Ahreluth
I really enjoyed this! It's a moody MM noir romance built around secrets, corruption, and the messy history bubbling under the surface of Carino Bay.
The chemistry between the two leads was excellent, they feel like actual adults with baggage, history, and flaws. Felix is running from a life he doesn't want and Jay is trying to hold onto what's important to him, they crash into each other in Carino Bay and sparks fly.
Carino Bay itself was interesting as well, the wider cast really helped make the town feel like a queer community, which I liked seeing. There was good tension between the queer community and the wealthy people trying to reshape the town, it felt like Carino Bay was more than a backdrop and I would love to see more stories about the people we got to know during the book.
The way all the secrets unraveled had a couple of twists that genuinely made me gasp, especially because in hindsight the clues were there. I love when a reveal makes you look back and go, ohhh, I missed that, but it was right there. It wasn't all past trauma and big secrets though, there were some super cute scenes between the MCs, especially one involving mini-golf (and a fibreglass parrot!) that showed how well they clicked.
The romance here is more character driven and emotional than spicy (scenes fade to black), I really liked the intimacy between the characters. If anything, I would have liked more time with Felix, Jay, and Carino Bay, mostly because I enjoyed the world and wanted to see more of it.
I'd recommend this if you like secrets, suspense, and emotional baggage with your romance, and if you enjoy real adult characters who are messy, but with enough chemistry to make the mess worth it.
I received a free copy of this book as an advanced reader copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really enjoyed this! It's a moody MM noir romance built around secrets, corruption, and the messy history bubbling under the surface of Carino Bay.
The chemistry between the two leads was excellent, they feel like actual adults with baggage, history, and flaws. Felix is running from a life he doesn't want and Jay is trying to hold onto what's important to him, they crash into each other in Carino Bay and sparks fly.
Carino Bay itself was interesting as well, the wider cast really helped make the town feel like a queer community, which I liked seeing. There was good tension between the queer community and the wealthy people trying to reshape the town, it felt like Carino Bay was more than a backdrop and I would love to see more stories about the people we got to know during the book.
The way all the secrets unraveled had a couple of twists that genuinely made me gasp, especially because in hindsight the clues were there. I love when a reveal makes you look back and go, ohhh, I missed that, but it was right there. It wasn't all past trauma and big secrets though, there were some super cute scenes between the MCs, especially one involving mini-golf (and a fibreglass parrot!) that showed how well they clicked.
The romance here is more character driven and emotional than spicy (scenes fade to black), I really liked the intimacy between the characters. If anything, I would have liked more time with Felix, Jay, and Carino Bay, mostly because I enjoyed the world and wanted to see more of it.
I'd recommend this if you like secrets, suspense, and emotional baggage with your romance, and if you enjoy real adult characters who are messy, but with enough chemistry to make the mess worth it.
I received a free copy of this book as an advanced reader copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.