Book Review: Object of Desire by Dal Maclean

Blurb:

Tom Gray is one of the world's top models–an effortless object of desire. Self-contained, elusive and always in control, he's accustomed to living life entirely on his own terms. But when Tom comes under suspicion in the gory death of his employer, his world spirals into chaos.

Someone's framing him. Someone's stalking him. And as old secrets come to light, Tom finds his adversary always one step ahead.

Will Foster is the only man Tom trusts to help. But Tom brutally burned all bridges between them two years before, and Will paid a bitter price.

If he wants to survive, Tom must prove his innocence to Will–and to the world.

Jewel's rating:



​Dal Maclean has done it again. I read this all day, yesterday, and stayed up way too late last night, too. I did not want to put this book down. I was riveted.

I loved the suspense and the complicated MC's and the second chances trope and the total, honest to goodness -- MIND F$&K of a suspense plot.​ ​Like this author's previous book, this one ​has romance, suspense, at least one MC that isn't entirely likable (or entirely unlikable), a plot that keeps you guessing, and a hard fought HEA. ​

Tom Gray was an aloof, comitment-phobic fashion model. He shies away from anything resembling an actual relationship and insists that he's just not cut out for love and romance. In truth, Tom has some serious abandonment issues, so he always leaves first. That way, he is able to exert some control in a situation where he is afraid to be powerless.



Will​ Foster​ is the only man that Tom almost let himself care for. Like all the others, at the first hint of Will getting too attached, Tom was outta there. But Will wasn't like the other men in Tom's life and Tom never stopped caring. Will was a detective and very steadfast. Gorgeous, but not shallow. And when he fell, he fell hard. Losing Tom gutted him and sent into motion a series of events that altered his life.

After two years apart, and a whole lot of hurt, Tom and Will are thrown together again because Will is very good at solving mysteries and finding information. Their second chance does not come easily, and there is a fair amount of hurt to overcome before they can go on. This was a second chance story done right, IMO.

What to say about the suspense, though? Dayum, I can tell you that at 20% I thought it was (view spoiler)[nope, not gonna tell ya (hide spoiler)] and at 35%, I thought (view spoiler)[still not telling (hide spoiler)] and by 80% I thought (view spoiler)[yeah, still not going there (hide spoiler)]. In the end, though, it wasn't really anything like I hypothesized. The last 10% I was changing my hypothesis nearly page by page, and I was having a blast!

Holy fuck, Dal, thank you for this. Just -- thank you!

Get the book

Happy Reading!