Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Laurel Heights #2
SERIES: Laurel Heights
AUTHOR: Lisa Worrall
PUBLISHER: White Stiletto Press
LENGTH: 143 pages
BLURB:
Will and Scott are now out and proud and living together in Scott’s tiny house. So everything is perfect, right? Wrong…
Scott has a new partner, a new male partner, and Will is not happy about that at all.
A sadistic serial killer is at large, torturing his way through the gay community, but Will and Scott have no leads.
And one of the residents of Laurel Heights has been arrested for murder.
REVIEW:
One of my most favorite story lines to read is sexual tension between closeted cops. This is why Laurel Heights Book 1 was right up my alley, so when I knew a book 2 was in the works, I was all over it. I’m so unbelievably happy to say book 2 did not disappoint. At the end of book 1, Scott and Will take a fabulous leap out of the closet and dive head first in a committed relationship.
So, book 2 we find Scott and Will living together in Scott’s home, navigating life as an out and proud couple while still being homicide detectives. Problems arise almost immediately in the book when we meet Scott’s new, hot, and supposedly gay partner Detective Kelly Dawson. Kelly gets his kicks off of antagonizing Will. He makes Will believe that he has a thing for Scott, while Will, still a little insecure with his relationship allows Kelly to get to him. Kelly, however, has a big relationship secret of his own that we find out at the end of the book.
The detectives are assigned to what the media has dubbed, “The Castrator” a serial killer who preys on the gay men of New York. This author is absolutely brilliant when it comes to thrillers, mystery, twists and turns. Scott and Will want to desperately find the killer before he kills again and the stress weighs heavily on them but they never let it break their bond. If anything, it pushes them closer together.
They are dealt another blow when they are informed a friend from Laurel Heights was arrested for the murder of David, another Laurel Heights neighbor after having found him assaulting his lover, Todd. What we find out is that Jay Randall, evil mastermind from book 1, has an accomplice that is willing to pick up where he left off. When Scott and Will find out what David has done they are devastated and wracked with guilt, but again the stress brings them together as a couple. This just solidifies how much they truly belong together.
As the detectives get closer to solving the case, the suspect is able to kidnap Will in an undercover operation that goes terribly wrong. When we find out who the serial killer is, I have to admit, I was SHOCKED. It was beyond genius to make it who it turned out to be. BEYOND genius!! I cannot think of a better way to not get caught. The serial killer manages to torture Will for quite some time before Scott finds and saves him.
I think the best part for me was the fact that Laurel Heights 2 was not all about Laurel Heights. We got enough snippets here and there to satisfy while moving forward with an amazing plot outside the housing development. This author was able to strengthen the bond Will and Scott have throughout all the drama, and the sex was smokin’ hot. I loved this sequel and I’ve been left wanting to know all about Kelly’s story which I’m hoping was what the author was going for.
RATING: 
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