Xenia Melzer

The story and premise had great potential, but the execution was lacking.

Two detectives - one straightforward and ambitious, the other secretive and "gifted" are partnered and tasked with solving a murder. It's a case that has a lot of loose threads, and the pair find themselves digging up a larger crime ring.

To add a dimension to the mystery, the newcomer detective, Donovan, has been asked to find out why his partner Hayes has a bizarrely high solve rate. The answer is Hayes' "gift", an unusual connection to the natural world that heightens his senses and takes a huge toll on his health.

With all these elements in place, it's a shame the writing falls short. There's too much filler text, whole sections of internal discourse that could be deleted, and and poor characterization. The dialogue is stilted and all of the characters speak in the same formal fashion. For instance, a traumatized 17-year old uses the phrase, "sedated to keep us pliant" and a sleazy bar owner uses the word "mollified." Additionally, there's a lot of exaggerated emotions - characters speak through gritted teeth, pale or break into a sweat, visibly flinch, and otherwise over-emote.

The mystery is also a disappointment. There's little suspense or puzzle to solve, and much of the story is about the logistics of getting the bad guys arrested. A lot of the procedure reads like it was written by someone who's watched mainstream cop dramas rather than someone who did research. Much of the case-solving that's not supernatural is unrealistic and ignores what actual footwork looks like.

Overall, it felt like a novel that had good bones, but needed a massive re-write and edit.

… (altro)

I think this author is another first for me. I enjoyed it for the most part. I’m racking my brain trying to think of what I needed from it, but I’m drawing a blank. One thing I do have to commend, it was said over and over several times that every relationship in the lifestyle is different. I’m so happy for that. When Andrew tried out a harder core club, he knew it wasn’t for him, and that’s ok. Everyone has their kink and what they want and don’t, and I was happy to see it wasn’t a shaming thing. Both Andrew and Curtis have kind of given up on the whole relationship thing. Both are in their 40s and their lives are consumed by their jobs. It doesn’t help that one is a Dom, the other a sub, looking for the right fit for them. And after Curtis’s ex, Jasper, finding a good Dom is really hard. Because he doesn’t want back in a bad situation. But the minute Andrew lays his eyes on Curtis, he knew he had to know this man. And thanks to Curtis’s talkative friend Collin, Andrew knew Curtis was a sub. Perfect. Differences can make a difference if you allow them. But you have to be willing to get past things and overcome your fears and doubts in order to move forward. It’s not easy. A lesson these guys had to learn.… (altro)