“I know what the monster is. I’ve seen behind its mask. But nobody believes me—that’s why it keeps on coming.” – Harper Fox
Author: Harper Fox
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages/Word Count: 128 Pages
Rating: 5 Stars
Blurb: What’s haunting Lee Tyack? He’s moved in with Gideon Frayne, and they’re both loving their new lives. But the shadow is still there – a voice from hell that torments clairvoyant Lee, and which even the pragmatic copper Gideon can hear.
Gideon’s determined to protect his lover. But after a serious injury on duty, Gideon finds out the hard way that he needs protection too. His job’s on the line and he’s scared. Worst of all, he thinks he knows who that voice belongs to – and he can’t stop Lee from heading off to confront this most terrifying ghost from his past.
When the full spring moon rises over Cornwall’s rugged coast, and the veil between the worlds grows thin, Tyack and Frayne must join forces to solve a decades-old mystery that still has the power to tear their world apart.
Review: Now that’s what I’m talking about! If ever there was a book with a flawless balance of danger, tension, a delicious sense of otherness, and all the romance you can handle, Don’t Let Go is that book. Let’s bask in the perfection that is this short novel for just a moment, shall we?
My obstinate tendency to remain on the emotional fringes of Gideon Frayne and Lee Tyack’s romance in the first two books of this series was obliterated by Don’t Let Go. Why? Because Harper Fox found a way to bring both a real and surreal connection to this relationship, and oh my god, it’s almost tangible. When Gideon is injured in the line of duty, nearly losing his life in the process, it not only throws Lee into an emotional and physical tailspin, but it threw into perspective how much these two men need each other not only as lovers but as touchstones to the reality that is their life together. Everything in this book was one big open emotion—love, fear, pain, grief, and joy—and it worked to perfection to weave their bond into the supernatural elements in this book, which culminated in a way that nearly broke my heart for both Lee and Gideon.
Ms. Fox has allowed us to get to know Lee’s backstory in this book, a past that transfigured him entirely from a boy whose future was altered in a single moment by a very real and human monster, to the man who has the unique ability to touch the other. There is a common monster in this story, one that preyed on Gideon’s own fears all while preying on Lee’s very being when they were both mere boys. Learning more about Lee’s family, his Uncle Jago, his relationship with his deceased father, and the way his village rallied to protect Lee—an event that culminated in a very real skeleton in the Tyack family closet—came to light in a spiritual and entirely romantic way in this installment of the series.
I got my wish and Gideon’s brother Ezekiel, the uptight and upright minister, was back for more of his particular brand of disapproving opinions and grudging acceptance, or, maybe I should say his grudging concession to Lee and Gideon’s relationship. He’s realized that his beliefs hold no bearing on the fact that the love and devotion Gid and Lee feel for each other is as real as any sanctioned from his pulpit, and I’m not exactly sure how Harper Fox has managed to make me like the man, but she’s succeeded in spades. There’s no doubt he’s judging the sin while loving (or at least liking them a little) the sinners, though he may never admit to loving them out loud, and it showcases the author’s talent for writing very real and multi-dimensional characters.
I have loved, from book one, the way in which the pagan wheel of the year has been worked into each of these stories, adding to the spirit lore and offering the perfect time and setting for each supernatural event to occur. Don’t Let Go has ended with Imbolc and I, for one, am anxious to dig right into the Midsummer intrigue.
You can buy Don’t Let Go (Tyack & Frayne: Book Three) here:
