oh my god this was so much better than the first one. if you pay attention to my ratings, you'll know I gave Lavender House a 2 stars because while it did read like a gayer Knives Out, I got bored with the formulaic style the chapters followed. Andy would interview someone, think about it, then interview someone else, then think about, then intervi- you get the gist.
Bell in the Fog (shout out to BookishFirst for the very early copy), picks up after the events of Lavender House and puts Andy face to face with a former army fling who's being blackmailed. already, this was a far more interesting premise to me. instead of sequestering Andy to the house, as per Lavender House, he moves throughout the city, hopping from bar to bar where he interacts with a vast array of interesting characters. while a few of them were only there for a scene or two, they were all somehow distinct and real, proving to me, despite my overall neutrality for Lavender House, that Lev AC Rosen is skilled at crafting singular characters who have their own voices and dynamics with the rest of the cast and the world.
Despite this, I've settled on a 3.5-3.75 rating (rounded up to 4 here) because the mystery did drag a little for me. I was far more invested in Gene and Andy's budding relationship. I'd read another five books centered on them, mystery or no mystery. Rosen has somehow managed to find the exact type of gay flirting that will always get me so like good for him.
Bell in the Fog (shout out to BookishFirst for the very early copy), picks up after the events of Lavender House and puts Andy face to face with a former army fling who's being blackmailed. already, this was a far more interesting premise to me. instead of sequestering Andy to the house, as per Lavender House, he moves throughout the city, hopping from bar to bar where he interacts with a vast array of interesting characters. while a few of them were only there for a scene or two, they were all somehow distinct and real, proving to me, despite my overall neutrality for Lavender House, that Lev AC Rosen is skilled at crafting singular characters who have their own voices and dynamics with the rest of the cast and the world.
Despite this, I've settled on a 3.5-3.75 rating (rounded up to 4 here) because the mystery did drag a little for me. I was far more invested in Gene and Andy's budding relationship. I'd read another five books centered on them, mystery or no mystery. Rosen has somehow managed to find the exact type of gay flirting that will always get me so like good for him.