Detective Matthew Bennett doesn’t believe in anything anymore since his work partner and lover, Brad was killed in a robbery over a year ago. Matt’s boss and most of his co-workers give Matt a wide berth once they found out he and Brad were more than on the job partners. Now, stuck mostly at a desk job since Brad’s death, Matt sometimes gets called to the easy crimes that no one else wants or works on holidays. On Christmas Eve he’s called to the home of a prominent lawyer and his family to investigate a missing child report. Shortly after arrival, Matt hears a voice that leads him to the basement. Thinking he was losing his mind, he’s almost sure he has when he sees the ghost of the little girl, Abby, and she shows him where to find her body. Unfortunately, Matt tells his boss how he found the girl and he is now officially on leave and everyone at work thinks he’s finally lost it.



I enjoyed this book. It had a nice balance between the real world investigation and the paranormal once the psychic, Kiernan Fitzpatrick, was brought into the story.

The characters all have distinctive voices, but I have trouble with a few of them. Kiernan is adorable, especially with his collection of t-shirts, but I found him too perfect. There didn’t seem to be any flaws about him other than he would forget to eat and didn’t like to listen to what people told him to do. He always seemed to have the right answer for everything. The other perfect person was Matt’s sister-in-law, Sheila. Her only flaw through Matt’s eyes, was that she was meddlesome in his love life. I did like that the two females in the story, Sheila and Aidan weren’t bitches which is common in M/M stories. With Matt, I was thinking he might be grieving more for Brad since Matt’s grieving was often brought up, but I didn’t get that impression much from him. Maybe that’s because he was ready to move on to a new relationship.

I think my favorite part of the book was the first time meeting and interaction between Matthew and Kiernan. I also liked that Matt and Kiernan didn’t fall in love at first sight. They did fall in love within a couple days, which for me is still a bit unrealistic but it was more believable than love at first sight.

The formatting and editing were very good. I only found a few errors. I also really like the cover, it’s very pretty. The one thing I thought was, for me, the pace of the story was a bit slow. But I sort of understand that it might have been deliberate since this was an investigation and those types of things don’t necessarily happen at a fast pace.

The characters were good, if not a bit too perfect. The detail was also good as was the formatting and editing. If you’re looking for an easy book to read that keeps you in suspense, not only with the murder mystery but the relationship, then this book is for you. I give A Reason to Believe 4 stars.


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[b:A Reason To Believe|15847019|A Reason To Believe|Diana Copland|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1345843256s/15847019.jpg|21591489] by [a:Diana Copland|2980236|Diana Copland|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png]
Genres: Adult, Crime, Mystery, M/M Romance, Suspense.
5 Stars

Not a single typo/editing error. No repetition. No rambling. No need of the mighty 'Blue' pencil.

This story is incredible. It is a fantastic murder mystery with paranormal aspects that are well portrayed.

Matthew has suffered a devastating loss that 'outed' him to his precinct and exposed him to the bigotry of his captain. He has closed himself off and built a wall around his heart. But, this case brings Kiernan Fitzpatrick and the ghost of a child into his life. Together they have a profound effect on Matthew.

Matthew and Kiernan are both easy to visualize & connect to.
Kiernan has a quirkiness to his personality that on occasion makes you laugh out loud. Considering the gravity of the crime, it is a welcome respite.
Matthew is a seasoned detective.
He grudgingly puts aside his preconceived beliefs to get to the truth. Not an easy task for anyone, especially when it comes to ghost!

All the characters, the world build and the investigation of the murder are superbly written. The suspense and romance flow perfectly. This story will keep you riveted to the very end.

This is not a part of a series. I checked. I wish it was. I can easily see Kiernan getting into mischief and all the cases he and Matthew could work together on.

A great mystery. The author's talent truly shows. I am so going to read more from this author in the future.

This book was recommended to me by my Public Digital Library. ( )

For the subject matter, this story is rather sweet and captures the ghost experience quite well. ( )

When detective Matthew Bennett is called in on a missing child case on Christmas Eve, the last thing he would ever expect is for the child's ghost to lead him to her body. He's never believed in ghosts and can't seem to wrap his head around what happens. He soon crosses paths with Kiernan Fitzpatrick, a famous medium, who challenges him in more ways than one and is taken on an adventure that changes the way he views his life and himself.

This one was chosen for me in a challenge based on the types of books I like to read and it definitely hit the mark. Mystery, paranormal elements, tentative/slow building relationship, and generally adorable characters: all things I enjoy on their own and even more when they're together in one book. I find myself wanting to know what happens next for Matt and Kiernan, though I don't know that there are any plans for author to bring us more in the future. ( )

I was reluctant to start this one. I was worried that the ghost bit was going to take over and be overdone as well. But was I wrong!

This book was absolutely fantastic in the way it balanced all the elements involved. The paranormal was believable, utterly so. The mystery/police work was done just right and even though I had a feeling fairly quickly "who done it" so to speak, the reasoning and motivation wasn't given away until the end. Exactly the way I like it.

It does take place in a very short period of time, yet nothing feels forced. Matthew is a great character, still damaged from previous events and this is handled with tact and consideration. Kiernan just leaps off the page. He is adorable, yet shows great strength in character.

My only complaint is that I want to know that these guys make it work...all of it. So I'd love another book about them! ( )