The main character was really frustrating for me. He's immature and bratty and has such absolutely terrible judgement! It's a horrible mix of unlikable and TSTL (too stupid to live). The relationship was kind of 0 to 100, his love interest was a bit too idealized, and the mystery was a serious stretch, but those things didn't bother me nearly as much as just desperately wishing the MMC had a lick of sense. I want to like this series, so I think I'll still try book 2*. But obviously the narrator is a humongous part of the book and he trampled a lot of my enjoyment.

* I read reviews for the rest of the series and it looks like the problems that bothered me in this one just continue throughout. I think each book is rated higher than the one before it less because each one improves on the last, and more just because the people bothered by these issues just give up on the series and only the fans are left. I'm afraid I'm in the non-fan group.

There is *something* about the writing that I do like, so I think I will still try her Memento Mori series. Not having this protagonist will surely help.

** I just got around to reading Fatal Shadows by Lanyon, written 6 years before this one-- and it made me feel very uncomfortable about this book. I've read straight up fan-fiction that differed more drastically than this book does to that one. It feels very much like Poe took that story and then just tweaked it until she felt it was different enough not to count as actual plagiarism. It gives me kind of a squirmy feeling honestly. I rated this 2 stars originally, but I have to dock a star based on this- lack of originality, to put it generously. ( )

Nice beginning to a fun series. I like Sebastian and am warming up to Calvin slowly. The mystery was easy to figure out though I was ok with that. ( )

Five stars for mystery, five stars for the details of Seb's disability, particularly the joking, four stars for romance, five stars for the writing quality, and five stars for each of these two characters. I am really glad I bought the second book already.

I am visually impaired, very differently from Sebastian, but yes, some similarities. And a lot of sympathy, and LOL's that he can joke about it.

My one quibble is something another reviewer noted: the early and continuous endearments were excessive, and at least in this book we don't have any reason Calvin would do that. I am hoping for a revelation in book 2. ( )

Antiques dealer Sebastian Snow never expected his world to turn upside down so quickly. After a heart is found beneath the floorboards of his shop, he finds himself a victim of a string of crimes straight out of Edgar Allan Poe stories. And Sebastian was lucky to not be the victim of one of the more violent crimes in the string of attacks.
The investigation puts a further strain on Sebastian's relationship with closeted detective, Neil Millett. Sebastian has never liked being Neil's secret, but when he needs to use Neil as his alibi, he realizes that Neil may never be willing to be open about what they mean to each other. And to compound things further, the lead investigator on Sebastian's case, Calvin Winter, has caught more than Sebastian's eye. But Sebastian's not even sure he's gay. And even if he is, could he be interested in someone as unassuming as Sebastian?

As the crime spree continues, Sebastian can't help inserting himself into the investigation. And by doing so, he may not only be risking Calvin's ire--he may be risking his life.

--

This story represents a rather fun way to integrate and reference other popular literary works without being a straight up adaptation. The references to Poe's work are interesting, advance the plot, and hooked me as a reader. With each new twist in the case, I found myself reminiscing about the first time I'd read the referenced story or poem.

What's also nice about the way this story is developed is that the story stands on its own. The characters and the plot aren't dependent on understanding all of the references to Poe. They're fully explained, keeping it accessible to those who may not be as familiar with his body of work. And the romantic subplots and overarching mystery are well worth reading in their own right.

This appears to be the first installment in a series, and I'm very much looking forward to reading more about Sebastian and Calvin in the future.

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.] ( )

Sebastian is the owner of a prosperous antique story who has a penchant for mysteries. However, he finds out that real life murder/mysteries can be really scary when he discovers a heart under his floor and becomes involved in a crime which strikes close to home.

This was an interesting, contemporary crime/thriller with a romantic bend. It was an engrossing short story which moved along well. I liked both of the main characters, despite a couple times where Sebastian really annoyed me with actions of extreme stupidity when generally, he is a pretty intelligent character. As with some of the other reviews I've read, the instantaneous "love" between the characters seemed more along the lines of overwhelming lust to me. I'm curious enough to see how the relationship progresses to probably invest at least in the next book of the series. ( )