Review: Shades of Henry (The Flophouse #1) by Amy Lane

One bootstrap act of integrity cost Henry Worrall everything—military career, family, and the secret boyfriend who kept Henry trapped for eleven years. Desperate, Henry shows up on his brother’s doorstep and is offered a place to live and a job as a handyman in a flophouse for young porn stars.

Lance Luna’s past gave him reasons for being in porn, but as he continues his residency at a local hospital, they now feel more like excuses. He’s got the money to move out of the flophouse and live his own life—but who needs privacy when you’re taking care of a bunch of young men who think working penises make them adults?

Lance worries Henry won’t fit in, but Henry’s got a soft spot for lost young men and a way of helping them. Just as Lance and Henry find a rhythm as den mothers, a murder and the ghosts of Henry’s abusive past intrude. Lance knows Henry’s not capable of murder, but is he capable of caring for Lance’s heart?

The Johnnies series is among my favorites. They’re reliable reads that’ll rip to you pieces and stick you back together. A spin-off with lots of character overlap sounded right up my alley.

So I was really rooting for ‘Shades of Henry’ to be a slam dunk. Unfortunately, Lance and Henry’s love story just didn’t work for me.

The set-up is classic angst-and-pain Amy Lane. Henry, Dex’s asshole brother, finally owns up to the truth and escapes his abusive relationship. He ends up on his brother’s doorstep, and agrees to help Lance run the porn star flophouse.

The two men have their respective demons. They come from entirely different backgrounds, but one thing draws them together - the need to love and be loved.

Very early on, I found it difficult to focus on Henry and Lance’s story. I felt they were continuously drowned out by the flophouse.

It’s acknowledged from the outset that the residents of the apartment are young and hormonal. But there’s a difference between young and hormonal and just outright mind-numbingly immature.

The roommate drama and inanity was just distracting.

The other problem - a good chunk of this story (the murder mystery at least) occurs in Fish on a Bicycle, an entirely seperate book in an entirely seperate series. Neither of which I’ve read.

I kept feeling like I was missing parts of the story, or entering scenes mid-conversation. It didn’t help with being unable to immerse myself in the book.

That all being said, I did like the dynamic between Henry and Lance. Henry slowly lets down his guard and Lance learns to be a healthier version of himself - and each man does it to build a relationship with the other.

And I absolutely loved seeing my favourite Johnnies boys and their chosen family again.

In the end, I never really got into the book. Lance and Henry’s story was just washed out by other storylines and the way the book was written.

A review copy was provided.