Tea and Antipathy

Damien Murphy Pet Sitting and Murder Investigations #1

by Meredith Spies

Not everyone could say their luck started improving the day they nearly got hit by a car, but not everyone was me. Which was good because one me is all the town of Lester Cove can handle.

Ever since I arrived, people have been dropping dead and my new friend seems to be right in the thick of things. Mrs. Witte is a sweet older lady but she cannot keep herself from chasing down clues and pointing fingers at suspects, and her stepson Benjamin seems to think that’s somehow my fault.

Look, I’m just a washed up child star turned accidental pet sitter and sometimes plucky sidekick. I had nothing to do with the deaths that seem to be happening at an alarming rate, and Mrs. Witte is determined to make sure I don’t get blamed.

Benjamin, however, isn’t easily convinced. It’s all I can do to keep up with Mrs. Witte and that goofy mutt of hers, putting myself between her and whoever the Thespian Killer is, and it’s all Benjamin can to do put himself between me and clearing my name.

Tea and Antipathy is a slow burn cozy romance with an MM romance woven in through the mystery.

Genres: Mystery, M M Romance, Cozy, Contemporary, M M Mystery, Romance, Humor

356 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2023

Reviews

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really torn about this book. There are things I liked - I think the writing overall is good, the pacing is good and there are some interesting ideas there with Damien's character. But there are multiple instances where it feels like the scene is out of place, like something should have come before to set the stage, but despite going back and looking I can't find what should have come before. Here are some examples - when Damien meets a possible love interest, during their first verbal sparring match he's really snippy, as though he and the other guy have already had a conversation, but this is really the first time they've talked. He makes a dig about the other character being a lawyer, but he doesn't learn that fact until 50 pages later. At the end of another scene they mention out of the blue that "Jerome" left, but that character hasn't been introduced yet. Another time he mentions that one character looks less pale and drained than he did earlier that day, but it's the first time he's seen him. It's weird, like the scenes were written out of order then scrambled around. Or the author made plot jumps in their head and didn't bother writing down how they got from A to B. There are other continuity issues too - during a climactic struggle he and another character are in the kitchen (and there's mention of banging something on the counter), then suddenly he's pushed and almost hits his head on the trunk. As in a car. Because they're outside and he's then forced back inside, but nowhere did they actually LEAVE the kitchen. There a major plot point where his phone is stolen, but the person who apparently stole it just ran past him, HOW did they steal the phone? There were so many of these continuity issues that I began to expect them and was playing a game with myself of looking for them. Finally, the big reveal/denouement of who the bad guy is introduces a TON of new info that seemed totally out of left field. I love mysteries, and this could've been a pretty good one, but someone needs to go through and fix all these continuity errors. I'd consider reading the follow up, but would want to know it doesn't have similar issues before I start it. Overall it didn't live up to it's promise.

[Saskia Veldhuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Damien was a fairly unusual character, sometimes very lost in how he should appear to others, being a chameleon. The murderer was fairly predictable but the twists to get there were good. It's so slow burn that there wasn't really a relationship by the end but the potential was definitely there.

[Theresa Derwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ex Child Stars and Theatre Divas, Tea and Sympathy

Tea and Antipathy

Damien Murphy Pet Sitting and Murder Mysteries

Book #1

Meredith Spies


Damien Murphy - actor and ex child star - finds himself in the cute Maine town of Lester Cove, has been invited by local theatre star Renee Rhodes to help her judge a playwright competition as part of a festival she's arranged.

His car breaks down and he's almost knocked over by local teashop manager Margie, who nags her stepson Ben in to helping Damien.

Whilst Damien is all about the fashion and having fun, Ben is a gorgeous but annoying Mr Darcy-Type.

They are basically chalk and cheese to start with, but when the actor finds Renee dead on the floor at the theatre, there's no one to take on her massive hound - Muffin.

Damien is left dealing with her grieving ex, angry locals, a young wannabe actress, a potential murder, a festival to run and a huge but adorable doggie

Muffin is actually a main character in this wonderful cosy crime, gay romance with opposites attract tropes.

So much happens in it, such as Margie and Belinda encouraging him to investigate Renee's murder, the annoyingly handsome and grouchy Ben Witte raising his eyebrows so much they almost hit the ceiling, and there are loads of character and plot reveals.

The paparazzi and his agent are trying to ambush him and the only peace he gets is walking Muffin or having tea at Ben and Margie's teashop.

His BFF Max - a famous actor - gets involved too, and there's a chance we'll get to see him properly in book two, coming out next year.

As for the teashop, if it existed, is want to go there.

The one tea, of "Blueberry green tea with a hint of lemon" sounds delicious, and if the author ever releases a limited edition, I could see a themed tea going so well with it.

Then there's Ben's cookies from a Boston bakery;

These are ginger-orange-cinnamon... Autumn cookies."

I think Spies has invented some great recipes or knows the way around the culinary arts. You can almost taste the goodies.

It all adds to the cute, cosy feel of the book with a dash of romance.

I have to say I really enjoyed this one and look forward to book two.

[Elizabeth D · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 I picked this up largely because of the title and my love of tea, lol. I enjoyed the cozy mystery format for the most part, although I would have liked a bit more romance. I like the possibilities between Ben and Damien, and I certainly hope more develops between them in future books.

I liked Damien. He’s very clearly an amateur sleuth, but he’s upfront about that, and so it’s entertaining to see him stumble along and occasionally do something particularly clever. It was fun to watch him get attached to this place when it’s clear he feels pretty disconnected and uncertain otherwise in his life.

The red herrings aren’t quite sufficient for me, and I figured out who did it somewhere around 2/3 of the way through, which is not how I usually roll. I still enjoyed the unravelling drama and getting all the details. There were a few continuity issues, where we aren’t introduced to people or things have clearly happened that aren’t explained when we’re with Damien and there are no time skips. (For example, Damien finding a body and then the police show up. I genuinely thought they’d just happened to come, and then one of them asked if Damien had made the call. What call? We were with Damien’s narration the whole time, and there was no call and no asterisks to show a cut.)

Muffin is an absolute riot, the best of a cast of fun, quirky characters that made this an entertaining read. I think it was the quirky town and strong characters that made me more forgiving of a few of the narrative lapses.

I received an ARC from GRR. This is my honest review.

[PaperMoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a decent cozy mystery ... the plot pacing and character interactions improved from midway onward. I'd be happy to try the next book to see if the MCs continue to 'grow on me'.

[Brit_ta_ny · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF @ 63%

This story had so much potential but needed a solid edit and read through to fix timeline inconsistencies and other fixable plot problems.

I am always here for a cozy mystery in a small New England town, but if I’m constantly flipping back and forth to try and figure out what’s going on because things pop-up literally from nowhere I’m not having a good time. I’d love to see another release of this story after a good cleanup and fix of all the inconsistencies, I’d definitely try it again and would be pretty likely to read any other books in the series.

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really underwhelming. I had suspicions about who dunnit by page 31 (of 266), and they became more strong with every page. Potential romance more than an actual one, and very little consistency of any characters.

[CateReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

***3 stars***

I had high HIGH hopes for Tea and Antipathy. First off? Perfect title, no notes. Second, a cozy mystery? I’m in. A cozy mystery involving theatre? Absolutely there. A cozy mystery involving theatre AND a dog??? I am in heaven.
The book didn’t quite live up to my expectations, as there are some issues that I think should have been fixed in editing. However, it is obviously the start of a series and I am interested in where it is going.

Plot-wise, it’s a bit of a mess. A fun mess but a mess, nonetheless. Even though I figured out the murderer fairly early, I was very invested in the why and how so the story did its job in keeping me engaged. Unfortunately, the murderer does a bit of info-dump at the end and it gave me a bit of a “...wait. Really?” I wasn’t disappointed but I didn’t have that feeling that a good mystery gives when you want to immediately go back and read the book again to pick up the clues that you missed the first time.
However, I don’t read cozy romance mysteries for the actual mystery, I want the romance! But…I was disappointed by that too. There is no real romance to be found here, there’s flirting at most. But that flirting comes in the form of being snippy at each other and for not entirely reasonable reasons? I mean, yes—we need the antipathy in the Tea and Antipathy. But damn, y’all…have a damn conversation rather than sniping. It felt a bit like I skipped a few pages and missed the scene where Damien and Benjamin had reason to continue being dicks to each other. There were too few scenes between the MC’s and much more devoted to side characters that I didn’t find entirely necessary.

Character-wise, I had a little trouble keeping up with them, as a few were “off-screen” the whole time, like Damien’s actor bestie and a few people from the victim’s past. I enjoyed the side characters, I just didn’t feel like they contributed a ton to the plot. Damien was fun and funny, while Benjamin was vaguely pissy for no reason most of the time but I still kind of liked him. I did appreciate some of Damien’s growth in the book, as Renee’s death hit on some sore spots that he hadn’t yet examined in his own life. I just wish Ben could have factored a little more into that growth, or in Damien’s life in general!

However, Muffin? Muffin is a darling and I’d protect him with my life.

I felt like the story was there in this book, but it just needed some editing. There were some moderate holes that stuck out, but they were less like bad storytelling and more like “this is a 3rd draft rather than a final product.” The writing in a mystery needs to be tight because we readers will look at a plot hole and think it means something.
For example, we witness Damien finding the victim, but suddenly the police show up and there’s talk about Damien’s 911 call. Except…there was no 911 call. I spent the next few pages trying to figure out if that meant something important about the police force or not. (Where the police in on it?? Who actually called them?? But, the truth was just poor editing…)
And don’t get me wrong, the writing itself is a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to future books in the series because I want to see where it goes. I just hope the author gets some better editors and beta readers to help point out mistakes.

***I received this as an ARC and this has been my honest review***

[Taylin Clavelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed for Love Bytes – 3 hearts.
Damien was in Lester Cove, a little town in Maine, to get out of the Hollywood rut and reset his acting career. Unfortunately, a murder left him with more responsibilities than he expected and some curiosity. When Ben appears, their encounters barely border on civil. Then, when Damien follows his curiosity, certain leads, he finds much underlying love and ill-feeling within Lester Cove.
Tea and Antipathy is an amateur sleuth novel, which is a fun read containing many fun Hollywood extras, of which some belonged in the gossip columns, others didn’t. However, for me, there were so many side tales that it often derailed the story flow. Maybe, it was a ploy to mask the true baddie. If that was the intention then, then it worked.
The story is told in the first person, present tense, entirely from Damien’s viewpoint. Generally, chatter introduces characters, while physical descriptions and places are detailed, including some fashion tips that went over my head. These are features that some will love, while others may find it a touch too much. I didn’t mind some of the detail, but the occasional long paragraph sometimes made reading hard. One star of the show is Muffin the Cane Corso. He experiences as many, if not more, emotions than Damien. He’s a massive dog with a heart to match and a love for beefy treats.
Damien is an inquisitive soul that loves acting but isn’t sure about his direction in life. In the festival organizer, Renee Rhodes, Damien witnesses the good and bad of Hollywood – ego and all. Damien’s internal ramblings, too, give insight into his experiences, furthering the depth and background of the tale. There’s much for Damien to unravel. Along the way, he gets as much encouragement as he does warnings. All the characters, too, have personal stories, forming a web of life and death – specifically murder.
I found Tea and Antipathy a fun read, where fewer anecdotes would have made the overall tale punchier. There was drama, but I’m unsure whether their effect, other than those involving dogs, hit the intended emotional note. I imagine plenty of people loving this story, but some will find it a tad marmite.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for
Love Bytes.

[Nat Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun gay protagonist cozy mystery. It's not necessarily MM, but there is a hint of relationships to come, which is somewhat expected in a mystery of this type. I enjoyed the characters, the town, Damien, and Muffin. There were fun moments with Damien and his struggle with his career, the dry humor, and the raw near desperation he has to not be washed up but also still hold on to his integrity.

Damien is a bit of a flamboyant (fashion nightmare, imho), almost-has-been actor who comes to a small town where he knows nobody to help with a theater festival. He meets a large cast of characters, that in the beginning it was hard for me to keep them straight. But as time passed, most grew to to be fully fleshed out. (I still got the Moon sisters confused.)

And then the murder happens and the amateur sleuthing begins.

The author offers up lots of possible suspects, but she definitely stressed a few tidbits that had me looking in certain directions -- not necessarily figuring it out early, but thinking "didn't you notice the THING, why aren't you following up on the THING."

I don't want to spoil anything but.... SPOILER. I had problems with the ending/solution because....


Damien, as a man, should be able to overpower most women, unless that woman is weight training or skilled in fighting. Just basic biology---men are stronger. Having an older woman overpower him, no matter how effeminate he is, just didn't sit with me and I found myself not buying that final scene. Especially when he recalls acting/fighting training within the scene, so he has some of his own moves.


All in all, a fun read I would recommend to those looking for a gay cozy. Looking forward to more Damian and Muffin!

[Clo’ · Rating 3 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️/5

👥: Damien Murphy is a funny character with an engaging personality. This story is told from his point of view and I like him a lot. He is an actor who doesn’t want to be forgotten. He is lost about his future and what he should do to boost his career, and he hopes to find some answers in Lester Cove. I absolutely loved all the passages about the world of acting.

💞: There is not a lot of romance in there. It’s more the premise of something maybe… Ben was a lovable character, grumpy and busy all the time. I would have loved to see him more, because he might have interesting things to tell and profound feelings to share with us.

🐶 : How to not talk about Murphy… This dog brings joy and comfort in this dark story, you will absolutely love him !

🪶: The main plot is the murder of a famous actress, not so likable it seems… Damien needs to explore several leads and what he finds only raises more questions. I found the murder investigation a little bit rushed ? The police were useless and poor Damien was lost. I suspected it from the beginning and in the end we learned a lot of things at once.

🗒: “I don’t want to be dead and forgotten one day. If god forbid, I ever turn up dead under mysterious circumstances, I want someone to at least try to look into it.”
“Sometimes people aren’t what we think, or who they say they are. And that’s not our fault.”

✨I received an ARC by GRR for this book and I’m very grateful for it, but this is obviously my honest review.✨

[Anne Barwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this slow burn mystery detective. I loved the quirky small-town setting and how Damien relates everything to roles he’s played. I did guess who the murderer was, but not the twist of why. Nicely done.

I liked Damien, although he needs to ditch his agent. His interior monologues are fun, and his acting experience very much jobbing actor rather than star. I like how Ben starts to thaw around him, and their growing friendship, which is setting up to be more. Considering Ben’s past experiences, it’s no wonder he’s initially not very approachable.

Damien’s friendship with Max is a highlight, with it obvious they’re friends who care about each other and are in for the long haul. Heath is an interesting character, and I hope he finds his own HEA. I liked how so many people in the town had histories, and how the murder victim’s past and connections come to light.

Muffin steals every scene he’s in.

Unfortunately, there are continuity issues within the first few chapters of the story, hence the lower rating. I had to skim back a few pages in case I’d missed something, but I hadn’t. This does settle down as the story progresses though so the latter part of the book was a much faster read.

I’m looking forward to reading more about these characters and their town.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Murderer on the Loose . . .

Wow, what a start to Damien Murphy’s day! That oh-so-special jasmine tea he just had to have ended up costing him a ton of money as the bad luck rolled out non-stop -- a $300 towing bill, ending with a lady, Margie Witte, almost running him over, knocking him to the ground, and non-stop chattering to him about taking him to the doctor. He told her that Renee Rhodes invited him here to help judge the plays and take part in some panel discussions at the upcoming festival. Saying he wasn’t there for his Hollywood autograph made Margie laugh since Renee wouldn’t have invited him to her event if she thought he wasn’t famous enough to pull in an audience!

When the murders start, Damien was the one to find Renee’s body on stage in a puddle of blood. All the lights had been out and the huge dog Muffin whimpered. Who murdered Renee? And how will Damien become part of the danger that erupts from that? This is an intriguing cozy mystery that pulls the reader in from start to finish trying to put the clues together and find the murderer. For me, it was a surprise I hadn’t expected. But I enjoyed meeting all the characters and look forward to Ben’s returning to Lester Cove and finding a way of keeping Damien in town.

[Dear Reader 0801 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems like an interesting start to a new mystery series and there feels like a lot of potential for the characters and the underlying romance plot. Some of my favorite shows are those delightful easy mysteries on Acorn that have quirky characters and small town vibes and this reminded me so much of those. It was definitely much more of a mystery story but I’m guessing the romance plot will move along during each addition to the series.

Damien’s an interesting character and the focal point of this series. He’s come to this town to assist an aging theater star with a festival and he’s trying to keep his name out there in hope of more acting work to eventually come his way. A day that starts off with mechanical problems with his car and being clipped on the side of the road ends up with Damien discovering a crime scene and taking care of a dog. And the twists begin from there!

Enter the prickly Ben Witte, stepson of the local tea shop lady, who keeps trying to prevent Damien from getting too involved in the mysteries at hand. He’s the complete opposite to Damien but there is some spark between the two and I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out over the series. I read a complimentary copy and this is my honest and fair review.

[Pontiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damien is in town for an actors festival with an actress whom he admires in charge, Renée Rhodes. After the first gala dinner, he realizes he’s forgotten his phone, and when he returns to the theatre to find it, he also finds Ms. Rhodes dead.

He inherits her huge Cane Corso dog, who follows him all over, and he begins to wonder if she was killed on purpose, not accidentally.

He has a few suspects, including a teen playwright, Renée’s ex husband Charlie, and later on, others she’d hurt in her climb to the top.

When Charlie is murdered, the assumption is that he killed Renée, then himself, out of guilt. But things don’t add up, and with help from friends like Max and Ben, he ends up wanting to ask the actual killer about others, thus leading him into their hands.

I realized who it was about halfway through, and though there’s a little romance, this is really more of a mystery. The writing is all right, but words and phrases are repeated within a short time, once 3 times in a sentence.

I do like Damien, Ben, and Heath, and the Moon sisters are fun, so this is a 3 1/2 star book. I received this ARC for free, and am giving it my honest review in thanks.

[avid reader 1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tea and Antipathy is the first I’ve read by this author.
I picked up this book because the blurb sounded promising.
The premise is good, but the execution is not. There are so many editing issues that I found myself looking for those instead of the killer. The writing lacks flow and continuity. It felt like the scenes were written out of order and thrown into the work without rereading them to ensure they were accurate and fit into what came before. I read 25% before deciding to start over to see if it read better the second time around.
The name Jerome was randomly thrown into chapter one with no context at all and didn’t come up again until chapter fourteen. That bugged me throughout like a rock in a shoe.
I liked Damien. I didn't love him or care what happened to him since I couldn't get immersed in his story. I hate that because he should have been one of those characters that I fell in love with.
I believe this book could be fun and exciting if it was appropriately edited and the continuity issues fixed.
I'll see what the next in the series offers.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damien in in the small Maine town for a theatre festival. When the “leading lady” is killed, possible murdered, Damien lands in the thick of it. “the panicking man (played by Damien Murphy)”.

The book is full of odd (quirky) characters. Each the possible bad guy in what Damien believes is a murder. About the only character not on his suspect list is the dead woman’s giant dog Muffin. (He deserve a book all his own, he could sniff the criminals out.)

While there is no romance, the possibility is there with Benjamin, a lawyer. The stepson of one of Damien’s possible suspects. This was a nice story (if you leave out the murder parts) about a man at a crossroads in his life. His past acting roles figuring prominently in his inner monologues as a way for him to explain how he gets his thoughts from A to B.

I’d call this one a sweet who-done-it with a side or two of murder.

Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads.

[Juniper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like Damien as a protagonist— he manages to balance a certain amount of self-awareness, some incidents of true cluelessness, some staggeringly insightful moments, and some truly impressive blindspots, all with a certain sincere, slightly self-deprecating charm. Do I think he’s a natural detective? Nope, but it’s fun (and suspenseful at times) watching him try. Bonus points too for a truly sublime cast of supporting characters, especially Muffin, who is probably, despite (or because of) his blended status as the lovable pet/intrepid sidekick, the most insightful individual in the book. The mystery is interesting, there’s worlds of potential in whatever is developing between Damien and Ben, and I’d love to see more set in this world.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[L H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damien is a former child star whose career is waning and he is in need of something to turn things around. He arrives in Lester Cove to participate in a theater festival and almost winds up a casualty of a hit and run and then he finds Renee Rhodes, the person who extended the invitation to him to participate in the festival dead. This guy can't seem to catch a break. Unlike the police, Damien does not think Renee's death is an accident and so begins his sleuthing to try to find whodunit. This was a fun first story in a cozy mystery series that introduced us to Damien and another character Ben and we will need to follow along through the series to see what happens with their relationship - it is very early days for this pair.
I received and ARC from GRR and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[✨ Kit ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has some of the worst continuity issues of any book I’ve ever read. The editing was horrendous, it’s like they would go back and delete a paragraph but then not check the subsequent paragraphs they’d written to see if those would be affected by the change. So there are constantly left-field conclusions and changes in scenery and unexplained characters. That’s not even mentioning basic stuff like frequent typos. Also the murderer was very obvious from about 50 pages in with us getting very obvious hints through the whole book and yet not ever considered by the main character which was very frustrating. And yet with all that said the overall writing style and story was quite enjoyable?? I would read this author’s future works as long as they hire an editor.

[Jeanette Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how many books are going to be in this series, but I hope there'll be a bunch. A fun read. Damien Murphy is a washed up child star. Invited to a theater festival in Lester Cove, Maine, he almost gets run over in his first hour in town. Later that night he finds Renee Rhodes, the woman who invited him, dead.
It's considered an accident, but Damien doesn't think so. The author lays out all the clues. And I ended up guessing the murderer before Damien. Although finding out the why was....wow. Great secondaries. Including Muffin the dog.
I don't know if the two possible love interests will go anywhere. But Damien is great on his own, a bit self centered, but very self aware.

[Ida Umphers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a huge fan of cozy mysteries for well over fifty years and it's wonderful when I can find the MM version. I loved the two main characters and all the quirky people in the town there to become victims and suspects. There's humor from the fact that since one of the main characters is a former child actor currently at loose ends he's constantly comparing people and events to actors, films and plots in a nicely witty manner. The humor is light and never forced and I'm delighted to see this is the start of a series.

[Tanya Blue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damien Murphy is a 25-year-old former child star. His career is on a downward trajectory, as a last-ditch effort to find direction he comes to Lester Cove Maine to judge in a theatre festival. If it weren't for bad luck, Damien would have no luck when Renee Rhodes, the driving force behind the festival, is killed. The police are fast to write it off as an accident, but Damien isn't convinced. A second death seems to seal the deal.
A host of quirky characters and two adorable dogs round out the cast. Although there is no romance, there are hints of a potential love triangle brewing.

[Raven and Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good cozy mystery. I enjoyed it even if part of it was fairly predictable. Damien has the worst luck in almost everything, including the people he meets. I didn’t quite know what to make of Is is going to be a very slow burn but that doesn’t really surprise me that much since it is a cozy mystery. It was worth a read and I will probably check out the rest of the series just to see how Damien and Ben’s non-relationship changes. They don’t quite seem to know what to do with themselves.

[SandyB · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had so much fun reading this. The quirky characters could have come straight from a 1980s TV mystery series, and Muffin the Cane Corso is the perfect sidekick to an amateur detective solving his first (hopefully not last) murder case. The romance is really only hints of starting - like any good cozy - and while the murder wasn’t the most difficult for me to solve, the pacing and red herrings made it fun regardless. I’m looking forward to book two.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. Part of that was due to continuity errors and proofing problems, but part of it was that I never got much of a feel for any of the characters other than Damien (and he wasn't all that interesting). I do like the premise and hope perhaps book two will succeed where this one—for me, at least—fell somewhat flat.

My thanks to Gay Romance Reviews for an advance copy of this book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute Murder mystery very old school vibe. Great cast of characters and world building. I would not call this a romance at all though. There was no relationship to be had and definitely no romance or even a kiss to be had so it’s a bit misleading to be listed as a romance but oh well. There’s potential for one I guess as the series continues as it appears it will. I’m totally invested in Damian and look forward to seeing what trouble finds him next.

[C.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't underestimate, the power of one omega. Lester Cove and a sleepy little town, but don't let the quiet fool you! Damien, is a former child star. He is invited to stay to judge a entry at the festival? He is left with the option to take care of all who aren't invited. Small towns make demands. We have a small mystery, Damien must solve. Can we focus? Great mystery, keeps the reader on the edge of seats, trying to see the solutions. I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Molly Otto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out slow and really did not pick up pace from there. Could not see or feel the spark between the characters. While the storyline kept me reading to see how it all played out wasn't enough to have completely enjoyed the book. Would consider reading the second book to see if it keeps picking up at the end but not as a must read.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damien figures out his life as he leaves LA. However, Damien cannot catch a break despite leaving a busy city as bodies start dropping. This mystery story is extremely descriptive, revolving more around the crime than the slow-burn romance.


I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.