I'm a huge fan of romantic suspense and coupled with fake relationship, this was totally my jam! I loved the mystery and had multiple suspects throughout reading. I only guessed it a bit before they figured it out and it was so well done. Loved the multiple twists.

I loved the chemistry between Carter and Lincoln. This is a slowburn and while I wish we explored a bit more of their relationship, especially in the end, I had a fun time reading this book. Oh the UST!

Romance takes a backseat to suspense in this standalone. I wish this was a series as I'd totally love to see more of Carter and Lincoln together. But if you're a fan of mystery and romance and fake relationships then I'd totally recommend this one!

*ARC provided by the author via Netgalley and Eliza Rae PA in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

Had me on the edge of my seat!

Variable Onset is the first romantic suspense story I've read by Layla Reyne. I know, I know – she's probably written more romantic suspense than any other type of MM romance but Dine With Me is the only other book I've read (I loved it). And now…I'm asking myself why?

Variable Onset kept me glued to me ereader all day; I barely got anything else done at all. Thank goodness I'm retired and can't go out because we're currently under lockdown due to COVID-19. I love fake relationship and forced proximity tropes and this story adds in a former adult student / teacher trope to add to its deliciousness.

I'm not going to rehash the blurb so give it a read. This was a suspense story where I didn't have any idea who the baddie was going to be until the author wanted me to. So many things about this story kept me truly engaged. I also gave my electronic dictionary and Google search a good workout while I was reading. There was quite a bit of technical stuff related to forensic genealogy that I was compelled to look up and delve deeper into. I think this is probably a story that required quite a bit of research and it showed in the details.

I loved the bantering and flirting between the two MCs; it kept the story from feeling too heavy. Lincoln and Carter have a hard way to go to get their HEA but I knew they'd get there and the journey was worth it. I should probably add if you're looking for hot and sweaty sexy time this might not be the story for you. It's slow burn all the way with only one (I think) pretty tame bedroom scene and that was fine with me. It's the story that's most important and this was a great one.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com*** (Posting on May 4, 2020.)

I loved Layla Reyne’s Irish and Whiskey and Trouble Brewing series, so I was excited to see she had a new book coming out. One of the townspeople describes the main characters as a “hot-as-fuck agent and his pet professor” which I think gives you a good idea of what this book is like! Plus, the fake relationship and opposites attract tropes!

Lincoln is a professor at Quantico, and Carter is one of his more memorable former students. When serial killer Dr. Fear abducts a new couple, Carter follows a lead to the small town of Apex and the university there. Since Lincoln is the leading expert on the serial killer, he’s sent there to help him out. Lincoln isn’t a fan of field work, and even less a fan of being undercover – especially when Carter springs on him that they’re pretending to be newlyweds. Pesky attraction aside, time is running out for the newest victims, and Carter and Lincoln may be on the trail of a copycat, not the real killer. Can the partners catch the people involved before it’s too late, or will they be the next victims?

“All those years, you can appreciate a slow burn.”
“In other words, you’re gonna make me suffer some more.”
“Trust me when I say we’re both going to be suffering.”


Lincoln and Carter are complete opposites. Lincoln’s a silver fox, ten years older than Carter, a bit curmudgeonly and very set in his routine – or at least as set as he can be with a teenage daughter. Carter’s much more outgoing and more suited to undercover field work, though his childhood experiences have left him with a lot of self-doubt over his ability to contribute to the case. And that’s problematic because he desperately wants to impress the man he’s had a crush on for eight years. Lincoln’s also never been able to forget Carter, but he’s wary of a romantic partner upsetting his relationship with his daughter and ex-wife, not to mention his carefully crafted life. Given the serial killer’s calling card – leaving diagnoses of the victim’s fears – it was not unexpected that a portion of the book was each character working through their own fears, whether it’s something like fire or more complicated like abandonment. Like Layla Reyne’s other couples, these two have ridiculous chemistry with plenty of amusing banter. It’s very, very slow burn, though, so the majority of the sexual content is kissing and making out.

“Carter liked that look of surprise. He wasn’t sure of the ranking yet—blush, surprise, anger—but all of them looked good on Lincoln Monroe. He aimed to see more of them while also collaring a killer or two.”


There’s a good balance between the suspense plot and the romance through most of the book. I guessed the serial killer’s identity pretty quickly, but there were enough herrings and twists and turns thrown in to make me doubt my choice. With the main team in DC and their reluctance to involve the local police, they’re both simultaneously removed from and in the center of the action. It’s solely up to them to cozy up to the townspeople and get the information the main team needs before the latest victims’ time runs out. Rather than the usual sort of stings and such, Lincoln’s an expert in forensic genealogy, which I knew a little bit about from the Golden State Killer but found absolutely fascinating. It does make this slower paced, though, as a lot of Lincoln’s time is spent in a forensic lab or library archives, but it picks up quite a bit at the end, as you’d expect. If there’s one criticism, it’s that I would’ve liked to see a bit more of them together as a couple at the end of the book. With such a slow burn I expected a bit more emotional pay-off, and I don’t think we quite got that. I believe this is meant to only be a standalone, but I could also see revisiting these two as part of a series.

Overall, I’d give this about 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. It’s a fun and suspenseful read, and the combination of fake-relationship and opposites-attract tropes worked for me.

I received this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I do love a good twisty, serial killer, FBI plot mixed in with my mm romance, so this hit all the right notes for me.

Her previous novel set a great precedent, so I had all the high hopes for this one.

The protagonists are different in personality and style, but well suited to each other. Lincoln and Carter have hang ups about relationships, so it's good to see that there is no rushing here, particularly in the light of the seriousness of the crimes they are solving. But that doesn't mean there's not flirt and smoulder -- ho boy, there's plenty of that. And maybe the 'almost-kiss-gets-interrupted-by-a-phone-call' happened one too many times, but this does help build the UST to an even greater extent.

So those of you who prefer your romances sweet and sexy, this slow slow build might be just right for you. I love the way the women in the book are depicted, and there's a touching sub plot about Carter's backstory that creates the most satisfying of endings.

Thanks to Netgalley and Carina Press for advanced copy. This is out on May the 4th (be with you).

Full disclosure: I’m not really a fan of romantic suspense, and I especially don’t like stories about serial killers. But I loved the author’s last book, Dine With Me, so I thought I’d give this one a try.

Well, I can’t say I’m a convert to romantic suspense novels featuring serial killers. The plot felt overly complicated to me, with both a serial killer and a copycat in play. At times, I felt like Lincoln and Carter were making big leaps in the conclusions they were drawing from the evidence, although maybe I just got lost in their discussions of the forensics. I also thought some of their actions didn’t really seem like something FBI agents would do, either, which left me scratching my head a bit.

BUT. What kept me reading were Carter and Lincoln themselves and the relationship that slowly develops between them. (Their romance is definitely slow burn; they don’t do much more than kiss until the very end.) Carter pushes Lincoln’s buttons, but he’s also super supportive of the guy he’s crushed on for years, ever since he had Lincoln as a teacher at the FBI academy. Lincoln is cautious about getting involved with Carter, because he’s been burned in the past, but he grows to appreciate Carter as they spend time together. That part of the book, the two of them together, worked for me, and I was rooting for them as a couple the entire time.

So, thumb’s up for the romance, and I’ll give it a so-so for the suspense elements. That averages out to a good read, overall. I suspect that fans of romantic suspense will really enjoy this a lot.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Suspenseful, thrilling mystery with a low-heat, though intense romance at the core of the story. The MC's work together to try and catch a serial killer who has an especially terrifying and cruel MO. The author clearly did their homework in setting up this story, creating a much appreciated sense of realism by adding plenty of details pertaining to crime-solving as well as misleading readers with false leads and unexpected plot twists. Exactly the kind of thing you'd want in a mystery. Lincoln and Carter face down danger and distressing mental games, all while trying to figure out how they feel about each other, and how many risks they are willing to take for love.

Riveting!

Lincoln and Carter take us on an engaging, emotional and intense journey trying to find two killers and their own path. I couldn’t put it down.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is a very good read with an excellent mix of an FBI serial killer investigation, a new romance after a long time crush, and a personal discovery after years of questions.

Lincoln is a lecturer at Quantico and we discover that he does not handle pressure well, as we soon discover that he would otherwise be excellent at fieldwork. His one-time student, Carter, has been paired with him in the hunt for Dr. Fear. Their set up at Apex is revealed to him in the most amusing way, and leads to some lovely intense moments between the men.

I really enjoyed how we got to know about the duo and how they interacted with the townsfolk. There are plenty of hints and miscues to give us a reasonable level of tension – something which is enhanced by there being a copycat who has incurred the wrath of Dr. Fear himself. I did guess at who it probably was quite early on, but it was still played out well, and gave the men the chance to develop their relationship in a period of heightened danger.

I would love to meet these two guys, I felt they were good people and would be excellent company. If Layla Reyne were to make this the first in a series, I would be very happy!


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
Variable Onset sees geeky Special Agent Lincoln Monroe, who usually spends his time teaching at Quantico, thrown into the field to work with his former student, Special Agent Carter Warren. The men are searching for a serial killer, Dr. Fear, who has kidnapped someone he knows.

When Lincoln meets Carter again for the first time in eight years, there is great chemistry. The back and forth between them was sweet. Early on in the story though, I felt like the personal goings on between pair overshadowed the hunt for the killer but that evened out as the story went on.

I quite enjoyed seeing Lincoln work and seeing how he used his expertise to narrow down who the killer might be. The story has plenty of action that had me on the edge of my seat and the romance between Lincoln and Carter was good fun, which is in contrast to the seriousness of their jobs.

My favorite part of the story was seeing Lincoln face his fears. The descriptions of how he felt were something I'm sure many of us would understand. Every now and then I read a book where a character is dealing with an issue that I am dealing with in my life and this was one of those times. Lincoln's bravery gave me a little bit of courage to face one of my own fears.

Layla Reyne is one of my favorite authors and with Variable Onset, she has once again given us a solid romantic suspense story. A solid 4 stars from me.

Close proximity, fake marriage, age gap, professor student (in a FBI academy setting) tropes along side the pair trying to solve a serial killer case is a wonderful mesh of tropes and story. A well written and well researched mystery involving a serial killer with a fun cast of side characters to help develop the setting. I'd definitely qualify this as a mystery with a side of romance with a HFN ending. I really enjoyed they mystery aspect but felt like I could use another book or a longer epilogue with Lincoln & Carter's romance story outside of their fake husbands for a case part.

Really enjoyed this new romantic suspense from Layla Reyne! Lincoln and Carter were great characters, separate and together. They played off each other very well, and I loved the fake married aspect, as well as the former teacher/student trope.

There's a lot going on in this novel with quite a few subplots thrown in that eventually weave together. The book almost could've been longer to support it all! There's also an incredible amount of research that must've gone into this book because it's incredibly detailed in forensic genealogy. It was so interesting too. I loved reading about those aspects.

There were times when I felt the bumbling professor was a little too bumbling, but I did enjoy seeing the two sides of Lincoln: the confident FBI agent who knows his shit, and the sort of shy and awkward regular guy. I adored Carter, and god! His backstory is a heartbreaker!

Variable Onset is fast-paced and gripping, with two great leads who compliment each other expertly, in life and as FBI partners.

This was really good, a definite win for me.

Lincoln Monroe is an FBI agent who hasn't been out in the field since before his 13 year old daughter was born, instead being a professor at the FBI teaching new recruits. But he's been following a case for over a decade, the one about Dr. Fear, a serial killer who takes couples and makes them face their worst fears before killing them.

He was inactive for about 12 years, but the killings have started again, and there also seems to be a copycat.

And when Lincoln's old mentor, Senator Oliver Kirk's - who was the lead investigator the first time Dr. Fear was active - daughter goes missing, Lincoln is asked by him to go on the case, as he knows it better than almost anyone. And an Agent in the area where Dr. Fear is suspected to be found some clues as well, and is put on the case.

That Agent happens to be Carter Warren - who it is briefly mentioned was in San Fran (so in the Fog City books) on a case, although I don't remember Carter in those books - who was Lincoln's student 8 years prior, and who was a thorn in his side...and who Lincoln was definitely attracted to. Nothing happened, but it's 8 years later, Carter isn't his student and is now his partner...where they are undercover and have to pretend to be married...what could go wrong?

This was a good story, very suspenseful, a well thought out mystery, that had me guessing at every turn, even when I had my suspicions, and a great lead couple.

My only gripe, really, is that I wish this had focused more on their romance. It's there and what is there is wonderful and I loved it, but there wasn't enough. And given that this seems to be a standalone, it bothers me even more that this felt more like the mystery was the main genre and romance was the secondary one. It was there, but so many time these two got interrupted, or they had to focus on the case, or they pulled back, etc etc. I just need more with them.

That's to not even start on the fact that there was all this build up to a sex scene and the one we got was woefully short, undetailed and glossed over. I know it's not everything, sex scenes, so this didn't anger me too much and overall didn't detract from the story from me really, but I just feel that you could take out the small page or two of them being intimate and there would be no difference in the story at the end, really. The sex scene was unnecessary because it went by really fast and didn't get into the intimacy of it, of them being in love, which it should have, I think, after all the time waiting for it. I always say, if you're not going to seem like you care about your sex scene (i.e., glossing over it, making it over really quickly, etc) then don't put it in, because what's the point? Even in romance, because I mainly want the sex scenes in romance books for the romance of it all. Not to just be a quick paragraph with no details. No thanks. Either put in the effort or don't have it in the story.

So that lack bothered me and what was there could have been better, hence my .75 stars off. But the rest of the book? Was done so well and I loved it and it was very enjoyable, and Lincoln and Carter were great together and sweet and the romance, at least, really came off between them in the parts of romance we did get. (Still should have gotten more, imo.)

So overall, I this was a win for me. I definitely recommend it, it was a great story, very well done. I just had some niggles that made this not quite a 5 star rating for me.

4* A rom-susp-mystery where the romance didn't eclipse the storyline, or dumb it down. Yay!

This wasn't a book that I could pick up and read in one go, as there was so much intelligent plotting/content/writing to it that I'd have lost out on had I done my normal thing and blitz-read. I read this in about 6 30-min sessions on my treadmill, and though I picked up other books in between, I didn't need a recap and I hadn't forgotten anything. It's a tale that's been well thought out and it's one that's a lot more discerning than what most readers of MM seem to go for, which personally, ticked all my boxes. It made me think that this hadn't been written with mass sales in mind (it lacked all the tropes that readers seem to lap up), but was organic.

It's first and foremost a race against time and evil machinations of one, possibly two, serial killers and whilst I didn't feel the tension in the tale (in part possibly due to how I read it), I was engrossed. The senator whose daughter had gone missing didn't seem overly emotional or angsty, and yes, I know his training in his former law-enforcement career would have prepared him for this to a degree, I still didn't get a sense of urgency, despite talk of a 24hr window and its countdown. I'm not sure why, but things seemed to happen rather slowly whilst attention was paid to a lot of things and a lot of detail. Some of the scientific stuff in this - to do with the title of the tale, which had initially baffled me - got repeated a bit too much and went over my head, but it did help lead the detectives to the bad guy/s. Like I said, this was an intelligent tale and it doesn't come as a surprise to hear that the author borrowed from her scientist husband here. The most angst seemed to come from Lincoln when faced with his biggest fear, fire, which I fully expected Dr Fear to play on, but my bad for thinking Layla Reyne would do the predictable. And, neither did I expect this version of small-town USA to be such a hotbed of rule breaking and obfuscation and suspect loyalty and spawn the bad guy/s - I mean, it's a university town!

The romance was pretty perfect - for me, at least. Slow, slow, slow burn with the leads coming close to a kiss a few times but not actually getting it on until somewhere around 90% of the tale gone, and even then, it was close to 100% of the tale before readers were told what's possibly in store for them. This felt believable and worked because of the leads' past connection and how Carter had irritated Lincoln, and yay, there was no tropey 'it's all going down but we're going to find a cupboard/room/empty shack somewhere and get it on' here.

This is another excellent tale from this author, and I look forward to the next. Oh, and it's not what I'd call a gay romance at all, which I mean in the nicest possible way - it just happens to be a really good book with gay protags. I think this will appeal to any reader looking for something intelligent, not mass market, and those who enjoy JD Robb and Kathy Reichs tales.

ARC courtesy of Carina Press and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

I love Layla Reyne's books and really enjoy a who-done-it. We have Lincoln, L to his friends, is an FBI Agent who teaches Genealogical Forensics at Quantico. He is happily raising his teenage daughter and has a great relationship with the mother, who is his best friend. Carter is an FBI agent who was a student of L's about 8 years previously to the start of the story. Both men were in lust with each other back then, but neither made a move on it, L for obvious reasons is that Carter was his student. L also has closed of his heart after a relationship that went bad. Carter doesn't have a past, he doesn't know how he ended up in the system when he was a baby. The story centers around the hunt for a serial killer by the name of Dr. Fear. He kidnaps couples and then makes them face their fears before killing them by that fear. Turns out that L's mentor and long time friend's daughter & finance go missing and L is pulled into the investigation. Carter, who does mostly all undercover work, thinks that he has tracked down where Dr Fear's point of origin is and a plan is put into play. When L arrives in Apex, he comes face to face with the one person he didn't want to, Carter. Carter has already set their undercover persona into play, that they are newlyweds. Carter is in town to teach survival training to the local police and L will be working on the massive archive at the local library. While doing that, he will be actually going trough all of the archives looking for clues to the killer. I really enjoyed the investigation and the thought process that they went through to figure out not only who the killer is but that there is a copycat & who that person is, along with saving the original couple and then a second couple and bringing both killers to justice. We also get to see a little of this college town and how everyone knows everyone else business. This is a slow burn, and I mean slow burn, but it works here. I'm also glad that Carter gets closure on his path, thanks to a lot of work from L. I would love for this to turn into a series with these two off investigating cases.

Not that it’s a surprise in any way, but Layla Reyne once again hits it out of the park with this romantic suspense story set on the east coast this time. This book has all the things we’ve come to rely on Reyne for: wonderfully developed and multi-dimensional main characters, interesting secondary characters who help advance the storyline, crisp and clean writing and editing, local flavor and terrific use of setting, the full range of emotions from anger and angst to annoyance and joy and humor and love, an exciting and clever suspense story and a real and emotional romance build.

The story here revolves around the hunt for a serial killer by FBI agents Carter Walsh and Lincoln Monroe. Lincoln is an instructor at Quantico and Carter has had a crush on him since he had him as an instructor eight years ago. At first I was leery of the plotline because as a former teacher I just cannot do the teacher/student relationship trope (that’s a big yuck and hell no!) but once I started reading and realized the set up of the story that concern evaporated. Lincoln is unprepared for the undercover assignment he’s been sent on as key information was missing at first, namely who his partner would be and that they’d be posing as a married couple. Lincoln, it turns out, has had a thing for Carter all these years too.

The development of the relationship is so well executed. The story arc moves well and as the suspense story grows so does the relationship between the MCs. There are plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing about the identity of the bad guy.When the big crisis moment happens it is tense but I was a bit disappointed in how the MC reacted figuring he would be prepared for the villain’s mind games. The ending to the crisis is exciting and should have you cheering.

The book ending is sweet and a lovely HFN that certainly implies a definite HEA. This was a great read and has me so anxious for more work from this author who has quickly become one of my very top authors and whose work never disappoints. Highly recommend.

**I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my objective review.**

Variable Onset
The state in which a genetic trait is expressed later in life

Lincoln has been hunting and thinking about “Dr. Fear” for some time. When the serial killer re-emerges after a twelve year absence, Lincoln is sent to the university town of Apex. When he get there he discovers his partner is one of his annoying students from years before.

Carter is excited to see his former teacher. His crush has had years to develop into full blown need and want.

This author develops characters who readers just want more of. These guys are no exception. The story is well done, fitting in backstory naturally. Easily giving Lincoln and Carter a story to play off of their history and guide them to a future.

This books intriguing serial killer premise mixes nicely with a very slow burn (I think I’ll call it Romance/Light). I liked that Carter always knew where they were going and allowed Lincoln time to catch up. I would love to see more of Apex and these characters.

A gripping thriller, an intriguing romance and a great cast of characters.
I loved it and found it engrossing and enjoyable.
I highly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Can I have more of these two guys NOW? I need them in my life solving crimes and getting it on while avoiding getting killed!

Layla Reyne is one of my favorite MM mystery writers and here she did not disappoint! This was simply FUN to read!

We had a serial killer and a copycat killer making the rounds. We have a student hot for teacher (well, FBI agent hot for his old forensics professor). We have a library (with microfiche machines!), nosy neighbors, a fantastic cafe, and slick labs.

I do have a few things about the book that made me scrunch my nose; made me say, "Huh?"

1. There were a lot of characters. I often forgot who was who when they were brought up again.
2. I got a little lost on the copycat side plot.
3. Sometimes I got a little lost in general.
4. Maybe Ms. Reyne could have slowed this up a tad and filled in some holes, because even after finishing this I still don't understand how some things came to be resolved.

But.....I REALLY ENJOYED THIS and I hope that it's the start to a new series!

This was such an awesome read. This was an action packed book that I could not get enough of. I enjoyed the return to the FBI world with this chase to catch a serial killer. The characters Lincoln and Carter were well written with chemistry that was immeasurable. The pair show that opposites attract as well as that love at first sight does exist even if you have to wait 8 years to truly experience it. I was hooked on the plot with the race against time to catch the killer as well as the few plot twists that I did not see coming. I thought that I had it figured out a few times only to be proven wrong. I enjoyed this book from the start and I would recommend it to others.

Honey & Shamrocks

I think I need a “designated extrovert” of my own as long as it can be Carter. He’s dreamy and so clever. Lincoln is adorable. I love his argyle, his mind, and his family. BTW, I have never wanted to get rid of cell phones until this book. Don’t call Lincoln or Carter; they’ll call you. “But, Carter, just so you know, whatever we find, it won’t change how much I like who you are now.” These two are a dream team. In fact, they’re purrfect together. They are smart, quick-witted, stubborn and wouldn’t want anyone else at the FBI to rescue me.

This book was intense and complete with a creepy, scary villain whose intelligence only made them worse. I loved the mystery and chase of figuring out who it was. Once I started reading this book I didn’t want to stop. It’s engrossing, passionate, engaging and the ending made me happy cry. I felt connected to Lincoln and Carter from the beginning and hope that this isn’t the last we see of them. Another thrilling and fantastic adventure from Layla Reyne.

I am voluntarily leaving this review.

Overall I thought Variable Onset was a good read. Every book I've read by Reyne has been good, but short of great and I can't quite put my finger on why. This was along the same lines. I enjoyed the characters a lot, Reyne always writes good characters, and I enjoyed the frame of the story. But something about the pacing of the plot just didn't quite work for me. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if the suspense of Reyne's books needs more time to be suspenseful. If the book was another even 20 pages longer Reyne could have let the tone of the book build a bit more. However, that's a small critique. The romance also could have used a few more pages to be fleshed out a bit more, but that doesn't bother me as much as the missed opportunity of the suspense.