The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean by Tara Lain

The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean by Tara Lain

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Blurb:

Dr. Llewellyn Lewis leads a double life, as both an awkward but distinguished history professor and the more flamboyant Ramon Rondell, infamous writer of sensational historical theories. It’s Ramon who first sets eyes on a gorgeous young man dancing in a club, but Llewellyn who meets teaching assistant Blaise Arthur formally at an event held for wealthy socialite Anne de Vere, descendant of Edward de Vere, seventeenth Earl of Oxford—who some believe was the real Shakespeare. Anne wants Llewellyn to prove that claim, even though many have tried and failed. And she’s willing to offer a hefty donation to the university if he succeeds. 

It also means a chance for Llewellyn to get to know Blaise much better. 

Not everyone thinks Llewellyn should take the case—or the money. Between feuding siblings, rival patrons, jealous colleagues, and greedy administrators, almost anyone could be trying to thwart his work… and one of them is willing to kill to do it. 

When Anne de Vere turns up dead, the police believe Blaise is the murderer. Only the shy, stuttering professor who has won his heart can prove otherwise…. 

Review:

I honestly loved Llewellyn. I loved the book, I loved the plot, I loved the murder. (You knew I was going to love the murder, let’s be real.)  Most of all, I loved Llewellyn. As someone who suffers from social anxiety myself, I have a lot of empathy for what he goes through in this book. I also have to respect how he gets around it when he wants to get his flirt on. To be honest, I haven’t tried taking on a whole new persona. I might need to look into it. (And no, my pen name doesn’t count. It’s just an alternate spelling of my maiden name, so people can say it.)

Anyway, I’m just in love with the premise behind this book. It indulges my geeky side, it indulges my murder-junkie side, and it indulges the part of me that needs romance. It’s a smart book for people who need to smile right now.

I initially had a lot of trouble understanding the motivation behind the murder. In fact, I had trouble understanding the motivation right up until the killer was revealed. Then it all came together, and it made perfect sense. I stared in awe at my screen and I thought, this is amazing. Someday I hope I can tie things up like this. Some folks might figure out the killer sooner than I did, and the motivation, but even then I think you’ll agree it was deliciously brilliant.

There were a couple of places where I had trouble suspending my disbelief. Some of these might seem vague, and that’s okay. I don’t want to spoil anything for you.

1. I had a hard time accepting that Llewellyn’s university would be as accepting of his difficulties as they were. If he were in the hard sciences and had a Nobel under his belt, sure. A history professor?  Mmmm… not so much. This didn’t impede me from enjoying the book. If you work in higher ed, especially in contact with upper-level administration, you might have more difficulty.
2. I had a hard time with the happily ever after. This is possibly because I’m not a very forgiving person. The fact is, the love interest did something pretty crappy. I understand why. I’m just having trouble understanding why Llewellyn decided it was something he could forgive. Llewellyn is definitely a better person than I am. So is Ramon.

Those were honestly minor blips. I needed to smile, this book made me smile, and that’s all I needed to know. This is the perfect book to curl up with at the end of a long day, or a series of long days.

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