Book Review: Wicked Lies by Karina Cooper

Title: Wicked Lies
Series: Dark Mission, Book 4.5
Author: Karina Cooper
Genre: Paranormal Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: Edelweiss
Published: March 5, 2013 by Avon

In this Dark Mission novella, Jonas Stone emerges from the shadows into his own story, and finally allows himself to have the same shot at love he's given his friends.

Jonas Stone has been given his first independent operation: rescue the insurrection leader's imprisoned grandson from the Mission. Getting the job done means more than getting Danny Granger out--it means staying with him while he heals. Staying too close, for way too long.
Danny is everything Jonas isn't: confident, optimistic, honest--a man to be reckoned with. If only it didn't mean going against everything Jonas has planned. He's kept his secrets for years, hid behind a mask no one could see through...until now. Danny isn't the kind of man Jonas deserves. But he might be exactly the man he needs.

Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: Good MM romance with stellar beginning but slightly unresolved ending that bummed me out.

The Set Up: Jonas is tasked with leading his insurgent leader’s grandson out of prison to safety and helping him heal. Danny knows Jonas is his one but he has to convince the reluctant Jonas of this.

Why I Read this Book: This is a huge milestone for Avon publishing—their first MM romance! As an Avon Addict and an MM romance lover I knew I had to read this.

What I Liked: The beginning of this short novella is stellar. Danny is in prison and Jonas is his eyes and ears. The men communicate about more than just Danny’s prison break and this created an intimacy in short time which I thought was great.

What I Also Liked: I also liked that Danny and Jonas don’t fall into MM romance stereotypes. Jonas is older but he’s more fragile physically and emotionally; Danny is younger but self-confident and optimistic. The characters make the romance interesting as the men dance around each other. Their one sexual encounter was more euphemistic than in books published by MM publishers like Dreamspinner Press but it still provided the spice I like in my romances.

What I Didn’t Like: I didn’t like the ending. The romance between Jonas and Danny was unresolved in my opinion and didn’t have the emotional connectivity that I look for. I was disappointed since I really liked this romance up until this point. To be fair though, this is part of a MF paranormal series so perhaps readers will see more of Jonas and Danny’s romance in future books but as a non-series reader this doesn’t make me happy.

IMO: This is a good romance I really enjoyed up until the ending.

J9’s Rating: