Sulla scena di un multiplo omicidio, che è orribile anche per un investigatore navigato, Brian Clifton rimane sbalordito nel vedere che una delle vittime somiglia in modo inquietante a James, il suo ragazzo. Mentre le similitudini continuano ad aumentare, i cadaveri fanno altrettanto... e le prove indicano che il killer è proprio James.
James non è stato onesto con Brian da molto prima della sparatoria. È stato evasivo. Oh, e c’è quel piccolo dettaglio: ha omesso di dire al compagno di essere uno spacciatore con il vizio del gioco d’azzardo. Forse James non è il fidanzato migliore del mondo, ma scongiura Brian di credere alla sua innocenza. In effetti, chiunque abbia premuto il grilletto vuole senza dubbio finire ciò che ha iniziato, e Brian è l’unico di cui James si fida per essere protetto. Ma quanto è disposto a rischiare Brian per proteggere un uomo che forse neanche conosce?
L.A. Witt and her husband have been exiled from Spain and sent to live in Maine because rhymes are fun. She now divides her time between writing, assuring people she is aware that Maine is cold, wondering where to put her next tattoo, and trying to reason with a surly Maine coon. Rumor has it her arch nemesis, Lauren Gallagher, is also somewhere in the wilds of New England, which is why L.A. is also spending a portion of her time training a team of spec ops lobsters.
Authors Ann Gallagher and Lori A. Witt have been asked to assist in lobster training, but they "have books to write" and "need to focus on our careers" and "don't you think this rivalry has gotten a little out of hand?" They're probably just helping Lauren raise her army of squirrels trained to ride moose into battle.
Umm, I do not understand how anyone could sell this premise. The double dealing, complicated, drug dealer part - or the bizarre relationship Brian has (or thinks he has) with James. How little self respect does Brian have for himself??? Ah well,
Audio version is nicely performed by Charlie David. I always enjoy listening to him talk, no matter what he's sayin'.
Honestly? I thought the Deus Ex Machina a bit TOO contrived and rather liked the . Had that played out differently, in ANY way where , then it would have been a full 4 Star read.
Oh well. That's not the story told here; given the author, I don't know why I didn't anticipate the switch up, though.
Still going to (eventually) read/listen to the 3rd one.
Boyfriend of alcoholic cop is a drug dealer (not talking a little weed here either), liar and a manipulator and he can overlook all that as long as he's not a killer, too? I mean ok but REALLY? You're a fucking cop. I guess it's a little bit of 'Oh thank God, I'm not sleeping with a murderer' but a high level drug dealer really isn't much better in my opinion. So I couldn't bring myself to like either of the MC's. At all. And the mystery is completely predictable. Added to all that, we see that Andrew and Nick from the first book are intertwined into this one and they're having problems coping with what happened in the previous book. I hate having my HEA's fucked with. I hear the next one is back to their story but I'm not sure if I wanna....
Even though it is book 2 in the Cover Me series, it can still easily be read as a stand-alone. A drug raid goes from bad to worse and one of the bodies in the alley looks like the investing detective's boyfriend, James. But James appears and is very much alive...the dead man is Jame's identical twin brother...which Brian didn't know even existed. Brian wonders just who this man that he's grown to love is and why does he have a drug dealing brother and never mentioned it? As the investigation continues all of the evidence points to James, but Brian has trouble believing the evidence and holds off believing it as long as possible… unsure if it’s because he simply is too in love with James to believe what he’s seeing, or if it’s because there’s some nagging sense in the back of his mind that something isn’t adding up. None of his fellow officers believe that James is innocent...but they can't find him because Brian is hiding him until he can figure out if his trust is misplaced. This plot is a bit complicated yet plays out quite well...but makes this story seem more like a mystery with a lot of erotic romance elements, making it more than just a simple mystery. The solution hits you in the head when it comes racing out of nowhere but was sooo worth waiting for.
So, I usually love L.A. Witt, and this book wasn't bad by any means, but it was so fundamentally flawed that I couldn't truly enjoy it.
Brian is a homicide detective, and when called to a crime scene, discovers that one of the bodies looks just like his boyfriend, James, whom he's planning to dumb because he's been so cagey. He then finds out that the dead guy is a drug dealer, and that he has a brother/business partner named... yes, James. Turns out it's the same James.
James admits to running a drug ring with his brother Stephen. He swears he had nothing to do with the shooting, and tells Brian that the reason he's been so cagey is because he lied about having a gambling addiction. Brian believes James about not being the killer, and about dirty cops being involved, so he agrees to hide James instead of putting him under protective custody.
So the entire book, Brian isn't sure whether he should believe James about not being involved in the shooting, and he wonders if he should break up with Brian. He can't decide if he can forgive James for lying about the gambling addiction. That is the sum total of the relationship drama. Uh... are we missing something? Really, Brian? You don't see another problem here?
In the end we discover that James, whose real name is Eric, was actually an undercover DEA agent. Okay, that's not really a surprise. But that isn't revealed until the end. Throughout the entire book, Brian is working under the assumption that James is a drug dealer. And not, like, a street level marijuana peddler, but actually running one of the biggest drug rings in town. But that's just okay. Brian never thinks about turning James in for being a drug dealer. He just hopes his instinct is right about James not being the killer. Like if he can find the real killer, everything will be fine.
This just bothered me so much I couldn't enjoy the story. Sure, it turned out James wasn't really a drug dealer. But Brian didn't know that, and his choice to hide someone that he had every reason to believe was a dangerous criminal... it didn't work for me. If this had been addressed, maybe I could have gotten behind it. But it was just completely ignored. It bugged me too much to give this more than 3 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I loved this story. It had so much going on and kept you on your toes. I am really good at figuring stuff out way before things happen and WOW this one got me. I had NO clue. I loved Brian and felt for his emotions and what to do it was raw it was real. I loved him and James and that as much as it tore him apart he still wanted to help him. The end blew me away I loved It and was sad when it ended. I am addicted to L.A. Witt’s writing.
Another engaging story with an emotionally difficult relationship
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 6/10
PROS: - I was interested in the plot of the story all the way through, even if I didn’t always approve of the characters’ life choices. - The ending was fun. (And it somehow surprised me, although looking back on it now, I’m not sure HOW it managed to surprise me. I’m sure a lot of other readers will see it coming a ways off.) - Witt writes dialogue well: sharp, but not unrealistically so. There were times when I flew through scenes without really realizing how many pages I was consuming because I was caught up in the conversations.
CONS: - I read this second volume immediately after the first, Cover Me, and because they’re both in first-person POV (but not the same character’s POV), I had a hard time getting my brain into the narrator’s head here. The narrative voice of Brian is very similar to that of Nick from Cover Me. Even the sex scenes are kind of similar. - I’m all for characters being real and three-dimensional--having actual flaws and not being perfect. But the extent of the flaws here often seemed insurmountable to me, especially given how at-odds the guys’ very lives are with each other. - There are repeated mentions of the fact that Nick and Andrew’s relationship from the first book isn’t going smoothly. I know this story isn’t about them, and I know real relationships aren’t always rainbows and roses all the time; still, it bothered me to read about the original couple struggling *quite* so much so heavy on the heels of the first book. I read these in a packaged trilogy, so clearly they’re meant to be read back-to-back. - There’s a torture scene at the end that’s hard to read. I had to skim parts of it.
Overall comments: In spite of my being interested in the plot, I couldn’t ever truly enjoy this because I could never really forget about how bad I thought the men were for each other. I did like the end, though.
I actually had this story figured out early on. By Max's murder I knew who dunnit and who James was. I don't think it was anything in particular that gave it away, something just clicked and it was the only thing that made sense. But, of course, the other characters don't know what's going on, really, and the journey between the the events that started it all and the conclusion were well done and often kept me on the edge of my seat. And so, of course, I had to wait to see if I was right.
Brian is an alcoholic cop. Sounds cliche, but truly with the amount of awfulness they see and the stress of the job and wondering if today's the day a bullet with your name on it finds you, I get it. I am glad he won't drive if he's had any alcohol. Still, it made me sad to see him do that to himself.
James...well, he isn't what he seems. Brian knows there is more than meets the eye here because so many things just don't add up. James swears he is innocent, though, and Brian wants to believe him.
Oh, what to do, what to do.
Also, Andrew and Nick make several appearances here. And although we don't see any on page problems between them, Andrew talks about their issues every now and again. I love Andrew and Nick and I really want for them to make it. Thank goodness the next book is back to them. I have hope.
So, Brian and James have a not easy road ahead of them. With Brian's drinking problem and James' evasiveness, things won't be easy, but that hope thing. It works for me.
Recommended. But do read the series in order. I don't think, overall, it matters much, but especially since Andrew is featured as heavily as he is, reading the first book will give you much needed background on why he is important in the story.
Avendoli letti di fila, in un paio di giorni, mi sento avvantaggiata nel fare un confronto fra i tre libri di questa breve saga. Come il precedente ‘Coprimi’, anche questo è un romanzo adrenalinico, ma per motivi diversi. Non è tanto l’ansia di capire chi sia il colpevole, perché è quasi chiaro fin da subito, basta leggere i segni… e, secondo me, non è perché la Witt non sia riuscita a renderlo più criptico, ho il forte sospetto che l’abbia fatto di proposito: così il lettore, tolta quella parte, si è incentrato su come sbrogliare la matassa. E’ come quando sai chi è il colpevole, ma non riesci a provarlo, e tutto ti rema contro… almeno, la mia impressione è stata quella. Tutte le prove, infatti, remano contro James, e man mano le cose peggiorano sempre più: sembra proprio lui il colpevole! Eppure Brian segue il suo istinto, anche se mille dubbi e rischi lo accompagnano, si fida di lui. E’ questo che mi ha tenuta incollata al libro, la voglia di vedere cosa altro potrà accadere, e come il cattivo riesce a muovere i suoi fili… e poi, finalmente, gustarmi il disbroglio della matassa. Mentre il libro precedente era un poliziesco/romance di azione e adrenalina, ma soprattutto mentale, qui le indagini non mancano, c’è anche un bel po’ di gente morta e violenza (meglio saperlo prima di leggerlo, eh!), ma c’è anche amore, affetto, amicizia vera. Nel prossimo, avremo solo un breve accenno ai nostri protagonisti, un piccolo feedback di come se la passano. Devo dire che il libro mi è piaciuto tanto, non più o meno del primo o del terzo… ognuno di loro mi è piaciuto per motivi diversi. Voto: 4.5
I liked the first book in the series more. I liked Nick and Andrew more than I did Brian and James. I believed in their relationship more than I did in Brian and James' relationship as the latter felt way more physical and less emotional than the former. I could see the tension and attraction between Nick and Andrew, but I don't think I really did between Brian and James as they had already been in a relationship of sorts for a couple of months before this story began.
This story's mystery part, though, is a bit better in my mind as I didn't figure out the bad guys so easily (tho I had an inkling) as I did in Cover Me. There are dead bodies from the get go and they keep piling up, so the book is pretty interesting to read about mystery-wise. Too bad the romance part left me more indifferent than not. Also, the sex scenes kind of bored me. The first two or so weren't so boring, but there onwards they did bore me and I would have preferred to see some talking kind of interaction instead.
I mean really, your boyfriend lies about who he really is, even gives you a fake name and you still wanna sleep with him... ? This is a relationship that has been going on for a few months, not years. That is grounds for dismissal, hands down. He's a drug dealer and you're a cop. It's just not a connection that fits and let's face it, Brian was already on the fence about drug dealing James being a cheater. Finding out he's lied the whole time about who he is and what he does put the nail in his coffin in my book.
These three books all include M/M romances, but are pretty good action / thrillers as well. I'd like to see more of these books from L.A. Witt, an author whose books I've recently been devouring. She writes strong characters who still grapple with their various insecurities and vulnerabilities. I recommend these three to read if you're looking for some good thrillers coupled with a good romance.
I admit to being disheartened at first when this story wasn't a direct follow up to Nick and Anthony from the first book in this series. While we do get some glimpses and hints of their continuing story, the focus here is on fellow cop Brian and his boyfriend James, who is not all that he appears to be.
I figured out the whodunit part pretty quickly, but even then it wasn't a case of "it's so obvious how are these people not figuring it out for another 20 chapters" and more a case of I'm just that suspicious and jaded that's where my brain instantly went and nothing that happened after that convinced me to change my mind. The author did manage to trick me about another reveal, but I don't want to say too much more about that so as not to spoil anything.
As for Brian and James, I had a real hard time getting into that aspect of it. Because, well, I'm just that suspicious and jaded. :P I'm not the most trusting person, and I'd have been questioning James's motives for getting involved with Brian the instant we found out who he actually was, and yet Brian never does that. I also had a hard time buying that Brian was about to dump James because of James constantly stringing him along, yet the instant he finds out about James's involvement in the case, that gets put on the back burner. Because all of a sudden finding out he's a drug dealer, a gambling addict and a murder suspect makes him a keeper? Nah-huh. I'd have cut him loose so quick, he'd have gotten whiplash. I did think Brian's guilt and conflict in regards to James and their relationship and the case were very well-written and among the best scenes in the book, but I was just never really convinced why Brian would put his neck out there like he did. Great sex can't really be that important can it? I don't get it.
So why four stars? I just really enjoyed it. It was good, angsty fun, if frustrating at times.
Je me suis complètement laissée embarquer dans cette lecture, alpaguer par l'enquête, happer par l'intrigue et submerger par les ressentis et émotions de Brian...
Je l'ai lu en quelques heures tellement j'étais prise par l'histoire et je dois dire qu'il y a certaines choses, qu'au final, je n'ai pas vu venir. J'ai eu quelques doutes sur certaines personnes, mais dans l'ensemble, je me suis plus ou moins retrouver sur le séant au dénouement final.
Une enquête menée à tambours battants, sans temps morts, on est vraiment au cœur de l'intrigue policière ! J'ai eu l'impression que la romance est restée en retrait, à sa place... et j'ai grandement apprécié qu'elle ne prenne pas l'ascendant, tout en parsemant les aventures de Brian et James de moments tendres, chauds et sexy à souhait.
Deux personnages complexes au possible avec de gros baguages et Brian va devoir choisir entre écouter son cœur, son instinct de flic ou les preuves qui ne cessent de s'accumuler et d'incriminer un homme qu'au final, il ne connaît pas...
Comme toujours le style de L.A. Witt m'a envoûtée et portée au fil des pages. Sa plume véhicule les émotions avec beaucoup de maîtrise, j'ai pleuré et eu peur à plusieurs reprises, la poitrine comprimée par le stress de l'intrigue et des découvertes qu'il fera. J'ai vécu l'enquête, les doutes, les appréhensions, les craintes, les tourments et les émotions de Brian. J'ai enquêté avec lui aussi...
J'aime cela, vivre un livre et c'est certainement le plus beau cadeau qu'un auteur puisse faire à son lecteur...
This book has some of the components that I like best - an MC cop with issues -in this case drinking too much and a stubborn love for a boyfriend who is untrustworthy. A mystery, murders, loss of loved ones, comfort of friends. It was well done, and there were some very emotional and some very hot moments.
The final twist will come as no surprise to M/M readers, and what lost this a star for me was that I saw it coming for so long, with the way it made some insoluble complications instantly resolve. I'd have loved to see the author get around that by playing it straight, but that would have been a very different (and no doubt much longer) book. The set-up for this was complex, but the ending too fast. The depth of emotion that would have been possible, given bereavement and PTSD and alcohol abuse and trust issues, melted into the HFN too quickly for me. Still, a well written police-thriller with characters I did care about, plus a look at the couple from the first book Cover Me, whom I was delighted to see still working toward their HEA and not instantly happy. Kudos to the author for that bit of realism.
I really enjoyed book 1 of this series, but this one was even better. While 'Cover Me' had an interesting plot and a constant background tension, 'Trust Me' felt like a thriller from the very beginning. The danger and tension were front and center. It was not really a mystery for me; even though the MC doesn't realize it, it did not take me long to figure out who the bad and good guys were. However, that made the thriller aspect more potent for me. I know very quickly in what kind of danger Brian was and screamed at him in my head to be careful. It is one of the rare books that really made my heart race as people left and right of the MC died, someof them very important to him. There is a real danger and I loved how all the puzzle pieces fit together in the end. Again, the narration is fantastic, too. I can really recommend the audiobook, but this story will be great in any form. Not sure how I feel about the audio effects that were used, but at least it was dne well and did not detract from the experience. Just not sure if it added to it.
Avevo amato moltissimo il primo romanzo della serie, "Coprimi", ma devo ammettere che questo secondo volume mi ha preso ancora di più! Seppur avevo intuito precocemente durante la lettura chi fosse il colpevole, ho apprezzato moltissimo le scelte dell'autrice per spiegare al lettore la vicenda e il coinvolgimento dei vari attori. Brian e James stanno avendo dei seri problemi di coppia: James è scostante e sfuggente e Brian teme che lo stia tradendo. Ma quando i due sembrano arrivati al capolinea come coppia, la situazione diventa drammatica e verranno finalmente a galla i veri sentimenti e la verità, molto più complessa e ingarbugliata di quanto si potrebbe immaginare. Come mi aspettavo da un romanzo di questa bravissima autrice i nostri due protagonisti dovranno attraversare momenti dolorosi ed ostacoli terribili, sudandosi e guadagnandosi il meritato lieto fine!
Pour moi aussi bon que le précédent, voire meilleur car les deux héros sont plus complexes et plus sombres. Jusqu’au bout, je ne me suis pas doutée de qui était la taupe et du véritable rôle de James. Un récit avec peu de temps mort, une enquête qui monte crescendo, des fausses pistes qui nous perdent jusqu’au dénouement surprenant.
James et Brian, nos deux héros sont des personnages que j’ai apprécié, l’un addict à la boisson, l’autre au jeu. J’aime quand les protagonistes sont imparfaits, se posent des questions et font des erreurs. Nous avons aussi l’occasion de revoir Nick et Andrew ( les héros du précédent tome) qui font face à des difficultés dans leur couple à la suite des blessures qu’ils ont subies.
It starts with a bang! One MC’s police partner is killed along with other MC’s brother. Detective Brian Clifton almost has a heart attack when called to a murder scene and his boyfriends doppelganger is one of the deceased. Not five minutes later his partner and best friend is murdered.
A complicated story of drug dealing, dirty cops and baddies who are not always who they say they are. Brian has to keep himself alive and trust his judgement when all fingers point to his boyfriend James as being a murderer and dealer.
Loved the twists and turns, and actually did not see that big one coming! :D Loved the passion, felt the veracity of their relationship, and was right there with them every step of the way. The mystery was very well-written, the knowledge of technical procedure was spot-on, and I loved how everything played out. And I really liked how Andrew and Nick tied in, as well. Highly recommended. I actually liked this one more than the first book. But you definitely should read them in order. On to the third.
4 stars I really liked this book than the second one. I was a 3 star for this book because I did not feel any connection in this book like the last one and I was getting tired to feel something but then last 10% bumped that star because one of the MC turned out to be a something else that shocked me and I read that part twice to know I was reading it right. That revelation was the best. Definitely recommend.
37% I tried, I really did. Once it got going, the whole premise of the book just didn't sit right.
Boyfriend is a drug dealer/liar and the partner/cop is o.k. with all this?? It was a little too far fetched for me. This was in audio so the narrator could have had a part to play in my feelings, as I didn't think he did a great job in differentiating the characters.