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Private Eye
Rafe Bridges stopped mixing business with pleasure long ago, but when he receives a call from an intriguing cop who needs help searching for an old family friend, he breaks down and takes on the case. With each day that passes, Rafe becomes further fascinated by Jeremy Halliday...but the biggest problem isn't his attraction to the cop or his growing need for him. It's the tiny little detail of Jeremy being straight.
Jeremy isn't as immune to Rafe as he'd like to believe and as they work together, sifting through a case that is more mysterious and dangerous than it seems, Rafe becomes distant. Knowing he might miss out on someone incredible, Jeremy has to figure out what and who he really wants. And soon.
Nothing is black and white anymore.
Jeremy isn't as immune to Rafe as he'd like to believe and as they work together, sifting through a case that is more mysterious and dangerous than it seems, Rafe becomes distant. Knowing he might miss out on someone incredible, Jeremy has to figure out what and who he really wants. And soon.
Nothing is black and white anymore.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 14, 2011
19 people are currently reading
1907 people want to read
About the author
S.E. Culpepper
4 books246 followersS. E. Culpepper currently splits time between writing and her full-time job. She wishes writing were the full-time job.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews
May 4, 2017
Comfort re-read May 2017
Re-read November 2015 I remembered the fight scene correctly! And it was seriously intense. Loved this all over again! Highly recommended, especially for fans of GFY.
ORiGINAL REVIEW:
I'm doing a quick review of this book after a re-read. I originally read it over a year ago. I didn't remember a whole lot about it, other than I had added it to my favorites list, there was an incredibly intense fight between the MCs that involved a screen door (? The things my brain chooses to remember...), and one of the MCs was a sexy motorcycle cop. Yep, MC Jeremy is a drop-dead-sexy motorcycle cop, and I could hear the CHiPs theme song from my pre-pubescent years in my head as I read. It is quite possible that CHiPs was the beginning of my cops/firefighters/men-in-uniform obsession. (I married one for Christ's sake!) Anyway, I fucking loved this book.
Rafe and Jeremy were absolutely beautiful together, their personal stories riddled with pain and loneliness, their finding each other a wonderful awakening and their loss of each other gut wrenching. I cried about 10 times during Private Eye, but the good kind of cry. Love that! There is also a mystery disappearance is the story, but it honestly didn't interest me all that much. Maybe it did the first read, but I don't remember.
The only reason this isn't on my "fuck yeah 5+ stars shelf" is because I need to keep that shelf open for the books that throw me off my axis like S.E. Culpepper's newest release Lost Won did to me last week. Holy shit, is that a doozy.
Recommended for fans of GFY M/M romance with heavy doses of angst, light on the smut but loaded with passion.
Re-read November 2015 I remembered the fight scene correctly! And it was seriously intense. Loved this all over again! Highly recommended, especially for fans of GFY.
ORiGINAL REVIEW:
I'm doing a quick review of this book after a re-read. I originally read it over a year ago. I didn't remember a whole lot about it, other than I had added it to my favorites list, there was an incredibly intense fight between the MCs that involved a screen door (? The things my brain chooses to remember...), and one of the MCs was a sexy motorcycle cop. Yep, MC Jeremy is a drop-dead-sexy motorcycle cop, and I could hear the CHiPs theme song from my pre-pubescent years in my head as I read. It is quite possible that CHiPs was the beginning of my cops/firefighters/men-in-uniform obsession. (I married one for Christ's sake!) Anyway, I fucking loved this book.
Rafe and Jeremy were absolutely beautiful together, their personal stories riddled with pain and loneliness, their finding each other a wonderful awakening and their loss of each other gut wrenching. I cried about 10 times during Private Eye, but the good kind of cry. Love that! There is also a mystery disappearance is the story, but it honestly didn't interest me all that much. Maybe it did the first read, but I don't remember.
The only reason this isn't on my "fuck yeah 5+ stars shelf" is because I need to keep that shelf open for the books that throw me off my axis like S.E. Culpepper's newest release Lost Won did to me last week. Holy shit, is that a doozy.
Recommended for fans of GFY M/M romance with heavy doses of angst, light on the smut but loaded with passion.
April 24, 2013
This was a very enjoyable GFY book, my first by this author. I think the strongest aspect of this book was Jeremy's path to self-discovery and his growing relationship with Rafe. The author does a great job describing Jeremy's mental state. I felt like the reader truly gets inside his head-space and is with him on his journey to discovering his attraction to Rafe. Very nicely done.
Another fabulous aspect was their chemistry. The sexual tension was so delicious and thick between them. I could feel the momentum of their relationship and I was egging each of them on mentally. I was on the edge of my seat. S.E. Culpepper did a wonderful job. Also, I always love a platonic best friend in these types of books so kudos as well on the character of Brian. Not every "straight" guy falls for his friend!
What I didn't love as much was the "mystery" (it was not at all mysterious). It was a bit lackluster- I could have used a bit more surprises on that end. Also, frankly, I was a bit let down by the lack of sex scenes. There are a few when they first get together but with that amount of buildup I wanted more more more. I almost cried when the author skimped What can I say, I'm pervy!
All in all a great read and I can't wait to see what is up next for poor Mark. I'm definitely moving on with this series.
Another fabulous aspect was their chemistry. The sexual tension was so delicious and thick between them. I could feel the momentum of their relationship and I was egging each of them on mentally. I was on the edge of my seat. S.E. Culpepper did a wonderful job. Also, I always love a platonic best friend in these types of books so kudos as well on the character of Brian. Not every "straight" guy falls for his friend!
What I didn't love as much was the "mystery" (it was not at all mysterious). It was a bit lackluster- I could have used a bit more surprises on that end. Also, frankly, I was a bit let down by the lack of sex scenes. There are a few when they first get together but with that amount of buildup I wanted more more more. I almost cried when the author skimped What can I say, I'm pervy!
All in all a great read and I can't wait to see what is up next for poor Mark. I'm definitely moving on with this series.
March 21, 2021
⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*It Was Alright*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱
The book centers around Rafe Bridges (33), a P.I and Jeremy Halliday (27?), an officer who started up a friendship during a case Jeremy asked Rafe to take on. What Jeremy hadn't anticipated was his strange feelings for Rafe, and Rafe is trying not to fall for his straight friend. Overall, the book itself wasn't all that bad but the romance part annoyed me a bit. Because it had a serious case of insta-love. I hate insta-love. And it was a little bit of an overreaction scene by Brian over Rafe's friendship with Jeremy; if you've read the book you might understand. Especially since they've only known each other for a couple of days.... (they met for the first time six weeks ago, but didn't start to hang out until a couple of days ago).
Then there was Rafe's reaction to certain things, like Jeremy just asking him if he's gay. On top of that, there was this case, which was boring. It wasn't anything with suspense or emotions as the book was more focused on Rafe and Jeremy's friendship turned relationship. I wish however that there was more of a build-up, more sexual tension and feelings. More excitement and such. But, that said, it was still a alright read, I just didn't like certain reactions and the insta-love. I also wished it had a bit more action and depth.
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Contemporary Romance (M/M).
Series: - Series, Book One.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Jeremy Halliday.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Unsure.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Sure, if you like insta-love.
Will I read this again in the future? - Probably not.
Rating - 3 (weak) stars.
February 3, 2016
Since I recently finished binging on Ty and Zane, I had a back-log of other books on my "next-up" shelf. I decided to read them in order of release date and or date I added them to my TBR (oldest to newest).
That landed me on this one! And honestly, had I not done that I am not sure I would have ever really gotten around to reading it. Which is a shame, because I quite enjoyed it.
The writing was solid. The story was engaging. It was fairly low angst, some minor drama but nothing too OTT and annoying.
There wasn't a lot of steam. But there was enough tension and build-up to keep me satisfied. However that led to a bit of a case of insta-love. Didn't bother me though really.
The side story involving Rafe's case kept things interesting. It wasn't super realistic but I didn't really care.
Overall, this one was good and I will definitely check out the other books in the series.
That landed me on this one! And honestly, had I not done that I am not sure I would have ever really gotten around to reading it. Which is a shame, because I quite enjoyed it.
The writing was solid. The story was engaging. It was fairly low angst, some minor drama but nothing too OTT and annoying.
There wasn't a lot of steam. But there was enough tension and build-up to keep me satisfied. However that led to a bit of a case of insta-love. Didn't bother me though really.
The side story involving Rafe's case kept things interesting. It wasn't super realistic but I didn't really care.
Overall, this one was good and I will definitely check out the other books in the series.
May 6, 2023
Rafe no puede creer que haya vuelto a caer en la cama de Mark, cuando sabe que ellos no estan bien juntos, pero un momento de soledad y mucho alcohol lo llevo a cometer el error de dormir con el, solo espera que Mark entienda de una vez por todas, que una relacion con el no es posible. Pero ahora tiene una nueva obsesion, su nombre Jeremy, es oficial de policia y heterosexual, el hombre lo atrae como ninguno y sabe que debe evitar involucrarse por que cualquier relacion con el puede destrozar su corazon. Y si su vida sentimental es desastroza, lo compensa con su trabajo, donde tiene que encontrar a una joven que fue "secuestrada" de su casa. Lo que no espera es que el caso sea mas complicado de lo que pensaba, y que el resultado no sea exactamente el que los padres desean.
El libro es entretenido, nos muestra un par de personajes fuertes, pero bastante realistas, con dudas, problemas, miedos y fortalezas, que nos permiten (en algunos momentos) empatizar con sus formas de ver la vida y sus sentimientos. Me gusto, principalmente, el personaje de Tracey (la hermana de Jeremy), Megan y Brian, son unos secundarios que realmente tienen peso en la trama y nos ayudan a conocer las personalidades de los protas.
En fin, me gusto bastante la historia, no puedo esperar a leer mas de esta serie, esperando que conozcamos mas personajes y que estos vuelvan a aparecer otra vez.
El libro es entretenido, nos muestra un par de personajes fuertes, pero bastante realistas, con dudas, problemas, miedos y fortalezas, que nos permiten (en algunos momentos) empatizar con sus formas de ver la vida y sus sentimientos. Me gusto, principalmente, el personaje de Tracey (la hermana de Jeremy), Megan y Brian, son unos secundarios que realmente tienen peso en la trama y nos ayudan a conocer las personalidades de los protas.
En fin, me gusto bastante la historia, no puedo esperar a leer mas de esta serie, esperando que conozcamos mas personajes y que estos vuelvan a aparecer otra vez.
December 11, 2015
This has been on my TBR since 06/11/14 and I forgot all about it. My girl Gigi read it recently so it popped up on my feed and reminded me.
Why did I not read this sooner? It is nothing earth shattering but it is good. It's got all the things I love in a romance and not too much of any of them. Oh, and it is a series.
Again, this wasn't a book that moved mountains but I had a great time reading it and can't wait to read more.
So glad it popped back on my radar. Thanks G!
Why did I not read this sooner? It is nothing earth shattering but it is good. It's got all the things I love in a romance and not too much of any of them. Oh, and it is a series.
Again, this wasn't a book that moved mountains but I had a great time reading it and can't wait to read more.
So glad it popped back on my radar. Thanks G!
July 1, 2013
Holy hell! I was in gay-for-you heaven reading this book.
It all started six weeks ago when PI Rafe crawled away from is ex-boyfriend Mark's bed to meet motorcycle cop Jeremy at the courthouse; both men working a related case. Now Jeremy has contacted Rafe asking him to look into the case of a missing teenage girl, whose family has been long standing acquaintances with Jeremy's family. The two men become fast friends, and there is instant attraction between them. The problem is...Jeremy is admittedly straight. And what about that meddling ex-boyfriend of Rafe's?
This was one of those books that kept me obsessed all day until I finished it; and this isn't what I would consider a "short" book. I literally sat on my couch and was utterly useless and unable to put this book down. The sexual tension between Rafe and Jeremy had me snared from the beginning, and I kept going and going, dying for something juicy to happen between them. And finally...the big first gay kiss happened around 55%, and I was so excited. I wanted more, more, more and kept cheering them on with a big smile on my face. Both of them were so adorable and insecure that I totally wanted them to find that connection and happy ever after they so deserved. Yes, I would pretty much define this as insta-love, which I usually hate with every fiber of my being. But this time, I threw all my pet-peeves out the window and went with the flow. Plus, the gay "thing" was nearly a non-issue. This was more a self-discovery than a strictly gay-for-you story. Jeremy accepted it amazingly fast and "coming-out" wasn't a huge crutch for him.
No, the big conflict here was Mark the ex-boyfriend, who had been badly hurt by Rafe in the past. He wouldn't allow himself to move on and continued to lead Jeremy into thinking that things weren't finished between him and Rafe. I didn't hate Mark, just felt really bad for him, because Rafe really treated him poorly. I'm glad to see that Mark's story is told in the next book of this series. No worries though, there was not even a hint towards any infidelity, and Rafe was 100% in love with Jeremy.
So what about that missing teenager I mentioned earlier? That whole mystery plot was pretty boring, but it didn't exactly go the way I expected, so I'm giving it credit for the shock value. But still, overall, it was lame.
In the end, this isn't one of those amazing books that will go down on any of my top lists, but I'm honestly rating it purely on enjoyment value. So if you are one who enjoys GFY with a lot of sexual tension...and a little mystery on the side, definitely give this story a try.
4.5 Stars
Review also posted at The Blog of Sid Love
It all started six weeks ago when PI Rafe crawled away from is ex-boyfriend Mark's bed to meet motorcycle cop Jeremy at the courthouse; both men working a related case. Now Jeremy has contacted Rafe asking him to look into the case of a missing teenage girl, whose family has been long standing acquaintances with Jeremy's family. The two men become fast friends, and there is instant attraction between them. The problem is...Jeremy is admittedly straight. And what about that meddling ex-boyfriend of Rafe's?
This was one of those books that kept me obsessed all day until I finished it; and this isn't what I would consider a "short" book. I literally sat on my couch and was utterly useless and unable to put this book down. The sexual tension between Rafe and Jeremy had me snared from the beginning, and I kept going and going, dying for something juicy to happen between them. And finally...the big first gay kiss happened around 55%, and I was so excited. I wanted more, more, more and kept cheering them on with a big smile on my face. Both of them were so adorable and insecure that I totally wanted them to find that connection and happy ever after they so deserved. Yes, I would pretty much define this as insta-love, which I usually hate with every fiber of my being. But this time, I threw all my pet-peeves out the window and went with the flow. Plus, the gay "thing" was nearly a non-issue. This was more a self-discovery than a strictly gay-for-you story. Jeremy accepted it amazingly fast and "coming-out" wasn't a huge crutch for him.
No, the big conflict here was Mark the ex-boyfriend, who had been badly hurt by Rafe in the past. He wouldn't allow himself to move on and continued to lead Jeremy into thinking that things weren't finished between him and Rafe. I didn't hate Mark, just felt really bad for him, because Rafe really treated him poorly. I'm glad to see that Mark's story is told in the next book of this series. No worries though, there was not even a hint towards any infidelity, and Rafe was 100% in love with Jeremy.
So what about that missing teenager I mentioned earlier? That whole mystery plot was pretty boring, but it didn't exactly go the way I expected, so I'm giving it credit for the shock value. But still, overall, it was lame.
In the end, this isn't one of those amazing books that will go down on any of my top lists, but I'm honestly rating it purely on enjoyment value. So if you are one who enjoys GFY with a lot of sexual tension...and a little mystery on the side, definitely give this story a try.
4.5 Stars
Review also posted at The Blog of Sid Love
August 28, 2012
A solid GFY story with Rafe,a gay private investigator, who falls fast and hard for Jeremy, a cop he thinks is straight. Jeremy had always thought so too, but being around Rafe makes him question that assumption for the first time. I always assume that GFY means a bi guy who for the first time lets his same-sex attraction out of the dark suppressed corner he stuffed it into early on, and that's the feel I get from Jeremy. The romance and the secondary characters are the strength of this book over the investigation aspect, and I liked that the author had Rafe be less than perfect.
August 22, 2011
Rafe Bridges is a 34-year-old private investigator. One day, he receives a call from an officer, Jeremy Halliday, who remembers him during one time when their cases intercepted. Jeremy asks Rafe's help to find a missing girl. As they are working together, Rafe develops a huge crush on Jeremy, except Jeremy is straight. Without Rafe's knowing, Jeremy starts to question his beliefs, when he also grows an attraction and protectiveness to the blue-eyed detective.
Private Eye is the first M/M book I bought through Amazon.com (since it's not available anywhere else) -- and I'm satisfied. The story grabs me right from the beginning, when Rafe wakes up after being drunk and sleeps with his ex. Rafe is no saint. Sometimes I think he's a wreck, and he surely makes mistakes with his relationship in the past. But his feeling towards Jeremy rings true. And it's just adorable reading how Rafe tries to baricade himself to avoid making a move to the supposedly straight Jeremy.
I also love Jeremy's inner monologue, as he is wondering why suddenly Rafe becomes important. It's cute to read Jeremy's jealousy when Rafe's friends try to fix him up with a doctor. I enjoy the push and pull between the two guys. When they address their feeling, it's emotional and powerful. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a scene where a guy hold another guy from behind :p.
The mystery is pretty much non-existent. I mean, sure it starts as a case of a missing girl. But Rafe doesn't really solve it (the answer "comes" to him). HOWEVER, what the case actually is, is quite serious and dark. So this story mainly focuses on the growing attraction and relationship between Rafe and Jeremy. I love the ending ...
I guess I'll be keeping an eye on Ms. Culpepper's books next time, which will be about Mark (Rafe's ex). I'm glad to read that he will have his own book, Rafe surely breaks his heart so I want to see Mark having his own happy ending
Private Eye is the first M/M book I bought through Amazon.com (since it's not available anywhere else) -- and I'm satisfied. The story grabs me right from the beginning, when Rafe wakes up after being drunk and sleeps with his ex. Rafe is no saint. Sometimes I think he's a wreck, and he surely makes mistakes with his relationship in the past. But his feeling towards Jeremy rings true. And it's just adorable reading how Rafe tries to baricade himself to avoid making a move to the supposedly straight Jeremy.
I also love Jeremy's inner monologue, as he is wondering why suddenly Rafe becomes important. It's cute to read Jeremy's jealousy when Rafe's friends try to fix him up with a doctor. I enjoy the push and pull between the two guys. When they address their feeling, it's emotional and powerful. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a scene where a guy hold another guy from behind :p.
The mystery is pretty much non-existent. I mean, sure it starts as a case of a missing girl. But Rafe doesn't really solve it (the answer "comes" to him). HOWEVER, what the case actually is, is quite serious and dark. So this story mainly focuses on the growing attraction and relationship between Rafe and Jeremy. I love the ending ...
I guess I'll be keeping an eye on Ms. Culpepper's books next time, which will be about Mark (Rafe's ex). I'm glad to read that he will have his own book, Rafe surely breaks his heart so I want to see Mark having his own happy ending
October 28, 2016
*** An amazing tale of a cop and private eye finding their "one"! ***
* As these men help an investigation for a missing girl, they become more than
friends to each other.* This "gay for you", gfy, story is wonderfully believable,
as the young cop, blonde, green-eyed, big guy, Jeremy,
realizes he's attracted to his friend,
Private Eye, ice blue eyes, black haired, Italian, Rafe.
There is a lot going in here with Rafe's ex, the investigation, Jeremy's new
awareness, and Rafe's angst. Rafe is sure there's no future with straight Jeremy,
but he's very drawn to him. Jeremy's inner thoughts sort out his emotions,
actions and realizations. Through the investigation the guys get to know
each other, BBQ, meet family, and work together. Rafe's parents have
ignored him since they found out he was gay, so when they call him to
stop by their house, he brings Jeremy along for the quick stop. Rafe's horrible
parents announce they are disowning him, never want contact with him again.
During the argument that ensues, Jeremy is hit by Rafe's dad.
Later, while Rafe gives first aid, Jeremy kisses him. Wow !
The flood gates opened and Jeremy is fully on board with his new feelings.
He had planned to tell Rafe his deep emotions before they went to his folks.
Rafe is leery of the "new gay feelings" Jeremy has.
Many talks, hard decisions, and outside forces almost break them apart.
Then, the missing girl is holding a stand off, with gunfire, death, discovery,
heartache, and resolve.
Highly recommend this remarkable tale of two men who need one another.
ENJOY !!!
==================================================================
* As these men help an investigation for a missing girl, they become more than
friends to each other.* This "gay for you", gfy, story is wonderfully believable,
as the young cop, blonde, green-eyed, big guy, Jeremy,
realizes he's attracted to his friend,
Private Eye, ice blue eyes, black haired, Italian, Rafe.
There is a lot going in here with Rafe's ex, the investigation, Jeremy's new
awareness, and Rafe's angst. Rafe is sure there's no future with straight Jeremy,
but he's very drawn to him. Jeremy's inner thoughts sort out his emotions,
actions and realizations. Through the investigation the guys get to know
each other, BBQ, meet family, and work together. Rafe's parents have
ignored him since they found out he was gay, so when they call him to
stop by their house, he brings Jeremy along for the quick stop. Rafe's horrible
parents announce they are disowning him, never want contact with him again.
During the argument that ensues, Jeremy is hit by Rafe's dad.
Later, while Rafe gives first aid, Jeremy kisses him. Wow !
The flood gates opened and Jeremy is fully on board with his new feelings.
He had planned to tell Rafe his deep emotions before they went to his folks.
Rafe is leery of the "new gay feelings" Jeremy has.
Many talks, hard decisions, and outside forces almost break them apart.
Then, the missing girl is holding a stand off, with gunfire, death, discovery,
heartache, and resolve.
Highly recommend this remarkable tale of two men who need one another.
ENJOY !!!
==================================================================
December 2, 2013
Rating: 3.5 stars
Private Eye stars private investigator, Rafe, when he is asked by a police officer by the name of Jeremy to take on a case of a family friend. Rafe, who is gay, is infatuated with the tall, sexy blond-haired police officer. However much he knows it's foolish to crush on a straight officer, he can't help but feel drawn to Jeremy.
Meanwhile, Jeremy himself (who realizes he never really had a connection with any of the women he dated in the past) finds his own curiosity to Rafe become attraction for the man. And doesn't that just make a recipe for disaster? Or at least, an interesting M/M fiction.
While there is an investigation going on, the focus of the book is on the relationship between Rafe and Jeremy. There are also niggles of other conflicts, such as Rafe's family drama and his ex-boyfriend Mark that occurs throughout the book. Mostly, the issues lie with the two MCs.
My biggest issue with Private Eye is that it took me so long to start liking Rafe. He was kind of a jerk to his ex-boyfriend (who was also a jerk right back), and also liked playing the ostrich (i.e. if he ignores everything and stick his head in the ground, then maybe all the problems will go away!). I didn't like Rafe until 60% into the book, when he and Jeremy start their "relationship." I also didn't really like any of the secondary characters asides from Jeremy's sister, Tracy. Oh, and Jeremy was good as well - he was a very honest and brave; he's also able to lay it thick on Rafe when he's being "woe-is-me."
The investigation itself was pretty weak as well. But hey, I'm a relationship kind of guy, and could care less about who-dun-it and what-happened. So over all? This was a pleasant read. I will definitely pick up the sequel, which features Mark as the main character.
Private Eye stars private investigator, Rafe, when he is asked by a police officer by the name of Jeremy to take on a case of a family friend. Rafe, who is gay, is infatuated with the tall, sexy blond-haired police officer. However much he knows it's foolish to crush on a straight officer, he can't help but feel drawn to Jeremy.
Meanwhile, Jeremy himself (who realizes he never really had a connection with any of the women he dated in the past) finds his own curiosity to Rafe become attraction for the man. And doesn't that just make a recipe for disaster? Or at least, an interesting M/M fiction.
While there is an investigation going on, the focus of the book is on the relationship between Rafe and Jeremy. There are also niggles of other conflicts, such as Rafe's family drama and his ex-boyfriend Mark that occurs throughout the book. Mostly, the issues lie with the two MCs.
My biggest issue with Private Eye is that it took me so long to start liking Rafe. He was kind of a jerk to his ex-boyfriend (who was also a jerk right back), and also liked playing the ostrich (i.e. if he ignores everything and stick his head in the ground, then maybe all the problems will go away!). I didn't like Rafe until 60% into the book, when he and Jeremy start their "relationship." I also didn't really like any of the secondary characters asides from Jeremy's sister, Tracy. Oh, and Jeremy was good as well - he was a very honest and brave; he's also able to lay it thick on Rafe when he's being "woe-is-me."
The investigation itself was pretty weak as well. But hey, I'm a relationship kind of guy, and could care less about who-dun-it and what-happened. So over all? This was a pleasant read. I will definitely pick up the sequel, which features Mark as the main character.
April 3, 2017
I love a good mystery/mm read and this one was very nice, although there were some things that bothered me.
Rafe is an Italian gay PI who is out, but not advertising his sexual preferences. His parents have been horrible to him ever since he came out. I really didn't understand why Rafe still felt the need to visit with them.
Jeremy is a straight motorcycle cop, who has a nice family consisting of a sister, brother in law and his father. He is not really into serial dating and can't seem to find a girl to keep his interest.
When Jeremy get's a phonecall from an old neighbourhood friend, about his sister that has gone missing, Jeremy decides to call in some outside help in the form of a PI, to help find the missing girl. This is the mystery part of the book and eventhough it wasn't bad, it didn't really hold my attention. I think it's because the mystery and romance parts felt like two different stories.
Anyway, Jeremy and Rafe meet and Rafe feels an instant attraction to the hot cop. He knows not to fall for any straight guys but he just can't help himself. They become fast friends, but he tries to keep a bit of distance between them, which is not working out that well.
What Rafe doesn't know however, is that Jeremy is struggeling with the same attraction towards him. It's a bit more confusing for Jeremy though, since he has never had a crush on a man before.
The sexual tension between these two was so thick, I was almost choking on it.
It was delicious though....
I was really proud of Jeremy when he finally took the bull by the horns and made the first move. It must have been very terrifying for him and Rafe's initial reaction really pissed me off. Thankfully he made up for it very fast.
Now after all this sexual tension chocking me, I was really hoping for some hot explosion between these two. That however was not what I got. I got a rushed blowjob scene and a retelling about how wonderfull their first time together was......WTF ????
I really felt cheated. Yes, I know I'm a big perv and I'm not sorry about that, but even I can enjoy a good book without it being one huge sexfest. But I was at least hoping to read about their first time together....not to mention Jeremy's first time all together with a man. It was just rushed over like it was nothing and that really crushed my pervy little heart.
I figured that maybe, there would be another scene in the book with the two of them together like that but...nope :(
I also hated Rafe's friends Megan and Brian. They acted like they were in charge of Rafe's life. To me they seemed like a bunch of losers. The only nice sidecharacter in this book was Tracy, Jeremy's sister.
There was also Rafe's ex boyfriend Mark, who stirred up some shit, but I didn't hate him. With him, I at least got where he was coming from. Rafe treated him like a dick and I actually felt sorry for Mark that he still wanted the guy after all that.
I know the next book will be about Mark and I have no problem reading his story, he seemed like an oke guy, who got the short end of the stick.
So, I enjoyed this one, but a lot of stuff annoyed me as well. 3 Stars and I will be reading more of this series, because I was intrigued.
Rafe is an Italian gay PI who is out, but not advertising his sexual preferences. His parents have been horrible to him ever since he came out. I really didn't understand why Rafe still felt the need to visit with them.
Jeremy is a straight motorcycle cop, who has a nice family consisting of a sister, brother in law and his father. He is not really into serial dating and can't seem to find a girl to keep his interest.
When Jeremy get's a phonecall from an old neighbourhood friend, about his sister that has gone missing, Jeremy decides to call in some outside help in the form of a PI, to help find the missing girl. This is the mystery part of the book and eventhough it wasn't bad, it didn't really hold my attention. I think it's because the mystery and romance parts felt like two different stories.
Anyway, Jeremy and Rafe meet and Rafe feels an instant attraction to the hot cop. He knows not to fall for any straight guys but he just can't help himself. They become fast friends, but he tries to keep a bit of distance between them, which is not working out that well.
What Rafe doesn't know however, is that Jeremy is struggeling with the same attraction towards him. It's a bit more confusing for Jeremy though, since he has never had a crush on a man before.
The sexual tension between these two was so thick, I was almost choking on it.
It was delicious though....
I was really proud of Jeremy when he finally took the bull by the horns and made the first move. It must have been very terrifying for him and Rafe's initial reaction really pissed me off. Thankfully he made up for it very fast.
Now after all this sexual tension chocking me, I was really hoping for some hot explosion between these two. That however was not what I got. I got a rushed blowjob scene and a retelling about how wonderfull their first time together was......WTF ????
I really felt cheated. Yes, I know I'm a big perv and I'm not sorry about that, but even I can enjoy a good book without it being one huge sexfest. But I was at least hoping to read about their first time together....not to mention Jeremy's first time all together with a man. It was just rushed over like it was nothing and that really crushed my pervy little heart.
I figured that maybe, there would be another scene in the book with the two of them together like that but...nope :(
I also hated Rafe's friends Megan and Brian. They acted like they were in charge of Rafe's life. To me they seemed like a bunch of losers. The only nice sidecharacter in this book was Tracy, Jeremy's sister.
There was also Rafe's ex boyfriend Mark, who stirred up some shit, but I didn't hate him. With him, I at least got where he was coming from. Rafe treated him like a dick and I actually felt sorry for Mark that he still wanted the guy after all that.
I know the next book will be about Mark and I have no problem reading his story, he seemed like an oke guy, who got the short end of the stick.
So, I enjoyed this one, but a lot of stuff annoyed me as well. 3 Stars and I will be reading more of this series, because I was intrigued.
September 1, 2013
Need to reread this one and do a review. I really like this series.
++
Rafe is a private detective and Jeremy is a motorcycle cop who calls him and gets him involved in a neighborhood missing person's case.
This has been a favorite series of mine and happily it holds up to a re-read. This is a GFY story with Jeremy coming to terms with falling for Rafe. One thing that I really enjoyed here was Jeremy's relationship with his older sister Tracey and how he was able to really open up with her and be emotional and talk about his attraction to Rafe. Rafe has good friends in Brian and Megan and I liked those interactions as well.
One thing this re-read did for me was it allowed me to see Rafe's ex-boyfriend Mark in a different light and I wasn't as harsh with him as I was in my first go around. His unrequited love for Rafe was pretty difficult to read and I felt bad for him here. He didn't handle the break up in the best way, but then, neither did Rafe. I perceived a better balance in their relationship than I did previously.
The attraction between Rafe and Jeremy had a slow, steady build that I found fun and flirty. Their chemistry was great and the sex scenes were intense and hot. I loved how Jeremy, when he figured out what he wanted was all on board with the relationship and I liked how he didn't back down to Rafe after he overhears the later Brian/Rafe conversation.
The thriller aspect was solid. I'd actually forgotten what was going to happen so when the action went down it was like reading it again for the first time.
A great GFY MM. Wonderful dialogue with strong characters and a keep-you-guessing storyline. Recommended.
++
Rafe is a private detective and Jeremy is a motorcycle cop who calls him and gets him involved in a neighborhood missing person's case.
This has been a favorite series of mine and happily it holds up to a re-read. This is a GFY story with Jeremy coming to terms with falling for Rafe. One thing that I really enjoyed here was Jeremy's relationship with his older sister Tracey and how he was able to really open up with her and be emotional and talk about his attraction to Rafe. Rafe has good friends in Brian and Megan and I liked those interactions as well.
One thing this re-read did for me was it allowed me to see Rafe's ex-boyfriend Mark in a different light and I wasn't as harsh with him as I was in my first go around. His unrequited love for Rafe was pretty difficult to read and I felt bad for him here. He didn't handle the break up in the best way, but then, neither did Rafe. I perceived a better balance in their relationship than I did previously.
The attraction between Rafe and Jeremy had a slow, steady build that I found fun and flirty. Their chemistry was great and the sex scenes were intense and hot. I loved how Jeremy, when he figured out what he wanted was all on board with the relationship and I liked how he didn't back down to Rafe after he overhears the later Brian/Rafe conversation.
The thriller aspect was solid. I'd actually forgotten what was going to happen so when the action went down it was like reading it again for the first time.
A great GFY MM. Wonderful dialogue with strong characters and a keep-you-guessing storyline. Recommended.
August 25, 2017
Rafe and Jeremy were an amazing couple and enjoyable to read the chemistry between them was scorching. Jeremy’s attraction was well written and it did not feel forced.
The mystery to me was not a mystery at all, it was just so obvious what was going on, I kept reading because of the MC’s. Their interactions were funny at times.
“Methinks thou dost protest too much.”
“And me thinks that guys who spout Shakespeare should be smacked in the face with a two by four,” Jeremy shot back.
Everything was going great until when we get to their first sex scene and I was so disappointed Agghhrr! Like seriously what about some descriptive sex scenes, this is a gfy /1st time I want to read about his first-time experience, I need to read about the Sex….
And then came the fight out of nowhere, there was no need for that.
Jeremy's reaction.... i was like woah! really!
Overall it was just ok. I felt sorry for Mark he did not deserve that.
September 9, 2011
4.5
This book had all the good stuff!
A mysterious disappearance, jealousy, deciet, love and tragedy!
And very little smexing!
I really enjoyed it! Good read!
This book had all the good stuff!
A mysterious disappearance, jealousy, deciet, love and tragedy!
And very little smexing!
I really enjoyed it! Good read!
November 24, 2022
Reread 2022. Dropped a star .
March 20, 2012
"Yep. Run away, unavailable one. It's just not meant to be." ~ Rafe
4.5 stars
Oooh, wow. What to say, what to say that every other reviewer hasn't already? Well, not much so I'll keep it short.
I loved this story. The chemistry between Rafe and Jeremy was scorching and definitely made the story hot, sexy and interesting. Both characters have great personalities and I adored both of them. Rafe is so funny and cute with his unrequited lust for Jeremy and Jeremy is adorable with his confusion over why he likes and is protective of Rafe so much.
I felt like the way Jeremy's desire for Rafe developed and was written was extremely well done. It didn't feel fake and it had just enough angst to make it feel real without going overboard into, "Jesus, just accept your gay already," territory. I really enjoyed that.
The mystery was nice in the beginning but the farther along it went it felt weak and too predictable. Then the ending made it feel out of sorts. I'm not sure. I loved the story but the way the mystery headed and ended just didn't feel right and didn't give me that 'wow' feeling. My heart did race, though, because of where Rafe ends up. I felt like the story ended too soon, though, and the epilogue wasn't much of an epilogue, IMO. I'm kind of sad with the epilogue, honestly. I was expecting more of a feeling of where these two ended up but instead it ended pretty quickly and had me wishing the epilogue had been longer. It didn't seem to add anything extra to the story aside from letting us know there was going to be a barbecue for Jeremy's family. We didn't even get to see Rafe meet Jeremy's family as the boyfriend :(
Overall, I really did enjoy the story. Hence the 5 stars. I loved the connection between Rafe and Jeremy. They had me laughing and smiling through a lot of the story and definitely made it fun and engaging. I wish there were another book about these two, though, because I want to know how they deal with their relationship in accordance with their jobs.
4.5 stars
Oooh, wow. What to say, what to say that every other reviewer hasn't already? Well, not much so I'll keep it short.
I loved this story. The chemistry between Rafe and Jeremy was scorching and definitely made the story hot, sexy and interesting. Both characters have great personalities and I adored both of them. Rafe is so funny and cute with his unrequited lust for Jeremy and Jeremy is adorable with his confusion over why he likes and is protective of Rafe so much.
I felt like the way Jeremy's desire for Rafe developed and was written was extremely well done. It didn't feel fake and it had just enough angst to make it feel real without going overboard into, "Jesus, just accept your gay already," territory. I really enjoyed that.
The mystery was nice in the beginning but the farther along it went it felt weak and too predictable. Then the ending made it feel out of sorts. I'm not sure. I loved the story but the way the mystery headed and ended just didn't feel right and didn't give me that 'wow' feeling. My heart did race, though, because of where Rafe ends up. I felt like the story ended too soon, though, and the epilogue wasn't much of an epilogue, IMO. I'm kind of sad with the epilogue, honestly. I was expecting more of a feeling of where these two ended up but instead it ended pretty quickly and had me wishing the epilogue had been longer. It didn't seem to add anything extra to the story aside from letting us know there was going to be a barbecue for Jeremy's family. We didn't even get to see Rafe meet Jeremy's family as the boyfriend :(
Overall, I really did enjoy the story. Hence the 5 stars. I loved the connection between Rafe and Jeremy. They had me laughing and smiling through a lot of the story and definitely made it fun and engaging. I wish there were another book about these two, though, because I want to know how they deal with their relationship in accordance with their jobs.
December 14, 2018
This is a m/m romance with a crime/mystery back story. It is a gay for you theme and personally I liked how the author handled it and her style of writing is easy and engaging.
The mystery concerning a missing girl is the key element in getting the two protags together and even though it wasn't the most exciting crime story I've ever read in a gay novel ( I guessed the problem quite early on), it certainly wasn't the worst and it didn't really matter as my own enjoyment with the book came from the interaction and chemistry between Rafe and Jeremy. The ST simmers and sizzles!
I enjoyed this story a lot and have gone on to read Marks story ( Rafes ex and a secondary character ), ' Question Mark', book 2 and will look out for more in this series.
The mystery concerning a missing girl is the key element in getting the two protags together and even though it wasn't the most exciting crime story I've ever read in a gay novel ( I guessed the problem quite early on), it certainly wasn't the worst and it didn't really matter as my own enjoyment with the book came from the interaction and chemistry between Rafe and Jeremy. The ST simmers and sizzles!
I enjoyed this story a lot and have gone on to read Marks story ( Rafes ex and a secondary character ), ' Question Mark', book 2 and will look out for more in this series.
September 10, 2011
This was definitely a winner. It's not very often to read such a well-rounded book. The development of the relationship was believable, the MCs really talked to each other, thank god no big misunderstanding :) I especially liked the way the case was woven into the whole story! No easy finish on that one. I'm looking forward to reading the next book by Mrs. Culpepper; I hope it will be sooner than next spring.
May 22, 2022
Kindle-Sort-ReRead
The first 60% 5* I really liked the characters, the mystery plot was blatently obvious but it was enough to investigate and bring the characters together. Didn't recall the story and was wondering why I'd not continued the series.
Then the characters get together, suddenly there's high octane emotion and drama llamas. A whole herd of DRAMA LLAMAS in steel soled boots dance a boisterous conga throughout the remaining pages. Personalities changed. Stars dropped into zero figures because by the end I didn't like either character. They read younger and more obsesive with every page. Rafe became especially unpleasant and Jeremy's emotions and 'protectiveness' seemed unhinged. Their relationship no longer seemed healthy. I felt sorry for 'bitter' Mark wondering the truth of the telling.
The writing - ok, set a decent pace, a few awkward phrasings. A lot of 'the cop' 'his friend' then suddenly 'my man' which threw me.
The characters and relationship - I liked the attraction and confusion as they became friends. Thought it great that Jeremy is a traffic cop not the standard police detective. Jeremy's sister was a good support character, but Brian and fiance were too much. Rafe was in constant contact and they kept dropped everything to turn up for him, then he was rude when given advise and shutting them out. It would be an exhausting friendship.
Rafe and Jeremy get together at the 60% mark and it's mostly offpage, my mind was screetching 'timing!' Because it came after a spontaneous emotional drama for Rafe - that was immediately forgotten. Then there's constant phoning and texting and hammering on doors at odd hours and a little later the reverse show with camping outside houses - how old are these guys again? Ones a cop? It's not appealing or healthy.
The story of ex Mark changes a few times and I ended thinking him the victim and Rafe an arsehole. And Jeremy's level of 'protective' jealousy sent of warning signals!
The mystery - it was so obvious where she was, for all the respect everyone apparently has for Rafe his detecting was shoddy. The interviews were very basic. Then his attitude! Thought more reviews would comment on it tbh. Different approaches are sometimes needed but care too and he was shocking, his pushing basically caused the meladramatic ending.
Disappointing. It lost the plot, everything changed at 60% and the stars are soley for the start, by the end thought it a dreadful book and the anger inducing quote is what stuck with me.
The first 60% 5* I really liked the characters, the mystery plot was blatently obvious but it was enough to investigate and bring the characters together. Didn't recall the story and was wondering why I'd not continued the series.
Then the characters get together, suddenly there's high octane emotion and drama llamas. A whole herd of DRAMA LLAMAS in steel soled boots dance a boisterous conga throughout the remaining pages. Personalities changed. Stars dropped into zero figures because by the end I didn't like either character. They read younger and more obsesive with every page. Rafe became especially unpleasant and Jeremy's emotions and 'protectiveness' seemed unhinged. Their relationship no longer seemed healthy. I felt sorry for 'bitter' Mark wondering the truth of the telling.
The writing - ok, set a decent pace, a few awkward phrasings. A lot of 'the cop' 'his friend' then suddenly 'my man' which threw me.
The characters and relationship - I liked the attraction and confusion as they became friends. Thought it great that Jeremy is a traffic cop not the standard police detective. Jeremy's sister was a good support character, but Brian and fiance were too much. Rafe was in constant contact and they kept dropped everything to turn up for him, then he was rude when given advise and shutting them out. It would be an exhausting friendship.
Rafe and Jeremy get together at the 60% mark and it's mostly offpage, my mind was screetching 'timing!' Because it came after a spontaneous emotional drama for Rafe - that was immediately forgotten. Then there's constant phoning and texting and hammering on doors at odd hours and a little later the reverse show with camping outside houses - how old are these guys again? Ones a cop? It's not appealing or healthy.
The story of ex Mark changes a few times and I ended thinking him the victim and Rafe an arsehole. And Jeremy's level of 'protective' jealousy sent of warning signals!
The mystery - it was so obvious where she was, for all the respect everyone apparently has for Rafe his detecting was shoddy. The interviews were very basic. Then his attitude! Thought more reviews would comment on it tbh. Different approaches are sometimes needed but care too and he was shocking, his pushing basically caused the meladramatic ending.
Disappointing. It lost the plot, everything changed at 60% and the stars are soley for the start, by the end thought it a dreadful book and the anger inducing quote is what stuck with me.
February 12, 2016
This book was so perfectly sweet. It reminded me a bit of Kaje Harper's awesome Life Lessons series (one of my all time favorites). Private Investigator Rafe Bridges is approached by hot young police officer Jeremy Halliday to solve a missing girl's case that the police are unable to wrap up. While Rafe interviews the girl's family and keeps Jeremy up to date on what's going on, the two guys form a friendship that - surprisingly - quickly turns into more.
Jeremy Halliday, who considered himself straight all his life, has some troubles adjusting to 'being gay' and dealing with openly gay Rafe, whose previous relationships ended rather disastrously.
As sweet as their budding relationship is, once Rafe's investigations get going, things take a drastic turn, putting their love and life at risk!
I am totally in love with Rafe and Jeremy. To be honest, these two were so perfect together that I had a hard time believing that Jeremy was ever straight to begin with. He never went for any girls or returned their flirting. He hated the blind dates that his sister set up for him and he even turned down a cute girl smiling at him AND handing him her phone number. What single straight guy does that?
Of course, there is some conflict in their relationship, but it is barely worth mentioning. Rafe and Jeremy are so totally into each other that it would probably take a couple of dead bodies in their basement to threaten their relationship ;-)
I think the actual crime plot also deserves some praise here. What starts out as a rather flat missing person case quickly leads to a terrible family drama that reaches a deadly climax towards the end. It was much more interesting and captivating than I would have imagined, judging by the beginning of the story.
Thanks for this great read!
5 stars and on my list of favorites.
Jeremy Halliday, who considered himself straight all his life, has some troubles adjusting to 'being gay' and dealing with openly gay Rafe, whose previous relationships ended rather disastrously.
As sweet as their budding relationship is, once Rafe's investigations get going, things take a drastic turn, putting their love and life at risk!
I am totally in love with Rafe and Jeremy. To be honest, these two were so perfect together that I had a hard time believing that Jeremy was ever straight to begin with. He never went for any girls or returned their flirting. He hated the blind dates that his sister set up for him and he even turned down a cute girl smiling at him AND handing him her phone number. What single straight guy does that?
Of course, there is some conflict in their relationship, but it is barely worth mentioning. Rafe and Jeremy are so totally into each other that it would probably take a couple of dead bodies in their basement to threaten their relationship ;-)
I think the actual crime plot also deserves some praise here. What starts out as a rather flat missing person case quickly leads to a terrible family drama that reaches a deadly climax towards the end. It was much more interesting and captivating than I would have imagined, judging by the beginning of the story.
Thanks for this great read!
5 stars and on my list of favorites.
October 30, 2011
4 stars because it`s the authors first published novel.
I agree with LadyM`s review here
Nice romance with a weaker mystery that got blown out of proportions in the end.A plot device to make a lover`s reunion more dramatic...
Believable GFY with inner musings galore what surprisingly didn`t bother me - Jeremy coming to terms with his sexuality and Rafe`s insecurities were well developed and entertaining to read.
What bothered me was Jeremy acting like a spoiled prima donna over a little white lie from the lovesick oaf Rafe.The poor guy couldn`t tell left and right apart at this point and should have been given some credit...IMO.Made the character of Jeremy (only a little) less likeable to me.
Nice build up with lots of sexual tension but just a few well written and hot sex scenes in this book.I could have put up with a little more!
Why do I read this sh... m/m romance? Certainly not for 300 pages of longing glances and chaste kisses...just saying. - I`m a perv.....
Overall = recommended.
I agree with LadyM`s review here
Nice romance with a weaker mystery that got blown out of proportions in the end.A plot device to make a lover`s reunion more dramatic...
Believable GFY with inner musings galore what surprisingly didn`t bother me - Jeremy coming to terms with his sexuality and Rafe`s insecurities were well developed and entertaining to read.
What bothered me was Jeremy acting like a spoiled prima donna over a little white lie from the lovesick oaf Rafe.The poor guy couldn`t tell left and right apart at this point and should have been given some credit...IMO.Made the character of Jeremy (only a little) less likeable to me.
Nice build up with lots of sexual tension but just a few well written and hot sex scenes in this book.I could have put up with a little more!
Why do I read this sh... m/m romance? Certainly not for 300 pages of longing glances and chaste kisses...just saying. - I`m a perv.....
Overall = recommended.
May 20, 2012
I LOVED these guys and this book but I want more!!! How can this be it, please, please S.E. tell me there will be more of these two!
Rafe a Dark and handsome Private Detective,*sigh* Jeremy a Blonde and handsome Motorcycle Cop, *sigh* a mystery to solve and a beautiful romance to watch....all this adds up to a really great book! I don’t think of this book as a GFY, my idea of that has changed, I just look at them as two people meeting and falling in love!
This story had me laughing, crying or maybe I should say sobbing which is really what I did, but there were also those *awww* moments! I love when all these things come together in one story.
This book has everything, it’s the whole package, and it’s a book I will read over and over again. I highly recommend it.
Thank you to Paisley for pointing it in my direction, to Jay for giving me that push to get reading it and more importantly to S.E. Culpepper for writing it!
Now I’m off to read the next one in this series!
Rafe a Dark and handsome Private Detective,*sigh* Jeremy a Blonde and handsome Motorcycle Cop, *sigh* a mystery to solve and a beautiful romance to watch....all this adds up to a really great book! I don’t think of this book as a GFY, my idea of that has changed, I just look at them as two people meeting and falling in love!
This story had me laughing, crying or maybe I should say sobbing which is really what I did, but there were also those *awww* moments! I love when all these things come together in one story.
This book has everything, it’s the whole package, and it’s a book I will read over and over again. I highly recommend it.
Thank you to Paisley for pointing it in my direction, to Jay for giving me that push to get reading it and more importantly to S.E. Culpepper for writing it!
Now I’m off to read the next one in this series!
February 19, 2012
Although I was mildly entertained by parts of Private Eye, I had way too many issues with it to give it a higher rating. The writing was problematic, the plot didn't ring true, and the characters failed to grab me.
S.E. Culpepper's writing style is very awkward. She makes some grammatical and punctuation errors, and she isn't adept at crafting sentences that make sense. I had to keep re-reading sentences, or even whole paragraphs, to try to figure out what she was trying to describe.
Another thing that bothered me about Private Eye was that the private eye seemed to be pretty bad at his job. Rafe failed to consider angles of his investigation that even I recognized as important, and which consequently bit him in the ass later in the book. I wanted to smack him for being such an idiot, and I wanted to smack the author even harder for assuming that her readers would be as idiotic as her character. The whole missing person storyline in this book felt like an afterthought to the romance. Culpepper didn't bother to make Rafe's witness interviews realistic or believable. No one acted or spoke how I would expect them to under those circumstances.
The romance between Rafe and Jeremy was rather sweet at times, sometimes to the point of being cloying. If their eyes started brimming with tears one more time, I was going to start gagging. Still, I was happy about their HEA. My biggest problem was that I had trouble telling them apart. Their personalities weren't very well defined, so their relationship felt bland.
This novel wasn't a horrible way to spend a few hours, but there were better books I could have read in that time. There are just too many good books out there to waste time on the mediocre ones. Not recommended.
S.E. Culpepper's writing style is very awkward. She makes some grammatical and punctuation errors, and she isn't adept at crafting sentences that make sense. I had to keep re-reading sentences, or even whole paragraphs, to try to figure out what she was trying to describe.
Another thing that bothered me about Private Eye was that the private eye seemed to be pretty bad at his job. Rafe failed to consider angles of his investigation that even I recognized as important, and which consequently bit him in the ass later in the book. I wanted to smack him for being such an idiot, and I wanted to smack the author even harder for assuming that her readers would be as idiotic as her character. The whole missing person storyline in this book felt like an afterthought to the romance. Culpepper didn't bother to make Rafe's witness interviews realistic or believable. No one acted or spoke how I would expect them to under those circumstances.
The romance between Rafe and Jeremy was rather sweet at times, sometimes to the point of being cloying. If their eyes started brimming with tears one more time, I was going to start gagging. Still, I was happy about their HEA. My biggest problem was that I had trouble telling them apart. Their personalities weren't very well defined, so their relationship felt bland.
This novel wasn't a horrible way to spend a few hours, but there were better books I could have read in that time. There are just too many good books out there to waste time on the mediocre ones. Not recommended.
November 8, 2011
I thought this was a well written book and enjoyed it very much. I liked the characters of Rafe and Jeremy and thought the pacing of Jeremy's feelings for Rafe was good. It was a slow build with growing attraction and sexual tension. I felt that Rafe's reaction from his attraction to not believing it possible felt real and in the beginning I felt bad for him because he seemed so lost and alone with his feelings for Jeremy thinking that nothing could come of it. The beginning of the "mystery" seemed like it could have some good potential, but then just started fizzling out and it seemed that it was rushed at the end to just get it out of the way. I felt a lot more could have been done with that or otherwise left out of the story all together. Those characters really didn't add to much to the story. I will definitely read more from this author in the future.
August 17, 2011
An enjoyable read that brings into focus a mystery case and a romance between a private investigator, Rafe, and a police officer, Jeremy, one a gay man and the other supposedly straight. It's feels like a gay for you story, but I'm reluctant to name it so. I would call it a coming out to himself due to Jeremy's thoughts about his previous involvements with the opposite gender. Jeremy's insecurities about the new sexual identity are believable, and his feelings for Rafe develop naturally. Their relationship suffers little setbacks that are rapidly resolved. Sometimes I felt the lack of serious conflict regarding their coming together, but overall a satisfying build-up of them as a couple.
S. E. Culpepper is definitely a new author to follow.
S. E. Culpepper is definitely a new author to follow.
October 26, 2011
I really really liked this but something is making me not love it so only 4 stars. I am not sure if it was too much angst or just too many little, then immediately solved problems but something kept me from going gaga over it. That said it was really good, lots of sexual tension two hot men yeah they were real men and not little twinks that read more like a 12 year old girl like a lot of the MM books (No offense 12 year old girls). The mystery wasn’t the best; everything I thought was right like I am not sure how the PI didn’t think to look there. But I did like the guys so I am forgiving the weak mystery
February 24, 2012
I LOVED these guys. I put these boys up with Ty and Zane (and God knows I'm OBSESSED with Ty Grady... Jane Austen can keep Mr. Darcy). I may be wrong in my analysis but I don't consider this a case of GFY, more a case of "late blooming". I have never wanted more of a glimpse into characters lives after the fact as I have wit this book. Not that this book was lacking, I just want MORE! S.E. Culpepper (effing GENIUS) is an author I will be sickly loyal to. If you don't read another M/M book this yr, I insist you read this one.
January 21, 2012
Lovely sweet story, with a particularly good depection of a budding and growing attraction. I like that these guys are friends, and you can see them having an actual life together, not just hot sex. Culpepper writes day-to-day activities well, and the secondary characters seem real, not just tropes, which gives a sense of a whole world. I'm looking forward to the follow-up book.
May 27, 2012
I liked this book up until about 60% then it got all emo and angsty.
The mystery was pretty good up until the end where then it just became kinda meh.
So all and all skip this book and just read book two which was much better in my opinion.
The mystery was pretty good up until the end where then it just became kinda meh.
So all and all skip this book and just read book two which was much better in my opinion.
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