A review by crissimarie
Somebody to Love by April Wilson

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this book.  It was one of those books that I discovered randomly scrolling through the Kindle store while trying to find something a little different to read.  I was in the mood for a change of genre since I've been reading so many fantasy books this year, and this fit the bill perfectly.  I liked that while this book is a romance book, it's not just a romance book.  It had a bit of a romantic suspense and mystery plotline. Tyler is a homicide detective, and Ian's friend was the victim of a presumed serial killer, so a good portion of the story resolves around solving the murder of Ian's friend.  I do wish that the murder plotline wasn't resolved so quickly because it was solved by the middle of the book, so I kind of wish it was stretched out a bit.  The second half of the book was more character driven, with Tyler coming to terms with his feelings for Ian (another man) and the two of them navigating a relationship.  I was not familiar at all with this author before reading this book, but I could tell that it was set in a preexisting world based on how some of the characters and events were presented.  I did check afterwards and this author has a whole bunch of books set in the same universe, so I would guess that your reading experience of this book might be enhanced by having read her other books but I feel like it works well enough as a standalone series and while I didn't get all the character references, I didn't feel confused at all. I also have to admit that I'm not the hugest fan of large age gaps in romance books, but I will give a book a try if the synopsis entices me.  I think in this case I could get pass the age gap because I liked the other aspects of the story and considering the younger of the two characters was close to thirty, it didn't come across as inappropriate or uncomfortable.  Now, Sam and Cooper's age difference was a bit much for me (over 20 years apart), and I don't think I could bring myself to read their story.  All in all, I thought this was a really fun and fast read, and I'm happy I tried something a bit different from my usual reads.