The Searcher by Tana French

Cal Hooper #1

391 pages

Publisher: Penguin/Viking

Publishing date: October 2020

 

Blurb

Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a remote Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force, and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens.

But then a local kid comes looking for his help. Trey’s brother has gone missing, and no one, least of all the police, seems to care. Cal wants nothing to do with any kind of investigation, but somehow he can’t make himself walk away.

Soon Cal will discover that even in the most idyllic small tow, secrets lie hidden, people aren’t always what they seem, and trouble can come calling at his door.

 

Review

To say this book has a slow start would be an understatement. The first quarter of the story leisurely meanders along. The reader is in Cal’s head as he reflects on his new life and surroundings in Ireland and what, and more importantly who, he left behind in America. The writing was beautiful, and Cal is an interesting main character, but the slow pace didn’t urge me to keep on reading. On the other hand, it is fair to say the story's pace perfectly matched the pace of the life Cal thought he was settling into.

Everything starts to change and speed up as soon as Cal meets Trey, a thirteen-year-old kid who wants Cal to use his police skills to find out what happened to their older brother who disappeared a few months earlier. Once Cal starts asking questions the story and events pick up speed, but it isn’t until the last third of the book that the tale really explodes off the page and events follow each other at a much faster, at times rather uncomfortable but always fascinating, pace.

So much for the story since I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. I have a few thoughts about what exactly did and didn’t happen in the end. For starters, if you read crime fiction because you love the straightforward endings in which evil gets punished and everybody gets what they deserve, this may not be the book for you. I think it’s safe to say there are no clear-cut good and bad people in this story with the possible exception of Lena, the widow Cal befriends and ends up relying on for assistance. While that may not be ideal for a fictional mystery, it does feel true to life. In fact, true to life could be used to describe a lot of what happened in this book. The way small local communities are inclined to distrust outsiders and, for better or worse, tend to take care of their own, for example, as well as the rural gossip, and the leisurely pace of life. I haven’t decided yet whether or not I believe Cal, the former cop, would behave as he does in this story; his actions should go against everything he was trained to believe in. On the other hand, any other decision on his part might have let to more harm rather than a ‘satisfying’ conclusion so the jury is still out in that respect.

In an interview with the All About Agatha podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Sl35ZwxlgtSNxOrnKWYXb), Tana French revealed that she took tropes from the Western genre and applied them to the west of Ireland, and as far as I’m concerned, she succeeded very well. This story has that ‘loner against the rest of the community’ (the old gunslinger who gets rocked out of retirement for one more mission, to paraphrase Tana French) vibe that we also find in traditional westerns as well as the ‘us against the rest of the world’ sentiments we often encounter in small, close-knit communities.

For a long time while reading this story, I didn’t think I would want to read the sequel. The last quarter of the story changed my mind; I now can’t wait to find out what will happen next to Cal, Trey, and Lena. Bring on March 2024 and The Hunter.

 

Queen Bee by Ciara Geraghty

416 pages

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publishing Date: Feb 2023

Own

Book Club Selection

 

Blurb

Agatha Doyle is in denial. Her glorious empty nest has filled up with two adult sons and a widowed father busy renovating her childhood home for his new girlfriend. Worst of all, she can’t seem to write a word of her overdue novel. Or confide in her husband, Luke, that she’s plunged off a cliff into menopause.

When she’s talked over at a panel event, Agatha has had enough – stepping forward she stands up for herself and unintentionally goes viral, becoming the poster girl for midlife women everywhere.

But underneath the new life, what is happening in her old one – and in particular, her marriage?

 

Review

Well, this was quite a read and I’ve got some thoughts. 😊

I really liked the idea that formed this story. Goodness knows that it’s all too ‘easy’ these days to achieve online fame and/or notoriety, so Agatha going viral after a rant for middle-aged women and against the patriarchy is more than realistic. What’s more, the underlying idea that menopause is something that is either denied or ignored isn’t too far from the everyday truth either. It’s a bit like other issues that exclusively affect women. Menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause are ‘inconveniences’ that the world (read: mostly men) has decided we should just put with while shutting up about them. Men-flu on the other hand… Don’t get me started.

Did you see what happened there? I was only trying to review a book and within one paragraph I find myself ‘pulling an Agatha’, be it less publicly.

But, back to my thoughts on the book. So, the instant fame premise works very well. The same can be said for Agatha’s anger and exasperation about…well, basically the world at large. Except that, I’m not sure anybody, no matter how hormonal, is angry and snarky all the time. And with Agatha, it does appear to be a continuous anger rather than an ebb and flow of mood swings; coming and going just as the hot flushes and night sweats do. Of course, we only know about Agatha’s moods because she writes about them, and like most people who keep a journal, she writes about the emotional high and low lights and not about the mundane ‘meh’ moments in between. Which is fair enough, and there are one or two moments when we get glimpses of a more mellow Agatha, but I would like to have seen a few more of those. And I would have liked it if she hadn’t grumbled about every nice thought she had or any good deed she did. Not only because that would have made Agatha more sympathetic but also because it would create a (bigger) contrast with all her anger and frustration.

But enough about that. That long paragraph makes Agatha’s anger sound like a huge issue, which it wasn’t. It’s just something I noticed along the way.

This story is firmly and very well set in the world we live in right now. Grown-up children returning to live at home and not having any real prospects of setting up a life for themselves independently; it’s sadly all to recognisable. I’m guessing that anybody who’s been in a relationship for a long(er) period of time is aware of how easily things can slip into a rut. And goodness knows that Agatha isn’t the only one struggling to juggle work, home, love, friendships, children, parents, and whatever else the world decides to throw our way.

I may have given you the impression that Queen Bee is a heavy, somewhat dark story. And that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, Queen Bee is a smoothly written, light-hearted, and effortless read. At times Agatha’s thoughts are laugh-out-loud funny and I found myself chuckling more than once. There isn’t a boring moment in this story as the plot pushes you along until it reaches its climax.

As for that climax…Let’s just say it used two plot devices I’m not fond of and leave it at that.

Overall, I really liked Queen Bee. Just like in her earlier books, Ciara Geraghty created a fascinating main character that pulled me into her story and didn’t let go until I’d reached the final page. The side characters were well-presented and interesting. The way this rather light-hearted read managed to raise real and complicated issues is impressive. And I think it’s wonderful such a strong and feisty voice was given to menopause. I can only hope it will resonate.

In other words: Queen Bee is a good story well told.

 

*****

 

Side note:

I’m curious. Do (Irish) women (in general) really never discuss menopause? If the answer to that question is yes, I guess I should be grateful for my mother who, at some point during the late 1970’s announced to my brother and me that she was menopausal and that she was probably going to be short-tempered from that moment forward. Truth be told, I don’t remember her as being particularly short-tempered but that doesn’t mean I didn’t appreciate the heads-up or the ease with which she announced that phase in her life.

Also: how does the Queen bee dying relate to our titular Queen Bee fleeing to LA? Or does it?

 

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

 

364 pages

Publisher: Sandycove

Publishing Date:

Library

 

Blurb

Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died.

Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she cannot remember. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends and big decisions, and learning that people don't always mean what they say.

But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world? And why does her neighbour seem to be obsessed with her? Sally's trust issues are about to be severely challenged.

 

Review

This book comes with so many endorsements it’s almost scary. It’s obviously seen as a work of genius by a long list of authors, many of whom I love reading. Which means that if I don’t like this story there must be something wrong with me, right?

Well, on the upside, I didn’t dislike Strange Sally Diamond. It is an exquisitely written, fascinating, and compelling story. I’m in awe Liz Nugent’s mastery with words when it comes to portraying Sally and the other major players in this story. And I still haven’t figured out why this was such a smooth read when the subject matter is so very bleak and heartbreaking.

Because that’s the other side of the equation. No matter how much this story captivated me and how brilliantly Liz Nugent drew me into this story, there’s no getting away from the fact that it’s a bleak tale. What is more, there doesn’t appear to be anything resembling resolution, or justice. Even the tiny glimmer of hope provided when the book ends filled me with a renewed sense of horror.

I’m filled with admiration when it comes to characterisation. Sally and Paul are in many ways very similar but at the same time, they are almost exact opposites in every way imaginable. Where Sally takes everything at face value and doesn’t make or accept excuses, Paul manages to find an excuse for everything he does and everything that has happened to him. They each tell their part of the story. Both voices are compelling, and it is almost scary how easy it was to drift along on their words while they described horrific events and circumstances. I distinctly remember having the same reaction after I finished Unravelling Oliver.

To say I’m conflicted about this book doesn’t begin to cover it. As I said, it’s brilliant; faultlessly plotted, gorgeously written, and totally engrossing. I have no doubt I will be thinking about this story and the characters in it for quite some time. It’s just that, no matter how dark a story may be, I don’t like it when the ending of a book leaves me feeling down and hopeless. Because, while a lot happens in this book, I think it’s fair to say that none of the characters in it find resolution.

 

 

The Deadly Weed by Cora Harrison

Reverend Mother Mystery #10

240 pages

Publisher: Severn House

Publication Date: March 7, 2023

 

Blurb

The Reverend Mother's investigative skills are called into action when a local tobacco factory burns down and fingers are pointed at one of her ex pupils...

1920s. Cork, Ireland. Early one morning the Reverend Mother receives news of a deadly fire at the local cigarette factory, a place where she'd been so proud that some of her pupils had been given a steady job. In a city full of poverty, unemployment and political unrest, these ex pupils of hers had surely been blessed with such prospects. Now, though, she is worried . . . What happened at the cigarette factory and why are there rumours circulating that one of her 'girls' was responsible?

Inspector Patrick Cashman is under pressure to quickly find the cause of the fire - and identify a suspect - to placate the visiting Lord Mayor and Commissioner and secure his hopes of promotion. Patrick turns to his friend, the journalist and law student Eileen MacSweeney, for help, along with the ever insightful and calm Reverend Mother. From the fog-ridden streets of the slums to the green pastures and prosperity of nearby Youghal, together they begin to unravel a seedy history of greed, ambition and a desire for power.

 

Review

It has been a while, but I read mysteries by Cora Harrison in the past. I was a huge fan of her historical Burren mysteries and especially the main character Mara, Brehon of the Burren. Which explains why I got very excited when I discovered The Deadly Weed on Netgalley and why I didn’t hesitate before requesting the book.

Like The Burren Mysteries, the Reverend Mother series is set in the past. But, while the Burren stories take place centuries ago, the Reverend Mother investigates during the first quarter of the last century at a time when WW I and the Irish War of Independence were still fresh in everybody’s mind and Ireland was struggling to make the transition from occupied land to independent nation.

The Reverend Mother lives and works close to Cork’s harbour in an area of great poverty and deprivation. She runs a school for children from the poorest areas of Cork in an effort to give them a start in life and an opportunity to lift themselves out of the abject poverty they were born into. When a relative of hers opens a cigarette factory in Cork and needs employees with nimble fingers, the Reverend Mother is delighted when she manages to secure a job for six of her former pupils. Her delight turns to deep concern when, after the factory is set alight and the overseer dies from smoke inhalation, one of those girls is accused of setting the fire and causing the death.

Officially the crime is being investigated by Patrick Cashman, also a former pupil of the Reverend Mother’s. He finds his efforts hampered by politics and even the assistance of Eileen MacSweeney, another successful ‘graduate’ from the Reverend Mother’s school does little except deepen his worry that he has sent a young girl to prison for a crime she didn’t commit.

In the end, it is up to the Reverend Mother to figure out what happened and why even if it means digging into her own family’s past.

I enjoyed this book and for once I’m not sure if it is the mystery or the surrounding story I enjoyed most. The mystery was more than intriguing enough to keep my interest and the solution was both satisfying and plausible. What’s more, the clues were there for the (astute) reader to pick up on and I am happy to say that I was more than halfway there myself when the solution was presented.

The historical setting, the ins and outs of convent life, the descriptions of the Cork slums, and the insight into the emergence of the Irish police force (the Garda) intrigued me as much as the mystery though. It is at times hard to believe that only 100 years ago Ireland was at the start of its journey as an independent country, and the descriptions in this book brought the situation at the time into full and at times horrific focus.

This is not a thrill-a-minute sort of story. In fact, there didn’t seem to be a lot of urgency to solving of this crime, and there weren’t any hard-stopping moments or confrontational scenes. The quiet pace of this story and the thoughtful manner in which the Reverend Mother dealt with both this crime and her day-to-day activities seemed to fit the setting and her character perfectly. The cast of secondary characters was delightful because it featured personas both from the top and from the bottom layers of society. The writing in this book is beautiful and the details shared are wonderfully balanced with dialogue and descriptions.

As I said at the start, it has been some time since I last read a Cora Harrison book. I won’t wait as long before I pick up another title by her this time around.   

The Greenest Isle (Colors #2) by Brigham Vaughn

237 pages

Buy links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Available to read in KU

Blurb

When Siobhán Murray gets a call from a neighbor saying her estranged father, Patrick, has been admitted to a hospital after a serious heart attack, she’s desperate to get to Ireland. Her girlfriend, Annie Slocum, books the first possible flight to Dublin for both of them. 

Despite their difficult relationship, Siobhán wants to help her father, so she and Annie move in with him during his recovery. Although Annie loves Siobhán and Ireland, and wants to be supportive, she feels out of place and disconnected from Siobhán.

Patrick hasn’t been the same since his wife’s death fifteen years ago, and it takes time and patience for Siobhán and him to work through their issues. 

Things slowly begin to improve as Annie figures out a way to expand her Boston-based blog to include some Irish content, and Siobhán’s spark of creativity re-ignites after lying dormant for more than a year. 

But there’s one more hurdle they must overcome, and that decision will shape their entire future.

Review

Oh man. I was so excited to return to Annie and Siobhan. They’d taken me on a very entertaining not to mention somewhat emotional journey in A Brighter Palette and I couldn’t wait to see what they had in store for me this time.

When The Greenest Isle starts Annie and Siobhan have been together for over a year, but have had a bit of a reversal of fortune. While Annie’s blog has taken off and is keeping her very busy, Siobhan’s inspiration appears to have vanished, much to her frustration. And, without her art, Siobhan’s sex drive seems to have disappeared too. When Siobhan gets a phone call that her estranged father in Ireland has been admitted to hospital with heart failure, she doesn’t hesitate but decides to go home. Annie doesn’t need much persuading before agreeing to go with her.

Their stay in Dublin turns out to be one with quite a few ups and downs. While Annie loves visiting Ireland for a second time and soon decides that she can use her time in Ireland to expand her blog, she isn’t there as a tourist this time. And since Irish society is foreign to her, she feels like the odd one out more than once. The fact that Siobhan seems to focus solely on her father, to the point where Annie may well be right to feel neglected, doesn’t help things either.

Not that I could blame Siobhan. Being estranged from your one surviving parent is tough at the best of times. Now that she’s come face to face with the possibility that her father dies before they can mend the rift between them, it is hardly surprising her focus shifts from her healthy partner to her sick father. And because Siobhan is incapable of doing anything by halves, she throws herself into her father’s recovery, with little regard for the rest of the world, including Annie. Which of course means that Annie becomes ever more insecure and frustrated. The two ‘girls’ once again face an uphill struggle to keep their relationship going. While Siobhan starts to blossom in her old surroundings once her father’s on the mend, Annie feels out of place; not quite a tourist but not belonging either. It’s only when Annie makes a few connections of her own the path ahead becomes clearer.

And that is one of the things I truly love about these books. These two characters are real, as is their struggle and the way they react to what life throws their way. Neither Siobhan nor Annie is perfect. Both of them make mistakes and maybe focus on their own needs and wants a bit more than on the other person’s. While that certainly lead to me wanting to give both of them a good shake once or twice, it also meant that they came to life in my head, as if I personally knew them.

While Annie and Siobhan are the main characters in this story, it is safe to say that Ireland is a very important secondary character. I’m in awe at how well Brigham Vaughn managed to describe places I know personally and very well, just as it was delightful to see them through American eyes. And, while I’m on the subject of secondary characters, this book comes with a host of fascinating personalities, all of whom I’d love to spend more time with.

Since this is a Brigham Vaughn book it goes without saying that it is very well written. This author obviously chooses her words with care and manages to paint pretty and crystal-clear images with them.

A Brighter Palette told the story of two women finding each other and carving out a relationship despite obstacles. The Greenest Isle tells the story of how a relationship develops after the first rush of falling in love has subsided and real life starts throwing real obstacles in the way. Both stories are as realistic as they are fascinating, and I can only hope we’ll get to visit this world and these characters again in the future.

Long story short: This enthralling story about love and loyalty, about going back and finding home, stole my heart.

 Related review: A Brighter Palette (Colors #1)

Master Braden's Houseboy by Brina Brady - Book Blitz

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK 

- Available Exclusive to Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited

Length: 275 pages

Cover: Brina Brady

Irish Runaway Series

Book #1 - The Runaway Gypsy Boy - Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #2 - Master Cleary's Boys - Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb

Reece was a guitar player and a singer at his grandfather’s pub in Dublin until someone betrays his secret. Once he was a happy and carefree young man, who finds himself on the streets and homeless.

He meets a handsome stranger, who gives him hope that the world still has people with compassion, until he discovers the man may have compassion, but he is no softie. Conner hires Reece as his houseboy.

Much to his shock, Conner Braden isn’t only a garda (Irish police officer), but he is also a Dom! The two men are complete opposites, but that doesn’t stop Reece from wanting to win his heart.

What happens when Master Braden blurs the lines between employer and Dom when Reece is his employee?

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This book contains mild BDSM elements including restraints, blindfolds, and spanking. While the story uses characters from The Irish Runaway Series, you can read this book as a standalone.

About Brina

I am from Huntington Beach, Ca. I taught various subjects at a Continuation High School in Los Angeles, California for 27 years. I obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in history, Secondary Social Science Credential and a Master's Degree in Secondary Reading and Secondary Education from California State University, Long Beach. I also enrolled in some creative writing classes at UCLA. You can contact me at brinabrady@gmail.com.

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Whiskey Kisses by Anna Martin - Release Blitz with Review

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 19,000 words

Blurb

In a small town about an hours' drive outside Dublin, there’s a whiskey distillery.

Jim has worked in the distillery as its business manager since he returned to his home town after getting his degree. Whiskey is a slow business and rural life is quiet, but Jim takes it in his stride. That is, until the handsome and mysterious Mr Aiden Rooney moves into a room above the local pub and sets off a flurry of gossip.

Aiden’s an artist, and his devil-may-care attitude is a revelation to Jim. But he still lives in a small town in rural Ireland, and he’s not even sure if he wants to be out and proud. The choices they make could change everything, if only Jim dares to follow his heart.

Review

I read the first line of the blurb for Whiskey Kisses and knew I had to read the book. A story set in Ireland and about whiskey…bring it on!

And, I wasn’t disappointed; Whiskey Kisses turned out to be a sweet and heartwarming comfort read with a wonderful cast of characters and two adorable MCs.

Jim has had to overcome the consequences of an accident which have left him with one mostly useless arm and also made him somewhat of an outsider in his own family. Not that they judge him for that, but as it is, he’s reluctant to add his attraction to men as yet another thing that makes him ‘other’ from the people he lives among. As a result he is not out and has no inclination of changing that situation. Until that is, he meets and falls for Aiden.

The attraction between Aiden and Jim is instant and their relationship doesn’t take much longer to develop. Of course, living in a small town means that secrets can only be kept for so long and whether or not Jim’s family and neighbours will be accepting of his homosexuality remains to be seen.

The above description might lead you to conclude that this will be an angst filled tale, but you would be wrong. While it is true that Jim has to face his fears and overcome them, it’s not a major plot point. This is more a case of delaying the big revelation until Jim had a good, impossible to deny, reason to face the music.

In fact, this is mostly a wonderful and charming description of two men who are clearly meant to be together finding their way to making it happen. Yes, there are one or two moments during which Jim finds himself face to face with prejudice and lack of understanding, but they aren’t the focus of the story; merely a reflection of today’s reality.

I thoroughly enjoyed making Jim and Aiden’s journey with them in this short but nevertheless complete story. Beautifully written, Whiskey Kisses gave me about an hour’s worth of delightful reading. 

Author Bio

Anna Martin is from a picturesque seaside village in the south west of England and now lives in Bristol. After spending most of her childhood making up stories, she studied English Literature at university before turning her hand as a professional writer.

Apart from being physically dependent on her laptop, Anna is enthusiastic about writing and producing local grassroots theatre (especially at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she can be found every summer), visiting friends who live in other countries, Marvel Comics, learning new things, and Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk.

Although her most recent work is in the LGBT Adult Fiction genre, in the past Anna has worked on a variety of different projects including short stories, drabbles, flash fiction, fan fiction, plays for both children and adults, and poetry. She has written novels in the Teen/ Young Adult genre, Romance, and Fantasy novels.

Anna is, by her own admission, almost unhealthily obsessed with books. The library she has amassed is both large and diverse; "My favourite books," she says, "are The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood." She also several well-read copies of Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park books and re-reads the Harry Potter novels with almost startling regularity.

Anna claims her entire career is due to the love, support, pre-reading and creative ass-kicking provided by her closest friend Jennifer. Jennifer refuses to accept any responsibility for anything Anna has written.

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The Runaway Gypsy Boy by Brina Brady: Promo and Review Tour with Giveaway

It is my pleasure to welcome Brina Brady and her latest release, The Runaway Gypsy Boy, to my blog today. Sit back and enjoy the excerpt and my review and don’t forget to enter the giveaway.

Author: Brina Brady

Release Date: June 15

http://mybook.to/RunawayGypsyBoy_BrinaBrady

Length: 93,000 words

Price: $3.99

Blurb: 

Twenty-year-old Daniel Serban loses his dancing job and threats of being outed to his family forces him to flee Limerick, Ireland. Daniel fears his father and the other gypsy men will force him to marry his betrothed, or bring bodily harm to him for being gay. 

As chance would have it, he ends up in Cleary’s Pub, a gay leather bar in Galway where he meets the grouchy, ginger-bear Ronan O’Riley. Little did Daniel know meeting the ginger Dom would change his life style as he knew it. 

Ronan O’Riley has been unable to move on to another sub since the death of his sub a year ago, that is until a troubled gypsy boy steps into Cleary’s. Ronan’s lonely life is about to change. 

Can Ronan convince Daniel to trust him or will Daniel’s fears of his past ruin any chance of a relationship? Unexpected heated attraction in the barn ignites their relationship to move forward. Though, the two men have many of the same dreams, Daniel’s secrets and Ronan’s need to gain Daniel’s trust outlines some of the many challenges they face.

Excerpt:

Daniel peeled off his jeans and T-shirt, then he wiggled into his scanty red G-string for the evening’s show at the Sugar Boys Club. He re-braided his hair so it wouldn’t get tangled while he twisted around on the pole, weaving a red leather strip into one strand. He threw his brush into his backpack. He was glad he’d gotten there early enough to shower off the paint from his day job.

“The boss wants you in his office.” Liam poked his head into their shared dressing room to deliver the unwelcome news. “Now.”

“Now? I have to go on the pole in ten minutes.” Daniel’s stomach twisted in knots, not wanting to be late for his dancing gig, he also didn’t want to talk to the boss, this was never a good thing for any of the dancers.

Liam shrugged in sympathy. “Don’t want to keep Bailey waiting. You know that as much as I do.”

Daniel slipped back into his jeans and pulled his neon green T-shirt over his head. He walked down the hall to Mr. Bailey’s office. The door was open, so he stepped into the office. The fat, gray-haired man sat behind his oak desk with a pipe hanging from his mouth. No one ever wanted to get on the boss’s wrong side. The man had a heavy peasant’s body, sturdy and hard, bursting with juice. He’d been known for taking sexual liberties with his dancers. On his desk sat a large bowl of pastel colored sugar cubes for the boys. The boss expected the boys to eat one cube when they entered his office. All the dancers believed the green ones were laced with drugs. Daniel certainly wouldn’t put it past Bailey to drug his employees.

“Did you want to see me, Sir?” Daniel stood just inside the door, almost gagging from the sweet, fruit-scented smoke from his pipe. The cheap bastard probably smoked some cherry tobacco, the most inexpensive kind available for purchase.

“Close the damn door behind you, boy.” Mr. Bailey propped his legs up on his desk.

Daniel closed the door, unable to move any closer, and leaned against it for moral support.

“Sit.” Mr. Bailey curled his lips in open distaste and pointed to the chair.

Daniel seated himself bolt upright on the straight-backed chair as ordered, immediately reaching for a blue sugar cube and jamming it in his mouth. His head throbbed from the uncertainty of the unexpected meeting. Either that or he had tied his hair too tight. He hadn’t done anything wrong as far as he could tell. He always arrived on time or early for work, never had any problems with the other dancers or the men in the audience. He obeyed all the rules to the letter and had never taken advantage of his employer, co-workers, or any of the clients.

“Did I do something wrong, Sir?” Daniel played with his long braid.

Review:

Wow! This is one fast and furious book in every possible way. The story in The Runaway Gypsy Boy starts off with tension and action and doesn’t let up until you’ve read every single one of the 93.000 words. This is one of those ‘take a deep breath and hang on to your seat’ sorta books, in which the story jumps from one tension and/or action filled moment to the next without allowing either the characters or the reader a moment to catch their breath. Because when it isn’t the problems connected to forging a new relationship causing ripples, it is either the danger stemming from Daniel’s background rushing you along, or the hot sex making you gasp.

To be perfectly honest, for me that was both a good and a not so good thing. While I love a story that grips me and pulls me along, I do also enjoy one or two quieter moments just to catch my breath and reflect on what I’m reading. I didn’t get many opportunities to relax in this book. The moment one problem appeared to have been resolved, the next one popped up and I’d find myself at the top of that rollercoaster again, holding my breath while anticipating what might be coming next.

I liked both Daniel and Ronan. It was hard not to feel sorry for Daniel who finds himself having to run away before he is fully prepared to leave, just as Ronan tugged at my heartstrings because of the love he’d lost a year earlier and the pain that still causes him. Just like everything else in this story, the attraction and connection between Daniel and Ronan is instant and, uncompromising and full-on, although not without its issues. With Ronan being an experienced Dom and Daniel only barely aware of what BDSM is, both men have a steep learning curve ahead of them and the path is by no means without its pitfalls. Add to that the danger posed by Daniel’s family, and you find yourself caught up in a breathtaking tale.

Of course, for me personally, this story had the added bonus of being set in Ireland, the country I’ve called home for the past nineteen years.

If you enjoy your stories fast paced, danger filled and hot, there is a very good chance you’ll thoroughly enjoy Brina Brady’s latest release. J

Author Bio:

I am from Huntington Beach, Ca. I taught various subjects at a Continuation High School in Los Angeles, California for 27 years. I obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in history, Secondary Social Science Credential and a Master's Degree in Secondary Reading and Secondary Education from California State University, Long Beach. I also enrolled in some creative writing classes at UCLA. You can contact me at brinabrady@gmail.com.

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