Murder and Mayhem

Murder and Mayhem is the first book in the series of the same name. This is a fast-paced romance between two opposites. The characters are likable and the rapid-fire banter fun. Of course, like all books by Miss Ford, the vibrant descriptions make the scenes and emotions come alive. I’m a sucker for a good romantic suspense and this one definitely delivers in terms of suspense, action, and intrigue. I loved seeing the mystery unfold as Dante and Rook try to piece together what went down and who’s after Rook. The ending came as a fun surprise for the most part and left me eager for more action from these two.

From the first chapter, I loved the characters and how their personalities were so different. With Rook being a reformed cat burglar and Dante a cop who’d previously pursued Rook as a suspect for a number of different crimes, the potential for sparks was huge. Happily, Miss Ford delivered on the chemistry, especially physically. Then there was the fantastic banter between these two which further flushed out their individual and contradictory personalities. I laughed and smiled a ton while devouring Murder and Mayhem. And on top of a great pair of heroes, the secondary characters offer a considerable amount of charisma, deepening each of the main character’s personalities through their interaction and relationships outside of Rook and Dante’s romance.

So why not 5 full stars? Unfortunately as much as the personalities shone and the physical chemistry crackled between Rook and Dante, the romance wasn’t quite all there for me. So much of Murder and Mayhem came across in Technicolor brilliance, but the emotional side of the romance felt incomplete. When the book starts, Dante and Rook often reference the previous existing attraction from their initial meeting years ago. Although that gives the reader a place to start and sets the stage for a fast-moving romance, I wanted to see it unfurl on page. The relationship definitely takes hold and grows within the book and I even got a satisfying happy-for-now conclusion, but the emotional connection felt glazed over. The result was Dante and Rook’s romance played second fiddle to the suspense which drove the plot. While I was admittedly let down in that realm, I cannot deny that I loved these two and their families and am eager to see what happens in the next book.

*Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*

Review by Barb
Where to start? How about with how much I loved this story? Rhys Ford climbed to the top of my favorite authors list last year, and she’s cemented her place there with this story.
Damaged thief, con man, and former cat burglar meets gorgeous cop and former nemesis, and this time their chemistry ignites, erupts, and burns hot and heavy.
When Detective Dante Montoya gets assigned to the murder investigation at Potter’s Field, a shop for discriminating collectors of antiques and memorabilia, he’s determined to pin the crime on the owner of the shop—Rook Stevens, former burglar, and the man who caused Dante’s former partner to falsify evidence to entrap him once and for all. The problem was that it was the cop who took the fall when the falsehood was discovered, and Dante nearly lost his career over the whole mess.
Now, he has a second shot at putting Rook behind bars, and he’s determined to do it. Rook manages to get out of the murder charge against him, in part because of his grandfather’s high-powered attorneys, a grandfather that he really wants no part of. But also because he simply didn’t do it, and when he’s shot inside his own shop not long afterward, Dante’s the unfortunate witness, and Dante starts to realize that he could be wrong.
These two once had an “almost” encounter in a dark backroom but managed to avoid going all the way when Dante discovered who he was mauling. The seeds of attraction were planted then, and they’ve continued to grow, so much so, that Dante wants Rook with an overpowering desire, and Rook wants him just as intently.
Of course, the two act on their attraction, but Dante wants more than Rook has ever been willing to give anyone. Abandoned by his mother, raised among carnie folk, taught to pick pockets before age five, Rook is the last type of person Dante should want, but he does. Rook resists, just as he resists getting into his grandfather’s clutches, a grandfather who has only recently come into his life. One of the highlights of reading this story was watching Rook finally capitulate and admit that he does indeed love his grandfather and that his attraction to Dante is more than simple sex.
This was an enjoyable adventure—enjoyable primarily because of the full three-dimensional depictions of the characters, including the secondary characters like Rook’s grandfather and Dante’s Uncle Manny, Dante’s partner Hank, and Rook’s assistant, Charlene. Also enjoyable because of the mystery adventure which doesn’t come to its explosive conclusion until the next-to-last chapter and enjoyable because of the beautiful, unique and imaginative way that Rhys Ford crafts her stories. It’s always such a pleasure to read a story for which each little detail is described with words and phrases which paint a picture in my mind as clearly as if I was watching the story on video.
I highly recommend this to lovers of M/M romance, and especially to those who love a mystery adventure, an emotionally damaged MC and the heroic MC who loves him both despite who is and for who he is. This one will be on my favorites of 2015 list, for sure.

I was so excited to read this book, and boy did it live up to my expectations and then some, Rhys Ford can craft a story that will have you hooked from the start! I loved the premise of this one, and the fact that it kept you guessing while giving you a glimpse into the lives of two men who really need each other!
Rook was a cat burglar, and a damn good one, but never has he been accused of murder, until now that is! Add to that fact that the guy who caught him is one he has history with, Rook is thinking this is a pretty suck-tastic situation! Oh but the body count has just begun, and Dante doesn't have to be an enemy, does he?
I love the transition Rook goes through in this book, you can almost see him struggle not to open his heart and let Dante in, because people leave, betray, and hurt you, don't they? This is a book you will love from cover to cover, and all the twists and turns are wonderful and spellbinding!
I will not give a thing away of course, all I will say is, be ready to be knocked on your ass by the ending of this one! This is a lovely look into the lives of two men that so belong together, and the secondary cast of characters is wonderful as well!
Don't miss Murder and Mayhem friends, this is a re-read shelf book for sure! Thanks Rhys, for giving us a wonderful story, and doing it in a fresh and wonderful way!