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9th out of 399 books
—
860 voters
Life Lessons (Life Lessons #1)
by
Kaje Harper (Goodreads Author)
Tony Hart's life has been quiet lately. He has good friends and a rewarding teaching job. Then the murdered body of another teacher falls into the elevator at his feet, and Tony's life gets a little too exciting.
Jared MacLean is a homicide detective, a widowed father, and deeply in the closet. But from the moment he meets Tony's blue eyes in that high school hallway, Mac c...more
Jared MacLean is a homicide detective, a widowed father, and deeply in the closet. But from the moment he meets Tony's blue eyes in that high school hallway, Mac c...more
ebook, 276 pages
Published
May 3rd 2011
by MLR Press
(first published May 1st 2011)
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5 stars
Wow. Let's see if I can sum up how I feel about this book. I just finished it so things are still running around in my head like crazy and I'm just kinda like ahhhhh!
1. Tony handled things like a boss.
It was really nice to see a main character like Tony. Tony went through a lot of shit that a normal person couldn't even begin to process or even imagine getting through. He didn't act like a complete screaming ninny and a drama queen which was a relief. I find that a lot of gay men in stor...more
Wow. Let's see if I can sum up how I feel about this book. I just finished it so things are still running around in my head like crazy and I'm just kinda like ahhhhh!
1. Tony handled things like a boss.
It was really nice to see a main character like Tony. Tony went through a lot of shit that a normal person couldn't even begin to process or even imagine getting through. He didn't act like a complete screaming ninny and a drama queen which was a relief. I find that a lot of gay men in stor...more
17 likes · like · see review
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REVIEW COMPLETED AUGUST 9, 2012
Mac lay quietly for a long time, drifting, breathing the scent of Tony's hair. He had never done this before, never felt safe enough to sleep in the same bed with a man, never wanted to just hold someone and make the world go away.
The book title is perfect. Mac, the closeted cop, has yet to learn a very important lesson: his coming out. It won't happen in Life Lessons though, but I'm pretty sure he will have his coming out in the sequel. His reasons for being clo...more
Mac lay quietly for a long time, drifting, breathing the scent of Tony's hair. He had never done this before, never felt safe enough to sleep in the same bed with a man, never wanted to just hold someone and make the world go away.
The book title is perfect. Mac, the closeted cop, has yet to learn a very important lesson: his coming out. It won't happen in Life Lessons though, but I'm pretty sure he will have his coming out in the sequel. His reasons for being clo...more
21 likes · like · see review
I can't believe I waited this long to read this. It was awesome! On to Breaking Cover.
5 likes · like · see review
I've had several people mention that they only found my free short story Life Lessons 1.5 -And To All A Good Night after reading both novels 1 and 2 and that they wished they had read the series in order. And now there is also the Valentine's short. So I thought I would put a link here to download And to All a Good Night where it is available as a free download from Smashwords. This short story is also available free from Amazon, and on my website. So if you like to be complete and orderly in r...more
9 likes · like · see review
4..... Maybe 5 stars.....
I couldn't put this down
Loved the crime story, took me a bit to guess
Loved the building relationship
Cop ... Teacher ... In the closet ....yes!
(view spoiler)
Off to book two right now ....
I couldn't put this down
Loved the crime story, took me a bit to guess
Loved the building relationship
Cop ... Teacher ... In the closet ....yes!
(view spoiler)
Off to book two right now ....
5 likes · like · see review
Smitten, that is what I am with this couple. I loved this story and I LOVED Mac and Tony.
This book came very highly recommended by many GR friends and they were right. It is a great story.
Tony Hart is a high school teacher that accidentally stumbles into a murder in progress. One of the others teachers has been stabbed and Tony is the one who finds the man as the killer is getting away.
Detective Maclean comes to the scene, Mac is DEEPLY in the closet, but he can't help looking and looking at To...more
This book came very highly recommended by many GR friends and they were right. It is a great story.
Tony Hart is a high school teacher that accidentally stumbles into a murder in progress. One of the others teachers has been stabbed and Tony is the one who finds the man as the killer is getting away.
Detective Maclean comes to the scene, Mac is DEEPLY in the closet, but he can't help looking and looking at To...more
10 likes · like · see review
Hot Damn!
This fitted my today's mood fabulously!
❤Great writing,
❤Great romance,
❤Great smex'in,
❤Great plot!.
❤Great pacing
This book is 5 Star fab!
This fitted my today's mood fabulously!
❤Great writing,
❤Great romance,
❤Great smex'in,
❤Great plot!.
❤Great pacing
This book is 5 Star fab!
Solid 3.5 stars
I'm very predictable. Give me a book about a closeted cop and a charming love interest, throw in some steam, and a little bit of suspense and you've got me. (Adrien English, Cop Out, Shattered Glass, Point of No Return...heck, make it 2 closeted cops and even better: Cut & Run, Common Ground)
"Life Lessons" had everything I like in an easy-to-read book: likable characters, sweet chemistry, drama, blood, and fun, flirtatious banter. Tony and Mac "played" their roles perfectly an...more
11 likes · like · see review
Excellent story about a deeply closeted cop and an out and proud teacher. The murder mystery plot is very well done and the romance is slow building but hot. I really liked the ending. I love MM romance with cops and this is a great addition to that sub-genre. I will definitely be buying more from this author.
Kaje Harper's earlier book, Lies & Consequences was a DNF for me. Like its successor, L&C had a closeted MC but where the plot device used to drive L&C irked me, in Life Lessons my sympathies were squarely with Detective Maclean and Tony Hart.
The story had a nice pacing, with the murder/suspense thread interwoven with the romance - IMO - perfectly! This was the 5-star quality for me and one which I hope to find every time I buy a Romantic Suspense, MM or het. The pacing both men (try...more
The story had a nice pacing, with the murder/suspense thread interwoven with the romance - IMO - perfectly! This was the 5-star quality for me and one which I hope to find every time I buy a Romantic Suspense, MM or het. The pacing both men (try...more
3 likes · like · see review
Somewhere between 4.5. and 5. Gritty, suspence thriller with gay protagonists. Tony and Mac's fumbling courtship/relationship really got to me. It felt so real. The way Mac cared for Tony and how Mac finally let Tony care for him was achingly beautiful. I can't wait to read the rest of this series!
5 likes · like · see review
Excellent, will definitely read on.
3 likes · like · see review
Life Lessons is the first book I have read by Kaje Harper. Ms Harper deals with a very sensitive subject in this edge of your seat, knuckle gripping mystery thriller--the subject?--gay men who stay in the closet. Mac, a police detective is buried far, far into the closet. Tony, a school teacher, and the man Mac is determined to protect is not! And there lies the real dilemma. Admidst the backdrop of murder and mayhem, these two meet and begin to fall in love. So, it then follows that here is whe...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Kinsey six ; "Exclusively homosexual. Individuals who are exclusively homosexual, both in regard to their overt experience and in regard to their psychic reactions." Google it.
lesson 2: cervical cancer is an std, spread by sex. Requires radiation treatment, sometimes hysterectomy.
Lesson 3: you cant walk away from a greencard marriage, you have to stay married, its not automatically free green card forever, like it used to be.
lesson 2: cervical cancer is an std, spread by sex. Requires radiation treatment, sometimes hysterectomy.
Lesson 3: you cant walk away from a greencard marriage, you have to stay married, its not automatically free green card forever, like it used to be.
1 like · like · see review
I enjoyed this book a lot. The characters fit molds of the kind of contemporary characters I like to read without being over the top or dialog seeming unreal. The mystery part was well thought out. I could have passed on the kids part of the story but I understand the reason for them being there. Still... Seemed out of place to me. However, I would recommend this book to friends.
1 like · like · see review
It's good, just that is. Overall I think it's kind of good same-old same-old detective in the closet. No things over excited. A little too much of unuseful information (I really need to learn what to do and what medicine to take for head injured from m/m novel?) and it left too little space for relationship to developed. I can see they were in lust but in love... when? It seems there will be a sequel which... kind of disappoint for me. Not that I think it's not worth to read but, another cops-co...more
SlashReaders: Kaje Harper's series or duo of books was not good enough for me to classify as 'good' but not bad enough for me to put into the 'bad' category either. I was thinking that I had read a short work by Kaje somewhere along the lines but I'm not finding it... Ah because I purchased The Rebuilding Year, some time back though I haven't read it yet. I did not dislike Kaje's work enough not to give it a try, so we'll see.
(view spoiler)...more
(view spoiler)...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Okay, I picked up this book because it kept showing up freaking EVERYWHERE. I don't know why I kept tripping over it, but I had a pile of gift cards and tried a sample, and then I bought it.
I am not a mystery lover at all, and I don't care about crime stuff, so there were parts of the book, esp the beginning, where mostly I wanted to get to the romance already. But in the end I really liked it all, save the crime and mystery stuff. I knew the killer from the first scene he was named, but that's...more
I am not a mystery lover at all, and I don't care about crime stuff, so there were parts of the book, esp the beginning, where mostly I wanted to get to the romance already. But in the end I really liked it all, save the crime and mystery stuff. I knew the killer from the first scene he was named, but that's...more
2 likes · like · see review
I spent the Thanksgiving weekend with Tony and Mac, have read all three books currently in the series, and have decided it's just not enough. Not because the stories were not complete, and not because there were evil cliffhangers. Because I'm greedy and I just want MORE.
But here's the really cool part--I was just as interested in the crime-solving part of it all as I was in the developing relationship between Tony and Mac. It was complete and well-rounded, meaning that the culprit did not spring...more
But here's the really cool part--I was just as interested in the crime-solving part of it all as I was in the developing relationship between Tony and Mac. It was complete and well-rounded, meaning that the culprit did not spring...more
4 likes · like · see review
Wow. That was seriously intense. This was the first book I've read by this author, but it will most definitely not be the last! This story had it all: plot, characterization, internal tension, external tension. It gripped me and wouldn't let go til the end. And the moment I finished it, I immediately wanted more.
I'm very grateful there's a sequel! This story was complete in itself, in that it ended with a solid HFN. But I'm looking forward to the sequel in which I assume (hope) they'll finally...more
I'm very grateful there's a sequel! This story was complete in itself, in that it ended with a solid HFN. But I'm looking forward to the sequel in which I assume (hope) they'll finally...more
I actually liked this book. Not quite enough for a 5-star, but certainly above average. There actually is a plot! Tony and Mac seem at times to be the 'odd couple,' in that Tony is totally out of the closet and Mac is bolted in, but that's part of the story.
I guess this time what I enjoyed is a book without so much sex. There are far too many authors that seem to only know how to write hot bedroom fuck sessions. Not saying that this author doesn't, either, but at least it's not 3 out of every 4...more
I guess this time what I enjoyed is a book without so much sex. There are far too many authors that seem to only know how to write hot bedroom fuck sessions. Not saying that this author doesn't, either, but at least it's not 3 out of every 4...more
I really liked this! I think the circumstances that Kaje created for Mac were imaginative and well-explained, and totally connected Mac's personality and his decisions about staying in the closet and connected with his daughter.
There are stories about saintly relatives coming out of the woodwork to help raise kids, but neither Mac nor Tony have that option. Tony has to deal with the alcoholic mother of a good friend's son, and Mac has to depend on an inflexibly fundamentalist cousin to help rai...more
There are stories about saintly relatives coming out of the woodwork to help raise kids, but neither Mac nor Tony have that option. Tony has to deal with the alcoholic mother of a good friend's son, and Mac has to depend on an inflexibly fundamentalist cousin to help rai...more
1 like · like · see review
This is one of books I must thank my friends in Goodreads for. When I first read the blurb and a couple of early reviews, I was wary about the "HFN" ending. So I postponed the idea to get it. But then the sequel came out and it seemed to be better and the reviews for this were already good, so I thought, "heck, let's give this one a try"
And MY, what a treat!! I love mystery/thriller on top of romance and Life Lessons offers me just that. The first chapter already grips me, with Tony finding the...more
And MY, what a treat!! I love mystery/thriller on top of romance and Life Lessons offers me just that. The first chapter already grips me, with Tony finding the...more
6 likes · like · see review
First book in the Life Lessons series. Slow-ish start as this book is mostly about setting the scene and developing the characters. 4 stars and
Mac is a police detective
, firmly in the closet in order to protect his daughter and himself (there's a story there too). Tony is a teacher
at the local high school, and this story starts when a teacher that Tony doesn't particularly get on with crawls into the lift at school late one evening when Tony is leaving, with a knife sticking out of him...blo...more
6 likes · like · see review
This is a very sweet book with an interesting plot.
Romantically it's kind of predictable from the start, but that doesn't lessen the enjoyment of what actually happens.
I liked both Tony and Mac from the outset and wanted them together. One of the good things about M/M is the lack of whiny heroine. They're both strong, independent adults who you end up really rooting for and want to be happy.
I've never read a book where one of the protagonists was in the closet before- it's interesting. He had...more
Romantically it's kind of predictable from the start, but that doesn't lessen the enjoyment of what actually happens.
I liked both Tony and Mac from the outset and wanted them together. One of the good things about M/M is the lack of whiny heroine. They're both strong, independent adults who you end up really rooting for and want to be happy.
I've never read a book where one of the protagonists was in the closet before- it's interesting. He had...more
I think what best sums up this book for me is sad. When Mac & Tony had sex one was either hurting physically or emotionally. When Tony needed comforting and Mac needed to show emotion, as you should be able to in a loving relationship, it couldn't happen, not in public, not with one other person around. Tony couldn't share his relationship status with his friends, Mac wouldn't. Not happy relationship material here.
I understand the need for Mac to stay closeted, mostly (re: his job not his da...more
I understand the need for Mac to stay closeted, mostly (re: his job not his da...more
3.5
This is tough. It's really the first book I've read for a reading-challenge, and one someone else recommended that I was supposed to read. (as apposed to rec's that you look at and think it over or not.) So, this is very different from other reads (A point of the challenge) and an author I'm not familiar with. (another point of the challenge) So, the chooser- Mistral- did a great job in the recommendation! I DID like the book!
I have a hard time criticizing other authors. I normally go for som...more
This is tough. It's really the first book I've read for a reading-challenge, and one someone else recommended that I was supposed to read. (as apposed to rec's that you look at and think it over or not.) So, this is very different from other reads (A point of the challenge) and an author I'm not familiar with. (another point of the challenge) So, the chooser- Mistral- did a great job in the recommendation! I DID like the book!
I have a hard time criticizing other authors. I normally go for som...more
3 likes · like · see review
This was one of the books I closed with reluctance. I didn't want it to end, it was so good. Way good. Outstandingly good. This is an exceptional read in so many ways!
First, it was a really good mystery, of the kind the French call an "roman policier". The classic kind, the one that allows the reader to follow the police's investigative process step by step, even along to dead ends and grub work. Then it turned into a murder chase, with red herrings dropped along the way, just like the detective...more
First, it was a really good mystery, of the kind the French call an "roman policier". The classic kind, the one that allows the reader to follow the police's investigative process step by step, even along to dead ends and grub work. Then it turned into a murder chase, with red herrings dropped along the way, just like the detective...more
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I live in Minnesota (where the two seasons are snow removal and road-repair, and the mosquito is the state bird, and where sometimes in winter it is so beautiful you can't breathe for gazing at it). I have been writing for longer than I care to admit, and currently am focused on writing m/m romance. I have an interview from Sept 2012 on Reviews by Jessewave for those who are interested.
My first p...more
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“That's part of being gay, you know. It's not just who you want in bed. It's who your emotional relationships are with the other twenty-three hours of the day, whose arms you want around you when life hands you shit.”
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15 people liked it
“The whole room said, "Admire without touching anything and then get out.”
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3 people liked it
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