Hunter

This made me think of some of my favourite elements in Josh Lanyon's books. A vulnerable in some way main character, a murder mystery and a old flame back in the picture with unsettled business. I felt connected to the main character, Luis pretty much straight away. I loved how his partner was introduced into the story at the beginning, I think I might have snort laughed. I found him interesting and really liked how he seemed to have a hard time building working and personal relationships with his colleagues. Luis did get on my nerves sometimes though, his inability to see that people cared about him and assuming anyone with a problem with him did so because of the colour of his skin grated sometimes (though some of them such as his ex's family did so totally justified there). However how he was treated by his colleagues also really annoyed me, there was so much miscommunication there.

His ex Donovan was very sweet but quite..... thick when it came to Luis and how their relationship ended. How he thought it was fine and it wouldn't have damaged Luis in anyway and that they could just pick up where they left off was beyond me. Sometimes he seemed to understand him more than anyone in the world and the next he would do or say something that proved he actually doesn't know anything about him. After reading that you probably don't think I was rooting for them to get together but I actually was, I just wanted to knock their heads together sometimes that's all.

I think the ghost elements weren't very well introduced, it kind of came out of nowhere and wasn't very believable.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this and I'm looking forward to reading the next book.

A serial killer murder mystery with a supernatural twist and an easy to love main character. Luis was closed off and snarky but very easy to relate to. I had a bit harder of a time with Donovan who seemed a bit... naive or possibly just very dense at times but then very perceptive at others. I really hope there are more books in this series!

Mysteries, reconciliations, misconceptions and ghosts! I loved this story. J.V. did a wonderful job of mixing so many different concepts and coming up with a story that made me want more. A serial killer, an FBI agent with a shaky and still poignant past with a local cop. There was so much...bigotry, blame, unresolved issues and all the while, trying to catch a killer and experiencing the supernatural.. It made for an intriguing story and you still managed to get some love throughout.

I would rate this 3.5 stars.

Luis is a federal agent, trained as a profiler, sent to Boston where he is assigned to work a murder case with a state police detective named Donovan. Donovan was his roommate and lover in college thirteen years before. Part of why they broke up was Donovan's unwillingness to come out of the closet. Luis already faces discrimination for being Brazilian, so being gay is one more reason for his colleagues to dislike him; so he may as well be in their faces about it. Only Donovan knows Luis's history and how people are unfairly judging him. For them to get their second chance, Donovan has to be honest about who he is and Luis has to value himself and stop pushing people away.

Many of Luis's issues are his childhood trauma that he hasn't dealt with. As a psychological professional, it is sad how mentally unhealthy Luis seems to be. His stressful work environment is not helping, and neither does he help himself. He is also dealing with racism at work--nothing overt, more like micro-agressions. Donovan's family, also all police officers, are also not very accepting of Luis being brown, or gay. It takes awhile for Donovan to acknowledge he's done anything wrong, or for him to admit he hasn't ever recovered from their breakup either. Although I liked seeing flawed characters, it's also difficult to not dislike them all at times throughout the book.

The writing is uneven. For example, Donovan is seemingly impressed with Luis being an FBI profiler at the beginning, but then he says it's a pseudoscience and is disrespectful of Luis during the case. Then, he has an about-face defending him to Kevin, even citing Luis's qualifications. Donovan belives in ghosts and psychics, but not psychology? Why is a police detective acting as an intermediary between FBI agents? At the point that Kevin and Luis are having issues, Donovan and Kevin are acting more like professional partners even though they don't work for the same branch of law enforcement. Why does the FBI captain even listen to Donovan at all? The paranormal aspects of the case are only signaled by the cover. The entrance of paranormal activity is thrown abruptly into the middle of the story. I'm not sure it needed this aspect at all. I don't think it added anything to what was already an interesting murder case. I think it took time away from character development and interpersonal communication that would have strengthened this book.

There are many things I liked about this book, and there are several parts I feel could have been better executed. By the time they have their HEA, everyone feels bad they were mean to poor Luis. At least in two sentences Luis acknowledges he needs to handle things better moving forward...but I wanted to see that as an actual realization. I wanted to see the work that would go into that, not to assume everything will magically be better after he gets out of the hospital and goes back to work, with his new boyfriend in tow.

Glad I decided to read this, kept my mind occupied and not wanting to put it down. Giving this four stars.

I really liked this. I didn’t expect the sudden PNR, but that’s okay. I also seriously didn’t expect the ghost to be who it was, and it was weird but eh I liked it.

I still think Rourke should grovel a lot even tho his apology was good. And Donovan needs to make sure his mother is really and truly okay with the fact that he’s gay or be done with it.

But that’s what sequels are for.

I got this arc from netgalley etc.

Luis has spent his career chasing the darker side of life. First a vice cop, then an FBI profiler, now he lands in the Boston field office, and not by choice. He expects his case load to have a much lighter tone than he’s used to.

He wasn’t counting on New England’s dark history, or their pride in it. He didn’t understand how close-knit the old towns could be, or how protective they were of their own. He soon finds he’s going to have to count on every skill he ever used in his time at headquarters, and a few skills he didn’t know he had, if he wants to keep body and soul together.

Complicating matters is a new case Luis has just been handed, working with the Mass. State Police. Luis has history there, and ugly history too. Detective Donovan Carey is the guy who broke Luis’ heart over a decade ago. He wasn’t willing to even peek his head outside the closet, certainly not for someone like Luis. Can they put their history aside to deal with a mystery centuries in the making?

While I liked the the story , I didn't like some of characters in fact I couldn't stand Donvovan at all, and I'm not sure I ever will, it was like though out the book he kept pushing Luis and how it was always his plain to go back home after collage, he didn't even understand why Luis had the right to be angry or why he seemed to have changed ,Luis on the other hand made me feel sorry for him, the way he kept think he wasn't good enough to be loved and didn't deserve a happy every , and the stuff he put up with from his fellow officers.As for the story it self I liked how the author used history of New England , and how there was a tough of the paranormal , and how the setting seemed to give the story a dark and gloomy feel to it ,which bought the story to life . With that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion .

Luis is a profiler for the FBI, very good at his job, lousy with people. He has a issues with people seeing him as a not “white” man (he is Brazilian). His life has been about not being quite good enough.

Donovan is a cop. Years ago they were college lovers. Donovan left Luis and went back home to Boston, to be the good son of an Irish family and take his place in another generation of cops. He can’t do that being gay.

When they are forced to work a serial case together, neither man wants to let the past affect the present but both fail miserably. More bodies piling up means more stress. It’s not until their lives are on the line do the men face what they mean to each other (some really good drugs helped too).

I loved Luis. Something about a really damaged man just speaks to me. Donovan was a pain in the butt. He did get better as a human and a man still in love after ten years of separation.

This had all the elements I look for in a detective type book. Engaging characters (even the bigoted ones). Little bit of mystery, little bit of paranormal, and a little bit of sexy times. I’m hoping the next book expands on all these things.