Review: Variable Onset by Layla Reyne

To catch a killer, a special agent and his former student will need to get close—to their target, and each other. Layla Reyne returns with a stand-alone romantic mystery.

When the serial killer known as Dr. Fear seemingly reemerges after a cooling-off period, Special Agent Lincoln Monroe wants on the case. He knows his research on the calculating criminal, who targets couples and uses their worst fears to kill them, could prove invaluable. But nothing can prepare Lincoln for the agent waiting for him in Apex, Virginia: a brash and cocky former student. Carter Warren is everything Lincoln is not, and somehow everything he wants. And they’ll be going undercover. As newlyweds.

For Carter, seeing Lincoln again—and flustered to boot—pokes his raging bear of a crush something fierce. He thinks posing as lovers will provide the perfect bait for Dr. Fear. But pretending to be married forces them to confront fears of their own…like giving in to the very real chemistry between them.

With evidence pointing to the possibility of a copycat killer, Lincoln and Carter will have to race to separate truth from fiction. But when another couple goes missing, finding the killer will test every ounce of their training, skills and the strength of their bond like never before.

This book is approximately 72,000 words

What Layla Reyne does consistently well (that I've noticed) is research whether it be technology or forensics, she puts the time in to make her stories authentic. I appreciate that a great deal.

Variable Onset toys with some tried and true psychological thriller themes that I also appreciated. Lincoln and Carter work in differing capacities for the FBI and are thrown together again on a serial killer case that involves a close friend of Lincoln's having last seen each other 8 yrs ago when Carter was a loudmouth, somewhat obnoxious student of Lincoln's.

The case involves a probable copycat of a notorious and still at large serial killer. I figured out who it was really quickly. I hate when I do that.

But this is romantic suspense so I tried not to get too disappointed about that but I had trouble connecting or even liking either one of these characters. Lincoln is older and "prickly" but he came across as whiny and nitpicking to me plus the clumsiness reminded me of a certain heroine with a penchant for sparkly vampires. Neither of them could I buy into being FBI agents owing mostly to their impulsivity.

Perhaps some of the blahness I felt toward these characters bled into their relationship because I never invested in them as a couple either. Were their attraction subtler maybe it would've worked for me but it felt like awkward telling rather than showing, though it was not sex heavy which did work for me.

Honestly, I struggled with how to rate this vacillating between 2-3 hearts but I did find it readable and finished it relatively quickly, though it should be said this is a weird time in the world so maybe I'm overthinking it? As always my opinions are my own and YMMV.

An ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.