The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean

The Middlemark Mysteries #1

by Tara Lain

Dr. Llewellyn Lewis leads a double life, as both an awkward but distinguished history professor and the more flamboyant Ramon Rondell, infamous writer of sensational historical theories. It's Ramon who first sets eyes on a gorgeous young man dancing in a club, but Llewellyn who meets teaching assistant Blaise Arthur formally at an event held for wealthy socialite Anne de Vere, descendant of Edward de Vere, seventeenth Earl of Oxford-who some believe was the real Shakespeare. Anne wants Llewellyn to prove that claim, even though many have tried and failed. And she's willing to offer a hefty donation to the university if he succeeds.

It also means a chance for Llewellyn to get to know Blaise much better.

Not everyone thinks Llewellyn should take the case-or the money. Between feuding siblings, rival patrons, jealous colleagues, and greedy administrators, almost anyone could be trying to thwart his work... and one of them is willing to kill to do it.

When Anne de Vere turns up dead, the police believe Blaise is the murderer. Only the shy, stuttering professor who has won his heart can prove otherwise...

Genres: M M Romance, Mystery, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Crime, Mystery Thriller

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2018

About the author

Tara Lain believes in happy ever afters - and magic. Same thing. In fact, she says, she doesn't believe, she knows. Tara shares this passion in her stories that star her unique, charismatic heroes and adventurous heroines. Quarterbacks and cops, werewolves and witches, blue collar or billionaires, Tara's characters, readers say, love deeply, resolve seemingly insurmountable differences, and ultimately live their lives authentically. After many years living in southern California, Tara, her soulmate honey and her soulmate dog decided they wanted less cars and more trees, prompting a move to Ashland, Oregon where Tara's creating new stories and loving living in a small town with big culture. Likely a Gryffindor or maybe a Ravensclaw but possessed of Parseltongue, Tara loves animals of all kinds, diversity, open minds, coconut crunch ice cream from Zoeys, and her readers.

Reviews

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Points for talking about Shakespearean identity theories and broadly grammatical writing, but nothing more. Daft plot; main MC's alter-ego is completely unbelievable. Impossible to take the book seriously after the first time the MCs get together and one strips for the other:
"It was difficult to drag his eyes from [his buns] until Blaise leaned forward to slide the denim down his legs and uncovered the enticing gap between those buns, to say nothing of some hangy-downy bits that attracted Llewellyn’s gaze."

[CrabbyPatty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tan khaki and sweater-wearing Llewellyn Lewis is a mild-mannered history professor by day, and a rogue historical investigator / writer by night, masquerading this identity while in public with wigs, heels and fabulous club wear. Llewellyn is approached at the University with an interesting proposition from Anne de Vere, a descendant of the man some feel may have penned the works attributed to Shakespeare. She is willing to endow the University with $5 million if Llewellyn will research this issue. Anne gives Llewellyn some family papers that pique his interest, until he is hit over the head and the papers stolen. And when Anne turns up dead, everyone is a suspect.

I liked the set-up for the murder/mystery and all the suspects and all the possible motives. Is it Anne's disgruntled siblings? Is it George Stanley, the English lit professor whose ancestor William Stanley is also a contender for having written Shakespeare's plays? Is it wealthy donors the Echevarrias who want the University to name the new history building after them rather than de Vere? Or if it the incredibly sexy Blaise, the new graduate assistant in the English department with the gorgeous ass and brilliant blue eyes?

As the murder/mystery develops, the attraction between Llewellyn and Blaise amps up, but it seems that Blaise has a secret as well. Blaise and Llewellyn are all kinds of cute and sweet together, but I didn't get a strong sense of chemistry between the two and Blaise felt very lightly developed. And as the story progresses, there are a lot of convoluted tangents that really go nowhere. I'm all for a few red herrings, but as the book wound down and the case was solved, it all felt a bit flat to me. I realize that other readers may not feel the same, however.

Although, as the first book in a series, I do look forward to learning more about Llewellyn and much more about his Ramon Rondell persona. And I anxiously await Blaise bringing Llewellyn out of his shell! 3.5 stars for "The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean."

I received an ARC from Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review.
Review also also posted at Gay Book Reviews - check it out!

[Sushi (寿司) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finalmente l'ho finito.

*ATTENZIONE SPOILERS ALERT*

È stata una tortura nella sua lentezza. Le scene di sesso sono da lasciar perdere. Per me, se c'è, la scena di sesso è importante e deve essere fatta bene.
Il cadavere compare solo a metà libro che è piuttosto scandaloso per essere un crime. Al 51% per essere esatti. Blaise viene accusato così sulla base delle impronte sulla scrivania di Lewis. Altre indagini o analisi della scena del crimine non se ne fanno. Le telecamere non esistono da controllare. Se avessero controllato le telecamere avrebbero non solo visto Blaise entrare ma anche due persone quasi identiche entrare prima visto che quando Blaise entra il morto c'è già. E non ditemi che le telecamere non ci sono in un Università che non ci credo. Lasciando perdere l'illuminazione delle impronte sulla volpe e sulla tazza da parte di Lewis io vorrei sapere come sono arrivati all'arma del delitto. L'arma, un cavo da presa, mai cercato dalla polizia per quanto mi riguarda. Così giusto per spiegare salta fuori dal nulla alla fine. Come la scomparsa delle chiavi dall'ufficio di Van Pelt. Anche qui controllare prima tutti i possessori delle chiavi?
E per finire pure il rapimento con Blaise che salva Lewis dal tipo armato di coltello? Ma cos'è superman. Mio Dio. 😧
Mi dispiace dirlo ma non mi ha soddisfatto per niente. Su questa base ho preferito quello di Jamie Fessenden. E se vogliamo essere sinceri se Tara Lain l'avesse basato solo sulla doppia identità di Lewis e l'amore con Blaise sarebbe stato meglio.

[Stephanie GooglyEyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute cozy mystery.
Llewellyn was adorable with all his stuttering and self doubt, masked in another persona of "Rondell" the flamboyant writer.

I wish there would have been more investigation on Shakespeare being the nobleman, but alas, that would be super hard to write of you're not a dedicated historian.

Throughout the book, you're basically suspicious of everyone, except Maria, because she kicks all the ass.
It felt a little cheesy in parts, but that's OK, because sometimes you just need that.
I really hope book 2 is about To, the winemaker... because dimples.

[Pati · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the most ridiculously stupid book pretending to be a mystery that I have ever read! Apparently the police don't know anything about surveillance cameras, traffic cameras or phone records. Nor do they understand how to investigate a murder as well as a history professor/ researcher/ author. SMH.... Not a single believable act in this cheese fest.

I used to be a fan of this author but this will be the last time I waste my time and money on her books. I don't recommend this to anyone.

[Calila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received A Review Copy From The Author

Cute story, but I didn't fully love it. I mean its kind of bad when you're lowkey rooting for one of the MCs to end up with a side character instead of the shady MC. I didn't mind Blaise keeping secrets because Llewellyn could tell something was not completely on the up & up there. But I didn't like how he "apologized" after the truth came out. He made it about himself instead of actually being contrite, it felt off. I also just never fell for the couple, there isn't anything truly objectionable but it felt pretty shallow and surface. It really didn't seem to get that deep, however i think that's part of the formula for these types of cozy mysteries. The mystery aspect is pretty interesting but i feel like the original question didn't get enough focus. I was expecting more of an investigation into Shakespeare, but that's never the focus. There's also the whole Rondell thing which doesn't get enough focus for me. The murder was pretty obvious though the motive it a bit lackluster. It's like everything is just *almost* there but never quite gets there. All that said, if you're in the right mood this book will be just what you're looking for. It's not "bad", I just didn't love it.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was... utterly ridiculous. Tara Lain can be a bit hit and miss for me and this book was a massive miss. Put it this way, I have tried to read it on three separate occasions over the last few months and could only force myself to plough through a couple of chapters each time. I give up!

[Erika Tamburini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recensione a cura del blog Piume di Carta

Buongiorno a tutti. Parlare di questo libro sarà decisamente divertente, perché è stata una lettura frizzante, qualcosa che amo alla follia, ovvero ha quel tocco romance, ma anche di mistero, di giallo e soprattutto un'ambientazione particolare. Non so, sono decisamente attratta da quei libri molto simili a dei gialli classici, con quel tocco di mistero e soprattutto un'ambientazione scolastica. I campus universitari, più quelli della vecchia Europa, sono perfetti per questo genere di romanzi, ma sicuramente vanno bene anche quelli di oltreoceano.
Il dottor Llewellyn Lewis è un brillante e geniale ricercatore e professore di storia alla Middlemark University, ma per quanto geniale è anche altrettanto timido, tanto che preferisce rinchiudersi nel suo studio e lasciare che siano i suoi assistenti a fare le sue lezioni, mentre lui si nasconde nel suo ufficio, cercando di evitare ogni tipo di contatto con gli altri, nascondendosi e cercando di celare il più possibile la sua balbuzie dovuta all'insicurezza.
Quello che gli altri non sanno è che il dottore ha anche un alter ego, un affascinante blogger: Ramon Rondell, famigerato autore di sensazionalistiche teorie storiche.
Ramon è tutto quello che Llewellyn non è, o che vorrebbe essere: bello, intelligente, malizioso, pronto a divertirsi, a sedurre e, sopra ogni cosa, Ramon non balbetta e non pensa di essere del tutto insignificante.
Durante una delle rare comparse pubbliche di Ramon, mentre è in una discoteca per divertirsi, il giovane intravede un bellissimo ballerino, un uomo affascinante che lo colpisce in particolar modo, ma sarà il dottor Llewellyn a conoscere personalmente quel giovane, proprio nell'università dove lavora, perché è un assistente.
Da questo momento, dal loro primo incontro, la storia è un intrico di eventi, un giusto mix tra romance, avventura, giallo e mistero.
Sarò vecchia dentro, non lo so, però questi libri che mi fanno venire in mente la Signora in giallo, io li adoro.
Il primo romanzo della serie Middlemark è un intreccio, come ho detto, di vari generi, partendo dal romance puro, passando per il mistero e il giallo. La storia inizia con una richiesta, la proposta al dottor Lewis di fare una ricerca su Edward de Vere, diciassettesimo Conte di Oxford, sospettato da alcuni di essere il vero Shakespeare. La sua discendente, Anne, desidera esaudire uno degli ultimi desideri di suo padre, cercando di scoprire se il loro discendente fosse veramente il grande poeta. Per accaparrarsi l’aiuto del famigerato storico è pronta a donare una considerevole cifra all'università, e una buona parte proprio al professore, per portare avanti le ricerche.
Dal momento in cui la donna, Anne de Vere, fa la proposta, il silenzioso e timido professore è circondato da persone che vorrebbero spingerlo ad accettare l’incarico o a farlo desistere, tutti più preoccupati dei soldi o della loro reputazione.
Insieme a tutti questi problemi e pressioni di ogni genere, Llewellyn si trova anche braccato dal giovane e bellissimo assistente, che sembra fargli una corte spietata, senza che l’uomo riesca comprenderne il motivo. Si sente inadeguato, non capisce come potrebbe interessare a un uomo del genere.
La relazione tra i due protagonisti si intreccia di pari passo al mistero che avvolge la ricerca che Anne de Vere vorrebbe affidare al dottore e in seguito al suo assassinio.
Lo stile di Tara Lain è sempre magnifico, ammetto che il balbettare di Llewellyn ogni tanto mi irritava, ma lo caratterizzava alla perfezione, come dalle pagine e dai suoi pensieri trapelava la sua timidezza, la sua insicurezza, le sue paure. Ad ogni pagina si capiva in maniera chiara quanto in passato avesse sofferto, quanto fosse stato denigrato, tanto da arrivare a credere di non meritare nulla. Eppure una scintilla di fiducia e di ribellione in lui ci sono, quando è Ramon Rondell, quando nasconde il suo vero aspetto, quando non sembra così timido e impacciato, così timoroso verso il mondo.
Blaise, l’affascinante assistente di inglese al contrario sa di essere bello, di piacere e sfrutta questi suoi punti di forza, ma il ragazzo non è solo bello, è anche intelligente e simpatico. Qualcuno, a detta di Llewellyn, che potrebbe avere chi vuole. Qualcuno che per quanto bello e intelligente ha fatto suonare un campanello d’allarme nella mente del professore. Per quanto vorrebbe fidarsi, non ci riesce, perché sente che l’altro gli sta nascondendo qualcosa.
Tra misteri e incomprensioni, segreti, il libro si legge veramente bene. L’ho adorato, ogni pagina, ogni pensiero, ogni dialogo.
Mi ha tenuta incollata alle pagine fino a che non sono arrivata alla fine, divorando una pagina dopo l’altra, desiderosa di scoprire cosa stava accadendo, come sarebbe andato avanti, ma soprattutto chi fosse il colpevole.
Un libro degno dei migliori gialli, una lettura splendida, che mi ha lasciato a bocca aperta e mi ha sorpreso con il suo finale.
Per quanto la Lain abbia sparso indizi durante la stesura, all’interno dell’intero romanzo, solamente a fine libro, nel momento in cui si arriva a fare il punto della situazione, ci si dice: è vero!
Un grande punto a favore di questo romanzo è anche lo stile dell’autrice, il modo in cui descrive l’università di Middlemark, il campus, la cittadina che in alcuni frangenti, pur non essendo in Europa, mi ha fatto pensare al vecchio continente.
Leggevo e vedevo camminare Llewellyn per strade silenziose, poco trafficate, dal campus fino alla sua vecchia abitazione degli anni trenta. La mia mente vagava, forse creava un luogo del tutto immaginario, che non esiste, ma allo stesso tempo era un luogo misterioso e pieno di fascino. La giusta ambientazione per il libro che avevo tra le mani.
Ammetto che quando l’ho finito mi sono sentita triste. Già, le letture che adoro, che mi piacciono, mi fanno questo effetto. Ho appena salutato un caro amico, una persona importante, qualcuno che forse incontrerò di nuovo più in là, o forse no, e il primo pensiero che mi è passato per la mente è stato questo: con questi personaggi, con questo stile, sarebbe perfetta una serie. Una splendida serie di gialli. Ma non si può chiedere troppo dalla vita, così mi accontento di questo romanzo, sperando in altre splendide letture come questa. Sperando di incontrare di nuovo Llewellyn e Blaise.
Cinque piume meritatissime e un grazie sia all’autrice che alla casa editrice che mi ha permesso di leggere questo gioiellino.

[Elyxyz Elyxyz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non me ne vogliano Llewellyn e Blaise, ma i veri protagonisti di questo libro sono i tre gatti di casa Lewis: piccole, adorabili palle pelose dispotiche, con artigli affilati come trappole mortali, che sanno piegarti alla sudditanza con un miagolio. No, scherzo. Quasi. Anche loro vi conquisteranno, perché è impossibile non amarli, ma è Llewellyn che mi ha rubato il cuore: è come vedere mescolati insieme Adrien English e Percival Endicott Whyborne. Capite come mi sento?
Llewellyn è un impacciato ricercatore di storia, timido e balbuziente, che si crede socialmente inadeguato e inetto, con un’infanzia di cui si sa poco ma di cui si intuiscono risvolti solitari, dolorosi e umilianti. Il suo unico conforto sono il suo lavoro e i suoi gatti, da cui riceve consolazione e amore.
In realtà, Llewellyn è un uomo dalla grande intelligenza e dalle infinite conoscenze, ma sottovaluta il proprio potenziale; ha delle persone che gli sono vicine che tengono a lui e riconoscono il suo buon cuore, ma la sua timidezza lo frena dal creare legami.
A Llewellyn servirebbe una cabina come quella di Clark Kent, per trasformarsi più agevolmente nel suo alterego spigliato, sensuale e modaiolo. Ramon Rondell è la sua fuga dalla realtà, dal peso della solitudine e della quotidianità. Ma cedervi non è mai indolore per Llewellyn, eppure non riesce a rinunciarvi. Quando in entrambe le sue vesti egli incontra l’affascinante Blaise Arthur, è amore a prima vista.
Blaise ammalia donne e uomini con sorrisi accattivanti e parlantina svelta, riesce a sedurli senza fatica ma, suo malgrado, è proprio Llewellyn, con le sue incongruenze e la bellezza inconsapevole, a stregarlo.
Questo m/m romance moderno è ambientato nel mondo accademico e scomoda persino il Bardo mentre si cerca di scoprire verità sensazionali e chiarire parentadi vari. Tra una dissertazione e l’altra, abbiamo un interessante caso da risolvere e diversi personaggi – più o meno bizzarri, egocentrici, oppure solari e solerti – che interagiscono con i protagonisti creando una trama interessante, ben gestita, con un paio di colpi di scena ben piazzati che incuriosiscono fino alla fine.
Pur con una narrazione in terza persona, abbiamo modo di scoprire i pensieri di Llewellyn e Blaise, che si alterano continuamente nel testo.
Verso la fine del libro abbiamo modo di conoscere il protagonista del secondo volume della serie, perché viene introdotto. Ma spero che avremo modo di ritrovare ancora Llewellyn e Blaise, perché li ho adorati!
Una lettura che consiglio caldamente se cercate un bel romance spruzzato di giallo.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean by Tara Lain is a wonderful mix of history and mystery.

Meet Llewellyn Lewis shy prominent historian who lives to solve impossible historical mysteries with the help of his feisty protective research assistant Marie. Meet Blaise Arthur, an English teacher assistant, finds himself in the middle of a mystery and investigation where he finds love.
Llewellyn and Blaise meet at a fundraising dinner where Llewellyn’s presence was required by the wealthy Anne De Vere who wants Llewellyn to prove her ancestor is the real Shakespeare. And all who are opposed and for the case have centered their attention on LLewellyn and whether he will take this case or not. I adored Llewelyn and Blaise as a couple, they really complimented each other well.

With murder, history and mystery paving the way Tara shows that not everything is as it seems. This story has kept me riveted until the end. It was intriguing to find all the different facets and behind the scenes politics in a college professors life as well as the historical mystery in the center. I cannot wait until the next installment of this series as it contains 2 of my favorite themes history and mysteries.

[Ekollon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've put off writing this review because, honestly, I feel kind of strange writing it because I liked it more than I think it truly deserved, mostly because I think Blaise ended up being a creepy creeper and I just didn't like him. I mean, I know we were supposed to end up feeling positive towards him and what was going on with him, but I really wasn't. I feel like he was a grown man with control over his own destiny, and what was going on with him . . . really wasn't acceptable.

Instead, Llewellyn was the glory of the book, with all his fun ways and his alter ego. I would have been much happier if he had been able to end up with someone who I felt better about, and in fact I felt so positive about him that I often forgot about Blaise; Llewellyn stole the show.

Weirdly enough, even the mystery kept me going, which doesn't usually happen.

So, I liked this book, but I feel like it was for the wrong reasons, and that the book didn't quite deserve it, leaving me feel wrong footed.

[True Loveislovereview · Rating 4 out of 5]

Llewellyn Lewis is a shy stuttering historical researcher by day and a fluently speaking totally different man named Ramon by night. When he’s at a gay bar as Ramon he sees the most beautiful man ever.

When he meets him again as Llewellyn he can’t believe Blaise assists him in the research case of finding out who Shakespeare was. It’s heavy paid research and it looks like there are some people who are sabotaging it.

Blaise uses all his charms on Llewellyn and both men have affectionate feelings...

Llewellyn is an insecure man and a bit suspicious about Blaise's intentions.

There is a murder and when Blaise is a suspect Llewellyn uses his skills to prove who is the murderer.

I always love it when a story can surprise me, this one did. So different than I expected, more a mystery than a love story, the mystery part is ingenious and the love part intense.

It was intriguing and I found the plot wonderfully done.

The writing is appealing and with a great flow. The environments were original, the main characters were well developed, just like the whole story!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of fun to it. It’s got very cozy mystery vibes with its large cast of suspects, each with their own believable motives, and two amateurs trying to figure it all out (well everything inevitably goes insane at the same time). I really liked Llewelyn, and enjoyed him finding his footing and not having to hide behind his alter ego. His assistant Maria was probably my favorite character, and I absolutely adored their interactions. What didn’t quite work for me was the romance. Blaise was just a little too creepy to me, and it made sense, but I just never bought his interactions as believable. I also felt like a lot of things were touched on that could’ve been explored more deeply and made for a better book. I still enjoyed it, and it reads as a fairly quick, fun mystery!

[Tiuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author blurb mentioned that 'sweet' is an adjective used frequently for her writing and I have to agree. This was well-written, funny and yes, sweet. Llewellyn was an adorable protagonist, Blaise turned out to be a sweetheart and the secondary characters ranged from hilarious to pompous to a great friend. It was more romance than detective story but both parts were well-balanced in intensity. I would've liked a bit more background on how Ramon came to be but all in all this was very enjoyable.

[Lara Di Iorio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deliziosamente adorabile ❤️

[books are love · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am going to be honest and say I didn’t quite know what to expect this time from Tara Lain. We usually get one or two outrageously fun characters with quirky ways about them but this you could tell wouldn’t have that. So I was a wee bit wary. I like a good cozy mystery but didn’t know how Tara Lain would pull it off with her normal writing style. She pleasantly surprised me. Tara Lain went out of her comfort zone and wrote a book that wasn’t full of over the top moments nor was there drama. Just a good entertaining mystery with characters you are wary of and others you love instantly.

Llewellyn and Blais are two characters you fall in love with instantly. They are the main characters and perfect as the ones to fall in love but also solve the mystery. Well Llewellyn is good for the solving part. Llewellyn is quiet and shy but smart as a whip.He is stronger than he thinks. He is also sweet and understanding. He doesn’t have a high self esteem so when Blais begins to show him attention he was wary and with good cause to me. Llewellyn was now the center of everyone’s attention due to potential donors clamoring for his mind to prove something. So the timing with Blais is a wee bit suspect. But Llewellyn let him in and we are gifted with a sweet romance brewing. Blais is a good guy but trying to find his way. He truly loves Llewellyn as he gets to learn who he is but is in a rock and hard place.I love the ending and how he fights for what he wants. He isn’t a bad guy in fact he is a great one only he starts the story with untoward intentions until he learns about his subject and realizes who his subject is on the inside.

Meantime while the romance is brewing, danger is afoot. We have a family that doesn’t want Llewellyn to do as their sister asks, a secret identity that gives one man strength, pressure to do the research on Shakespeare, and Llewellyn in the middle of it all. Meanwhile Blais has something going on as well that is causing him to do things he doesn’t feel comfortable about once he gets to know Llewellyn.

Suddenly in the middle of this a murder occurs and it throws the budding romance on the fence and Llewellyn even more in the spotlight. Especially as he tries to figure out who did it and why.

A fun sweet tale full of twists and turns and a delectable set of mysteries and romance to boot. Where the characters have you smile and laugh. And a mystery that is well crafted having you play clue along with the characters to figure out who did it and why.

[Antisocial Recluse · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
This was a cute interpretation of a cozy mystery mixed with gay romance elements. Llewelyn is a nerdy, introverted history professor, so to release his wilder side, he’s created the alter ego and semi-public face of Ramon Rondell, popular writer of outrageous books on historical mysteries. Ramon is also the professors cruising disguise when out on the town and he is captivated one night by a glimpse of a handsome man. When Llewelyn meets Blaise Arthur at a dinner with Anne de Vere, wanting to prove her ancestor was Shakespeare, that sets up a somewhat convoluted but fun murder investigation with a side of misdirection. Suddenly both Llewelyn and Ramon are under an unwanted spotlight.

There’s some fairly strong character building for both the couple and secondary characters. Blaise is not really who he seems to be either, creating a sort of subplot that merges with the main storyline when he’s accused of murder. Llewelyn and Blaise fit well as a couple when written in the typical cozy mystery style but it did lose something in the translation to actual sex scenes. It did work quite well for the clever and original plot which wasn’t all that easy to figure out early and I appreciate a little added twist to a story. I enjoyed the romantic buildup; a little UST, the devastating secret, the will-they won’t-they anticipation near the end. After a couple of darker reads this was a nice change of pace and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys their mystery with a lighter, more humorous touch.

*An ARC was provided by the author, publisher or promotional service and I have chosen to publish a fair and honest review for Jessie G Books Reviews blog*

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

To be honest, I am torn.

Llewellyn Lewis is a history professor. He loves solving or just writing theories of historical people and events, and has 3 cats. But he is also Ramon Rondell. When he is Ramon, he changes his appearance and no one knows what he looks like, no one knows who he really is. Llewellyn also stutters, which for me reading it was a bit annoying. During a night out as Ramon, he sees a beautiful man, that later appears at the university he is.

Blaise Arthur is an english teaching assistant but he is also hiding something else. It was a little creepy how he was spying on Llewellyn, because if I was Llewellyn I'd have not trusted him at all. But we later get an explanation of why.

The relationship between the characters was cute and Blaise cared about Llewellyn a lot.

The mystery was pretty good! I would not have guessed who killed Anne de Vere. I was suspecting EVERYONE and it was interesting reading about Shakespeare. Of course proving who the real shakespeare was wouldn't be right to happen in the book because there were a lot of theories.

And just when you think the book is gonna end nicely, it throws you something else bad but it was resolved quickly and we get a nice sort of epilogue. It was very cute!!

I liked it and I hope the next one is better, and maybe we get another simillar event to solve like Shakespeare, maybe Jack the Reaper? I would love to see that also! Cause I like all the theories of who he could be! :D

[Cathy Brockman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The case if the Sexy Shakesperean is a fun, easy to read, page-turning mystery. I liked Llewellyn a lot. His lisp gave him extra character, though I wondered how he got by as a history professor and speaking, however, brushing that aside since its fiction, I fond that trait made him adorable. There are many likable characters in this story such as his assistant Maria. As in all cozies, there are a lot of characters and that helps throw you off the who did it. I didn't connect with Blaise for some reason like I should have but I did like him and towards the end, he redeems himself in my eyes.
There are lots of twists and I didn't guess the outcome.
If you are looking for a fun cozy mystery, like sexy professors, lots of twists, some sweet man-love, and three adorable cats, you will like this.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tough one to rate for me. I love Tara Lain and enjoyed the story so I'll go with 4 but it's really more 3.5. The reason? Everything about this book felt surface and glossed over. The love story wasn't deep or meaningful, the initial mystery was never answered and I felt like I had more questions than answers at the end of the book. Maybe it's just me but there it is. I adored Llewellyn and his cats. I adored his assistant. I liked Blaise okay but didn't love his motives. This could have been fantastic if it had gotten more into Llewellyn's issues and had Blaise somehow work with him on them. Instead they had some sex and solved a mystery. The mystery that was solved was interesting. I don't know, a good read but not fantastic.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Llewellyn is a shy, awkward, stuttering mess. His alter ego is outgoing, gorgeous, and free to be the man he wants to be. Just not very often and always away from his work life.

Blaise is gorgeous all the time, untruthful, and more interested in the professor than seems reasonable.

A quirky, quiet whodunnit with a large cast of suspects, oh, and cats. This book isn’t a historical masterpiece but it was fun. Mostly improbable, slightly annoying at times, but the entertainment value made it a better story. Who knew the quest for the truth about Shakespeare would involve a steam room, hidden identities, picky cats, murder, and sexy academics.

I received an arc of this book.

[Josy]

I won this book in the MM Romance Group Celebration 2018 and I want to say a BIG thank you to Tara Lain for her generosity!

[Lily Loves 📚 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this book from the blurb, I adore mysteries, especially ones of the cozy variety. Starting off I felt like the book didn’t grab me. There’s a slow pace that felt hard to get through and I had to push myself to keep reading hoping the book would pick up.

Llewelyn is hard to get to know at first, maybe because he has an alter ego, but he seemed very wishy-wasn’t. I wondered how he got as far in life as he had so far just by the way he could hardly get through one social interaction.

Blaise seemed a total mystery at first and I wasn’t quite sure if I would like him because he came on strong but I felt like there was an ulterior motive.

I’ve read a few books by Tara Lain but this is the first time I’ve read a mystery from her. Being I read a lot of mysteries I tend to be picky. I don’t know if that’s a curse or a blessing.

I thought this was interesting but I was never fully drawn into the story. The writing is well done and the idea behind the story is a great one but I just couldn’t get into it. I felt like there was no real build up, that the story began with so many characters and they were in your face constantly. Everywhere Llewelyn went someone showed up. I would have preferred more of a slower build up in regards to introducing characters. It felt like nothing was happening for a while yet so much was going on.

I do feel like this is a book that I can re-read down the road and appreciate more now that I have read it once and know the writing style and what the author was going for. There is definitely a lot of potential and I think the next book in the series may be worth checking out to see if the mystery and story is set up better for me.

ARC received by Gay Romance Reviews

[Thomas George Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

A murder mystery about attempting to cover up the real Shakespeare. It was a fanciful story told and written often before without success.

[Lena Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” – Frie-drich Nietzsche

Between the lack of nurturing when he was a child and his self-imposed limitations about socializing, Dr. Llewellyn Lewis is a highly esteemed university professor specializing in literature research. Llewellyn's department head requests his presence at a social engagement with a patron, Anne de Vere who wishes to give the school and Dr. Lewis a great deal of money. At the dinner, he is asked to do research proving that Edward de Vere wrote the works that are customarily attributed to Shakespeare. Llewellyn knows it's been tried before but no one can sufficiently prove it to be true. He knows the university can use the money, but he doesn't believe that, in good conscience, he can take payment for the work, especially when the results will most likely be inconclusive, but Llewellyn tells them he will consider it.

When Llewellyn wants to break out of his rigid life, he takes on another persona, that of Ramon Rondell, Llewellyn's total opposite. Instead of being shy, smart, drab, and a stutterer, Ramon is wild and reckless and carefree. Ramon also writes a sensational blog about historical theories, a perverse version of the work Llewellyn does. When the same young man, Blaise Arthur, whom Ramon first saw on one of his unrestrained nights on the town, ends up at his table during dinner, Llewellyn is intrigued. Llewellyn's reaction to Blaise both excites and disturbs him. When Blaise shows a real interest in seeing Llewellyn, he can hardly believe his good luck, but he almost sabotages it before it starts by wondering why Blaise would want to be with him in the first place. As they grow closer, Blaise tries to encourage him, to increase Llewellyn 's self-esteem, to get him to see himself as Blaise sees him but with limited success. Also, there's something niggling in the back of his mind about Blaise; something doesn't ring true, but he decides that he's just being paranoid.

After much consideration, Llewellyn decides to take on the project. Anne de Vere pays him an unexpected visit where they discuss the research. After she's sure he's taking the case for the right reasons, not just for the money, she leaves the copy of the research with Llewellyn who reads it right away. Almost immediately Llewellyn regrets taking the job because Anne's family calls and threatens him, telling him in no uncertain terms that the entire family is against Anne spending money on her crazy ideas when they need it so desperately. Not knowing whom to believe, Llewellyn is puzzled. He goes home from work the next day still thinking about what to do. He comes home and is struck on the head and goes unconscious. When he comes to, Blaise is standing over him asking what happened. When Llewellyn tells him that someone hit him over the head, Blaise becomes even more worried. As he looks around the room to see if anything has been stolen, he realizes that the binder with Anne's research is gone. Who would want to steal it and why?

A murder mystery is a bit different from Tara's usual stories, but she has done an excellent job. Tara has incorporated her trademark of creating atypical characters who overcome hardships, and, against all odds, end up together. Llewellyn is a fascinating character with lots of issues, but with a good heart and strong moral compass, not to mention being highly intelligent and having extraordinary powers of observation. I have mixed feelings about Blaise, but I liked the way he loves Llewellyn and went out of his way to make him feel comfortable, and Llewellyn's cats like him, so he can't be too bad. Thank you, Tara, for introducing me to Llewellyn and Blaise and for reminding me that “myself” is the best person I can be.

[Sue B · Rating 2 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER -- I was provided an advanced copy of this book in exchange for the promise of an impartial review.

Right from the start I was intrigued by the fact that MC # 1 has an altar-ego. Dr. Llewellyn Lewis is a famed academic. His specialty is researching historical mysteries. He's a tenured history professor at a smallish private college, but doesn't do much actual teaching these days as he's shy and socially awkward. He speaks with a stutter, and lives a decidedly khaki life (including his wardrobe). His "other half" as it were, is Ramon Rondell, an history writer whose specialty is also historical mysteries, but only those of the more sensational and shocking variety. Dr. Lewis pulls off the dual personas fairly easily as Ramon Rondell is known to be very reclusive, only rarely appearing publicly. When Ramon is seen, he's always in flamboyant garb, big sunglasses, and any one of various hair colors/styles (aka, wigs). Dr. Lewis' stutter is anxiety-linked, so when he's acting the part of Ramon the stutter is absent.

Blaise Arthur (MC#2) is a teaching assistant who recently joined the university's English department. He's got a BIG secret as well; his mother is a journalist who is the rival/arch enemy of Ramon Rondell. Blaise's mother has begun to suspect that Ramon Rondell is really the meek and mild Dr. Lewis, and wants Blaise to help her prove it.

Anne de Vere is a descendant of the 17th Earl of Oxford Edward de Vere. That gentleman is one who has been proposed by some as the true author of the poems and plays attributed to Shakespeare. Anne has 5 million dollars at her disposal, and is willing to donate it to the university's history department if Dr. Lewis can prove (or as close as possible, given that the question has only been debated for more than 400 years) that Edward de Vere was INDEED Shakespeare.

Dr. Lewis is under a HUGE amount of pressure, for the sake of the money. Anne's family HATES the idea of the family bucks being spent on this, though by the terms of an ironclad will that's the way it is. Other donors are also pushing, because they want the new building to have THEIR name on it, instead of de Vere's. Then Anne is found dead on the floor in Dr. Lewis's office. And thus the murder mystery begins. Who done it? Why?

I will say no more about the murder mystery, as I don't want to accidentally give anything away. I read a LOT of mysteries, so for a book to keep me guessing right up until the BIG REVEAL -- WELL DONE.
I wish I could say the same for the romance part of the book. From start to finish I was angry about Blaise hiding his mother's motives and going along with his part of trying to prove Dr. Lewis and Ramon Rondell as one and the same. You always knew that he felt badly about it, yet his guilt never stopped him.
Also, I never really got the feeling that I was reading a romance. The relationship between Llewellyn and Blaise was much too clinical for my taste. They described themselves as dating, but it felt more like guys who were equally intrigued by a real-life murder, and oh yeah, by the way, they were bonking each other. "Are you busy tonight? No. Want to come over and screw? Sure; sounds good."

Up to this point I had never read a Tara Lain book that I could put down. I LOVE the sweetness of her characters, and you usually really feel the building emotions between the MC's. This time, though, it was like there was virtually no emotions at all beyond lust I still have been able to put down a Tara Lain book without finishing it but in this case it was ONLY the murder mystery that kept me going.
Sorry Tara, but no home run this time. It's a solid stand-up double at best. I'm giving it 2 out of 5 stars.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Tara Lain’s books can be a bit hit or miss for me, but I really enjoyed her first cozy mystery. I liked Llewellyn and was intrigued by the fact that not only does he have an alter ego but that he overcomes his stutter in that persona. The book hints that Llewellyn’s genius and his mother’s bitterness made him a punching bag for her disappointment, and that his stutter, shyness and feeling of inadequacies that he hides behind stem from his childhood.

Blaise is a charmer who has been trained by his journalist mother to use his good looks and friendly manner to get close to people, and in the beginning has ulterior motives for getting close to Llewellyn, which is a running theme in this book! Frankly, there isn’t much to Blaise. He’s conflicted by his feelings for Llewellyn and his guilt about lying to him, but doesn’t come clean about it and his only excuse is that he wanted to please his mom.

Their relationship just didn’t feel well-founded to me, especially given where they end up by the epilogue. This is one of those instances where the MC really doesn’t know anything about the person they fell in love with and their interactions are mostly suspicion-laden sex as opposed to anything suggesting Llewellyn somehow got to know the “real Blaise”. On the other hand, the murder mystery was well done, and though I’m not a big fan of cozy mysteries, Llewellyn’s investigative efforts were believable and suited to his role as a researcher. Overall, this was a fun book, and I’m looking forward to seeing Llewellyn grow into himself in future stories.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooh ooh ooh! It's been a long time since I  was tempted - oh so tempted - to cheat and read the ending first.

Llewellyn is a history professor made a little famous by researching historical mysteries. He's adorably awkward with a kick-ass assistant and the cutest trio of cats ever. He meets Blaise, a new grad student, at a faculty fundraising dinner and proceeds to sneezy/snort coconut all over the table and a donor- right in front of his new crush! He has so many deliciously painful moments that you just have to love him.

We get the feeling right from the start that Blaise has to be more than he seems. He's totally  charming and gorgeous and always popping up wherever Llewellyn goes. I really didn’t warm up to him until late in the story. I felt so protective of Llewellyn that Blaise had to prove himself to me before I could give him the time of day. Insert rolling eyes here. That's how much I liked Llewellyn and this story.

 The Sexy Shakespearean is a light-hearted - if murder can be described as such - witty, whodunnit that keeps you guessing until the end. I cant wait for more of Llewellyn and Blaise because I'm hooked!

*Advanced copy provided for an honest review.

[Valeen Robertson (Live Thru Books Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazon

Historian and professor Llewellyn is more than up to the task of proving Anna's descendant was the real Shakespeare. Is he up for falling in love with Blaise, the gorgeous teaching assistant?

This is a cute cozy mystery with a dash of romance thrown in. I'm not sure it's very realistic, but Llewellyn and Blaise are both likable, sweet characters, and the case itself is fun. As an English major, anything with the man Shakespeare in it is bound to catch my interest. That the leads are a couple falling in love and have a couple secrets they're keeping from each other, well, that just makes the whole thing all the more interesting to me. Altogether a fun romantic mystery.

ARC via Gay Romance Reviews for an honest review.

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[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.75 stars

Tara Lain is re-releasing her novel, The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean, and let me tell you, there is not a character much more adorable than Llewellyn Lewis. His alternate persona is a bit shallow and not as thoroughly sketched out as I might like, but we get a taste of how he is when dressed as Ramon and it’s enough to make me like the shy, reserved Llewellyn even more. This is a man who is directly influenced by a woman that should never have been given the title of mother. Effectively, she hated Llew and made sure he knew it. Instead of celebrating her brilliant son, she berated and mocked him, causing him to stutter even into adulthood and believe he is not only unattractive, but never worthy of being loved. Then Blaise comes into his life and everything changes.

Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.