Another compelling book in the Fatal Fidelity series from Gray. I read this in quick succession after the second instalment – Love Bleeds Deep as I find Campbell so fascinating and captivating as a character.
This book felt slightly different to the other two, in that the relationship between Justine and Campbell never feels at risk like they have both settled into their roles within their relationship. With that brings trust and honesty that sits directly between comfortable and uncomfortable for them both.
We are introduced to Justine’s family and in doing so Gray weaves two narratives together to show us who Justine and Campbell really are. The risk and reward scenarios never seem to get old, and Gray does a masterful job of bringing humanity to Campbell where you might not otherwise see it in such a complicated character.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a high-stakes narrative and their characters with a morally grey viewpoint of the world.
I received an e-ARC directly from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I love a morally grey character, and I think Campbell is probably as dark a grey as you can get without being completely in the black. They’ve fast become my favourite non-binary character, and whilst I know the topics of this series won’t be for everyone, I never hesitate to recommend the first book in the series, so I was very glad that this sequel held its own for me.
Following on where Live Kills Twice left off, Campbell is called to France for work, giving us the opportunity to experience more about how Campbell lives their life, and how Justine is now she is out from under her husband’s control. The setting gives lots of opportunities for this exploration, but the thing I loved the most was Campbell coming to terms with their love for Justine.
I often struggle with novellas, wanting more than the work has space to give, but novellas for this series work perfectly. The pace is driven forwards so as to both accentuate the danger in their lives and their relationship, but also serves to highlight the important moments between them in their pursuit for what might be considered justice, rather than focussing on the minutia of their plans.
This was an escape for me in a different way from the other romances I usually read, but I’m thoroughly looking forward to book 3 and the continuation of their journey together.
This is another similar book to quite a few I’ve read recently – a interesting premise and full of promise, but it doesn’t quite put all the parts together to connect for me.
Janey has been stuck in Clitheroe all her life. She has a job in the local grocery store, is firmly stuck in the closet and lost the only love of her life when she made the choice to stay in their small town when her girlfriend went on tour with her band.
Elise, the aforementioned ex-girlfriend has been absent for years but is now returning to town for some benefit concerts and appears to want to do everything she can to reconnect with Janey.
It will probably sound a little silly to say this, especially as an English person, but this novella is very English in it’s attitude. I’d like to think this version of homophobia doesn’t ring true anymore but it’s still pretty common, especially in small towns and from my own personal experiences, it felt quite authentic in that regard. The descriptions of things are also very fitting for an English setting and almost had a feel of nostalgia to them for me personally.
The writing holds up pretty well but the novella length doesn’t give this story the full chance to grown in my opinion and I think I’d have liked it more with a full length and the chance to see them fall in love at the beginning. I’d be interested in more of this kind of work from Lowndes though.
I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was really surprised as to just how much I enjoyed this storyline. At first glance from the blurb I thought I’d enjoy another character on the outskirts of right and wrong (in this case, very wrong) but I was genuinely surprised just how much Gray hooked me into liking this premise.
The story centres on an assassin – Campbell – who has been hired by both a husband and wife to kill each other. The point of view in the book alternates between Campbell and Justine – the wife.
Whilst Justine is an interesting character, and the reasons for the hiring are explored in depth, Campbell is the interesting and intriguing part of the whole narrative for me. I’m keen for more non-binary characters and whilst Campbell is clearly deliberately kept a bit of a mystery to add to the intrigue there was enough here to make things really compelling.
The chemistry between the two of them is very hot, including some light BDSM and breath play.
I liked the addition of the lawyer character so Campbell doesn’t seem so completely out there, and the small glimpses into their past help with seeing why Justine could fall for them. I’m definitely hoping that we get to past more of the mystery surrounding Campbell in the second book.
The storyline does end quite abruptly, but the length of the novella/novel kept the writing really tight and I think it would have felt quite strange to have gone from where we end to the next step. The next part is due later in the year and I’m definitely looking forward to it.
If you’re fond of characters on the moral edge there’s a lot here to enjoy.
As you’d expect from the topic there are some potential triggers and the publisher has these labelled really well, including some past military trauma and some off page domestic abuse.
This does appear to be the first main published work from Gray, but there is mention of other work which I’m definitely eager to find now!
I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Yet another great instalment in this series. I find myself both loving the idea that this series is going to continue for some time as I enjoy the books so much, but also equally worried that we’re going to be kept waiting even longer for the thing I most want to happen!
I enjoyed that the narrative of this book takes place both in the main hockey league and at the winter games, breaking things up a little and ensuring that we aren’t revisiting the same thing over and over. The hockey scenes are always written well and this hasn’t changed in this book. There’s plenty of action off the ice in this book too, which provides a nice interlude.
I find Sophie’s feelings about her career, her family and Elsa both immensely frustrating and completely relatable. I love that whilst Sophie is an adult, with a high pressure career, she’s experiencing the feelings that many feel when discovering their sexuality as teenagers and it’s here where I most love Collins as a writer. Her writing about hockey is fantastic and also shines, but her ability to bring out Sophie’s feelings without making her appear as a whiny child are great.
I love that Collins doesn’t write all of the characters to be the same, just because they are hockey players. She teases out parts of each of the women in the league so they are both great friends and foes for each other. I also really liked that this book explores the relationship Sophie has with her coach in more depth.
I enjoyed the discussions about ensuring the locker room was inclusive and the addition of some bi representation as well as a gay male character.
If you’re a fan of the series you’ll enjoy this instalment, and if you haven’t started this series yet – pick up Breaking the Ice as you’ll need to start at the beginning.
I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
LGBTQ+ Reader 