LA Mischief by P.A. Brown

Blurb:

Chris Bellamere and David Laine were lovers but great sex doesn’t make a great relationship. David is a homicide detective for LAPD and barely out of the closet. Chris screwed up outing David. He doesn’t regret it and he wants David back, but David can’t give him the commitment he wants. David is busy solving grisly murders and enjoying his new-found libido. He’s picking up guys in bars and having fun but Chris is always in the back of his mind. Chris is partying too hard and waking too many mornings barely remembering the guy in bed next to him, all in the hopes of getting David out of his system, but it’s not working.

When David gets hurt in the line of duty Chris goes to see him. Can they pick up where they left off, or are they just reaching for something that just isn’t there?

 

Review:

This is a collection of three stories that focuses on the relationship between Chris and David from LA Heat. The first story is about David and Chris’ relationship and the next two are short, erotic encounters certain to raise the heat level. Be sure to have read the first book prior as the characters and past events play heavily into this continuation. These stories are not a second book so much as a deeper look into the main characters from the first book.

The first story has a bit of a confusing timeline. At the end of LA Heat there is a sweet Christmas interlude some four months after the Carpet Killer murders have been solved. Everyone is moving on and doing well with no mention of any problems. Not an epilogue but a tidy and satisfying romantic ending to the book. Well in this story, the author doesn’t clarify when these events take place. The best guess I have is that it occurs sometime after the murders have been solved but before the happy ending at Christmas was depicted in the previous book. There are numerous continuity errors that also make the timeline confusing. For example, in LA Mischief it’s around Halloween and a few months after the murders had been solved. Clearly this few months is bandied about a bit much making the actual timing wrong. The author also states that David and Martinez have been partners for seven years whereas they’d only been partners for five years in LA Heat and this takes place a few months after that.

So clearly the author didn’t check her details very well thus leading to the confusing timeline. Also David and Chris have broken up already at the start of the story and are going out, sleeping with random men to get over the breakup they both felt was inevitable. But if you can get past the lack of continuity, this isn’t a bad look at their relationship. Unfortunately Brown’s writing strength is in the procedural, cop style of the book and less so on characterization, which falls flat and empty. Chris and David spend a lot of time pinning for each other and even attempting to see each other but repeatedly claim their relationship is over and must move on. Their actions and words are direct contradictions leaving the characters and reader confused and mystified. Thankfully these two do end up together, but the journey is rather random and not very emotionally satisfying.

Chris and David are likable characters and you do want them to end up together, not only for the sake of a romantic and happy ending. Clearly they have issues and it’s nice to see the complexity worked into their relationship highlighting their very different needs and experiences. However, the excessive sleeping around and almost bland actions towards each other contradict this passionate, true love the author is trying to depict. While I didn’t quite buy into their deep love affair, I did want it to end well and hoped they’d work out. The additional two erotic encounters were fun to read and definitely had the temperature skyrocketing, although they didn’t add much to the relationship. These are purely for the sake of some hot sex scenes.

If you liked LA Heat, you’ll most likely enjoy these three stories if you can get past the obvious errors. It’s always a welcome treat to see two liked characters have some fun and work on their relationship even if it reads a little bland and contradictory. Hopefully the next offering will play to the author’s strengths, but even so this is a quick, interesting story that was nice to read.

Get it HERE!

 

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