From the Bookshelf of Q&A with Josh Lanyon…

The Hardest Thing (Dan Stagg Mystery, #1)

James Lear

Start date: September 1, 2014

Finish date: September 30, 2014

Discussion: Book of the Month Club

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What Members Thought

Nov 07, 2015 JR rated it it was amazing

Shelves: broken-men, favorites, romance, mystery, military, action-adventure, deserves-more-than-5-stares, erotica, quirky, gritty

Before DADT was repealed, Dan Stagg was forced out of the military after twelve years for his sexual orientation. He is a loner, and lonely, disgusted with the life he leads, losing jobs, and generally not giving a damn about the direction he is headed. Mindless sex and staying drunk seem to be his only options. A way out is offered, when Dan is approached about a job guarding a young secretary to a wealthy land developer. What follows is a road trip from hell, but an opening to a new life, jus ...more

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Jul 23, 2013 Feliz rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m, contemporary, action-adventure, crime

Ex-Marine, ex bouncer (thanks to smashing the wrong guy’s face in), Dan Stagg doesn’t know how to pay for his next meal when a somewhat shady character approaches him with the proverbial offer he can’t deny. That’s how Dan ends up with Stirling McMahon (aka Jody), a rich man’s “secretary” (read: boy toy). It doesn’t take long and Dan and Stirling not only find themselves on the lam together but also in each other’s pants. Not surprisingly as for the latter, since Dan screws anything with a heart Ex-Marine, ex bouncer (thanks to smashing the wrong guy’s face in), Dan Stagg doesn’t know how to pay for his next meal when a somewhat shady character approaches him with the proverbial offer he can’t deny. That’s how Dan ends up with Stirling McMahon (aka Jody), a rich man’s “secretary” (read: boy toy). It doesn’t take long and Dan and Stirling not only find themselves on the lam together but also in each other’s pants. Not surprisingly as for the latter, since Dan screws anything with a heartbeat (and a dick) and Sterling, once he stops being a princess, uses his assets in an almost aggressive sexually provocative way in order to get what he wants.

Dan Stagg is a very interesting hero, or rather anti-hero. First and foremost, he’s not actually likable–on the contrary, he is pretty much an asshole. Perpetually horny, abrasive, violent. He has sex with any guy he wants at any time that seems convenient for him (even if it actually isn’t, which leads to some scenes that may have been steaming hot but at the same time were so out of place they struck me as ridiculous). Actually, his skills at finding yet another sexual hookup were fabulous; at times, I was under the impression the former exceeded his fighting skills. However, if Dan can’t fuck himself out of one predicament or the other, he beats and shoots himself out.

But underneath that rough-and tumble exterior is a damaged, broken guy. The army cast him aside because of his sexuality, no matter his sacrifices and his professional achievements. The world, or so he thinks, denies him the right at happiness for the same reason. And his emotions grow increasingly conflicted over what his relationship with Sterling/Jody does to his mind and heart. Dan’s confusion and anger carried over in the narrative to a point where it almost grew frustrating for me as the reader–while at the same time, it made my heart go out to Dan. I can’t imagine Dan living a white picket fence sort of life, but I couldn’t help cheering for Jody–perhaps he’ll be able to domesticate wild Dan at least a little bit.

Compared to Dan, Stirling/ Jody remained somewhat paler, mostly because the story was told in Dan’s first person POV and so we only saw Jody through Dan’s eyes. However, Jody was fleshed-out enough that I could see him as Dan’s match. Not much less broken than Dan, he was still the more positive of the pair, and I liked him and his hand moisturizer, polished nails and bratty ass-shaking manner of walking from the start.

Don’t be fooled, this is not a romance. I’d rather peg it gay erotic fiction, if a peg is needed, perhaps with some mystery thrown in (because the actual mystery wasn’t much of one) and with lots of action and ka-pow. If this is your thing, go for this book, it might just hit the spot. ...more

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