Reviews

Cold Cold Heart by Laura Jordan

achillespatroclus's review

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

ep_reads's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I have spent the last few days being totally immersed in Cold Cold Heart and I have not regretted any moment of it.  Laura creates amazing romances that are so beautifully written and this was no exception.  From the emotional and heartfelt relationship between Linc and Milo to the murder mystery throughout the book, I loved every second spent within the pages.  From someone who has recently come to the conclusion that they have spent most of their life on the ACE spectrum, I absolutely loved the character of Linc (he is incredible) and Milo just has my heart (I loved the baby ballet class scenes).  I completely love them both and how their relationship evolved throughout.

Unfortunately I did made the mistake of, what I seem to usually do, flick absentmindedly through later pages while I read and saw something I shouldn't have, so the murder mystery part didn't hit me as hard as it should have.  It's a really bad habit I have 😩  But every twist and turn just pulled me along and every tight spot they found themselves in - loved it.

I would thoroughly recommend this book and really can't wait for any future installments 🥰

chrisanderson593's review

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Cold cold heart is a heartbreaking tale of living with grief, processing trauma. It describes the feelings of loss and abandonment through two relatable characters. 

It is witty, dramatic and tense with an engaging opening that continues throughout the story, making it very difficult to put down.

A real tour de force, Laura Jordan’s first epic gay mystery is a fantastic read. I am looking forward to the next epic gay *insert genre here*.

quinnzella98's review

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

What a book! Cold, Cold heart is a beautiful tale of grief & love. There are bombshell reveals & dramatic twists. The characters are so complex & well written, they feel real. I love Milo & Lincs’ banter. I really felt for them throughout the story. The way they care about each other warms my heart. Lincs obliviousness to pop culture makes me feel cultured (lol) & I adore his random facts – I also come out with random trivia no one asks for from time to time. Milos such an endearing little bean, I’m glad he has Linc to look out for them but also to care for.

Every clue was perfectly plotted allowing you to sink into the mystery alongside our 2 main men.  The reveals were dramatic enough you just have to read the following chapter. The suspense I felt in some of the intense scenes was palpable. With enough red herrings to distract me, I was blown away by the big twists! I can't believe I didn’t see it coming considering the level of build-up & plot development to get there but I LITERALLY gasped in shock & horror. I was still reeling from the 1st when the 2nd one came. Laura legit does not pull her punches in the 3rd act.

Laura deals with a lot of triggering topics in this one as warned when you start. However, I believe she has approached them in a very tactful way that allows you to not be overwhelmed but also makes you feel seen. (Obviously, this is just my experience & if you are triggered by any of the topics in the trigger warnings do be careful & look out for yourself <3 )

JESUS CHRIST! The spice! Now I don’t normally like to read that sort of thing, but Laura writes it so well... I quite liked it! The aftermath was heartbreaking. 

I want to destroy Caanan for making Milo so broken.

If I hadn’t wanted to savour the story so I can review it properly, I’d have devoured this in one go!  TBH I rushed the end because I could not wait to know how it ends... 

This is Lauras best work yet! I cannot wait to see what she does next! <3 Even if I low key hate you for the

near death! Honestly, I thought Derek had influenced you too much & poor Milo was gonna be a goner!

 

Jk love ya really & thanks SO much for letting me have an ARC

P.s the nod to red, white & royal blue was awesome ;)

owlish1's review

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 A heartbreaking tale of living with grief, processing trauma, and transitioning from surviving to living, Cold Cold Heart is a story about two people coming unstuck and learning how to move on with a little help from one another. Oh, and a murder mystery that ties them together adds some danger to up the stakes.

Linc is swallowed by guilt and grief after losing his wife to suicide 3 years ago, reluctantly attending therapy, and putting off dates with his blunt fact-sharing. Laura Jordan’s description of his grief is palpable and you can feel the vulnerability she gives here in putting her true experiences on the page. It’s uncomfortable and raw, which is what makes it so brilliant. Linc is all of us who have lost someone - lost, angry, bitter, guilty, and desperately, desperately sad. Sitting with him in his grief gave me comfort in the truths we shared and the journey to acceptance which we unwittingly walked together.

Milo needs to be protected at all costs so he can catch a break - he is a survivor who tumbles through trauma after trauma (Laura Jordan, I nearly rage quit at what you put this poor man through) and only fumbles when he gets a chance to breathe. I loved how the war with his nervous system - trying to get away from the fawn/freeze response to be able to fight - was fuelled by his drive to survive. The love story was just the icing on the cake - a survivor for someone abandoned, a protector for someone who has only known predators.

I loved the mystery aspect too. I have a pet peeve of mysteries where you can’t look back and work out the threads that lead to the conclusion, but Cold Cold Heart delivers here too. This is truly Jordan’s best work, I look forward to a reread when I have sufficiently recovered enough to do so.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Mental illness, Homophobia, and Grief

Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Racism, and Suicide

Minor: Domestic abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Miscarriage

lelo_d's review

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Engaging, witty, tense and mysterious. Cold Cold heart grips you from the very first page and doesn’t seem to want to let you go. It sits with you, whispering in your ear until you ultimately decide to read it all again, just to see if you can catch all the clues you might have missed the first time around. This Epic Gay Murder Mystery is a thrilling romance/whodunit with engaging and hilarious characters, steamy romance and a good ol’ detective story that will knock your socks off. 

Lincoln Bennet and Milo Rose are the most perfect, yet flawed, hilarious, lovely characters. They had me giggling at their banter, gasping in shock and yes, tearing up at one point, don’t judge me. Their relationship twists and turns and ties itself into knots and untangles itself again, all while they navigate grief, trauma, a literal murder mystery. And boy, did they have me blushing. 

Trying to describe how good a murder mystery is without giving away the mystery is a tough one, but I’ll try. The clues given in the beginning are fun and familiar, luring you into a false sense of security. You don't know anything, you fool. 

And the twist. The twist. Utter magic. I was furious I hadn’t figured it out earlier but also was glad that I hadn’t. Getting to gasp in shock alongside the character, letting it all fall into place was so so satisfying.

Cold Cold heart, at its core, is about death. It navigates some pretty upsetting themes  unbelievably well. You don’t get to avoid them, but they are not forced upon you. Laura guides you through them gently, letting you acknowledge and feel them with the characters and move on with the story feeling like you know them better. I think I felt more seen, reading through Lincoln's grief, than I ever have before. There are trigger warnings, at the beginning, if you are someone affected by particular sensitive topics. And while the topics of grief and death tend to cause me to get upset, I felt a sense of comfort in how it was addressed. It’s nice to know I’m not alone in how I feel. 

Watching Laura flourish as a writer has truly been an utter joy to experience and a Cold Cold Heart goes above and beyond expectations. While I don’t necessarily know how she's going to top this one, I know that she will.