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Catch/Caught
Detective Ryan Siler had the perfect plan. He chose a common dumping ground for gang killings, a dark and lonely stretch of beach, and picked a late hour to avoid interruption. He even got his target to think their meeting was for a business deal. The only thing he didn’t anticipate was a witness.
For keyboardist Joel Brennan, the night was all about promise. A great gig, private time with a hot guy... it should’ve been perfect. And it was, until he inadvertently walked in on a murder. But he did the right thing. He went to the cops to report what he’d seen. He just didn’t expect to recognize the lead detective on the case as the killer.
Both men are convinced the other will sell him out. It’ll take teaming up to ensure they both stay alive...
For keyboardist Joel Brennan, the night was all about promise. A great gig, private time with a hot guy... it should’ve been perfect. And it was, until he inadvertently walked in on a murder. But he did the right thing. He went to the cops to report what he’d seen. He just didn’t expect to recognize the lead detective on the case as the killer.
Both men are convinced the other will sell him out. It’ll take teaming up to ensure they both stay alive...
- GenresM M RomanceGay
49 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 6, 2011
28 people want to read
About the author
Vivien Dean
76 books67 followersVivien Dean has had a lifetime love affair with stories. A multi-published author, her books have been EPPIE finalists, Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Nominees, and readers favorites. After spending her twenties and early thirties traveling, she has finally settled down and currently resides in northern California with her British husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 11, 2011
My biggest problem with this short story is the idea: Building a romantic relationship between a guy who witnessed a murder and the murderer itself? And the murderer is a detective, who has gambling issues, who must pay his debt by taking other people's lives (no matter that they're bad guys) for a price?? Nope. Totally doesn't work for me. There is NOTHING I like about that scenario, and I don't find this story romantic at all. Sorry.
Vivien Dean is still one of my favorites though, hopefully her next story will be more acceptable for me
Vivien Dean is still one of my favorites though, hopefully her next story will be more acceptable for me
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2011
Review: A story with an unusual premise and vivid characters, though I felt it was ultimately too short to do them justice.
Review for Brief Encounters Reviews: http://briefencountersreviews.com/201...
The excellent start presents a shocking scene both for action and sexiness. I’m a big fan of voyeurism LOL. It promises the quality and depth of a novel, often missing in shorts. The characters are attractively drawn, which I consider the strength of this story. Whether you like or approve of them, they’re in your face, bold and sexy in their own way.
The author’s style is also attractive – compelling prose, realistic and snappy dialogue, sensual description during the beach scenes. Ryan is vividly portrayed, a charismatic man, trapped by his own bad choices, concentrated on maintaining his deceit. From the first time he sees Joel, the sexual attraction is almost palpable, the tension mounting.
Joel was less clear to me. There wasn’t really much about his job or talent, just one scene of him playing when we were told that he was good. I needed more than that to believe in him as a musician. And his defence of Rodriguez jarred, making me wonder if I’d missed something in the plot. I could empathise with the way he went along with Ryan’s deception, and I actually thought it fit his ethically-flaky character quite well, though I’m not sure this was what the author intended :). I’d be interested to know more about him, because he seemed a good foil for Ryan.
I enjoyed the story a lot, but I think it’ll divide readers according to how they feel about the main characters acting less than ethically. I’m not just talking flawed men, but actual illegality, and fairly violent crimes. The redeeming feature is that the storytelling is unashamed: no one is preached to about their failings. There’s shock and disapproval, yes, but it’s from the men themselves: and they choose their way of dealing with it. As Ryan says about Joel: It wasn’t acceptance there, or even understanding. But it wasn’t disgust, either, so he’d take what he could get.
It had a strong feeling of being within a series, either following another story or expecting a sequel. However, it read well enough as a standalone, though I’d be interested to read more about the characters. There was very little about their back story or daily life: I had no idea what had brought Ryan to this position. Other reviews I’ve read highlight the D/s theme, but I didn’t feel it strongly, despite the frequent use of “boy” from Ryan, and mention of the “Tails” club.
The sex is well written, exciting, and raw. I wouldn’t call the ending a committed HFN, as the characters themselves didn’t seem too sure about the future, but it was definitely upbeat. I recall reaching page 15 and being startled – and disappointed – to realise I was near the end. I enjoyed both story and style, but would have liked more of it! I rate it B+.
by pettyprose…my opinion alone.
Review for Brief Encounters Reviews: http://briefencountersreviews.com/201...
The excellent start presents a shocking scene both for action and sexiness. I’m a big fan of voyeurism LOL. It promises the quality and depth of a novel, often missing in shorts. The characters are attractively drawn, which I consider the strength of this story. Whether you like or approve of them, they’re in your face, bold and sexy in their own way.
The author’s style is also attractive – compelling prose, realistic and snappy dialogue, sensual description during the beach scenes. Ryan is vividly portrayed, a charismatic man, trapped by his own bad choices, concentrated on maintaining his deceit. From the first time he sees Joel, the sexual attraction is almost palpable, the tension mounting.
Joel was less clear to me. There wasn’t really much about his job or talent, just one scene of him playing when we were told that he was good. I needed more than that to believe in him as a musician. And his defence of Rodriguez jarred, making me wonder if I’d missed something in the plot. I could empathise with the way he went along with Ryan’s deception, and I actually thought it fit his ethically-flaky character quite well, though I’m not sure this was what the author intended :). I’d be interested to know more about him, because he seemed a good foil for Ryan.
I enjoyed the story a lot, but I think it’ll divide readers according to how they feel about the main characters acting less than ethically. I’m not just talking flawed men, but actual illegality, and fairly violent crimes. The redeeming feature is that the storytelling is unashamed: no one is preached to about their failings. There’s shock and disapproval, yes, but it’s from the men themselves: and they choose their way of dealing with it. As Ryan says about Joel: It wasn’t acceptance there, or even understanding. But it wasn’t disgust, either, so he’d take what he could get.
It had a strong feeling of being within a series, either following another story or expecting a sequel. However, it read well enough as a standalone, though I’d be interested to read more about the characters. There was very little about their back story or daily life: I had no idea what had brought Ryan to this position. Other reviews I’ve read highlight the D/s theme, but I didn’t feel it strongly, despite the frequent use of “boy” from Ryan, and mention of the “Tails” club.
The sex is well written, exciting, and raw. I wouldn’t call the ending a committed HFN, as the characters themselves didn’t seem too sure about the future, but it was definitely upbeat. I recall reaching page 15 and being startled – and disappointed – to realise I was near the end. I enjoyed both story and style, but would have liked more of it! I rate it B+.
by pettyprose…my opinion alone.
May 31, 2011
Not without its problems, but it worked for me. Some issues of believability and not very likable characters. One lead is a corrupt cop, willing to murder "bad" guys to pay off his gambling debts. The other lead doesn't runaway from that whole crazy scene. Still though, I enjoyed the non-tradition, dysfunction characters and storyline. Probably not for everyone, but welcome break in my recent gay romance reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2011
I love Vivien Dean, so I knew that I would love this book. I did with the exception that this was a short novel and I'm not too fond of them. Especially with a story line that was way too complex, and a little disturbing, for such a short story. It had a typical HFN ending but still left me with a couple of questions at the end, which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.
April 24, 2011
Ok short m/m romance about a corrupt cop and a musician who witnesses something he shouldn't have seen.
October 31, 2015
I don't like it when the good guy is a crooked cop. This was bumped up from 1 star to 2 because the writing is quite good.
October 26, 2012
Just didn't work for me
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews