Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

Sebastian Snow runs an antique shop in New York City. It’s Christmastime, so he’s fully stocked and trying to make as much cash as he can during the holiday. Sebastian’s boyfriend is a closeted cop named Neil (who is a real dick). They’ve been together for four years and live together, but nobody on the police force knows about them.

One morning, Sebastian comes into work, and there is a terrible smell! He thinks it may be some food that got left out, but it turns out to be a heart under the floorboards by the cash register. Police are called in, and they inform Sebastian his antique store isn’t the first to be hit with break ins. It’s all kind of confusing, but all the break ins and murders are all based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

Detective Calvin Winter doesn’t really know what to make of Sebastian at first. Here is a colorblind antiques dealer who insinuates himself into his case because he thinks he can be of assistance. To top it off, Calvin is discovering he actually likes Sebastian.

Ok. The Mystery of Nevermore is a really good book. I enjoyed it. However, there is a lot going on. You have to be very alert as you read it. I loved how the murders were tied into Poe stories and poems. Of course, his work is very dark and brooding, and it’s not full of wine, roses, and pretty subject matter. Even so, I love his work, and now, I love the work of C.S. Poe. She has a smooth writing style and she gives us a lot of detail so we can actually see what’s going on.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers. I’ll just tell you everything is connected somehow. The shop owners, the murders, the cops, Sebastian and Neil, Sebastian and Calvin, and the eventual reveal of the killer and their reasoning behind it. Honestly, it’s brilliant. Sebastian and Calvin have incredible chemistry. They made me laugh along with being sexy together.  All the background characters have a role to fulfill, and they do it well. I know I said it before, but damn, Neil was a dick. How can you say you love someone and not even acknowledge them? Grrrrrrrrrrr…

Anyway, once again without giving you any spoilers, I’m going to say I really enjoyed this story. It was solid from beginning to end. I don’t think I could say there was a single lull. The romance was sweet and hot, the mystery was well thought out and researched, and the ending was quite satisfying.

The title is The Mystery of Nevermore (Snow and Winter Book 1), so I am anticipating at least one sequel, and I’m very exited about that. I’ll be first in line to read it when it comes out. I’m grateful to have been able to read this one.

A review copy of this book was provided by DSP Publications.