One Good Book Deserves Another

Genre: LGBT - M/M Mystery
Series: Adrien English Mysteries, Books 1 & 2
Rating: 4 Stars
Formats: Kindle


Containing the first two books of the Adrien English mystery series, Fatal Shadows and A Dangerous Thing, this compilation introduces the beloved (deservedly so) story of Adrien English, book seller and mystery writer, a gay man comfortable with his sexuality but almost tragically likely to stumble upon or become involved in any murder that occurs anywhere near him. Along with the ubermanly LAPD detective Jake Riordan - a man wedged so far back into the closet that his soul's a little moth-eaten, Adrien doggedly pursues his curiosities down dangerous paths to crime-solving conclusions.

In Fatal Shadows we meet Adrien, earnest store owner of the Cloak and Dagger, a rare and collectible book store, when the police come knocking on his door to inform him that one of his best friends since childhood has been brutally slain...and judging from the cops' reactions, they believe that Adrien is responsible. Soon Adrien is getting anonymous attention of the dark and scary sort and he's racing around, trying to figure out who killed his friend, because the cops just don't seem to be looking in any other direction but his. Though, to be honest, Adrien doesn't necessarily mind Jake Riordan looking his way, so long as it's not with the intent of dragging him off to a jail cell. And Jake, closeted and self-hating though he may be, is looking...

And he continues to look, even into A Dangerous Thing. But lately, that's all Jake is doing - looking. He's nowhere near even peeking out of that closet yet, or at least, that's what Adrien thinks, and after being blown off for several late night dinners and visits, Adrien has had enough and decides to get out of town for awhile. Under the auspices of getting some work on his second novel done, Adrien heads out of Sonora and heads to his deceased grandmother's old house, a house he inherited and has had cared for in the years since her demise. When he pulls into the drive of the house after fleeing Jake...er...relocating for creative stimulation...his headlights brush past something that makes Adrien slam on the brakes of his car and nearly stops his heart. A very dead body. On his property. Oh dear. Soon enmeshed in a mystery that hearkens back over a century, as well as dealing with more cop suspicion and an acre or so of a very illegal substance being grown on his property, Adrien sets out to find out exactly what's going on - and detective Riordan isn't far behind when Adrien ends up coshed on the head and concussed. It seems Jake just can't stop trying to protect Adrien from ending up dead. That's progress...right??

I love Josh Lanyon and I've become a nearly rabid fan of his writing - which never disappoints. I'm totally enthralled with the relationship between Adrien English and the very reticent Jake Riordan and can't wait to continue along their journey. As always, I'm consistently impressed with the smooth style and intelligence that Lanyon brings to his works. They are always a pleasure to read for the wit, intellect, and humor he breathes into his plot, characters, and situations. I have to admit, though, I'm not always totally thrilled with the way that Adrien tends to make some really questionable decisions (that border on suicidal occasionally) and I'm still not convinced that Jake is all that nice a guy (but then again, I'm not sure he's supposed to be right now).

Neither title quite crests the peak that would lift them to a truly five-star read for me. Fatal Shadows gets closer than A Dangerous Thing, though. That's absolutely no fault of the author at all. Mysteries are simply not my preferred genre of reading...or should I say 'straight' mysteries aren't. I like my thrillers with a bit of mystery, my adventure with a bit of mystery, my romance with a bit of mystery, etc. Straight mysteries are harder for me to truly embrace because I don't always buy into the characters motivations for solving them. For example, while I can understand Adrien's motivation in Fatal Shadows, I just don't understand why he was so driven to solve the mysteries in A Dangerous Thing, or what motivates him to continue even when it turns dangerous (that's why I preferred the first book to the second). It's a problem I have with all mysteries containing a protagonist whose job does not depend on solving said mystery. I don't understand the rampant curiosity and risky behavior just for the sake of solving it. This is not a critique of Lanyon's series or Lanyon as an author - it's actually more of a compliment. I read mystery novels few and far between because of that preference, but I'm totally jonesing for more of the Adrien English series. It's just that good. I'm a die-hard fan and will be continuing the series as soon as I can.

Genre: Alternate Universe Fantasy
Series: Haven, Book 2
Rating: 4 Stars
Formats: Paperback, Kindle


Honestly, if I didn't know better, I would question whether or not Once Bitten and Twice Dead were penned by the same author! I was one of the (apparently) few who read Once Bitten and thought that while it was a promising concept, there were far too many issues - with the plot, characters, and technical writing aspects - for me to like. I almost didn't bother with Twice Dead because of it. I would've missed out on a fantastic, gritty, dark AU fantasy if I hadn't. I can't remember ever reading such a huge improvement between a first and second book in a series, but I'm thrilled that I have now.

Twice Dead continues the story of the natural shifter-turned-vampire Kita and her vampire sire Nathanial, and where Once Bitten was a boggy, confusing mess, Twice Dead was a taut, lean, bloody and dangerous lesson in vampire politics and etiquette...or lack thereof in Kita's case. Out with Nathanial at a party held by Tatius, Master of the city of Haven, to welcome the vampire known as the Collector to his city, the struggling (and starving) Kita - just over two weeks undead and still none too fond of being a vampire - is nearly overwhelmed with hunger and almost eats a member of the Collector's retinue. The only thing that stops her is the unfortunate fact that the albino triplet is not only already dead, but also gruesomely headless. In a room full of vampires who didn't notice. Talk about a PR nightmare. Soon more bodies without heads...and heads without bodies are turning up, ruffling the feathers of creatures that can eviscerate you for being ruffled. Kita's stuck in the middle of it all through no fault of her own - she found the first body, she didn't make the first body - but with vampires it doesn't seem to matter. There are intense vampire power plays, and Tatius is his arrogant, ancient, over-entitled self as he maneuvers Kita into a companionship she doesn't want. But the Collector, one ancient and scary PT Barnum-esque vamp, finds Kita to be unique, and that's the definition of a bad thing. She's called the Collector for a reason, after all. Suddenly neck deep in a bloody mess of murder and politics and danger, Kita's still got to find out if she tagged any other rogues beyond the murderous bastard that was on a killing spree just weeks ago (in Once Bitten), and then there's that pesky and confusing attraction to Nathanial that she's trying not to think of, not to mention the continuing lack of ability to shift since being turned. Just how much can a calico kitty swallow with without hacking up a hair ball?

I thought the plot of Twice Dead was exceptionally well done in relation to pacing and progression, and where I was riddled with unanswered questions in Once Bitten, most of those were answered in Twice Dead in very subtle, satisfying ways. Kalayna Price has created a very dark alternate universe world and she's starting to define it and flesh it out quite a bit more here. It's definitely not a place I'd like to visit, but I sure enjoy reading about it. While there were a couple of minor plot holes in Twice Dead, I didn't think they were so significant to the flow of the story that they were overly distracting. My biggest issue with Twice Dead, and the only thing that truly kept it from being a five star read for me, actually, is the same major issue I had with the first book; I'm just not sure I'm all that fond of Kita.

She's definitely progressed as a character, even though the events of Twice Dead take place only two weeks after the conclusion of the events of Once Bitten, so I'm holding out hope that I'll like her eventually. She wasn't nearly as contrary and immature as she was in the first book. Yes, she's contrary by nature, but she partnered that with a lot more common sense and fortitude in Twice Dead and it made her character far more palatable. I still think there are some odd contradictions in how her character is being written, though, and I'm not sure if it's an oversight by the author or her intent for the character. Kita hates vampires, resents being one, refuses to feed on humans (part of that makes sense, she doesn't want to risk tagging them, but there are ways around that which she doesn't take), and willfully pushes away any trace of anything concerning that mezmer ability she's got going on (the development of which I apparently missed in the first book, so I was confused when that popped up), or any other vampire skill - but she bemoans being a broken vamp when the aspects of the vampire nature she does want don't work. That hypocrisy grated on me a bit, even though it's unfortunately familiar to me from other urban fantasy heroines. In fact, when that character trait was combined with the delicacy and intricacy of the vampire politics, the two aspects together reminded me vaguely of LKH's Anita Blake character and series back when it was good (years ago) - before that series decomposed into a rancid quagmire of inexplicable and plotless emotional vomit and debauchery spewing over pages and pages between pathetic glimmers of the ignorant butchery of a Mary Sue character posing as character development (not that I feel strongly on the subject).

So all in all, Twice Dead was far better than Once Bitten and is a very good addition to the dark AU fantasy genre. I love vampire politics done well. I like what I saw of Kita's character development here. I can handle her being frustrating if she's going to keep developing, and I saw good signs of that in Twice Dead. I love Nathanial (always have) and like Gil, Bobby, and even Tatius. Everyone's feeling far more three dimensional and the plot was totally kick ass. A visit to the author's website confirmed a planned six-book series, with the next in the Kita chronicles, Third Blood, coming out sometime in 2011. That's a long wait, but on the bright side, Kalayna Price is releasing the debut of her second dark urban fantasy series, Grave Witch: An Alex Craft Novel, on 10/05/2010. I wouldn't have believed it possible based on Once Bitten, but after Twice Dead, I'll definitely be reading it.

Haven Series: