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Hunter #1
Hunter
Luis has spent his career chasing the darker side of life. First a vice cop, then an FBI profiler, now he lands in the Boston field office, and not by choice. He expects his case load to have a much lighter tone than he’s used to.
He wasn’t counting on New England’s dark history, or their pride in it. He didn’t understand how close-knit the old towns could be, or how protective they were of their own. He soon finds he’s going to have to count on every skill he ever used in his time at headquarters, and a few skills he didn’t know he had, if he wants to keep body and soul together.
Complicating matters is a new case Luis has just been handed, working with the Mass. State Police. Luis has history there, and ugly history too. Detective Donovan Carey is the guy who broke Luis’ heart over a decade ago. He wasn’t willing to even peek his head outside the closet, certainly not for someone like Luis. Can they put their history aside to deal with a mystery centuries in the making?
He wasn’t counting on New England’s dark history, or their pride in it. He didn’t understand how close-knit the old towns could be, or how protective they were of their own. He soon finds he’s going to have to count on every skill he ever used in his time at headquarters, and a few skills he didn’t know he had, if he wants to keep body and soul together.
Complicating matters is a new case Luis has just been handed, working with the Mass. State Police. Luis has history there, and ugly history too. Detective Donovan Carey is the guy who broke Luis’ heart over a decade ago. He wasn’t willing to even peek his head outside the closet, certainly not for someone like Luis. Can they put their history aside to deal with a mystery centuries in the making?
ebook
First published November 13, 2018
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About the author
J.V. Speyer
32 books105 followersJ J. V. Speyer writes LGBTQ+ romance novels heavily flavored with suspense, mystery, and adventure. She has lived in upstate New York and rural Catalonia before making the greater Boston, Massachusetts area her permanent home. She currently lives just south of Boston in a house old enough to remember when her town was a tavern community with a farming problem.
J. V. finds most of her inspiration from music. Her tastes run the gamut from traditional to industrial and back again. When not writing she is a baseball fan, a hockey mom, and a devotee of all things weird and creepy about New England.
J. V. finds most of her inspiration from music. Her tastes run the gamut from traditional to industrial and back again. When not writing she is a baseball fan, a hockey mom, and a devotee of all things weird and creepy about New England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
May 26, 2019
I read it hoping it would get better
So much grated on my nerves. Luis was a more complex character but Donovan was a massive cactus spine injury. Also a good but somewhat incomplete attempt at addressing racism. Then, the helpful ghost completely killed my interest. Seriously? There’s no paranormal label on this book and that just ticked me off. For me, it felt like a way to turn a halfway decent procedural into a lazy way to solve a mystery. Don’t look for UST or much actual romance, there’s no tender build up to their reunion. I also missed getting a more satisfying wrap-up of details around the murders. I’m giving points for good writing, editing and the first 50% or so.
So much grated on my nerves. Luis was a more complex character but Donovan was a massive cactus spine injury. Also a good but somewhat incomplete attempt at addressing racism. Then, the helpful ghost completely killed my interest. Seriously? There’s no paranormal label on this book and that just ticked me off. For me, it felt like a way to turn a halfway decent procedural into a lazy way to solve a mystery. Don’t look for UST or much actual romance, there’s no tender build up to their reunion. I also missed getting a more satisfying wrap-up of details around the murders. I’m giving points for good writing, editing and the first 50% or so.
October 14, 2021
This was a decent enough serial killer profiling investigation with an infusion of paranormal; and to be honest - I didn't think having the paranormal aspects added all that much to my reading enjoyment. The main draw card would be the complex backstory shared by MCs Luis and Donovan ... which more hindered than helped their current collaborative work in uncovering the identity of a prolific killer. Thank God the author resisted any bedroom activity between them for the first half of the read ... the relational arc was well and truly drawn out via much verbal sparring, misunderstanding and resentments, self-sabotaging internal dialogue, tense and slightly hostile workplace environs. I'm not all that keen on secondary characters such as Donovan's mother and Luis' profiling partner and boss ... their loyalty and support to and for the MCs were not all that convincing to me. So 3 stars at best and I may give the next book in the series a go.
December 4, 2018
4 Cranky Stars
This book has everything and more to keep your brain entertained and your heart racing. While murder mystery is not usually my genre, the added bonus of a ghost and a little romance and humor made this a new favorite read.
Luis is a profiler for the FBI and was just transferred to Massachusetts. He knows this assignment is temporary as is everything in his life. When a serial killer puts Luis face to face with his ex from college everything gets turned upside down. When the ghost of a century's old serial killer starts haunting Luis he thinks he has finally lost it.
I have to say I'm really intrigued with this author. I was on the edge of my seat most of the time and can honestly say got a tad freaked out at one point while hot and bothered the next. This book had everything I didn't know I wanted in a story and I look forward to more from this author.
This book has everything and more to keep your brain entertained and your heart racing. While murder mystery is not usually my genre, the added bonus of a ghost and a little romance and humor made this a new favorite read.
Luis is a profiler for the FBI and was just transferred to Massachusetts. He knows this assignment is temporary as is everything in his life. When a serial killer puts Luis face to face with his ex from college everything gets turned upside down. When the ghost of a century's old serial killer starts haunting Luis he thinks he has finally lost it.
I have to say I'm really intrigued with this author. I was on the edge of my seat most of the time and can honestly say got a tad freaked out at one point while hot and bothered the next. This book had everything I didn't know I wanted in a story and I look forward to more from this author.
September 8, 2023
DNF, oh my god, so done at 40%. It's just getting worse and worse.
This started out well enough. But the one guy's crossed so many lines with the other, and the other rarely calls him on it, not that it does much good when he does, that I just can't, anymore. The lack of basic respect is over the top awful.
This started out well enough. But the one guy's crossed so many lines with the other, and the other rarely calls him on it, not that it does much good when he does, that I just can't, anymore. The lack of basic respect is over the top awful.
November 20, 2018
Yay for my first ARC! I took a few days to think over what I wanted to say here because I had some mixed feelings about this book. I liked the paranormal elements, but they had a much smaller role than I expected them to. My main issue with the book is that the characters frustrated me at every turn, though maybe the author should be credited for that realism. I don’t know if I would have realized that this was realism if it weren’t for my own experiences, though.
Luis has spent his career chasing the darker side of life. First a vice cop, then an FBI profiler, now he lands in the Boston field office, and not by choice. He expects his case load to have a much lighter tone than he’s used to.
He wasn’t counting on New England’s dark history, or their pride in it. He didn’t understand how close-knit the old towns could be, or how protective they were of their own. He soon finds he’s going to have to count on every skill he ever used in his time at headquarters, and a few skills he didn’t know he had, if he wants to keep body and soul together.
Complicating matters is a new case Luis has just been handed, working with the Mass. State Police. Luis has history there, and ugly history too. Detective Donovan Carey is the guy who broke Luis’ heart over a decade ago. He wasn’t willing to even peek his head outside the closet, certainly not for someone like Luis. Can they put their history aside to deal with a mystery centuries in the making?
This book really wasn’t as paranormal as I expected it to be. We didn’t get any direct paranormal elements until 50% in, and I didn’t like the way the author wrote Luis’s reaction to it. On the one hand, he kept wondering whether he was hallucinating, and on the other hand, he claimed to firmly believe that a ghost had been committing murders. Those reactions have an inherent contradiction. I also wasn’t satisfied with the explanation that we got for the ghost. At one point, the ghost suggests that he’s become more powerful recently, but that was never really explained.
Anyway, the characters are the biggest part of this story, so it makes sense that they get my biggest complaints. Donovan is just obnoxious. Don’t get me wrong, some of my favorite characters are obnoxious, but they’re usually aware of that part of their personalities. Entitled and selfish Donovan always needs to be the good guy, and he has no awareness of his white privilege (a major problem, as this is an interracial couple). At the beginning of the book, he is utterly unapologetic for the way he ended things with Luis. In fact, he doesn’t think he did anything wrong. I never really figured out what made him realize the truth (maybe he had just been in denial the whole time?), but suddenly he was acknowledging to himself that he had messed up. After he fought with Luis at one point, he went to Luis’s house to apologize and gave himself a pep talk about how he was an adult and would do the right thing. He still hadn’t apologized for their college days at that point, though, so this apology was purely for selfish reasons. In fact, Donovan was selfish in almost every interaction that he had with Luis. After he apologizes, he doesn’t bother asking whether Luis accepts. He’s utterly baffled when he realizes that Luis is still mad. Furthermore, after he decides he wants to get back together with Luis, he acts like his decision was the only thing they’d been missing all this time. He doesn’t really ever stop to wonder whether Luis wants to get back together or ask him about it. He’s repeatedly confused when Luis doesn’t immediately fall into his arms. I wanted to roll my eyes or slap Donovan almost every time he said something, particularly when it involved race. For example, Donovan claims that Luis has always taken racism too seriously. The white guy doesn’t get to decide when a person of color is taking racism too seriously. That bit was even more frustrating because Luis had already told him about some of his experiences with racism. Donovan stepped up a bit after Luis was injured by standing up for him among Luis’s colleagues. He revealed time and again that he had a deep understanding of the way that Luis thinks and his traumas. However, that made some of Donovan’s behavior worse in hindsight. This understanding means that he knew in college that he was cutting loose someone with deep problems with abandonment and self-worth. Those issues don’t mean that Donovan was obligated to stay with Luis, but they do mean that he should have handled it a million times better than he did. This deep understanding of Luis also means that Donovan was well aware that Luis wouldn’t have anywhere else to go when they broke up. One of my biggest issues with Donovan is the inconsistency in the way he describes his feelings for Luis. First, he says that he never would have thought of Luis again if they hadn't needed to work together, but then he says that he had a fantasy about what it would be like when they met again. Those things can’t both be true. I also didn’t like the way that things happened between Donovan and his mom. He didn’t put any thought at all into it before he did what he did. He says he had spent the last thirteen years thinking about his priorities, but at the beginning of the book he still stood by what he had done and had no intention of changing his situation. We also didn’t see any moments of him debating whether he should do it. It just sort of happened out of nowhere, and then I didn’t really buy into her reaction either.
Then there’s Luis. Luis confused me and is the source of most of my mixed feelings (my feelings about Donovan are pretty set, lol). I really like how the author didn’t do an exposition dump for him. She just fed us tiny bits of his back story, and I felt like that reflected Luis’s fear of intimacy, as if he didn’t even want to get very close to the readers. Luis has deep and severe depression, but it honestly seemed to come out of nowhere for me. Either the author wrote a lovely portrayal of a devolving mental state, or she didn’t do a good enough job of laying the groundwork for this stuff. I think the latter plays at least a small role, as she could have done better in a few spots. For example, the voice of Luis’s father haunts Luis’s thoughts throughout the book, but near the end, he claims that he hasn’t let his father’s voice have any role in his life in years, so he didn’t know why he was thinking about his father now. That inconsistency bothered me. Furthermore, I hadn’t noticed any of the office interpersonal issues that suddenly became so important. I thought Luis and Kevin were friends and Luis just didn’t realize it yet. I hadn’t seen any overt distance between the colleagues until it was suddenly a huge issue. Around 50% into the book, Luis starts behaving irrationally, and for a bit, I honestly thought he’d been given mind-altering drugs or was possessed. He receives severe wounds and just sort of decides that he’ll just take care of them himself (he is not a medic or anything). At first, my best guess was that he was punishing himself. The problem is that we learn that Luis had bypassed proper medical care before. Was he punishing himself in each situation? If he just didn’t want any of his teammates to know that he was hurt, he could have just gone to a different hospital. His behavior sort of made sense in the context of his depression in the sense that he didn’t particularly care about his well-being, but he claimed that he only cared about the case, and he had to know that bypassing proper medical care was going to interfere with his ability to handle the case. This was incredibly frustrating, but I’d like to think that the author intentionally gave him a complete lack of logic to show that depression is legitimately a mental illness that involves more than feeling sad. Idk, maybe I’m reading too much into it. If her primary goal with this book was to portray realistic depression, then I really love that Luis was funny, as it would have been easy to make him super gloomy (that’s very much not what I meant when I said I wished she had laid more groundwork for the breakdown, btw). I was also frustrated because Luis had a bit of a victim complex, but again, depression is almost entirely made up of frustrating behaviors, so maybe it just is what it is. Near the very end, we got some of the best quotes ever about loving someone with a mental illness when a character explained to Donovan that a single relationship won't heal someone, especially a relationship that's only been going on for a few weeks. That character explained that Donovan needed to decide whether he wanted to be with Luis, regardless of whether Luis ever got better. Many other books like to completely resolve a character’s emotional issues by the end, so part of me appreciated the realism here. On the other hand, I have plenty of mental illness problems of my own that I can't seem to resolve, so I’m not really interested in including such unresolved issues in my escapism. Ah, but the realism! This is where I get torn.
I enjoyed a few miscellaneous elements in this book. For example, I loved that Luis, a federal agent, was concerned with defendant rights, as that’s important to me as well. For example, he repeatedly reminds an arrestee of his Miranda rights when the man keeps implicating himself in a crime without an attorney present, and he worries about the media coverage of his case tainting the potential jury pool. Maybe that’s unrealistic for a law enforcement agent, but I can dream of a day when it will be realistic, lol. I also enjoyed that, as much as I didn't like him, Donovan did a good job of checking that he had Luis’s consent.
Even after writing all this, I still was not entirely whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. The ending initially had me somewhat willing to read a sequel, but I changed my mind after awhile. If I were to change my mind again and read a sequel (if there even is one), I would really need Donovan to lose the selfishness and entitlement, and I’d need Luis to make some progress with his mental health issues. I definitely loved the quote about either loving him or not, issues and all, but I don’t like unresolved issues in my books, even if such issues add realism. At the end of the day, frustrating things are frustrating, and the realism can only improve their palatability so much.
PROGRESS UPDATES
3% Yay! My first ARC 😁! The writing is good so far.
25% Donovan needs a [smack] upside the head.
32% A bit worried because I don't actually want these two to get together. There better be some serious development.
92% Not a lot of time left to wrap up the character threads in a satisfying way
98% And yet here we are
Luis has spent his career chasing the darker side of life. First a vice cop, then an FBI profiler, now he lands in the Boston field office, and not by choice. He expects his case load to have a much lighter tone than he’s used to.
He wasn’t counting on New England’s dark history, or their pride in it. He didn’t understand how close-knit the old towns could be, or how protective they were of their own. He soon finds he’s going to have to count on every skill he ever used in his time at headquarters, and a few skills he didn’t know he had, if he wants to keep body and soul together.
Complicating matters is a new case Luis has just been handed, working with the Mass. State Police. Luis has history there, and ugly history too. Detective Donovan Carey is the guy who broke Luis’ heart over a decade ago. He wasn’t willing to even peek his head outside the closet, certainly not for someone like Luis. Can they put their history aside to deal with a mystery centuries in the making?
This book really wasn’t as paranormal as I expected it to be. We didn’t get any direct paranormal elements until 50% in, and I didn’t like the way the author wrote Luis’s reaction to it. On the one hand, he kept wondering whether he was hallucinating, and on the other hand, he claimed to firmly believe that a ghost had been committing murders. Those reactions have an inherent contradiction. I also wasn’t satisfied with the explanation that we got for the ghost. At one point, the ghost suggests that he’s become more powerful recently, but that was never really explained.
Anyway, the characters are the biggest part of this story, so it makes sense that they get my biggest complaints. Donovan is just obnoxious. Don’t get me wrong, some of my favorite characters are obnoxious, but they’re usually aware of that part of their personalities. Entitled and selfish Donovan always needs to be the good guy, and he has no awareness of his white privilege (a major problem, as this is an interracial couple). At the beginning of the book, he is utterly unapologetic for the way he ended things with Luis. In fact, he doesn’t think he did anything wrong. I never really figured out what made him realize the truth (maybe he had just been in denial the whole time?), but suddenly he was acknowledging to himself that he had messed up. After he fought with Luis at one point, he went to Luis’s house to apologize and gave himself a pep talk about how he was an adult and would do the right thing. He still hadn’t apologized for their college days at that point, though, so this apology was purely for selfish reasons. In fact, Donovan was selfish in almost every interaction that he had with Luis. After he apologizes, he doesn’t bother asking whether Luis accepts. He’s utterly baffled when he realizes that Luis is still mad. Furthermore, after he decides he wants to get back together with Luis, he acts like his decision was the only thing they’d been missing all this time. He doesn’t really ever stop to wonder whether Luis wants to get back together or ask him about it. He’s repeatedly confused when Luis doesn’t immediately fall into his arms. I wanted to roll my eyes or slap Donovan almost every time he said something, particularly when it involved race. For example, Donovan claims that Luis has always taken racism too seriously. The white guy doesn’t get to decide when a person of color is taking racism too seriously. That bit was even more frustrating because Luis had already told him about some of his experiences with racism. Donovan stepped up a bit after Luis was injured by standing up for him among Luis’s colleagues. He revealed time and again that he had a deep understanding of the way that Luis thinks and his traumas. However, that made some of Donovan’s behavior worse in hindsight. This understanding means that he knew in college that he was cutting loose someone with deep problems with abandonment and self-worth. Those issues don’t mean that Donovan was obligated to stay with Luis, but they do mean that he should have handled it a million times better than he did. This deep understanding of Luis also means that Donovan was well aware that Luis wouldn’t have anywhere else to go when they broke up. One of my biggest issues with Donovan is the inconsistency in the way he describes his feelings for Luis. First, he says that he never would have thought of Luis again if they hadn't needed to work together, but then he says that he had a fantasy about what it would be like when they met again. Those things can’t both be true. I also didn’t like the way that things happened between Donovan and his mom. He didn’t put any thought at all into it before he did what he did. He says he had spent the last thirteen years thinking about his priorities, but at the beginning of the book he still stood by what he had done and had no intention of changing his situation. We also didn’t see any moments of him debating whether he should do it. It just sort of happened out of nowhere, and then I didn’t really buy into her reaction either.
Then there’s Luis. Luis confused me and is the source of most of my mixed feelings (my feelings about Donovan are pretty set, lol). I really like how the author didn’t do an exposition dump for him. She just fed us tiny bits of his back story, and I felt like that reflected Luis’s fear of intimacy, as if he didn’t even want to get very close to the readers. Luis has deep and severe depression, but it honestly seemed to come out of nowhere for me. Either the author wrote a lovely portrayal of a devolving mental state, or she didn’t do a good enough job of laying the groundwork for this stuff. I think the latter plays at least a small role, as she could have done better in a few spots. For example, the voice of Luis’s father haunts Luis’s thoughts throughout the book, but near the end, he claims that he hasn’t let his father’s voice have any role in his life in years, so he didn’t know why he was thinking about his father now. That inconsistency bothered me. Furthermore, I hadn’t noticed any of the office interpersonal issues that suddenly became so important. I thought Luis and Kevin were friends and Luis just didn’t realize it yet. I hadn’t seen any overt distance between the colleagues until it was suddenly a huge issue. Around 50% into the book, Luis starts behaving irrationally, and for a bit, I honestly thought he’d been given mind-altering drugs or was possessed. He receives severe wounds and just sort of decides that he’ll just take care of them himself (he is not a medic or anything). At first, my best guess was that he was punishing himself. The problem is that we learn that Luis had bypassed proper medical care before. Was he punishing himself in each situation? If he just didn’t want any of his teammates to know that he was hurt, he could have just gone to a different hospital. His behavior sort of made sense in the context of his depression in the sense that he didn’t particularly care about his well-being, but he claimed that he only cared about the case, and he had to know that bypassing proper medical care was going to interfere with his ability to handle the case. This was incredibly frustrating, but I’d like to think that the author intentionally gave him a complete lack of logic to show that depression is legitimately a mental illness that involves more than feeling sad. Idk, maybe I’m reading too much into it. If her primary goal with this book was to portray realistic depression, then I really love that Luis was funny, as it would have been easy to make him super gloomy (that’s very much not what I meant when I said I wished she had laid more groundwork for the breakdown, btw). I was also frustrated because Luis had a bit of a victim complex, but again, depression is almost entirely made up of frustrating behaviors, so maybe it just is what it is. Near the very end, we got some of the best quotes ever about loving someone with a mental illness when a character explained to Donovan that a single relationship won't heal someone, especially a relationship that's only been going on for a few weeks. That character explained that Donovan needed to decide whether he wanted to be with Luis, regardless of whether Luis ever got better. Many other books like to completely resolve a character’s emotional issues by the end, so part of me appreciated the realism here. On the other hand, I have plenty of mental illness problems of my own that I can't seem to resolve, so I’m not really interested in including such unresolved issues in my escapism. Ah, but the realism! This is where I get torn.
I enjoyed a few miscellaneous elements in this book. For example, I loved that Luis, a federal agent, was concerned with defendant rights, as that’s important to me as well. For example, he repeatedly reminds an arrestee of his Miranda rights when the man keeps implicating himself in a crime without an attorney present, and he worries about the media coverage of his case tainting the potential jury pool. Maybe that’s unrealistic for a law enforcement agent, but I can dream of a day when it will be realistic, lol. I also enjoyed that, as much as I didn't like him, Donovan did a good job of checking that he had Luis’s consent.
Even after writing all this, I still was not entirely whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. The ending initially had me somewhat willing to read a sequel, but I changed my mind after awhile. If I were to change my mind again and read a sequel (if there even is one), I would really need Donovan to lose the selfishness and entitlement, and I’d need Luis to make some progress with his mental health issues. I definitely loved the quote about either loving him or not, issues and all, but I don’t like unresolved issues in my books, even if such issues add realism. At the end of the day, frustrating things are frustrating, and the realism can only improve their palatability so much.
PROGRESS UPDATES
3% Yay! My first ARC 😁! The writing is good so far.
25% Donovan needs a [smack] upside the head.
32% A bit worried because I don't actually want these two to get together. There better be some serious development.
92% Not a lot of time left to wrap up the character threads in a satisfying way
98% And yet here we are
January 20, 2019
Luis ~ 5 Stars
Procedural ~ 4.5 Stars
Donovan et al ~ 3 Stars
Overall ~ 4 Stars
Hunter is the first book in a series and as such it's a pretty solid start to it.
Re: Luis: He was pretty much the reason I devoured this book. He was such a fantastic character and I felt so much for him. Actually, I cried enough to go through 4 tissues and one napkin (and have the puffy eyes to prove it), because I was absolutely heartbroken with everything he was going through. He's not perfect, he has several trust and mental issues that make it almost dangerous (for him and others) to be working in cases, but considering his background, it was completely understandable. Yet, as other characters stated and was shown in the book, he was the first to offer his help when others needed him and he went above what should have been expected of him, of course, it was never enough because he was the one with an ego problem according to all of them. *sighs* He was just so relatable and his spiraling out of control just made me want to cuddle him and make it better.
Re: Procedural arc: I won't claim to be an expert, but the procedural portion of the story seemed well researched and plausible. I really enjoyed following the investigation, especially the parts when Luis profiled the serial killer they were pursuing. The killer himself was a tad blah, but the rest of it? Well done, Ms. Speyer.
Re: Donovan: Ugh, frankly it took me a long time to like him and by the end of the book, I still hadn't fully warmed up to him. He will need to do something huge for me to actually believe he deserves Luis, as it is now? Nope, no way, no how. He is just such an entitled, privileged white twat! Grrrr! From the start, when he wasn't sure why Luis could be angry with him if supposedly things had ended on a good note thirteen years ago and then he was a jealous jerk when Luis hooked up with/gave his attention to someone else, when even he realized he'd been the one to break things off between them so many years ago, to him actually leaving Luis then even if he was aware of all of Luis's trust and abandonment issues and refusing to leave his very comfortable closet and using his family as a convenient excuse for it. He didn't seem like a 34-year-old, especially when he kept running to his mommy to guide him. And even when he started standing up for Luis against his coworkers, he still couldn't fully get what Luis was going through or support him, the guy actually believed Luis about Lightfoot (the ghost) and not that profiling actually works for hell sakes! *sighs wearily* I could go on and on, but I think that's enough for now.
Re: Everyone else: Let's start with Kevin, since he is Luis's partner at the Boston FBI branch. At first, him and Luis seemed friendly enough, joking and helping each other and then suddenly, after Luis and Donovan get hurt and Luis neglects to tell him about his injury, preferring to take care of it himself, Kevin turns on Luis and acts like an ingrate fool, refusing to see reason until the very end. I just can't even, so yeah, I'll leave that there.
Then we have Donovan's mother, who is a police captain and a homophobic racist at first— actually, most of Donovan's family is that, so it kind of makes sense that he didn't want to come out until he needed to—and who should've known better that injuries happen in their line of work and that sometimes it's not anyone else's fault. When Donovan and Luis get stabbed, she went ballistic and slapped Luis for not taking better care of his partner, her baby *groans* and yet, Kevin was there, too, but of course, let's just blame the poor Brazilian gay guy. And afterward, when Donovan explains he's gay and in love with Luis and that he didn't treat Luis right, she has a change of heart and is all contrite to Donovan and even invites Luis to dinner, but did she truly apologize to Luis? Of course not. *rolls eyes*
And don't get me started on Luis's supervisor and his coworkers because I don't want to get more worked up than I am already. Let's just say they all grated on my nerves.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read, despite all my issues with Donovan and all of the secondary cast. I've always loved shows that deal with the profiling side of the FBI, it's really interesting to see how Luis managed to get in the right frame of mind to think as the killer would. I liked the paranormal bit, too, even if it wasn't as prevalent as I thought it would be. I hope that's not the last we've seen of Captain Lightfoot, though. I'll be looking forward to more books (and more of Luis, of course) in this series!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
Procedural ~ 4.5 Stars
Donovan et al ~ 3 Stars
Overall ~ 4 Stars
Hunter is the first book in a series and as such it's a pretty solid start to it.
Re: Luis: He was pretty much the reason I devoured this book. He was such a fantastic character and I felt so much for him. Actually, I cried enough to go through 4 tissues and one napkin (and have the puffy eyes to prove it), because I was absolutely heartbroken with everything he was going through. He's not perfect, he has several trust and mental issues that make it almost dangerous (for him and others) to be working in cases, but considering his background, it was completely understandable. Yet, as other characters stated and was shown in the book, he was the first to offer his help when others needed him and he went above what should have been expected of him, of course, it was never enough because he was the one with an ego problem according to all of them. *sighs* He was just so relatable and his spiraling out of control just made me want to cuddle him and make it better.
Re: Procedural arc: I won't claim to be an expert, but the procedural portion of the story seemed well researched and plausible. I really enjoyed following the investigation, especially the parts when Luis profiled the serial killer they were pursuing. The killer himself was a tad blah, but the rest of it? Well done, Ms. Speyer.
Re: Donovan: Ugh, frankly it took me a long time to like him and by the end of the book, I still hadn't fully warmed up to him. He will need to do something huge for me to actually believe he deserves Luis, as it is now? Nope, no way, no how. He is just such an entitled, privileged white twat! Grrrr! From the start, when he wasn't sure why Luis could be angry with him if supposedly things had ended on a good note thirteen years ago and then he was a jealous jerk when Luis hooked up with/gave his attention to someone else, when even he realized he'd been the one to break things off between them so many years ago, to him actually leaving Luis then even if he was aware of all of Luis's trust and abandonment issues and refusing to leave his very comfortable closet and using his family as a convenient excuse for it. He didn't seem like a 34-year-old, especially when he kept running to his mommy to guide him. And even when he started standing up for Luis against his coworkers, he still couldn't fully get what Luis was going through or support him, the guy actually believed Luis about Lightfoot (the ghost) and not that profiling actually works for hell sakes! *sighs wearily* I could go on and on, but I think that's enough for now.
Re: Everyone else: Let's start with Kevin, since he is Luis's partner at the Boston FBI branch. At first, him and Luis seemed friendly enough, joking and helping each other and then suddenly, after Luis and Donovan get hurt and Luis neglects to tell him about his injury, preferring to take care of it himself, Kevin turns on Luis and acts like an ingrate fool, refusing to see reason until the very end. I just can't even, so yeah, I'll leave that there.
Then we have Donovan's mother, who is a police captain and a homophobic racist at first— actually, most of Donovan's family is that, so it kind of makes sense that he didn't want to come out until he needed to—and who should've known better that injuries happen in their line of work and that sometimes it's not anyone else's fault. When Donovan and Luis get stabbed, she went ballistic and slapped Luis for not taking better care of his partner, her baby *groans* and yet, Kevin was there, too, but of course, let's just blame the poor Brazilian gay guy. And afterward, when Donovan explains he's gay and in love with Luis and that he didn't treat Luis right, she has a change of heart and is all contrite to Donovan and even invites Luis to dinner, but did she truly apologize to Luis? Of course not. *rolls eyes*
And don't get me started on Luis's supervisor and his coworkers because I don't want to get more worked up than I am already. Let's just say they all grated on my nerves.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read, despite all my issues with Donovan and all of the secondary cast. I've always loved shows that deal with the profiling side of the FBI, it's really interesting to see how Luis managed to get in the right frame of mind to think as the killer would. I liked the paranormal bit, too, even if it wasn't as prevalent as I thought it would be. I hope that's not the last we've seen of Captain Lightfoot, though. I'll be looking forward to more books (and more of Luis, of course) in this series!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
May 15, 2019
I was sent this arc via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
This review has a spoiler (I'll warn you when)
This made me think of some of my favourite elements in Josh Lanyon's books. A vulnerable in some way main character, a murder mystery and a old flame back in the picture with unsettled business. I felt connected to the main character, Luis pretty much straight away. I loved how his partner was introduced into the story at the beginning, I think I might have snort laughed. I found him interesting and really liked how he seemed to have a hard time building working and personal relationships with his colleagues. Luis did get on my nerves sometimes though, his inability to see that people cared about him and assuming anyone with a problem with him did so because of the colour of his skin grated sometimes (though some of them such as his ex's family did so totally justified there). However how he was treated by his colleagues also really annoyed me, there was so much miscommunication there.
His ex Donovan was very sweet but quite..... thick when it came to Luis and how their relationship ended. How he thought it was fine and it wouldn't have damaged Luis in anyway and that they could just pick up where they left off was beyond me. Sometimes he seemed to understand him more than anyone in the world and the next he would do or say something that proved he actually doesn't know anything about him. After reading that you probably don't think I was rooting for them to get together but I actually was, I just wanted to knock their heads together sometimes that's all.
Spoiler .....
I think the ghost elements weren't very well introduced, it kind of came out of nowhere.
Just over half way Luis was suddenly able to see ghosts since he was injured (though Donovan was also injured and couldn't see anything). There was no real build up to it, no hints of anything particularly supernatural happening. Also when people found out there was not much reaction, I'm pretty sure I would have had a bit more of a reaction to someone telling me they were suddenly able to see ghosts than Donovan and his partner had.
End of spoiler
Overall I really enjoyed reading this and I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
This review has a spoiler (I'll warn you when)
This made me think of some of my favourite elements in Josh Lanyon's books. A vulnerable in some way main character, a murder mystery and a old flame back in the picture with unsettled business. I felt connected to the main character, Luis pretty much straight away. I loved how his partner was introduced into the story at the beginning, I think I might have snort laughed. I found him interesting and really liked how he seemed to have a hard time building working and personal relationships with his colleagues. Luis did get on my nerves sometimes though, his inability to see that people cared about him and assuming anyone with a problem with him did so because of the colour of his skin grated sometimes (though some of them such as his ex's family did so totally justified there). However how he was treated by his colleagues also really annoyed me, there was so much miscommunication there.
His ex Donovan was very sweet but quite..... thick when it came to Luis and how their relationship ended. How he thought it was fine and it wouldn't have damaged Luis in anyway and that they could just pick up where they left off was beyond me. Sometimes he seemed to understand him more than anyone in the world and the next he would do or say something that proved he actually doesn't know anything about him. After reading that you probably don't think I was rooting for them to get together but I actually was, I just wanted to knock their heads together sometimes that's all.
Spoiler .....
I think the ghost elements weren't very well introduced, it kind of came out of nowhere.
Just over half way Luis was suddenly able to see ghosts since he was injured (though Donovan was also injured and couldn't see anything). There was no real build up to it, no hints of anything particularly supernatural happening. Also when people found out there was not much reaction, I'm pretty sure I would have had a bit more of a reaction to someone telling me they were suddenly able to see ghosts than Donovan and his partner had.
End of spoiler
Overall I really enjoyed reading this and I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
June 2, 2019Stopped at 30%. Not for me. Not rating it.
I didn't like any of the MC. Couldn't connect with anything on the story, so I'm moving on.
So many book and so little time, yeah better move to something more to my liking.
I didn't like any of the MC. Couldn't connect with anything on the story, so I'm moving on.
So many book and so little time, yeah better move to something more to my liking.
March 16, 2021
** 3.5 Stars **
I liked the first book enough to purchase the whole series!
I liked the first book enough to purchase the whole series!
January 8, 2020
Speyer’s murder mystery Hunter is a lesser novel than its parts. Whilst diving into a very interesting murder mystery that is fascinating in itself, we have two annoying homosexuals who are playing a bitter game that doesn’t quite sit well within the confines of the story.
Luis is a FBI profiler whilst Donovan is his ex who broke Luis’s heart a decade earlier. These two characters constant influx with each other and petty squabbles tend to get in the way of the interesting part of the story. Luis is a lover spurned whilst Donovan is moaning about Luis. This continues throughout the book and after awhile the reader would like to knock their heads together and shove them back into the closet where they belong. As we are supposed to care about these two characters, I personally didn’t care one way or the other by the end and I am sure this is not what the author was anticipating.
The plot itself is very interesting and loved the mystery aspect of the novel. I personally feel that if you could have honed back on the constant irritation of the two main characters and concentrated more on the mystery this could have been a winning combination. As we really do not have too much information on the two characters previously, we do know that they must have accomplished something career wise based on their current job titles. Hopefully, they were not this childish in previous cases.
Overall, the book does have it flaws but this is more down to the characters of Luis and Donovan. Speyer is a talented writer and when the murder mystery takes over, the novel becomes completely engaging but fails on the relationship flaws of Luis and Donovan. If the relationship was more recent, maybe it would have been easier to swallow but did feel like a bad Jerry Springer relationship show dealing with he said/he said and really getting nowhere. The reader does spend his time thinking – just get over it and move on. I was hoping for better but did enjoy some aspects. Two Stars.
Luis is a FBI profiler whilst Donovan is his ex who broke Luis’s heart a decade earlier. These two characters constant influx with each other and petty squabbles tend to get in the way of the interesting part of the story. Luis is a lover spurned whilst Donovan is moaning about Luis. This continues throughout the book and after awhile the reader would like to knock their heads together and shove them back into the closet where they belong. As we are supposed to care about these two characters, I personally didn’t care one way or the other by the end and I am sure this is not what the author was anticipating.
The plot itself is very interesting and loved the mystery aspect of the novel. I personally feel that if you could have honed back on the constant irritation of the two main characters and concentrated more on the mystery this could have been a winning combination. As we really do not have too much information on the two characters previously, we do know that they must have accomplished something career wise based on their current job titles. Hopefully, they were not this childish in previous cases.
Overall, the book does have it flaws but this is more down to the characters of Luis and Donovan. Speyer is a talented writer and when the murder mystery takes over, the novel becomes completely engaging but fails on the relationship flaws of Luis and Donovan. If the relationship was more recent, maybe it would have been easier to swallow but did feel like a bad Jerry Springer relationship show dealing with he said/he said and really getting nowhere. The reader does spend his time thinking – just get over it and move on. I was hoping for better but did enjoy some aspects. Two Stars.
Want to read
January 23, 2019ARCs can be requested here: [closed - other review opportunities found here]
May 27, 2019
Luis Gomes, 34, hit the ground running when he was transferred to Boston two months prior. He works for the FBI as a profiler. He doesn't know why he was booted from the Quantico office but think it might have been because of his skin tone (he's Brazilian) and it more than willing to try to work his way back or transfer somewhere else. He's more than willing to give his new partner, Kevin Rourke, a go but his expectation are set low. The two are called in to investigate a grisly serial killer case inspired by a local legend.
Donovan Carey, 34, works for the State Police Department of Boston. He's forced to work with the FBI. He's not too happy about it until he catches sight of Luis. The two share a bit of a past and haven't seen each other in 13 years, they're ex's and Donovan is in the closet. Donovan is more than willing to pick things up with Luis, believing they ended their relationship on good terms. Luis has his own thoughts on the matter and only wants to close the case while having to deal with racial bias and acclimating into a new office.
There was a lot I liked about this story. Luis was so snarky, he made me laugh at times. The actual case involving Captain Lightfoot was intriguing. I liked following along as Luis, Rourke and Donovan had to research, brainstorm, profile and search for the suspect. I really liked when they encountered and had to engage the suspect.
Luis really made my heart hurt. I thought he was stupid, driven, and noble for taking such verbal abuse/treatment and blame and not defending himself by using a valid excuse (I really hated Donovan, Luis's coworker's and situation in these moments). Rampant racism and bias in this particular community was well showcased and I enjoyed seeing how Luis decided to handle the situation he found himself in. The tension between Luis and Donovan was off the charts and it was entertaining to see them dance around each other all while having to focus on the serial murders.
For a long time in the book I thought Donovan was a crass unfeeling jerk and unprofessional. The reasons why follow:
I have to say at first I thought it was really strange that Luis could commune with spirits all of a sudden though he was never able to do so previously (on any of his other cases) but with this one big case it just suddenly happened and he gained this cool ability. I didn't hate it and thought in the end it all worked out.
A free copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
Donovan Carey, 34, works for the State Police Department of Boston. He's forced to work with the FBI. He's not too happy about it until he catches sight of Luis. The two share a bit of a past and haven't seen each other in 13 years, they're ex's and Donovan is in the closet. Donovan is more than willing to pick things up with Luis, believing they ended their relationship on good terms. Luis has his own thoughts on the matter and only wants to close the case while having to deal with racial bias and acclimating into a new office.
There was a lot I liked about this story. Luis was so snarky, he made me laugh at times. The actual case involving Captain Lightfoot was intriguing. I liked following along as Luis, Rourke and Donovan had to research, brainstorm, profile and search for the suspect. I really liked when they encountered and had to engage the suspect.
Luis really made my heart hurt. I thought he was stupid, driven, and noble for taking such verbal abuse/treatment and blame and not defending himself by using a valid excuse (I really hated Donovan, Luis's coworker's and situation in these moments). Rampant racism and bias in this particular community was well showcased and I enjoyed seeing how Luis decided to handle the situation he found himself in. The tension between Luis and Donovan was off the charts and it was entertaining to see them dance around each other all while having to focus on the serial murders.
For a long time in the book I thought Donovan was a crass unfeeling jerk and unprofessional. The reasons why follow:
I have to say at first I thought it was really strange that Luis could commune with spirits all of a sudden though he was never able to do so previously (on any of his other cases) but with this one big case it just suddenly happened and he gained this cool ability. I didn't hate it and thought in the end it all worked out.
A free copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
May 4, 2019
Special Agent Luis Gomes started out as a vice cop and worked his way up to a profiler for the FBI. He’s smart, has several degrees, volunteers in communities and never hesitates to help when needed and is very good at his job. But as a young boy his family life was destroyed and Luis has never seen himself as a good person. He once thought he had forever with his ex but it didn’t turn out that way and hookups and one-night-stands in motel rooms became his choice. Besides, he felt he would never meet someone who would adapt to the life of an FBI agent. But that all worked well for Luis, he just doesn’t fit, he’s useless and not worth anything to anyone, even his co-workers.
When Luis and his partner, Kevin Rourke are called to Sudbury, Massachusetts to investigate serial killings, Luis has to face his ex, Detective Donovan Carey. Donovan brings back old emotions and confusion for Luis. Luis knows he has to put those old memories aside and becomes obsessed with the killings and the killer. One other thing Luis get’s caught up in is the historical lore of Captain Lightfoot a notorious highwayman.
“Hunter” is a suspenseful and gory murder mystery with a twist from the past. The setting for the story is Sudbury, Massachusetts and brings in the historical lore of King Philip Woods Conservation area, along with the highwayman’s.
As Luis’s character get’s more involved with the murder’s the profiling and police/FBI procedures become more structured and detailed which is a plus for the plot. I like the additional talent Luis discovers he has that goes along with his profiling.
Luis’s character really cemented the storyline for me. He struggled with his past family issues, intolerance, discrimination and even the thoughts that he was reckless and suicidal. There’s a big contrast also with dysfunctional family issues between Luis and Donovan. Luis may have faced a tough time as a young boy but Donovan’s family was not as perfect as it seemed. I didn’t care for Donovan’s mother and was very irritated with Donovan. For being in his thirties he spent too much of his time afraid of coming out. He just didn’t come across as sincere is his relationship with Luis and he seemed like a “know-it- all” when it came to Luis.
I also had a problem with Kevin Rourke who seemed a good fit as Luis’s FBI partner. Kevin and Luis seemed like they got along and Luis would be first to help in Kevin’s family situation. All of a sudden it seems Kevin turns his back on Luis.
If J.V. Speyer has plans for a sequel I would probably be interested, especially in the historical lore, paranormal aspect and Luis’s character dealing in more cases with those elements.
When Luis and his partner, Kevin Rourke are called to Sudbury, Massachusetts to investigate serial killings, Luis has to face his ex, Detective Donovan Carey. Donovan brings back old emotions and confusion for Luis. Luis knows he has to put those old memories aside and becomes obsessed with the killings and the killer. One other thing Luis get’s caught up in is the historical lore of Captain Lightfoot a notorious highwayman.
“Hunter” is a suspenseful and gory murder mystery with a twist from the past. The setting for the story is Sudbury, Massachusetts and brings in the historical lore of King Philip Woods Conservation area, along with the highwayman’s.
As Luis’s character get’s more involved with the murder’s the profiling and police/FBI procedures become more structured and detailed which is a plus for the plot. I like the additional talent Luis discovers he has that goes along with his profiling.
Luis’s character really cemented the storyline for me. He struggled with his past family issues, intolerance, discrimination and even the thoughts that he was reckless and suicidal. There’s a big contrast also with dysfunctional family issues between Luis and Donovan. Luis may have faced a tough time as a young boy but Donovan’s family was not as perfect as it seemed. I didn’t care for Donovan’s mother and was very irritated with Donovan. For being in his thirties he spent too much of his time afraid of coming out. He just didn’t come across as sincere is his relationship with Luis and he seemed like a “know-it- all” when it came to Luis.
I also had a problem with Kevin Rourke who seemed a good fit as Luis’s FBI partner. Kevin and Luis seemed like they got along and Luis would be first to help in Kevin’s family situation. All of a sudden it seems Kevin turns his back on Luis.
If J.V. Speyer has plans for a sequel I would probably be interested, especially in the historical lore, paranormal aspect and Luis’s character dealing in more cases with those elements.
December 6, 2018
There’s no stopping from joining the hunt for a serial killer in Hunter a thriller by J.V. Speyer. This book had a taste of everything for everyone. Romance for the women and action packed for the men with paranormal incidents mixed in for those, like myself, who love a little ghost visits coming into people’s lives. Speyer keeps the reader on the edge of their seat throughout the whole book and keeps you guessing until the very end who is responsible for the deaths.
Luis and Donovan were my two favorite characters in the novel. Two lovers who were kept apart for so long, only to be reunited in the worst of times in Boston. When beginning the book, Speyer didn’t give away too much about the characters, but you can tell that Luis was a lonely soul. Being hurt by Donovan over a decade ago, you couldn’t blame Luis for feeling that he couldn’t trust him again. Speyer really brings us into Luis’ head where you can’t help but to feel sad for him. There were times when you wanted to yell at Donovan, but then Speyer makes up for those moments by having him finally open his eyes and see what he’s been missing all this time.
Those were the only two characters I could take to in the novel. The others weren’t that nice, especially to Luis. I get that’s what Speyer was going for, especially when it came to the parts of Luis feeling like he didn’t fit in with the others. Speyer brought to life how others can be when they don’t get to know someone who is on their team.
My favorite part of the book was when Lightfoot came to visit Luis. I’m a fan of the paranormal and it was refreshing to see how Speyer was able to add that into a thriller book. I wasn’t expecting to see him be visited by a ghost and it changed up the story.
I give Hunter ★★★★★. Speyer had my attention from beginning to end and I couldn’t wait to find out who the killers was and if he was going to be caught. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves a thriller, especially a chase involving the FBI. I received this book from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for a review.
Luis and Donovan were my two favorite characters in the novel. Two lovers who were kept apart for so long, only to be reunited in the worst of times in Boston. When beginning the book, Speyer didn’t give away too much about the characters, but you can tell that Luis was a lonely soul. Being hurt by Donovan over a decade ago, you couldn’t blame Luis for feeling that he couldn’t trust him again. Speyer really brings us into Luis’ head where you can’t help but to feel sad for him. There were times when you wanted to yell at Donovan, but then Speyer makes up for those moments by having him finally open his eyes and see what he’s been missing all this time.
Those were the only two characters I could take to in the novel. The others weren’t that nice, especially to Luis. I get that’s what Speyer was going for, especially when it came to the parts of Luis feeling like he didn’t fit in with the others. Speyer brought to life how others can be when they don’t get to know someone who is on their team.
My favorite part of the book was when Lightfoot came to visit Luis. I’m a fan of the paranormal and it was refreshing to see how Speyer was able to add that into a thriller book. I wasn’t expecting to see him be visited by a ghost and it changed up the story.
I give Hunter ★★★★★. Speyer had my attention from beginning to end and I couldn’t wait to find out who the killers was and if he was going to be caught. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves a thriller, especially a chase involving the FBI. I received this book from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for a review.
February 2, 2020
Ghosts of the Past and Present
Hunter: (A Paranormal Romantic Suspense Series Book 1) by J.V. Speyer is a fast paced and engaging murder mystery that involves a FBI profiler who is investigating a serial killer in the small community of Sudbury, Massachusetts.
Nicely blended together, to add to the reader's enjoyment, is the well-developed character plot of the FBI special agent Luis Gomes. It adds to the plot because the veil of humanity is lifted on the FBI agent and despite his professionalism in all matters pertaining to his line of work, it reveals his own weaknesses, personal hardships endured, loneliness and struggles.
Those personal issues have taken their professional toll on the career of this FBI profiler. The solving of this case may be his "ticket" to give his career a much-needed boost.
Added to the intrigue of the book is the legend of the highwayman. Captain Lightfoot, as the story goes, owned Martin's Tavern over 200 years ago and decided to rob people to make ends meet financially. The gruesome story recounts the killing of those that the captain robbed and murdered with the bodies being buried in the basement of his tavern.
Contributing to the suspense, the very spot where the tavern was located is the current site where the serial killer has decided to bury the victims.
Also, to complicate matters, Special Agent Gomes is confronted with his personal past as a painful love relationship rises from the ashes. This unhealed conflict requires the two to work together professionally on solving these horrific serial killings while still carrying feelings for each other.
Hunter: (A Paranormal Romantic Suspense Series Book 1) by J.V. Speyer is a well-written gay romantic novel and is sure to engage and entertain the reader. This assertion is based on the fact that not only is it a mystery novel involving an FBI profiler and his quest to solve the serial killings that are occurring in Massachusetts, but the added twist of the paranormal adds to the enjoyment and provides for a very clever read.
Hunter: (A Paranormal Romantic Suspense Series Book 1) by J.V. Speyer is a fast paced and engaging murder mystery that involves a FBI profiler who is investigating a serial killer in the small community of Sudbury, Massachusetts.
Nicely blended together, to add to the reader's enjoyment, is the well-developed character plot of the FBI special agent Luis Gomes. It adds to the plot because the veil of humanity is lifted on the FBI agent and despite his professionalism in all matters pertaining to his line of work, it reveals his own weaknesses, personal hardships endured, loneliness and struggles.
Those personal issues have taken their professional toll on the career of this FBI profiler. The solving of this case may be his "ticket" to give his career a much-needed boost.
Added to the intrigue of the book is the legend of the highwayman. Captain Lightfoot, as the story goes, owned Martin's Tavern over 200 years ago and decided to rob people to make ends meet financially. The gruesome story recounts the killing of those that the captain robbed and murdered with the bodies being buried in the basement of his tavern.
Contributing to the suspense, the very spot where the tavern was located is the current site where the serial killer has decided to bury the victims.
Also, to complicate matters, Special Agent Gomes is confronted with his personal past as a painful love relationship rises from the ashes. This unhealed conflict requires the two to work together professionally on solving these horrific serial killings while still carrying feelings for each other.
Hunter: (A Paranormal Romantic Suspense Series Book 1) by J.V. Speyer is a well-written gay romantic novel and is sure to engage and entertain the reader. This assertion is based on the fact that not only is it a mystery novel involving an FBI profiler and his quest to solve the serial killings that are occurring in Massachusetts, but the added twist of the paranormal adds to the enjoyment and provides for a very clever read.
April 8, 2019
The story stars immediately and plunges into action almost for the first chapter as FBI agent Luis Gomes gets entangled in serial killer case. His life is a mess: his career took sudden downturn as he is transferred, he detests the city he now lives in and he still pines after an old lover, who, surprise, surprise, happens to be on the force in his new hometown. Can’t get any worse, right?
Donovan is surprised to see Luis again and by the intensity of his reaction to the man. It has been years since they were together and Donovan is still not out, so this is not something he either wants or needs. Their past creates pitfalls in their working relationship as the case they are working on grows more complicated.
The POV switches between two men so we get what they are thinking and how they are reaction to one another. There is heavy focus on the case and the plot moves slowly allowing Donovan and Luis to reconnect. It doesn’t go smoothly. Luis is damaged and Donovan is questioning his life choices. I think that part is handled well. Love isn’t enough and things don’t go smoothly for either man because they are in love with each other and willing to admit it. They are now older and wiser, but Luis is also more damaged and can’t get better overnight. I think complications with his colleagues were a little bit overdone, but it does make sense and fits with Luis’ backstory. (Maybe I just don’t like to think there are people who are such jerks).
Paranormal element came out of nowhere for me. It’s a ghost story. I’m not fond of those, but it’s not overt and it’s worked inside the story in a good way.
There is a lot of back and forth both in suspense and romantic plot. It slows down reading, but overall, I did like the story and I’m interested to find out if there is going to be sequel.
I received copy of this book in exchange for review.
The review is also posted on Gay Book Reviews
Donovan is surprised to see Luis again and by the intensity of his reaction to the man. It has been years since they were together and Donovan is still not out, so this is not something he either wants or needs. Their past creates pitfalls in their working relationship as the case they are working on grows more complicated.
The POV switches between two men so we get what they are thinking and how they are reaction to one another. There is heavy focus on the case and the plot moves slowly allowing Donovan and Luis to reconnect. It doesn’t go smoothly. Luis is damaged and Donovan is questioning his life choices. I think that part is handled well. Love isn’t enough and things don’t go smoothly for either man because they are in love with each other and willing to admit it. They are now older and wiser, but Luis is also more damaged and can’t get better overnight. I think complications with his colleagues were a little bit overdone, but it does make sense and fits with Luis’ backstory. (Maybe I just don’t like to think there are people who are such jerks).
Paranormal element came out of nowhere for me. It’s a ghost story. I’m not fond of those, but it’s not overt and it’s worked inside the story in a good way.
There is a lot of back and forth both in suspense and romantic plot. It slows down reading, but overall, I did like the story and I’m interested to find out if there is going to be sequel.
I received copy of this book in exchange for review.
The review is also posted on Gay Book Reviews
May 26, 2019
Interesting story
It took me a few chapters to get into this storyline, but once I did I really enjoyed it!
Luis is an FBI profiler whose entire life is his career. He started in vice and worked his way up to become one of the top case closers at Quantico. He gets transferred to Massachusetts when higher-ups got the idea to make profilers more accessible around the country but Luis is under the impression that it was a demotion for him and that for whatever reason they kicked him out of headquarters. Luis really struggles with the belief that he isn't good enough in any aspects of his life and deserves to be alone because no one wants him, both due to his race (he is Brazilian) and due to being who he is.
Donovan is a state police officer who was in a relationship with Luis for 4 years while they went to college in Florida. Donovan broke up with Luis when they graduated because Donovan did not believe his family back in Boston would accept his sexuality and was still in the closet. He wanted to set Luis free so Luis could find a relationship with someone whose family could accept him. He didn't feel like he could merge those worlds to happily be with Luis (which is heartbreaking...). Luis and Donovan get assigned to work on a serial killer case together and things heat up from there.
This is a criminal investigation with a slowly rebuilding second chance romance and a paranormal element thrown in. Really enjoyable. There is one M/M intimate scene.
Honestly, the reason I gave this four stars instead of five is that the paranormal element seemed unnecessary to me. The ghost plays a role, but it seemed like an extra unnecessary addition with the very small role it plays. If it was going to be involved, it should have played a bigger part. It would have been a good story even without the ghost's involvement.
Otherwise, really enjoyable read.
I voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy.
It took me a few chapters to get into this storyline, but once I did I really enjoyed it!
Luis is an FBI profiler whose entire life is his career. He started in vice and worked his way up to become one of the top case closers at Quantico. He gets transferred to Massachusetts when higher-ups got the idea to make profilers more accessible around the country but Luis is under the impression that it was a demotion for him and that for whatever reason they kicked him out of headquarters. Luis really struggles with the belief that he isn't good enough in any aspects of his life and deserves to be alone because no one wants him, both due to his race (he is Brazilian) and due to being who he is.
Donovan is a state police officer who was in a relationship with Luis for 4 years while they went to college in Florida. Donovan broke up with Luis when they graduated because Donovan did not believe his family back in Boston would accept his sexuality and was still in the closet. He wanted to set Luis free so Luis could find a relationship with someone whose family could accept him. He didn't feel like he could merge those worlds to happily be with Luis (which is heartbreaking...). Luis and Donovan get assigned to work on a serial killer case together and things heat up from there.
This is a criminal investigation with a slowly rebuilding second chance romance and a paranormal element thrown in. Really enjoyable. There is one M/M intimate scene.
Honestly, the reason I gave this four stars instead of five is that the paranormal element seemed unnecessary to me. The ghost plays a role, but it seemed like an extra unnecessary addition with the very small role it plays. If it was going to be involved, it should have played a bigger part. It would have been a good story even without the ghost's involvement.
Otherwise, really enjoyable read.
I voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy.
September 30, 2020
Hunter
JV Speyer
FBI agent Luis does not like Boston-- he’s new, and his colleagues and neighbors are racist and standoffish. Also, he has to work a murder case alongside the closeted cop/ college ex, Donovan, whose rejection destroyed him over a decade ago. Luis is a compelling character, broken and brilliant and always picking himself up after the worst happens. Donovan was harder to like, because he behaves pretty badly for a lot of the book, but Luis cares for him, so ultimately that’s enough for me. My one qualm with this novel is the supporting characters, who tend to be randomly awful to Luis past the point of plausibility. This is particularly true of his FBI partner Kevin, who likes him well enough to play pranks on him and defends his working style, expertise and even personal life to Donovan until Donovan is ready to care about Luis again, at which point Kevin becomes a standoffish tool for no reason other than it seems to be a necessary plot device for redeeming Dononvan, who can then defend Luis to...the guy who used to defend him. Overall, however, I think this book is fantastic. There’s an amazing blend of genres woven through the narrative: the crime procedural, romance, and a strong supernatural vein as well (no spoilers, but it’s really well done). The novel ends with the resolution of the case but with very much more still to come for Luis and Donovan, and after finishing this one, it’s definitely time to reach for the next in the series.
I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
JV Speyer
FBI agent Luis does not like Boston-- he’s new, and his colleagues and neighbors are racist and standoffish. Also, he has to work a murder case alongside the closeted cop/ college ex, Donovan, whose rejection destroyed him over a decade ago. Luis is a compelling character, broken and brilliant and always picking himself up after the worst happens. Donovan was harder to like, because he behaves pretty badly for a lot of the book, but Luis cares for him, so ultimately that’s enough for me. My one qualm with this novel is the supporting characters, who tend to be randomly awful to Luis past the point of plausibility. This is particularly true of his FBI partner Kevin, who likes him well enough to play pranks on him and defends his working style, expertise and even personal life to Donovan until Donovan is ready to care about Luis again, at which point Kevin becomes a standoffish tool for no reason other than it seems to be a necessary plot device for redeeming Dononvan, who can then defend Luis to...the guy who used to defend him. Overall, however, I think this book is fantastic. There’s an amazing blend of genres woven through the narrative: the crime procedural, romance, and a strong supernatural vein as well (no spoilers, but it’s really well done). The novel ends with the resolution of the case but with very much more still to come for Luis and Donovan, and after finishing this one, it’s definitely time to reach for the next in the series.
I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 28, 2019
I received this book as part of an ARC review. I enjoyed this book and liked Luis from the first page. Luis is a profiler sent from Quantico to the Boston office. Due to his life experiences, Luis felt unwanted and unloved. When the feds were called in on a serial killer case, Luis finds out he'll be working with his ex from college. Donovan, despite not wanting to come out to his family, never stopped having feelings for Luis. Luis does build a good profile, which was interesting to seal being done, on the serial killer who has the jones for the Captain Lightfoot case. After Luis and Donovan are stabbed when they almost get the killer, Luis starts seeing Lightfoot who helps him. Luis predicts where the next killing will be while working from home after he delivers some home truths to the other agents in the office. Donovan reinforces this when he explains some of what Luis has gone through. Lightfoot helps Luis to catch the killer and it was interesting how Lightfoot gave dating advice to Luis. Luis is shot while capturing the criminal and the other agents get a wake-up call. Luis' boss and the other agents let him Luis know they want him in the office. Donovan also finally comes out to his mom and convinces Luis he loves him which Louis admits as well while still high on pain killers. Luis after getting out of the hospital gives a bottle of gin to Lightfoot in thanks and Donovan and Kevin see it or at least what they are able to see. I look forward to more of this series.
September 25, 2019
I was a bit surprised that the paranormal element in this book happened so late in the story. It wasn't bad that it was written so, but as I was reading, I had assumed that I was mistaken about thinking it was a paranormal book and was enjoying a good contemporary romance.
Luis was such a complicated character, that I ended up with very mixed feelings about him. He may not have had experience being a part of a family, or even a cohesive group of friends, but he was incredibly smart, and self-aware. His insistence that everyone had to earn his trust without him needing to reciprocate - ever - didn't really mesh with that. We did see that he simply didn't care to sugarcoat things when we saw injustices, but I would have expected him to be more forceful about the job that he loved, rather than simply allowing the status quo to sweep him out of sight.
Donovan was remarkably ignorant of how his lover thought and felt back in the day. How would he not know that leaving would cause Luis to become homeless? How could he not be aware of the anguish that Luis would feel by being abandoned?
Eventually both Luis and Donovan were able to work together, both professionally and personally, and I hope that we get to read many more adventures with both men.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Luis was such a complicated character, that I ended up with very mixed feelings about him. He may not have had experience being a part of a family, or even a cohesive group of friends, but he was incredibly smart, and self-aware. His insistence that everyone had to earn his trust without him needing to reciprocate - ever - didn't really mesh with that. We did see that he simply didn't care to sugarcoat things when we saw injustices, but I would have expected him to be more forceful about the job that he loved, rather than simply allowing the status quo to sweep him out of sight.
Donovan was remarkably ignorant of how his lover thought and felt back in the day. How would he not know that leaving would cause Luis to become homeless? How could he not be aware of the anguish that Luis would feel by being abandoned?
Eventually both Luis and Donovan were able to work together, both professionally and personally, and I hope that we get to read many more adventures with both men.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
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July 2, 2019Luis is a profiler for the FBI, very good at his job, lousy with people. He has a issues with people seeing him as a not “white” man (he is Brazilian). His life has been about not being quite good enough.
Donovan is a cop. Years ago they were college lovers. Donovan left Luis and went back home to Boston, to be the good son of an Irish family and take his place in another generation of cops. He can’t do that being gay.
When they are forced to work a serial case together, neither man wants to let the past affect the present but both fail miserably. More bodies piling up means more stress. It’s not until their lives are on the line do the men face what they mean to each other (some really good drugs helped too).
I loved Luis. Something about a really damaged man just speaks to me. Donovan was a pain in the butt. He did get better as a human and a man still in love after ten years of separation.
This had all the elements I look for in a detective type book. Engaging characters (even the bigoted ones). Little bit of mystery, little bit of paranormal, and a little bit of sexy times. I’m hoping the next book expands on all these things.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.
Donovan is a cop. Years ago they were college lovers. Donovan left Luis and went back home to Boston, to be the good son of an Irish family and take his place in another generation of cops. He can’t do that being gay.
When they are forced to work a serial case together, neither man wants to let the past affect the present but both fail miserably. More bodies piling up means more stress. It’s not until their lives are on the line do the men face what they mean to each other (some really good drugs helped too).
I loved Luis. Something about a really damaged man just speaks to me. Donovan was a pain in the butt. He did get better as a human and a man still in love after ten years of separation.
This had all the elements I look for in a detective type book. Engaging characters (even the bigoted ones). Little bit of mystery, little bit of paranormal, and a little bit of sexy times. I’m hoping the next book expands on all these things.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.
dnf
September 24, 2019DNF at 74%. I read until about 35% and then skimmed but I just can’t finish it.
I do not like the MC’s at all and usually even when I start a book where characters are unlikable I find redeeming qualities in them. That’s not the case here. Luis is so rigid and he’s aggravating. Donovan seems almost clueless about everything from relationships to the case their working. Too many personal issues are overshadowing the case and they aren’t mixing well. I feel like there’s so much anger about how their relationship ended 13 years ago from Luis that takes up too much of the book. The fact that Donovan has no clue that leaving someone suddenly after 4 years in a relationship was a bad thing is so irritating.
The case is also boring me. It had such potential but all of a sudden a ghost shows up in the middle of the book and when there is no mention of paranormal activity beforehand it just doesn’t make sense. Even if I was expecting it by the time it happened I actually forgot this book had a paranormal theme to it. Luis spends most of the story talking about profiling and Donovan doesn’t take his ideas seriously. They were both so aggravating and I couldn’t even buy them as still being in love and getting together.
ARC received through NetGalley in exchange for review
I do not like the MC’s at all and usually even when I start a book where characters are unlikable I find redeeming qualities in them. That’s not the case here. Luis is so rigid and he’s aggravating. Donovan seems almost clueless about everything from relationships to the case their working. Too many personal issues are overshadowing the case and they aren’t mixing well. I feel like there’s so much anger about how their relationship ended 13 years ago from Luis that takes up too much of the book. The fact that Donovan has no clue that leaving someone suddenly after 4 years in a relationship was a bad thing is so irritating.
The case is also boring me. It had such potential but all of a sudden a ghost shows up in the middle of the book and when there is no mention of paranormal activity beforehand it just doesn’t make sense. Even if I was expecting it by the time it happened I actually forgot this book had a paranormal theme to it. Luis spends most of the story talking about profiling and Donovan doesn’t take his ideas seriously. They were both so aggravating and I couldn’t even buy them as still being in love and getting together.
ARC received through NetGalley in exchange for review
October 7, 2020
I'm a little torn about this one. I really enjoyed the story but I had some issues with the character construction and development.
In this story we follow an FBI team in their search for a serial killer. It so happens that one of the FBI agents reconnects with his former boyfriend who is now working for the local police. There's bad blood between them but the passion hasn't lessened since they last saw each other 13 years ago. As they get closer to finding the serial killer they get closer to each other as well. The introduction of a paranormal element relatively late in the book was a little startling but not unwelcome.
It was a little annoying that Luis, one of the MCs with Brazilian heritage, was so adamant about everything and everyone being about racism. That made his character feel very one-dimensional and exasperated me to no end. Sometimes people just don't like you regardless of your skin colour. Also I sometimes couldn't follow some rather abrupt changes in behaviour of mainly the side characters.
That said, I feel like at the end of the book we're at a point where a bigger story just begins and I would like to see how it continues.
I was given a free copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.
In this story we follow an FBI team in their search for a serial killer. It so happens that one of the FBI agents reconnects with his former boyfriend who is now working for the local police. There's bad blood between them but the passion hasn't lessened since they last saw each other 13 years ago. As they get closer to finding the serial killer they get closer to each other as well. The introduction of a paranormal element relatively late in the book was a little startling but not unwelcome.
It was a little annoying that Luis, one of the MCs with Brazilian heritage, was so adamant about everything and everyone being about racism. That made his character feel very one-dimensional and exasperated me to no end. Sometimes people just don't like you regardless of your skin colour. Also I sometimes couldn't follow some rather abrupt changes in behaviour of mainly the side characters.
That said, I feel like at the end of the book we're at a point where a bigger story just begins and I would like to see how it continues.
I was given a free copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.
October 14, 2020
Luis Gomes and Kevin Rourke are FBI agents working on a case involving a serial killer. They are assigned to work with the local police department and detective Donovan Carey who was working the case before they called in the FBI. Donovan and Luis have history together. They were lovers in college, but Donovan was still in the closet and left Luis after he graduated. Luis has self esteem and trust issues due to his childhood and what happened when he was very young.
The constant self doubt on Luis’ part got old after awhile. I’m not sure if the time period for this book is now or not, but I can’t see that much stereotype going on in a workplace. If Luis was that messed up to begin with, he never would have passed the FBI interview! And he has a psychology degree.
Donovan just irritated me and his mother, ugh...
I liked the story, but it took me a while to figure out who was talking and what was going on. I’m not good at remembering names and the author kept switching between using first names and last names to identify who was saying what. Very confusing! There is only one love scene so if you want to read it for the romance aspect, I would look elsewhere. It does have a HEA with no cliffhanger.
I voluntarily reviewed a Hidden Gems ARC of this book.
The constant self doubt on Luis’ part got old after awhile. I’m not sure if the time period for this book is now or not, but I can’t see that much stereotype going on in a workplace. If Luis was that messed up to begin with, he never would have passed the FBI interview! And he has a psychology degree.
Donovan just irritated me and his mother, ugh...
I liked the story, but it took me a while to figure out who was talking and what was going on. I’m not good at remembering names and the author kept switching between using first names and last names to identify who was saying what. Very confusing! There is only one love scene so if you want to read it for the romance aspect, I would look elsewhere. It does have a HEA with no cliffhanger.
I voluntarily reviewed a Hidden Gems ARC of this book.
May 29, 2019
This was a nice surprise for me. A little out of my genre, but the paranormal aspects were well done, and didn't overwhelm the story, for me. It's a second chance romance, and I have to tell you, for most of the book, I wasn't shocked that these two broke up, the first time around. I liked them, though. Luis and Donovan - even when I wanted to give them both, a good shake. This is a well-written, interesting story. The characters are well-developed and the dual perspective really helped; not only gave me a better sense of their characters, it definitely made them more relatable. Memorable secondary characters, too. I don't read a lot of murder mystery, but I do enjoy true crime, so there seemed to be an authenticity to this investigation, ( outside of the paranormal aspects.) I know I was completely entertained, and got immersed in this story. Thrills, suspense, some humors, a slow, but steady pace to the romance, with a bit of heat. I can see a series springing from this book, and I would enjoy reading more. I received this book as an ARC from Hidden Gems Books, and I volunteeered this review.
July 19, 2019
For me this book is about 3,5 stars.
I liked Luis,he is very good at his work,But not happy in his life,he is a loner,in his mind and eyes
a nobody.At the same time he is very loyal,sweet and caring.
He thinks not much off his self because off a very bad childhood and a bad break up.
when on a new case his ex boyfriend shows up,and they must work together to close
the case and catch a serialkiller a lott is happening,for the good and the bad.
I liked luis,I did not like Donevan,also Kevin is a hardship,i liked the ghost lightfoot much more.
The story begins good and that part is nicely written.it hase a nice pace and set the scene well.
The part where Donovans mother suddenly chances within the hour in to a supporting mother is
odd and rather silly.sexy scenes are not wel putt together and no steam at all.
If you are not good at it,leave it off page..
also the ending is a hfn and rather strange,but overall a nice read
I liked Luis,he is very good at his work,But not happy in his life,he is a loner,in his mind and eyes
a nobody.At the same time he is very loyal,sweet and caring.
He thinks not much off his self because off a very bad childhood and a bad break up.
when on a new case his ex boyfriend shows up,and they must work together to close
the case and catch a serialkiller a lott is happening,for the good and the bad.
I liked luis,I did not like Donevan,also Kevin is a hardship,i liked the ghost lightfoot much more.
The story begins good and that part is nicely written.it hase a nice pace and set the scene well.
The part where Donovans mother suddenly chances within the hour in to a supporting mother is
odd and rather silly.sexy scenes are not wel putt together and no steam at all.
If you are not good at it,leave it off page..
also the ending is a hfn and rather strange,but overall a nice read
February 18, 2020
what is there to say, apart from a great read, a great story, great characters that are easy to fall in love with and at times out of love.
Luis the FBI Profiler is new to Boston and he is teamed up with Donovan and ex from the past.
Luis a complicated guy with so much hurt and baggage does not make it easy on himself with Donovan and his colleagues. Donavan who dumped Luis 13 years ago is still in the closet. both men still are in love. Enter a serial killer and later on a ghost and you got yourself a wonderful story. well wort reading.
the author builds up both the characters well throughout the book, but especially Luis as there are layers and layers of hurt and protection so he can not be hurt again.
well done, looking forward to reading the next installments soon.
I got this book as a freebie with the promise of an honest review and boy am I grateful. Read it all you out there.
Luis the FBI Profiler is new to Boston and he is teamed up with Donovan and ex from the past.
Luis a complicated guy with so much hurt and baggage does not make it easy on himself with Donovan and his colleagues. Donavan who dumped Luis 13 years ago is still in the closet. both men still are in love. Enter a serial killer and later on a ghost and you got yourself a wonderful story. well wort reading.
the author builds up both the characters well throughout the book, but especially Luis as there are layers and layers of hurt and protection so he can not be hurt again.
well done, looking forward to reading the next installments soon.
I got this book as a freebie with the promise of an honest review and boy am I grateful. Read it all you out there.
February 4, 2020
Luis is an FBI Profiler whose latest misstep caused him to be involuntarily relocated to Boston. Not the area he wanted to be in, he nevertheless strives to save his career by making the best of a crappy situation. When a serial killer crops up, Luis is assigned to the task with the help of a local state police detective. This person turns out to be none other than his ex-boyfriend Donovan. The tension between the two is extremely high, but will they be able to set past hurts aside until they can solve the case?
This was a thrilling romantic mystery/crime book. I really liked Luis and Donovan together, their chemistry weas incredible and their individual reactions and ways they deal with their sexuality was realistic and telling of the types of things people have to go through. This looks like the start of a series and is a great introduction story that will hook you easily.
This was a thrilling romantic mystery/crime book. I really liked Luis and Donovan together, their chemistry weas incredible and their individual reactions and ways they deal with their sexuality was realistic and telling of the types of things people have to go through. This looks like the start of a series and is a great introduction story that will hook you easily.
July 18, 2019
3.5/5
It was fine enough book, and I enjoyed the story. It's just that the character attitudes seemed to be skewed from extreme to another. Which make their sudden turned around jarring.
Luis is quite sensitive about the whole race thing as well, which made sense for his character, but sometime he just touched that racist territory himself against white people.
The paranormal brought an interesting edge to the story, but I find it kinda random. Not bad, just... unexpected?
It was fine enough book, and I enjoyed the story. It's just that the character attitudes seemed to be skewed from extreme to another. Which make their sudden turned around jarring.
Luis is quite sensitive about the whole race thing as well, which made sense for his character, but sometime he just touched that racist territory himself against white people.
The paranormal brought an interesting edge to the story, but I find it kinda random. Not bad, just... unexpected?
January 17, 2019
This was a really great book that was a mix of Criminal Minds and Ghost story. I loved it; it was exciting and so vivid and action-packed. The mystery was so well done that I never knew what was coming next. I needed to know what happened so I was up till 3am on the edge of my seat with anticipation.
Luis was a slight conundrum to me, I loved his humor but I hurt for him with the pain he had experienced throughout his life. His life was beyond normal and it just makes me wanna hide him away.
Donovan is not what expected when I began the book, I pictured someone more abrasive and standoffish but he felt nothing like that. I will admit I liked Luis a bit more than Donovan, though.
While there wasn’t a lot of romance I loved the interaction between Luis and Donovan. It was filled with anger and longing. The setting was creepy at times and I could feel the goosebumps as the information was given to us.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
Luis was a slight conundrum to me, I loved his humor but I hurt for him with the pain he had experienced throughout his life. His life was beyond normal and it just makes me wanna hide him away.
Donovan is not what expected when I began the book, I pictured someone more abrasive and standoffish but he felt nothing like that. I will admit I liked Luis a bit more than Donovan, though.
While there wasn’t a lot of romance I loved the interaction between Luis and Donovan. It was filled with anger and longing. The setting was creepy at times and I could feel the goosebumps as the information was given to us.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
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