For your reading pleasure here are two views on this series, sometimes similar, sometimes divergent which is what opinions are all about. Enjoy
Jessewave
As promised, I spent the weekend reading the three Adrien English books –
Adrien English Mysteries: Fatal Shadows and A Dangerous Thing
To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. I actually loved the mysteries which for an aficionado of the genre were not too tough to solve before the big ‘reveal’ but there was enough ‘degree of difficulty’ to make it a very satisfactory exercise. I had to work really hard at discarding all the false trails and red herrings thrown out by the author.
Before I get to the characterizations in these books which apparently are what’s causing a lot of the furore about the series, I want to give a brief synopsis of the books for those people who haven’t read them.
This is a mystery/suspense series and the focus of the stories is Adrien English, a gay bookseller, writer and amateur sleuth who has a knack for getting himself into dangerous situations from which he has to be rescued, most of the time by his on-again off-again boyfriend Detective Jake Riordan. Adrien is a beta type personality which just begs for a tall, handsome, strong, hunky alpha male who makes his bad heart race. His dream man is Jake who hits all the right notes and rings his bell and he personifies everything for which Adrien has been looking. When these books were first published in 2000, 2002 and 2006 by Gay Men’s Press no one apparently had any problems with the characterizations until they were updated, repackaged and published by LooseId in 2007 and romance readers found them. Since then the series has built up quite a following. Not every fan (or fanyon) likes Jake’s character and they are very vocal in decrying his treatment of Adrien; some fans are even demanding Jake’s head, which of course will never happen because he is a lightning rod and part of the reason for the popularity of these books. Sure he’s flawed but so is Adrien.
Now here are my observations. I think that some of the fans have lost sight of the fact that Josh Lanyon is writing a series. The basic tenet of a series is that it is a continuing story
line over several books with familiar characters making their way through many adventures before the author writes “The End” and ties it up nicely with a red bow. There are two types of series – the first is similar to The Adrien English Mysteries which means that the two main characters will evolve, their relationship will change, they may or may not move on to other lovers, people may die and a whole host of new adventures will be dreamed up by the author to ensure our continued interest in the next book. These adventures will take place over a period of years before our two heroes can walk hand in hand into the sunset for their HEA, if ever.
In the meantime back at the ranch Jake and Adrien are behaving true to their personality types with big, butch, sometimes sensitive Jake being mean to gentle, vulnerable, smart and acerbic Adrien. There are several clues to Jake’s personality which seem to have eluded or been ignored by romance readers. The first one is that Jake from the very beginning is not happy about being considered gay which he regards as an abnormal lifestyle. He tells Adrien that he has never had a “healthy satisfying relationship” which he says is a contradiction in terms. He also informs him “I’ve got nothing to offer you,” “you knew the score going in” and later he points out to him that he’s not his type; when asked what his type was he says “a girl”. He definitely is on the “down low” and indicates on more than one occasion that he wants a ‘normal’ life with the wife and 2.5 children, a real marriage or words to that effect! Obviously Adrien can’t be a wife and bear children so Jake dates women. But clearly he cares very much for Adrien. He killed a perp. for him and almost lost his shield over it so we know that he is not as bad as he is painted. Adrien says at one point “I didn’t know you cared” and Jake’s response was “the hell you didn’t.”
Jake is a dichotomy – very affectionate in bed where he is an unselfish lover however he never goes out with Adrien because he doesn’t want his sexuality to be questioned. At times I feel really sorry for Adrien’s character, for example when Jake does not kiss him until much later in the series I guess because he feels that it’s too gay to kiss another man. Jake is obviously very conflicted but I think both protagonists are brilliantly drawn and I would hate to see the integrity of the series compromised by changes to the characterizations. I admit it, I have a soft spot for Jake who is full of contradictions – but they are both flawed characters and that is what makes them so interesting!
If there are two things I know about Josh Lanyon’s writing from reading Man, Oh! Man it’s that he believes readers fall in love with characters – “a strong character can carry a weak story” he said, and “if they don’t care about the characters nothing else matters.” He also likes a lot of internal and external conflict in his stories. So we have both in this series in spades – great characterizations and apparently more conflict than some readers can handle.
There’s an inevitability to the story arc – only someone wearing blinders can’t see where this is headed. I can’t say too much without giving away some key plot points in these books but I will say that the author has not made any compromises to date with these two characters. I’m sure there must have been a lot of pressure to make Jake a “kinder, gentler person,” a teddy bear 🙂 in fact in order to win over this key demographic of romance readers and I’ll be watching and reading future adventures of Adrien and Jake to see if Lanyon caves. Do I like Jake’s character? No I don’t. I think he is unnecessarily harsh and perhaps over the top in some situations especially in The Hell You Say but he fits the profile of what this particular alpha male is supposed to be and act like in certain circumstances. His treatment of Adrien is authentic and although I wanted to smack him on many occasions, I understood his motivations (and he did get his comeuppance for what he did to Adrien). He does show his feelings from time to time so he is not a caricature – he is sensitive about his weight like most of us yet he eats as if every meal is his last. He is concerned about Adrien’s health, takes care of him and cooks for him when they are together, and he is always running to his rescue, at times to the detriment of his job.
But there is one area where I have a major sticking point with Jake – he dates women, which is consistent with his character, but he has unprotected sex with Adrien at the same time as he is doing so apparently with his female partner. That, to me, is reprehensible. Of course Adrien is not blameless for letting this happen and loving Jake is no excuse for not insisting on condoms (he is aware that Jake is having sex with women). But having said that, I don’t know for sure that Jake has not taken the usual precautions because the series is narrated from Adrien’s POV.
Do I understand the reactions that some readers have towards Jake’s character? Of course I do. Do I share them? No I don’t. Do I want to see a kinder, gentler Jake? No, because for the series to be authentic and maintain its integrity his character can’t change in mid stream unless some significant event occurs to transform him and alter his philosophy on life. I expected to have the same visceral reaction towards Jake as most of the fans of the series but I didn’t. Adrien is obviously the more sympathetic character and we don’t get a lot of information on Jake’s motivations except for brief glimpses which don’t exactly endear him to the readers. On the other hand Adrien is also the author of his own misfortunes to some degree and you wonder from time to time “what the hell was he thinking?”
Adrien’s character and looks appear to be the usual stereotype of a gay man in movies and books and I wonder whether this is deliberate. Is Adrien Josh’s alter ego? I’m sure the similarities have not escaped his attention and he is too smart not to want to yank our chain from time to time.
I really enjoyed this look back at the first three books in the Adrien English series and I’m looking forward to Death of a Pirate King to see how Josh Lanyon will extricate himself from where he left these two characters at the end of The Hell You Say. The writing is what one would expect from Lanyon – terse, tight, spare and clipped prose and we know that his world building is brilliant. As to the pacing, what can I say? Does “just right” cover it? One final comment to the “romance” readers of the Adrien English Mysteries, this is a mystery and suspense series people, with a romantic sub plot but it is not strictly a romance, at least not yet. There will be murders most foul, faithless lovers who get knocked off, sex, drugs and rock and roll and to expect the protagonists to fall madly in love and live happily ever after is a bit unrealistic – let’s wait until the series wraps up, otherwise whatever will Josh Lanyon have to write about? I’ll end this by quoting from Fatal Shadows “people don’t see you. They see their perception of you. They see what they want to see.” This comment I think could just as easily refer to Jake and Adrien as well as to the fans’ perception of the series. I enjoy Josh Lanyon’s writing because he doesn’t dumb down his stories – he writes “intelligent” books.
For all the Jake haters I would like to direct you to an interview between Jake and his creator, Josh Lanyon here
Here’s a preview that was posted for the soon to be released Death of a Pirate King
And now for another opinion of this series
Mary M – Roving Reporter and Commentator
I finished my AE marathon about three…make that four hours ago. Since then, I’ve been brooding, thinking, analyzing, mulling over the books and trying to put some order in my thoughts. There is much than can be said about this series but I have barely an hour to write them down. So I’m going to write as it comes to me. Sort of.
I came to this series having a vague idea what it was about. I knew Adrien English was a gay bookseller and part-time amateur sleuth with a knack for stumbling upon bodies. I knew that Lisabea was crazy about this series. I knew it was more or less the crown jewel of Josh Lanyon’s popular booklist. And I knew that by the end of book 3, more or less everyone loathed Adrien’s love interest cop Jake Riordan, without apparently being able to give up on him. It sure was enough to make a girl curious.
I can say without a doubt that I enjoyed each of the instalments in that series more than any other standalone story by Lanyon I’d read so far. The fact that it’s a series probably plays a big part in that. You tend to get attached to a character or a world more easily if you know you’ll see them again. And Adrien English is a very easy hero to love. Adrien is, simply put, a “normal” guy. He’s good-looking, but not overly so. He makes mistakes. He is human in his fears and reactions. He hasn’t had luck in his relationships, but keeps going courageously. He is also a good man, a species too rare, loyal and with an old-fashioned sense of honor when the people he cares for are concerned. And while he might be gay, there’s nothing girly about him. You’d like to be friends with him. Plus, he has a bookstore and a classical CD collection to die for.
That Adrien is a mystery buff and gay aspiring writer makes you wonder how much the author put of himself in this character. But that is probably none of my business. 😀
Adrien is also clever and stubborn, ideal qualities for the amateur sleuth. Because while the overall story arch has a strong romantic flavour, the book’s main emphasis is mystery. And Mr Lanyon makes a nice job of building them up. They are good enough to make me wish I had taken more time to savour them, but there’s no helping that. The plots are varied, detailed and well-set, with no obvious holes that would jerk you out of the story. In all three cases, I didn’t find the culprit before Adrien did. Obviously, Miss Marple I am not, but I still give kudos to Josh for making it so the solution was never an obvious one.
The intensity level is rather high and keeps rising as the story unfolds, but Adrien’s ability to see the ridicule and humour in even the most dire situations confers a lightness to the tone. Through him we discover new facts and are introduced to a varied cast of characters with a myriad of possible motives and secrets that may or may not have to do with the crime (s). Mr Lanyon makes a good job of developing them, villains, bystanders and regulars alike, with a wit and economy of description that is nevertheless effective. The only writing device that annoyed me was how in the first book, Adrien kept information from the reader, giving the story a MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD feel, However, having the two sequels at hand, I knew it couldn’t be the case so it simply felt annoying and unjustified.
But the main reason that kept me reading was to know what would happen between Adrien and his love interest, cop Jake Riordan.
Jake, Jake, Jake. Jake has to be the most self-deluded and sexually conflicted character of M/M fiction I’ve ever encountered, and I’ve read just about everything I could find involving men who thought they were straight and ended up being gay. I knew going in that Jake would become the focus of Adrien’s love life and it was thrilling to see the friendship between them develop, grow, become something more. But it was just as obvious that in the long term, their relationship was a disaster waiting to happen.
Jake is big, blond, handsome with a killer body, a total alpha male. He likes fishing, eating red meat, hates ties and is often grumpy, a real man’s man, if that isn’t a bad pun in the case of a secretly gay character. Or, as he puts it, someone who has sexual desires for people of the same sex. If possible, Jake is in the closet’s closet. He despises himself so much for his homosexual urges that in denial, he will hurt Adrien, badly, cruelly. After finishing THE HELL YOU SAY, I can easily understand why everyone is so angry with him. Yet I cannot find it in me to hate him. I feel he is more to be pitied, because despite his actions, it is obvious he cares for Adrien. There is something tender and poignant in their interaction, Adrien’s silent yearning and Jake’s reluctant yet irrepressible answer. Jake knows he has found someone good that could make him happy, if only he let himself be what he is, but he can’t accept it.
Now I’m worrying about what Josh has in store for book 4, DEATH OF A PIRATE KING, due in September. At the end of THE HELL YOU SAY, the future looked very grim for the couple. Jake said and did terrible things and I don’t know if the damage can be fixed. But I am an optimistic person so I want to believe it can. And it better be, because frankly, I can’t imagine them with anyone else and I’m not sure I’d still be interested if the upcoming sequel doesn’t include Jake in it, at least in some way. I saw the most loathsome characters redeemed in books in the past, so I wish very hard it happens to Jake as well. A man who likes white and dark chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce can’t be hopeless.
And that’s a wrap
Adrien English Mysteries
I think you’re spot-on about the characterisation of Jake (referring to Jesse’s review). Sometimes I think I like this series so much more because of this character, than Adrien. Because Jake is a WIP, he’s full of heartaches and potentials.
I don’t consider myself a romance reader, cos I read mostly mysteries (gay and straight, heh), but when it comes to romance, I read exclusively m/m. So I don’t really know if those romance fans you mentioned who want to kill off Jake are only saying it for fun? To vent out the frustration, perhaps? Cos surely ANYONE in the right mind would want to smack Jake from time to time.
And like you, I hope (and am quite confident) that Josh will stick to his own vision and characterisation. Thanks for the reviews. Never tired of reading reviews about this series.
Hi
When I told Josh what I planned to do I don’t think he quite knew what to expect. I hope he’s not unhappy when he reads Mary’s and my comments regarding the series as a whole. I didn’t want to review the individual books because they had been done ad nauseum so I thought this would be a novel way to give our opinions about the series. I’m glad you liked our dueling approach.
By the way, as you will have gathered, I’m really fond of Jake much to the dismay of some of my friends.
Wave
Great job, ladies. 🙂
Hi Jen
Glad that you could drop by.
Wave
I was so nervous about this! But it came out rather well :). I wish I had more time to polish it and add to it; Wave, yours is so much larger in scope than mine! But then, if I’d tried to cram as much content in mine, it would have been an incoherent mess. Kudos to you :).
I loved seeing your take on the series, especially what you said about Jake. You are dead-on about his dichotomy, giving lover for Adrien yet afraid of doing anything “gay”. We see multiple examples of that. I wasn’t surprised he was always on top; bottoming would be unacceptable because, hey, it’s not like he’s really gay.
I also agree that Josh shouldn’t compromize with his vision of the characters, because it would totally change the dynamic of the books and that’s what made the series popular. But I believe gradual change is possible within said characterization. As I said, I still have hope for Jake and Adrien in the long run because at some point I think Jake will realize that 1, he misses Adrien, 2, he was an total ass (he’s not basically a bad person), and 3, he’ll never be happy with a woman. I wouldn’t want him crawling back to Adrien then because it is NOT in his character. But in his gruff, awkward way, I think he’ll try to renew a tentative friendship and make amends, and finally let himself fall fully in love with Adrien. And then I would like to see him let Adrien take him. That would be the best proof of love a man like that could ever give.
Ok, back on earth. Lol.
Just one question, Wave: you mentionned Jake and Adrien had unprotected sex in the books? When was that?
And I don’t think Josh is going to be unhappy about any of our reviews. I think we were very positive about the series. I really, really loved it, even better than the other works I’d read of him and I had enjoyed them, especially Dangerous Ground. They Adrien English books aren’t perfect, but then what book is? I loved the mystery, I loved Adrien and his gorgeous, overcrammed bookstore (I’d jump on the clerk job in a heartbeat), and I love bastard, tormented, maddening Jake. And I will defnitely buy Death of a Pirate King as soon as I come back in the fall :).
Wave, are there any chances you can wiggle the text of that one’s blurb out of Josh?
Hi Mary
You did a bang up job. Also, considering how little time you had, you were very incisive and articulate. I loved your take on both characters and the ending as well.
Re a blurb – you don’t need that – here’s the link for the first 3 chapters of Death of a Pirate King
http://www.joshlanyon.com/pirate_king_excerpt.html
Re my comment on unprotected sex – well for obvious reasons we know that he was was not wearing a condom when he was having sex with his lady friend, and other than in the first book I could not find any references to a condom when he was having sex with Adrien (I could have missed it but I checked again). I’m sure Josh will correct me if I’m wrong! He corrects me all the time 🙂
I agree, I do like the series a bit more than the standalones – maybe it’s because the characters have now become old friends and we are happy to welcome them back again and again b/c we love them! Nothing wrong with ISSB or DG but I love the characters in the AE Mysteries, especially Jake b/c he’s so tortured and we know he loves Adrien!
The way you ended your review of the series was nothing short of inspired – wish I had thought of something so original 🙂
By the way you really should check out Jake’s “interview” here
http://alexbeecroft.wordpress.com/2008/01/16/jake-riordan-from-the-adrien-english-mysteries/
Thanks again Mary – I think the two perspectives worked out rather well and you were fabulous.
Wave
OMG how did I miss the 3 chapters of book 4?? I checked Josh’s site this afternoon!! And I can’t read now, I got way too late in my work. And it would be rather nice to get some sleep (yep, from time to time, I choose sleep over books :-D)
Thanks for your compliments :-D. I was formed as a journalist and worked in TV, so I learned to find good punch lines (at least I try). As soon as I read that line about the mousse and sauce, I thought it would make a good ending. To me it showed at the time a softer and human side of Jake, that sweet, guilty pleasure he indulges in, and it raised my opinion of his ultimate goof judgement. Because chocolate and raspberries are simply the best foods ever (yes, I’m crazy about both :-D).
And I’ll check Jake’s interview. Thanks!
I can’t imagine ever choosing sleep over books LOL Well the 3 chapters will still be there when you wake up and Jake’s interview was to die for – so very Josh 🙂 I do love Jake despite everything. I mean Adrien is great and all but I love “broken” heroes – I really heart them.
The “chocolate and raspberries” was a very appropriate ending – and who could hate a big handsome guy that loves mousse?
Be sure to check out my interview with Josh (now I’ll probably have to add a few questions having read the AE Mysteries – damn, he’ll hate me b/c I already sent him enough questions to sink a ship ) I’ll email the link to you when it’s posted!
Wave
An interview of Josh? How appropriate in the circumstances :). Can’t wait to see what he has to say to your burning questions!
And while I love Adrien (I don’t really consider him a beta, BTW, unlike a lot of people), I have a soft spot for Jake too. Adrien is sure of who he is and what his place in the world is; he’s a survivor. Jake, on the other hand, is so deeply in denial he is facing major breakdown and depression in the short term. He just needs help more and of course, I could never resist that.
I forgot I still haven’t read ISSB and Snowball in hell. But now I have Evangeline’s Slave Boy I had planned next. Damn, damn, damn. We need to petition the government for them to create longer days. Would 30 hours be enough?
And what the hell are you doing awake at this time?
I really need to read this. All the DIK ladies have been raving about it! Great review!
Hi Ciara
After one weekend with Jake and Adrien I’m a huge fan. If you love mysteries and suspense, and know going in that one of the protagonists has MAJOR issues, and you don’t expect a HEA until the series ends, then you couldn’t want for a better way to spend a weekend (as I did) or several Sunday afternoons with Jake and Adrien. Most fans love Adrien but I go for the anti hero Jake – he’s my man LOL
Hey Wave & Mary,
Thank you both for such a comprehensive overview. I’m flattered at the attention you paid the books — and appreciative.
Believe it or not, it’s very encouraging to read this as I slog my way through the fourth book.
Mary, Wave wanted me to especially acknowledge your hard work, and you did do a brilliant job — but so did Wave, so you’ll have to split the honors on this one! You make a terrific review team.
Thank you both sincerely.
Oh — on the unprotected sex — you’re meant to assume (based on Adrien’s concerns in the first book for his own slip, and Jake’s use of a condom in the second book) that mostly they engage in protected sex, but that occasionally they don’t — which tells us something about both of their characters right there.
He is also a good man, a species too rare, loyal and with an old-fashioned sense of honor when the people he cares for are concerned. And while he might be gay, there’s nothing girly about him. You’d like to be friends with him.
Nice, MaryM. So true…hence the bff. He’s got that vibe, that ~oh here’s someone I’d hang out with~ quality. And because of that, it hooks you in. I love how Hell You Say ends, btw. That aching reality of Adrien alone. Well until Snowdull calls…
Hi Josh
We loved doing this!! I had never reviewed an entire series before so it was quite a challenge. I don’t think that Mary had ever done any reviewing before, except informally (and she’ll have to correct me if I’m wrong) and I think she was nothing short of brilliant, given the very little time she had to write her review (sorry, “observations”) of the series. She and I were corresponding until the wee small hours of the morning today about questions we still had about the series – that’s what you and your damn 2 guys have done to us LOL
I totally changed my mind about the characters after reading the 3 books and I now have a new hero (or anti hero depending on your opinion – Jake). I don’t know if he can be redememed after Book 3 but if anyone can do it you’re the man for the job!!
I have posted a link to Alex’s “In their own words” site and suggested that anyone reading my review should also read your “interview” with Jake and I hope they do to get a different perspective on the man. See, you’ve got me thinking he’s real now, which I suppose for a writer is the ultimate compliment. I hope that will slow the call for his head on a platter, to some degree 🙂
Oh, on the safe sex thing I was just surprised but I guess your point is well taken – their personalities have to be taken into account when “observing” their actions under the sheets.
I am now eagerly looking forward to DOAPK to see what happens next and those damn 3 chapters that you posted don’t make the waiting any easier. I want instant gratification LOL. This ‘comment’ is as long as the review!!
Wave
Hi Mary
I hope you were able to get some sleep in the early hours of the morning. We have to stop doing this.
You may be right that Adrien is not a beta b/c he does exhibit some tendencies that are not consistent with this characterization but I know that Jake is an alpha b/c he would not accept anything else. I’m waiting to see if when he and Adrien get together in Bk.4 (you know they will) whether Josh will have him “bottom” for Adrien. Yeh, that’ll be the day – we can only hope. I think Jake needs a therapist – the man has issues, MAJOR issues 🙂 But I’m sticking with him.
Re all the books you have to read before you leave I guess your next purchase is an e-reader so that you can take them with you. When do you get back again? (I know you haven’t left yet and I’m already asking when you will return LOL) Re the petition for longer hours, let me know how you do with the Feds. Could you ask for more chocolate mousse at the same time 🙂
Wave
I agree with thelastaerie. I don’t want to KILL Jake but damn him sometimes he needs a good beating and not in a fun way.
He’s an asshole I see, Adrien sees it hell half of the people reading the story see it. I think as a romance reader I just get frustrated with the I love you, I hate you, No I don’t hate you but I hate myself crap.
THat being said I am so involved at this point I will be with this series until the end unless Josh doesn’t something REALLY strange and i highly doubt that.
Great review ladies!!!
Hi Sarai
I see that you are as conflicted as half the readers of this series. When I read the books I already knew that most fans hated Jake and I was prepared to, but something strange happened on the way to the ‘hate’ party – I realized that he was hurting too.
I agree Jake treated Adrien badly in THYS and I wanted to smack him over and over but I took my own advice and reminded myself that this is a mystery/suspense series not a romance.
It’s hard to remember that the first 2 books were written in 2000 and 2002 for an entirely different audience and that has to be borne in mind when we bash Jake. Even The Hell You Say which is causing all the furore was written in 2006. I don’t think Josh envisaged this series becoming so popular with romance readers who want something different in their protags. I’m just waiting to see how Josh gets himself out of all the crap he created, in Bk.4 DOAPK. Btw if you have the time you might want to check out the link at the end of my portion of the review – itcould change your mind about Jake (a little.)
Mary M and I had a great time with this project.
I think I really need to read some Adrien!
*looks over at TBR pile and hits head on desk*
Katie(babs)
I really think you do. You have 2 months before Death of a Pirate King hits the stores LOL
Loooooooooooool. Josh, Wave asked you to congratulate me especially? 😀 You’re so sweet, Wave!! 😀 And thank you Josh for the lovely compliments. I just did my best to do the book’s justice :). I had never written English reviews other than on Amazon or for friends, but I did work as a movie reviewer in my mother tongue for about a year, so it provided me with a reference frame. The struggle is with words – it’s like my world is smaller in English because my vocabulary is so much more limited. But if my small contribution could give you an extra encouragement while you work on Death of a Pirate King, I’m glad :).
Wave – sleep? What’s sleep? I was working on that damn project until 6:30AM and had to be at the office at 9:30. Josh helped me stay awake and motivated, indirectly – I allowed myself to read half of one DOAPK chapter every time I finished a section or page of my assignment :-D. OK, after chapter 1 I got hungry, went upstairs to fix myself one of those instant soups in a bowl and devoured both the soup and the rest of the excerpt in 15 minutes, but still, it perked me up enough that I managed to stay awake and sharp enough until I was done with my work. 😉
Lisabea – Snowdull? Looooooooool. I am not much of a Guy fan either. It might have to do with the fact until 5 pages before the end of THYS, I wasn’t sure he wasn’t going to betray Adrien (when I said I was not Miss Marple!). When I read about his wearing billowy “pirate” shirts and remembered the next book’s title had “pirate” in it, I got worried because I didn’t want to read about a book centered on an Adrien-Guy relationship. So I cheered very loudly when I saw in the DOAPK excerpt that Jake was back. He’s such a strong presence that even with Adrien involved with Guy, Guy will be cast in the shadows and that’s perfect for me. maybe it comes off as mean, but I’m just totally sold to the idea of Jake and Adrien together in the long run.
Hey Mary
Staying up all night looks good on you – the resilience of the young! At least you had an excellent reason for it and I was only too glad to help LOL.
Considering that you are French Canadian Mary, I am amazed that you were able to articulate your thoughts so eloquently in English in the short period of time you had to write your review of the series.
I’m not a Guy fan either and I say bring back Jake!!! Guy is OK but there is no spark, no excitement, conflict or tension between him and Adrien which is Josh’s signature theme for relationships between his protags so I hope that he will soon be gone the way of the dodo bird LOL
Let’s hope that Josh “hears” us and the other fans of this series while he’s writing DOAPK and BRINGS JAKE BACK (wonder if that is loud enough for him):)
Guy is OK but there is no spark, no excitement, conflict or tension between him and Adrien
I think most fans/readers agree with this. If there are “Team Jake” and “Team Guy” T-shirts out there, I don’t think the Guy one will do well. Being likeable is higly overrated *g*
I don’t really consider Guy as an obstacle, but Jake needs to get his act together – somehow.
Remember Adrien even considered asking Jake to move in to that mansion Lisa left him in THYS, he didn’t because he knew it’d be a NO from Jake? In Book 4 excerpt, Guy wanted Adrien to commit, but Adrien stalked and brought out the “it’s not you, it’s me” card…
It’s clear where Adrien’s heart lies…
There will be no “Team Guy” t-shirts for me. My heart is with Jake – bastard that he is LOL. Someone mentioned on Josh’s lj that Adrien should bite his nuts off and although the visual is disturbing, something along those lines might not a bad idea to get him to wake up 🙂
I hope that Josh is taking note of all the comments on the series and what we would like to see (not that he’ll pay any attention I’m sure). We all know he has his own vision of where this series is headed – I remember something he said when he had the Cobblestone workshop and in Man, Oh Man! and that is he outlines for his novels. Since this is a series (much longer than any novel) I’m sure he has every move plotted on his own chess board.
You must come back just before DAOPK is released when my interview with Josh will be posted on the blog. I think it will be a fun interview. If you want any question about the series answered email me at jessewave@gmail.com but do it today because I have to send the questions off to him this week.
Wave
Great review guys. I thoroughly love this series and will definitely be there til Josh stops writing them!
I am normally a romance reader but I love mysteries as well, especially ones like the AE series that have the romantic subplot.
Do I want to kill Jake or hate him or think he should be someone he’s not. No way. I like Jake like he is…I just want him to admit that he effed up royally. Do I want him to be gentler? Nope. Do I think he could be slightly kinder to Adrien, abso-freakin-lutely. I understand the reasons he’s not, but it’s also one of the reasons I keep going back for more.
Can’t wait for DOAPK!!!
Hi Tracy
Thanks. Both Mary and I enjoyed doing this.
I’m so glad you’re not one of the fans of the series who wants to get rid of Jake. Adrien, great character that he is would be a pale replica of himself without Jake. When they are together in a scene you can feel the electricity. Do you really think he’ll ever admit that he screwed up? I have some oil rich land I want to sell you LOL
Did you check out the “interview” between Jake and his creator (the link is in my portion of the review at the bottom). If you haven’t I think you should.
DOAPK can’t come soon enough.
Wave
It’s clear where Adrien’s heart lies
And thank God for that! 😀
Tracy, thank you very much! Doing that marathon wasn’t easy, but it was great fun :). I’m so glad I finally read this series!
Wave, resilience of the young is a thing of the past already for me :-D. Staying up all night takes much more of a toll than it did when I was 20. And we might be right in not liking Guy much – have you read the blurb for DOAPK? Go to LB’s site and click on the SAVE JAKE T-shirt on the side bar (I want one of those too!!!)
Hi Mary
Actually I have a link to the blurb – I added it from Josh’s site yesterday. It’s at the bottom of my portion of the review.
Have you seen the Adrien and Jake merchandise? http://angusdevotee.livejournal.com/72804.html
I’m sure LouisaClark would be happy to get you a t-shirt 🙂
It would be great if Guy is gone about 25 pages into DOAPK but I guess that’s too much to hope for.
I knew I had found that link from somewhere else before :-DDD
And yes, I had seen the offical AE store :-DD I was thinking of maybe buying one of those awesome red PJs with feet. I had one when I was 6 and I thought it was sooooooo cool :-D.
Oh crap. The interview with Josh won’t be posted until right before DOAPK’s release?? *throws back head and wails*
Hi Mary
Re the interview – this was scheduled to coincide with the original release date for DOAPK which as you know has been pushed back b/c of Josh’s wrists. I’m hoping that there are no further delays. Also, remember that he will be on the DIK island in September for an entire week!! Not only DOAPK is being released but Mexican Heat as well which is coming out around the end of August so he’ll be very busy.
The AE merchandise available through Angus Devotee is a gas. I think that the sunscreen would be terrific for your trip.
Ha Ha I saw DIK and had to comment. Josh has 5 books coming out in September some are anthologies though so that’s why he gets the WHOLE week in September because he rocks and well I heart him and LB’s in charge and you know how she can be *g*!!!
I can’t wait is this the last Adrien book or is there one more I can’t remember what Josh said?
Hey I heard that Sarai!! I shared my PJ’s!!! I did!!! Just ask Angus Devotee.She and I go way back. AND I gave her the lunchbox!!!
The thermos, however, I clutch to my still ample but ever so much perkier brand new chest. So happy with that decision I cannot tell you.
Uh. Carry on.
Hi Sarai and Lisabea
I’m sure there’s enough merchandise from Angus Devotee to go around ladies. Yes Josh has quite a busy month in September but some of the books are print versions of what’s already released in e-book format.
I can’t wait for his new Crimes and Cocktails series release “Mexican Heat” with Laura Baumbach. Apparently he has a full slate of books being released between now and December (I wonder if he finds time for a life).
Lisabea I heard that pics are on the internet of your new chest. Is this true? Some guy started a bidding war (I must check on e-bay to see how it’s doing):D
Sarai, I read somewhere a comment where Josh said there would probably be 5 books in the AE series. I do believe he also said it might be more, if he and the readers were still interested in those characters.
Wave – I hadn’t even thought about the sunscreen! Great idea, thanks 😉 I’m very sorrt for Josh’s wrist problem. It has to be annoying as hell when you’re a writer. I’m looking forward to Mexican Heat too. A Baumbach/Lanyon collaboration, has to be interesting ;). I’m realizing more and more I tend to enjoy series books more than standalone books. I’m enough of a compulsive reader that the promsie of more books to come enhances the experience for me :).
Mary
I’m hoping that I fall in love with the guys in Mexican Heat as much as Adrien and Jake b/c this is a series of at least 3 books. Josh is also writing a sequel to Dangerous Ground, and Snowball in Hell is going to become another series so there will be more Josh, all the time LOL I have to pick up Snowball in Hell. We are becoming addicts!!
I took out Dark Horse to read over the weekend – hope I find the time in between Slave Boy and a couple of others I promised to review.
That sunscreen will work wonders and I believe it’s advertised not to numb the important body parts :-DDD
Yes, poor Josh is suffering through his pain for our benefit. He’d better not delay DOAPK any longer than the new release date b/c I’m primed to read it:) If he actually said that he was going to write 5 books in the AE series (and he sticks to it) then we might see Adrien and Jake together sooner than I thought. Wouldn’t that take the cake!!! He’ll hate me when he sees the questions – so many and so little time LOL