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Profane #1

Medium Rare

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A good cop, a good son, a loyal partner--none of this was enough to save Lachlan Graham's nerves when his entire world fell apart three years ago.

A former Seattle Police Officer, Lachlan has spent the time since he left the force trying to piece his life together after being abandoned by his partner: Detective Vector Clanahan. But with a dead neighbor downstairs, his carefully constructed solitude is soon to be invaded on all fronts.

Meanwhile, Vector Clanahan's about to return to his old stomping grounds as the West Coast serial killer he's been tracking leads him right to his ex-partner's front door.

A sister series to The BLOOD & BONE Series.

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 7, 2016

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5 stars
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60 (38%)
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39 (24%)
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14 (8%)
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4 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Elle W..
Author 3 books111 followers
February 24, 2017
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the DBML program from MMRG. This fact has no bearing on my review.
I will begin by saying that the concept was great but I am not sure that this book qualifies as a romance (just as I was writing this, I checked it's categories on Amazon and "Romance" is one of them). There was not an inkling that the MCs even liked one another that way, except for the single interrupted kiss in Lachlan's house.
As I was reading, I kept thinking, I must be reading a murder mystery. There was a lot of detective work, a lot of murders, Zero romance. Don't get me wrong, the murder mystery part of the story would have been interesting except for the flashbacks that more confused me than gave me an insight into the past. Just a suggestion, but all of the stuff in the flashback would have been better placed in a prologue or something.
There were also quite a few mistakes that drew the reader (me) from the story and I was a third of the way through it before I really got into it. But still, I think it deserves at least 2.5 stars for the story-concept. It makes a great Murder Mystery, not Romance.
Profile Image for Pati.
872 reviews
August 23, 2018
This is not, in any way, a romance. This is also not a full story. It's not book one of a series. It's the first book of a Serial with a complete cliffhanger. Furthermore, it is riddled with all kinds of errors. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
Profile Image for Lisa.
3,511 reviews139 followers
March 4, 2017
I was given a copy of this book free by the author in exchange for an unbiased review.

Firstly, this wasn't a romance. The characters don't get together. Its a good old fashioned murder mystery. The mystery was really good and I didn't guess who did it.
I wasn't a fan of the flashbacks. They added little to the story and took me out of the modern day. I am not sure what the flashbacks were trying to tell us. More background as to why Lachlan had left the force would have been good. Also I am not sure that an agent who had been 'poached' like Vector was would have been treated that way.
I am not sure if I am going on to read more in this series or not.
2,914 reviews15 followers
February 26, 2017
This would have been a good book except it switched timelines continously throughout the entire book. Loved the story, hated reading it.
94 reviews
May 31, 2016
So this is one of the rare books that is a complete mess writing-wise, and yet I gave it a fairly high grade and still enjoyed it. Normally I can't stand books that are poorly written. Lia Cooper is a good story-teller, in that she can make up interesting worlds, characters and plot, and is even fairly good about the structure. She doesn't underwrite, nor overwrite - both failings of practically every damn MM writer out there. However, her actual sentences are atrocious. This book is so full of errors that it makes your eyes hurt. As annoying and painful were the ridiculous flashbacks. I don't know when it became fashionable to write in fractured timelines like this, but most authors aren't Joseph Heller and can't pull it off. It's annoying and painful as hell to the reader. No book (with very few exceptions) is ever made better with the use of flashbacks, and in this case, they almost destroy the book. I was invested in these characters because I had read the other series, otherwise I would never have given this a chance. Please, memo to the author: STOP WRITING FLASHBACKS. And read your own work before you publish it.

Instances of 'than' instead of 'then'
Instances of apostrophe abuse ('ones' instead of 'one's', 'it's' instead of 'its' and vice versa, etc.)
Misused/Made up words (the word is 'text'/'texted' not 'txt'/txted' for crying out loud, 'drug' doesn't mean what the author thinks it means; she meant 'dragged')
Typos, so many, many typos ('feed' instead of 'feet', 'if' instead of 'of', etc.)

That all this is present in her most recent book suggests that she either has never read her feedback or has never received any. Or just doesn't care about all that grammar nazi stuff. Shame, as an author who otherwise has potential.

Profile Image for The Neighbor.
194 reviews1 follower
March 5, 2018
Short Story turned Trilogy

I read the short story version of this book right after I finished "The Blood & Bone Trilogy". I was looking for another good set of books I could sink my teeth into and loose myself in the land of make-believe. Yeah... that didn't happen. Instead I came away feeling disappointed because that story really had good bones. But it needed fleshing out and that just wasn't there.

Now, with that said, I can't really explain how excited & pleased I was at receiving an email from the Author saying she changed her mind about the short story and is going to breathe more life into it thus expanding it and making it into a fully formed trilogy. Let's just leave it at there may have been some singing, (the Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy song from Ren & Stempy) & the happy dance might've made a brief appearance.

Yes! This first book in the new trilogy is excellent!! :) I actually listened to it at least twice. Lia Cooper took a mediocre, at best, short story & turned it into an incredible novel!! She superbly snakes around the existing material and proficiently pours powerful scenes into the narrative that grab your attention and never let it go. Also, I really like that she is keeping this trilogy in the same universe of "The Blood & Bones Trilogy". Thus keeping the story rolling in familiar territory so we readers aren't spending more time trying to figure out this new world and all it's idiosyncrasies that we loose the flow of the story. READ IT. You'll like it.

I absolutely cannot wait for the next two books.
Profile Image for Meg.
71 reviews
May 18, 2016
Disappointing

This could have really used a proofreader. There are a lot of grammatical errors and other mistakes, like using the wrong name for characters. It's also very disjointed, with all the flip-flopping between flashbacks and the present. Some of the flashbacks don't add anything of value for me and just interrupted the story pointlessly.

I am a fan of the Blood and Bone series, so I had high hopes for this. It needs work, though. :(
471 reviews3 followers
February 16, 2017
The switch between 2012 and 2009 took some time to make sense. Lachlan and Vector don't have any problem that a good talk couldn't clear. Anyways the mystery was interesting and I will certainly read the next book in the series too see how it goes. Good editing would have resulted in 20 or so pages shorter and fewer mistakes.
Profile Image for Beth.
2,906 reviews26 followers
April 12, 2021
Seriously some of the dumbest “detectives” around

3.5 stars...this book is part of a sister series to the Blood and Bone series and between the four MCs (two werewolves, a mage, and a norm) they might make up one decent detective. The blatantly obvious things missed by these guys in the three books I’ve read so far are laughable.


In this book we have Vector, a werewolf cousin to Patrick from the other series. He was a cop in Seattle but after his undercover partner is nearly killed he disappears to go work for the FBI. (It is never explained how exactly that happened which is super annoying.) Vector is practically a prisoner, treated as less than human, and zealously guarded as a prized possession of the FBI. He is on the trail of a serial killer and this ultimately leads him back to Seattle. There he runs into his former partner Lachlan, who left the police force after his near death and his partner’s desertion, and now works as a barista. A young woman in his building is killed by the serial killer Vector is chasing and the two are forced to confront the past while trying to catch a serial killer.

There aren’t as many people in this book who talk around an issue and in incomplete riddles as in the other series but enough to be annoying. I’m really getting sick of the witches at Three Sisters. The identity of the killer becomes glaringly obvious as soon as the person is mentioned but not to these two. And the complete obliviousness and miscommunication between the partners/former partners is moronic. (I HATE the miscommunication trope!)

Like the other books there is no HEA or HFN here. Lots of things are left up in the air and elements are introduced that seem to have no bearing on the story. The editing and proofreading is very shoddy.

Having said all that there is an interesting potential between these two MCs who are way more likeable than Ethan and Patrick. The serial killer storyline is creepy/intriguing. If it weren’t for all the proofreading/editing errors it would have been four stars and I will read the next one keeping my fingers crossed that they do not continue to so obtuse...both in their detecting and their relationship.
Profile Image for Ashley D.
1,357 reviews12 followers
August 28, 2017
Lachlan was a great cop until three years ago when his entire world fell apart, he has spent the last three years trying to forget, but that all goes out the window when his ex partner Vector shows up as killer makes his move in Seattle.

Vector saved Lachlan three years ago, but a couple of misunderstandings caused him to tuck his tail and take the FBI offer to be a tracker. He has tracked his serial killer back to his old stomping grounds and ex partner.

Another good book by Lia Cooper, Lachlan and Vector both made assumptions about each other and instead of talking ran. When they come back together you get the idea that while they keep defaulting to making those same assumptions if they would just talk things would be better. I definitely enjoyed both the story and the array of characters.
Profile Image for Calila.
1,178 reviews102 followers
June 30, 2019
The story is interesting but I didn't love the format. The time jumping was what confused me at times, but I understand the reasoning. It just took me out of the story each time I had to pause to figure out what was happening. The characters are complex...I enjoyed their angst. I liked the complicated drama of it all. The mystery is a solved a bit too late for my tastes. It's like the author remembered in the last 5% "oop I have to reveal the bad guy still!". Also it bugged me that it took so long for the characters to consider the bad guy as the bad guy. But at the end of the day, it was a good story and the characters were interesting so it wasn't half bad.
Profile Image for Heidi Dover.
1,525 reviews6 followers
November 7, 2021
This was okay, a little interesting, a little slow, and a little frustrating. Some editing and continuity errors, lack of even probable police procedure, a little confusing as some connections supposed to be happening in the story didn't really, well, connect. Also kind of felt dropped in the middle of their relationship, which the reader pretty much is, but felt throughout I was missing something, like backstory or those connections, just...something.
230 reviews4 followers
December 1, 2025
Very likeable.

The same carefully built world as in the Duality.
It unrawels in the third Blood and Bones book, but that hasn't happened in this book.
Nice plot, nice (and not nice) characters.
Good Main Characters, even if they are painfully young and have a lot of growing up to do.
106 reviews
April 20, 2021
Well written murder mystery with a gay romance stirred in with a dash of occult intrigue. Worth the read!
Profile Image for Daniel Brehm.
193 reviews7 followers
April 23, 2021
I enjoyed this book very much. It really has everything going for it. Crime drama, love story, a touch of the paranormal and the supernatural to top it off. What could be better....
196 reviews
March 19, 2022
The book was poorly edited. I saw at least two instances of "irregardless" and a misuse of then vs than.
Profile Image for Sharon   .
76 reviews2 followers
February 24, 2017
A free copy of this book was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. I love a book which stimulates the imagination with a story that reads in such a believable way you can close your eyes and see it all happening on your street. Medium Rare does not disappoint.

Lachlan Graham is an ex-police detective trying to piece his life back together in the face of insurmountable debt. His neighbor, a psychic is violently murdered and has left him a message in a tarot card reading. Vecter Clanahan, Lachlan’s ex-partner, has left the police department for a job with the FBI. He is currently working a case involving a bizarre set of deaths/murders which all bear the same occult signature. Vecter’s case brings him back to Seattle where Lachlan, investigating the death of his neighbor and the two men find their cases entwined. That’s not all that’s entwined. These two men have unresolved emotions regarding each other and the sparks fly as they try to work together to solve their cases.

This book is well written and the plot is a well-developed vehicle for the reunion and relationship between the main and supporting characters. The author takes the time to develop the main characters and their back stories. The use of movement back and forth between the present and the past of these characters is slightly disorienting but the story couldn’t be adequately told without it. The reunion between Lachlan and Vecter is a slow burn that moves right to the last page of the book. You will definitely need your imagination to visualize the ultimate conclusion.

This is the first book in the Profane series, a more than appropriate name for a story which takes place in modern day Seattle, and where werewolves, vampires and voids are as normal a part of day to day society as humans (called norms). I enjoyed this book. I found the pace and the premise refreshing and can’t wait to read the next installation.
Profile Image for Jaylee.
Author 16 books80 followers
February 7, 2017
Lia Cooper's done it again and I am all kinds of frustrated I have to wait for the next book (even if I only have to wait 3 days). This is a fantastic paranormal mystery book with a gay romance woven through it. Werewolves, psychics, vampires, ghosts - this is just a ton of fun. Humor and beautiful writing, solid characters whose feelings are real (and awkward. Lord, give me the awkward pining YESSS). I am so into this book (the little interwoven pieces with Blood and Bone were a nice touch too!).

My only (small) beef with it is I had trouble with the time jumps. Even though each one is stated with a date, I often didn't even notice the date and had to go back once I realized we were not in the same year as the last section. But I think a more observant reader would have no trouble with it.

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I am also practicing writing more "professional" reviews, so I did one for this book. Although honestly I detest reviews that summarize the book for me. LET ME READ IT I just wanna know whether it was good!! But anyway, here goes!

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Two ex-cops solve a supernatural murder as they deal with their own unresolved feelings for each other in the first installment of this paranormal romance series.

Three years ago, Vector and Lachlan were partners - police partners, not lovers, despite how badly Lachlan wishes that had been so. Neither had seen the other since the night an operation went wrong and Lachlan realized his partner was a werewolf. Medium Rare takes place in a world where the supernatural is well-known, but Lachlan had grown up in a religious community that denied its existence. The realization and heat-of-the-moment response drove Vector away. He accepted a job with the FBI, where he is less of a team member and more of a trained hunting dog on a very short leash. The trail of a serial killer leads Vector right back to Seattle, and right into Lachlan's proximity. The two work together again to solve the case of a murdered psychic, and dance around their feelings and the issues between them. Like the companion series Blood and Bone, this is a well-wrought, gruesome supernatural mystery with a thread of romance woven through it. The feelings between the characters are palpable as they both try to hide their attraction to one another. But despite their differences and the way they'd hurt each other, "there was something about Lachlan Graham that dug itself into Vector's entire being." Though the lack of a steamy resolution to the the characters' longing may dissapoint some readers, the final scenes hold the door open for book two, and if Profane is anything like it's companion series, readers will not be disappointed.

Light humor, solid details, and expressive writing make this slow-burn gay romantic mystery a delight to read.
Profile Image for Meggie.
5,330 reviews
June 3, 2016
I'm positive imprest by this new started series. Medium Rare was a fine first book in Profane series.
Here we have two main characters, Lachlan Graham and Vector Clanahan. They were partners in Seattle Police. But their working relationship fell apart 3 years ago, because of a misunderstandings. Today, each one works alone, Vector as a werewolf tracker for FBI, and Lachan is a barista in a cofe shop. Their path crosses again and this time, they will have to talk it out!
In overall I enjoyed this story. Sure there are some grammatical errors in this story, still it was well developed storyline. Great work so far!!
RECOMMENDED START OF A NEW SERIES!!
Profile Image for Aya.
543 reviews24 followers
November 29, 2016
Story: 4*
Writing: 1*
Characters: 2*

I really liked the plot, everything else not so much. I was a fan of the characters but I wanted to know more about them and I waned to see more interaction between them. More than halfway through the story and I still didn't have a good sense of who the MCs were. This was plot focused, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it did need to be more character driven. I wasn't a fan of how the flashbacks were written into the story, it was disruptive and didn't add much value. Could have benefited from a once over with a proofreader.
Profile Image for F..
1,343 reviews66 followers
November 6, 2016
I haven't read any of the series that is a companion of this but I didn't feel as though I was missing anything. Be warned there is NO SEX in this story just a little kissing near the end. I enjoyed the story enough though that I am going to read the other series - the author kindly has a timeline to show how the two series intertwine - when I have time. Unfortunately however errors in spelling (sherif and txting two examples) and context (wrong headline date, the MC's are transposed) pulled me out of the story a few times. So 4 stars.
Profile Image for Debby.
1,024 reviews1 follower
November 19, 2016
Page turner

Wow this book was intense! At first I couldn't get into the back and forth (flipping from past to present) but after a few chapters I really got into it. The plot is about two men Vector and Lachlan who are ex police partners. They haven't seen each other for years but when a serial killer picks Lachlan's neighbor, they begin working together. Old hurts and confusion about their past along with the eerie occult killing theme makes this a truly awesome read.
Profile Image for Wende.
1,145 reviews13 followers
January 1, 2017
I read this book and it was good but with just a bit more it could have been great. The back and forth between the timelines was not well done. It was whiplash inducing. The back and forth between the main character’s point of view was hard to keep track of who it was sometimes. There was a lot of misspellings and wrong words used. The story was gripping and the mystery was top notch. I just wish I could give it a better rating. I will read more in this series.
248 reviews
November 12, 2016
Vector & Lachlan

What a mess had no idea they felt the same about each other. Too busy denying how they felt. Now few years later they have a chance to fix things and be happy. Waiting until I can afford the next book to see what happens.
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