Love & Loyalty by Tere Michaels
This is a spin off from Faith & Fidelity, Jim Shea, the Seattle police detective main character of this book was a one night affair of Matt; when we first met Jim, he has an unrequited love for Ben, his straight roommate, and same as Matt is in love with Evan, recently widower and straight. Jim and Matt share their loneliness in NYC, but then Jim goes back to Seattle and Matt walks towards his happily ever after.
Jim’s story starts in a pretty dramatic way, he is the main detective in a murder case, a young prostitute who was strangled by boy next door and obviously the Jury is not able to weight right and wrong, and the perfect boy gets out without much sweat. Jim remains friend with the victim’s father, even more when he looses his wife; years after an Hollywood screenwriter and an actress on the sunset boulevard want the story, and they are really good in convincing both Ed, the father, than Jim. To Jim is enough to see Griffin, the screenwriter, to recognize a soul mate and trust him.
This is probably the point I prefer of the novel: even if it’s a crime based story, cops and murders and all, this side of the story is always on the background, and basically the romance has the centre stage place. Jim and Griffin’s love story is light and happy, even funny sometime. They are perfect together, and they are able to communicate without many words, but with a lot of humor. Griffin invites Jim to dinner one night, and more or less, they are always together after that: one night of sex after dinner becomes a week in Seattle for Griffin, and he is back home to Los Angeles only to change suitcase.
I really like both characters: Jim is not at all the usual bitter policeman who has lost faith in the world; he is not searching vengeance, and he is able to recognize what is important in life, friendship and love above his wounded pride. Even if he doesn’t like for a murder to be free, he is more worried of taking care of Ed then to search vengeance to prove that he was not wrong. Jim is in a moment in life, 45 years old, when he is well aware that or he finds someone now, or he will be alone forever, but it’s not that he decides to have a story with Griffin since he fears to be alone: Griffin happens to be there in the right moment and he is the right man, and Jim is able to admit it.
Even if younger, also Griffin needs a change in his life; he has not a “real” life, he is living the glittering and fake Hollywood lifestyle, and when he spends some days in Jim’s apartment, in Seattle, far away from the glittering, he is able to see what is really important.
I like the feeling of the novel, it’s not crash-bum-bang, it’s not too light, it has really a balanced feeling. The dialogues between Jim and Griffin are clever and funny, both characters come out with their own personalities, and they perfectly click together, like two right pieces in a puzzle. The sex scene are hot but not gratuitous, like in life, also in bed the two of them are perfect: Jim needs a little shake in his life, and Griffin needs to be desired, not for what he does, or for who he knows, but only since he is a man.
Really nice story, that I strongly recommend to everyone.
http://www.loose-id.com/Love-and-Loyalty.aspx
Amazon: Love & Loyalty
Amazon Kindle: Love & Loyalty
Series: Faith, Love & Devotion
1) Faith & Fidelity: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/399075.html
2) Love & Loyalty
Reading List:
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