REVIEWED BY SADONNA
TITLE: A Shot of Fear
SERIES: Vasquez Inc #2
AUTHOR: Lou Sylvre
LENGTH: 163 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 29, 2019
BLURB:
Jackie Vasquez knows he needs to submit to a Dom he can trust—just as much as he needs to manage his own life. He found the right Dom in Brian Harrison, and then romance beckoned them both beyond bindings and safewords. They take the first steps toward a life together in London, where Brian is pursuing his dream career at Scotland Yard, and Jackie is working toward a master’s degree. Their private hours deep in the night brim with both heat and beauty as Brian’s artful vision for bondage makes a masterwork out of Jackie, body and soul.
But time together becomes scarce as a series of horrific gaslight crimes keeps Brian at work and out of reach for Jackie much of the time. Though Jackie is faithful, he isn’t the type to sit and wait for his lover’s attentions. His self-assured ways and his geocaching hobby lead him to a dangerous discovery—all is not as it seems at the University. Trapped in the Gaslighter’s web, he’ll need to use every trick he knows to stay calm and buy time. But will Brian unravel the knot of mystery in time to save the man he loves?
REVIEW:
Note: This is the second book in this series and as such, it builds on the first book and starts right after the last night in the first book. Not recommended as a stand alone.
Jackie Vasquez and Brian Harrison have just enjoyed a beautiful evening of love. But then Brian is called upon to do some research for the outstanding case he’s been working on in London for Scotland Yard. So Jackie decides to enjoy the day in Denver. But then he does something he’s told both Brian and Luki that he won’t do anymore as he hasn’t let anyone know and doesn’t have any kind of safety net. When Brian catches up with him, he’s scared and then that morphs into anger. Jackie is terribly unhappy and they spend their last night in Denver miserable. Brian takes Jackie back home, but things are not the same.
Brian returns to London and he’s very unhappy about how things ended on the surprise trip with Jackie. He does eventually try to get in touch with him after speaking to the Dom he’s been training with, but it seems that he’s been unable to reach him. Jackie for his part has been extremely unhappy about how things were left as well. He’s been waiting for his grad school acceptances – particularly for a placement in London and he hasn’t had the heart to even tell Brian that he’d applied there. When they both finally get to the point that they communicate, the air is cleared and Jackie decides to take the placement in London and see where things go.
In the meantime, Brian is still working on his “gaslighter” case. It’s getting a bit more strange and then a bunch of things conspire for him to have to spend a lot of hours working. But he and Jackie are doing well in their relationship and Jackie seems to be enjoying his schoolwork. Jackie goes back to his geocaching hobby with some fellow students. He never goes alone, but he’s feeling less and less comfortable with his fellow students. Then after a particular gruesome night with his geocaching friends and their find, he really feels uneasy. But he doesn’t just let it lie – he reaches out.
Brian is still trying to trace the “gaslighter” cases and then some strange coincidences start to come together. While Brian is pursuing some expert help on the latest incident, things come together. And a phone call from the US puts Brian on alert and he’s certain that Jackie is now in danger and he’s got to find him. Time is of the essence.
Whew! This one is a nail biter. The mystery and the relationship both develop pretty quickly and as a reader we have a real sense of dread that Jackie is walking a very fine line and is being reeled into the villain’s web. Brian is doing well in his job, but he’s concerned about the amount of time he’s spending at work and he misses time with Jackie. Jackie is sort of settling in to his London home, but he’s more comfortable with Brian. They have gotten past their issues at the beginning of the book and have moved into a good place. Brian continues to worry about Jackie but more because he loves him and wants him to be happy. And it turns out that the things he’s been teaching Jackie come in really handy when the chips are down when Jackie has to deal with a psychotic killer. I was really nervous for Jackie and since he’s already lived through a lot of trauma, I didn’t want to see him hurt any more than he already has been. What he shows us here is how strong he’s grown and how much he has absorbed the lessons and work that he’s done to heal himself. I honestly cannot wait for the next chapter for these two men! Highly recommended especially for fans of mystery and crime solving, here with a bit of a British twist 🙂
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Changeling Press