Love Burns Bright – Rien Gray

Jul 4, 2022Jul 4, 2022 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

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.

Love Bleeds Deep – Rien Gray

Jul 4, 2022 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

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.

Zero Chill – Carolyn Elizabeth

Apr 21, 2021 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

I read both Dirt Nap and Zero Chill one after the other, and I have to say it was great to immerse myself in the world of Corey and Thayer for a while.

They’re are now living together in Thayer’s lake house, trying to live a more peaceful life than their first six months together has given them so far. I liked that Elizabeth didn’t choose to move the time forward significantly, that we get to experience them healing and moving on from previous events.

As with all Elizabeth books, the characters are really well written, and the plot moves along at a nice pace. I particularly enjoyed the scenes with Thayer’s Nana, but this is true for all three books. The new character additions add humour and richness to the storyline, adding a slightly different but nonetheless interesting focus.

Zero Chill comes with lots of intrigue and mystery, but not as much peril as Dirt Nap – something which works really well for this narrative. Elizabeth mentions that this is her pandemic book in the acknowledgements and I felt like this was deliberately less intense than previous instalments.

It gives lots more time to explore the relationship between Corey and Thayer, and for the quiet moments where they get to really explore what it means to them to still be together after the events of Gallows Humor and Dirt Nap. Reading this made me realise why I love it when we’re gifted with a series about a great couple – it isn’t just about the meet cute and the whirlwind romance, it’s about how they stick with it and grow together.

This wasn’t my favourite of the three books, but I’m genuinely hoping this isn’t it for the series. I want more Corey and Thayer, but I also want to see where things go for Rachel and Nora.

I would highly recommend this, but make sure you read the other two books in the series first.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Far Better Thing – JD Wilburn

Mar 10, 2021Mar 9, 2021 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

I struggled to get into this book for a while, but I came to the conclusion in the end it was me, not the book, so whilst it took me a while to get into it, and therefore review it, I ended up actually quite liking this one, much to my surprise.

Bo Alexander is a detective for the Galveston PD. We first meet her on a stakeout trying to get information about the Voleurs – a well-known biker gang, who are up to something on the island – but she can’t work out what.

In the undertakings of her job, she encounters Cass Halliburton, the number two of the Voleurs, essentially her enemy and the person she needs to get the better of in order to make her operation work. The only problem is their attraction to each other.

To be honest, neither character is particularly likeable, yet somehow that seemed to be ok for me. Bo has issues, many of them, mainly related to her past. Cass has them too, from her past and choice of employment. I wouldn’t say I found either character redeemable, but I found them interesting. There was enough intrigue and subterfuge within the narrative to make me want to keep reading once I got past the first quarter of the book, though I wasn’t surprised by the eventual reveal.

The ending was a downer for me, but I’m hoping it means there will be another part to the series.

This is a good first-time novel for Wilburn and I will definitely be interested in their next book, whether that’s a follow-up to this or not. I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re not into dark characters who screw up a lot.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Devil Incarnate – Ali Vali

Mar 9, 2021 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

I had every intention of reading all of the books in this series and had taken the upcoming release of this book as the opportunity to read the series, even go far as purchasing them all – then life got in the way. I didn’t want to wait to review the book, so this review comes with a disclaimer. I’m reviewing this, the somewhere between the 8th and 10th book of the series depending on how you count, without knowing anything that happened in any of the other books.

Despite the disclaimer I’m happy to say I loved it. It’s a solid 4.5 star book for me and I hope that I’ll be able to up that to a 5 once I’ve had the opportunity to go back and catch up on the past and how the characters got to where they are now.

Being a mobster, Cain isn’t necessarily supposed to be a likeable character, but I enjoyed her redeeming qualities nonetheless. I loved her relationship with Emma and their children, as well as her relationship with her friends and associates. Cain is a character with lots of depth and is extremely well written.

There were certainly some moments that were confusing for me, because the cast of characters is large and dependent on information I clearly didn’t have, however none of that stopped me enjoying how Vali threads together the narrative and the characters and how everything fits together.

Like most series the introduction of so many characters can mean that the characters you love the most don’t appear as much in the later books as you’d like and I found myself wanting more Cain and Emma – so I’m interested as to whether this will still be the same once I’ve read more.

I can only say I would imagine that if you’ve read the rest of this series, you’ll again enjoy this one, but as someone coming fresh to the series, I’d encourage you to give it a go (perhaps with the first book unlike me).

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.