4.5 stars

This was one book I was loath to put down in order to go to work, I was hooked from the beginning and despite some of it feeling a little bit hard to believe, I really enjoyed it.

I really liked both of the main characters, Noah, who is currently homeless, is bashed on the streets one night ending up in hospital. Harry is a financial reporter trying to become an investigative journalist, he is doing a story on the homeless community and when he hears of the assault on Noah, he turns up at the hospital to see if he can interview him.

Noah was a great character, at first unwilling to ask for help, but slowly letting his guard down as his relationship with Harry progressed. As I found out about Noah's situation, it seemed it was another all too familiar case of a child getting lost in the system, just like real life. I really liked Noah and I liked seeing how he was tough but vulnerable.

I liked Harry, I liked how his compassion and empathy wouldn't allow him to turn away from Noah, a complete stranger when he was in need of someone to help him, and that he was willing to follow Noah and help him to uncover the truth about his past.

There was plenty of chemistry between Noah and Harry, as well as genuine affection, and I loved how this relationship bloomed.

The truth about Noah's past and his parents went in several directions I wasn't expecting and one I was. It will never cease to amaze me the lengths some people will go to to be top dog. There were a few moments when I didn't know if all was going to end well or not and I had to keep reading despite the need to sleep.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ninestar Press for providing me with a digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I adored Harry and Noah and thought this was a sweet but dirty little romance. There is enough mystery and adventure that it adds intrigue to their love story but not enough that it adds a lot of suspense and angst. This was my first Karrie Roman novel but I plan to check out more.

I was excited to read this but I quite like Karrie Roman. I first read her stories with the Until You series and became quite smitten with her MM stories. I didn't even read the synopsis just saw it was her and asked to be able to review it.

Once I got started I was hooked with the story. Harry Cooper is a journalist looking for the next big story. So when he gets a lead he finds his way to a homeless man named Noah Lancaster.

There is something about Noah that draws Harry in, however the most intriguing thing for Harry is that Noah is so comfortable in his own skin which is shocking for him, especially with Noah's circumstances.

Noah wants to mind his own business but trouble keeps finding him and he ends up back in the hospital where Harry gets notified since Noah has no one else.

Harry and Noah are the most unlikely duo but I like them together. The more they get to know each other the more layers of the story unfold.

I liked the suspense and storyline. There were many different twists and turns which kept me guessing the whole time.

3.5 Stars!

What a crazy ride this was. From the opening, it was obvious that Beyond Identity was going to be something totally different. It was hard to figure out where that opening was going to lead and it didn’t become totally clear until almost the end, but it was worth the wait.

Noah had some memories of his parents, but he was too young when they were killed to remember much about them – other than they loved him. As far as he knew, he had no other family and the only other support system he had when he was a child, he lost when he was taken into foster care.

Harry wanted to make a name for himself as an investigative journalist. His story on the homeless wasn’t “official” but he knew that there was a story there. He had no idea it would turn into much more than that.

Together Harry and Noah followed leads researching Noah’s past trying to discover what had put a target on his back. There were a lot of twists and turns, danger for both Noah and Harry and a surprising conclusion that no one saw coming… at least not the characters involved.

This blurb really drew me in with hints of a connection to a historical mystery and I like the overall flow of the plot as Noah and Harry, two men from dissimilar backgrounds, meet and bond together to solve the mystery of Noah’s past.

Journalist Harry Cooper first learns of Noah when Noah is hospitalized after being severely beaten up in an alleyway. As part of Harry’s research on the homeless, he interviews Noah and is immediately interested in both the man and his story. When Noah is shot two weeks later by the same assailant, Harry finds “it was surprisingly easy for him to drop everything and follow a man he’s met three short weeks ago to the other side of the world, so they could try to figure out who was trying to kill him.”

Harry and Noah quickly have cute nicknames for one another (“Pulitzer” for Harry and “Arsehole” for Noah) but there is a lot of tell here instead of show, and while the sex scenes are plentiful and passionate, at times it seems to me sex serves as a substitute for emotional growth in the relationship. For example, after Noah learns something earth-shattering that completely guts him, this is their very first sex scene:

[Harry] What the hell could he say to make any of this mess better anyway?
“Do you know what I want right now, Pulitzer?” Noah suddenly asked into the silence.
Harry could only imagine what he wanted: answers, peace, his parents back. “What do you want, Noah?”
“I want you to fuck me.”

The pacing of the story is somewhat slow in that we really don’t get to the heart of the mystery until very late in the book. I don’t want to spoil the historical mystery for other readers, but I find it all rather clumsy and convoluted as the motivation for murder and attempted murder; also Lord Bolingbroke, Noah’s long-lost uncle, is very much a one-dimensional character.

Personally, this book did not work for me but I feel I’m probably the exception here because I could not get past the “shallow sex” and the odd way in which the author uses the historical mystery subplot. 3 stars for “Beyond Identity” and as always, Your Mileage May Vary.

4.5 Stars

Karrie Roman's Beyond Identity is a great read.

From the start, I fell in love with Noah. He's an absolutely loveable character, homeless and attacked while on the streets. He meets Harry when the reporter comes to interview him about being attacked while homeless.

What follows is a good mystery, with twists and turns I certainly never saw coming. The two begin on an adventure neither could have ever expected.
Their tale includes danger, action, suspense, and a sweet romance.

Their relationship evolves naturally, as they spend time together, trying to protect and save Noah. These two are just super sweet together. It's beautiful watching them on their journey towards love. And in the end, their story is about finding someone who's good for you; someone who makes you smile.

And Harry's Pearl, omg, best scene ever! You'll just have to read to find out.

The writing is great, with two well developed characters, a well done mystery, and an overall tender love story.

Beyond Identity is a riveting mystery romance by Karrie Roman. It's a whole lot of fun and I am once again left impressed by this author.

I absolutely loved this story. Noah might be homeless but he isn’t a drunk, a drug addict or a rent boy. He is suffering from too much pride. Harry Cooper might come from moneyed parents but he is working for a living and striving for what he wants. When these two meet the world is going to be tilted on its axis.
This is a fantastic tale filled with action, mystery and love. I heartily recommend.

Noah and Harry were very engaging characters, likable and interesting. I loved the mystery aspect of the storyline as they strive to discover Noah's history. This was my first time reading this author but I'm going to be on the lookout for more of her work.

An emotional, convoluted mystery! Didn’t see the twist coming and I loved it!

Noah is living on the streets when he is attacked and beaten. He ends up in the hospital and meets up with Harry. Harry is a reporter who is attempting to write an article about people who are street-involved that will highlight the dangers and possibilities for change. They part after a short meeting but then Harry is contacted when Noah is attacked again.

First Noah is beaten, then he’s shot. There’s definitely more going on than someone simply having an issue with a guy living on the streets. The two men form a quick friendship and begin looking into Noah’s past.

The characters are well-rounded. Noah and Harry are very different from one another and I enjoyed that.

Noah is a young man with a complicated history. On his own from a young age, he was taken into foster care. He has a very no-nonsense way of looking at his past: he survived it and nothing was too terrible once he was in foster care. Living with dyslexia has derailed Noah a little, but he’s determined and independent. If there’s one thing that becomes clear very quickly, it’s that Noah doesn’t like being a burden to anyone. I felt as though his character was pretty authentic although he did trust Harry very quickly. I found that a little hard to believe. Living on the streets is pretty tough and one of the first rules is not trusting anyone without a very good reason.

Harry comes from money but is obviously a man who likes to work. He’s principled and falls into the role of wanting to protect Noah very quickly. It’s a natural place for this character, he’s very compassionate. I enjoyed the characterization of a journalist who wanted to really make a change in the world or even make the world a better place for just one person.

At its core, this story is a mystery wrapped up in a lovely gay romance. Noah and Harry are forging an emotional bond with one another as they travel across the world to try and find any clues they can about Noah’s family. I’m not going to give away the plot twist because I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was believable and I love that in a good mystery! I was truly surprised at the end… and I thank the author for that! What an adventure!