Thanks to NetGalley for loaning me this book. Rav the gay detective is hoping his second case, since joining the police , the murder of a music executive, will prove he belongs and has earned a place on his police squad. The murdered executive made his money by purchasing record labels which includes the hit music of the signed bands and he won’t sell the rights to these songs back to the bands, one of which is the Knickerbockers, whose lead singer Jack, with justification, is the lead suspect in the murder. During the police investigation an attraction develops between Jack and Rav. The who done it part of the plot continues until the end of the book resulting in a satisfying denouncement. To me the highlight and most satisfying part of the book is the romance that develops between Rav and Jack. Is Jack the murderer and did Rave get booted off the police force, it’s worth reading the book to find out.

"He's to Die For" by Erin Dunn is a captivating novel that effortlessly blends suspense, romance, and intrigue. The plot is well-crafted, keeping readers engaged with unexpected twists and turns that maintain a steady pace throughout the book. Dunn's characters are vividly drawn and relatable, each bringing their own unique dimension to the story. The chemistry between the protagonists is palpable, adding depth to the narrative.

The author's writing style is engaging and descriptive, allowing readers to vividly imagine the settings and emotions portrayed. While the storyline is compelling, there are moments where the pacing could be tighter, but this does not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment of the book.

Overall, "He's to Die For" is a thrilling read that delivers excitement and emotional depth, making it a worthwhile addition to any reader's collection. Dunn has crafted a story that is sure to please fans of the genre.

I’ve never read anything from Erin Dunn before. Honestly, I didn’t care for this book. I am unsure if it is because of the character development or the predictability of the plot, but it couldn’t hold my interest.

When I read the premise for Erin Dunns debut novel, He’s to Die For, I immediately knew I needed to read it and was so happy when I saw the approval for the ARC!
I love me some mystery, thrillers and MM, so to have a story that combines all three was the absolute best. Detective Rav is investigating a very high profile murder with the lead suspect being non other than rockstar Jack. As the investigation continues and evidence mounts against Jack, can Rav remain focused on fact?
The characters are fun and interesting, Rav is very posh and damn can the man dress and Jack is surprisingly humble and not his rockstar persona. I like that the romance isn’t focal point, the mystery really shines here and is at the forefront; it really had me enthralled and was pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
The tension was so good, this was very forbidden bodyguard vibes (queue the Whitney Houston song)and the flirty remarks via their text messages were some of my favorite things here. There were quite a few characters, I did forget who some were at times and I do wish we either got more insight into their backgrounds (Ravs family especially), perhaps in a sequel? I enjoyed this, I definitely would love to see more of these characters tackle another mystery!

Check this out if you like mysteries and MM like me, it’s out on June 3rd! Thanks so much to NetGalley, St Martins Press and Minotaur books for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun read.

The relationship between Rav and Jack was so well built and the romance avoided cliche insta-love. I enjoyed reading about them from start to finish. And the mystery elements were just present enough to be a thrill and not feel like a tacky background, but it wasn't so heavy that the romance was heavily over shadowed.

This was a well edited story with complex characters.

I'd definitely recommend this to readers.

Great prose, love reading a book written in third person. I also loved my romance with a side of murder. Really this was an action-adventure book with a side of romance, and I ate it up. There were twists and turns that I didn't see coming at all. Would read 10 more just like it.

DNF @ 34%

I was pretty certain after finishing one chapter that He’s To Die For wasn’t going to work for me, and I should have listened to my gut.

For me, there are a few issues that make it so I can’t push through the book, no do I care what happens:

1)The main characters: Rav is supposed to be this young and successful homicide detective who nobody respects for no good reason but I can tell you the reason: he’s insufferable. Also he’s not very professional for the fact he starts falling for a possible suspect in the murder and the narrative writes off his concern over that pretty quickly.

Jack, the rockstar possible murder love interest, reminds me of every guy in college who thought he was deep but really should just be in therapy. There isn’t much the reader gets about Jack beyond his anxiety and cluelessness about the world around him.

These two kissed at the 34% mark, I didn’t care, and that was the final nail in the coffin.

2) I honest to god cared more about the murder case than the romantic plot, but as that was secondary in this book (which is fine!),I couldn’t stick around to find out what happened.

3) The constant cultural references/details that are going to age this book faster than climate change will affect the planet. The brand name clothing Raf wears is constantly name-dropped (ew), the references back to Brooklyn 99 (saying a character is “The female Captain Holt” does not make your book like the show, in fact it alienates readers who haven’t seen it and it shows weak writing, actually), and other character descriptions like “an off-brand Tom Brady,” mentions of social media sites “He refused to call it X” - you get the picture.

I know this is a debut, and I do think the bones of a good story is there, but if the Romance isn’t going to carry the Romance Book, everything else in the pages need to be stronger - and it wasn’t.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book is a cute romantic suspense with serious Charm Offensive vibes. Rav is a homicide detective with serious career ambitions who gets caught off guard by the hot lead singer of a rock band who is initially the lead suspect of his latest case. This book brings romance, emotional intimacy, and mental health rep while also fighting with some former CIA operatives. Definitely worth the read.

This is one of the best books that I have ever read. It is very well written and kept me enthalled from start to finish.
Eveyrthing in this book from the romance to the police investigation of murder is on point.
The banter between Rav and Jack is absolutely incredible and absolutely hilarious. The backstory regarding Tommy and how it affected everyone else really adds to the story. The story kept me guessing throughout all of it. I really didn't expect that twist.

Mein Leseerlebnis

Das Buch ist eine Mischung aus m/m romance und einem Krimi. Die Geschichte wirkte auf mich beim Lesen frisch und größtenteils auch unterhaltsam.

Es war auffällig, dass mich die Liebesgeschichte mehr angesprochen hat als die Ermittlungsarbeit, diese ließ mich überraschend kalt. Ich habe bei der Auflösung des Verbrechens leider auch nicht mitgefiebert.

In Bezug auf die beiden Helden habe ich sie zwar gerne näher kennengelernt, gleichzeitig konnte ich sie mir nicht als richtige Personen vorstellen. Darauf aufbauend fand ich ihre Liebesgeschichte zwar nett, aber nicht mehr.

Ich würde “He’s to die for” als unterhaltsames und nettes Buch beschreiben, das ich zwar gerne gelesen habe, das mich gleichzeitig aber nicht voll überzeugen konnte.

🖤🖤🖤 1/2

Für wen?

Wer Romane mag, die eine Liebesgeschichte mit Ermittlungsarbeit in einem Mordfall verbinden und dabei eher heiter und nicht düster sind, kann zugreifen.

Erin Dunn, I hope your pillow is always cold on both sides!! This was a lovely book, and my first ever by Erin Dunn. I am looking forward to more works by them.
Thank you so much NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed this!!! I don’t think I have ever read a romance mystery quite as enticing as this one!
4/5 stars ⭐️

Thank you to St Martin's Press for this eARC! This was a fun read. It was fast paced and easy to digest, like watching my favorite USA procedural. Serious topics handled but light on its feet. And the romance was good! I liked the balance between a detective and a rockstar/suspect. Closed door spice but not in a way that negatively effected the plot or vibe, it all flowed really well and kept the chemistry alive. Overall a fun read!

I DNFed at 80%.

One night stand. Detective x suspect. Cop x rockstar.

"It's not the first time he's been attracted to someone he shouldn't be. Attraction is a primal thing; you can't control it. You can only control your actions, and he's always been pretty disciplined about that.”

I DNFed this at 80% the beginning had me hooked but the lack of communication just bugged me so much and I just stopped.

Overall the book was fun and enjoyable.

Really fun mystery with two lovely romantic leads. I enjoyed the character development and the way they navigated the mystery and their relationship.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book.

This book for exceeded my expectations of what I thought it was going to be about. Truth be told, this is my first mystery/thriller romance book. I thought that the story of this was well thought out, and I didn’t see the twist coming at all Until it was two seconds away from happening.

Rav and Jack had chemistry from the get-go, it was palpable from the second their eyes met for a murder investigation. I love the representation for anxiety, and the fact that Jack and Rav instantly connected through that and broke down any barrier between detective and rockstar. There’s a lot of realistic and identifiable struggles within what’s right versus what feels right versus what we do versus what we should do. And that was prevalent throughout the romance, part of the story, and the mystery part of the story.

If you are not a fan of mystery/thriller with romance, this book will turn you into one trust me. The reason I chose to download this book and read it was because I love a good MM romance, and definitely with men in uniform and rock stars ha ha! Seriously, though, the way these two men supported each other throughout this book, even on a friendship level was top-tier.

The good:
⭐️ Banter
⭐️ Chemistry/Love Story/Flirtation
⭐️ A hell of a mystery with so many twists and turns
⭐️ Minor Characters stand out so much!
⭐️ Mental Health representation

The not as good
-0.25 💫 I feel like the spice in this book is very confusing. The way that dirty talk and flirtation is presented, and then we skip over the detailed sex scenes, but also not made it like the orgasm that just never happened. That could just be a me thing, it may not bother anybody else, and it certainly didn’t ruin this book for me. I feel like it should either be suggested, or give us the details.

-0.25 💫 The whole Lord thing. Like, I get it? But it didn’t feel fully fleshed out and a mix between a loose thread and a plot hole. Again, still LOVED this book.

This was a fun read. It combines romance with mystery! I enjoyed the characters and the story line had me interested until the end. Thanks for the copy!

Can you have a relationship with someone that you just interviewed a potential murderer? This is the question that this clever and spicy mystery tries to answer….along with who’s trying to kill one of the main characters.

Jack is the lead singer-songwriter and co-founder of an indie darling band with a rabid fan base. Their popularity is moving from indie to packing large venues all over the world. Like most bands, when they were trying to breakthrough, they signed away the rights to their song catalog, The band is desperately trying to buy back their songs from a shady businessman who has licensed one for a energy drink advertisement and promises to license more. When the businessman is found murdered, of course band co-founder Jack becomes the prime “person of interest.”

Rav is a suave, Oxford educated NYPD detective. This mother is a self-absorbed former American model and his father is a self-absorbed British peer…aka “His Lordship”. Neither parent is remotely nurturing and have always made Rav feel that he is never good enough. After years of trying to please them, he dedicated himself to doing the opposite…becoming a cop rather than going to law school or going into his father’s business.

With the murder of the businessman, Rav is assigned the case and, when he and Jack lock eyes, sparks fly. Thus starts a twisty and smart tale full of both fun and dark characters, conspiracy theories and a steamy encounters.

This was more of a romance than a mystery, complete with HEA, centering a New York Detective and a rockstar. The case was well designed and layered and drove good character growth, and in the end was very much a “good cop” narrative.

Thank you Minotaur Books and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. So enjoyable! Rav works for the NYPD. He ends up in a murder case on a high profile murder case of a record executive and he is ready to solve it. He won’t let all the attention the case is getting distract him. The only hiccup is that one of the suspects happens to be a famous musician, Jack, who Rav finds to be absolutely stunning. Can he be objective about a case where he has the hots for one of his suspects? Rav will have to solve a murder all while getting to know more about Jack and trying to keep his feelings in check. This has everything I like, mystery, intrigue, and queer love! Twists and turns mixed with the sweetness of new love! Fast paced and kept me hooked! Highly recommend!

Stalkers, deep-fakes, Russian hackers, conspiracy theorists, paparazzos, journalists, intelligence agents, dead bodies, mistaken eyewitnesses, and a forbidden attraction. But at its heart, thi sbook is about two lovable men who catch sparks, flirt via text, catch feelings, and choose each other, even at risk of life or career.