As always another great book Jude would highly recommend it. Looking forward to your next book. We'll done

This book was great in terms of poly rep and okay with ace rep, but the description blurb is a bit misleading as to what the focus of the book is. I really did enjoy it though and I would recommend it for anyone who wants more representation in their reading. It was really great to read about people like me, even if it was a little different than what I expected.

I didn't realize this was the third in a series before starting. I did go read those first two in case it mattered to the storyline. I'm pretty sure it wasn't super necessary. The author repeats the same information in each one. There are four men in a polyamorous relationship. Mike has sex with everyone. Ross only has sex with Mike. Mike and Ross are legal partners but not married. Phil and Raith are married. Raith is a super famous artist. Mike is a former cop. It's all explained with about that level of interest in the book as well. On top of not great prose the author really likes to use rape. It's all over this series, both characters being raped and graphic threats of rape. There is significantly less of it in this one and I won't go into just how bad, and it's so bad, it is in the first two because this is supposed to be about book three but the threat of rape is still there, always there. The plot is all over the place in this one. Ostensibly about an art forgery and bad people being upset about being potentially sold forgeries that is never fleshed out. There's no suspense or closure. At the end the reader is just told, oh fyi this guy is the bad guy and he's taken down off page. I am mad I read this.

This is the third in the County Durham Quad series. This can be read as a standalone story as context and historical information are revealed at relevant points throughout. Having said that, it takes a while to get used to the individuals and their personalities. The characterisation is interesting but leans very heavily on roles and relationships. It is difficult to gain affinity with any individual as all is reflected back to the polyamorous relationship. Much is made of this throughout as if there was something special about it. I suppose a strong and highly visible group such as this in that part of the world would still be a talking point and certainly is not common, but it is unclear why there is something intrinsically unusual about it from a male perspective.

Locations in County Durham are mentioned, but the hub of the story is a location that could be anywhere in rural England. Emphasis is made on the sense of village social culture that has more historical relevance than currency and yet provides a bucolic feel to the story. This is offset by outside factors that impinge on the tranquility and stability of the quad and their environs. These factors are inevitably curious, intrusive and hurtful to the members of the quad. However, more could have been made of the outside/otherness to highlight its invasiveness.

The plot is interesting and is easy to follow, but the jumps in the timeline and the ease with which moments of tension are resolved can mean that there is a loss of focus or credibiilty. More could have been explained about art and money laundering, this was lightly done and the tension and characters associated with it were quite limited. Secondary characters are mostly transitory and are not developed in any depth. The exception to this is the asexual character who uses his association with the case to be around more than he needs to be. As this is another area of sexuality it is explored and compared to the quad. This examination of sexuality can become a little wearing after a while as the author chews over every aspect relevant to the story. Ultimately it all comes to nothing and the reader is left to wonder why that particular storyline was introduced at all.

There is very little sex in the novel. Where it is introduced the description is largely superficial and could easily have been a fade to black. Far more is made of the dynamic within the quad in terms of its operation and maintenance.

The story ends quite anti-climactically with a reinforcement of the quad and their comfort together, other considerations are finessed away. It is unusual, in that if the reader reflects on the critical actions in the plot, it should have been tenser than it actually was.

I voluntarily read and reviewed and advanced copy of this book, received through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First of all, it should be noted that this is the third instalment of a series. This is something I did not know when I started reading the book, so I was pretty lost at some points in the story. Definitely, I recommend reading the first instalments before this one. Without that prior knowledge, the relationship between the characters can be confusing at some point.

Raith, one of four men involved in a polyamorous quad, is accused of forgery. Mike, Ross and Phil, the other three members of the quad, get involved in the investigation to help Raith. Nick Seabrooke is the detective charged with investigating the case, however, he cannot help but become more and more involved with the quad. The art case is intriguing and surprising at times, there are a few surprises I did not see coming. The characters and their lifestyle can be particularly interesting. While their sexuality and relationships are not the main plot of the story, they still are part of it. For example, Nick’s exploration of his feelings. It was really interesting for me to read about asexuality, polyamory and other types of relationships. You definitely might learn a few things.

The short blurb bit: A polyamorous quad gets involved in a crime and the detective who is heading up the investigation is asexual. Raith, Mike, Ross, and Phil live together in the north of England. They’ve carved out a world for themselves in which they can be free to love and care about each other. Their life together is unique and has a few challenges but they make it work. When artist Raith is accused of forging a painting … things get very complicated very quickly.

The descriptive bit: If you like crime stories and are interested in reading characters who aren’t run of the mill then this is a good book for you. Of particular interested to readers may be the lifestyles of the characters. While their sexuality and partnerships aren’t the plot of the story, they are, of course, part of the plot. If you’re interested in reading about asexual folks, polyamory or diverse relationships then you’ll find this story intriguing. You may even learn something – like I did!

My thoughts bit: First, I should say that I didn’t read the first two books in this series but I will say that I plan to go back and do that now! That’s got to be a vote in the win column. There was enough history written into this novel that I didn’t struggle too much to understand who the characters were and where they had come from. There were some past events mentioned vaguely that I now want to go and read about!

The art forgery case in the novel is really well thought out and well written. Even though it was a bit convoluted at times, it was very intriguing and had a lot of good twists and turns. A painting has been forged, and because of Raith’s Tetrachromacy and his artistic ability, he is accused of being the forger. As the investigation progresses, the quad works closely with senior investigative officer, Nick Seabrooke. There is a great subplot following Nick’s exploration of his feelings when he is exposed to the men in the quad.

At first, I found it a little tricky keeping track of which characters were which. After all, I think it’s unusual for almost the entire cast of characters to be male. But, I settled into it and managed to keep track of all the different folks.

Well worth a read! Start from the beginning of the series though because you don’t want to have to go back like me!

The warnings bit: extreme violence, car accidents, discussion of past violence, discussion of past sexual assault.

This is definitely a case of needing to read the first book to read this one. The set up was good but it made no sense after the first third. The characters seemed good but their pre-existing relationships made little sense.

3.5 stars. I liked the consistency of the covers and the same matter of fact writing style, as well as the growth of the characters. These poor guys can’t seem to keep out of trouble. I liked Raith and Phil’s strengthened bond. I liked Nick but did feel sorry for him getting involved with the quad. I’m not sure about Mike anymore, his path seems to keep getting darker, his world revolving around the guys and screw everyone else. I’m almost expecting a batman cape and a meeting with Fortune in a dark alley. A strong sequel to the series.