The Hell You Say (The Adrien English Mysteries, #3) in Q&A with Josh Lanyon

Mar 10, 2012 Meep rated it it was amazing

Shelves: cosy-mystery-crime-detective

Seems more time in Adrien's head, lots of research, not much happening. Noone confronts the teenagers at any point. I pity but don't like Jake there's a sex scene that while carefully consensual is cold and not a good vibe it reminded me a lot of the scene in the first book where Adrien was getting hurt while Jake hovered outside the room and that always disturbed me. Guy is too fake.
Pretty much my take from previous reads. Preferred the first two books mystery wise but a compelling series.

-- -- Seems more time in Adrien's head, lots of research, not much happening. Noone confronts the teenagers at any point. I pity but don't like Jake there's a sex scene that while carefully consensual is cold and not a good vibe it reminded me a lot of the scene in the first book where Adrien was getting hurt while Jake hovered outside the room and that always disturbed me. Guy is too fake.
Pretty much my take from previous reads. Preferred the first two books mystery wise but a compelling series.

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Of the mystery I'm not sure, there's much stress on the fear anyone involved feels and murders have/are happening, yet somehow it read a lot like a bunch of teenagers being over dramatic and I couldn't shake the feeling that someone should call their parents to give them a strict talking to. It seemed over dramatic and a bit silly rather than any genuine threat. Adrien's research touched on the academic with references spilling out all over. There's plenty going on but it's not my favourite.

On the relationship front Jake is still that love/hate conundrum. The big strong cop is a pitiful figure wallowing in self loathing and trying to meet expectations. Be the upstanding and most importantly straight - cop/son/brother/husband.. Adrien gets his romantic bubble burst, Jake isn't, can't be, good to Adrien and the way he's written left me wanting not a joint HEA but for the peace of self-acceptance for Jake and someone to appreciate Adrien. Their tangle is by no means healthy and my reaction is very much to judge by actions, I can sympathise with Jake's struggles a lifetime of self-loathing is a lot of pressure but how he acts defines him and as shown here the cracks aren't pretty. At the end of the day we rarely learn what makes a person what we confront is their surface. Jake on the surface is not nice, not a good person.

Newcomer Guy is set-up as a possible alternative love interest but didn't feel any connection there, not sure how believable it was beyond them both rebounding hard.

There's suddenly a lot of step-family that were vaguely annoying not sure how much of that was tempered by Adrein's pov.

On the whole the book is interesting. Lots of emotion though not what I'd consider a romance. The complexities are what keep me reading. ...more

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May 14, 2013 Deanna rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, fav-authors, adventure

Jake! Jake! Jake! Why can't you wake up and see what is in front of you? Adrien with love and acceptance! You are so stupid for an intelligent man. Adrien is four times the man you are. Maybe he will move on to a new love that is not ashamed to be seen with him? Will Jake finally realize he cannot live a lie but find it is to late?

Josh Lanyon offers us another fantastic story with a good plot. Lanyon is a story teller and a good writer. His dialog is believable. We care about his characters. The ...more

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Oct 28, 2013 Susana rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In The Hell You Say, Adrien finds himself again involved in a mystery. This time, Angus, Adrien’s bizarre though somehow cute assistant, has to leave the shop because he is being threatened by some king of satanic cult. Thinking it is just an innocent game from his college fellows, Adrien gives him some money (as a bonus) and recommends him to take a holiday with his girlfriend. What Adrien doesn’t expect is to become the target of the menaces when Angus disappears without any trace. The thing g In The Hell You Say, Adrien finds himself again involved in a mystery. This time, Angus, Adrien’s bizarre though somehow cute assistant, has to leave the shop because he is being threatened by some king of satanic cult. Thinking it is just an innocent game from his college fellows, Adrien gives him some money (as a bonus) and recommends him to take a holiday with his girlfriend. What Adrien doesn’t expect is to become the target of the menaces when Angus disappears without any trace. The thing gets really dangerous when dead bodies begin to turn up. With the reluctant help of his lover Jake, Adrien decides to get to the bottom of this dark business.
Again, I have really enjoyed this book. There are really sad moments, and very funny ones as well:
As for the sad moments, I have suffered along with Adrien in the book. His relationship with Jake was bound to hurt him, and pain arrives suddenly: After a period of nearly happiness, seeing his lover twice a week (sometimes even more), Adrien is struck by the news that Jake’s girlfriend is pregnant, and that they are going to get married. The confrontation; Jake’s aggressiveness; Adrien’s pain. That has been a very difficult moment in the book. I love the way Josh Lanyon makes you feel what Adrien is feeling. His pain is so real and so touching. It was very intense. Adrien is broken and Jake… Well, I cannot bring myself to hate Jake. Although I know he’s not good for Adrien, and I hate the way he despises himself, I am sure he loves Adrien even if he doesn’t know it, and that leaving Adrien is going to hurt Jake himself more than Adrien.
But there are funny moments in the book as well: Lisa, Adrien’s mother, decides to get married after years of being a lonely widow. This way, Adrien finds himself surrounded by a new family, with three stepsisters who do everything they can to involve him in the wedding arrangements. I am sure they are going to be a source of headaches for Adrien in the future. I can’t wait to find out more about this newly acquired family.
All in all, this is another utterly enjoyable instalment of this series. Despite the fact that Jake leaves and a new romance seems to appear in Adrien’s life (sexy professor Guy Snowden), I still want to see a HEA for Adrien and Jake. I am really looking forward to it.
...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Carey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m-romance, mystery-crime, suspense, detectives-cops-pi

First Read: 1/30/12
Second Read: 10/19/13
3.5 stars, this book frustrates the crap outta me. Jake is so unliikable, Adrien is frustrating for what he puts up with, and for me it was a bit long. On the flip side, I LOVE this series, and the bump in the road makes the end sweeter, IMO.
Reread 1/4/16

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