Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings

Dead Draw by Layla Reyne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another one going straight onto the favourites shelf from the pen of Layla Rayne.

I have been dying for Marsh’s story since his path crossed mine in the fabulous Fog City series and then again in What We Might Be and here I got part of my reward.

I say part because this is, as as are all Layla’s romantic suspense novels, part of a series which has a long-term narrative running throughout each book.

The main case here is Levi Bishop’s. He’s a man for whom his job and trying to keep things together for his teenage son have become all he can focus on following the death of his wife from cancer two years previously.

He’s hurting, he’s angry at the world, he’s desperate for something to turn a corner when Marsh barges into his path having potentially screwed up the case he’s been working on for months.

While the pacing is a very understandable slow burn between them, the UST and chemistry blows off the pages like a heat wave.

The fake marriage angle has a neat twist which I loved and it’s clear from the off, these two could find something very real if the bad guys don’t get to them first.

The main investigation has as many threads as a spider’s web and seeing them all converge closer ramps up the tension big time.

When it looks like everything is going to be wrapped up in a nice neat bow, all Hell breaks loose and we get brief guest appearances from the ever fabulous Madigans as Marsh calls on Brax for help.

I’m absolutely overjoyed to be back in Layla’s expanded Whiskeyverse – and very much enjoyed the Easter Egg reference to everyone’s favourite SAC Irishman 😁 and cannot wait to see what happens next.

#ARC kindly received from the author via Valentine PR in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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