Encountered to Death is a good, in a way emotionally lighter story than the one that preceded it. Jamie and Pete are going to celebrate Pete’s older brother’s 40th birthday in Alamogordo, New Mexico and is taking Jamie’s highly intelligent, science minded nephew with them.
Steve, the brother, is a plasma physicist, and they intend to tour all the sites around the area, from caves to Roswell. Shades of Mulder and Scully! What could go wrong? Plenty it seems.
There’s aliens abduction tv show hosts, a dead body, so many investigations, as well as great characters in both Steve and the 11-year old nephew, Colin. Colin especially was well crafted. He’s realistically young in heart(emotionally the investigation caused an such a impact on him as it should) , but his imagination and personality also felt in line with someone who has high intelligence to understand a variety of science topics.
The discussions and issues between Jamie and Pete weren’t really dropped but moved slightly to the background to be a part of a larger conversation when they returned home. One car or two meaning a more solid frame for going forward together.
I was throughly entertained by this story and expanded family. Perry continues to keep the reader engaged in this realistic romantic relationship and their literary world where a murder or body can bring about a wealth of knowledge and enjoyment. Love Clinton’s word of the day!
Onto the next!
The Jamie Brodie Mysteries – 23 books
✓ Cited to Death
✓ Hoarded to Death
✓ Burdened to Death
✓ Researched to Death
✓ Encountered to Death
◦ Psyched to Death
◦ Stacked to Death
◦ Stoned to Death
◦ Talked to Death
◦ Avenged to Death
◦ Played to Death
◦ Filmed to Death
◦ Trapped to Death
◦ Promoted to Death
◦ Published to Death
◦ Cloistered to Death
◦ Haunted to Death
◦ Obsessed to Death
◦ Deserted to Death
◦ Drugged to Death
◦ Resigned to Death
◦ Snowed to Death
◦ Enchanted to Death
Dirty Laundry: The Jamie Brodie Short Stories (Jamie Brodie Mysteries)
It seems Jamie Brodie can’t go anywhere any more without a body turning up. Jamie and his boyfriend Pete Ferguson are taking a week of vacation to visit Pete’s brother Steve in Alamogordo, New Mexico. They arrive to find that Alamogordo has been invaded – by fans of a TV show called Alien Visitors. The host of the show, Dixon Gill, was found dead in the lobby of Steve’s building. Gill’s fans believe he was killed by the FBI because he was about to reveal the truth about the government’s cover-up of alien visitations. Jamie and Pete know that’s not true. But who did kill Gill? The director of his show? A competitor on the same network? An angry commenter on Gill’s blog? A shadowy anti-government group? Or one of his ex-wives? The deeper Jamie probes into Gill’s past, the more potential suspects he finds.
The truth is out there – but can Jamie uncover it?
Burdened to Death, the third in the Jamie Brodie Mysteries by Meg Perry, is a complex and compelling story. And it’s one not everyone is going to agree with on how this story ends.
For a novel that’s 128 pages in length, Perry’s woven a tale of incredible complexity, one that includes highly dangerous and damaging subjects such as suicide, the SA scandals within the Catholic Church’s priesthood, and the emotional/traumatic aftermath of those who survived that abuse.
One of those people is the current boyfriend of James Brodie. Pete Ferguson’s confession of his childhood SA trauma in the last novel is continuing to destabilize his relationship with Jamie.
This is one more sensitively handled element of the story and their relationship. The issues are directly connected to Pete’s childhood SA. Both men are in individual therapy (another interesting aspect of the story).
They’re at an emotional impasse when they get a phone call from Kevin, Jamie’s police detective brother, about a dead man who needs identification from Pete.
This dead man will ignite several investigations. Both of them seemingly done by Jamie for Pete, to get closure. But it’s never that simple.
Perry manages to wring out deep, wrenching emotions from current events while revealing new perspectives and past histories about the main characters here . While these events happened decades ago, they feel as fresh as they do now because so much of this is still unresolved and the investigations and lawsuits are still ongoing.
And that will bring us back to the ending. Some will absolutely not be happy or satisfied by this. I can see why. Real life works this way. And it would have worked that way back then.
And somehow I don’t feel as though we’re done with this yet.
Perry showed us that James and Pete made some progress in their relationship. Small steps. After enormous trauma. That’s life.
Thats realistic and a beautiful raw , well written story. And why I keep coming back. On to Researched To Death.
The Jamie Brodie Mysteries – 23 books
✓ Cited to Death
✓ Hoarded to Death
✓ Burdened to Death
◦ Researched to Death
◦ Encountered to Death
◦ Psyched to Death
◦ Stacked to Death
◦ Stoned to Death
◦ Talked to Death
◦ Avenged to Death
◦ Played to Death
◦ Filmed to Death
◦ Trapped to Death
◦ Promoted to Death
◦ Published to Death
◦ Cloistered to Death
◦ Haunted to Death
◦ Obsessed to Death
◦ Deserted to Death
◦ Drugged to Death
◦ Resigned to Death
◦ Snowed to Death
◦ Enchanted to Death
Dirty Laundry: The Jamie Brodie Short Stories (Jamie Brodie Mysteries)
A phone call in the middle of the night is never good news. When Pete Ferguson’s phone rings, he learns that one of his childhood friends, Mark Jones, has committed suicide. Mark’s family is shocked, and wonders if Mark was abused by the same priest at whose hands Pete suffered. Pete and Mark’s family want answers, and they ask Jamie to find them. Pete is convinced the priest is connected to his friend’s suicide. Jamie isn’t so sure. When the evidence starts pulling them in different directions, will it tear them apart?
Broken is the first book in a new connected series, Erebus Assassins, by Reese Knightly. If you’re familiar with other series and characters as well as the types of themes and storylines that come with them, you know exactly what to expect from Broken.
There will be damaged characters with intense relationship dynamics, shady or situational morality, and often painful, violent backgrounds.
And flowing through each other’s stories are the characters and couples from all the other series. Sometimes this works. Other times, as I feel it happens here, it doesn’t.
Broken opens as Ice unknowingly stumbles upon an assignment already in progress. An assassination is going down and the agent is Echo from another team. That Agency is one Ice used to work for . This violent brief interaction sets off a chain of chaotic events that include Ice stalking Echo, to the extent he’s quitting his job at work and rejoining another agency.
This is one example of the issues I see with the story. Knightley spends little time on developing any relationship between Ice and Echo to warrant this depth of obsessive interest or behavior. Ice just decides Echo is it for him and hunts him, whether Echo wants him to or not. In Echo’s case, it’s decidedly not.
Another is with all the various characters themselves. Some are carryovers and some are new. But the reader must be able to recognize them and remember who they are, how they fit into the different couples dynamics/agency structure and even current tortuous situations. Otherwise, it’s a constant struggle to understand who all these people are and how they fit together.
It’s all very unsupported and unsustainable for the book to have this many characters and their own narratives dropped in (and out) behind it.
Echo has a horrific history but it’s buried under everything else so the reader, at least I did, finds it hard to connect with. Which brings us back to the villain of the story.
That entire element, including his identity, just never felt plausible. From the size of the operation , and the fact that he had been able to run it as long as he had, given the facts, doesn’t seem believable framed out by all the other characters in the book. It seems more a dramatic needs element than a naturally occurring part of the story.
But so much of Broken feels unexplored or incomplete, a jumble of characters and plot lines. A new series should focus on new starts.
Why did this feel like Knightley took odds and ends from all her previous series and just dump them here?
Read this because you’re a fan of the author or like the other series. All those series listed below.
Erebus Assassins:
✓ Broken #1
◦ Agony #2 – July 31,2024
Related series with crossover characters and agencies :
NHL veteran Cody Bilson, he of the many ex’s and impulsive tendencies, is next on the list for his storyline. Cody has been a character that’s been on the outskirts of the previous books and those characters romances.
Honestly, Cody has never made much of a mark on this series and, in comparison with the other characters, he doesn’t come across as strong or as multifaceted as those earlier characters either.
The other main character, rookie goalie, Miles Olsen, is grounded in family, a deep history with his University fraternity , his hockey team, and the city of Nashville itself.
Next to Miles, Cody is less well defined. Most of what we know about him is “as told to” basis. His past and impulsive marriages? Off page as is his behavior that led to them. So is his interactions with the women or anyone. He comes to the story as the most one dimensional character of the series. So it’s hard to invest in his journey away from a team and teammates we know to a new location based on the fact he’s dodging ex’s and any familiar faces. Yes, he’s running because he can’t say no. Sigh. Here’s a cheaper solution, hire a bodyguard to keep you away from potentially damaging situations. But then there’s no novel.
The dog is a nice touch but Killer is basically handed off to Miles’ parents albeit for the right reasons.
So the remaining storyline is sex, questions about past experiences, more sex, Miles’ quirky habits ( he is a goalie), and some exploration about Miles coming out to his family.
Miles really carries the emotional heft as far as the relationship and teammates dynamics. When it comes to the authors layering in detailed information and relatable content, they lay it out on Miles to carry. We know about his childhood, his family and his fears about the future and commitment.
Anything from Cody feels like an afterthought.
For me, Bromantic Puckboy (Puckboys Book 6) by Eden Finley and Saxon James is a good book but not in the same category as the previous stories. Even the matter in which they come out seems to say it all.
It’s enjoyable as part of the series.
Do look at the Playlist, Bromantic Inspiration, at the beginning, just wonderful.
The idea of moving away from Seattle was a joke at first.
I have too many failed relationships here. Too much baggage.
So when I find myself signing with Nashville and leaving everything behind, I’m hopeful a new start will cure me of my attachment problems.
I fall fast and hard, and I’m quickly realizing it’s not so easy to escape my emotional damage. That follows no matter where I go.
When my new teammate, rookie goalie Miles Olsen, attaches himself to my side, the media are excited to exploit our bromance. Little do they know, he’s doing me a favor by keeping me away from making mistakes with women.
That’s the deal we made at the beginning of the season, but as time goes on, and we’re both going through a dry spell, Miles suggests a different arrangement. One I’ve never contemplated. One I shouldn’t consider.
One I can’t stop thinking about.
Miles
My first day as starting goalie for Tennessee is made mildly more terrifying by coming face to face with NHL veteran Cody Bilson. Hero worship? Me? Never!
He reminds me of my old frat buddies; loyal, kind, easy to trade banter with. But my dude is lost and trying to find himself again–without getting married this time.
I want to help him, and while my suggestion might not be conventional, it sure as hell is effective. The only way to make sure he doesn’t marry a woman again? Blow off steam with a man instead.
We’re both straight, we’re both single, and we’re both down for a good time.
I’ve loved getting to know the latest of author V. L. Locey’s hockey team , the Watkins Glen Gladiators, and their various journeys into HEA.
Reading the Play actually involves two teams and players from each team, an old misunderstanding, and a white hot chemistry. On the ice, on skates with mad skills.
All of which, Locey does so beautifully.
The characters of competing ice hockey players, Watkins Glen Gladiators goalie Baskoro Huda and Comets goalie Marcus Newley are so good. Fleshed out, with personalities that have depth that makes them feel believable and interesting, these men make it easy to connect with each of their lives and situations.
The enemies to lovers trope and element here is one that is nicely resolved so that the storyline can move forward with the major thread, that of two men from opposing teams who are finding themselves in love with each other .
Each has complications that they bring into play with this dynamic. A daughter, a as yet to be announced sexuality, and much more. How everything is pulled together, and, along with introducing new characters, and giving the readers glimpses inside a troubled mind of another teammate, Locey carefully balances all the narrative needs of her characters and book to come up with another winner!
Baskoro Huda and Marcus Newley prove that goalies are indeed special, never more so than on their own path to love and family. I loved them.
More please.
I’m highly recommending this and the entire series
Will there be kissing and making up or will Baskoro and Marcus be dropping the gloves?
A new season is about to kick off and Baskoro Huda is ready to win it all. As one half of the Watkins Glen Gladiators two-man tandem goalkeeping duo, Basky, as his teammates call him, is on track to deliver a winning season and everything is going his way. His summer training is paying off, his family and friends are warm and supportive, and his new nephew is the cutest thing ever. He’s even had a few casual dates. The only downside to this upcoming amazing season is the fact that he has to face goalie Marcus Newley and the Comets several times. To say there is no love lost between the two men would be an understatement. Granted, Marcus is incredibly handsome and skilled, but those qualities are overshadowed by the man’s ego. The tension between the two goalies has been percolating since senior year of college and one more pithy comment from Basky’s rival might just be all it takes for a reckoning that’s been a long time coming.
Marcus Newley has come a long way in a short time. He’s clawed his way to the top of the Comets roster and is now within reach of his dream: winning that championship cup and securing his chances for a call-up to the pros. The brass ring is within reach, and he is not about to let someone like Baskoro Huda and his team stand in his way. He’s got one very important person counting on him to make those dreams a reality. Unsure of what he ever did to twist the pretty but irritable Gladiators goalie’s shorts into such a tight knot, all he can do is fire back when the verbal barbs are launched from the other end of the ice. The time to focus on hockey is now, and he refuses to let Baskoro take up any more time in his head. It’s an all-out war as far as Marcus is concerned and nothing but complete surrender from Baskoro will satisfy those—and perhaps not so hidden—passions.
Reading the Play is a low angst, enemies-to-lovers, doting uncle and single dad queer hockey romance with two goalies who snipe at each other endlessly, one old misunderstanding, far too many sci-fi/fantasy TV show and movie references, several teammates trying to keep the peace, one goaltending coach who sees what all the others seem to be missing, and a hard won but oh-so gratifying happy ending.
I love the Hot Off the Ice series by A. E. Wasp and the latest novel, Fan Boy, is just a reminder why it’s so fun and well written.
Wasp’s storylines never forgets that these characters as well as the series are grounded firmly in the sport of professional ice hockey. The team dynamics, the sheer physicality of the players and what it takes to maintain their peak performance levels while also being able to have a personal life. That last part is as important to the team and players stability as their physical conditioning.
Over and over, it’s the players who lack a support system outside of the team that fumbles their respective lives, professional and personal. Wasp has been able to explore different personalities, team dynamics and positions, and couples so far. It’s been a fascinating journey for so many different players.
Now it’s Thunder forward Alex Huberdeau, a sweet, immensely gifted hockey player. He’s just been dumped by his longtime fiancée, someone he’s known since his high school days. He’s lonely in the enormous house he bought for them after they were married, and drifting in the aftermath of this rejection.
In typical, wonderful Wasp fashion, Alex has been crafted as a character we not only can care about immediately but as he reveals more of the depth of his personality and inner voice, we fall even more deeply in love with him.
The same goes for Sunny Gonzales, a nonbinary fashion designer who’s working for their friend’s Phoebe’s cafe as a barista. Sunny is a character who is beautifully fluid, vibrantly articulate who transforms their appearance through their incredible fashion designs. Sunny’s relationship with Alex is one that incorporates humor, wonder, surprise, and growth, especially as they help Alex adjust to a new sense of awareness about his own sexuality.
It’s beautiful romance and such a great storyline. It’s got personal exploration, splendid communication between not just the two main characters but their friends who are just as much a part of them and their relationship.
There’s also laugh out loud scenes, courtesy of Alex’s best friend and fellow teammate, Devin and another couple from a previous story. Just hilarious.
We actually get two couples here. Plus plus!
Would I have been happy for an additional chapter or two? Why, yes. I wasn’t ready for this to be over. But I was satisfied with the outcome and the ending.
Fanboy (Hot Off the Ice Book 8) by A. E. Wasp is a fantastic story and source of reading happiness. A definite recommendation.
Fashion, fake dates, and real stakes. Sometimes the only way to win is to break all the rules.
After being dumped by his fiance, Thunder forward Alex Huberdeau finds himself questioning the game of love entirely. Clueless about dating, disinterested in flings, and unable to have a normal conversation with women, Alex is convinced something’s broken inside him.
Enter Sunny Gonzales—a nonbinary, proudly polyamorous, fashion designer desperately searching for a big break. While their creativity blooms, love seems a luxury that’s eluded them, shaded by their fears of a world quick to shun people who color outside the lines.
When Alex learns that Sunny needs a partner for a game show that could be the answer to their prayers, he leaps at the chance to help. In return, Sunny will teach him all they know about love and romance.
With only three weeks to learn all they can about each other, Sunny and Alex embark on a crash course that blurs the lines between friendship and romance. As feelings grow and the game show’s climax looms, Alex and Sunny must decide if they’re playing to win or playing for keeps.
Fanboy is a story about breaking binaries and subverting expectations. It contains questionable coffee drinks, zoot suits, a talking car, and unauthorized use of a hot tub.
In Hoarded to Death, author Meg Perry’s characters get to be seen fully realized in every aspect of their lives, from their messy personal relationships to those careers in which each is a highly successful and respected professional. Then all will have both segments, personal and professional, fiercely intertwined by a ex spouse, a reality cable show, and finally, a police murder investigation .
I really enjoyed that first case and my introduction to all the characters but Hoarded to Death really has Perry adding some interesting and moving aspects to the relationships being forged between various characters. Especially between Jamie Brodie and Pete, his brother’s former partner and best friend. Jamie is the man he dated, broke up with, and is now living with after the events of the last book. It’s not going as smoothly as everyone thinks.
Those rushed, tumultuous decisions are causing him to question how quickly he’s moved into this situation he now finds himself in, house wise and perhaps with the relationship too
Perry has more as far as hidden secrets (Pete’s) and troubling emotional baggage that will realistically impact this couple’s dynamic. It doesn’t resolve itself within the story, and given the severity of the nature of the issues, it shouldn’t . The raw and real problems that are showing up in Jamie and Pete’s relationship makes this a great story on its own. Especially as Jamie’s brother, Kevin, and girlfriend are a strong support for both, as well as Jamie’s father. The connections run deep here.
The fabulous mystery which starts out as an emotional request for support from someone from Jamie’s brother’s past but moves forward into an intriguing investigation that needs to be explored through the storyline. And we get to know more about the enigma that is Clinton.
There’s actually so much more to this book than I had expected from reading the first novel . The characters are more complex, their relationships are compelling and without any quick resolutions to issues. And the mysteries are thrilling but without the gore but with the exciting moments one wants in a mystery.
Now I’m highly anticipating book 3. And recommending Hoarded to Death: A Jamie Brodie Mystery (Jamie Brodie Mysteries Book 2) by Meg Perry.
The Jamie Brodie Mysteries – 23 books
✓ Cited to Death
✓ Hoarded to Death
◦ Burdened to Death
◦ Researched to Death
◦ Encountered to Death
◦ Psyched to Death
◦ Stacked to Death
◦ Stoned to Death
◦ Talked to Death
◦ Avenged to Death
◦ Played to Death
◦ Filmed to Death
◦ Trapped to Death
◦ Promoted to Death
◦ Published to Death
◦ Cloistered to Death
◦ Haunted to Death
◦ Obsessed to Death
◦ Deserted to Death
◦ Drugged to Death
◦ Resigned to Death
◦ Snowed to Death
◦ Enchanted to Death
Dirty Laundry: The Jamie Brodie Short Stories (Jamie Brodie Mysteries)
When Jamie Brodie agrees to help his ex-sister-in-law Jennifer clean her hoarded apartment, the last thing he expects to find in the hoard is a dead body – and what the dead man was clutching in his hand might be the answer to a thousand-year-old mystery. As Jamie and the police investigate, they uncover a hoard of secrets – but the biggest secret of all belongs to Jamie’s boyfriend, Pete. Suddenly Jamie is searching for the answers to three questions: who killed the man in Jennifer’s apartment? Is the paper in his hand real? And can Jamie’s relationship with Pete survive?
Knowing You is the first in a new series. Words We Never Said, by E.M. Lindsey. It’s a contemporary romance that has multiple core characters with the main characters here each having their own distinct struggles and personal challenges. This includes single dads or guardians as a core group and they have additional layered in issues that arise from their current situation.
Lindsey has developed a story and series that, just from the description, should be immediately relevant and easy to connect with. There’s single parenting, and children of a range of ages. They too have some depth of character, even though they don’t have as much storylines.
I came thinking I was going to have a quick, engaging experience with this book and characters. Instead, I kept questioning why I wasn’t completely convinced by certain characters or aspects of those character’s personality or even engaged by their storylines.
I was consistently made distant from the characters rather than fully invested by aspects of the story that just felt bulky . So many important elements were piled up on so few characters that it ultimately felt like a fabricated issue mountain rather than people who were just trying to make it with real life stuff.
That’s unfortunate because if you strip away some of the struggle floss, these characters work separately and together.
Let’s start with the manny/nanny (it’s an issue), it’s filled by next-door neighbor, Bowen Gallons. Bowen is the meet cute, sort of, when Lane’s 3year old daughter steals his prosthetic leg and brings it home. No spoilers, that’s in the description. He’s former stuntman who had a stunt go horribly wrong. Then got dumped on top of the loss of his leg and career.
Bowen has a lot to bring to the narrative. In this case, his own traumatic backstory as a recent amputee and being dumped by a ex boyfriend. There’s an adjustment to his body image and more. He’s a relatable character. I really like Bowen. His background with child development/education works too because of the personality he’s been given.
It’s Lane and Briar that had me questioning. Not just the father/daughter dynamic but also the label given to Lane for his behavior (four years or more) . DA is a serious topic. But we meet Lane just as he’s in the middle of a screaming match with an absent parent/spouse, Sana. Sana who has been absent for 2 years now on a “forever vacation” with no interest in coming home and had been mostly a visitor when she was younger in the relationship.
For me, she’s the missing link. What we see of her as either in “as told to” by friends or in the tiny scenes of one dimensional caricature of a scheming narcissist. But nothing of any substance or of their own dynamic to support the current situation’s labeling. Had the author given us more of them together, let us see their differences, their dynamics, and let Sana have layers. This would have made the thread a better fit and a little more accurate portrayal of what I believe the author was trying to convey.
But instead we don’t know enough of him and his story. We just see him as he is now. He’s a mess, his daughter is suffering from her own abandonment issues (there’s never any mention of getting her therapy here, although a kid who is stealing to get presents has issues), and he’s not dealing with anything in his real life. A absent spouse and mother. A daughter in trouble as well as a business who needs his attention.
There’s a lot going on here. He’s been a mess for years. So what happens? He “snaps” out of it immediately. From years of being a ‘spineless idiot’ (his words) to a man of action in a day. After years of ignoring advice/input from friends and alienating people and family.
That just doesn’t ring true for me. Then it’s followed up with a bisexual awakening, a new sexual , albeit hidden,relationship with Bowen while both are questioning their commitment to each other. Briar’s emotional issues are only intermittently mentioned here. She has been relegated to a lesser role until dramatically required for a scene. I have a quibble with that too.
Other characters that will obviously have their own stories are flowing in and out of the narrative and this couple’s relationship. Some to act as a Greek chorus, others to throw in a stumbling block or two on their path to romance.
The climax is one strange dramatic moment that drains directly into a birthday party celebration and a weird off page event that satisfies no one.
Knowing You (Words We Never Said Book 1) by E. M. Lindsey has some wonderful ideas and lovely characters. The potential for a great story is there. I just don’t think it succeeds as a whole.
“Oh my God, Briar! Where did you get that prosthetic leg?”
Things as a parent Lane thought he’d never say for four hundred, Alex.
But that’s par for the course in Lane Ashbury’s life considering everything is on the verge of falling apart. He not only has a toddler building her skills as a professional klepto, but he’s also on the verge of divorce, and hoping desperately to save his business before it goes under.
Luckily, the owner of the stolen leg might just be an angel in disguise when he offers to be Lane’s new nanny instead of pressing charges.
The whole thing would be perfect if Bowen Galanos didn’t make Lane feel things. If he didn’t make Lane question everything he thought he knew about himself every time Bowen’s touch lingered just a little too long.
And when Bowen offers some no-strings benefits to their friendship to see if maybe Lane’s not as straight as he thought, Lane finds it impossible to say no. I mean, it’s not like he’s going to realize he’s madly in love with his nanny, right?
That would be absurd.
That would be ridiculous.
And knowing him, that would be exactly his luck.
Knowing You is the first book in a light-hearted, single-dads romance series. It features a toddler with sticky fingers, a tired dad who just wants to be loved, a former stunt actor who craves to be needed, Henry Cavill man crushes, a hint of sweet, a twist of angst, a steamy bisexual awakening, and the happiest of happily ever afters.
I love a mystery. So give me a new-to-me author, a mystery novel that represents not one but two connected mystery series and I’m in.
Cited to Death: A Jamie Brodie Mystery (Jamie Brodie Mysteries Book 1) by Meg Perry is all the above. This is a first book by Perry for me and I was very entertained by the mystery and invested in the characters Perry has created for her series.
Academic librarian Jamie Brodie, yes, we have librarians as main characters, is delivered an envelope and mystery, both courtesy of a dead ex. Also we have so many librarians .
I’m so hooked.
There’s law enforcement officers as family and as romantic partners and many librarians as friends and fascinating colleagues. All are delightfully well-drawn and have balanced personalities as well as thoughtful roles to play in Jamie’s life and the mysteries that start to unfold.
Perry knows her subject matter and it shows in how the investigation evolves . It’s believable, the facts coming from various sources and at paces suitable for those networks. Perry’s people too have their flaws and strengths.
Jamie’s constant awareness of his severely compromised lungs and asthmatic symptoms is real. He treats his body with respect and his health as someone who acknowledges that he’s got a health condition that requires a certain diligence on his part and he does it. It’s a part of his personality and foundation. It centers us on who he is that he’s take a certain level of care and responsibility.
This type of characterization continues throughout the novel with other characters. And with the plot. There’s a tightness and depth of thought to every scene and storyline.
If I had a quibble, it’s that I saw a certain character was problematic to begin with. At what depth and to what extent, I didn’t know. But hints were there.
However, the characters and plots were entertaining, the ending suspense filled, and absolutely satisfying.
I’m on my way to Hoarded to Death .
For lovers of LGBTGIA murder mystery with a bit of romance, check it out. Especially mystery that’s more on the thoughtful side and less on the bloody aspect, this is the one that I recommend for you . I mean look at the series!
The Jamie Brodie Mysteries – 23 books
Cited to Death
Hoarded to Death
Burdened to Death
Researched to Death
Encountered to Death
Psyched to Death
Stacked to Death
Stoned to Death
Talked to Death
Avenged to Death
Played to Death
Filmed to Death
Trapped to Death
Promoted to Death
Published to Death
Cloistered to Death
Haunted to Death
Obsessed to Death
Deserted to Death
Drugged to Death
Resigned to Death
Snowed to Death
Enchanted to Death
Dirty Laundry: The Jamie Brodie Short Stories (Jamie Brodie Mysteries)
Academic librarian Jamie Brodie hasn’t seen old boyfriend Dan Christensen in years. When Jamie reads Dan’s obituary in the paper, he’s surprised. When he receives a letter from Dan, written just before his death, Jamie is shocked. Dan’s letter suggests that Dan was in danger, lists two article citations from medical journals, and asks Jamie to look into the citations. When Jamie requests the articles, strange things begin to happen. His computer is hacked, his tires are slashed, he thinks someone might be following him – and he uncovers two more deaths. The coroner’s report says that Dan died of natural causes – but did he? Is there something suspicious about the articles, or was Dan just paranoid? The closer Jamie gets to answering those questions, the more it seems that someone is trying to stop him…
• Publisher: Meg Perry; 2nd edition (December 4, 2012)
Part of a LGBTQIA espionage/spy thriller romance series, Under the Gun by Cari Z delivers the exciting action packed scenes and storylines we’d expect from this genre.
The romantic suspense plot line arrives in the form of museum art archivist, Joey Cole. He’s taken a side job for a Russian oligarch to catalog his private art collection for insurance purposes. However, everything about this job has Joey on edge and regretting taking it. From being on an isolated island to the man himself, who is making Joey uncomfortable.
Cari Z has an excellent setup and creates an empathetic character in Joey. He’s in trouble and everyone knows it.
The explosive energy and element that makes its way into the situation is the character of Adam, long ago ex-boyfriend and current spy with a complicated history of association with Joey’s family.
The author ramps up the explosive action and the emotional reunion as the story builds to a suspenseful finale.
It’s very entertaining and the characters are both engaging if not exactly grounded in their various careers. The grandmother, however, was exactly what she was supposed to be. Steely determination, cold intelligence, perfect.
While I had a few questions about the story, my real issue was the matter in which Joey’s hard won reputation and career was discarded. Or what happened with his career was better explained at the end, especially as it was such a big deal to Joey and the author made it a large part of the narrative. But we never find out if things were fixed with his friend, Melanie, the Museum, and the loss of the expensive equipment. Or what he’s even doing a year later. This is feels unfinished and unsatisfactory. Especially as we are told what happened to Adam’s career. And the grandmother.
Under the Gun by Cari Z is an enjoyable romantic suspense story that suffers from a ending that’s not exactly satisfying. Read it for the fun characters and action scenes.
Accidentally Undercover-6 books of a LGBTQ+ romantic suspense series.
Life is plenty exciting for Joey Cole. Everything that isn’t his day job revolves around having fun, but “fun” becomes complicated when Joey’s latest side gig turns into a gunfight between the handsy billionaire he’s working for and the ex-boyfriend who broke his heart and who’s now…smuggling drugs?
Turns out that Adam, Joey’s ex, is a spy for His Majesty’s government, and that Joey has fallen into a sting operation meant to take his shady employer down. Joey and Adam are hounded by assassins as they escape to a safe house in England, home to the woman who introduced Joey to Adam in the first place—his grandmother.
Who, it turns out, is also a spy. Huh, no wonder she made him get so good at untying knots with his hands tied behind his back.
Joey and Adam rekindle the romance that burned between them, but Adam is still a spy—he’s not his own man, and he’ll certainly never belong to Joey. The safest thing would be to break it off before Adam breaks his heart again…but the way they’re being hunted, safe is out of the question, and love may mean the difference between life and death.
Under the Gun is part of the Accidentally Undercover shared romantic suspense series.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 