EM Lynley

I was looking for an adventure story with some action (nothing too gruesome for me, please) and a touch of romance, when I remembered I still had the newest ‘Precious Gems’ volume in my pile of books to read. I figured the next installment in Trent and Reed’s increasingly exciting life could be just the ticket. I am happy to report I was right. The things these two get up to, especially the corners Trent paints himself into now that he thinks he is pretty much a special agent like his show more lover Reed, are somewhere between entertaining (but only because I can watch from a safe distance!) and scary. Always out to solve the next mystery, these two need a movie or two – just saying!

Trent may have come far since he first encountered Reed, but he is still a writer of gay romances first, special agent second (and the latter only in his mind anyway). And his ability to attract trouble of the almost-deadly-kind is unmitigated since book one. If anything, it has gotten worse! And this time it all starts so innocently: while Reed is on one of his mysterious assignments, Trent is going to travel to Japan with his best friend Beth as interpreter to look at some valuations for the art gallery he is a silent partner of (having inherited his share from an ex-boyfriend). He is supposed to make contact with two collectors, and work with a local art appraiser to help determine which pieces should be bought by the gallery. Simple, right? Well, actually… Of course, I could see the whole disaster barreling his way when the local art appraiser mentions the word “Yakuza” in the Japanese half of their first conversation and Beth refuses to translate. Pretty soon Trent is accused of murdering the Yakuza with a jade dagger from the man’s collection, imprisoned, set free only to step right into the next trap, etc., etc., etc. in standard Trent fashion. But does he give up and stay safe? No way!

Reed can’t believe Trent is in prison in Japan, but since he’s seen it on CNN it must be true. He worries about Trent and what his lover can and can not take enough as it is without the man landing himself in his worst predicament yet. Of course, he races to Japan, with his boss’s okay and the FBI local agent ready to support him when he arrives in Tokyo, and figures out pretty quickly that Trent is being set up. But why? And who committed the crime? He will do anything to clear Trent’s name, even pose as a “host” at a night club to get close to the Yakuza suspected of somehow being involved. And guess what? That plan does not end well, and the battle for his and Trent’s lives is on.

If you like mysterious international criminal plots set in exotic places, writer-types who get in way over their heads—even though they should know better—and secret agents who try to keep them safe, and if you are up to following Trent and Reed into their next grand adventure, you will probably like this novel. It definitely kept me entertained, and, after a deceptively slow start to set the scene, might just manage to raise your blood pressure a notch or two.


NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less

With great glee I noticed that Trent and Reed (from Rarer than Rubies) are back - and tumble right into their next adventure. The same elements that I liked so much about the first book are here as well: a romantic location, some good old-fashioned action and adventure, a mystery that includes missing agents and antiquities, and a lot of romance. Actually, even better than romance, this was as much about Reed and Trent struggling to develop a meaningful relationship as it was about the show more mystery. While that served to drive the story and ‘test’ their trust, the main focus, for me, was how they related to each other and struggled with figuring out their roles in the partnership that Trent’s wishful thinking defines so differently from Reed.

Trent is such a great character. He was all lost and insecure in the first book, not that this stopped him from getting into all kinds of trouble, after all, he wanted to help, right? Now he has found a new goal and that is to help Reed in his job as a ‘spy’ - FBI agent, really, but spy, to Trent’s romance writer’s imagination, just sounds so much better. I loved Trent’s attempts to support Reed, and his inability to follow ‘orders’ was not just fun to watch, but actually supported Reed more than Trent could have hoped. Everyone underestimates him, but that too, can turn into an advantage…

Reed is a different man since he got together with Trent. There are still major issues to deal with, and he still tends to isolate himself and is bad at expressing emotions, but he is getting better. Trent has opened his eyes to a whole new world – and not just that of fashion and eating out. Reed is still protective of Trent, and wants to keep him out of everything, especially because the most recent case he has been sent to solve involves his ex-partner Peter. There is a lot of bad blood still, and added to all the other things that start happening as the simple mission to find a missing agent turns into a major case involving all kinds of international bad guys, the hunt is definitely on.

If you like mysterious international criminal plots set in exotic places, writer-types who get in way over their heads and secret agents who try to keep them safe, and if you are up to following Trent and Reed into their next grand adventure, you will probably like this book. It will definitely keep you entertained, and just slightly breathless.




NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less

This book had a lot of ups and downs for me. There were times i wondered if it would ever finish. But then it was so good I didn't want to put it down.

There were moments I wondered how two successful business men could be so stupid and blind...how they could not see the manipulations that were going on around them. And I'll admit that did irritate me quite a bit. But the emotion that was displayed throughout this whole story felt real and honest. And at the end of the day Mathias and Chase show more grew on me, and that's what is important to me.

So in the end it turned into a good solid book and I'm glad to have read it. show less

This was a fun book to read. Not only does it have two men hot for each other despite some major past history added to current obstacles, it also contains jewels of immeasurable value, enough international intrigue to make my head spin, and some interesting plot twists that had me confused until the very end. Which didn't surprise me, since I never get these mystery-type stories. I found this one more fun to read than most though, because the descriptions of everything going on were so vivid show more and pulled me right into what was happening.

Tobin is a curator who is very good at his job. Organizational talent is a major strength and order his preferred state of being. He doesn't deal well with uncertainty or surprises, but is good at 'planning' himself out of trouble. He wants things done right, and his former lover, Pierce, is the exact opposite. This bugs and fascinates Tobin in equal measure and I must admit that I enjoyed watching him struggle to see which side of his personality would win.

Pierce started out as a clear suspect for me, a potential bad guy, even. It wasn't until a long way into the book that I started to suspect there was another side to him. Subtle hints (ones that even I couldn't miss) pointed at a possible alternative explanation.

Pierce's clear love for Tobin was his biggest redeeming factor for me. But, just like that wasn't enough for Tobin, it wasn't enough to convince me he deserved another chance. Imagine my relief when the final twist revealed an unexpected but totally satisfying solution. Well done, EM, for holding my attention with a type of story I don't always enjoy as much as I did this one.



NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on QMO. show less