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

Mar 10, 2012 Meep rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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.

-- --

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 11, 2013 Brin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, kindle-books, mystery, thriller, read-in-2013, lgbt, crime, bought-2013, read-in-2018, read-in-2020

The Hell You Say is aptly named. Getting through this book was sheer torture - not because the content or writing was lacking - but because the characters were really put through the ringer. I had heard prior to reading this book that the angst levels were greatly increased but that warning did not prepare me for just how emotional I felt when I finally put down this book. Bravo Josh Lanyon. You truly made me feel the characters pain.

The novel begins with Adrien receiving strange and threatenin The Hell You Say is aptly named. Getting through this book was sheer torture - not because the content or writing was lacking - but because the characters were really put through the ringer. I had heard prior to reading this book that the angst levels were greatly increased but that warning did not prepare me for just how emotional I felt when I finally put down this book. Bravo Josh Lanyon. You truly made me feel the characters pain.

The novel begins with Adrien receiving strange and threatening calls at his bookshop. These calls are directed at his young employee Angus, who has always been a little bit strange and secretive. However, Adrien realises that Angus may in fact be involved in something far more dangerous and encourages him to leave town until it all blows over. Adrien, of course, cannot resist looking into the matter further and soon discovers that there may be a cult involved. One brutal murder and a missing mystery writer convinces Adrien that may have made himself a target so he elicits the help of his erstwhile lover Jake Riordan.

Jake has his own set of problems however (view spoiler) and Adrien realises that he can no longer rely on Jake's help. Adrien finds himself getting closer to Guy, one of Angus's college professors, but is unsure if he can trust him as he seems to have connections to the people who are threatening his employee. A deadly game of cat and mouse follows and Adrien will need all of his skills just to survive...

Bloody. Hell. This book completely toyed with my emotions. I actually cannot believe what I just read. The meltdown of Adrien and Jake's relationship was really hard to read (view spoiler). Don't get me wrong, Jake's desire for a normal life has always been obvious and he even told Adrien he could not give him what he was looking for...but still!! My heart broke for Adrien in this. Jake's denial also broke my heart. You cannot live your whole life hiding who you really are so Jake retreating even further into the proverbial closet made me really upset but I guess I can see why it is so hard for him to be honest about himself and I cannot help but have a little compassion for him. Still I was mad at him too for how things ended up.

I really, really, really hated Guy. Don't think that will ever change. He just came across sleazy and...just...no. The fake British accent thing really bothered me and the description of his appearance just wasn't appealing in the slightest. I did feel really sorry for Kate though (even though she was the one coming between Adrien and Jake). Poor woman just doesn't have a clue what she is getting herself into and I cannot imagine that she will have an easy time of it with Jake.

The story was intriguing but it really took a backseat to all the other relationship drama going on. I was left reeling from the breakdown of Adrien and Jake's relationship. It was a no-win situation really. Adrien, deep down, longs for something more than just secretive rendezvous and Jake just cannot provide that. I am not sure what will happen in the next couple of books but the future just doesn't look too bright for them.

Four stars **** ...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Urbanista rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: decent-or-better-covers

I'm addicted to these. This is one of the most beautiful book covers I've ever seen. Just gorgeous! Beautifully written despite the rather unlikely elements. The MCs tortured relationship is at times difficult to read--their pain and longing emerge powerfully. The closeted main character, Jake, has drawn a lot of ire and rightfully so, but he is a stellar example of the effects that homophobia can have even on a strong, basically decent person. It was harrowing, Reading how his closet became tig ...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Marge rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, m-m, mystery, favorite-author

Poor Adrien, always seeming a little off-kilter with so many new things thrown at him. Yet he keeps investigating and doggedgly searches for the truth. Of course, being Adrien, what he often finds is a dead body. We see several new relationships with family, friends, and perhaps more than a friend. And while the mystery is solved at the end, I was even more interested to continue reading the series to discover more about those relationships.

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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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