Fair Play (All's Fair Book 2)

I am slowly becoming obsessed with Josh Lanyon's books. I did think Fair Play was a solid book, but it did get a little bogged down at some points compared to the first book, Fair Game. This is a continuation of the first book, so this absolutely cannot be read as a standalone. Elliot and Tucker have moved in together and we see reasons for them maybe not working well together in their daily lives. They make a good pair in bed, but outside of it? They find that they have obstacles to overcome in order to make their relationship work. For one, Tucker is very headstrong and forthright about his feelings, and Elliot, while also stubborn in his own way, is less about confessing his feelings like Tucker is.

This story is almost like an after in a couple's honeymoon phase. Elliot and Tucker were in a relationship of sorts before the first book, and now they're trying to find their way back together and actually give their relationship a shot. This mystery in this novel is one that's on a much more personal scale for Elliot. This involves his dad, Roland.

Roland used to be involved quite heavily in an activist group in his youth. However, this group was known to be violent at times and resorted to drastic measures to try to make the world a better place. Roland has been saying for years that he's been writing a book, but of course there were events in this past that someone wants to stay that way. This someone is not above trying to kill Roland in order for the past to stay buried. Roland doesn't help matters by seemingly staying unconcerned that there's something gunning for him and it strains the already tenuous relationship Elliot has with his father.

The mystery aspect is intriguing and kept me on my toes trying to figure out who the bad guy was. The ending was interesting, to say the least.

I do love Elliot and Tucker, but there was one scene in particular that had me side-eyeing Tucker. Their relationship was at a rocky point and one of the sex scenes just screamed non-consent to me, because of how Elliot felt during the scene. It made me extremely uncomfortable reading it to be honest, and would have loved if someone had mentioned that was something that was going to happen in this book. They did have a talk after that scene, but I don't know. I could have done without it, I guess. Because later, we see Elliot rethinking everything that transpired as his fault, when Tucker clearly wasn't respecting any of Elliot's boundaries and feelings on the matter. So yeah, I have a problem with everything about this scene.

Overall, I don't think this book was as strong as the first book. It was interesting in its own way and explored Elliot's relationship more with his dad. The mystery was unexpected, and the ending of this book leaves many more questions as to what will happen to Elliot in book three.

Fair Play captivated my mind and kept me guessing at the puzzle throughout! I love a good mystery suspense, and this is an excellent one! Lanyon’s ability to layer in details, emotion, foreshadowing, character subtleties, and a twisting plot is why I come back again, and again.

Fair Play, as a sequel to Fair Game, knocks it out of the park! My mind was kept busy on three different levels: First and foremost, I kept trying to guess who was after Elliot and his Dad. Second, I was wondering what really happened to the rest of the Collective, were some of them really killed, are some in hiding, and what do they have to hide? Third, are Elliot and Tucker going to make it as a co-habitating couple?

There are moments where I really want to shake sense into both of them! When two very independent, hard-headed men try to tiptoe around each other’s boundaries it has to be challenging, let alone trying to find ways to define their relationship, their roles in each other’s lives.

My anxiety really amped up when there were whispers of deceit feathered in early on: Tucker staying in town, Tucker turning off his phone, Tucker becoming distant….I won’t say more but just, argh! But hey, maybe all you need is love…

About three-quarters the way through I still had three different theories as to whodunit, and I have to say that’s a great thing. I get a little disappointed when I can solve a mystery and predict the outcome right away, but this is not the case. Lanyon once again kept my mind chewing on this puzzle until the very end.

A superb mystery thriller, packed with action, suspense, some very intense sexual dominance, and I’m still wondering what is going to happen with Corian….where are those heads?

Another Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.com review

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Roland Mills, father of ex-FBI agent Elliot Mills, has always been an activist, extremely liberal in his views and actions. Fifty years ago, Roland belonged to a violent protest group and now, when Roland is about to publish his memoirs, someone is willing to kill to prevent him from doing so.

It took the death of his mother, and Elliot Mills’s own injury to bring father and son back together. Now the threats against his father’s life has Elliot reaching out to those in his father’s past, an action that brings him up against the FBI and his lover, FBI Agent Tucker Lance.

Now living together, Tucker and Elliot are still trying to find their way to a solid relationship and these threats against Roland threaten that solidity once again. Tucker has never agreed with radical Roland on much, but when it comes to wanting Elliot to stay out of the mess Roland has gotten into, he and Roland agree for once that Elliot needs to let it alone. As the danger closes in, it threatens not just Roland’s life, but that of Elliot’s and their relationship as well.

The first book in this series, Fair Game, remains a favorite read of mine. I loved the complicated characters, the angst filled past, and the tumultuous circumstances that brought such strong, intelligent men together. Adding to that, Josh Lanyon completed his cast of characters by giving Elliot a compelling family history with a 60’s activist father, and beloved deceased mother and a host of wild and chaotic personalities that swirled around his father and the university they both teach at. And then Lanyon piled on some horrific murders to boot!

At the conclusion of Fair Game, Tucker and Elliot agreed to give their relationship another try and this story, Fair Play, picks up with Tucker already living in Elliot’s house on the island. Their relationship is passionate and committed, yet both men are still obviously adjusting to all new aspects of their cohabitation. I have always loved this author’s ability to create such layered, fascinating characters and then bring them to life through sharp, thoughtful dialog and emotional interplay. We feel Elliot’s and Tucker’s hesitations, those halting advances towards openness and vulnerability that is so hard for them both, in scene after scene. It makes their journey back to each other feel real and sometimes painfully slow. That makes it extremely gratifiying when they can move past these realistic moments in their relationship to something deeper. And all the while, they are trying to deal with Roland’s intractability, fear, and an unknown killer on the loose.

The father/son dynamics between Roland and Elliot that Lanyon has brought into this series is as compelling as the one between Tucker and Elliot, and its not always a given that the relationship will survive the actions of each other, as diametrically opposed as they often are. I loved the mystery that goes along with the attempts on Roland’s life, it leads into the past and the idea that all actions have reverberations that will continue into the present and beyond. We also see the potential for the villain in the first story to make a reappearance soon. That alone gave me the shivers.

In Fair Play, we are there as Tucker and Elliot solve complicated mysteries and move deeper into their relationship. The suspense is gripping, and the emotional involvement never lets up. We are engrossed in the hunt for the would-be assassin while also heavily invested in Tucker and Elliot’s sometimes shaky partnership and well being. Fair Play is immensely satisfying, totally entertaining, and a wonderful read. I highly recommend not only this book but the first in the series as well. Start with Fair Game to see what brings Elliot and Tucker back together and then continue on to Fair Play. What a ride awaits you in the All’s Fair series from Josh Lanyon.

Cover Artist is a great job in overall tone and concept.

Elliot Mills hoped that he'd left his crime-solving life behind after leaving the FBI and becoming a college professor. He was wrong. But surely after he found himself wrapped up in a serial killer case that almost led to his own death, he's done with all of that. When his father's house catches fire in the middle of the night and the investigators immediately suspect arson, he Elliot knows he's deep into it again. But who could want to harm his father? Considering his father's anti-government antics in his youth, it turns out that list might be longer than Elliot thinks. And with things just starting to settle between Elliot and his former FBI partner turned live-in boyfriend, Tucker, there's an added layer of complication to Elliot's attempts to help ensure his father is safe and to keep his relationship on solid footing.

I have to start out by saying that I liked this better than the first installment in the series. In part, I think it helps jumping in when Elliot and Tucker's relationship is better established and there's some consistency there between them. I also felt like this one was a bit more plot/story-driven than Fair Game, which made it a bit more suspenseful and engaging. And I love a mystery that can keep me guessing until as close to the reveal as possible - which is something that Fair Play certainly delivers. Fans of Josh Lanyon will definitely love this, but anyone who is interested in a good mystery with a healthy side of M/M romance (and some sexual tension in that relationship) is sure to enjoy it, too.

(eGalley provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Elliot Mills, ex-FBI agent, retired and teaching after a leg injury has sidelined him from the Bureau permanently, is determined to find the arsonist who burned down his father's house. Is it because Roland is writing his memoirs of the 60s and spilling info old radicals want buried literally, or has Roland offended someone with his anti-government rhetoric? At the same time, FBI agent and Elliot's lover, Tucker Lance, is involved in a case to find a serial killer after several students at Elliot's college are missing and presumed dead? Lance wants Elliot to stay out of both cases, but Elliot is determined to help police find both perps and risks the
two mens' relationship which has become fragile.

Another of Josh Lanyon's M/M romantic thrillers has the reader on the edge of her seat not only trying to figure out the killer, but afraid Lance and Tucker will make a hash of their relationship. As is usual with Lanyon, the sex is not in your face, but when the guys
have their moments it is sexy, romantic and thrilling.

This is a sequel to Lanyon's 'Fair Game,' which is also worth reading to get the back story on Lance and Elliot.

Almost nothing makes me happier than seeing a new release pop up from my favorite author, Josh Lanyon. The fact that I am home sick from work today didn't even matter, since it gave me the opportunity to stay home a read it all the way through. Fair Play is a wonderful addition to the All's Fair series. When we left Elliot and Tucker in Fair Game they were working out their relationship, here, the two men have slipped into a nice sort of domesticity. that is until someone tries to blow up Elliot's father's house and their every day life gets shaken up.
What you have to love about Josh Lanyon's writing is how natural it is. Each sentence flows into the next, you live in the world he has created. I love these two strong men and enjoy how their relationship keeps growing and maturing. It is a wonderful addition to my library and I am looking forward to re reading it, like I do all my other josh Lanyon books

Fair Play captivated my mind and kept me guessing at the puzzle throughout! I love a good mystery suspense, and this is an excellent one! Lanyon’s ability to layer in details, emotion, foreshadowing, character subtleties, and a twisting plot is why I come back again, and again.

Fair Play, as a sequel to Fair Game, knocks it out of the park! My mind was kept busy on three different levels: First and foremost, I kept trying to guess who was after Elliot and his Dad. Second, I was wondering what really happened to the rest of the Collective, were some of them really killed, are some in hiding, and what do they have to hide? Third, are Elliot and Tucker going to make it as a co-habitating couple?

There are moments where I really want to shake sense into both of them! When two very independent, hard-headed men try to tiptoe around each other’s boundaries it has to be challenging, let alone trying to find ways to define their relationship, their roles in each other’s lives.

My anxiety really amped up when there were whispers of deceit feathered in early on: Tucker staying in town, Tucker turning off his phone, Tucker becoming distant….I won’t say more but just, argh! But hey, maybe all you need is love…

About three-quarters the way through I still had three different theories as to whodunit, and I have to say that’s a great thing. I get a little disappointed when I can solve a mystery and predict the outcome right away, but this is not the case. Lanyon once again kept my mind chewing on this puzzle until the very end.

A superb mystery thriller, packed with action, suspense, some very intense sexual dominance, and I’m still wondering what is going to happen with Corian….where are those heads?

Another Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.com review

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Roland Mills, father of ex-FBI agent Elliot Mills, has always been an activist, extremely liberal in his views and actions. Fifty years ago, Roland belonged to a violent protest group and now, when Roland is about to publish his memoirs, someone is willing to kill to prevent him from doing so.

It took the death of his mother, and Elliot Mills’s own injury to bring father and son back together. Now the threats against his father’s life has Elliot reaching out to those in his father’s past, an action that brings him up against the FBI and his lover, FBI Agent Tucker Lance.

Now living together, Tucker and Elliot are still trying to find their way to a solid relationship and these threats against Roland threaten that solidity once again. Tucker has never agreed with radical Roland on much, but when it comes to wanting Elliot to stay out of the mess Roland has gotten into, he and Roland agree for once that Elliot needs to let it alone. As the danger closes in, it threatens not just Roland’s life, but that of Elliot’s and their relationship as well.

The first book in this series, Fair Game, remains a favorite read of mine. I loved the complicated characters, the angst filled past, and the tumultuous circumstances that brought such strong, intelligent men together. Adding to that, Josh Lanyon completed his cast of characters by giving Elliot a compelling family history with a 60’s activist father, and beloved deceased mother and a host of wild and chaotic personalities that swirled around his father and the university they both teach at. And then Lanyon piled on some horrific murders to boot!

At the conclusion of Fair Game, Tucker and Elliot agreed to give their relationship another try and this story, Fair Play, picks up with Tucker already living in Elliot’s house on the island. Their relationship is passionate and committed, yet both men are still obviously adjusting to all new aspects of their cohabitation. I have always loved this author’s ability to create such layered, fascinating characters and then bring them to life through sharp, thoughtful dialog and emotional interplay. We feel Elliot’s and Tucker’s hesitations, those halting advances towards openness and vulnerability that is so hard for them both, in scene after scene. It makes their journey back to each other feel real and sometimes painfully slow. That makes it extremely gratifiying when they can move past these realistic moments in their relationship to something deeper. And all the while, they are trying to deal with Roland’s intractability, fear, and an unknown killer on the loose.

The father/son dynamics between Roland and Elliot that Lanyon has brought into this series is as compelling as the one between Tucker and Elliot, and its not always a given that the relationship will survive the actions of each other, as diametrically opposed as they often are. I loved the mystery that goes along with the attempts on Roland’s life, it leads into the past and the idea that all actions have reverberations that will continue into the present and beyond. We also see the potential for the villain in the first story to make a reappearance soon. That alone gave me the shivers.

In Fair Play, we are there as Tucker and Elliot solve complicated mysteries and move deeper into their relationship. The suspense is gripping, and the emotional involvement never lets up. We are engrossed in the hunt for the would-be assassin while also heavily invested in Tucker and Elliot’s sometimes shaky partnership and well being. Fair Play is immensely satisfying, totally entertaining, and a wonderful read. I highly recommend not only this book but the first in the series as well. Start with Fair Game to see what brings Elliot and Tucker back together and then continue on to Fair Play. What a ride awaits you in the All’s Fair series from Josh Lanyon.

Cover Artist is a great job in overall tone and concept.

Elliot Mills hoped that he'd left his crime-solving life behind after leaving the FBI and becoming a college professor. He was wrong. But surely after he found himself wrapped up in a serial killer case that almost led to his own death, he's done with all of that. When his father's house catches fire in the middle of the night and the investigators immediately suspect arson, he Elliot knows he's deep into it again. But who could want to harm his father? Considering his father's anti-government antics in his youth, it turns out that list might be longer than Elliot thinks. And with things just starting to settle between Elliot and his former FBI partner turned live-in boyfriend, Tucker, there's an added layer of complication to Elliot's attempts to help ensure his father is safe and to keep his relationship on solid footing.

I have to start out by saying that I liked this better than the first installment in the series. In part, I think it helps jumping in when Elliot and Tucker's relationship is better established and there's some consistency there between them. I also felt like this one was a bit more plot/story-driven than Fair Game, which made it a bit more suspenseful and engaging. And I love a mystery that can keep me guessing until as close to the reveal as possible - which is something that Fair Play certainly delivers. Fans of Josh Lanyon will definitely love this, but anyone who is interested in a good mystery with a healthy side of M/M romance (and some sexual tension in that relationship) is sure to enjoy it, too.

(eGalley provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Elliot Mills, ex-FBI agent, retired and teaching after a leg injury has sidelined him from the Bureau permanently, is determined to find the arsonist who burned down his father's house. Is it because Roland is writing his memoirs of the 60s and spilling info old radicals want buried literally, or has Roland offended someone with his anti-government rhetoric? At the same time, FBI agent and Elliot's lover, Tucker Lance, is involved in a case to find a serial killer after several students at Elliot's college are missing and presumed dead? Lance wants Elliot to stay out of both cases, but Elliot is determined to help police find both perps and risks the
two mens' relationship which has become fragile.

Another of Josh Lanyon's M/M romantic thrillers has the reader on the edge of her seat not only trying to figure out the killer, but afraid Lance and Tucker will make a hash of their relationship. As is usual with Lanyon, the sex is not in your face, but when the guys
have their moments it is sexy, romantic and thrilling.

This is a sequel to Lanyon's 'Fair Game,' which is also worth reading to get the back story on Lance and Elliot.

Almost nothing makes me happier than seeing a new release pop up from my favorite author, Josh Lanyon. The fact that I am home sick from work today didn't even matter, since it gave me the opportunity to stay home a read it all the way through. Fair Play is a wonderful addition to the All's Fair series. When we left Elliot and Tucker in Fair Game they were working out their relationship, here, the two men have slipped into a nice sort of domesticity. that is until someone tries to blow up Elliot's father's house and their every day life gets shaken up.
What you have to love about Josh Lanyon's writing is how natural it is. Each sentence flows into the next, you live in the world he has created. I love these two strong men and enjoy how their relationship keeps growing and maturing. It is a wonderful addition to my library and I am looking forward to re reading it, like I do all my other josh Lanyon books