Book of the Week: Past His Defenses by Andrew Grey (M/M)

I recently enjoyed a gay fiction novel called "Past his Defenses" by Andrew Grey. It's about two men who were in the Marines in Afghanistan and fell for each other, then went their own ways for seven years. When one contacted the other to visit for a vacation, he never expected the other to have adopted a child. It's a great story with no explicit scenes, just a nice romantic novel with a little attempted industrial espionage. 4.5 out of 5 stars!

What I liked about the book: The characters were great, Robert, a former marine turned Detroit police detective was interesting and my favorite character. Dixie (a man), the other former marine working in cyber security adopted a somewhat disabled and smart son named Henri and lived in Paris. Henri was also a great character. The only one I didn't warm up to was Dixie. But there was intrigue as Dixie and Henri were threatened by a rival company who wanted to steal his work. The Cover was HOT. 

What could have been better- wasn't the story- it was the formatting! The font was in 10 point type which got hard to read. It was also single spaced, and the chapters didn't start on the right-facing page. I LOVED the STORY... but the formatting and font size was somewhat off-putting.

ABOUT THE BOOK: When a case reopens old wounds from the kidnapping of his younger sister, police officer Robert Fenner is told in no uncertain terms that he needs a break. And maybe his superiors are right. He books a flight to visit an old friend, who happens to be the one who got away, and hopes for the best.

Electronic security consultant Dixie Halewood works from his home in Paris, where he lives with his adopted son, Henri. Dixie doesn't expect a message from an old flame asking for a place to stay, but he agrees. Their past is just that--the past.

Things between them aren't as settled as they thought--Henri, Paris, and proximity work their magic. The two men are drawn closer and old flames burst back to life, but Dixie's work brings a new threat to their safety and the budding family they missed out on the first time around.

Great Short Mystery (M/M): Cards on the Table by Josh Lanyon

 Josh Lanyon is an author who has written over 100 titles - novels, short stories, etc. She's become famous (she's a woman, married to a man) who writes gay male/male novels- whether mystery, paranormal-tinged, romance, or adventure. I recently read her short book "Cards on the Table" and loved it. Lanyon is a great writer who paints a picture you can see in your mind, and immediately gets you interested in the characters. 

In short, a gay reporter named Tim is working on a book about a 50 plus year unsolved murder, and gets some threats as he gets too close and asks too many questions. His once on, now off, boyfriend happens to be a detective who lives in the upstairs apartment from him, and gets involved. There are great characterizations, and you can understand the reason why Tim behaves in a guarded, sometimes irritated manner (although I wanted to shout at him to cut it out!). 

There's a good mystery and some romance, too, so if you don't want to read about a gay relationship, know that upfront. I really enjoyed it, and look forward to reading more of her books. 

About the author

Author of 100+ titles of Gay Mystery and M/M Romance, Josh Lanyon has built a literary legacy on twisty mystery, kickass adventure, and unapologetic man-on-man romance.

Her work has been translated into twelve languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first Male/Male title to be published by Italy’s Harlequin Mondadori and Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan’s annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list). The Adrien English series was awarded the All-Time Favorite Couple by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. In 2019, Fatal Shadows became the first LGBTQ mobile game created by Moments: Choose Your Story.

Josh is an EPIC Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), an Edgar nominee, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads All Time Favorite M/M Author award.

Josh is married and lives in Southern California with her irascible husband, two adorable dogs, a small garden, and an ever-expanding library of vintage mystery destined to eventually crush them all beneath its weight.

Find other Josh Lanyon titles at www.joshlanyon.com