I had long ago decided that I prefer Tom on Stanley, and with this last book Victor J. Banis gave me a reason more.

Tom completely changed his life to love and live with Stanley, he abandoned his career as detective, he openly recognized Stanley as his partner, in business and love, and he has never once questioned this love. Yes, he has still a right eye for a beautiful woman, but he is not tempted to follow that eye. And Stanley? Already in the previous book he questioned their love, and if I remember well he was the one to run away instead of fighting for it. Now that he has obtained almost everything from Tom, he wanted more, he wants to change Tom, to make him more gay, or maybe to make their life more gay.

But as his friend Chris tries to explain to Stanley, it was not that he was so happy before meeting Tom; the life Stanley regrets, the one night stands, the possibility to flirts with the eye candy passing in the street, it was a unfulfilling life, something that pushed Stanley to change his work in the first book of this series. And it was not like Tom fallen in love at first sight with Stanley or that Stanley didn’t pursue Tom; I found Stanley’s attitude a bit like what I would expected from a spoiled brat, he desperately wants something, he couldn’t live without it, and then, when he obtains the coveted toy, he is no more interested, or what it’s still behind the window is better of what he has in his hands.

True, Stanley is able to understand his mistake, and basically he betrays Tom only with his mind and intention, but still, from the man that made Tom’s feel guilty for the interest he had for a woman, Stanley’s attitude is a bit too much carelessness.

The mystery here is a bit less involving on an emotional level than before, maybe since for the first time, there was no direct involvement of Stanley and Tom (no one of them really new the victim, the victim is not a sympathetic character…); this is probably their first real case, and so, maybe for this reason, since they are not part of the mystery, the case itself was almost on a second line, it was more important to discover what Stanley was thinking and doing. As he said, it’s probably a natural crisis any new couple has to reach and overcome, it’s the basis of a long-lasting relationship or the reason for a break-up. Sometime I would have liked to be there, to steal Tom under Stanley’s noses, and I was almost cheering for Chris to do so.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1608201058/?tag=elimyrevandra-20