P. A. BrownReseñas

Ms Brown did a good job of weaving a double murder investigation with a light BDSM romance. Spider was the hot, lead detective by day and a serious Dom by night much to the chagrin of the police department. Jason was kind of a lost boy with a no future job, a police record and a drug habit. I enjoyed the way Spider and the defiant sub Jason fit together. The vigilante flavor of the two murders made me question just how wrong they were and where the line between right and wrong is written. Spider's partner, Nancy was the perfect balance for him. I'm seeing more strong women in secondary roles and that appeals to me. I hope that Ms Brown can carry the same intensity between Jason and Spider into book two.

I think P.A. Brown gets better as she writes and this is an enjoyable read (if one can say enjoyable when your husband is both stalked and kidnapped by a cyber-nut, a French terrorist blows up a hospital, not to mention planning to take down the LA electronic infrastructure for maximum panic and nastiness ...). Quite good.

Brown just gets better as she goes. This one's gruesome, with a nasty twist for the characters. I felt bad that David Laine's new partner, Jairo Hernandez, bought it in a way that was just a little too obvious, I wanted him gone from the picture, just not that way.

The book was not exactly what I thought it would be. There was only one very mellow bdsm scene at the very end and there wasn't much real mystery-suspense in the first half (beside your regular police investigation).

But WOW! I could never imagine that simple hike in the woods was going to keep me so captivated. I've learned a few things reading the first part. The suspense kept me on edge through the second part (in fact, it was, as the saying goes, killing me!). The hospital was a touch unnerving but still good and the end was perfect. OK, maybe too perfect, but I am a sucker for Happy Ending! :D

I am losing the count of stars I am willing to give these series :)

This is the second book of the story of Jason and Alex and apparently Brown just didn't know what to do with it. He starts with descriptions of Alex's work as a police officer but it's all rather superficial. Then it turns out that the central theme of the book will be a hiking trip Jason wants to do and Alex agrees to although he's not a country guy at all. After a couple of days - just when Alex starts liking nature - things go bad as they stumble across some criminals and Alex gets shot. After that there's a long and tedious story about Jason goes and finds help while Alex almost dies. And of course there's some hospital time afterwards, too. That could have been interesting but the conversation is limited to some declarations of love and that one man couldn't live without the other. Bladibladibla. Hardly any emotional struggle or in depth emotion.
I have to admit, I was kind of a relief when I finished the book. And no, right now I am not interested in any more chitchat about two guys who happen to have a relationship, thank you very much.

If you love a BDSM-themed romance wrapped inside a mystery, you cannot afford to miss this book. If, like me, you could easily skip the BDSM and just take the mystery – you may still greatly enjoy Geography of Murder for its solid police-procedural plot. The romance is a complex portrayal of the tipping point between infatuation and love where both men make mistakes and must prove themselves to each other. Refreshingly, the characters go way beyond the usual smug Dom and confused sub.

Alex’s uncertainty and lack of self-awareness make him more than just a control freak, and Jason is an even better character – young, lost, and inexperienced, but with an inner core of toughness. He is perceptive and brave and doesn’t let Alex get away with anything. Meanwhile, the vivid Los Angeles setting and satisfying mystery are written to the author’s usual high standards. This is a rewritten and re-edited version of a previously published book.

The story opens with Jason waking up from a drugged stupor to find himself on a yacht, sleeping alongside a murder victim. Cops have already arrived at the crime scene, including Alex who is the lead detective. Alex arrests Jason as the prime suspect, but manages to clear him of suspicion and get him released a few days later. Meanwhile, several people had motive to kill the victim who was a pedophile.

When another similar murder occurs, Alex must establish a link between the cases as he and Jason embark on a BDSM relationship fraught with its own perils. Neither have ever had a serious relationship and each must grow as a person before committing to the other. In a nice change of pace from the usual Dom and sub routine, Jason is the one to recognize this and Alex must adapt to Jason’s decision.

Val for AReCafe

Jason is a young lonely boy who is about to mess up his whole life due to drugs and meaningless sex encounters when he finds himself next to a corpse one morning. Luckily the police detective who stumbles upon him, takes an interest in him. And tries to get the boy back on his feet, because this macho policeman feels attracted to the young man. But there is also a murder to be solved, or two.
The detective story is alright but Brown really wanted to write about the sexual SM relationship of those two men but that remains very cliché and on the surface. The reader hardly gets to know police officer Alex Spider so that the whole story remains rather superficial. What a shame. I wonder whether the next story of that series will be better.

This was a gripping read! The murder/mystery aspect was compelling and engrossing. Some great story-telling there! I enjoyed the 'romance' part of the book as well, though I never really warmed up to Spider, one of the main characters. (mostly due to his 'his way or no way' attitude and the one scene everyone else has already commented on) Started the second book already and can't wait to see what happens next for them.

Perfect sequel to the first book. I actually enjoyed this one more than Geography of Murder. I loved how both characters grew (I liked Spider a whole lot more in this book) and the action part was nail-biting at times!

Chris and David's relationship is really interesting to watch, but they both have serious issues. David isn’t the traditional dashing hero and Chris is kind of a pretty boy flake. I didn't like the explaining of the police terms, but I admired that the author didn’t shy away from gritty details.

A very well written crime story with interesting characters. It is a serial killer story, not exactly original, but with the gay story line also not too cliched. I liked both MCs, I liked how things developed between them.
The "heat" in the title is a little misleading - it only describes the weather in this case. I didn't miss the step by step accounts here, but just for managing expectations: no explicit descriptions, just hinting. The book was good and entertaining, so I didn't miss this part.
Why not 5 stars? Because the suspense was good, but not great. The love story was more in the background, very good, but not favorites-material.

This was a refreshing change from typical detective mysteries in that there was actual detecting. The officers were smart and asked good questions and interviewed the right witnesses. There were real consequences for inappropriate actions. But like regular police work, sometimes it was a little dull.

I really liked the main detective. He was really a great guy and his motivations were clear cut and made sense. I didn't like Chris at all at first but he grew on me. He changed quite a bit but there wasn't enough reason for him to do so. I mean, it wasn't really talked about. I also wasn't quite clear why Chris liked David at first. He barely knew the man and it was quite clear he was not particularly good-looking. But as the story progressed it made sense, just not as early as he began the attraction. But Chris turned out to be a lot less shallow then he was initial portrayed. Their relationship was sweet and sex was even beautiful.

I think the secondary characters were good, too, although a couple of the jerks were a little too black and white. Martinez was believable and I liked how he was at the end. It was believable to me.

The mystery was very good. I didn't figure it out until about 70-75% of the way in. But then I can be dense about this kind thing because I try not to figure it out. The ending, the big action finale was excellent, lots of peril and pending death.

There were a couple of issues that left me thinking that this wasn't a five star book and yet I can't remember them anymore. So 4.5 rounded up to 5 because of my bad memory.

This was a refreshing change from typical detective mysteries in that there was actual detecting. The officers were smart and asked good questions and interviewed the right witnesses. There were real consequences for inappropriate actions. But like regular police work, sometimes it was a little dull.

I really liked the main detective. He was really a great guy and his motivations were clear cut and made sense. I didn't like Chris at all at first but he grew on me. He changed quite a bit but there wasn't enough reason for him to do so. I mean, it wasn't really talked about. I also wasn't quite clear why Chris liked David at first. He barely knew the man and it was quite clear he was not particularly good-looking. But as the story progressed it made sense, just not as early as he began the attraction. But Chris turned out to be a lot less shallow then he was initial portrayed. Their relationship was sweet and sex was even beautiful.

I think the secondary characters were good, too, although a couple of the jerks were a little too black and white. Martinez was believable and I liked how he was at the end. It was believable to me.

The mystery was very good. I didn't figure it out until about 70-75% of the way in. But then I can be dense about this kind thing because I try not to figure it out. The ending, the big action finale was excellent, lots of peril and pending death.

There were a couple of issues that left me thinking that this wasn't a five star book and yet I can't remember them anymore. So 4.5 rounded up to 5 because of my bad memory.

I'm not sure I would term this a Gay "Mystery". Gay Romance yes. Teen Angst, definitely. Suspense? [Loud Snort] No. Thriller? Only if your entire life is spent considering a hang nail a epic disaster. Porn? Oh yeah.

I was in this for the Mystery part for reasons that don't need exploring at this juncture [ok so it will be a paper] and I expected an actual story not a Chris and Dave angst maudlin moments repeated through the book until a sort of resolution is reached coupled with a Des melt down while showing surprising strength [cut me a big break on that one].

Is there mystery? Sure a few pages tossed in to speed the contact along between Chris and Dave and self solving with no work from the cops or anyone else. They just sort of blunder into the solution.

Why does it get a 2 star, you know, I am not actually sure. I didn't dislike it and if I was into porn it would have been a 5 star even if I did have trouble picturing the repeated scenes that made up the book between weeping, sobbing, angst and resolves.

And as noted by some other reviewers at least one story was in very poor taste and threw out the happens of the previous book completely as well as making Chris seem a shallow little sex oriented twit. I would have said in very poor taste but as another reviewer said "Creepy" considering the context of first book.

As a Mystery it was a big fat 0. As a Romance it barely squeaked into a 1. As porn? Hey that was a good 3 star.

After the mess of the second book, L.A. Mischief which was more porn than anything, the author is finally back to writing. This 3rd book is a mystery which also includes developments in the main characters relationship. The blatant useless no plot moving sex of the second book is not here. And that is all for the good. Any sex that does occur moves the plot along instead of being a "Lets have a quick shag because I have XX pages to fill"

The plot is fairly well developed and the relationship has a natural progression except for the end which seems to simply 'jump' to the ending. It really smacks of "Look it's too long honey, cut it off here ok?" from an editor and the author did without really smoothing it out so it flows into that ending.

Over all a much better book than 2 and even 1 I think. It shows growth in the writers style and in the story development.

Brown has done extremely well on this book.

The mindnumbing descriptions of sex which didn't move the plot along has vanished. The book focuses on the reality of a relationship developing and moved away from the "Lets hop in bed and solve our problems" and Teen angst. Both characters have grown.

The details of the challenge before Chris is very good. It's basic Networking.

The books have really become mysteries and are a far cry from the early books which were more like porn with a bare plot to give an excuse for all that sex.

It would hold its own on the mystery shelves.

Excellent fast paced mystery that borders on Suspense at times. Brown has made a far move from her earlier books which some term Erotica which bordered on porn [I figured that the difference between porn and erotica is erotica tends to have a bit more plot.] She lost the detailed sex descriptions which didn't move the plot but was there for the who love to say "I'm not into porn but I do love erotica" Now don't get me wrong, Erotica has its place but label the book Erotica or Porn and don't try to claim it's a Romance or Mystery. It's there for one thing and one thing only no matter how you cloak it.

That being said, the mystery is a mystery. It looks deeper into Dave's past and current life and examines attitudes and convictions about homosexuality at the same time. It also made sure I didn't want to visit Bermuda at any time soon. The mystery is fast paced and moves along nicely from LA to the East Coast and Dave's mother to the Island and Dave's Father.

Brown continues to progress nicely as a writer and no longer relies on writing sex scenes to create a book. Well worth the read and a keeper for your Gay Mystery shelf.

This novel is dark and gritty, very hard to digest, and it’s more a cop novel than a romance, and that is probably an advice I’m passing to many readers: if you want something real, something that, even if it’s giving you a romance, it’s not forgetting this is real life you are reading about, than Latin Boyz is the novel. It’s not making no discount, and it’s targeting you heart, for good and bad.

That between Alejandro and Gabriel is love at first sight, but it’s also a modern Romeo and Jules; Alejandro is a cop and he is also from a very influent Latin family, one that is “American” for the last three generation, arrived to America with money and not though an illegal border trespassing. Gabriel is from the wrong side of the city, actually from the other side of the river; a place so far away from your reality that, even if he is living in Los Angeles, he has never seen the Ocean, since he has never once left his neighbourhood.

Gabriel’s uncle is a former criminal, his brother is in prison to life and his mother was killed in a drive-by attack that left his 14 years old sister with a bullet in the head and the mind of a 5 years child. But this is the only world Gabriel knows, he has really no chance to escape, not even if he wants to go straight (no pun intended). And he for sure cannot trust a policeman, since cops have never done anything to help him and people like him.

I’m true, I think Alejandro takes Gabe’s case at heart since he has his own agenda on the boy. True, Alejandro is a different type of cop, someone who really believes in helping people, and for whom career doesn’t mean nothing, he want to stay on the streets since it’s there that he can help. But he was already like that, and until Gabe, he limited himself during his office hours. Now he is like a Guardian Angel, patrolling the places where Gabe and his sisters are, bringing people to help, being there in and out his official role. And he is no playing fair, making friends with Gabe’s sister to be able to reach her brother’s heart. Gabe knows he cannot raise Nattie alone, that he needs help, and with his uncle Tio’s health declining, he will soon need someone.

There is no chance for Gabe to escape once Alejandro starts the crusade to Gabe’s heart, but it was nice to read about him trying, even if, truth be told, he is not putting much resistance in the end.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1611249244/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

The story opens with a 42 year old man picking up a young prostitute at a gay pride parade. Once at the hotel, in the middle of sex, someone busts in and murders the young guy. It’s not a good sign when the main character is “framed” for a crime, and you couldn’t care less. John Wager is not a likeable guy. It doesn’t help that the first few chapters are spent learning just how pitiful and unsympathetic he is, and all from his point of view since the story is told in first person. I found myself plodding through the story – I just could not connect with the characters. Unfortunately, without that connection – the mystery just wasn’t strong enough. I only made it through half the book before I have up and put it aside.

I've got to stop being such an impulse downloader, but I really did like the sample... This is cheap, extremely short even by novella standards, and frankly, badly written. He kept referring to his lover's penis as a 'thick tube of meat' and the sex was graphic but not hot. I really wanted to like it because I loved the opening notion of him hating all the skinny pretty boys at the gay clubs and wanting something stronger and more powerful, but this didn't work for me. I also found the main character a cipher - there was no depth of character, only sexual longing and then very unsexy sex.½

Reading the blurb of this book I was expecting to be immediately thrown into the middle of a camp adventure (no pun intended), the type of adventure where the All American family dream of camping together to bond and love, turn into a nightmare where apparently nothing of the modern technology is there to help you, and your world is turn upside down, you don’t know who to trust, if the next you meet will be your savior or your killer.

And instead P.A. Brown almost lulled the reader for more than half book in a odd family tale, the reassuring tale of how Jason, former outcast, is now living and loving Alex “Spider”, police detective and perfect Dom. There is not a tested relationship, after two months there are still moment where it’s awkard, there are still things to try and balance, but all in all they are good together. I had the feeling that Spider tries to be a badass, but he is fall over head for his young lover and he would do anything to please him, even going camping.

What should be their perfect week together, a prize for Jason for being able to straighten his life, turns into a punishment: Spider and Jason are separated, Jason has to go finding help, Spider’s life is seriously in danger and everything is on Jason’s shoulder, him that until some weeks before was not even able to find a decent place where to live.

I think the author wanted to prove to the readers, but also to Jason’s himself, that he would be able to succeed alone; not that he has to be alone, a family with Alex, home in a suburbs and dog in the front yard, is way better than not even know if he will have enough money to buy dinner, but letting Alex being his savior, thinking that without him nothing matter, is not healthy for Jason.

As in the first book, Geography of Murder, the author use the double point of view, each chapter seens by the point of view of Alex and Jason, almost a ping pong between them, that is sometime hard to follow but that indead allows the reader to never disconnect from them, even when they will be set apart, the reader will continue to be with both of them, as will do a very special dog, that will be link for the two men like the first point of view will be for the reader, almost as the dog, going back and forth between Jason and Alex was giving them the right to speak to the reader.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1608201635/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

First of all, how can you write a post on a mystery without giving up the mystery? Telling nothing about the story of course! So I will try to focus on the main characters, and for the mystery part of the story, sufficient to say that the author got me fooled and led me to the wrong path as she probably wanted since the beginning.

David is an average LAPD detective; he is not an hero, nor in his work or in his private life. He is a cop by the book, he does his work with commitment, and he is still human enough to feel pain when faced with some of the worst aspect of his job. Like now, while he is investigating a serial killer who targets very young gay men in West Hollywood. It's not only the poor bodies they find that make David sick, it's also the knowledge that he is facing something he has always tried to hide or maybe forget, the fact that David is gay. Everyday he listens the nasty comments that his coworkers direct to the gay community, and now maybe he has also the feeling that those poor young boys get less attention and respect from the Police Department since they are gay. So David has a very personal interest in the case, an interest that becomes even more personal when they start to find a path that leads directly to Chris.

Chris is exactly at the opposite from David. Gay and out, Chris is leading an almost perfect life: beautiful home, expansive car and money-making job. There are only some trouble: Chris doesn't like his work as IT in a firm where he is constantly mobbed since he is gay, he is tired of the endless string of one night stands and his beautiful home is empty. So Chris' perfect life is not so perfect as it seems, and he is maybe nearer to David than expected.

Apparently David and Chris are not a good match. David is nothing special, he is not the hunky cop that could star in Chris' wet dream, but Chris sees something in the quite and reassuring man; even when the police starts to suspect Chris, Chris' anger is never directed to David. On the other hand, David is clearly attracted by Chris, but more than a physical thing, it's a repressed desire, Chris is exactly who David would like to be, someone comfortable with his sexuality, someone who has a job where he can be whoever he wants (even if he has to suffer nasty colleague). As always when two heroes don't match, they end to be the perfect match instead. Chris is probably drawn to David since the man is not asking or denying, David is not struggling to hide him being gay, he simply doesn't live it, and Chris wants so badly to be the man who will ignite that fire. David is drawn to Chris not since he is the 'first' gay at hand, but since Chris is someone who could be an equal partner for David; even if in danger, I have never had the feeling that Chris was an helpless man, and that is probably the same impression David had. I don't know, probably David needed to have a proof that being gay doesn't mean being weak.

The style is dry and direct, but it's not without romance. The intimacy between Chris and David is sweet, light and not full of angst, and above all, it's a nice thing that there is intimacy, more often than not a mystery tend to be 'cold' since it seems like that allowing to the heroes to be in love and prove that love, is like de-valuating the mystery in the story.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1934531855/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

This novel mixes with mastery crime, BDSM and romance. Due to the fact that I’m not much into the crime and BDSM, I have to say that I was really glad to discover that romance has a good share, and both characters are really into each other and the love story. Yes, this is not simple a romance, it’s above all a love story.

Before going into details of the story and the characters, I’d like to highlight the nice and original development: each chapter is told in first point of view by one of the two main characters, Jason and Alex, and they pass the ball to each other at the end of the chapter. In this way, both of them have the chance to grow and develop in front of the reader’s eyes, and when the novel arrives to its end, the reader has really the feeling to know them very well, and in a way, it’s more reluctant to let them go.

Jason is a twenty something years old “street” guy; not exactly an hustler, even if he doesn’t mind to do some little “favours” when he needs some cash, and not exactly an addicted, even if he doesn’t mind a bit of drug here and there, he is living on the edge of danger. Then one morning he awakes beside the dead body of a man he has never seen before and with a handsome detective, Alex, who is asking him why he killed the man. I was almost already planning in my mind a clandestine relationship between con and cop, when Jason is found innocent of the crime, and Alex takes it as free pass for the boy.

From this moment on the attention shifts more on the love story between Jason and Alex than on the crime story to find out who is the killer. And probably this is also due to the fact that the killed man was not a “nice” man, a paedophile who, for a reason or the other, never paid for his actions.

The relationship between Jason and Alex starts immediately with an acceleration; as soon as it’s safe for Alex to be “interested” in Jason, and this means the same day he is released from prison, Alex stakes a claim on Jason, practically without asking Jason if he is willing or ready. Truth be told, I think Jason is in a very fragile emotional phase, and he is not able to refuse Alex; it’s not that Jason has to refuse him, Alex after all is “good” for Jason, but I don’t think Jason is ready to embark in an intense relationship with Alex like a BDSM relationship involves. What probably I like most of this BDSM novel is that it doesn’t respect the usual fees, Alex, the dominant, is not the straight-forward and perfect cool man, Alex, like Jason, has some emotional issues, basically the fear to loose Jason, probably since he “feels” to not being ready for the type of relationship he is asking out from Jason.

Both Jason than Alex have multiple layers, and it’s a pleasure to discover them chapter after chapter, with the added help to have the point of view of both characters. It’s clear to the reader that they are perfect for each other, like it’s clear that they have to find their balance.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/160820054X/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Sometime author and readers wonder what could happen “after” an happily ever after, when the passion maybe becomes routine, or when maybe you realize that what probably you thought was something without future, could well be your forever and ever, and well, it scares you.

David and Chris are 4 years old partners and really, everything seems perfect: they love each other, they desire each other, they even commit privately and David is wearing Chris’s ring, even if it’s not legal, it’s binding for them. So, no trouble in Paradise? Apparently, but then Jairo enters David’s life.

Jairo is a young detective and David will have to train him. Jairo is not only beautiful, but also someone who shares way more with David than Chris. I don’t know but I feel like David shelters Chris from his ugly life, and in doing so he is cutting him out. Instead with Jairo he can talk of everything, he can share everything. And when Jairo makes a move on him, at first David is tempted, who will not be? David is stronger than temptation, but he feels guilty all the same, even for a “mental” cheat.

On the other side there is Chris and his clear love for David, a love that pushes him maybe to have an irrational behaviour, like a magnet he attracts and drives back David according to his mood. He has all the right to be angry, and has all the right to question David, but after that, I don’t know, probably he should have been more willing to understand David’s reason, and not maybe the words of a jealous man.

Last Jairo, the third man, the villain in the old romances formula. At first I didn’t like him, but then I started to think, maybe he is really interested in David, it’s not only a question of sex. True Jairo is married and with sons, he is not exactly behaving like a good man, but maybe he had no choice, maybe he is only a former young boy who did what his family, all people around him, expected from him. For sure he can’t be the hero of this novel, and I didn’t expect for Chris to like him, but maybe I understood and comprehended why David likes him.

I like the intake of the author in this story, I like her courage to put in question her pair of heroes, to give us a glimpse of what reality and routing can do to a perfect romance, it made the romance more real. Even in the previous book David and Chris were not an ordinary couple, and their was not a whirlwind romance, au contraire, I think David put on stake a lot for being with Chris, and so it would have been not realistic if everything went smooth like oil between them.

A last note on the cops themed set: it’s not a big boom bam type of story, the crimes David is involved with are dirty and awful, but the author didn’t linger on the awfulness, she just gave you enough details to understand that these are not some unlikely fictional crimes, these are the day-to-day horror of metropolis chronicles.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1608200175/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

This is quite a controversial short story, it plays a lot on the squicky feelings people have with shapeshifter stories and it's also very hot, being very graphic in details when arriving to the sex scene.

Scott lives inside a park reserve. He is used to share the park with bears, he knows them well and knows how to avoid trouble. But then poachers start to kill the bears and the beasts become unpredictable. One night, after a very near proximity encounter with one of them, Scott finds the same bear wounded in his stable and calls Luke for help. Luke is a park ranger, a different type of "bear", but one Scott is bringing a torch for long time.

Scott is gay and he has no trouble with that, when he wants sexual relief, he goes into town and finds someone. But the one night stands he has are always with ordinary man, like him, and instead he likes the "bears" (not the beast but the big and strong hairy men), and in particular he likes one bear, Luke. So when fate brings them together, and Luke is not against the idea to share warm with him in a cold night, nature takes its course.

But there is a little catch, the wounded bear in the stable that disappeared and the equally wounded naked man, Bjorn, Scott found in his place. The strange familiarity Bjorn has with Luke, and how Luke doesn't seem to notice nothing of strange in Bjorn's behavior...

Short story, so there is nothing more to say, if not that, I'm not really sure to like so much the closing sentence: it's true, it's an hint more at what I said in the beginning, the fact that the author is very well aware that she is playing with a controversial matter, what's the point to write shapeshifter stories if the shapeshifter characters don't behave a bit like animals? There are some primordial instincts that you have to consider and preserve, otherwise the shifter nature of the characters has no meaning to exist.

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/861900.html