Release Day Review ~ Model Investigator (Haven Investigations Book 3) by Lissa Kasey (Series Review)
Title: Model Investigator
Series: Haven Investigations: Book Three
Author: Lissa Kasey
Release Date: June 26, 2017
Category: Mystery/Suspense
Pages: 250
With his lover, Kade, missing, androgynous former model turned private investigator Ollie Petroskovic is ready to kick some ass to bring him home.
Ollie and his ex, rock star Jacob Elias, need to find Kade and free him from the clutches of his manipulative family. But with Ollie suffering from chronic migraines and Jacob unable to bear loud noises, they are hardly the dynamic duo. It takes a lot of sweet talking on the part of Jacob, and patience Ollie doesn’t have, to find Kade. Only Kade’s not whole anymore. The fight for Kade’s heart and mind is far from over.
It’s Ollie’s turn to guide Kade through nightmares, self-doubt, and PTSD. Kade’s memories are scattered, fragmented with possible horrors, and he’s not quite sure what is real. Ollie will have to draw on his investigative skills to clear Kade of the terrible accusations his family has made and help Kade unlock the truth. But in doing so, he ignores his own health, which could have catastrophic consequences for everyone, especially when digging up the past could be lethal for them all.
Model Investigator is the third book in Lissa Kasey's series and cannot be read as a standalone! Seriously, I know I almost always say that they need to be read in order but this time you need to listen! This book starts where book 2 ends and has to be read in the appropriate order. Book 2 ended with a cliffhanger and this book picks up that storyline.
Without Kade, Oliver is struggling with old issues. He's not taking care of himself, he's not eating and he's letting the depression win again. But Oliver isn't going to stand by and wait for someone to rescue him and to fix all that's wrong with his world. He decides it's up to him to get Kade, though Jacob isn't going to let him go alone.
Once reunited, Kade and Oliver have a lot of pieces to put back together with themselves. And Oliver's fallen back into old behaviors of pushing Kade away and sets out to discover the truth of the accusations against Kade from his family. Kade and Oliver come through this story even stronger than before.
There's nothing like family drama, animal cruelty, rape accusations, surprise paternity, amputation, explosions, mental health institutions, and health issues to jack up the angst and drama in a story. The mystery of Kade's family behavior is so twisted, you're going to want to pay attention for this crazy roller coaster ride!
This story has a much better ending than the last book but there is still the mystery of Nathan's death, his relationship with Kade's family and his secret life.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Previously in the Haven Investigations series:
Model Citizen by Lissa Kasey
Oliver “Ollie” Petroskovic’s life as an international supermodel was heading in the right direction. He worked part-time for his brother at his detective agency—Petroskovic Haven Investigations—and had just bought his dream house. But all that changed when he found his brother dead, a victim of PTSD-induced suicide.
Almost a year later, Ollie is trying to keep his brother’s business afloat, but can’t get his PI license. Then his brother’s best friend, Kade Alme, shows up, fresh from the battlefield after a close brush with death. Kade is looking for a new life, in more ways than one, and with PI license in hand, he’s exactly what Ollie needs to keep PHI running.
When one of Ollie's childhood friends gets in trouble, Ollie feels he has to help. Kade insists on investigating if only to keep Ollie safe. Neither realizes the danger they’re in as someone tries to tear them apart before they can find solid ground together.
Cover Artist: Garrett Leigh
Oliver is a man of many talents. He's a supermodel, a hacker, an investigator, and a clothing designer. With his brother, Nathan's death, he takes over running the PI business but he's struggling. His brother's death was considered a suicide and Oliver's depression and anxiety have firm control over his life. All his life he has done what he's needed to make his brother proud, and now he has to keep his brother's PI business open, no matter the cost. Oliver is overwhelmed with life and the continuous struggle. Though Oliver has no family, he does have his best friend (Brittany) and her husband (Will), and Oliver's ex-boyfriend (Ty) to care for him and to push and prod him along. Will is unhappy that Oliver is running the PI business and is tired of having to bail him out of mishaps. He found Nathan's best friend Kade to help.
Kade has been in Oliver's life since Nathan became his guardian. Kade and Nathan served together in the military and Kade had made it a career and used it to run from his family. After his medical discharge from the military, Kade is ready to help with the PI business and more importantly, to let Oliver know how he feels and what he wants.
This story is told from Oliver's viewpoint only and I would have loved if it had Kade's, as well. I really liked both characters. I loved that Oliver was androgynous and thought nothing of wearing a skirt and heels. I did think it was overkill to have Oliver be so perfect at everything, especially such a range of things, it just felt a little unbelievable. Kade was perfect. He's always been interested in Oliver but Nathan wouldn't allow it to go further. Kade knows Oliver. He supports him in whatever makes him happy, puts up with his bad moods and is able to handle his health issue while remaining calm.
There is a mystery in one of their PI cases, and it was very over the top. I had guessed pretty early into the case the person responsible for it, so none of it took me by surprise. The story was very fast-paced, with a lot happening and for the most part, I really enjoyed it. This was not a HEA ending, probably more of a HFN and it definitely made me start the second book immediately. If I had read this book when it was the only one out and I couldn't just move on, my feelings and review would have probably been different!
Rating: 4.5 stars
Model Bodyguard by Lissa Kasey
Sequel to Model Citizen, Haven Investigations: Book Two
Things are going well for androgynous model Ollie Petroskovic, ex-Marine Kade Alme, and their business, Haven Investigations, until rock star Jacob Elias shows up in need of their services… and trouble follows.
Jacob is a playboy with a serious penchant for kink, slaves, and sex toys. He’s also Ollie’s ex—and all that implies. With the media exploiting his personal life, a stalker sending blood-soaked “gifts,” a bumbling security team, and a family he can’t trust as far as he could throw them, Jacob is in desperate need of a bodyguard for his latest tour, and Kade can’t refuse.
While Kade deals with new doubts about his partnership with Ollie and struggles with reminders of his war injuries, Jacob’s stalker escalates from blackmail and threats to murder. As Kade and Ollie work to keep Jacob safe and find the culprit behind the attack, a web of family secrets, lies, and abuse slowly emerges, leading up to a final confrontation that they might not walk away from—and that will have lasting repercussions for Kade and his relationship with Ollie.
Cover Artist: Garrett Leigh
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
Model Bodyguard is the second book in Lissa Kasey's series, and is not a standalone. This series follows Oliver and Kade and must be read in the appropriate order. The first book is from Oliver's point of view and this one is told in Kade's. With this being Kade's POV, we got more of his history, which just made me like him more.
Kade and Oliver's relationship is going well, as is their business. Oliver is back modeling and Kade is expanding the business. Then Oliver's ex-boyfriend, Jacob, comes back into the picture with the excuse of needing Oliver's help. Only Kade refuses to let Oliver be dragged back into the mess of Jacob's life.
Oliver and Kade's relationship showed a lot of growth and stability. Oliver was trusting Kade and was taking care of himself. But with his ex back in the picture, there were some setbacks in their relationship that they were able to work through. I still really like these characters, and the additional ones in Kade and Oliver's lives. I loved the addition of Newt and really felt this let us see a different, softer side of Oliver.
The focus of this story is really about Jacob's case, and was very convoluted with a lot going on. There are A LOT of characters in the story and a lot of different storylines around him and his family and employees. This mystery was well done, though again I knew who the culprit was going to be. I did not foresee the resulting final scenes with the culprit and I did not foresee that ending.
This book ended in a cliffhanger and that was made obvious by the author's comment at the beginning of the book, which must have been in response to people who felt the first book ended in a cliffhanger. This ending was to show them what a real cliffhanger ending was. As a reader who hates cliffhangers, I appreciate her comment at the beginning because had I not had the third book already available, I would not have read this book. I hate cliffhanger endings, so much, that I have quit reading authors when no forewarning was given and instead a book just ended with no conclusion and caught me by surprise. So, if you're reading this book make sure you have the third one ready to go!! As with the first book, I would have felt completely different with this book if I did not have the next book to move onto. I really enjoyed this story, but absolutely hated the ending. Hated, as in, if I was rating just the ending, I would have given it a -100 stars, hated it. Which means you need to read this series (seriously, have book 3 ready to go immediately after finishing) to find out what could cause such a strong reaction! This is a very well done series!
Rating: 4 stars
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