🔍Thank you so much to Erin Dunn, St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books) and NetGalley for the privilege of being able to read He's to Die For! I will share my review to retail sites and Instagram upon release.

🔍Genres: blend of detective mystery, romcom, and drama

🔍The MMCs, Rav and Jack, are a detective and his prime suspect in a murder investigation, respectively. Jack is also a rock star, and the chemistry between them was such a fun slow-burn sizzle. The spice is fairly low, but the banter is top notch. Their forbidden romance feels realistic, even though the idea itself seems outlandish.

🔍I immediately was interested based on the cover, because I love a M/M romcom. I had expected something a little lighter than I got - and I was pleasantly surprised. The thriller/mystery aspects had me super invested! The two genres mashed together made for something so fun and intriguing that I couldn't put it down at a lot of points.

🔍There were other moments that felt a *tad* slow, and I think could've been shortened up a bit (especially towards the middle). I was loving Rav's humor and charm. He is going down as one of my favorite MMCs ever! I think this would make for a great movie, as there's enough variety of elements to keep a wide audience interested, and just enough depth to give the characters meaning.

You will love this one if you're a fan of:

Boyfriend Material - Alexis Hall (British humor & M/M)
The Charm Offensive - Alison Cochrun
Dexter Series by Jeff Lindsay
Psych (TV show)
Brooklyn 99 (TV Series)

Major Tropes & Themes:

🔍 detective/suspect forbidden romance
🕵️‍♂️ mystery, suspense
❤️‍🩹 mental health
😘 will they, won't they?
😏 witty humor

4.2 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Erin Dunn for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this achillean romance novel that was the perfect blend of humor, romance and mystery! The high stakes and tension was the enjoyable kind and I would definitely love to read more from this author!

I must say- most of our romance novels that involve a celebrity require us to suspend our belief in regards to either the meet cute or just the infatuation in general. But with this one- it requires no suspension of belief at all. The meeting is believable and the should we/shouldn't we of it all is so much more than "I'm a celebrity, he's not.."... it's "I'm a potential murder suspect and he's the detective investiagting me!" It works SO well.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the arc, this was a really fun read. 3.5 stars rounded to 4. I would have liked to see more depth to the issues the characters explored, but it’s a solid and cute overall experience. I am not generally a fan of celebrity romances but this one worked well, you have it suspend your disbelief in terms of the career outcome, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment. What did was the surface-level portrayal of anxiety. To me, the panic attacks felt like a plot device without being a fully realized and explored part of his character. That’s also how I felt about Ravi’s parents, I wanted more depth from the backstories that I didn’t get. That said, I do recommend this as a fun romantic mystery.

This peaked my attention when I read the blurb, and I’m glad I jumped in. A new author, a story that has romance & mystery, drama & humor (things I love to submerse myself in) it’s all things that make this an enjoyable read! Will definitely keep this author on my radar

This was so cute! I loved that it was pretty equal parts romance and mystery, because it I really felt invested in both aspects of the story. I also personally love a celebrity romance, so the fact that our love interest is a rock star was a major plus. I definitely felt the connection between these two, and the conflicts and reasons for not being able to be together totally made sense.

I also thought that the mystery was really fun. I appreciated that it was a murder mystery, but it stayed pretty light, so it never felt like it was too jarring to switch between the romance and the mystery. Plus, I felt like the mystery itself was well=developed and kept me guessing and not trusting anyone the whole time.

Overall I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to see what this author comes out with next!

First off - I was so excited by the idea of this plot that I had to read it and let me say, it did not disappoint. It was cute, it was sappy, it was suspenseful. A hot shot detective investigating a rockstar for murder? And they fall in love? Perfect. I believe this is the author’s debut novel and I would for sure read another book by them.

Going in I assumed this would be a silly goofy romance(positive connotation) but the mystery aspect had me gripped! I loved the main characters and found myself giggling in between the more intense scenes. I also loved the anxiety rep and how it was handled by our main character. Would love to read more from this author!

I had a minute at the beginning where I wasn't sure I was into the idea of this one right now. Cop romances aren't really for me, and a romance between a detective and his suspect? But I enjoyed the characters and writing at the beginning and trusted the process and I was not disappointed, much thanks to netgalley and MacMillan for the arc! 🥰

Our single POV Rav is a gay, British person of color young hotshot detective who has something to prove immediately at the beginning of this one. Sparks fly with his first suspect and he can't help looking more into the dreamy rockstar personally, even as he's worried about a conflict of interest.

Jack Vale is not quite the rock star Rav expects, and as the two keep getting thrown together the case comes in and out of Rav's jurisdiction the mystery continues to deepen.

Nothing about the development of their relationship felt icky to me as a reader, and it's a very hopeful story full of tender care for each other. The entire story didn't revolve on conversations about mental health, but I think there's good representation and it helps give some more depth to the intimacy between the characters. There's some spice and it gets hot but it's not explicit and our rock star makes all the teeth achingly sweet delclarations you expect him to.

I am quite torn on this one. I really enjoyed it for about 50% of the book. I loved the vibe and the romance. But honestly, it felt like the rest of the book was drawn out and lacking the purpose of the beginning. It could have been tightened up into a more enjoyable mystery romance.

Rav is an aristocratic Brit who looks like he stepped out a a fashion shoot while working as a detective. When he investigates a murder, he cannot seem to stop his attraction to one of the suspects, a hot rock star. Sparks fly as the two try and solve the crime and prove that they can make it work.

I honestly think that describing this as being like Brooklyn 99 worked against it. While humorous, it lacked the ridiculous slapstick nature of Jake Peralta.

I really did enjoy the first part but I was ready for the book to end. It needed with more will they won't they, or to wrap up sooner.


Thank you to Net Galle, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A hot, NYC detective, Rav, who happens to be a Brit with dual citizenship, investigates a hot, rockstar, Jack, who may have un-alived a sleazy music dude. There’s immediate attraction between these two, but obvs, Rav can’t just get it on with his main suspect! Thus, he attempts to find the real perp so he can get all-access, VIP tickets to the hot rocker! Of course, things aren’t that open and shut.

While I enjoyed this debut, it felt a bit long and overly complicated at times. I do appreciate that the suspense aspect was present and not just a background setting. We actually follow the case with Rav, his partner, and other colleagues. However, the suspense didn’t work for me, as it felt too disjointed and sort of all over the place. That being said, I didn’t guess the who-until right before Rav did, which added to my enjoyment of the suspense! The romance was sweet, fade to black, but a bit to insta-love for my tastes (though, others have called it a slow burn so… 🤷‍♀️). Our two MCs were down bad from the start, but the push pull of the power imbalance was handled well and added to the realism of the relationship. I enjoyed the introduction of many side characters, and should the author continue to write within this world, I’d be interested in reading more!

Read if you like:
🎸Leads with an accent
🕵Rockstar meets normal person
🎸Romantic suspense
🕵️Fade to black (few details)
🎸Song lyrics as a love language

This was an exciting, fast paced story that had so many twists and turns that kept you thinking. Definitely a page turner.

This SURPASSED my expectations!

The cover made me curious. The "<i>Brooklyn 99</i> meets <i>The Charm Offensive</i>" marketing was intriguing. But the idea of a young, gay cop who doesn't fit in falling for the suspect in his case? That sold me.

Every part of this works beautifully. The pacing is perfect, brilliantly balancing the mystery with the romance. And the mystery is twisty enough to keep you guessing! It flirted that line of too much going on without ever crossing it. I could not read this fast enough!

All of the characters are wonderful. I love how sweet and down-to-earth Jack is. His grief colors everything he does but you can feel him working through it, trying to find peace and happiness again. Rav is delightful. His sense of humor adds necessary levity and he uses is to great effect. He's a little bit extra with his sass and suits but it feels so intrinsic to his character. It's a great dynamic.

The romance is not closed door but neither is it explicit. I'd describe it as the watercolor version -- you know what they're doing but the details are blurry and indistinct. It's perfect for the vibe of this story. I think explicit detail would have changed this and made it a little less special. I don't have anything against explicit spicy scenes but I recognize that they don't work in every narrative. Plus, this book has one of the hottest first kisses I've read in a while!

I'll be recommending this to everyone! I know I'll reread it in the future. I can't wait to read more from this author.

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

He’s to Die For is a murder mystery romance about Rav, a NYPD homicide detective who is assigned to a case involving the murder of a music industry executive. Unfortunately, he starts to develop feelings for one of lead suspects in the case, Jack, a famous musician with a motive and no alibi.

When I saw the comparison of this book to Brooklyn 99 and The Charm Offensive by Alice Cochran I was immediately sold. I think that’s a fitting description, although it was more serious with fewer ridiculous hijinks compared to the show. As with The Charm Offensive, it follows a celebrity character falling for a person who’s supposed to be off-limits (in this case because they are investigating them for, you know, murder). There’s also discussion of mental health, specifically anxiety, and complicated family relationships.

I was primarily invested in the romance aspect of the story, but I thought the mystery was also engaging. Overall, I loved it and would definitely be interested in reading future books about the main (or side) characters!

Thank you, Minotaur Books, for the free eARC. I received this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

He's to Die For by Erin Dunn
4 stars ⭐️
Falling for the man who Rav just questioned in relation to a murder wasn't in the cards. But how can he resist the leading man of a hit band? He's sweet, sensitive, and a top suspect in Rav's investigation.
This was a great debut novel! I love romance and mystery books, and this book combined the two! Don't worry if you're not into mysteries or crime fiction. The main part of the story is the romance. I liked how the author explored the insecurities that people feel in a relationship. Does the other person like me as much as I like them? I hope there will be a sequel to this book! Maybe with Rav's partner.

Thank you so much @minotaur_books for the gifted digital ARC for an honest review.

I loved that book so much ! If you're looking for Pride books to read this month, you Need to add this one ASAP to your TBR !

I was hooked on their story from page one !

Rav was such an amazing character. I love how passionate he is about his job, how perfectionist and how loyal he is.
Reading his point of view, his thoughts and how he solved the murder investigation was so good !

I didn't see the end coming at all ! Such a surprise !

And the Romance between him and Jack was swoon-worthy! Their connection and how they helped each other was just perfect.

Read this if you love :

✨ M/M Romance;
✨ Forbidden Romance;
✨ Murder Investigation;
✨ Anxiety Rep ;
✨ Spicy ;
✨ He's a Rock Star, He's a detective

I loved this book! It follows Rav, a detective, and Jake, a murder suspect. The two are brought together through Rav’s investigation of Jack’s band, and their professional dynamic soon becomes romantic. This book did a great job of blending the murder mystery aspects with the romance and romcom elements. The relationship between the main characters was great, as well as Rav and Jack’s individual struggles and journeys throughout, the mystery kept me on my toes, and the plot twists were excellent.

First, I want to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
I was slightly hesitant at first going into this book wondering how the author would pull off a detective being romantically interested in the main suspect of a murder case that was just dropped on his desk, but I am so happy I decided to read this book.
A well-balanced, rom-com, murder mystery, this book is pitched for fans of Brooklyn 99 which just happens to be one of my favorite shows of all time. And while the characters differ from the tv show quite a bit, I believe the correlation works because this book, like the show, is fun and funny while also being extremely heartfelt while dealing with serious situations.
I also loved and appreciated that this book addressed the issues that surrounded Rav & Jack’s feelings for each other and didn’t brush off the fact that this was a bit of an awkward and frowned upon situation.
Overall, I loved the balance between romance and mystery and the mystery itself was well written and left me guessing until the reveal. Rav and Jack will stick with me for a long time.

This was a super cute read, my first featuring two male love interests. They were adorable and actually healthy in their relationship, which did not rely on miscommunications or other awfully annoying tropes and I appreciate them for that. The mystery was gripping and kept me going right until the reveal, which I did not see coming. I had my eye on the right suspect pool, but I still had no idea who it was. It was delightfully wrapped up in the end and featured nice and healthy character development!

4/5
1.5/5 spice

Tropes:
Murder mystery
Detective x Rock star
Close proximity
He takes care of him
LGBTQIA rep
Single POV

I loved the investigative part of this book and how it helped bring these two characters together. The beginning gives off forbidden romance vibes but they essentially keep it under wraps for a good amount of time... which added a bit of tension and made for some good flirting moments. Overall, I enjoyed how the mystery unfolded and how Rav and Jack evolved in their relationship. I highly recommend this book for fans of romantic suspense, protective heros, and murder mysteries.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

He’s to Die For by Erin Dunn
Contemporary M-M diverse romance. Third person, present tense. Opposites attract.
Detective Rav Trivedi is assigned as lead in a high-profile murder case. He’s won’t let the TV crews and tabloids distract him from his job. Rav tries to apply that same attitude to the famous singer and songwriter Jack Vale, but he’s a little bit star struck by the handsome and seemingly lonely male. Jack is surrounded by bodyguards and assistants and more yet still doesn’t have alibi for the time of the murder. What can Rav do but get him alone and kiss him. Rav and Jack are opposites from dress to attitude yet there is an attraction too that can’t be denied. Rav needs to figure out the case, and fast.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook copy and an audiobook. Narrator Sid Sagar does a fantastic job with the two main male protagonists, Rav and Jack, as well as several secondary characters such as Will, and Mo. the performance draws the readers attention with accents, emotions and drama which made it very entertaining.
I did speed up the playback to 1.5 to more closely match my reading and conversation speed. I much preferred, and recommend the audiobook as it masks the text’s present tense. Since an audiobook is automatically “active”, the present tense doesn’t kick me out of then story like a print copy does.

Romantic, a bit of humor, some sexy passion, drama and ultimately a swoon-worthy romance ending. The writing is delicious. A description of Rav’s attire with brand names is both humorous and allows the reader to get a vivid picture him and his personality.
Definitely an author I will continue to follow.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/ddcc47dc-41a7-4ae4-9955-ccee0c84c0ef

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/he-s-to-die-for-1?sId=09a886ca-d902-4b0f-ac9a-b3a9e584c0bc

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7618989701

https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/894311822

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hes-to-die-for-erin-dunn/1146167831?ean=2940191120669&bvnotificationId=8540a3a0-4425-11f0-8867-122f11b6da61&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=aol.com#review/348848047

https://www.amazon.com/review/R35MW4E7PQK9DN/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv