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A review by divapitbull
Laurel Heights by Lisa Worrall
3.0
Laurel Heights should have ticked all my boxes. 2 alpha, macho….however you say manly men detectives; with an antagonistic relationship, an enemies to lovers theme – working together to solve a murder. What’s not to love? Except that sadly, the execution was just “meh” for me and it spiraled down from a solid 3.5 stars to a 2.5. There are 2 more books in the series, and this one ended on one hell of a cliffhanger: and yet – I’m done.
Scott Turner and Will Harrison are both closeted detectives on the White Plains Police Department. Only their female partners know the truth about their orientation. Scott’s in the closet because his father was a colossal homophobic, bigoted asshole. Will, is lucky to have loving, supportive parents; but he’s seen how not welcoming the Fraternal Order of Police can be when it comes to diversity and decided it was in the best interest of his career to play it straight. Scott pretends to be a world class womanizer bragging loudly about his conquests. Will has a made up girlfriend and a perfect picket fence, nothing to see here so move along, pretend life mapped out for his work colleagues. They loathe each other. Likely because underneath the loathing is an intense, never to be requited – attraction.
Things heat up when Will and Scott have to go undercover, pretending to be a gay couple to infiltrate the Laurel Height’s gay community in order to investigate a murder-suicide. Laurel Heights is one weird set up. Not because it’s a gated community catering exclusively to gay men. And not because the Homeowner’s Association (if you will) requires participation in monthly gatherings that consist of orgies and partner-swapping. It’s a weird set up because the other 4 couples who live in this 5 house community’ have absolutely no sense of personal boundaries. I get that they’re all friends; although Will and Scott are new to the mix; but I couldn’t get past how incredibly intrusive they were. They just walk into each other’s houses uninvited and unexpected and grope each other uninvited. It felt less like the kink community and more like a cult.
My real issue however comes down to Will and Scott. The story is told with alternating points of view and we get to get inside both their heads. I wish we didn’t. My manly men are whiny little bitches. They’re also the worst detectives ever. They have like zero training. When the shit hit’s the fan, they are completely unprepared. The level of cluster-fuckery things dissolve into is more shocking than finding out the identity of the murderer. There is however a HEA. The cliffhanger is intriguing and I’d love to know who the new acolyte is – but not enough to read the next book.
Scott Turner and Will Harrison are both closeted detectives on the White Plains Police Department. Only their female partners know the truth about their orientation. Scott’s in the closet because his father was a colossal homophobic, bigoted asshole. Will, is lucky to have loving, supportive parents; but he’s seen how not welcoming the Fraternal Order of Police can be when it comes to diversity and decided it was in the best interest of his career to play it straight. Scott pretends to be a world class womanizer bragging loudly about his conquests. Will has a made up girlfriend and a perfect picket fence, nothing to see here so move along, pretend life mapped out for his work colleagues. They loathe each other. Likely because underneath the loathing is an intense, never to be requited – attraction.
Things heat up when Will and Scott have to go undercover, pretending to be a gay couple to infiltrate the Laurel Height’s gay community in order to investigate a murder-suicide. Laurel Heights is one weird set up. Not because it’s a gated community catering exclusively to gay men. And not because the Homeowner’s Association (if you will) requires participation in monthly gatherings that consist of orgies and partner-swapping. It’s a weird set up because the other 4 couples who live in this 5 house community’ have absolutely no sense of personal boundaries. I get that they’re all friends; although Will and Scott are new to the mix; but I couldn’t get past how incredibly intrusive they were. They just walk into each other’s houses uninvited and unexpected and grope each other uninvited. It felt less like the kink community and more like a cult.
My real issue however comes down to Will and Scott. The story is told with alternating points of view and we get to get inside both their heads. I wish we didn’t. My manly men are whiny little bitches. They’re also the worst detectives ever. They have like zero training. When the shit hit’s the fan, they are completely unprepared. The level of cluster-fuckery things dissolve into is more shocking than finding out the identity of the murderer. There is however a HEA. The cliffhanger is intriguing and I’d love to know who the new acolyte is – but not enough to read the next book.