Review: Bad Dogs and Drag Queens by Julie Lynn Hayes

Author: Julie Lynn Hayes

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Length: 138 Pages

Category: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense

At a Glance: If you are looking for a clever romance with a little bit of action and some funny moments, then Bad Dogs and Drag Queens is the story for you.

Reviewed By: Sammy

Blurb: Vinnie Delarosa and Ethan Thorne are partners—on and off the clock. Federal undercover detectives, they’re part of a covert task force designed to promote goodwill between the feds and local authorities. They lend an unobtrusive helping hand wherever it’s needed. No credit required.

Vinnie and Ethan work primarily in the Southeast region of the United States and live together in Richmond, Virginia. A mugger problem brings them to Roanoke, where Vinnie is thrown out as bait to catch the man who’s been snatching purses in a city park, but they end up with more than they bargained for. Why is Vinnie always the one who has to wear the dress? Ethan says it’s because Vinnie looks much prettier in a skirt. How can he argue with that?

Expecting to return to Richmond afterward, Vinnie and Ethan find themselves assigned a new case instead. They are to go undercover at The Stroll, one of the biggest gay nightclubs in Roanoke. Someone is terrorizing both the customers and the performers. Could they be dealing with a hate crime? Someone has to protect the drag queens of Roanoke, so it’s Vinnie and Ethan to the rescue!

Review: What happens when a dynamic FBI duo go undercover in the most unusual way? Julie Lynn Hayes brings us a clever and witty story featuring two delightful FBI agents who love their work and each other. Vinnie doesn’t exactly love dressing up as a woman, but both the cases they work on require him to do just that. After capturing a mugging purse-snatcher, and ending up becoming owners of his canine sidekick, Vinnie and Ethan are sent undercover to a bar featuring drag queen performers. Once again, Vinnie must don a gown and wig while Ethan tends the bar. While the audience loves Vinnie’s performance, not everyone is a fan, and when someone decides to show Vinnie just how much they dislike him, Ethan is nowhere to be found.

Bad Dogs and Drag Queens is a fun romp with two main characters that fit together like hand and glove. With clever dialogue and a sexy romance, this story is a quick and easy read that’s guaranteed to make you smile. No big angst and a rather simple mystery storyline combine to make this more of a sweet romance then a thriller. The chemistry between Ethan and Vinnie was quite genuine and lovely to experience. These two men simply were head-over-heels in love with one another, and while they may not have flaunted their relationship, they definitely did not hide it either. Both had their own share of humorous lines and witty repartee in this character driven novel, but it was their work together as detectives that really highlighted how much they cared for each other.

I do wish the mystery portion of this novel would’ve been a bit beefier and more thought out. The whole premise of the nightclub being vandalized and some of the performers being threatened was rather weak. Yes, the final threat to Vinnie was realistic and a bit heart pounding, but otherwise, I felt the mystery idea was almost an afterthought. However, the romance portion of the story more than made up for that.

If you are looking for a clever romance with a little bit of action and some funny moments, then Bad Dogs and Drag Queens by Julie Lynn Hayes is the story for you.

You can buy Bad Dogs and Drag Queens here:

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