I was on the fence with this grade, but I'm going to bump it up because I'm so thrilled to see Reyne return to Agents Irish and Whiskey form. Great tension, excellent plot & sexy chemistry between her principal characters. YES!

4.5 stars

Variable Onset features a pair of FBI agents on the hunt for a serial killer who's been active for decades. Dr. Fear kills in pairs; after kidnapping their victims, they torture them with whatever is their deepest, darkest fear (drowning/fire/claustrophobia/rats...) until the victim succumbs or begs for death. Then, Dr. Fear repeats the torture with the second victim. The FBI has never been able to figure out what links the victims, but when Variable Onset begins, Dr. Fear is active again, and this time the FBI may have a lead on his location.

Although happiest teaching in the classroom, Special Agent Lincoln Monroe can't help thinking his specialty - forensic genealogy - could make him an important asset on the newly established Dr. Fear task force. When the head of the bureau drops in on one of his classes, he's initially worried he might be in trouble (but for what?), but hopeful he's there to discuss the investigation. He is. An agent in the field thinks he has a lead that might lead them to the killer - and the bureau wants Monroe to partner with him on the investigation. Undercover field work doesn't play to Lincoln's strengths, but he's eager to find Dr. Fear, too, and he agrees to go.

When Lincoln first met Carter Warren eight years ago, it was lust at first sight. But working as an instructor at Quantico, he's scrupulously avoided relationships with any of his students. Carter, however, was a special kind of torture. Handsome, loud and brash, always eager to be the center of attention - Special Agent Carter Warren was the trainee of his nightmares, and occasional fantasy - and it was a relief when he finally returned to the field. So when Lincoln finally arrives at the address in Apex where he'll be staying for the foreseeable future - and discovers a house party already underway - he's annoyed, but unsurprised to see Agent Warren open the door.

Carter Warren was tracking a lead of different sort when he came across a connection to Dr. Fear in Apex. He quickly called it in, and the bureau told him they were sending him forensics expert Lincoln Monroe to help with the investigation. Carter hadn't forgotten how hot Lincoln was eight years ago, and when he opens the door to his knock, his first thought is that his instructor has gotten even more good looking - and that he’s still annoyed with him. Before Lincoln can blow their cover, he pulls him aside and hands him a wedding ring, and then introduces him to their curious group of onlookers as his new husband, Professor Lincoln Polk. Convinced he’s already sabotaged the partnership before it can begin, he’s relieved when Lincoln follows his lead and plays along.

Oh friends, I loved this combination from the start of the novel to the end. Carter just wants to be loved, and he’s wanted Lincoln - “L” - since they met eight years ago. He’s determined to make more out of this partnership than just finding Dr. Fear - which he has every intention of doing - and he’s the perfect foil to his prickly, cautious and brilliant partner. L’s been burned by boyfriends before, and he isn’t eager to jump into a relationship. He has a great life teaching at Quantico and parenting his teenage daughter with his ex-wife, and isn’t looking for someone who might not want a ready made family. But Carter is a constant, lovely, surprise. He’s gentle and kind, clever and capable, and their close proximity puts L’s resistance to the test. When he eventually learns what brought Carter to Apex in the first place, it gives him the final push he needs to pursue a relationship...but the case - and Dr. Fear - gets in the way. These two are a terrific match-up, and Reyne does a terrific job building the tension of their slow burn relationship. If I have any complaint about this story, it’s that she draws out the slow burn a tad too far, and leaves it too late for readers to enjoy them as a couple. Okay - it’s my biggest complaint, and I wish we had more of them as a couple! You will too.

Meanwhile, they have a serial killer - and a possible copycat - on the loose. The case is twisty and dark, the clues are hard to find, and there are suspects everywhere they look. Dr. Fear has somehow stayed under the radar for decades, but both Carter and L can feel they’re getting close to identifying them. I won’t spoil the investigation for you, and I promise you Reyne leads her readers on a merry chase trying to figure out who our villain really is. But while the big reveal is a nice and nasty surprise, the climatic ending is a bit clunky. Dr. Fear doesn’t follow his usual modus operandi, and Reyne substitutes “action,” for substance and tension. Dr. Fear is careful and disciplined, but acts out of character the moment Carter and L begin to close in on them. It’s a disappointment.

Look, I thought this was terrific and I couldn’t put it down. I’m curious if the author has plans to make this a series - oh, please!!!!!! And hopeful we get to see more of these two coupled up. Like I mentioned earlier, there’s entirely too much slow burn tension, and too little actual sexy-times. Carter and L deserve more screen time as lovers and partners, and readers just want more.

Give it to us. Please!

Pfff ça me fend un peu le cœur de dire ça, mais je ressors de cette lecture super déçue, et frustrée.
Le résumé était très accrocheur, et forcément, dans un coin de ma tête, je ne pouvais pas m'empêcher à un autre duo d'agents du FBI écrit par l'auteur, a.k.a Irish & Whiskey, et malheureusement, la comparaison n'est pas DU TOUT en faveur de Carter & Lincoln.

L'intrigue policière, à la base, est bien pensée, et avait pour moi un gros potentiel. En effet, il y avait matière à faire monter la tension et à bien nous faire flipper, mais pour moi, l'auteur n'a pas du tout exploité ledit potentiel. Il ne se passe quasiment rien pendant un gros tiers du livre (voire plus), alors même que c'est une course contre la montre : là, où est l'enjeu dramatique ? Où est le stress qu'on devrait ressentir ?? Je cherche toujours ... La fin relève malgré un peu le niveau, mais bon, là encore, j'ai trouvé ça un peu plat, probablement parce que je ne me suis pas vraiment attachée aux personnages. On va dire qu'est c'est un RS plus "psychologique" que "musclé" ...

La romance n'est pas terrible non plus, car l'auteur nous dit des choses plutôt qu'elle ne les montre. Cette façon de faire, c'est vraiment quelque chose que je n'apprécie pas du tout et qui gâche mon plaisir de lecture, ça m'empêche de rentrer pleinement dans l'histoire et de me sentir proche des personnages. Du coup, je n'ai pas ressenti cette attirance entre les deux hommes, il n'y a pas de montée du désir, c'est trop fade à mon goût, alors qu'encore une fois, au début, on nous vendait du "rêve".

En revanche, j'ai bien aimé ce décor et cette ambiance de petite ville, et, comme toujours, le fait qu'on sent que Layla Reyne bosse son sujet (enfin c'est ce que je ressens) avant d'écrire un livre.

Tous les ingrédients étaient là, donc, mais pour moi, la recette n'a pas pris, et c'est bien dommage, parce jusqu'ici j'ai aimé les livres de cette auteure (même si j'avais trouvé moins bien la série avec les nageurs).

** 2.75/5 **

Ce nouveau roman de Layla Reyne me tentait bien depuis que j'ai vu la couverture et le début de résumé, c'est donc avec plaisir que je me suis plongée dans ce roman.

L'agent spécial Lincoln Monroe est appelé d'urgence dans une affaire étrangement similaire à celle du Dr Fear. Pour cela, il devra faire équipe avec un autre agent, Carter Warren, un ancien élève qu'il n'a pas revu depuis quelques années. Afin d'être les appâts parfaits, nos deux agents seront présents sur les lieux sous couverture en tant que couple marié.

L'idée d'un prof qui retrouve un ancien élève était assez sympa. Mais je n'ai pas eu ce dont à quoi je m'attendais. Pour moi, l'alchimie entre Lincoln et Carter n'était pas présente. Il n'y a pas eu vraiment de jeux de séduction entre les deux hommes, de situations cocasses comme ce dont on peut s'y attendre étant donné leurs situations.
On n'a aucune idée de ce à quoi ressemblait leur relation par le passé, j'entends bien, Lincoln étant professeur, il ne s'est jamais rien passé, mais pourtant on fait certaines allusions au fait que l'un désirait l'autre, etc., mais l'auteur le cite simplement et ne le montre pas.
Là, on est quand même dans la situation où deux hommes, qui se désiraient, se retrouvent après plusieurs années et en plus de cela, ils doivent jouer le couple parfait. Je ne sais pas moi, je m'attendais à beaucoup plus et il y avait matière à faire plus.
Tout va extrêmement vite aussi, c'est presque l'insta love. Et je ne parle pas même pas de la fin...

Sinon, globalement, les personnages manquaient de charisme. Je sentais bien les passages plus ou moins forcés sur la famille de Lincoln par exemple pour tenter de donner du relief au personnage mais franchement, ça ne prenait pas avec moi.

Côté intrigue, tout va vite aussi. Il faut dire que mon manque d'attachement pour les personnages principaux a fait que je me suis détachée un peu de l'enquête, que je trouvais sans surprise pour le coup, même si on peut dire que l'intrigue est correcte niveau rythme. J'ai trouvé le tout bien fade et plat pour être honnête, j'ai eu du mal à avancer et finir le roman, pourtant très court.

Encore une fois, je ne sais pas si c'est moi ou le livre. J'ai du mal à me plonger complètement dans une histoire en ce moment. Mais il m'a clairement manqué trop de choses pour apprécier celle-ci.
(2,5/5)

I love me a good serial killer mystery... and it's made even better when there's a bit of a complicated relationship between the lead investigators. Special Agent Lincoln Monroe is teaching at Quantico when he's called back into action.

This is a contemporary thriller. There is a serial killer, aptly named, Dr. Fear. He kills people by way of their main fear! What a horrible thought! It works well in the story, probably because we all have fears that we wouldn't want to have to face.

So, Lincoln is called to action to go undercover with another agent. What he doesn't know until he arrives on location that is that he will be working with Carter Warren. Carter was a student of Lincoln's in the past and there was chemistry... of course of the kind that a Professor doesn't act on. And, the two men are supposed to pose as a newly married couple!

This book follows the case through the time that Lincoln becomes involved until the plot comes to  a conclusion! It's a great story that is well thought out and I loved the amount of detail that was put into the process of how an investigation may work! I was quite intrigued by some of the genetic information and evidence processing that happened.

I think Lincoln was my favorite character. He is devoted to his wife and daughter and comfortable with his bisexuality in addition to being a kick-ass profiler. I loved the way that his sexuality wasn't a huge part of the story... it's just a small part of who his character is. LOVED that a lot actually! His thought processes were quite intriguing. The author did a great job of letting the evidence and mystery unfold consistently with little bursts of excitement!

There's a lot of chemistry between the two main characters but I definitely enjoyed the way that they were a bit confused or conflicted about what was happening. After all, how do you know if what you're feeling is real when you're "pretending" to be a married couple. It may not be a particularly new concept for characters to become a muddle in a relationship like this but I really enjoyed the way that it was written in this story.

Definitely enjoyable!!! I would recommend this if you like mysteries... in particular if you like stories about serial killers.