A dead body posted on social media. A vampire stalking the streets of London?

Things are spiralling out of control for Will and Ram – and this time, they might not have each other to rely on. 

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Blood Sucker (Serial Investigations #4)

Review

*I received a copy of this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

Will and Ram have another missing persons case to solve when local artist and recluse Jack Motterhead goes missing. His older brother Ben hires them to look for him and they are both hoping for a better outcome than their last missing person’s case. There is also the possibility that the so-called London Vampire is another serial killer when he posts about his murder online. Frustratingly Will and Ram find themselves shut out of this investigation, however it still manages to distract them from their original case.

Ram is finally getting some help with his drinking and is doing really well, despite one or two setbacks. Will’s eating disorder is getting worse as things between him and Ram continue to deteriorate. Both of them are filled with conflict over their night that they spent together and instead of talking about it, they just push each other away at a time when they need each other the most.

Book 4 definitely has a darker tone than the previous book in the series. Will’s problems are getting much worse and I really felt for what he was going through. He truly believes that he is worthless and has convinced himself that Ram couldn’t possibly love him, which is so sad as it is obvious just how much Ram cares for him. Ram in comparison is getting better, but he’s convinced himself that Will isn’t interested in him romantically. Several incidents occur which drive them further apart and by the end of the novel it looks as though they are going their separate ways for good.

The main case itself was not as bleak as the ones that they’ve undertaken in previous books which was a nice change and even though their relationship was in tatters Will and Ram still came together to solve it.

It looks like Coda is now ready to reveal his true plans for them and I cannot wait to read book 5 to find out who he is, what is going to happen and if Will and Ram can reunite after everything that has happened.

A missing person’s case…

… A murder investigation?

Private detectives Ram and Will got their name in the news by catching a high-profile serial killer, and now they’re getting more clients. When they’re hired to find a missing person, all they’re worried about is having to spend a night away from home. They go to check his last known sighting in Kent, staying in a quaint country inn.

Little do they expect that Serial Investigations London are about to get thrust into a new murder investigation – one that happens right under their noses.

A confession seems to solve the case, but is it genuine? With suspicions running high, the duo still have to find time to sniff out the whereabouts of their client – and avoid getting arrested themselves.

With Ram hitting the bottle harder than ever and Will fighting to stay in control, they might be about to lose more than just the case.

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Blood Evidence (Serial Investigations #2)

Review

*I received a copy of this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

When Will and Ram are hired to find a missing fiancé, they assume that the groom has just got cold feet. However what looks to be an open and shut case soon takes a sinister turn as they find themselves in the middle of a new murder investigation. The both of them are still battling their inner demons and Will’s feelings for Ram are becoming harder for him to ignore.

I really liked book 1 in the series and was excited to start book 2 and it didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed the murder mystery at the hotel and the shifty bunch of guests all with their own secrets. They were all hiding something so at one point I thought any one of them could have done it.

Ram and Will are still struggling with what happened in San Francisco and their different coping mechanisms threaten to drive a wedge between them. Added to this is Will’s difficulty in accepting he’s gay and also that he has feelings for Ram. I liked how the author has addressed the anxieties that he feels about coming out. It was portrayed as very realistic and I liked Will’s new friendship with Harry – even if Ram didn’t!

I think my favourite aspect of the series so far is the bond between Will and Ram. They already have a great rapport and I’m looking forward to seeing how their relationship progresses further in the series.

A city of the bizarre and the unfamiliar, inhabited by monstrous beasts and people with unnatural gifts. A city of tall glass spires mingling with old gothic architecture, where wild animals roam alongside the populace.

This is where Ripley Mason finds himself.

University dropout, casual drinker, and newly fledged hitchhiker, Ripley is tired of the daily grind of study, drink, repeat. Only halfway done with a degree he never chose, Ripley heads north to see if life won’t throw him something less monotonous.

Early into his journey, Ripley suffers a brutal car accident and awakens in a rundown hospital. Nervous, he ventures into dark, unfamiliar streets and comes face to face with horrific beasts. Thrown into a world of supernatural fantasy, Ripley fights to discover where he is, how he came to be here and, most importantly, if he can even get home.

All he knows of this place is a single word: C A L I G A T I O N

Purchase: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Caligation

Review

*I received a copy of this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 4 stars

When university dropout Ripley hitches a ride, he is involved in a serious car accident. Upon waking in hospital he finds that he has somehow been transported to the city Caligation. A city filled with supernatural beings and a reality that Ripley does not believe can be real. As he navigates his new surroundings, Ripley finds himself reluctantly drawn into a world that he is trying to leave.

Caligation is an extremely imaginative and clever urban fantasy novel.  The author creates a dark and complex world full of shifters, vampires and other supernatural beings. The characters are paired with an animal that they can talk with telepathically and I very much enjoyed the banter that Ripley had with his owl, Athena. Each different supernatural species has their own politics and agendas, and Ripley finds himself put in the middle of all of this as he is trying to find his way home. I really liked the character of Ripley. He’s not a bad person, but he never set himself up to be a hero either. He does his best with the situations that he finds himself in.

The writing style is quite heavy and I had to read it in smaller chunks so not to miss what was happening. Whilst the style suited the novel and the tone perfectly, it was something that I did struggle with at times, but not enough that it detracted anything from my enjoyment of the novel.

I enjoyed reading Caligation, and whilst I had my ideas about what the place really was for Ripley, I never saw the end coming.

How do you solve a murder…

… When you’re the prime suspect?

A body cut up into pieces and left in Highgate Wood. It sounds like the most exciting case that private detectives Ram and Will have had to deal with since leaving their FBI training and returning to London.

As each new body is piled up amongst the trees, the stakes get higher – and Serial Investigations London embraces their first real challenge.

But Ram’s lifestyle – staying out all days of the week, drinking too much, and having sex with a different man every night – soon catches up with him when the police realise there’s just one link that connects the bodies.

And it’s him.

Will faces a battle around the clock to prevent his best friend from being put away for life – and while the two of them face their own demons, there’s a secret hanging over their heads that might just bring it all crashing down.

Purchase: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Bloodless

Review

*I received a copy of this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

When private detective duo Will and Ram return from America to set up Serial Investigations London, they quickly find themselves involved in a murder investigation, just not in the way that they expected. Ram’s out of control lifestyle of drinking and one-night stands places him firmly in the frame for the murders and it is up to Will to prove his innocence before it’s too late. However Will has his own demons and both of them are still struggling with what happened to cause them to leave their FBI training in America behind.

I was really excited to begin reading the first book in this series and Bloodless did not disappoint. I enjoyed trying to decipher the clues to the murder mystery alongside the two protagonists and piece it together with them as the novel progressed. The characters of Will and Ram were really great. They complemented each other perfectly and you could really sense the chemistry between the two of them. They also had their flaws, as all great characters do, but these were not unlikeable ones and I found myself really relating to them. The romance between them is going to develop gradually, which I really like as it feels like a natural progression between the two of them rather than hurried or forced in anyway.

I cannot wait to read book two and see where their investigations take them next.

Sreka’s younger brother, Dobrina, is in love. The only problem is that the law forbids him from courting until Sreka is married. Sreka hires the local adventurer, Košmar, to marry him so Dobrina can wed his love.

Even if he has to sleep on the couch, instead of with the crown prince on their farce wedding bed, Košmar will get to live like a king for a year. And once Dobrina is married, Sreka will quietly divorce him and send him on his way with gold for his services.

Nothing says destined romance like a battle with a dragon, so Sreka and Košmar stage their first public encounter to fool the royal court. However, as fate would have it, the dragon that was supposed to be as fake as their love is real.

Pre-order Link: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Only Love is Deathless

Review

*I received an advance copy for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 4 stars

Sreka’s younger brother is in love. The only trouble is that as heir to the throne, Sreka must marry first before Dobrina can wed. So Sreka hires Košmar, the son of a famed adventurer, to become his husband for a year. For Košmar it is a pretty good deal. He gets to live in luxury for a year and then paid handsomely at the end of it.  In order to stage the perfect meeting to fool the court and his family, Sreka decided to ‘rescue’ Košmar from a dragon. Unfortunately the ‘fake’ dragon turns out to be real.

I really enjoyed reading Only Love is Deathless. It’s a fun and imaginative fantasy adventure set against a different backdrop and meeting for the two heroes. When I first started reading it, I was expecting it to focus primarily on the growing attachment between Sreka and Košmar, and I was delighted that it evolved into much more too. The two of them not only realise that they are developing genuine feelings for each other, but they must embark on a mission to save the entire kingdom.

Only Love is Deathless is a really great fantasy story filled with mythical creatures, dark magic and romance!