Fair Game by Josh Lanyon

Fair Game by Josh Lanyon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Book Blurb:

A crippling knee injury forced Elliot Mills to trade in his FBI badge for dusty chalkboards and bored college students. Now a history professor at Puget Sound university, the former agent has put his old life behind him-but it seems his old life isn't finished with him.

A young man has gone missing from campus-and as a favor to a family friend, Elliot agrees to do a little sniffing around. His investigations bring him face-to-face with his former lover, Tucker Lance, the special agent handling the case.

Things ended badly with Tucker, and neither man is ready to back down on the fight that drove them apart. But they have to figure out a way to move beyond their past and work together as more men go missing and Elliot becomes the target in a killer's obsessive game...

My Review:

I enjoyed this. The mystery kept me guessing and I found myself hoping that Elliot would make peace with the injury that caused him to leave the FBI. I was also rooting for him to allow his ex, Tucker (who is still with the Bureau), back into his life.

I didn't think Fair Game was quite on par with the Adrien English series (also by Josh Lanyon)--especially since I just finished those books and I'm missing Adrien! But this was still a fun read, and I'd be happy to spend more time with Elliot and Tucker in a sequel.

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The Dark Tide by Josh Lanyon

The Dark Tide by Josh Lanyon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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.

My Review:

When Adrien finds a decades-old corpse boarded up under his floor, he just can't bring himself to leave it for the police to solve alone. So he turns to Jake, who's out of the closet now and working as a P.I. For the first time, it seems like these two have a chance to build a lasting relationship. But only if they can come to terms with their past.

Adrien and Jake track down witnesses in this cold case, keeping me guessing till the end. At the same time, they try to figure out where they stand with each other. But Adrien's mother and step family are there to help, and Guy, Mel and Angus all play a part.

The Dark Tide provides plenty of closure, but don't read it by itself! Start from the beginning of the Adrien English series.

I was apprehensive when I started this series; I loved mysteries, but I had never read a gay romance before. I didn't know how I'd handle the explicit scenes. Well, I only keep my eyes half-closed now. (And they don't dominate the book anyway.) And after this satisfying finale, all I can think about is how much I'll miss Adrien!

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Death of a Pirate King (Adrien English Mystery) by Josh Lanyon

Death of a Pirate King by Josh Lanyon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Blurb:

#4 in the acclaimed Adrien English Mystery Series by award winning author Josh Lanyon. 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 -- which may just drive Adrien's new boyfriend, sexy UCLA professor Guy Snowden, to commit a murder of his own!

My Review:

Adrien is in transition here, coping with his new step-family, a turn in his writing career, and his deepening relationship with Guy. Not the best time to witness another murder--or to try solving it with his ex, Jake Riordan. Adrien may have been keeping his distance from the closeted, married cop, but it's clear the man is still under his skin . . . and that kept me turning the pages just as much as the mystery!

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The Hell You Say (Adrien English Mystery) by Josh Lanyon

The Hell You Say by Josh Lanyon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Blurb:

The long anticipated third novel in the Adrien English series finds the "ill-starred and bookish" mystery writer and bookseller battling demons-maybe literally.
After bookstore clerk Angus flees following terrifying death threats, Adrien must contend with a mysterious Satanic cult, a hot and handsome university professor, and his on-again/off-again relationship with closeted LAPD Homicide Detective Jake Riordan.

My Review:

Angus's odd lifestyle plunges Adrien into another mystery, but The Hell You Say seems more character driven than plot-driven. Even a cultic murder takes a back seat to the changes in Adrien's life; but since I'm sold on Adrien, that's fine. His story moves forward as his mother makes a startling announcement and his problems with Jake come to a head, creating a make or break moment in their relationship.

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Adrien English Mysteries: Fatal Shadows and A Dangerous Thing by Josh Lanyon

Adrien English Mysteries: Fatal Shadows and A Dangerous Thing by Josh Lanyon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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.

My Review:

Fatal Shadows and A Dangerous Thing are the first two books of the Adrien English series, sold together as one book for Kindle. This mystery romance was my first M/M book, and though I skipped over the explicit scenes, I fell for Adrien and his snappy narration.   I enjoyed the other characters as well, including Adrien's over-protective mother, his closeted love interest and his slightly spooky assistant.

Despite his uncanny ability to get tangled up in murder mysteries, Adrien's not a private eye or a cop. He's just a mystery book store owner who's trying to make it through the day and find acceptance and love . . . preferably without discovering any more bodies along the way. 

This book came highly recommended and did not disappoint. In fact, I'm already devouring the third book in the series. Explicit scenes aside--which are not my thing--this is a four star read!

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