Private Dicks: Undercovers (GLBT)

Private Dicks: Undercovers by Samantha M. Derr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Temper: ***** One of my favorites, and the reason I took longer to finish this antho.-I went back to reread it. >.< This story was great and a total treat to read. Reese does his PI job, mostly looking for stray pets. He doesn't have it easy with his 'supposed' pack (supposed b/c basically the Alpha is a total P*&CK and the rest are no better). When asked to infiltrate another pack to look into the murder and disappearance of several shifters is when his life becomes a tangle of lies and deception as he tries to discover what is going on. It made me sad how Reese was so used to mistreatment that Deepine's welcoming and warm actions seemed so alien to him, particularly the Alpha's focused and doting attentions. I was totally engrossed in this story. There's action and tension and mystery that when everything was revealed at the end, I was like woah, Reese is one very sweet but sneaky fellow. LOVED IT!!

The PI and the Rock Star: *** This was a good story, but I felt like it was missing something to give it that extra sparkle. Maybe it was b/c I was expecting this major confrontation between the opposing characters...but I still liked Mason and Jade.

Glamour: *** This story for me had a lot of potential, but it felt like a condensed version of a novel.So while I liked the characters and the possibilities it seemed over too quickly and the situation resolved with no particular fanfare.

The Virginia Gentleman: ***This one was actually a great story, but I felt like there was a cop out as like a previous story there is no squaring off with the bad guy, it was very easily tied up in a bow. Still enjoyed it.

The Royal Inquisitor: **** Megan Derr is always a favorite, so it goes w/o saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It's so hard to realize how one simple action can cause such a serious misunderstanding. Esmour trying to prove his love and loyalty to Teigh only leaves himself open to someone else's treachery, and giving Teigh the belief that Esmour has betrayed him. Now under the employ of the crown as one of the top Inquisitors, Esmour wears penance bracelets on his wrists and the pain of Teigh's actions in his heart. Suddenly an assignment tosses them together and Esmour and Teigh finally have the opportunity to set to rights the wrongs committed years before.

Regarding the Detective's Companion: *** Jamie is having a hard time. As a PI he finds it difficult to land any cases since rarely anyone wants to overlook the fact that he's in a wheelchair and when they do, it's only to offer him shady ones. Which is what happens with his next case. Someone is willing to pay a lot of money for Jamie to find anything that will implicate Dr. Hallingsworth of a crime, even murder. Jamie doesn't want to, sensing something more is going on but feels he has no choice at the reality of his situation. He accepts the case but bows to find the truth, discover who really murdered the Dean of Dr. Hallingsworth college, and if Dr. Hallingsworth really is the killer than he has nothing to feel ashamed of. This story was enjoyable, and the relationship between Jamie and Hallingsworth is very innocent. I disliked how people treated Jamie and his handicap, so it was lovely to see how Hallingsworth and his colleagues regarded him. While an intriguing mystery, the end result felt like a let down since it was just swept under the rug. But it was good to see Jamie get a fresh start.

The Demon Bride: ****This story was another favorite. Quinn is a young man who keeps finding dead bodies in the front stoop of his father's business, and he finds it odd that neither his father or the police are willing to investigate the matter further. He is convinced to let it go but finds it difficult to turn the other way when it involves a friend. Between ominous advice from a gypsy, dark riddles and warnings from a mysterious and compelling man-Sebastian, threats from a Hunter-Francis; Quinn has to discover who is leaving him bodies and why. He also has to deal with his attraction to Sebastian when it's Oz (his father's employee) that he loves, and last but not least come to terms with the fact that his not completely human. I wanted more of this story, seriously. Sebastian is a very compelling character, Quinn is very pure and I liked that even though he didn't really know what he was doing, still tried his best to find out the truth. Oz is a very gentle and protective character so the three of them go very well together. Really good read!

Too Dangerous: **** Shi accepts a case that involves locating Elis-his possibly ex lover. Not really knowing where their relationship stands but feeling the need to find him Shi goes ahead. The assignment is way over Shi's head, something Elis will most likely throw in his face-as that was the reason for their fight before the man disappeared but Shi has no other choice. Hmm, this story is good. Not so much mystery but more action driven. Shi and Elis are guys with strong personalities. I think this case proved Elis' point, not because he thought any less of Shi, but because there are some things that Shi is just not trained for. A very exciting story.

Overall this was a great compilation of stories. :D


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