Title and Link: Scandal Fever
Author: Hunter Raines
Cover Artist: Anne Cain
Publisher: Loose Id
Amazon Buy Link
Genre: Contemporary M/M
Length: 127 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A guest review by Lasha

Summary Review: A Out For You plot with a totally unique main character that you will either love or hate.

THE BLURB

Flamboyant reality TV star Gavin Cox has a reputation for partying, dirty dancing, and taking hot men into his bed. But his inability to remember what happened the night his cast mate was murdered, combined with a terrifying home invasion, yanks him off the party circuit and brings him firmly under the protective custody of detective Rob Turner.

Keeping Gavin under police protection may be nothing but a ruse cooked up by Rob’s sergeant to placate the media and the Chief of Police, but Rob takes his duties seriously. He needs to learn whether Gavin is a suspect, a victim, or a witness. Yet the only way to get those answers is to get extremely close to a man who tests every one of Rob’s boundaries, and makes him want to give in to the desires he’s been hiding his whole life.

As their forced proximity brings the passion simmering between them to a boiling point, the risk of scandal threatens Rob’s job, his family, and his way of life. But it’s Gavin’s life who might end too soon… because to keep Gavin from remembering what he saw, a murderer is determined to silence him forever.

THE REVIEW

If you like extreme characters, coming out stories and a murder mystery, then Scandal Fever will be your type of book. If none of those tropes appeal to you, then you can skip this review. But if like me, you’ve put a big check in those boxes for YES, then please read on. *g*

The book starts with a murder. Openly gay reality TV star Gavin Cox is a party animal and when he witnesses the murder of one of his cast-mates, he’s on the radar of the police and especially detective Rob Turner. One problem? Gavin was trashed the night of the murder, had a black-out and cannot remember the murder or who did it. But since Gavin is a high profile suspect/witness, the police assign Rob to watch over the man. Now Rob is instantly attracted to Gavin, but he’s so deep in the closet, I wonder if Rob could find R. Kelly in there. In between trying to find a murderer, falling in love and keeping Gavin safe, Rob Turner’s life is about to drastically change.

As I said in my opening statement, if you like GFY/OFY plots, then you will love this novel. I think Scandal Fever captures the trope perfectly. Plus, Gavin Cox is a breath of fresh air. He’s brash, flamboyant, yet a tortured soul who deep down doesn’t believe he deserves love. Add in the fact he’s a bit of an attention whore on his Jersey Shore-like TV show and you have an interesting main character. But if it’s angst you crave Scandal Fever has that in spades too. So in reality, it covers a lot of bases.

I know some readers will see murder mystery and pick it up for that reason, but I was into this novel for the love story. The murder mystery took a back seat for me as it wasn’t as fully developed as the rest of the plot, which caused me to drop the rating. I just wasn’t buying the big reveal of the bad guy at the end.

While I have a few minor niggles about the mystery aspect, the overall characterizations, interesting plot and hot sex scenes push this into the to-buy category for me.