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Head Rock Harbor Mystery #3
Pride and Puncture
Pride has come to Head Rock Harbor, and along with it, tons of tourists. Under the guidance and leadership of the town’s favorite bookstore owner, Jackson Harper, everyone is getting ready. The first ever Pride weekend will be full of events, food, and, of course, a parade. Even though he has plenty on his plate, Jackson is (begrudgingly) happy to spearhead the historic event for his hometown. If all the older folks in town weren’t fussing about the influx of out-of-towners, everything would be perfect.
As if being overwhelmed by tourists isn’t enough, some people in town are grumbling about the new couple who bought Ona Evans’ old place to renovate. To make matters worse, they’ve also purchased The Downtown Theater to renovate, rebranding it “Harbor Stage.” Jackson can’t find time to worry too much over everyone’s opinions about progress since he is also making some changes to Head Rock Harbor Books. He also owes a certain forensic tech a date and has a high-strung, arrogant gay author coming to speak at his bookstore during Pride weekend. Rattlesnatches is making everything difficult with his new obsession of knocking books off shelves in the store.
Right as things are ramping up for Pride, a body is found under an umbrella on the sandbar by The Dock restaurant. Deeply unsettled by the circumstances of the killing and the appearance of the body, Jackson isn’t so sure that going forward with Pride is the best course of action. But the mayor and police chief won’t hear anything about cancelling the event. However, when it becomes clear that the killer has one more victim in mind, Jackson becomes concerned for his safety.
Is there anyone in Head Rock Harbor he can truly trust?
As if being overwhelmed by tourists isn’t enough, some people in town are grumbling about the new couple who bought Ona Evans’ old place to renovate. To make matters worse, they’ve also purchased The Downtown Theater to renovate, rebranding it “Harbor Stage.” Jackson can’t find time to worry too much over everyone’s opinions about progress since he is also making some changes to Head Rock Harbor Books. He also owes a certain forensic tech a date and has a high-strung, arrogant gay author coming to speak at his bookstore during Pride weekend. Rattlesnatches is making everything difficult with his new obsession of knocking books off shelves in the store.
Right as things are ramping up for Pride, a body is found under an umbrella on the sandbar by The Dock restaurant. Deeply unsettled by the circumstances of the killing and the appearance of the body, Jackson isn’t so sure that going forward with Pride is the best course of action. But the mayor and police chief won’t hear anything about cancelling the event. However, when it becomes clear that the killer has one more victim in mind, Jackson becomes concerned for his safety.
Is there anyone in Head Rock Harbor he can truly trust?
263 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 7, 2025
About the author
Chase Connor
41 books320 followersBANG BANG HE SHOT HER DOWN - the fourth book in the Head Rock Harbor Mystery series - NOW AVAILABLE!
https://mybook.to/HRHM4BBHSHD
GHOST IN THE CUPBOARD - the first book in the NEW Silas Erie Paranormal Cozy series - NOW AVAILBLE!
https://mybook.to/SEPC1GitC
Chase Connor spends his days writing about the people who live (loudly and rent-free) in his head when he’s not busy being enthusiastic about naps and Pad Thai. Chase started his writing career as a confused gay teen looking for an escape from reality. Ten years later, one of the books he wrote during those years, Just A Dumb Surfer Dude: A Gay Coming-of-Age Tale, was published independently. Chase has numerous projects in various stages of completion lined up for publishing. Chase is a multi-genre author, but always with a healthy dollop of gay.
https://mybook.to/HRHM4BBHSHD
GHOST IN THE CUPBOARD - the first book in the NEW Silas Erie Paranormal Cozy series - NOW AVAILBLE!
https://mybook.to/SEPC1GitC
Chase Connor spends his days writing about the people who live (loudly and rent-free) in his head when he’s not busy being enthusiastic about naps and Pad Thai. Chase started his writing career as a confused gay teen looking for an escape from reality. Ten years later, one of the books he wrote during those years, Just A Dumb Surfer Dude: A Gay Coming-of-Age Tale, was published independently. Chase has numerous projects in various stages of completion lined up for publishing. Chase is a multi-genre author, but always with a healthy dollop of gay.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 6, 2026
Riding 'round town with your new fling she a cute thing, she ain't nothin' like me / Always tryna play but this ain't a gamе and once I'm gone, baby what you gon' say? (Cupid’s Curse – Phora feat. Kehlani).
Wait a minute, I was going to say something about how it’s been a minute since I’ve read a book so voraciously, but the last thing I read (Why the Star Stands Still by Rose Christo) was literally consumed at a similarly quick clip. So I guess that means I’m back in the reading game? Yay! So yeah, I’ve been quietly enjoying this Head Rock Harbor Mystery series for a few years now, but only now can I say that I’m a fan... a Stan, if you will. Something about Pride and Puncture really clicked with me! And even though the closest approximation I can think of for this series are the Josh Lanyon Secrets and Scrabble books (cop love-interest, unpleasant locals, suspicious law enforcement), I find that these books in particular make me way less frustrated. No clenched fist reading here! And if I were lying, I would chalk this up to maturing and mellowing out, but let’s be real, there’s no change in personality from my end, so all the credit goes to Chase Connor for taking a typically annoying set of tropes (cop love-interest, unpleasant locals, suspicious law enforcement) and making magic with them. I don’t know how he did it, but damn, he done did it! And since this is apparently such a monumental moment in the world of literature, why don’t we talk about Pride and Puncture a little bit? We catch up with everyone’s favorite book shop owner/secret popular author, Jackson Harper, as he’s still reeling from having solved two murders. Today though, he's stressing over having to organize Head Rock Harbor’s first ever Pride Parade. The man has his hands full, so it’s nice that he’s found a handful of twink by the name of Deacon, which in turn has the desired effect of drawing the ire of his bestie and longtime crush, a cop named Jeremy. It’s a whole ass mess! But because authors love nothing more than pouring oil on fire, Pride weekend has even more in store for it when bodies start piling up, bodies of which all suspiciously strike a remarkable resemblance to several of Jackson’s loved ones. Dun dun dunnn! You know the song, “One, nothing wrong with me. Two, nothing wrong with me. Three, nothing wrong with me. Four, nothing wrong with me." What’s interesting about Pride and Puncture is that not only does it barely resemble Pride and Prejudice, but it’s also not really a mystery novel for most of the plot. I mean, it’s there’s definitely a mystery to solve and Jackson solves it by the end, but when he's told to leave the murder solving to the authorities… he actually listens!?
What's up, dude? You know the drill! So in that regard, this book reads more like a thriller in the way we mostly just follow the daily life of a cat owner who owns book shop (and is a secret author) going on dates with and having a grand old time while there's still an incessant and near constant undercurrent of danger. “One, something's got to give. Two, something's got to give. Three, something's got to give.” It was odd, to say the least, but if you’re wondering why I’m not blowing a casket here considering I’m usually the “PAY ATTENTION TO THE MYSTERY, MR. MYSTERY PROTAGONIST” guy, I think the simplest reason why I'm chill is just that I like Jackson. I liked his deadpanned approach to every situation and I liked how he doesn’t immediately fall head-over-heels for Jeremy despite having been smitten with the guy forever. You know, a little pride goes a long way, and I know it’s not always the most positive character trait, but it is realistic! Also, anything’s better than a holy roller who’s constantly forgiving the shitty people in their lives for no reason whatsoever. Where’s your backbone? Never forgive, never forget, that's what I always say! Though, I will say that due to Jackson’s level-headed narration and meticulous nature, Pride and Puncture would often go pretty hard on the exposition in more of a “grocery list” kind of way rather than evoking Madeline Miller. We get a lot of, “And then I walked down the stairs to feed my cat. And then I pet my cat for half an hour. And then I walked upstairs to use the bathroom” thrown in the mix and it had me wondering if we were going to be privy to every single minute of Jackson’s day. “And then I started masturbating. One stroke, two strokes, three strokes. And then I ejaculated.” I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the prose was boring, not even close to it, but I guess it just took some adjusting after having not reading a mystery novel in a good while. Besides, I suppose there are worse problems to have than descriptive language. At least I know what everything looks like at any given moment, because some of these books, “Shirtless Man Books” especially, are so sparse on the detail and lacking in imagery that you would have thought every one of these dudes are were getting back shots in the Backrooms! That aside, I really did appreciate the understated writing style that gave Pride and Puncture a more grounded appeal!
I shrugged. “I only agreed to drinks.”
“You barely drink.”
“I barely do anything.” I said. “Including going on dates. So don’t act a fool and ruin this night for me, if you please.”
Again, I thought it was funny how there was both an elderly persona named Annetta Bowles (movement) and a gay man named Randall Cummings (I’m sure he was), and I had to stop and wonder if I were playing a game of Clue. Well, if this book were Clue, I wouldn't be much help seeing as at two separate points I thought the killer was either Jeremy, or… a shape-shifter of some sort. Hey, you never know! Otherwise, I loved the town of Head Rock Harbor! Maybe it’s the Life is Strange fan in me, but stories about queer people in a small town always adds an extra layer of gravitas to the narrative that would have otherwise been absent. It’s quaint and I’m always looking forward to finding out the secrets that lay in wait for us! I mean, these stories also allow us to live out the fantasy of being in a small town that has a surprising amount of queer candidates in the dating pool too, so that’s always fun. Just saying, this is supposed to be a small town in the middle of Iowa, right? I’m certainly not mad about it, but just the fact that that a successful Pride Parade could even take place without too much pushback (aside from the murders) was pretty wild. This place was Stardew Valley with the amount of queer young adults just waiting to date Jackson! What I’m really getting at here is that it’s not like his options are limited, so it’s too bad that he seems hellbent on hooking up with some cop. Imagine dating a cop when you have literally one more option. Couldn't be me! It doesn’t help that Jackson spends most of the book going on dates with his new man, Deacon, and they actually do have chemistry, but he still keeps holding himself back because it “doesn’t feel right.” And you know what? That’s fair or whatever, it’s like 500 Days of Summer, if you’re not feeling it, you’re not feeling it, but my problem here was that it didn't feel like Jackson was feeling it with Jeremy either! Sure, the backstory is that these two go way back, back into time, but if you need a constant stream of exposition telling the reader that these two are best friends, then you’ve probably made a misstep somewhere in the writing process. These are things that we should just be able to glean from your writing alone, and if we don’t, then maybe it’s time to choose a different love-interest, yeah? I’m just saying, if we only ever see Jackson and Jeremy in moments of contention, then you can hardly blame us (me) for resenting their inevitable pairing.
Sure, Jeremy is a hell of a lot better than Jack from the Secrets and Scrabble books, but this dude spent so much time dating other people and bragging about it to Jackson’s face that it’s hard to picture him suddenly changing some kind of devoted lover. Players only love you when they’re playing, no? Besides, the entire reason Jackson breaks up with Deacon (spoiler I guess, but come on now, we knew) is because of their diametrically opposed goals in life, so what exactly would you call the relationship dynamic between Jackson and Jeremy? Oh well, I guess we’ll find out in the next book. Speaking of the characters, I got a kick of this book's resident snotty author who thinks himself above the small town splendors because even though this archetype is common enough in mystery novels, the way this dude was described felt a bit more pointed than usual. Personal, you know? This character's an author of YA queer lit and Jackson constantly harps on the fact that his books are mid and don’t sell enough to justify his bad attitude (as if any amount of fame justifies any amount of rudeness), and in a meta sense, I couldn’t help but feel like he’s based off of someone real. I mean, I’m not here to start conspiracy theories, but I do have to wonder if we’re exposing Adam Silvera right now? Just kidding, but as someone who followed his Twitter back when I had Twitter and it was still called Twitter… he was a pretty annoying poster. Sorry if that’s mean, but I’ve been having a hard time holding any well-known figure in high regard lately. Just look at supposed smart guy, advocate for climate change, and “author,” Hank Green! He recently admitted that he uses A.I. for most of his research nowadays and it's like, your one job is to research, and you Chat GPT do all the work? Clown ass loser and a hack to the utmost extent. Well, to be honest I’ve always found him annoying after seeing that embarrassing picture of him holding a guitar adorned with a sticker saying, “this machine pwns noobs” or after forcing myself to read his shitty book called Absolutely Dogshit Book About Nothing At All And if I Have a Ludicrously Long Title Maybe Nobody Will Notice or whatever. But yeah, I should move on. I had a great time with Pride and Puncture, and even though this series has always been a good fallback plan should I ever find myself in need of something to flip through, I can now honestly say that it’s fallen into must read territory.
But I've been… pushin' you aside, at the same time checkin' if you callin' / You'll never learn to fly if you're too afraid of fallin' / Life's too short, let's roll the dice, I'm all in now… I'm all in now.
Wait a minute, I was going to say something about how it’s been a minute since I’ve read a book so voraciously, but the last thing I read (Why the Star Stands Still by Rose Christo) was literally consumed at a similarly quick clip. So I guess that means I’m back in the reading game? Yay! So yeah, I’ve been quietly enjoying this Head Rock Harbor Mystery series for a few years now, but only now can I say that I’m a fan... a Stan, if you will. Something about Pride and Puncture really clicked with me! And even though the closest approximation I can think of for this series are the Josh Lanyon Secrets and Scrabble books (cop love-interest, unpleasant locals, suspicious law enforcement), I find that these books in particular make me way less frustrated. No clenched fist reading here! And if I were lying, I would chalk this up to maturing and mellowing out, but let’s be real, there’s no change in personality from my end, so all the credit goes to Chase Connor for taking a typically annoying set of tropes (cop love-interest, unpleasant locals, suspicious law enforcement) and making magic with them. I don’t know how he did it, but damn, he done did it! And since this is apparently such a monumental moment in the world of literature, why don’t we talk about Pride and Puncture a little bit? We catch up with everyone’s favorite book shop owner/secret popular author, Jackson Harper, as he’s still reeling from having solved two murders. Today though, he's stressing over having to organize Head Rock Harbor’s first ever Pride Parade. The man has his hands full, so it’s nice that he’s found a handful of twink by the name of Deacon, which in turn has the desired effect of drawing the ire of his bestie and longtime crush, a cop named Jeremy. It’s a whole ass mess! But because authors love nothing more than pouring oil on fire, Pride weekend has even more in store for it when bodies start piling up, bodies of which all suspiciously strike a remarkable resemblance to several of Jackson’s loved ones. Dun dun dunnn! You know the song, “One, nothing wrong with me. Two, nothing wrong with me. Three, nothing wrong with me. Four, nothing wrong with me." What’s interesting about Pride and Puncture is that not only does it barely resemble Pride and Prejudice, but it’s also not really a mystery novel for most of the plot. I mean, it’s there’s definitely a mystery to solve and Jackson solves it by the end, but when he's told to leave the murder solving to the authorities… he actually listens!?
What's up, dude? You know the drill! So in that regard, this book reads more like a thriller in the way we mostly just follow the daily life of a cat owner who owns book shop (and is a secret author) going on dates with and having a grand old time while there's still an incessant and near constant undercurrent of danger. “One, something's got to give. Two, something's got to give. Three, something's got to give.” It was odd, to say the least, but if you’re wondering why I’m not blowing a casket here considering I’m usually the “PAY ATTENTION TO THE MYSTERY, MR. MYSTERY PROTAGONIST” guy, I think the simplest reason why I'm chill is just that I like Jackson. I liked his deadpanned approach to every situation and I liked how he doesn’t immediately fall head-over-heels for Jeremy despite having been smitten with the guy forever. You know, a little pride goes a long way, and I know it’s not always the most positive character trait, but it is realistic! Also, anything’s better than a holy roller who’s constantly forgiving the shitty people in their lives for no reason whatsoever. Where’s your backbone? Never forgive, never forget, that's what I always say! Though, I will say that due to Jackson’s level-headed narration and meticulous nature, Pride and Puncture would often go pretty hard on the exposition in more of a “grocery list” kind of way rather than evoking Madeline Miller. We get a lot of, “And then I walked down the stairs to feed my cat. And then I pet my cat for half an hour. And then I walked upstairs to use the bathroom” thrown in the mix and it had me wondering if we were going to be privy to every single minute of Jackson’s day. “And then I started masturbating. One stroke, two strokes, three strokes. And then I ejaculated.” I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the prose was boring, not even close to it, but I guess it just took some adjusting after having not reading a mystery novel in a good while. Besides, I suppose there are worse problems to have than descriptive language. At least I know what everything looks like at any given moment, because some of these books, “Shirtless Man Books” especially, are so sparse on the detail and lacking in imagery that you would have thought every one of these dudes are were getting back shots in the Backrooms! That aside, I really did appreciate the understated writing style that gave Pride and Puncture a more grounded appeal!
I shrugged. “I only agreed to drinks.”
“You barely drink.”
“I barely do anything.” I said. “Including going on dates. So don’t act a fool and ruin this night for me, if you please.”
Again, I thought it was funny how there was both an elderly persona named Annetta Bowles (movement) and a gay man named Randall Cummings (I’m sure he was), and I had to stop and wonder if I were playing a game of Clue. Well, if this book were Clue, I wouldn't be much help seeing as at two separate points I thought the killer was either Jeremy, or… a shape-shifter of some sort. Hey, you never know! Otherwise, I loved the town of Head Rock Harbor! Maybe it’s the Life is Strange fan in me, but stories about queer people in a small town always adds an extra layer of gravitas to the narrative that would have otherwise been absent. It’s quaint and I’m always looking forward to finding out the secrets that lay in wait for us! I mean, these stories also allow us to live out the fantasy of being in a small town that has a surprising amount of queer candidates in the dating pool too, so that’s always fun. Just saying, this is supposed to be a small town in the middle of Iowa, right? I’m certainly not mad about it, but just the fact that that a successful Pride Parade could even take place without too much pushback (aside from the murders) was pretty wild. This place was Stardew Valley with the amount of queer young adults just waiting to date Jackson! What I’m really getting at here is that it’s not like his options are limited, so it’s too bad that he seems hellbent on hooking up with some cop. Imagine dating a cop when you have literally one more option. Couldn't be me! It doesn’t help that Jackson spends most of the book going on dates with his new man, Deacon, and they actually do have chemistry, but he still keeps holding himself back because it “doesn’t feel right.” And you know what? That’s fair or whatever, it’s like 500 Days of Summer, if you’re not feeling it, you’re not feeling it, but my problem here was that it didn't feel like Jackson was feeling it with Jeremy either! Sure, the backstory is that these two go way back, back into time, but if you need a constant stream of exposition telling the reader that these two are best friends, then you’ve probably made a misstep somewhere in the writing process. These are things that we should just be able to glean from your writing alone, and if we don’t, then maybe it’s time to choose a different love-interest, yeah? I’m just saying, if we only ever see Jackson and Jeremy in moments of contention, then you can hardly blame us (me) for resenting their inevitable pairing.
Sure, Jeremy is a hell of a lot better than Jack from the Secrets and Scrabble books, but this dude spent so much time dating other people and bragging about it to Jackson’s face that it’s hard to picture him suddenly changing some kind of devoted lover. Players only love you when they’re playing, no? Besides, the entire reason Jackson breaks up with Deacon (spoiler I guess, but come on now, we knew) is because of their diametrically opposed goals in life, so what exactly would you call the relationship dynamic between Jackson and Jeremy? Oh well, I guess we’ll find out in the next book. Speaking of the characters, I got a kick of this book's resident snotty author who thinks himself above the small town splendors because even though this archetype is common enough in mystery novels, the way this dude was described felt a bit more pointed than usual. Personal, you know? This character's an author of YA queer lit and Jackson constantly harps on the fact that his books are mid and don’t sell enough to justify his bad attitude (as if any amount of fame justifies any amount of rudeness), and in a meta sense, I couldn’t help but feel like he’s based off of someone real. I mean, I’m not here to start conspiracy theories, but I do have to wonder if we’re exposing Adam Silvera right now? Just kidding, but as someone who followed his Twitter back when I had Twitter and it was still called Twitter… he was a pretty annoying poster. Sorry if that’s mean, but I’ve been having a hard time holding any well-known figure in high regard lately. Just look at supposed smart guy, advocate for climate change, and “author,” Hank Green! He recently admitted that he uses A.I. for most of his research nowadays and it's like, your one job is to research, and you Chat GPT do all the work? Clown ass loser and a hack to the utmost extent. Well, to be honest I’ve always found him annoying after seeing that embarrassing picture of him holding a guitar adorned with a sticker saying, “this machine pwns noobs” or after forcing myself to read his shitty book called Absolutely Dogshit Book About Nothing At All And if I Have a Ludicrously Long Title Maybe Nobody Will Notice or whatever. But yeah, I should move on. I had a great time with Pride and Puncture, and even though this series has always been a good fallback plan should I ever find myself in need of something to flip through, I can now honestly say that it’s fallen into must read territory.
But I've been… pushin' you aside, at the same time checkin' if you callin' / You'll never learn to fly if you're too afraid of fallin' / Life's too short, let's roll the dice, I'm all in now… I'm all in now.
February 10, 2025
A really easy read, with the number of dead bodies stacking up amongst a buzzing debut Pride weekend. Jackson and some of the supporting characters get a bit more fleshing out but ………. a little more editing please; we don’t need to know quite so many details of feeding the cat and making a pasta salad. Other characters need a bit more building up and finishing in future if I’m to avoid the vague feeling of dissatisfaction when the ‘whodunnit’ is solved.
February 12, 2025
Chase Connor's third installment of Head Rock Harbor mysteries is a master class in suspense.
The entire novel is a winner, but the last 30 pages, as the story roared toward its killer reveal, were spellbinding. I refused to answer my phone. I ignored my cats cries for supper. Nothing was gonna distract me until I learned the killer's identity in "Head Rock Harbor Mystery #3 PRIDE AND PUNCTURE".
And Connor completely fooled me. My own arm chair detective skills proved more Barney Fife than J.B. Fletcher. By the way, I fed my cats, and gave them a bit extra, before writing this review.
Connor's murder mystery series, set in a fictional small Iowa town on the Mississippi River, has been consistently rich in colorful characters. And the LGBTQ-themed series offers PG romance but no hardcore sex scenes. There's a gentle rolling hills of Iowa sweetness and rural propriety to this series that suits it well. It's like "Little House on the Prairie", only if Merlin Olsen were Gay and the Labyorteaux twins hustled a bit on the side.
The plot driver is Head Rock Harbor's first LGBTQ Pride, an event that our hero Jackson was arm-twisted to organize. Jacks, Germ, Deb, Marv, Sawyer and all your favorites are back, plus several delightful new characters.
It would take a great detective brain to solve the case in advance of the "Pride and Puncture" crescendo ending. I will watch 200 hours of true-crime shows before book #4 in this series is published, and that new book is on its way, my mystery loving friends. I must be smarter for the next book!
The entire novel is a winner, but the last 30 pages, as the story roared toward its killer reveal, were spellbinding. I refused to answer my phone. I ignored my cats cries for supper. Nothing was gonna distract me until I learned the killer's identity in "Head Rock Harbor Mystery #3 PRIDE AND PUNCTURE".
And Connor completely fooled me. My own arm chair detective skills proved more Barney Fife than J.B. Fletcher. By the way, I fed my cats, and gave them a bit extra, before writing this review.
Connor's murder mystery series, set in a fictional small Iowa town on the Mississippi River, has been consistently rich in colorful characters. And the LGBTQ-themed series offers PG romance but no hardcore sex scenes. There's a gentle rolling hills of Iowa sweetness and rural propriety to this series that suits it well. It's like "Little House on the Prairie", only if Merlin Olsen were Gay and the Labyorteaux twins hustled a bit on the side.
The plot driver is Head Rock Harbor's first LGBTQ Pride, an event that our hero Jackson was arm-twisted to organize. Jacks, Germ, Deb, Marv, Sawyer and all your favorites are back, plus several delightful new characters.
It would take a great detective brain to solve the case in advance of the "Pride and Puncture" crescendo ending. I will watch 200 hours of true-crime shows before book #4 in this series is published, and that new book is on its way, my mystery loving friends. I must be smarter for the next book!
November 8, 2025
3 stars
Fine... 😩😩😩
I caved and read the third book, and honestly, it wasn't that bad.
Mostly, I liked Jackson and Deacon's dates. I thought they were cute and exactly right for someone with Jackson's personality.
Was I bummed he didn't choose to continue dating Deacon? Yeah. But only because I still felt like he had more chemistry with Sawyer... And Sawyer was barely in this book.
I still hate Jeremy.
No amount of groveling can make me like him. Jackson had to literally sit him down and tell him how much of a disappointment he was in him. And for Jeremy to not have recognized he was a terrible person to Jackson and his feelings, just shows that this man has only one thing on his mind. He's only interested in getting his 🍆 wet, and I am SOOOO disappointed and disgusted with Jackson for caving and giving in. I mean, you already spelled it out for him. At least let the bastard work for it. Don't just give it up for free!!! 🙄🙄🙄
The mystery was good, and overall, the book was an okay read.
Fine... 😩😩😩
I caved and read the third book, and honestly, it wasn't that bad.
Mostly, I liked Jackson and Deacon's dates. I thought they were cute and exactly right for someone with Jackson's personality.
Was I bummed he didn't choose to continue dating Deacon? Yeah. But only because I still felt like he had more chemistry with Sawyer... And Sawyer was barely in this book.
I still hate Jeremy.
No amount of groveling can make me like him. Jackson had to literally sit him down and tell him how much of a disappointment he was in him. And for Jeremy to not have recognized he was a terrible person to Jackson and his feelings, just shows that this man has only one thing on his mind. He's only interested in getting his 🍆 wet, and I am SOOOO disappointed and disgusted with Jackson for caving and giving in. I mean, you already spelled it out for him. At least let the bastard work for it. Don't just give it up for free!!! 🙄🙄🙄
The mystery was good, and overall, the book was an okay read.
May 27, 2026
4.5 stars. Audiobook. Cozy mystery, m/m, slow burn, friends since high school, romance is a small part of the overall story, series of 4 books, only read the three currently in audio. Really enjoyed the light mystery, small town vibes, set in a bookshop. Read all three in a row and they were wonderfully consistent, editing was great for binding, no tedious recapping.
We do see each of the MCs date other people before they get together, but I think it’s done well.
Not overly graphic or gratuitous, but adds a bit of jealousy and yep-now-I-know-who’s-right-for-me, not technically cheating. Characters grow on you and the author does a great job of introducing the townfolk in a way that they are memorable and individual.
We do see each of the MCs date other people before they get together, but I think it’s done well.
Not overly graphic or gratuitous, but adds a bit of jealousy and yep-now-I-know-who’s-right-for-me, not technically cheating. Characters grow on you and the author does a great job of introducing the townfolk in a way that they are memorable and individual.
March 28, 2025
The books in this series just get better and better! I really like how we learn a little bit more in each book about Jackson and what he wants (and his hopes and dreams, really). It's like each book adds another few pieces to the puzzle.
This one was especially nice because The ending is lovely, and the mystery is a bit of a surprise, as well (which is always nice). All in all, I'm loving this series, and I'm bummed that I have to wait now for the next one, haha.
This one was especially nice because The ending is lovely, and the mystery is a bit of a surprise, as well (which is always nice). All in all, I'm loving this series, and I'm bummed that I have to wait now for the next one, haha.
June 20, 2025
Me: OK, I suspected everyone except the cat...
Chase Connor: Mission accomplished! *evil grin*
Side note: I want to say for all those out there that feel the same as I did... It's okay to like Deacon the best... just sayin'!!! 🥰🥰🥰
This one was a slow starter for me. No problems with the story, just had to get into the right mindset to finish it. Picked it back up a few months later, and it ended up working VERY well for me! Now, we wait for book #4...
Chase Connor: Mission accomplished! *evil grin*
Side note: I want to say for all those out there that feel the same as I did... It's okay to like Deacon the best... just sayin'!!! 🥰🥰🥰
This one was a slow starter for me. No problems with the story, just had to get into the right mindset to finish it. Picked it back up a few months later, and it ended up working VERY well for me! Now, we wait for book #4...
February 9, 2025
I am really enjoying Jacksons adventures along with his cat, Rattlesnatches.
This book finds Jacks near the start of the Pride events he organized for the town. As usual, there is a murder or 2 that he seems to get swept up in.
Things move along with Jeremy although I did feel sorry for Deacon.
As per usual I didn't realize the identity of the killer until the big reveal.
This book finds Jacks near the start of the Pride events he organized for the town. As usual, there is a murder or 2 that he seems to get swept up in.
Things move along with Jeremy although I did feel sorry for Deacon.
As per usual I didn't realize the identity of the killer until the big reveal.
January 29, 2026
didn't guess the killer. it was fun but for the love of God stop making chapters where it's just description about how jackson cooked his pasta like its sooooooo. and I predicted who the final love interest is . DONT ACT SHOCKED CHILDHOOD FRIENDS TO LOVERS WILL FOREVER HIT TRUST THAT DOESNT MEAN I LIKE THE RELATIONSHIP THO
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2026
Better than the second one at least. I’m glad the whole Jeremy scenario is over. A little jealousy is a nice comeuppance but for it to be his whole character was really becoming a drag. I actually much preferred their dynamic in the first book. Which is not to say I found their conclusion in this book satisfying because I didn’t. I liked sawyer and I’m very slightly miffed he was written off as an option without a real shot tbh. But I never really liked Jeremy and he was very obviously wasn’t ever going to be really suspicious no matter how much it was pointing to him so I didn’t find that little red herring particularly suspenseful. I just can’t help feeling I liked everyone’s dynamic so much better in the first book everything after that has been a let down.
May 17, 2026
It was all right as a distraction or diversion as I couldn't read it at length, just spurts. It likely appeals to the high school population or adults who have not graduated from university as a genuine university education and the knowledge one accumulated to pass the SAT or ACT will expose him or her to finer detective fiction and polished academic prose. But, many teens have disposable income from allowances that they can indulge in light fiction like this, similar to serialized Chinese web novels. That is good for the economics of publishing as not many private individuals would pay to read many published academic papers locked behind paywalls.
March 8, 2025
Another great mystery
I love these characters, this town, the chemistry between Jeremy and Jackson. It's a great story and an entertaining cozy mystery
I love these characters, this town, the chemistry between Jeremy and Jackson. It's a great story and an entertaining cozy mystery
March 12, 2025
I never read book series, but I have loved all three of these. Can't wait to see the next one.
c.t.h.
c.t.h.
May 20, 2025
Excellent!
July 25, 2025
A pretty good follow-up, though the mystery part felt a bit bland.
July 26, 2026
This third book was excellent. The mysterious deaths and drama around Head Rock Harbor pride was pulling very well developed and had an epic ending. I loved the whole book.
July 31, 2025
I managed to correctly guess the killer's identity before midway! However, the decently paced 'cozy' murder plot was somewhat suffocated by an excruciating slow dance of attraction between Jacks and Sawyer - resulting in a half star deduction; something not even featuring more of Rattlesnatch's antics could have salvaged.
February 14, 2025
I was ready to give this book a worse review because Jackson’s self-centred and entitled behaviour in the beginning of the book was grating on my nerves. Thankfully the story and Jackson redeem themselves in the end.
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