I got this book as an ARC before I knew it was a second and after reading the first, I would not have decided to read this one if I hadn’t already had it. One that note, some of my issues with the first one has been solved here. Nick is actually a decent human being here and not a jerk to Perry. Still, the plot is very predictable and the romance, while being more believable, is established so there is no suspense there either. I didn’t care that much about the characters and Perry goes from being relatively sensible to being an idiot at the end, and the ending felt rushed. I am unlikely to return to this author in the future.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

To live and draw in L.A.

Now living in Los Angeles with former navy SEAL Nick Reno, artist Perry Foster comes to the rescue of elderly and eccentric Horace Daly, the legendary film star of such horror classics as Why Won’t You Die, My Darling?

Horace owns the famous, but now run-down, Hollywood hotel Angels Rest, rumored to be haunted. But as far as Perry can tell, the scariest thing about Angels Rest is the cast of crazy tenants--one of whom seems determined to bring down the final curtain on Horace--and anyone else who gets in the way.

The second in The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks mystery series, The Ghost Had An Early Check-Out  by Josh Lanyon continues with our newly established couple Nick Reno and Perry Foster now living in LA and working on the dynamics of their relationship and living together.  I love how Josh Lanyon writes relationships...relationships of all kinds and then threads them through her stories.  In this case a mystery story.

Nick is sketching an eerie old Hollywood hotel, an architectural wonder or horror depending upon reviewpoint, when he hears screams coming from the hilltop. That begins Nick's introduction to Horace Daly, wildly eccentric and on the ancient side, it's his scream that Nick hears and it's his mystery that Perry (bringing a reluctant Nick) tumbles into.

It starts with Horace, that crazy hotel and its inhabitants, along with all those old horror movie props.  Lovingly if not gleefully described by the author through her characters. If you have ever watched an old Vincent Price or any other horror movie it that ilk, then you will have no problem imagining the movies, the props, and even Horiace in his heyday.  Perry, inhaler in hand, wants to help Horace who is convinced someone is trying to kill him.  Nick wants to watch over Perry on his time home, not happy its at a dusty old hotel with a quirky old actor asking for his boyfriend's help.

As usual, there is a whole wonderful cast of secondary characters, even a pet alligator named Wally to help or thwart our heroes in their investigation at the hotel and the danger to Horace.   As the plot twists and turns, our couple also continues to work on their own relationship and love affair, the narrative spotlight turning from the mystery to the couple and back again.  It all intermingles effortlessly and the story moves forward quickly.

The Ghost Had an Early Check-Out (The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks #2) by Josh Lanyon is a wonderful mystery romance, full of terrific characters and a complex storyline.  I love this couple and can't wait to see what ghostly romp they will fall into next.

Cover art works for the type of mystery the novel is about and sets the tone.

A delightful mystery with a dash of romance and some spooky scenes featuring an inquisitive main character, his supportive partner and a host of quirky side characters. I read the first book in the series and highly enjoyed it but this can also be read as a standalone.

Perry and Nick are now an established couple and it's nice to see how their relationship has progressed. Although they don't always get along, they still communicate so there isn't unnecessary angst. This time, the book takes place over Halloween weekend where Perry is helping a former film star who believes someone is trying to kill him.

While I was intrigued at the mystery, I thought it concluded too fast at the end. There is a huge reveal of the villain but we never find out the fallout from that. I wouldn't have minded if the story had been given a chance to breathe so that the pieces isn't too rushed. Still enjoyable but would have benefited with more depth.

This was a book that reminded me of the quintessential cozy mystery. I grew up reading books like this and Josh Lanyon has so many books that bring me back to those days when I had no real responsibilities and just loved to sit and read for hours. I loved catching up with these characters. I did have to skim the first book for a refresher since there was a gap between releases but I don't mind doing that. This is a good book to read on a stormy night.

A complementary copy was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I just loved this. When my request for the ARC was approved I new I would need to re-read The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks so I could refresh my memory. Reading these back to back was awesome and I suggest you do the same. The power of Nick and Perry as a couple is just that much greater when you can see what they went through in book 1 to their happiness in book 2.

Perry can't seem to stay away from weird places and strange residents. This time Perry has stumbled upon a...murder plot? The assailants were dressed in skeleton costumes and had wood swords.

Right?

Strange. Who would try to kill someone that way? Perry can't resist the mystery or helping someone in distress so Perry agrees to spend the weekend with Horace, the eccentric owner of Angels Rest (hotel turned apartments). When Nick returns home early from a business trip, Nick is NOT going to let Perry stay there without him. There is definitely something strange at Angels Rest and Nick is going to protect/help Perry.

I don't want to spoil what happens. Let just say an alligator is involved. :) Plus a dusty moldy hotel/apartment building with a lot of old time movie memorabilia. The other residents are as I said strange and don't believe Horace has been the repeated subject of harassment or attempted murder. Horace has his suspicions of who is guilty of tormenting him, but he doesn't want to believe it's really true and hampers Nick and Perry's investigation by withholding key facts. And who is surprised by this? Not me, no sir. I totally expected this to go off the rails at the first opportunity and LOVED it! I didn't want to put this down and I can't recommend this enough. What would have made it better is if Nick and Perry had more time as a couple instead of once again facing death by "ghost," lol.

The guilt party is found out, but no clues from me! There is so much going on at Angels Rest and I wish I could see it in real life. I can only imagine the stories that place could tell. And I love old movies and seeing the old props and other things from that era would be so cool. But um, leave the alligator out of it please. :D

I give this 4.25 stars because I wish more of Perry and Nick could have been on page as a couple, not just figuring out the mystery. Which was great! The mystery kept me guessing and I thought I knew what was going on but it turns out I was wrong, and I love when that happens. Fingers crossed so hard there is another book in the series. I just hope JL doesn't make us wait another 10 years. I would wait but not patiently. <3

The Ghost Had An Early Check-Out
(The Gost Wore Yellow Socks #2)
by Josh Lanyon
2018
Just Joshin Books/ Vellichor
#netgalley. #TheGhostHadAnEarlyCheckOut

Nick Reno, a former Navy SEAL, now a PI and Perry Foster, attending art classes, have been living together in Los Angeles, as lovers.
Perry finds an old building he wants to sketch for art class, but while sketching he hears screams coming from the building. Perry decides to follow the scream, and is nearly run over by someone in a skeleton costume, with a mask and a wooden sword.
The screams come an old dalapitated hotel, Angel's Ruin, owned by a former horror film star,Horace Daly. Horace tells him of an old lover that has been sending him death threats for several years. He has complained of intruders and trespassers, but because he had a nervous breakdown after stabbing a former lover who attacked him with the same knife....no one believes him. Perry believes him and convinces Nick to spend a weekend there investigating the strange people inhabiting the even stranger Angel's Ruin.
I lived the Nick and Perry relationship, it's a good representation of male/ male love. Clever, a great cast of characters, I look forward to seeing what Nick and Perry do next.
Thanks to net galley and JustJoshin for sending this e-book ARC for review.....

I was not aware going in that there is a previous book in this series (It's "The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks") but I definitely started to suspect as soon as Nick showed up. There was obviously a lot of history between the characters that spoke of a past book. That being said, it's not necessary to read the first book to enjoy this one, but I do think this book would be more enjoyable if I'd read the other book first. This was a fun mystery that kept me guessing the whole way.

This is the second book in The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks series. It is a MM romantic suspense. I really enjoyed this book, the characters are a little quirky, but fun. The story is well written, and I did not guess the villain before the author revealed him to the reader. I did not get a chance to read the first book in the series, so this can be read as a stand-alone book.

Good mystery, excellent romance. My biggest gripe is that the climax went right until the end, so the romance kind of got pushed out of the narrative, so it didn’t read like a HEA. Maybe there will be another sequel? This is a really well done age gap romance, with Nick indulging Perry frequently (he’s gruff to everyone but him), but consciously never acting paternal towards him. Lovely!

On a scale of "awesome Lanyon" to "meh Lanyon" this falls somewhere in the middle. As with the case when an author has written multiple novels, the quality varies. This was, to me, something of a Saturday afternoon read to tick off a box that said 'I have read a book today.'

Perry and Nick are cute and very good about boundaries. They communicate and don't try to keep each other in the dark for spurious reasons. I am always about communication in a relationship. We got hints of their individual insecurities, which was nice, but I think this was something that could have been explored more.

The mystery was something of a let down. The set up was great. Horace was delightful in an exasperating way, someone you would enjoy on screen but would probably murder in real life. And his back story sounded fascinating, what with stabbings and lost loves. Unfortunately, it just never came together all that well. And the denouement was something of a let down. I know that in reality cases get solved in very simple ways but I would have liked a bit more of a drama.

The Ghost Had an Early Checkout is entertaining book that has interesting characters and storyline. It is well written.

I found this book quite entertaining. It's well written, I liked the cast of characters and the plot.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I love Perry & Nick as a couple & loved them in the first book. I was not real impressed with this one. It felt so much like the first book that I had a hard time really getting into it. This wouldn't stop me from reading more should the author write more books in this series.