3.5 stars

I had high hopes for this book as the premise of the book sounded really interesting. As I read the book, I could definitely connect with Dana but found there was not enough emotion coming through from the writing. I found the instant connection between Dana and Cybele slightly cliche. Parts of it were gruesome and the book draws on themes of homophobia and hate crime.

I found middle third of the book dragged and I struggled to stay focused however the storyline came full circle at the end and the mysteries involved were definitely exciting.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The canvas of this book is Mykonos, a Greek island that is known to be the most gay-friendly with gay bars and beaches. But if what is told in this book becomes reality, Mykonos is the last place you want to be as a gay person!

In this book, you’ll follow Dana Fox. Dana is a New Yorker living on the Greek island of Mykonos during summer to lead photography workshops. Insert Cybele Karabélias, policewoman and new to the island. Where Dana is sure about her sexual orientation, Cybele accepted the job on the local police department because she wanted to discover more about her sexuality. Since Mykonos attracts a gay audience, this island seemed a good way to start.

They pass each other in a bar, their eyes meet and when Dana has the opportunity to follow Cybele, she’s long gone… “Luckily” in the following day, her apartment gets broken into and trashed and guess who visits when she calls the police. Yes, Cybele!

Why was Dana’s apartment broken into you wonder? Well, that’s part of the plot-line of this book. A lot is happening on the island: a group of Christian-anti-gay-protesters is there, gay men get murdered, a local news reporter gets murdered and one of Dana’s students has an abusive boyfriend with her on the trip. Because of all that’s happening it took me some time to get into this book. When in there, I didn’t want to leave 😉 I don’t want to get into more details about the happenings, because that will ruin your fun…

The mc’s in this book were both likeable, although both maybe a little too naive and not cautious enough when clearly they should be. Dana and Cybele hit off immediately and due to circumstances, this is kind of a Uhaul romance. No complaints there from me. After reading this book good feelings linger and the further I got into the book, the more exciting it got.

If you read more of my reviews, you know I have a dirty little mind and appreciate good sex scenes in a romance novel. There was no lack of sex in this book, but it was the fade-to-black kind. So I was a little disappointed about that. The plotline did make up for that though, so it was a good and solid read.

Fun fact: as a frequent visitor to Greece I noticed that the currency used in the book was “wrong”. Because since the introduction of the Euro (€) in 2002 they stopped using Drachma. But then I read about Dana using film for her photographs and the penny dropped: this book is set at least 18 years ago. A couple of pages further I noticed the date of September 2000 and all was right again in my head.

After reading I think the romance was secondary to this book, there weren’t lots of strong emotions described in this book, most descriptions were around the plotline. So when you’re looking for a mystery-thriller kind of book with gay mc’s, this should be a good pick for you. And although it’s not the genre I read most, it was very nice and refreshing to read.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

This was ok read.

Dana is a instructor of photography workshop and she been leading a group of people in Mykonos she loves the island.

Cybele is a police officer who is investigating series of gruesome murders and it's seems to be tied to Dana workshop because the murders are the ones intending Dana workshop and to top it off Dana may have photograph the killer without knowing.

We do get inside the killer head and what motivates them there are some violence homophobia in this book that have you cringing. There is little romance between Dana and Cybele that out way the darks parts of the story.

At first I wasn't sure if this story was going to be for me... but then as I started to read it more I was pleasantly surprised! I think this is one that is definitely going to be a big hitter as soon as it hits the shelves. Go for it and read!

The setting of The Ungodly Hour by Laury A. Egan is pleasant, and the descriptions are done well to make the reader feel a part of the action and scenery.

The book comes with a content warning regarding some of the subject matter, such as violence and homophobia.

I liked the main character, Dana, and the mystery was pretty solid. I did find myself skimming some of the pages during the middle of the book, but overall the story held my interest in the way the author weaved the setting, the characters, and the intense subject and drama of the story.

I would give this book a solid 3.75 out of 5.