Buy link: The Psychic and the Sleuth
Authors: Summer Devon and Bonnie Dee
Publisher: Samhain
Length: Novel

Rating: 4.75

Inspector Robert Court has been assigned to investigate spiritualist Oliver Marsh, looking for possible fraud from Oliver misrepresenting his ability to contact the dead.  Robert has been put on this low level case after overstepping his bounds while investigating the murder of his cousin Lily.  He doesn’t believe that Oliver actually has any psychic skills.  So he is shocked when during a seance at a party, Oliver starts relaying details of Lily’s murder.

Robert is sure that Oliver is fabricating his information, but upon getting to know the man further, he realizes that this is in fact the first real psychic experience Oliver has ever had.  Oliver somehow has formed a connection to Lily and has glimpses of her emotions and experiences from the night she was killed.  But Robert has been taken off that case and is supposed to be investigating Oliver, so he is not allowed to use police resources to try to find Lily’s killer.  That doesn’t stop him, however, and together the two men work to bring the murderer to justice.

At the same time, Robert and Oliver begin to form their own relationship.  Although Oliver has had experience with a partner, Robert is fairly celibate with the exception of a few random encounters over the years.  Although he grows to care deeply for Oliver, he worries about starting a real relationship.  First, he is supposed to be investigating Oliver, though Robert knows he could never charge the man at this point.  Yet Robert still isn’t entirely comfortable with the way Oliver makes his living.  Also, during this time it is also very difficult for two men to be together in secret.  They are not wealthy lords who can retire to country estates, but working class men who must keep up appearances.  Not to mention that Robert is sworn to uphold the law he is breaking every time he is intimate with Oliver.  Yet as they continue the investigation, the bond between the men continues to grow and soon neither man can imagine being without the other.

I have read and enjoyed many of Dee and Devon’s historicals, but I think this one was my favorite.  They do a wonderful job of combining an interesting and exciting mystery thriller along with a super hot romantic story. I really enjoyed the juxtaposition of Robert as the solid police investigator working to put all the pieces together with Oliver, whose profession and abilities are based on intuition, charm, and personality.  They seem so different, yet they are able to blend their skills and work perfectly together.  The mystery moves along crisply, revealing enough information to keep things interesting.

I also really loved the romance between the two men.  They are super hot together with a kinky streak and the lovemaking is definitely not vanilla.  There is some pain play, breath play, and even a bit of puppy play.  It is all portrayed in a very mild way and seems to develop very organically out of their relationship rather than being formal scenes or structured dom/sub roles. But they definitely spice things up and are very hot together.  They are such a good match for one another.  Robert provides the solid strength Oliver needs to ground him, and Oliver helps Robert break out of his rigid patterns and really experience life.

Overall I thought this was a great book.  Exciting and interesting mystery plot combined with great romance and a super hot couple.  Highly recommended.