Pressure Head

Sep 22, 2012 Kate added it

Pressure Head is a sort-of-romance that happens as Tom Paretski sort of gets sucked into solving a mystery. Both parts of this are nice (oh cringe worthy word). Tom is a direct, confident, self-deprecating guy who doesn't tend to hold on to past grievances and baggage. Phil is his opposite both emotionally and physically. He's muscle-y and big, emotionally closed off and weighed down with tons of issues and regrets. Luckily for us, Phil is not the POV character. :D

The "romance" involves getting...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Baba ♥♥♥ Marcus, Tyler, Tate, Dan, Ty, & Hunter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

"Course, you might get on all right with him. He's one of your lot, not that you'd know it to look at him."
"What a plumber?" I asked innocently.
"Piss off. And he's not a bloody psychic either. He's queer, all right? And if I catch you two canoodling on police time, I'm taking pictures and bunging them on the Internet."
"I'll try and control my raging homo desires," I said as dryly as I could.

After reading and loving Muscling Through I was looking forward to another very good story written by th...more "Course, you might get on all right with him. He's one of your lot, not that you'd know it to look at him."
"What a plumber?" I asked innocently.
"Piss off. And he's not a bloody psychic either. He's queer, all right? And if I catch you two canoodling on police time, I'm taking pictures and bunging them on the Internet."
"I'll try and control my raging homo desires," I said as dryly as I could.

After reading and loving Muscling Through I was looking forward to another very good story written by the talented J.L. Merrow. As it was, she did not disappoint at all. Then again, I find it quite interesting that both books struggle with the same shortcomings—at least from my point of view.

Overall it was a real pleasure to read Pressure Head. I totally dig the author’s excellent writing, her sense of humor and the Britishism. Her characters are quite unique and Tom is so priceless and well-drawn. He made me smile time and again. The guy is a bit snarky which made him all the more multilayered as well as endearing to me. Furthermore, the plot is well-developed, the dialogue is witty and hilarious and the writing is very enthralling.

(…)"You should put it on your business cards--Tom Paretski, the pocket-sized plumber. No job too small."
"And again with the height jokes. What do you have on yours? Phil Morrison, the muscle-bound moron?"
"Now, come on--that's a poor effort. How about Private Dick--the biggest in the business?"
I grinned. "So is it, then?"
His turn to say, "What?"
"The biggest. Come to that, is it private, or can anyone apply?" I took another forkful of plaice.
(…)
"They can apply," he said at last. "Doesn't mean they'll get the job."

What did not work for me, though, was the lack of chemistry and build-up. The sex scene is way better than in Muscling Through, however, I’ve had a hard time to imagine these two guys together, as in having a loving relationship. In fact, I felt that there was a lack of "relationship development". While the story mainly revolves around the murder mystery these two guys were so not tuned to the same wavelength. I have to wonder if I am the only one who didn’t “feel” it. Bitching at one another is all right as long as it doesn’t kill the chemistry. And boy, did they bitch from the get-go. Furthermore, I would have liked to get to know Phil a bit better. Even at the end of the story, he remained a mystery to me--sort of. I really can’t claim to know him but on the other hand, he is a great hunk, definitely delicious and a sight for sore eyes.

Despite my minor issues Pressure Head is a very worthwhile and entertaining read. If you are a fellow m-m lover and you haven't read anything by J.L. Merrow, then it's time to give her a try. Enjoy!
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Sep 09, 2012 Tiya Rosa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, arc, funny, anglo-slut, auto-buy-author

Right. This was a bit of a bitch to rate since I thoroughly enjoyed it but not exactly for the reasons I wanted to.

The blurb does a great job of summing up the important stuff in the book so I won't get into it. What I will get into are the things that worked and those that didn't for me.

The shit that worked:

Tom Paretski. Another awesome Merrow narrator, but I wasn't expecting any less. Tom is a great friend, a competent plumber, and a bit of a ladies' man. What I mean is as snarky and belligere...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Akansha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-m-m, humour, detectives-slueths-pi, mystery, romance, m-m, suspense, paranormal-urban-fantasy, first-person-pov

4.25

Since it seems that everyone else has read this book already, I'll keep this short. Maybe it's the Anglophile in me talking (at least where pop culture is concerned) but I really liked this book, probably my favourite Merrow book yet. I loved, loved Tom's unassuming, self-effacing, genuinely funny and typically English voice. Sure, the romance was underdeveloped and rushed at best and Phil, the brooding, hunky love interest could have been more fleshed out but that doesn't take away from t...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Midsomer Murders with M/M sex, yay!

I'm late to the party with this book, so everyone else has already covered my main points.

I could have done with a tiny bit more sex, actually. Specifically it was the end scene that didn't live up to my expectations: as Anna says, if this is #1 in a series then it's great as it is, but if it's a standalone then it was unsatisfying to get no (view spoiler). (EDIT: yes, apparently there's going to be a book 2, so...more

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Sep 18, 2012 Cole Riann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: awesome-covers, armchair-reviews, m-m-contemporary, m-m-mystery, m-m-pnr

Review posted at The Armchair Reader.

4.25 stars

Yay for another novel by JL Merrow!!! She's one of my favorite authors, and as I told a friend recently, I'm almost nervous when I start reading each successively published novel because I've loved them all so much there's bound to be one that disappoints me. Thankfully, that wasn't the case here and I ended really really thoroughly enjoying this latest offering by a really wonderful author.

Tom Paretski is a plumber with a secret -- he's got a knack...more Review posted at The Armchair Reader.

4.25 stars

Yay for another novel by JL Merrow!!! She's one of my favorite authors, and as I told a friend recently, I'm almost nervous when I start reading each successively published novel because I've loved them all so much there's bound to be one that disappoints me. Thankfully, that wasn't the case here and I ended really really thoroughly enjoying this latest offering by a really wonderful author.

Tom Paretski is a plumber with a secret -- he's got a knack for finding things. It's a bit like dowsing, he can hone in on hidden things, things that have deep emotion attached to them like guilt or shame. Sadly, lost and hidden things include people, and we meet him as his friend on the force Dave, calls him in to look for a local missing woman. Tom's in for more shock than seeing another dead body, however, when a ghost from his past shows up at the scene as a private investigator hired by the family of the murdered victim.

The last time Tom saw Phil Morrison was when he and his cronies stepped up their high school bullying a bit too far. Tom still lives with the scars of that physical and emotional trauma and seeing the man ten years later dredges all those feelings back up. It doesn't help that he's just as attracted to the man as he was back then and it certainly pisses him off that the man is apparently as big of a homo as he is, and completely out of the closet. Phil has an attitude as well, one that might rival Tom's perpetual snark and their verbal blows start almost immediately. Phil doesn't believe in his gift, but he needs Tom's help anyway. They both have vested interest in making sure the current suspect gets treated fairly and together, they might be able to get the answers they need to find the real killer.

Merrow has a knack for slyly mixing genres that really works for me. This story is for all intents and purposes a contemporary mystery romance, with the exception of Tom's gift. That is perhaps the reason Tom's gift isn't given center stage. Though we first get to know him through his gift, it's often presented as rather unglamorous and second rate to pounding pavement detective work. We get to know Tom as if the gift is just a quirky peccadillo that comes in handy during his plumbing work. Though it does get used, and is central to the plot, the different focus and misdirection worked well to show Tom as an ordinary guy who is rather in over his head in this whole mess.

I really liked Tom. He's a strong character that has a real moral compass amid the corrupt characters that stock the story. In a way, he's retained his innocence beneath his jaded veneer, which contrasts nicely with Phil, who harbors rather a lot of guilt and shame over his past. I appreciated that they both came across as assholes every once and a while, trying to work through their shared history (or at times ignore it).

The mystery worked well for me, though hardcore mystery fans might find the story lighter than they're used to. Much of the story is focused on detective work, but a lot of the focus is on the relationship between Tom and Phil in the midst of it. I was a little disappointed that we didn't hear what happens to a character that showed up early in the story that I felt rather sorry for, and of course, I could have really done with more of the smexxin from these two because they are sizzling together!

So, once again, I loved this offering from one of my favorite authors and as always look forward to whatever she publishes. This one is definitely recommended.(less)

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Sep 19, 2012 Ami rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-mystery-suspense-thriller, mm-romance-or-erotica

3.5 stars

I rate the story slightly lower than few friends of mine for a purely personal reason. As an ESL, I grew up with American English (thanks to the TV shows and movies I watched). Other variety of English is a bit difficult for me to follow.

Unfortunately, this was the most British book from J.L. Merrow to-date, and I was having a difficult time to thoroughly enjoy it because I couldn't understand the lingo. It doesn't reflect the quality of the writing, in any way. I reduce ratings for ma...more 3.5 stars

I rate the story slightly lower than few friends of mine for a purely personal reason. As an ESL, I grew up with American English (thanks to the TV shows and movies I watched). Other variety of English is a bit difficult for me to follow.

Unfortunately, this was the most British book from J.L. Merrow to-date, and I was having a difficult time to thoroughly enjoy it because I couldn't understand the lingo. It doesn't reflect the quality of the writing, in any way. I reduce ratings for mainstream books too, if I found it difficult to enjoy due to the British flair (case in point, my own review for Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London).

The book is more mystery than romance, in my perspective -- as Phil drags Tom along to find hidden secrets that people keep, in order to find out the real murderer of a woman, and saves the boyfriend from jail (who happens to be someone both Tom and Phil know from high school). They act on the attraction don't come until about last 1/5 of the book.

I like the mystery. I'm in the mood for one -- having struck with so-so romance -- and mystery thriller has always been my first love with books. I like the surrounding -- from the secretive vicar, to the abused wife, to Tom's best friends. They're all fun to read. Then of course, Tom himself, as the main narrator, is all around nice guy. His knack of a talent, to find hidden things is pretty awesome :).

I like Phil too, actually. I know that he comes like he's angry with Tom all the time, like he is resentful to what Tom has in life, but I also have a soft heart for grumpy characters.

The downside though (aside from the heavily English flair) is that I don't believe in their romance just yet. I feel that Phil still keeps a lot from Tom -- and the fact that the story is written with 1st person doesn't help. What about Phil's stance that feels bitter about marriage, for instance. Especially (view spoiler). It is not throughly explored.

I end up wondering about what Phil sees in Tom. Is it just because of the guilt? Or because of some nostalgic high-school memory? Because that couldn't be good for present relationship, could it?

So, while the mystery is good to follow, but the romance is not fully satisfying. For me, it will be okay if there's no promise-of-romance between the characters. But there is, and that part is the one that doesn't deliver.(less)

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Mar 23, 2013 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance, meh, mystery

3.5 stars

Merrow is definitely a talented writer. Her prose is polished and succinct, which I appreciate. This was not one of my favorite books, however. While I enjoyed the whodunit plot for the most part, I found the book over all lacking any real punch.

Tom, the main protagonist, has an interesting gift, but I found myself just wanting to know more. I also never got a clear picture of who he is really is in my head (other than short). His emotions were clear enough, but outside of that, I felt...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Audrey marked it as owned-tbr

Shelves: man-love

Cannot WAIT to get my grubby little hands on this one. :D AND it's perfect timing.

Release date of 9/18 + 12+ hour flight on 9/19 =

BLISS.

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Jan 04, 2013 JustJen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm, ebook

I really enjoy this author's writing. I'm not always a fan of reading British slang, but it never seems to bother me with J.L. and I often find that's one of the things I enjoy about the story.

I loved Tom with his bum hip and keen ability to find lost things/people. Phil, I wasn't so sure about for most of the story. He's a bit rude at times and I was never quite sure of his intentions towards Tom. They had a sort of love/hate relationship going on throughout most of the story which made for so...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Experiment BL626 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-mystery, mm-romance, reviewed, mm-paranormal

The Characters

+++ The Protagonist

I liked Tom but I found it hard to keep liking him, because his people-pleasing personality tired me. Despite considering his personality, I was still flabbergasted at how quickly Tom agreed to help Phil, Tom’s teen crush turned bully. Phil nicknamed Tom Poofski (Tom’s last name is Patreski) and was one of the bullies who chased Tom into a car accident which gave him a lifelong hip injury. Tom’s personality didn’t meld perfectly with his past; he got along with P...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Arthur rated it 4 of 5 stars

Anytime an m/m book has its first sex scene only at 70% into the hook, I usually like it (providing it's between the main characters, not one of them with random or supporting character). It means the focus is on characters and relationship developments. Here it's like that too.

It's sometimes funny and overall nice book. It has a feeling of reading Agatha Christie and watching British TV comedy a bit. The setting (small town with one church), the dialect, the mystery' etc.

But, this book lost a s...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Weasel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, first-person, gay-main-char, mystery, romance-subplot

Okay, Pressure Head. WTF is with that title anyway? Was there supposed to be some significance beyond a plumbing reference? Hmm.

Anyhow, this was my third read from Merrow. All three of which I simultaneously liked and yet had problems with. With Muscling Through it was the intellectual disparity between the characters and the fact that it was never addressed in the story adequately. The problem in Pressure Head is more like the problem I had with Pricks and Pragmatism.

Unlike the others I menti...more Okay, Pressure Head. WTF is with that title anyway? Was there supposed to be some significance beyond a plumbing reference? Hmm.

Anyhow, this was my third read from Merrow. All three of which I simultaneously liked and yet had problems with. With Muscling Through it was the intellectual disparity between the characters and the fact that it was never addressed in the story adequately. The problem in Pressure Head is more like the problem I had with Pricks and Pragmatism.

Unlike the others I mentioned, Pressure Head is primarily a mystery story with a relationship subplot rather than exclusively focusing on the relationship. This always works better for me, and moreover our POV character here is a very likable guy who I found easy to identify with, unlike the MC in P&P who was kind of a whore.

Everybody and their dog has already written a review of this book expounding on it's fabulousness, so I'm going to take the alternate tack and tell you what the hell is wrong with it.

POV. That's what's wrong. POV. Both Pressure Head and Pricks and Pragmatism suffer from being told in a first person point of view. Lot's of romances as well as detective/mystery stories are in first person, so that in and of itself isn't the problem, it's the fact that Merrow is feeding the reader all the signs of the love-interest's interest in the MC through the MC's eyes, while maintaining that the MC is completely oblivious to all those signs. You can't argue that he hasn't noticed them, because he's the one telling us about them, and yet it's as if Merrow's not allowing the MC to draw the obvious conclusions from those clues. There are similar issues with one particular scene where the POV character is supposed to be drunk and yet only seems drunk in his dialog, not in his narration. A few of us discussed the POV issues a bit in the comments on my status update at the 25% mark. I find it very awkward, artificial, and annoying.

It's unfortunate that Merrow hasn't overcome this issue because otherwise the story is really good, and I'd have probably have given it a five and put her up with Lanyon among my m/m-mystery favorites. Writing in a third person POV would have been one easy solution and provided the opportunity for some time from Phil's POV which other people seem to be indicating they would have liked.

That said, I'm still giving it a 4. It does make me sad (view spoiler) But I did like it quite a lot with the above mentioned reservations, and I'll definitely pick up any sequels should she choose to write some. (less)

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Nov 06, 2012 Mercedes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-romance

This book felt like an Agatha Christie mystery really. Let's call the MC Mr. Tom Marple. The book is funny but kinda drags a bit. Most of the book is spent on "whodonit"investigation. MCs bicker for most of the book which is not bad on its own as Tom is a funny narrator. But first kiss is not only 75% way through the book. Therefore MC relationship development is not solid throughout the story.

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Jan 08, 2013 Edina Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4.75 stars

Excellent mystery, an amazing MC with a great POV (Tom), the second MC not so bad (Phil), a slow-burning romance with a single sex scene but a good one, and a very nice morning-after intimate moment.

The two MCs are two authentic working class Brits. They talk and behave like real people, real blokes, never mind the small paranormal element. This story reminds me of Andrew Haigh movie Weekend.

This book is not five stars because of:
- The unexpectedly sweet end for Dave, a cop and frien...more

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Jan 05, 2013 SueM rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, pnr, cop-agent-military-pi, bullied, enemies-to-lovers, ipad-stanza, whips-n-kisses

Tom, a plumber with a dodgy hip and a knack of finding things, is called in by the local police to help find a missing woman, something he has done before for them. While on the search, he is unexpectedly reunited with Phil, an old school mate - one for whom he used to have a crush on, but also who tormented him at school (bullied him for being a 'poofter') and was in some way responsible for the accident that broke his pelvis. Phil, it seems, had been hiding a secret himself in those days - he...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Nova rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, cops-detectives-spies-etc, mm, mystery-suspense-crime, paranormal-supernatural, covers-i-love

4.5 stars.

From the first page on I loved Tom and his voice. He’s charming and at times sarcastic and I had so much fun reading about him and Phil, how they struggled and quarreled and how they finally became a couple.
The ending was a bit sudden – I wanted more! (view spoiler)

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Oct 06, 2012 orannia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 19, 2012 Camille rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-rom-erotica, male-1stp-pov-romance

3.5
I liked it.

Admittedly, mystery, thriller, suspense aren't my calling cards, so this didn't rock my world thus, but that's because of my preferences. Notwithstanding, this was well-written, funny, intriguing and held my rapt attention.

Unwavering attention because:
* I love English speech, idioms and references. This book is heavily English, from its earnestness in describing the places, to its investment in showcasing English culture and lifestyles, to its very heavy usage of English words an...more 3.5
I liked it.

Admittedly, mystery, thriller, suspense aren't my calling cards, so this didn't rock my world thus, but that's because of my preferences. Notwithstanding, this was well-written, funny, intriguing and held my rapt attention.

Unwavering attention because:
* I love English speech, idioms and references. This book is heavily English, from its earnestness in describing the places, to its investment in showcasing English culture and lifestyles, to its very heavy usage of English words and phrases. This appealed to me quite a lot. Plus, I like when authors represent their own.

* I have read three other titles by Merrow and in each of them, including this one, the characters and the story lines are satisfactorily different and unique onto their own. This is quite enjoyable. No one trick pony author here. She always produces quality writing and that's as far as the similarities go, I find.

* The narrator is a peculiar mix of funny, earnest, sincere, eager, casual, laissez-faire, sentimental and totally empathetic. He is a fun person to spend a book getting to know and has a sweet heart to explore. More than that, he's interesting. He's someone who's reconciled himself to being a plumber, despite this blue collar profession having evolved from an accident; he's on the fence about his gift, even as he generously makes the most of it; he's someone who wants love in life but who isn't caustically lonely and is always sweet to people, particularly women; and someone with great friendships and interesting friends. He's a nice guy. But a real one. This makes it a pleasure to read his story.

* The mystery is interesting, though, as I said, not my gravy boat so it was somewhat secondary to me. But it is intriguing, nonetheless.

* I like Phil as the physical object of affection. He sounds hot...all big and muscular and tall...yummmm.

But he did not satisfy me emotionally at all. When he says to Tom, "you know I want you" and Tom thinks, "I do?" I was thinking it right alongside him. Phil spends so much time being the stoic that when we get to the sex I don't feel nearly enough emotional connection. Yes, there is guilt, sorrow, regret and nostalgia originating from their school days but what of the present.

What are Phil's feelings for Tom today? Then Tom asks, at the end of the book, and Phil says complicated! What?! I was completely unsatisfied with that response. Plus, there are elements of Phil's past that are not adequately dealt with.

So, because I don't feel enough of an establishment in the present, I am led to ponder whether a lot of the dynamic between Tom and Phil is not fulfillment of the past, which undermines the genuineness/legitimacy of their being together now. From whence is their attraction stemming? I want to know it's real...more than physical attraction, more than past interaction.(less)

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Sep 23, 2012 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks-i-own, contemporary, enemies-to-lovers, male-male-romance, paranormal-elements, read-2012, romance, mystery

I really liked this murder mystery/romance (with a little more emphasis on the mystery than the romance) from J.L. Merrow. I always enjoy Merrow's writing, but I particularly love the way she wrote Tom's point of view in this book. The dry humor is just perfect, and Tom is such a lovable character. I feel like there's a lot more story to be told about Tom and Phil, so I hope there will be sequels.

Now go check out Cole's and MandyM's reviews, because they said everything I was thinking much bett...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Lady*M rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: detectives, m-m-romance, paranormal, mystery

The Britishness of this novel was just delicious. Tom's dry humor - fantastic. Phil was hot, but his guilt fest that came across as resentment - not so much. Gabe was hilarious. Gabe's boyfriend really got on my nerves. The cast, in general, was interesting and varied. I loved Merlin and Arthur. The mystery wasn't half bad, but, after a while, it became obvious who was the murderer. The constant tug-of-war between Tom and Phil got old really fast, though sexual tension and sex scenes (not many o...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, kindle-lendable

Reading through some of the other reviews, it seems as though a lot of people had the same thoughts I did. I really liked this book, but could only give it 3 stars because after I finished, the whole thing seemed SO unresolved. Yes, the murder was solved, but what happened with Tom and Phil? There was great potential to really develop the relationship and at least let the reader figure out more about Phil's past feelings for Tom as well as what he meant by all of his references to Tom "looking d...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Sophia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-mount-tbr-reading-challenge, romantic-suspense, 2013-genre-variety-reading-challeng

This was a wonderful blend of a murder mystery, light paranormal and a romance. Emphasis is equally divided between the mystery and the slow to build romance with the paranormal just being one character has a psychic ability.

The story begins with Tom Paretski, a plumber who has the psychic ability to find things, being called in by his friend on the local police force to help find a body. The body is of a murdered woman, Melanie Walker. Arriving on the scene and working for Melanie's parents is...more This was a wonderful blend of a murder mystery, light paranormal and a romance. Emphasis is equally divided between the mystery and the slow to build romance with the paranormal just being one character has a psychic ability.

The story begins with Tom Paretski, a plumber who has the psychic ability to find things, being called in by his friend on the local police force to help find a body. The body is of a murdered woman, Melanie Walker. Arriving on the scene and working for Melanie's parents is Private Investigator, Phil Morrison. Phil's sudden appearance floors Tom because they knew each other years ago when Phil was the guy Tom was crushing on and one of the bullies back in high school.

Tom is angry and wants nothing to do with Phil at first, but Phil persuades Tom to help him because a mutual friend is the one being fingered for the crime. As they do the investigative work together sometimes openly hostile, sometimes grudgingly cooperative and just a few times actually enjoying each other's company, they not only follow the trail back to the murderer, but also have a change of perspective about each other.

This plot was told entirely from Tom's point of view and he was the main character with even Phil taking a secondary role. Tom was a multi-faceted character that made a good narrator in most ways with the exception of one thing. His view of things is skewed so I could have wished a few times to get Phil's thoughts beyond what could be gleaned from his dialogue since he was such a private person. It was a small thing and didn't really mess up the story for me, but it did distract me with curiosity. There were details about Phil and the past that I would have liked to know more.

The book offered a good murder mystery, but I felt that the mystery was the means to Tom and Phil going from enemies to wary partners and then to lovers. The pace was good for both plot lines. I liked how the mystery wasn't that simple to solve.

Having the backdrop being the English village full of village personalities was one of my favorite things about the story. Many of the characters were memorable. Tom's best friend cracked me up. And the addition of everyone's pets with their own special personalities just added to the fun.

Oh, and for the non-British readers, this is a book written by and set in England. There is a lot of slang that I (an American reader) found fun because I recognize it from conversation with British friends and the British shows I watch, but others unfamiliar with it might want to have Google handy. Haha!

I can recommend this story to anyone who enjoys m/m romantic suspense or murder mysteries.
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Feb 03, 2013 DaisyGirl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre-romance, i-own, m-m, m-m-bingo-round-6, other-funny, other-steamy, romance-contemp, romance-suspense

4.0 Stars

Tom Paretski is a plumber with a cheeky attitude and a dodgy hip, souvenir of a schoolboy accident. Born with a sixth sense for finding things or people, local police sometimes tap into his talent. When Tom is called in to help locate the body of a missing woman (Melanie Porter), he comes face to face with Phil Morrison - Tom’s old school crush, now a private investigator working the case, and the former bully partly responsible for Tom’s injury. Phil is now openly gay and seeking justi...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Macky rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a little gem. This was a fresh, funny mystery romance that was an absolute pleasure to read. The story is narrated by Tom Paretski, gay plumber and sometime police " consultant " in so much as he has always had a gift for ' finding ' lost things, in this case he is asked by his policeman friend Dave to help find a missing girl. Tom finds her dead body and whilst at the scene is confronted by a blast from his past in the person of his nemisis from his schooldays - Phil Morrison, tall, blonde...more What a little gem. This was a fresh, funny mystery romance that was an absolute pleasure to read. The story is narrated by Tom Paretski, gay plumber and sometime police " consultant " in so much as he has always had a gift for ' finding ' lost things, in this case he is asked by his policeman friend Dave to help find a missing girl. Tom finds her dead body and whilst at the scene is confronted by a blast from his past in the person of his nemisis from his schooldays - Phil Morrison, tall, blonde and gorgeous, now turned Private investigator hired by the girls parents to help find her. Phil and his homophobic friends had tormented Tom as a teenager so there is no love lost between them. Even though Phil treated him badly, Tom had always had a bit of a crush on him so its a revelation to Tom to find out that Phil is now out and proud and apparently a changed man. It turns out that they have a mutual friend involved in the case who was engaged to the girl and of course is now a suspect, so Phil, not really believing in Toms gift but thinking he knows more than he's saying, asks Tom to help him exonerate their friend. And so starts a clever, witty murder mystery with a set of memorable, extremely likeable characters and tons of style!

Toms narrative was really funny - full of witty repartee and snarky banter - and when he and Phil are together you can feel the tension and attraction that they are both afraid to act on. The best thing about this story is the fact that they don't act on the attraction until the end of the book so there is very little in the love scene department but this is still a sexy, sensual love story, because the slow build up causes the type of ST that sizzles so that when it finally happens its awesome and hot. What a great change to have a m/m romance that isn't fuelled by mind numbing explicit in your face sex! The mystery in itself is filled with loads of red herrings and quirky suspects and will keep you guessing right till the end. Toms friend Gary and his boyfriend Darren - a truly inspired creation - had me in tucks. Read it and you'll see why. Genius! Tom is an absolute sweetie and a real charmer and Phil may come over as the strong silent type but you just can't help falling for both of them and rooting for them to get their HEA.

This really is a fabulous read, I can't Reccomend it enough. I hope J l Merrow gives Tom and Phil and the gang a series or at least a follow up because there is definitely more mileage in these fantastic characters. Do not pass this one by.(less)

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Jan 09, 2013 Anya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance, contemporary

I loved the British humor in this book, and the banter between the main characters was chuckle worthy. I liked Tom as a narrator and character. And the setting in the small English town was cute and cosy. Overall, it was a light, enjoyable read that produced a lot of hehs from me. That being said, we don't really get that much romance out of the two MCs and if I was a bit more invested in the romance part, I'd have felt a tad disappointed. A lot of things seemed just glossed over/rushed in that...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, favorites, glbt, m-m-romance, murder-mystery, paranormal, enemies-to-lovers

Tom Paretski is pretty proficient in the art of divination; not the kind of divination that means he can prophesy but the kind that means he can find things that are hidden—like water, for one thing. And dead bodies, for another. It’s a talent that makes him invaluable to the very same police force that had at one time found him entirely suspect because of his ability. It’s what also makes him a very good plumber.

It’s also a dead body that puts Tom back in touch with his old high school nemesis,...more Tom Paretski is pretty proficient in the art of divination; not the kind of divination that means he can prophesy but the kind that means he can find things that are hidden—like water, for one thing. And dead bodies, for another. It’s a talent that makes him invaluable to the very same police force that had at one time found him entirely suspect because of his ability. It’s what also makes him a very good plumber.

It’s also a dead body that puts Tom back in touch with his old high school nemesis, Phil Morrison, the guy who, along with his group of fellow bullies, used to torment Tom mercilessly for being queer. So mercilessly, in fact, that it could very well have cost Tom his own life if not for an incredible stroke of good luck—if you want to call coming away with scars and chronic pain as a lifelong reminder of that accident good luck. And if you want to call this bit of karma irony, Phil’s now a Private Investigator. And he’s also openly gay. And he’s still gorgeous. And he still trips Tom’s trigger in every possible way. And it seems that feeling might be entirely mutual.

Phil’s been hired by the victim’s family to try and unravel the mystery surrounding her death, including clearing the name of Tom’s former school mate and recovering drug addict, Graham Carter, who also happened to be the victim’s boyfriend at the time of her death, and it’s not long before Phil has Tom involved in the investigation, an investigation that turns up plenty of suspects but few solid clues that would help reveal the killer’s motive, let alone an identity.

Unraveling the mystery of Phil Morrison becomes as much of a challenge for Tom as figuring out who killed Melanie Porter, and why. There’s so much resentment and mistrust mixed up in the attraction, so much pain and guilt mixed up in both their shared and separate pasts. It causes a fair amount of friction between them, and the revelation of their want of each other is by no means an instant patch on the deeper scars that have come to shape who they are. But the tension and friction is lovely.

Pressure Head kept me wound up tight from beginning to end. It’s a fast pace mystery wrapped up in a contentious relationship that owes a fair amount of its tension to the mutual attraction between the two men who, with a dozen years between them and high school, put paid to the past and give their future together a chance.

I don’t know if this is book one in a possible series, but if it’s not, I sure do want it to be.
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Nov 25, 2012 Valentina Heart rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbt

This one was funny, intriguing and hot in the right places. I was hooked to the humor straight away, chuckling to the early hours of the morning pretty much every time Tom held a conversation.

I do want sex in my reading material, the kinkier the better, in fact I prefer it and am not likely to pick up something innocent enough that the main couple doesn't go beyond kissing. Yeah, that's the easiest way for me to abandon a book. I guess I have Breaking Dawn flashbacks, all that anticipation to en...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Tam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, police-crime-mysteries

I enjoyed lots of things about this book, but Phil made me want to bash his head in a few times. One of the best things was that everyone kind of took Tom’s “talent” as a fact. At first Phil may have been a bit skeptical, but it was pretty much accepted that he could “find” people and things just as a matter of course. However his most recent find of a young woman gone missing, drags him into the case as not only is former school crush and bully Phil a private investigator working on behalf of t...more I enjoyed lots of things about this book, but Phil made me want to bash his head in a few times. One of the best things was that everyone kind of took Tom’s “talent” as a fact. At first Phil may have been a bit skeptical, but it was pretty much accepted that he could “find” people and things just as a matter of course. However his most recent find of a young woman gone missing, drags him into the case as not only is former school crush and bully Phil a private investigator working on behalf of the young woman’s family, but her boyfriend was also an old school friend of Tom’s who drifted away when the bullying began. It appears that someone is trying to frame the boyfriend, and Phil drags Tom into helping him investigate some of the possible suspects.

This is a bit Agatha Christie-esque, which is not a bad thing in my opinion. There are a variety of possible suspects, all seeming fairly innocent, but with possible motives for bumping the dead girl off. While at the same time, Tom is torn by his attraction to Phil who was “straight” in high school and the ring leader of the bullies who taunted Tom for being gay, and in essence were responsible for Tom being severely injured when he was hit by a car running from them. Tom’s not sure whether Phil is attracted to him or not as the man runs hot and cold, and Tom can’t help his own snarky responses sometimes which only seems to drive a wedge between them right when maybe they are getting past the past. :-)

What drove me crazy about Phil, was he seemed to be one of those guys who downplayed what happened. His response was “we never hurt you, it was just some pushing and shoving” and besides he didn’t think it bothered Tom anyway, that he was just shrugging it off. Even when Tom explains that it wasn’t just “no big deal”, Phil never really said “You’re right, it sucked and we were wrong.” Yes, he felt guilty about what happened to Tom when he was injured, but he never really claimed ownership for his bullying and always had an excuse, that he was the poor kid from the bad part of town, that he had to hide who he was, etc. So that really frustrated me. I wanted him to really step up and feel badly about what he did, not just feel badly that Tom got hurt as a result.

I was as invested in the mystery as the romance in this one. For once I didn’t read ahead to find out who did it. (Go me!) And the side characters were great including Tom’s friend with his interesting lover, and even the elderly church ladies were fun to read about. Seeing Tom interact with his customers and everyone was around him was wonderful. He was a flirt and a flatterer, just because he was, not because he was trying to get anything.

I think part of the reason I didn’t warm to Phil was because you only get Tom’s POV. So you only see what Phil wants you to see and are left wondering about why he is such a cynic, what happened in his past to make him what he is, what he’s thinking. So he is left a bit of an enigma at times. Still, it kept me reading and I wanted to know the end and hoped that Phil would lighten up a bit. If you like your mystery combined with your romance with a bit of humour, an excellent choice.

Side note: I also found that I was tempted to start Google mapping. I’m not sure if the places in the book are real, but there were so many villages mentioned and how it all fits, I really don’t get English geography, perhaps villages are like suburbs? I tend to think of a village as miles and miles from anywhere, surrounded by green fields, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. They all sounded lovely and quaint, and probably are… to a tourist like me.(less)

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Nov 09, 2012 Kate McMurray rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm really in awe of how well JL Merrow does voice, how her first-person characters just leap right off the page (and are different from each other, book-to-book). This book was a real joy to read and I loved being in Tom's head. Merrow is a gifted writer.

But. I wish we'd gotten more Phil. His background felt like a dropped thread—he has a little tirade early in the novel about the sanctity of marriage, but when his past is revealed, the dots don't quite connect. Plus we never find out why he le...more

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