Madison Square Murders

I liked this! Though, there are some parts of Madison Square Murders that have me itching my head trying to sort out my mixed feelings.

Larkin was a nuanced, unconventional protagonist in many ways. He wasn't very likeable—which almost seems antithetical to all romance genre formulae—but I think it worked. Some of his actions had me thinking ‘yikes' and his bluntness can easily be misconstrued for rudeness. But I like that about him. He's very flawed, and C.S. Poe embraces those flaws while crafting his character. I think I have this innate desire for all my protagonists in fictional stories to be ‘good' people, and Larkin is ‘good' in many ways that count but is ‘bad' in other ways that just make him seem like a complex, flawed human. I liked that challenge to my perception. It doesn't fit my personal preferences, but that's not a flaw of the book. Larkin really was interesting to read about.

Larkin's husband's antagonistic portrayal was both good and bad. The good: it was an accurate portrayal of a ‘complicated' relationship with no black or white answer—except for the fact that they for sure should not be together

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I couldn't get into the mystery, but that's more of a personal problem. There was nothing wrong with it, I was super interested in it initially, but as the story progressed my investment in the mystery just kept dwindling, so I suppose your mileage will vary because I'm in the minority on this one.

Larkin and Doyle's relationship was beautifully developed, but I do prefer a bit more oomph to my romances. I don't have a valid critique, their relationship was portrayed really well minus the

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