Tag: mystery

Review: The Quiet House (Black and Blue #2) by Lily Morton

A great follow up.

5 out of 5 stars

 E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 271 pages. Published March 26th 2021

Blurb:

Levi Black has mostly recovered from the events of a year ago. The only lingering effects are that he’s much more well known in York than he’d like to be, and he’s a lot more cautious about walking around his house naked. However, those events brought him the capricious and fascinating Blue, so he’s not complaining. On the contrary, he’s happy, in love, and looking forward to Blue finally moving in with him. And if sometimes he wonders what Blue sees in a boring cartoonist, he keeps that to himself.

Blue Billings is finally ready to throw off the memories of his past and move in with the person who means the most in the world to him. His psychic abilities have grown in the last year to his mentor Tom’s consternation, but Blue is determined to look on the bright side. He’s also focused on ignoring all the warning signs that he’s received lately.

However, even deeply buried secrets have a way of rising to the surface. And when a surprise from Blue’s past turns up and draws them away to a lonely house on the Yorkshire moors, Levi and Blue must fight for their survival once again.

Likes:

  • Hooked me fast and held my attention.
  • More ghosts than the first.
  • The tie-in with Blue’s personal history.
  • Blue and Levi, together and separately.
  • That both men still had worries about their relationship.

Dislikes:

  • That Blue went to the quiet house in the first place.
  • That Blue ignored his crow.
  • That people like the house owner actually exist.

I reread The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings before starting The Quiet House, since Levi and Blue are the main characters of both books. It was a good choice, since I wouldn’t have remembered the little details of the relationship and lives otherwise. And while Levi and Blue were happily together at the end of book one, their relationship isn’t completely settled yet.

I really love Levi and Blue together. Their feelings are genuine, but they still banter a lot. In this book, despite everything they went through in the previous one, both men aren’t convinced that it will last. Blue’s past makes him worry that Levi will eventually abandon him. Levi, who was cheated on by his last partner, sees Blue getting more and more popular and wonders why someone as amazing as Blue is with someone as boring as him. Their worries felt realistic for them.

When a warning spirit shows up, Blue knows something big is coming. I was surprised who the ‘surprise from Blue’s past’ was, and the way the entire interaction played out, but was happy with the way things ended. It definitely had a hopeful feel to it.

What I wasn’t thrilled with was the fact that Blue went to the Quiet House in the first place. Everything was pointing to it being a bad idea, but Blue went anyway. And while I can understand why he did, I didn’t like it. Especially since the two people most important to him went along to keep him safe, and ended up in danger.

There were way more ghosts in this book than the first. I was hooked fast and stayed invested as more and more ghostly phenomenon occurred. It was so blatant that even someone like Levi, without any special ability, had run-ins with the ghosts. One of the biggest compliments I can give a book is being so caught up reading that I forget to take notes, and that happened with this book. No soggy middle here!

The sad thing is that there are people like the Viscount Ingram out there in real life. People who enjoy collecting and being around objects that have witnessed lots of human suffering. I found all of the less-than-pleasant side characters to be completely believable. The charlatans and faux ghost hunters were only out to make money and further their fame.

I hope we get more books about Blue and Levi. I’d also take a book about Will and Jem. Even though they were minor characters, they were both sweet.

Be sure to check out my review for the first book, The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings (Black and Blue #1) 

Review: An Evidence of Magic (Everlight #1) by Kris Michaels and Patricia A. Knight

Fantastic blend of romance, fantasy, and mystery. A great start to a series.

5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 210 pages. Published September 5th 2016 by Troll River Publications

Blurb:

Forty-year-old, hard bitten, foul-mouthed, homicide detective, Hiro Santos, suspects the owner of the art studio committed the gory killing. Too bad. There are other things he’d like to do to the gorgeous young man than book him for murder. Worse, his sexy suspect is certifiable. The nutcase claims he’s some kind of high wizard from an alternate reality and needs Hiro’s help to save their worlds.

While the striking Sable Campion appears a youthful twenty-five, he’s endured over two-hundred lonely years as guardian of the portal between Everlight and Elysium. None of those centuries offered him any experience finding a vicious killer. That’s where Hiro Santos comes in; but convincing the virile detective to trust Sable will take all his persuasive skills…and perhaps a bit of magic.

The magic they find in each other’s arms will rock each of their realities. 

Likes:

  • Person of color main character.
  • Hiro and Sable, together and separately.
  • Hooked me fast and kept my attention.
  • A great mashup of romance, fantasy, and mystery.
  • The character development both men went through.
  • Hot smut.

Dislikes:

  • Too many pronouns on occasion could make things confusing.
  • Was expecting last minute drama.
  • Occasional point of view changes out of nowhere.

My favorite genres are gay romance, fantasy, and mystery. This book had all three, and combined them seamlessly. I’m very impressed. There was a lot going on in this book, but it was balanced nicely. A romance that continued to change and grow up to the end, enough world building to flesh out Elysium, and a mystery that drove the story’s momentum.

I liked Hiro and Sable equally. They’re both smart, talented men. The lives they’ve lived are wildly different, but they fit together perfectly as both a romantic couple and partners trying to solve a crime. Watching their relationship was so much fun. They both undergo drastic changes throughout the book, thanks to one another. The character development was top notch.

I especially love that Hiro is a person of color with a complex ethnic background. Not only that, but his ethnicity plays a part in the story.  I wish there were more character like Hiro in gay romance.

This book hooked me fast. I don’t mind a gruesome murder scene here and there, especially when it sets up the mystery. The mystery was the main driving force behind the story’s momentum. Hiro and Sable are a couple by about the middle of the book, so the romantic drive decreases a bit. Other points of interest come in, which makes you want to hurry and find out all the details.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the smut. So hot, and a lot of it. Plus, the men are verse. The attraction between Hiro and Sable is off the charts, and doesn’t cool down even after they get together.

I was expecting last minute drama when it came time for the killer to be revealed. It was a little disappointing that there was no double cross or anything like that. But I liked the way everything ended. It sets up future books perfectly.

I think there are times when the pronoun ‘him’ was overused, and made things a little confusing. Similarly, there are some random point of view changes. But other than that, I don’t have any complaints about this book. I’m excited to get to the next one. Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded if Hiro and Sable were the main characters again, I liked them that much.

Find the review for the second book in the series, Incident of Magic, here.

Review: In Other Words…Murder (Holmes and Moriarity #4) by Josh Lanyon

While the mystery was weak, I was happy to see the domestic bliss between Kit and J.X.

4 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 215 pages. Published July 13th 2018 by Josh Lanyon

Blurb:

Death reveals all secrets.

Mystery author Christopher Holmes, now comfortably married to sometimes rival, sometimes nemesis J.X. Moriarity, is starting a new career as a true crime writer when threatening anonymous notes start arriving.

Even worse, Christopher’s ex also arrives—asking for help locating the man he left Christopher for!

It’s life—and death—as usual at Chez Holmes. In other words… Murder. 

Likes:

  • Domestic bliss.
  • Kit has changed noticeably for the better.
  • The drama that happens all at once.
  • The good things I’ve come to expect from the series.
  • Kit’s going to write again.

Dislikes:

  • David.
  • The synopsis is misleading.
  • A lot of elements seemed completely piecemeal.
  • The mystery was weak.
  • The ebook ended at 86%

I still love Kit and J.X. Everything about their relationship and personalities that I’ve liked in the previous books is still there. Only better now, because they’ve finally settled into a rhythm of domestic bliss.

There were some really touching moments in the book, as well as examples of how Kit has changed for the better. He’s willing and able to compromise without making a scene first. Will he ever be best friends with Kit’s family, especially his nephew? Probably not. But they can tolerate each other now, which is progress.

However, a point of note. Kit and J.X. are not married yet, despite what the blurb says. Neither is Kit about to start writing true crime novels. He is, however, possibly going to start writing more cozy mysteries again, and that makes me excited for him.

In terms of things going on in this book, there was a lot. Kit’s stalker from the last books shows up, there are creepy clowns, his ex-husband David, a lawsuit, a dead body, a kidnapping, and a deadly game of hide and seek in a field of corn. It made for an entertaining read, but when I finished, I realized how piecemeal everything was.

The mystery itself was weak. This was the first time Kit didn’t find the body himself, which made things feel a little distant. And honestly, the other, non-murder related things easily drew my attention away. Attack clowns? Yeah, that’s where my focus was, in part because it was so strange, but also because it was the most immediate problem.

David also took up a lot of the attention. It was interesting to see him for the first time. He was more sleazy than I expected. But his lack of concern for people, both Kit and Dicky, really showed how callus he is. J.X. is a million times better.

I’m not mad at what mystery there was, but the sleuthing definitely felt like it was on the back burner. The climax of the book was both tense and funny. Only Kit would end up hiding in a field of corn that his would-be murderer then tries to mow down with a tractor.

My last complaint is that the ebook ended at the 86% mark. That’s way too short. It completely caught me off guard. But it lends credence to the idea that the original mystery plot wasn’t enough to carry the book, so other things, like Jerry and the clowns, had to be added to pad the run-time.

Even though the mystery was underwhelming, I still liked this book for the romance between Kit and J.X. I’m looking forward to the next book, which I hope will have a wedding in it.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Somebody Killed His Editor, All She Wrote, and The Boy With the Painful Tattoo.

Review: The Boy With the Painful Tattoo (Holmes and Moriarity #3) by Josh Lanyon

Everything about this book was great, from the mystery to the relationship.

5 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 228 pages. Published October 5th 2014 by Just Joshin

Blurb:

It’s moving day at Chez Holmes. Somehow, against Kit’s better instincts, he and J.X. are setting up house together. But while J.X. is off at a writing conference, Kit unpacks a crate that should contain either old books or new china. It doesn’t. Within the mounds of green Styrofoam popcorn is a dead body. A very dead body.

There goes the neighborhood.

Likes:

  • The relationship between Kit and J.X.
  • The fears that still creep up on Kit.
  • Kit dealing with how he feels about sex.
  • The stalker added tension.
  • Great sex scenes.
  • Great mystery.

Dislikes:

  • J.X. being so sure everything will be fine and that Kit is just overreacting.
  • Some TSTL moments.

I jumped right into this book after finishing the last one – one of the perks of coming to the series late since there was a four year publishing gap between books two and three. I loved this book even more than the last ones. All the things I liked had been magnified.

First off, the relationship between Kit and J.X. was stronger than ever. They even moved in together, despite Kit’s fears. And at this point, Kit having fears about the relationship is a given. But all his fears are so understandable and relatable that I don’t mind. J.X. is a rising star while Kit feels like he’s fading.

I wish J.X. had been more accepting of what Kit was feeling instead of trying to tell him it was fine. J.X. didn’t understand, and his constant attempts at bland comfort got annoying. There were times when it felt like J.X. thought Kit was overacting about everything and automatically dismissed his concerns out of hand. Sure, Kit overreacts a lot, but not all the time.

The men definitely have things they need to work out in their relationship, but that’s part of the fun of reading about them. Kit’s discoveries about sex and how he feels he should be were powerful. I’ve never read a book where the couple actually discusses the way sex and the societal images of it can make people feel. It truly was a great moment.

 The mystery was great in this book as well. I think this book had the best combination of romance and mystery so far. Add in Kit’s stalker, the new characters introduced, and the new setting, and this book was full to bursting without being overwhelming.

However, there were moments within the context of the mystery that made me cringe. Bad decisions that made me want to scream at Kit. TSTL – too stupid to live – is harsh, but honest. It’s a good thing J.X. was there.

I am once again looking forward to the next book in the series.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Somebody Killed His Editor, All She Wrote, and In Other Words… Murder.

Review: All She Wrote (Holmes and Moriarity #2) by Josh Lanyon

Kit’s personality is such a good match for me. Loving the drama and murders.

4 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 173 pages. Published December 28th 2010 by Samhain Publishing

Blurb:

Giving screwball mystery a whole deadly new meaning.

A murderous fall down icy stairs is nearly the death of Anna Hitchcock, the much-beloved American Agatha Christie and Christopher Holmes’s former mentor. Anna’s plea for him to host her annual winter writing retreat touches all Kit’s sore spots: traveling, teaching writing classes, and separation from his new lover, J.X. Moriarity.

For J.X., Kit’s cancellation of yet another romantic weekend is the death knell of a relationship that has been limping along for months. But that’s just as well, right? Kit isn’t ready for anything serious and besides, Kit owes Anna far too much to refuse.

Faster than you can say Miss Marple wears boxer shorts, Kit is snooping around Anna’s elegant, snowbound mansion in the Berkshires for clues as to who’s trying to kill her. A tough task with six amateur sleuths underfoot, six budding writers with a tangled web of dark undercurrents running among them.

Slowly, Kit gets the uneasy feeling that the secret may lie between the pages of someone’s fictional past. Unfortunately, a clever killer is one step ahead. And it may be too late for J.X. to ride to the rescue.

Warning: Contains one irascible, forty-year-old mystery writer who desperately needs to get laid, one exasperated thirty-something ex-cop only too happy to oblige, an isolated country manor that needs the thermostat cranked up, various assorted aspiring and perspiring authors, and a merciless killer who may have read one too many mystery novels.

Likes:

  • That Kit is finding all of these murders away from home.
  • The romantic relationship drama.
  • The plot had me guessing.
  • Kit’s personality.

Dislikes:

  • Dissatisfied with what happened to the murderer.

I charged straight through to this book after finishing the last one only to find that Kit and J.X. were basically over. Kit’s many insecurities had once again raised their ugly heads hydra-style, causing the relationship to deflate. That put me in a bleak enough mood to enjoy the frozen, wintery setting even though I’m not a fan of the cold.

Looking into who’s trying to murder his former teacher, as well as running a writer’s workshop, gave Kit plenty to think about without dwelling on J.X. It also makes this book much fuller than the previous one. It definitely felt like there were more possible murder suspects, despite having less people around.

I liked the mystery plot much better in this book. The romance definitely felt secondary this time. It was still important, and even though this book is set three months after the first one, we got to see Kit and J.X. seriously try to make their relationship work for the first time. I thought that was masterfully done. The sex scenes really moved their relationship along, as did all the little ways Kit realized how much J.X. meant to him.

Speaking of Kit, I still love his personality. He’s got major hang-ups, but they all feel reasonable to me. He’s far from perfect, and I like that in my characters. The book made me laugh. Like this passage:

            “[J.X.] scooped up Victoria practically before she hit the ground, well within the five-second rule. If she’d been a potato chip, he could have still eaten her.”

The murder plot had me guessing the entire way. There were lots of characters and incidents to act as red herrings. What made me give this book a lesser rating than the first was how the murderer was dealt with.

Spoiler

I will say that I like how Kit has found these murders away from home. Sometimes cozies can get a little silly with how many people are murdered in small towns. It feels a little more natural this way.

I’m raring to go read the next book in the series. Hope to see more romantic progress between J.X. and Kit!

Be sure to check out the reviews for Somebody Killed His Editor, The Boy With the Painful Tattoo, and In Other Words… Murder.

Review: Somebody Killed His Editor (Holmes and Moriarity #1) by Josh Lanyon

My first gay romance mystery. Hooked me with the mystery and Kit’s snark.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. 272 pages. Published June 16th 2009 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

Blurb:

For sixteen years reclusive mystery writer Christopher (Kit) Holmes enjoyed a very successful career, thanks to the popularity of elderly spinster sleuth, Miss Butterwith, and her ingenious cat, Mr. Pinkerton. But sales are down in everything but chick lit, and Christopher’s new editor doesn’t like geriatric gumshoes. It’s a pink, pink world for Mr. Holmes.

At the urging of his agent, Christopher reluctantly agrees to attend a mystery writers’ conference at a remote Northern California winery. But no sooner does he arrive than he discovers the pajama-clad body of a woman in the woods. If nearly two decades of mystery-writing are anything to go by, the woman doesn’t appear to have died a natural death.

With a storm in full force and a washed-out bridge making it impossible for law enforcement to come to the rescue, it’s practically like all those classic murder mysteries in isolated country manors that Christopher has been penning for sixteen years! If only Miss Butterwith was on hand. Or even Mr. Pinkerton… 

Likes:

  • Hooked me right from the start and kept my attention.
  • Snarky and sarcastic main character.
  • Cozy mystery with a male lead.
  • Great start to a new series.
  • Amazing women of color characters.

Dislikes:

  • I still had some questions about the killer at the end.
  • The big reveal at the end wasn’t so big.
  • Didn’t give me all the usual cozy mystery feels.

I’m not entirely sure this book is a cozy mystery. It’s definitely close, but it doesn’t have the exact same feel to it. Maybe that’s because this book is set in a new-to-Kit setting. Or it could be because Kit is a gay man and I’ve never read a cozy mystery with a man as the main character before.

As main characters go, Kit was great. I love snarky, sarcastic characters, as long as they are decent people underneath. I was hooked right from the start, both by the situation and by Kit’s character. It took me a while to warm up to J.X. because he flip-flopped a lot. He clearly had feeling for Kit but at the same time didn’t like him.

It took a while to get the full backstory between the two, but it was worth the wait. I actually picked up this book because I was looking for something with a second chance romance. I wasn’t disappointed. The romance doesn’t take as much of a backseat to solving the murders like in a normal cozy. I’d say Kit’s relationship with J.X. were of equal importance to finding the murderer.

That was definitely a good thing, because the ending was a bit anticlimactic. There wasn’t much surprise. I do wish the killer’s motives had been spelled out a little more. I got the general idea, but I always enjoy when the killer admits to everything and spells out their reasoning behind everything they did.

I’m looking forward to getting the next book in the series. I flew through this book and expect to do the same with the next.  

Be sure to check out the reviews for All She Wrote, The Boy With the Painful Tattoo, and In Other Words… Murder.