6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read, March 30, 2009
Let me just say up front that I loved LA Mischief by P.A. Brown. I have rarely read a book with two such contrary and stubborn characters. Both flawed and very different from one another.
This story starts after the breakup of Chris and David. You are introduced to Chris as he is falling apart at the seams. He is on a self destructive bent. Drugs, alcohol, and sex are all things that he is using to try and deal with the loss and guilt he feels. David is not doing much better. Having outed himself by a phone call and wanting to fight being gay, he struggles with his needs. He also cannot forget Chris even though they have broken up. When these two met again, the sexual tension is fantastic. The struggle on both of their parts to try and connect is almost painful to read but it draws you in. You want them to succeed in overcoming their flaws and differences.
I admit that I thought at the beginning that I wouldn't like Chris. Having grown up with an alcoholic, I have problems with those who use it as a crutch. I was astounded by my change of heart through the book. By the end, I had fallen for him. Chris made me want him to make it. David was struggling just as much but in a different way. All too aware of the differences between them, he tries to stay away from Chris. The continued back and forth of these two men was a compelling read.
This is a book I would highly recommend to those who like their M/M romance with a little more grit. An excellent read and one that I highly recommend.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing sequel. mostly porn little plot, August 17, 2010
As a sequel, this novella was disappointing. As a novella, the plot was disappointingly thin to the point of being invisible.
Two minor crime mysteries involving a hacked up body or two and a gang shooting were desultory, boring, and inserted into the story as a way to enable the book to be tagged as a crime romance. They were neither interesting on their own merits nor serve any character development function. When a reader can completely skip the crime sections of a crime romance, the author has failed at plotting.
Of more concern to me was that the love story was contrived in that as we never 'saw' the break up, it felt forced, unbelievable, and unlikely -- especially given that the last book ended with them happily spending Christmas together. As a reader, I was utterly confused initially that the last time I had seen the two men it was Christmas and Chris' friend Des was doing well and now it's fall and Des is falling apart. It took me a while to understand that I was reading of events that happened in between the last two chapters of the first book. An author's note might have been more than helpful here -- it was essential.
In re the breakup, it felt as though the author was trying to avoid the "Moonlighting curse" and keeping the two characters apart because that was the only way to keep them interesting. Unfortunately, that is not only a fallacy, I found the characters less interesting when they were apart. Chris was nothing more than a drunken slut and frankly, that's just boring. David was interesting only in that he seemed to morph into another person -- I truly found it hard to believe that David suddenly had the guts and inclination to become an habituee of leather bars and pick up a regular sex partner; I was given no insight or reason to believe this apparent change of behavior and attitude and so I did not believe it. The reader should not have to fill in this many blanks because the author did not or could not show the reader WHY her characters behaved in these ways.
When Chris and David reunited, I had no idea why they did so, beyond the notion that they, inexplicably, loved each other and since that's a given in any romance, more character development or plotting is necessary to show us why. Neither their time broken up nor their eventual reconciliation was written in such a way as to illuminate them as individuals or a couple.
The two short stories at the end of the book were simply porn -- well-written porn and there is a place for that, to be sure -- but it felt as though they were tacked on to try and make this book worth the price. They were also disappointingly similar to each other in plot and tone.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sequel which is so different but works for me!, September 13, 2008
This review is from: L. A. Mischief (A David Lane and Chris Bellamere Mystery) (Kindle Edition)
I have been looking forward to a sequel to L.A.Heat not for more police or murder stories but more on Chris and David. PA Brown certainly does not disappoint. I have to say I am very surprised with the change in tone in this sequel, which is emotional, sexy and heartfelt. Never thought PA Brown has it in her!
The violent LAPD world is secondary in the tightly paced and engrossing plot as this sequel focuses on the 3 men, Chris, David and Des at the most difficult points in their lives. The story starts off really well even if I am shocked by the turn of events since the end of LA Heat. The emotional relationship development between Chris and David is deeply explored and I find myself once again rooting for these 2 completely opposite men to be together. And Des' life is just sad and touching and I love his friendship with Chris and David. PA Brown breathes life into her 3 characters and their stories simply hold me spellbound. As for the last two bonus stories, they are just steaming hot, with a dose of BDSM too. Highly recommended for all M/M romance fans.
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