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lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
Liked it for the most part, I remember reading bits of this elsewhere. And I am 100% down for a D/s relationship between Watson and Holmes. I just wish there'd been a bit more casework, and a bit more IC-ness.
2.5 stars.
2.5 stars.
cardaisy's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Gah, fine okay? I am not immune to the sexy Holmes pastiche, sue me. To be honest though, that's really all this is, there's very little substance to this and it wasn't what I wanted it to be (and it sat at 92% for several days before I finally decided I needed to finish it). I have to respect a suitably angry Watson in/post EMPT though, "When you like and where you like" is nice and all, but have some self respect man
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Grief and Injury/Injury detail
ghostlight's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jenvile's review
5.0
“I have been blessed, as some would say, with the great gift of observation. That on its own, of course, is meaningless, but over the years I have cultivated my methods of observation and honed the science of deduction.”
I wanted to savour this story. It was like the last piece of chocolate in the box, and I knew it was going to taste decadent and everything I imagined it would be. But I paced myself. I allowed little nibbles here and there. This story was a delight. The structure, the chemistry, the writing.
This is going on my favourites shelf - if I had finished it earlier it would have gone to my 2019 favourites. This one was absolutely fucking delicious.
I wanted to savour this story. It was like the last piece of chocolate in the box, and I knew it was going to taste decadent and everything I imagined it would be. But I paced myself. I allowed little nibbles here and there. This story was a delight. The structure, the chemistry, the writing.
This is going on my favourites shelf - if I had finished it earlier it would have gone to my 2019 favourites. This one was absolutely fucking delicious.
vkelt's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kentcryptid's review
4.0
I described this book to a friend as 'excellently filthy', and I think that sums it up pretty well. It's a compelling take on Sherlock Holmes canon through the lens of Holmes and Watson being in an intense BDSM relationship the whole time.
I normally like my romance writing with a ton of pining and build up, so when the first sex scene began on page 12 I was initially a bit disappointed. However, the author does a great job of keeping the sexual tension alive throughout the book. Elinor Gray also successfully conveys a lot about the characters and their relationship through sex. She has an eye for detail that I really like: in one scene Watson's state of distress (after Holmes has had a crisis centred around his cocaine addiction and then briefly disappeared) is shown by his having gone out in public without his shirt cuffs.
It ends a little abruptly and knowledge of canon is assumed, so it's best for those who've already read and enjoyed Arthur Conan Doyle's stories.
I normally like my romance writing with a ton of pining and build up, so when the first sex scene began on page 12 I was initially a bit disappointed. However, the author does a great job of keeping the sexual tension alive throughout the book. Elinor Gray also successfully conveys a lot about the characters and their relationship through sex. She has an eye for detail that I really like: in one scene Watson's state of distress (after Holmes has had a crisis centred around his cocaine addiction and then briefly disappeared) is shown by his having gone out in public without his shirt cuffs.
It ends a little abruptly and knowledge of canon is assumed, so it's best for those who've already read and enjoyed Arthur Conan Doyle's stories.
macbean221b's review
5.0
I received COMPOUND A FELONY as an ARC from NetGalley.com.
It's been six months now since I read COMPOUND A FELONY, and I'm still not exactly sure how to write this review. I just have so many feelings about this book, and it's hard to get them down articulately. I mean, I suppose I could just type an extended squee, or several key smashes? That's not very informative, though. So...let's see what I can come up with.
COMPOUND A FELONY might be my favorite book that I read this year. If it's not THE favorite, it's definitely in the top three. See, it has almost everything I want from Holmes fanfic/pastiche. Only "almost" because I do love casefic, and that is not at all the point of this book. This book is about what happens between Holmes and Watson behind closed doors, between cases, or when Holmes needs to sort of reboot his brain.
Background: When I was about five years old, I saw the Basil Rathbone version of The Hound of the Baskervilles, and quite liked it, so my Nan read the book to me, and then continued with some of the other stories. I was absolutely hooked, and it seemed obvious to me that Holmes and Watson were boyfriends. (I had the same idea of Bert and Ernie and Kirk and Spock, and later in life, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. My queer headcanons started young.) But I always wished the stories would focus a liiiiittle less on the cases, and let me learn more about Holmes and Watson themselves, as individuals and as a pair. Eventually I discovered fanfiction, but other people's ideas didn't always work for me, and I didn't really have the patience to sift through the stuff I didn't care for to find the hidden gems. I did spend a little time writing fanfiction for BBC's Sherlock, but mostly I would just tell myself stories in my head and gave up on other folks' romantic/erotic stories.
I'm not exactly sure what made me decide to take a chance on COMPOUND A FELONY. The author was a fairly new addition to my Twitter timeline, and someone that I was still a little awed/intimidated by. The logical part of my brain told me to pass this one up, because what if I hated it!? But I'd been having pretty good luck lately with Holmes stories that I found on NetGalley, so...I took a leap. I'm so glad I did.
I would call COMPOUND A FELONY "50 Shades of Sherlock"--as I've seen others do--but that sells it so short. 50 Shades is nothing like how a D/s relationship should be. COMPOUND A FELONY...is. Even if this wasn't a story about Holmes and Watson, I would still completely love it. It really puts this often misunderstood lifestyle in a positive (and accurate!) light.ngl, it kind of makes me want to date Miss Gray. It's so outstandingly sexy, but it's also not only about the sex. There are ups and downs in Holmes and Watson's relationship--problems and arguments, time apart, more than one instance where trust has to be built. It's all so lovingly set down that my toes were almost constantly curling, either over how damn hot it was, or over how the emotions in it made my heart feel ready to explode out of my chest.
A final note: I've been reading and reviewing ARCs for the past couple of years, and this is the first one I've purchased a copy of for myself. I keep it loaded on my Kindle at all times.
...Read into that what you will.
It's been six months now since I read COMPOUND A FELONY, and I'm still not exactly sure how to write this review. I just have so many feelings about this book, and it's hard to get them down articulately. I mean, I suppose I could just type an extended squee, or several key smashes? That's not very informative, though. So...let's see what I can come up with.
COMPOUND A FELONY might be my favorite book that I read this year. If it's not THE favorite, it's definitely in the top three. See, it has almost everything I want from Holmes fanfic/pastiche. Only "almost" because I do love casefic, and that is not at all the point of this book. This book is about what happens between Holmes and Watson behind closed doors, between cases, or when Holmes needs to sort of reboot his brain.
Background: When I was about five years old, I saw the Basil Rathbone version of The Hound of the Baskervilles, and quite liked it, so my Nan read the book to me, and then continued with some of the other stories. I was absolutely hooked, and it seemed obvious to me that Holmes and Watson were boyfriends. (I had the same idea of Bert and Ernie and Kirk and Spock, and later in life, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. My queer headcanons started young.) But I always wished the stories would focus a liiiiittle less on the cases, and let me learn more about Holmes and Watson themselves, as individuals and as a pair. Eventually I discovered fanfiction, but other people's ideas didn't always work for me, and I didn't really have the patience to sift through the stuff I didn't care for to find the hidden gems. I did spend a little time writing fanfiction for BBC's Sherlock, but mostly I would just tell myself stories in my head and gave up on other folks' romantic/erotic stories.
I'm not exactly sure what made me decide to take a chance on COMPOUND A FELONY. The author was a fairly new addition to my Twitter timeline, and someone that I was still a little awed/intimidated by. The logical part of my brain told me to pass this one up, because what if I hated it!? But I'd been having pretty good luck lately with Holmes stories that I found on NetGalley, so...I took a leap. I'm so glad I did.
I would call COMPOUND A FELONY "50 Shades of Sherlock"--as I've seen others do--but that sells it so short. 50 Shades is nothing like how a D/s relationship should be. COMPOUND A FELONY...is. Even if this wasn't a story about Holmes and Watson, I would still completely love it. It really puts this often misunderstood lifestyle in a positive (and accurate!) light.
A final note: I've been reading and reviewing ARCs for the past couple of years, and this is the first one I've purchased a copy of for myself. I keep it loaded on my Kindle at all times.
...Read into that what you will.
veritytease's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
savanna's review
4.0
I thought this was going to be a romance with some adult content, but ultimately I'd classify it as a series of steamy vignettes. Not my cup of tea, but any gay Holmes is good Holmes.