Review: Heat Trap by J.L. Merrow
Publisher: Samhain
Publish Date: March 17, 2015
Reviewed by: Heller
How I got this book: E-Arc from Publisher
The Plumber’s Mate #3
“The wrong secret could flush their love down the drain.
It’s been six months since plumber Tom Paretski was hit with a shocking revelation about his family. His lover, P.I. Phil Morrison, is pushing this as an ideal opportunity for Tom to try to develop his psychic talent for finding things. Tom would prefer to avoid the subject altogether, but just as he decides to bite the bullet, worse problems come crawling out of the woodwork.
Marianne, a young barmaid at the Devil’s Dyke pub, has an ex who won’t accept things are over between them. Grant Carey is ruthless in dealing with anyone who gets between him and Marianne, including an old friend of Tom and Phil. Their eagerness to step in and help only makes them targets of Grant’s wrath themselves.
With Tom’s uncertainty about Phil’s motives, Tom’s family doing their best to drive a wedge between them, and the revelation of an ugly incident in Phil’s past, suddenly Tom’s not sure whom he can trust.
The body in the Dyke’s cellar isn’t the only thing that stinks.
Warning: Contains British slang, a very un-British heat wave, and a plumber with a psychic gift who may not be as British as he thinks he is.”
This is a favourite series of mine. For me, that really stems from my love of Tom’s voice. He’s irreverent, charming, snarky and sassy. Being in his head is always a joy because he’s a character that I love but as much as love things being from his POV that’s also where I run into issues because I feel that it could do with a bit of balance from other characters’ thoughts and motivations. That doesn’t make me love this story any less it just makes me wish for more.
This being book #3 in a series should be read in that order to really appreciate the characters and their journey. I can’t really recommend this series enough it’s just so fun and sexy. Speaking of sex it’s all off page and innuendo which for me works so well. The love story between Tom and Phil goes through a bit of rough patch here. I’m gushing a lot in this review but I can’t help it, I love them! Things work out so well but it was touch and go for a while.
Other things that I loved here. Gary. Gary is an awesome friend to Tom and I’m so glad that we got to see his happy ending with Darren and their wedding. They’re both awesome characters and I enjoy seeing Darren and Phil become good friends. Phil needs friends.
My big concern here was the wasted potential of Grant Carey. Who is Grant Carey, really? Psycho? Misunderstood? What really happened? Did it really pan out that out way? It almost felt like the story could have gone one direction that veered off to the easy way out with the killer that was revealed. What really happened to Tom that night? I have many questions and while some of them were answered I was left with an uneasy feeling. Maybe these will be addressed in a later book. Moar books please!!
I’m so invested in these characters and their lives and I need to know what happens next for Tom and Phil and the crew. A great book with characters that I love to revisit every time I open the pages.
I’m giving Heat Trap an A-