Genre:
Urban Fantasy/LBGTQ/Erotic Romance
Description:
“Connor’s
life used to be the dream of any cultured werecat. He spent his days
in Paris’ gay quarter with comfortably little real work, playing
the piano, surrounded by art, fine food and good friends. Now, a
feral vampire preys on the prostitutes of ‘his’ quarter, killing
the boys of the Marais, one by one.
When Connor
invites a newly arrived hooker to stay on his houseboat, the last
thing he expects is Michel to be a member of the Brigade Criminelle -
a troubled, hunky rookie cop sent undercover to explore Connor’s
connection to the murders, picked mostly because he had been a boy of
the Marais himself, not so long ago.
Hiding
their true natures becomes a problem for both when their initial
attraction becomes much more than they ever thought possible. But in
order to bring down the serial killer and maybe have a chance at
making their relationship work out, one of them will have to take the
first, critical leap...”
Authors:
“Beryll
and Osiris Brackhaus are a couple currently living their happily-ever-after in the very heart of Germany under the stern but loving
surveillance of their cat. Both of them are voracious but picky
readers, they love telling stories and drinking tea, good food and
the occasional violent movie. Together, they write novels of
adventure and romance, hoping to share a little of their happiness
with their readers.
Beryll: An
artist by heart, Beryll wrote stories even before she knew what
letters were. As easily inspired as she is frustrated, her own work
is never good enough (in her eyes). A perfectionist in the best and
worst sense of the word and the driving creative force of the duo.
Osiris: An
entertainer and craftsman in his approach to writing, Osiris is the
down-to-earth, practical part of the team. Broadly interested in
almost every subject and skill, with a sunny mood and caring
personality, he strives to bring the human nature into focus of each
of his stories.”
Appraisal:
Michel
Dupont has a dubious past; he has fought his way back from sex,
alcohol, and drug addiction with the help of his arresting officer,
Capitaine Thierry Plouescat. Despite Plouescat and Michel’s rough
start, Plouescat had become like a father to Michel. As such, after
many months of rehab and therapy, Michel has recently graduated from
E’cole Nationale de Police at the top of his class.
As his
first assignment, Plouescat proposes to send Michel undercover as a
male prostitute in Marais. Straight into the pit he has pulled
himself out of to get close to Connor Acothley, their prime suspect
for the serial killings happening in Marais. Connor, who plays the
piano at Chez Chantal, a small but respectable gay pub, likes to
think of himself as a sensitive, cosmopolitan, educated soul whose
job it is to protect his small corner of gay Paris.
Both Michel
and Connor are fully developed intriguing characters. I really liked
them both. Connor’s Native American background and love of art drew
me in. Michel’s physique made him captivating, his struggles and
sharp mind made him likable once you set his ego aside. Neither
Connor nor Michel fully trust each other, and this hampers both of
their investigations. Their sexual attraction becomes its own story
arc and adds a dimension with complications as we are allowed insight
into both of their inner thoughts.
I
generally love knowing what is going on in the characters heads; however, this time it separated me from the emotion. Sensations got lost in the translation of the action. Weird, huh? So don’t read
this story for the sex. Instead enjoy the story for the twists in the
plot and the paranormal elements. There is much more going on here
than the reader is aware of until the end. Obviously, this book is
setting up a series, which I think has promise. Hopefully, Connor and
Michel will stop obsessing about sex and go with the flow. It should
be interesting to see how this all develops.
FYI:
Southpaw
is book one in the Smilodon
Pride series. This is book
meant for adults, it depicts male prostitution, rough and explicit
sex, as well as colorful language with several F-bombs.
Format/Typo
Issues:
I noticed a
small number of proofing errors in the file that was submitted for
review.
Rating:
**** Four Stars
Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Approximate
word count: 75-80,000
No comments:
Post a Comment