's getting there without having fallen into the darkest pits of despair. Lanyon creates regular blokes with regular issues who may or may not be drawn into murders or mysteries but who are always believable. Likeable, too, not too picture perfect to be scary or unrealistic, just... well, regular blokes slightly glammed over for enjoyable reading.
So what makes this book a good comfort read? It has a plot. Yes, I feel the need to point that out because many m/m novels are too busy being hot to bother with a story in between the sex scenes, and while I'm not at all against reading hot sex, I like a good story to go with it. Otherwise it's just wanking material and while there's nothing wrong with spending quality time with oneself, I want a good story if I pay good money. Like in real life. Sex is so much better when I'm in the right mood, and boy is the sex good when Elliot and Tucker finally get it on. The build-up is excellent, the tension between them is tangible and it's just so beautifully written. Lanyon doesn't write an awful lot of sex scenes into his stories because the plot comes first (no pun intended), but when he does, it's hot. And beautiful. And sexy. And it makes me long for a straight version of Tucker in my life because, DAMN. Freckles and all. So, yeah, plot. Character development. Interesting secondary characters. Background story. Fast-paced, but not at breakneck speed. Pleasant language but not in love with itself.
Yep, this one has it all.
Only noticed a few days ago that there's a sequel. Most excellent. It's already on the Kindle, waiting to be read. And there's still a whole bunch of Lanyon stories I haven't even downloaded yet. Ah well. They will be mine. Oh yeah. They will be mine :-)