It's In My Blood (Criminal Delights: Obsession) by Sean Azinsalt

 3.5 stars

I was sent his book to review for Books Laid Bare Boys and was quite excited to discover it is part of a collection of books in the Criminal Delights range. The list of contributing authors is impressive, however, I have never read anything by Sean Azinsalt previously.

The story centres around Mark who is hovering on the precipice of middle age. He keeps himself fit and is an attractive man, however, anything over the age of 40 is seen as old on the gay scene and Mark is feeling exceptionally sorry for himself. He works as a journalist and is asked by his boss to investigate and write about a new process where the recipient is pumped full of blood from a younger, fitter, donor. They get to choose, and Mark picks Nick – an Adonis with muscles for days and a beautiful face. After the first few transfusions, Mark is certainly feeling more youthful and has increased energy, however, something more sinister is lurking. He begins to look and think like Nick, and apparently, Nick has a dark side to his sexual proclivities that has Mark intrigued.

The story progresses with Mark seeking out his baser desires. He meets a man called Sean who has history with Nick, and their destinies become intertwined. All the while, Mark feels himself evolving into Nick. This had to end somewhere and the lead up to the conclusion had me quite captivated.

I was impressed by the original story and how the author tied all the loose ends together. There were no glaring pot holes and the three main characters were well supported by interesting side characters. However, the sex was a bit too much. It was brutal and explicit, but this wasn’t the issue – there was just too much of it. I began to get a bit fed up as, for me, it encroached on the actual story without adding to it. I love reading about sex, but these scenes lacked the eroticism I think the author was going for. I also had a slight issue with the author mixing tenses and using some questionable descriptions. Disney Princess eyes?

Overall, I thought this was a good read, but not a great one. I do like thrillers; this one could do with a bit more spice, but I would still recommend it.