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Sex, Lies, and Celluloid
Detective Shane Mullin is used to domestic investigations. So when Janet Brint hires him to tail her husband, City Councilor Daniel, he doesn't think much of it. Everyone has something to hide, and Janet thinks Daniel's problem is drugs. It's not drug abuse that has Daniel hiding out, though. As Shane follows Daniel about, he realizes the politician is having lots of sex. Gay sex at that. Shane is fascinated with Daniel's case, wondering just what Janet hopes to gain by exposing Daniel's secrets. Shane is also fascinated with Daniel the man, so much so that attraction blooms, and he and Daniel begin an online friendship. One thing leads to another, and Shane finds himself leading his own double life, seeing Daniel while continuing to investigate him. With no good way out of his deception, Shane has a decision to make about what to tell Daniel, and Daniel himself has some tough choices about his life and whether or not to go public with his sexuality. Can Shane and Daniel work their way through their web of lies?
288 pages, Paperback
First published November 14, 2007
About the author
Jodi Payne
93 books411 followersJODI spent too many years in New York and San Francisco stage managing classical plays, edgy fringe work, and the occasional musical. She, therefore, is overdramatic, takes herself way too seriously, and has been known to randomly break out in song. Her men are imperfect but genuine, stubborn but likable, often kinky, and frequently their own worst enemies. They are characters you can’t help but fall in love with while they stumble along the path to their happily ever after.
For those looking to get on her good side, Jodi’s addictions include nonfat lattes, Malbec and tequila however you pour it. She’s also obsessed with Shakespeare and Broadway musicals. She can be found wearing sock monkey gloves while typing when it’s cold, and on the beach enjoying the sun and the ocean when it’s hot. When she’s not writing and/or vacuuming sand out of her laptop, Jodi mentors queer youth and will drop everything for live music. Jodi lives near New York City with her beautiful wife, and together they are mothers of dragons (cleverly disguised as children) and slaves to an enormous polydactyl cat.
For those looking to get on her good side, Jodi’s addictions include nonfat lattes, Malbec and tequila however you pour it. She’s also obsessed with Shakespeare and Broadway musicals. She can be found wearing sock monkey gloves while typing when it’s cold, and on the beach enjoying the sun and the ocean when it’s hot. When she’s not writing and/or vacuuming sand out of her laptop, Jodi mentors queer youth and will drop everything for live music. Jodi lives near New York City with her beautiful wife, and together they are mothers of dragons (cleverly disguised as children) and slaves to an enormous polydactyl cat.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 24, 2009
The first sentence of my review should reflect the strongest feeling from the book aka heteros are evil spawn of Satan. Teal thongs is equivalent to horns. However this book started as very controversial. Married very rich woman married to rising star of the local politic scene was suspected her good husband doing drugs. She hired private detective to investigate the matter and here we have the plot line. The detective was gay and his side kick was very sympathetic lesbian. Cool homosexual characters against hetero bitch were clearly put on display from the early beginning. The detective found out that husband was doing something but not drugs, he was doing men...a lot. Our humble detective fell in love at the first voyeuristic sight and the mess started to pop up. Both men went together, slept together and eventually the additional hetero dirt on wife was scooped and huge coming out. Story was something from the romantic library, the manner of mr. Gorgeous met and slept with mr. Perfect was unbelievable but so nice.
On the comical note lesbian side kick of Shane, detective, was very good supporting character and made the book very fresh.
On the comical note lesbian side kick of Shane, detective, was very good supporting character and made the book very fresh.
September 11, 2011
I really liked this book! Both characters are very likeable and sympathetic, their story develops nicely, sex is hot and I liked the humorous moments :)
Although I have to say Celia was too intrusive for my liking. Don't get me wrong - she's a good character, when used sparingly - but after some time I really wanted for Shane to start making decisions for himself without consulting her first. Her inquisitiveness also grated on my nerves :/
Although I have to say Celia was too intrusive for my liking. Don't get me wrong - she's a good character, when used sparingly - but after some time I really wanted for Shane to start making decisions for himself without consulting her first. Her inquisitiveness also grated on my nerves :/
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April 10, 2021Dnf at 35%~
The instalove was not believable at all, but my main reason to stop reading it were all the emojis, no one talks that way and not people like them for sure, I jump to some areas and the pd lying to his client? He was all unprofessional since the start falling in love/lust, sorry but this didn't catch me at all
The instalove was not believable at all, but my main reason to stop reading it were all the emojis, no one talks that way and not people like them for sure, I jump to some areas and the pd lying to his client? He was all unprofessional since the start falling in love/lust, sorry but this didn't catch me at all
May 2, 2008
Sex, Lies, and Celluloid
is a fun read. Chris Owen and Jodi Payne work well together to create an unforgettable story.
Shane and Daniel are memorable as main characters. They have great chemistry together, whether they're chatting online or getting physical. Shane became interested in Daniel as more than a target, despite his efforts not to, and Daniel finds himself more attached to Shane than he wants to admit. There's an exciting amount of angst after the two meet, when Shane runs into the dilemma of whether to betray his client or out Daniel, his target. Daniel also has a policy of seeing each man only once, so that he doesn't feel any unnecessary attachment to any one person, but Shane is the only one who takes the time to get to know Daniel before trying to get into his pants.
At first Shane is torn up that he can't be with Daniel, but he goes against his better judgment and contacts Daniel anyway. After they talk, he starts living between meetings and anticipating Daniel's calls. The first-person narrative is done well and it's easy to relate to Shane's problems.
Janet appears to be the strongest of the secondary characters. She is a trophy wife and a young heiress; she seems to have everything going for her. The reader learns later that her marriage to Daniel has a couple of catches for both her and Daniel. It's hard not to sympathize with her. Daniel lets on that she used to be a pleasant woman in the past, nice enough to catch his attention and make him fall in love with her. Her marriage to Daniel now is cold, because they've both lost interest in each other. What's worse, they each have their own reasons for not wanting to divorce, and end up trapped in a frigid marriage. She seems to be trapped between hating Daniel, and wanting to spend time with him and for him to be home more often. In this book, the reader doesn't actually see her character interact with Daniel or Shane face to face. All we hear of Janet are snatches of phone conversations, what other people report to Shane about her, and Shane's own investigations into her activities. Despite just that, her character invites a lot sympathy. Kudos to Owen and Payne for managing to pull that off.
The other secondary characters are much weaker. Celia, Shane's assistant/partner, works closely with him and apparently knows him better than his own mother. Her character was refreshing at first. She and Shane share jokes, stories, and have a lot of playful arguments. Their banter and their overall relationship reminded me of the one between the main characters of Will & Grace. Celia obviously cares for Shane and will do anything for him, but as happy and caring as her character is, she's hard to swallow. She should really come in small doses. Unfortunately, she works with Shane and the reader sees her quite a lot. During all the times the reader sees her, Celia is happy. How does a person manage to be so happy and perky all the time?
Susan, Celia's girlfriend, is an exact clone of Celia, and Jason, Daniel's attorney, isn't a memorable character and doesn't stand out in any special way.
The strong point of Sex, Lies, and Celluloid is the plot. The story dives right into the action and picks up pace toward the last half of the book. It was just as fun watching Shane pine after Daniel as it was watching them together.
Sex, Lies, and Celluloid is a fun and memorable story. Highly recommended.
Review first posted at Rainbow Reviews
PURCHASE LINK
Shane and Daniel are memorable as main characters. They have great chemistry together, whether they're chatting online or getting physical. Shane became interested in Daniel as more than a target, despite his efforts not to, and Daniel finds himself more attached to Shane than he wants to admit. There's an exciting amount of angst after the two meet, when Shane runs into the dilemma of whether to betray his client or out Daniel, his target. Daniel also has a policy of seeing each man only once, so that he doesn't feel any unnecessary attachment to any one person, but Shane is the only one who takes the time to get to know Daniel before trying to get into his pants.
At first Shane is torn up that he can't be with Daniel, but he goes against his better judgment and contacts Daniel anyway. After they talk, he starts living between meetings and anticipating Daniel's calls. The first-person narrative is done well and it's easy to relate to Shane's problems.
Janet appears to be the strongest of the secondary characters. She is a trophy wife and a young heiress; she seems to have everything going for her. The reader learns later that her marriage to Daniel has a couple of catches for both her and Daniel. It's hard not to sympathize with her. Daniel lets on that she used to be a pleasant woman in the past, nice enough to catch his attention and make him fall in love with her. Her marriage to Daniel now is cold, because they've both lost interest in each other. What's worse, they each have their own reasons for not wanting to divorce, and end up trapped in a frigid marriage. She seems to be trapped between hating Daniel, and wanting to spend time with him and for him to be home more often. In this book, the reader doesn't actually see her character interact with Daniel or Shane face to face. All we hear of Janet are snatches of phone conversations, what other people report to Shane about her, and Shane's own investigations into her activities. Despite just that, her character invites a lot sympathy. Kudos to Owen and Payne for managing to pull that off.
The other secondary characters are much weaker. Celia, Shane's assistant/partner, works closely with him and apparently knows him better than his own mother. Her character was refreshing at first. She and Shane share jokes, stories, and have a lot of playful arguments. Their banter and their overall relationship reminded me of the one between the main characters of Will & Grace. Celia obviously cares for Shane and will do anything for him, but as happy and caring as her character is, she's hard to swallow. She should really come in small doses. Unfortunately, she works with Shane and the reader sees her quite a lot. During all the times the reader sees her, Celia is happy. How does a person manage to be so happy and perky all the time?
Susan, Celia's girlfriend, is an exact clone of Celia, and Jason, Daniel's attorney, isn't a memorable character and doesn't stand out in any special way.
The strong point of Sex, Lies, and Celluloid is the plot. The story dives right into the action and picks up pace toward the last half of the book. It was just as fun watching Shane pine after Daniel as it was watching them together.
Sex, Lies, and Celluloid is a fun and memorable story. Highly recommended.
Review first posted at Rainbow Reviews
PURCHASE LINK
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April 9, 2009If there is a thing I hate is a cheating man and maybe this is the reason why I didn't read soon this book. In the blurb you read pretty clear that Daniel is a cheating husband who hooks up on internet for sex. So adds promiscuos to cheating. I should hate this man. And instead I was fascinated by him like Shane, the PI Daniel's wife has hired to tail her husband.
Jodi Payne and Chris Owen have the mastery to decipt a character that gains your sympathy instead of hating him (truly I should have remembered first that Chris Owen has made the same with another cheating character, Tor in Bareback).
So the story is pretty simple: Daniel is cheating on his wife with other men (have I said it enough time in my pretty short pill review? :-) ), Shane finds it but finds also himself falling in love for this man and having no courage to unmask him with his wife. But Daniel is also a politician, and being gay and at the same time married is something that can destroy his career. And then, even if Shane manages to get to know Daniel, how can he say him that he was been paid to tail him? How can Daniel trust him anymore?
Daniel is a strange character. I could say that he is pretty driven by his lust. He is not kinky or bad, he really is a good man, but he likes sex and tries to find it where he can. But even if he has always a onestand encounter, he manages to take intact his good image and this aura of nice guy.
Shane sells himself short. He is really a good guy, gentle and caring. He has also a conscience, he is not the typical cynical private investigator. He is also the type who go every sunday night to dinner with his mother. And blushes. He is so cute, not in a physical way, but for attitude. He is a guy who believes in love forever.
So both Daniel and Shane are characters who act badly, but who are also so nice that you can't not love them. And I have to say, if you have my same prejudices about cheating man or promiscuos sex, try to pass over and read this book: it will be a very nice discover.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1603701931/?...
Jodi Payne and Chris Owen have the mastery to decipt a character that gains your sympathy instead of hating him (truly I should have remembered first that Chris Owen has made the same with another cheating character, Tor in Bareback).
So the story is pretty simple: Daniel is cheating on his wife with other men (have I said it enough time in my pretty short pill review? :-) ), Shane finds it but finds also himself falling in love for this man and having no courage to unmask him with his wife. But Daniel is also a politician, and being gay and at the same time married is something that can destroy his career. And then, even if Shane manages to get to know Daniel, how can he say him that he was been paid to tail him? How can Daniel trust him anymore?
Daniel is a strange character. I could say that he is pretty driven by his lust. He is not kinky or bad, he really is a good man, but he likes sex and tries to find it where he can. But even if he has always a onestand encounter, he manages to take intact his good image and this aura of nice guy.
Shane sells himself short. He is really a good guy, gentle and caring. He has also a conscience, he is not the typical cynical private investigator. He is also the type who go every sunday night to dinner with his mother. And blushes. He is so cute, not in a physical way, but for attitude. He is a guy who believes in love forever.
So both Daniel and Shane are characters who act badly, but who are also so nice that you can't not love them. And I have to say, if you have my same prejudices about cheating man or promiscuos sex, try to pass over and read this book: it will be a very nice discover.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1603701931/?...
November 1, 2012
Not a bad book, but for some reason I’m wishy-washy about it
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 6/10
PROS:
- There’s an adorable secondary character who’s best friends with Shane and is alternately sweet/supportive and frank/witchy. She’s refreshingly non-stereotypical, too. I also really liked one of Daniel’s close friends.
- A couple of the conversations the two main guys have occur via Instant Messaging, and they’re pretty cute. Simultaneously hesitant and flirty.
- The ending is rather open for my usual tastes (no worries, though: it’s happy), but I didn’t mind it here. The romance is a little on the whirlwind side, so the conclusion felt okay to me.
- Once the characters finally have (real) sex with each other, it’s pretty hot. One of them is a dirty talker, and I found some of his comments rather stimulating.
CONS:
- There’s quite a bit of sex in this book (as I assumed there would be, judging by the book’s title), but I didn’t really enjoy much of it. I’m into passionate, “lovemaking”-type sex scenes, though. If you’re into voyeurism, you might like the sex in this book a lot: many of the encounters involve Shane watching as Daniel hooks up with other people.
- Shane is a private investigator, and I couldn’t help finding him just a little on the sleazy side. He feels super guilty about spying, of course, but he also kind of gets off on it (well, okay…scratch the “kind of”). He does redeem himself by the end of the book, though.
- The last several chapters felt a little off to me. The scene when Daniel finally discovers the truth about Shane didn’t go at all the way I expected it to go (lots of action, but not the kind I had in mind), and the confrontation with Daniel’s wife seemed rushed and/or unrealistic.
Overall comments: This isn’t a bad book; it’s written well, as is the case with other books I’ve read by these authors, both singly and together. I just wasn’t that into it. The romance moved a little quickly (slash oddly) for my taste, and I didn’t love either of the lead characters.
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 6/10
PROS:
- There’s an adorable secondary character who’s best friends with Shane and is alternately sweet/supportive and frank/witchy. She’s refreshingly non-stereotypical, too. I also really liked one of Daniel’s close friends.
- A couple of the conversations the two main guys have occur via Instant Messaging, and they’re pretty cute. Simultaneously hesitant and flirty.
- The ending is rather open for my usual tastes (no worries, though: it’s happy), but I didn’t mind it here. The romance is a little on the whirlwind side, so the conclusion felt okay to me.
- Once the characters finally have (real) sex with each other, it’s pretty hot. One of them is a dirty talker, and I found some of his comments rather stimulating.
CONS:
- There’s quite a bit of sex in this book (as I assumed there would be, judging by the book’s title), but I didn’t really enjoy much of it. I’m into passionate, “lovemaking”-type sex scenes, though. If you’re into voyeurism, you might like the sex in this book a lot: many of the encounters involve Shane watching as Daniel hooks up with other people.
- Shane is a private investigator, and I couldn’t help finding him just a little on the sleazy side. He feels super guilty about spying, of course, but he also kind of gets off on it (well, okay…scratch the “kind of”). He does redeem himself by the end of the book, though.
- The last several chapters felt a little off to me. The scene when Daniel finally discovers the truth about Shane didn’t go at all the way I expected it to go (lots of action, but not the kind I had in mind), and the confrontation with Daniel’s wife seemed rushed and/or unrealistic.
Overall comments: This isn’t a bad book; it’s written well, as is the case with other books I’ve read by these authors, both singly and together. I just wasn’t that into it. The romance moved a little quickly (slash oddly) for my taste, and I didn’t love either of the lead characters.
October 12, 2014
2.75 stars. This book takes a fairly dark subject matter, in which nobody comes off looking particularly sympathetic and ends up just sweeping it under the carpet. It is clear that the set up is simply for titillation because the author is not really interested in dealing with the topic in even vaguely plausible way. The book started out engaging but slowly petered out until I had to force myself though the final three utterly boring and beside the point chapters that failed to address in any substantive way the repercussions of what had transpired. There is a great deal of sex in this book and while the initially encounters are imaginative the later ones are repetitive and dull.
While unevenly paced, the book is mostly readable. There are some fun scenes revolving around voyeurism, most of which are played for laughs. The relationship between Shane, the PI and his lesbian assistant/best friend was arguable the best part of the book. While Danielle, the cheating spouse, is run of the mill unethical, Shane's behavior, especially at the end of the book is jaw dropping amoral. His behavior is supposed to be justified by the belief that Danielle's wife is evil, despite the fact no evidence is presented that she is any way worse than her spouse. Apparently Shane's lust for Danielle clouds his judgment and allows to him to be OK with his illegal and immoral actions. What is more surprising is that the author apparently thinks the reader should be OK with it as well. The ending was lame and utterly unearned.
While unevenly paced, the book is mostly readable. There are some fun scenes revolving around voyeurism, most of which are played for laughs. The relationship between Shane, the PI and his lesbian assistant/best friend was arguable the best part of the book. While Danielle, the cheating spouse, is run of the mill unethical, Shane's behavior, especially at the end of the book is jaw dropping amoral. His behavior is supposed to be justified by the belief that Danielle's wife is evil, despite the fact no evidence is presented that she is any way worse than her spouse. Apparently Shane's lust for Danielle clouds his judgment and allows to him to be OK with his illegal and immoral actions. What is more surprising is that the author apparently thinks the reader should be OK with it as well. The ending was lame and utterly unearned.
October 11, 2011
4.5 stars.
I love the pairing of Jodi Payne and Chris Owen. I have yet to find a book that I don't truly enjoy.
And this one is no different. Although I'll admit that I did have a moment of two where I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it as much as the others. But I needn't have worried. As usual I got picked up and carried away into the lives of these MC's. And as an additional bonus Celia was a fun and engaging secondary character who added a lot to the story in general.
I wasn't sure if these two could pull of a HEA and I suppose in all fairness, they still had a lot of work ahead of them at the end of the book. But I'm convinced that they would pull it off!
I love the pairing of Jodi Payne and Chris Owen. I have yet to find a book that I don't truly enjoy.
And this one is no different. Although I'll admit that I did have a moment of two where I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it as much as the others. But I needn't have worried. As usual I got picked up and carried away into the lives of these MC's. And as an additional bonus Celia was a fun and engaging secondary character who added a lot to the story in general.
I wasn't sure if these two could pull of a HEA and I suppose in all fairness, they still had a lot of work ahead of them at the end of the book. But I'm convinced that they would pull it off!
February 24, 2013
Rich wife full of ambition hires private detective to follow her politician husband who she suspects is addicted to drugs. But it's not drugs he's addicted to it men, lots and lots of men. These authors who are a dream team of writers have a style that makes you love the main characters, feel for this ups and downs, route for their love all with a healthy level of lust and hot scenes throw in. Just an excellent read I wish there was more!
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November 23, 2013Abandoned at page 242. I just couldn't read further, as I found myself dragging with each page turn. MC Shane was dull and just a drag. Come to think of it everything in this book dragged. The online chat dragged. The conversations with his assistant dragged. The progress of hooking up dragged. His parents and him dragged. Narration of 1st pov of a dull character didn't make matters better. Cookie-cutter dull and for me..unfortunately...a drag.
August 22, 2015
I've tagged this a mystery, but it isn't really much of one. It's mostly a (porny) romance. I couldn't get over the creep factor that the MC is a PI hired to investigate his love interest and who then falls in "love" with him while he spies on him having sex (over and over and over); I didn't think their developing relationship was believable (but I suppose I am less forgiving than the love interest). Also, long passages of IMing which are already dated and soon will be unreadable. No.
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August 16, 2008Sex, Lies and Celluloid by Chris Owen (2008)
September 15, 2009
I think that these 2 teamed together, create stories that are made of win!
January 30, 2011
Cute story with a fun, predictable plot. Great for a rainy day read.
April 5, 2011
3.5 stars
November 6, 2011
3.5 stars
December 18, 2009
Cute, funny and sexy with a cast of very likable characters!!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews