In a Dark Wood by Josh Lanyon

Genre: Contemporary Romance; M/M Romance; Romance; Suspense

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

How I acquired this book: I purchased it.

Goodreads Blurb: In a dark, dark wood there was a dark, dark house...

Camping in the Jersey Pine Barrens may literally turn out to be a first date from hell for travel writer Tim and the cute cop who persuades him to revisit a past that Tim has done his best to forget.

My Review: Yeah, this camping trip with Luke is the first date from hell. Poor Tim. (Note to self: learn from Tim's experience. Never go camping on a first date.)

But worse than getting lost in the woods is Luke's annoying conviction that he knows what's wrong with Tim and how Tim should fix it. (Ok, Tim. I agree with Luke that you have a problem--but damned if you should put up with him telling you how to run your life! You can hit him now if you'd like. I've got your back.)

And yet, this single-minded, tactless cop may be just the guy to help Tim confront his demons . . .

On Kindle: Yes. Find it on Amazon here.

The Darkling Thrush by Josh Lanyon

Genre: Fantasy; LGBT; M/M Romance; Romance; Urban Fantasy

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

How I acquired this book: I purchased it.

Goodreads Blurb: Fed up with his desk duty in the Imperial Arcane Library, book hunter Colin Bliss accepts a private commission to find The Sword’s Shadow, a legendary and dangerous witches’ grimoire. But to find the book, Colin must travel to the remote Western Isles and solve a centuries’ old murder.It should be nothing more than an academic exercise, so why is dour -- and unreasonably sexy -- Magister Septimus Marx doing his best to keep Colin from accepting this mission -- even going so far as to seduce Colin on the train journey north?

Septimus is not the only problem. Who is the strange faery woman that keeps appearing at inconvenient times? And who is working behind the scenes with the sinister adventuress Irania Briggs? And why do Colin’s employers at the Museum of the Literary Occult keep accusing Colin of betraying them?As Colin digs deeper and deeper into the book’s mysterious past, he begins to understand why Septimus is willing to stop him at any price -- but by then, it’s too late to turn back.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Male/male sexual practices.

My Review: Josh Lanyon has infused our world--or our world as it was some decades ago--with alternate history, fey creatures, old magick, paranormal abilities and dangerous legends. It's an enticing world that's easy to fall into, especially as revealed to us by Colin Bliss, the irrepressible narrator. I love Colin: he's engaging, proactive, intelligent and childish all at once. I was rooting for him and cringing for him at the same time.

Septimus Marx is a more problematic character. His attraction to Colin is obvious to the reader long before Colin is aware of it; his condescension and high-handedness mask genuine concern. Those are points in his favor, and part of what makes him impossible to dislike. But his ultimate mission raises some moral issues (to put it mildly.) Colin's reaction to that mission, I think, proves that these two are well suited--if it's not a deal-breaker for them, nothing else will be!

Available on Kindle: Yes. You can find it on Amazon here.

My Book Boyfriend: Adrien English from the Adrien English Mysteries

A weekly meme from The Unread Reader
Talk about your fictional crush!

~oOo~

I turned on the hot water. In the steamy surface of the mirror I grimaced at my reflection, hearing again that condescending, “But you are a homosexual?” As in, “But you are a lower life form?” So what had Detective Riordan seen? What was the first clue? Blue eyes, longish dark hair, a pale bony face. What was it in my Anglo-Norman ancestry that shrieked “faggot?”

~Adrien English in Josh Lanyon’s Fatal Shadows

Pale skin, dark hair, blue eyes? Check, check, check.
Cillian Murphy would be brilliant as Adrien English, even if his blue eyes aren't obvious in this pic.

Adrien English is a wry, funny, endearing narrator with a weak heart, a stubborn streak and an unhealthy dose of curiosity. He was a natural choice for my book boyfriend, since I followed him through five books! I had to know if he and Jake Riordan--the smart, tough, ambitious cop who won't acknowledge himself as gay--would ever find a happy ever after.

Adrien has an unfortunate habit of stumbling into murder mysteries--and, for a closeted detective, Jake Riordan has an unfortunate habit of never quite allowing himself to quit the snarky amateur sleuth. Jake can't forget 'Adrien-with-an-e' even when he (Jake) is determined to marry a nice girl and  have a 'normal' life. Having spent five books laughing, cringing and, yeah, even shedding a tear or two with Adrien, I know just why Jake is so addicted!

Now we can see those baby blues!

Snowball in Hell by Josh Lanyon

Genre: Historical Mystery; Historical Romance; M/M Romance; Mystery; Noir; Romance

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

How I acquired this book: I purchased it.

Book Blurb: It's 1943 and the world is at war. Journalist Nathan Doyle has just returned home from North Africa--still recovering from wounds received in the Western Desert Campaign--when he's asked to cover the murder of a society blackmailer.

Lt. Matthew Spain of the LAPD homicide squad hates the holidays since the death of his beloved wife a few months earlier, and this year isn-t looking much cheerier what with the threat of attack by the Japanese and a high-profile homicide investigation. Matt likes Nathan; maybe too much.

If only he didn't suspect that Nathan had every reason to commit murder.

My Review: The mystery is front and center in this story, but it never overshadows the romance: Matthew Spain’s attraction to Nathan Doyle is immediate and palpable—and it doesn’t abate, even when realizes he has to add Nathan to his lists of suspects for the murder of Phil Arlen. Nathan, meanwhile, is dangerously depressed, dangerously contemptuous of his own homosexuality, and dangerously determined to ferret out the real killer.

I am not a fan of noir films, so I wasn’t sure I would enjoy the noir feel of this book. But my doubts vanished in the first few pages. I was hooked! The mystery kept my interest and my heart bled for Nathan, who can’t bear to live like a monk and yet can’t help despising his sexual appetite. Matthew, meanwhile, seems to be living his life on a more even keel—but Nathan manages to upset his balance!

The setting—WWII California—seems solid and I didn’t notice any anachronisms in the characters’ attitudes or vocabulary. The ending left me satisfied, but curious; fortunately Josh Lanyon is planning a sequel. (See this thread in Josh's Q & A Group on Goodreads.) All in all an excellent read!

On Kindle: Yes. Find it on Amazon here.

Special Note: Find a discussion of the book here on Goodreads.

Other Reviews:
The Romanceaholic
Jessewave (Reviewed as part of Collected Novellas, Volume 1)

The Dark Tide by Josh Lanyon

Genre: M/M Romance; Mystery; Romance

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Series: Fatal Shadows; A Dangerous Thing; The Hell You Say; Death of a Pirate King; The Dark Tide

How I acquired this book: I purchased it.

Book Blurb: As if recovering from heart surgery beneath the gaze of his over-protective family wasn’t exasperating enough, someone keeps trying to break into Adrien English’s bookstore. What is this determined midnight intruder searching for?

When a half-century old skeleton tumbles out of the wall in the midst of the renovation of Cloak and Dagger Bookstore renovation, Adrien turns to hot and handsome ex-lover Jake Riordan -- now out-of-the closet and working as a private detective.

Jake is only too happy to have reason to stay in close contact with Adrien, but there are more surprises in Adrien’s past than either one of them expects -- and one of them may prove hazardous to Jake’s own heart.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, male/male sexual practices.

My Review: This is the most satisfying series finale I've ever read. Adrien and Jake have both grown up, and they're ready (if not entirely willing) to confront their past and maybe the possibility of a shared future.

Adrien is on an emotional roller-coaster after his heart surgery; he's stunned that he might live a normal lifespan after all, and he's not sure what he wants at this point. Jake is dealing with the fallout from coming out of the closet, his failed marriage, and his abrupt resignation from the force.

Jake has become a private investigator, and that works for Adrien, who has entangled himself in yet another murder investigation. The noir-esque mystery--which is my favorite of the series--makes the two men partners in solving crime again. And despite all their romantic issues, it's clear they still make an excellent team.

Meanwhile, Adrien's family is helping him despite his best efforts to thwart them, and both Mel and Guy make significant appearances. All in all a brilliant read--but don't pick this up as a stand alone. You'll want the whole series under your belt before relishing the finale.

On Kindle: Yes. Find it at Amazon here.

Other Reviews: 
Graceful Hippo
Rainbow Reviews

Book Discussion: Once you finished this finale, head over to Josh's Q & A Group on Goodreads and discuss the whole Adrien English series.

Death of a Pirate King by Josh Lanyon

Genre: M/M Romance; Mystery; Romance;

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Series: Fatal Shadows; A Dangerous Thing; The Hell You Say; Death of a Pirate King; The Dark Tide

How I acquired this book: I purchased it.

Book Blurb: Gay bookseller and reluctant amateur sleuth Adrien English's writing career is suddenly taking off. His first novel, Murder Will Out, has been optioned by notorious Hollywood actor Paul Kane.But when murder makes an appearance at a dinner party, who should be called in but Adrien's former lover, handsome closeted detective Jake Riordan, now a Lieutenant with LAPD. And that may just drive Adrien's current boyfriend, sexy UCLA professor Guy Snowden, to commit a murder of his own!

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Male/male sexual situations, strong violence.

My Review: Adrien English finds himself smack in the middle of another murder mystery--only this time LAPD Lt. Jake Riordan is encouraging him to do some amateur sleuthing instead of threatening to throw his ass in jail for interfering. So Adrien has his hands full with his informal investigation, his new step sisters, his faltering relationship with Guy . . . and his lingering feelings for the still-closeted (and now married) Jake. Adrien and his sharp tongue are in top form here; don't plan on putting this book down once you start it!

On Kindle: Yes. Find it at Amazon here.

The Hell You Say by Josh Lanyon

Genre: M/M Romance; Mystery; Romance

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Series: Fatal Shadows; A Dangerous Thing; The Hell You Say; Death of a Pirate King; The Dark Tide

How I acquired this book:  I purchased it.


Book Blurb: Adrien English isn't really a detective, he's a bookseller and mystery writer who has a knack for attracting real life mischief and mayhem -- much to the displeasure of his sexy, sometimes-boyfriend, closeted homicide detective Jake Riordan.When bookstore assistant Angus falls afoul of a Satanic cult, Adrien falls afoul of Jake -- but despite the fact that his amateur sleuthing is playing hell with his love life, Adrien can't help but delving into this case of kooks, cults, devil worship, and human sacrifice.

Publisher's Note: This book is a re-edited, revised version of the work previously released under the same title and.contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Male/male sexual practices, violence.

My Review: All of Adrien and Jake's issues come to a head here, so at times this is a gut-wrenching read. That's almost a relief--whatever the outcome for these two, I didn't want their problems as a couple to keep festering. And fortunately, Adrien's snarky sense of humor remains in place throughout his troubles with Jake, the absorbing mystery he lands in, and some hilarious changes in his family situation. No wonder I couldn't put this down!

On Kindle: Yes. Find it at Amazon here.

Special Note: To add to your enjoyment of this series, when you're finished this book, check out this character interview between Jake Riordan and his maker, and then this follow up character interview between Josh and Adrien.

More Reviews: 
Elisa Role's Review
Graceful Hippo's Review

Fatal Shadows & A Dangerous Thing by Josh Lanyon

Genre: Mystery, Romance, M/M Romance, Contemporary Romance, LGBT

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Series: Fatal Shadows; A Dangerous Thing; The Hell You Say; Death of a Pirate King; The Dark Tide

How I acquired this book: I purchased it.

Book Blurb: Relationships can be murder. Bookseller and mystery author Adrien English is looking for love in all the wrong places -- and, according to hot and handsome LAPD detective Jake Riordan, it's liable to get him killed.

Fatal Shadows: A serial killer is stalking gay men, and a tawny-eyed LAPD detective wants bookseller Adrien English in handcuffs -- for all the wrong reasons!

A Dangerous Thing: When his romance goes south, Adrien heads north to the California Motherlode country. Can murder -- and Adrien's favorite LAPD detective -- be far behind?


Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic situations, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: homoerotic sex, violence.


My Review: Adrien English is a wry, funny, endearing narrator with a weak heart, a stubborn streak and an unhealthy dose of curiosity. He gets himself into such a dangerous, disturbing situation toward the end of the first book that I almost had to close my eyes.  Jake Riordan, meanwhile, is a smart, tough, ambitious cop who won't acknowledge himself as gay--but can't stop himself from pursuing Adrien. (Ok, sometimes it's because Adrien is a suspect, but still.) Add two creepy, puzzling mysteries and you have the first two books of a series that's impossible to put down!


On Kindle: Yes. Find it at Amazon here.


Special Note: If you're just starting the Adrien English series, purchase this two-for-one edition for your Kindle. Let me know what you think . . .


More Reviews: 
Graceful Hippo's Review

The French Have a Word for It by Josh Lanyon

Genre: Romance; Contemporary Romance; M/M Romance; LGBT

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

How I acquired this book: It's available as a free download here.

Book Blurb: None Available

My Review: This short tale is a straight-forward romance--there's no mystery to solve (well, no murder mystery), and nothing explicit. Which just goes to show that explicit sex is not a requirement of the M/M genre.

We see this story through the eyes of a likable young painter, complete with gorgeous and telling imagery. Colin is determined to make it on his own; he refuses to fall back on his grandfather's money. And when he runs into Thomas, an older man he's been crushing on since his teens, he wants to prove that he's an adult now. But Colin still has a few things to learn about Thomas . . . and about growing up.

All in all, a lovely short read. Go take a look and let me know what you think!

On Kindle: No. This book is available for free here.