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Review by Taylin Love Bytes Reviews
The 39 Steps is LM Somerton’s modern retelling of the 1915 classic – and it is superb. From the first page, I was totally engrossed. I put my feet up and kept reading till the end, only stopping for a cuppa, and pasta. The tale is a fast-moving, spicy, action-adventure, and takes the reader from London to the Scottish Highlands and a iddy-bit between.
The story is told in the third person from Oberon’s sole viewpoint. Worldbuilding is a combination of physical detail, cyber-cracking and trying to survive. To this end, nothing is overly detailed as it would interrupt the fast flow, which I loved. Yet, the author manages to cram everything needed for an entertaining, page-turning, action-packed adventure.
Oberon is a determined individual, excitedly scared for his life, and feeling alive while he does it. Syd is a handful of a man with secrets. I was highly entertained by Syd and Oberon’s interactions until Syd’s sister Fran came into the mix. Their banter was sublime. A lot of spice is contained within the pages, including some spanking, but it complements the story without overriding it.
The 39 Steps is a rollercoaster of a tale that maintains its flow to the end. This modern retelling contains environmental issues, woke, conspiracy, murder, MI5, an encounter with a gorse bush, landed gentry, extremists, beautiful scenery, much, much more, ultimately putting one’s life on the line.
What a ride – perfect.
I’m gonna go read it again now. Sqweeeeee.
Review by Darrel Ogleaby
A suspenseful and action packed who done it with a MM twist, this is the spy novel that I dreamed of as a gaybie watching Bond movies. Constant intrigue and suspense as every new character had that something that was a little suspicious, always guessing who, what, and why. Oberon was the perfect main character with his innocent personality and his quick and inventive mind. Syd as the secondary main character was hilarious and incredibly surprising because I never saw anything coming when it came to him. The spicy hot moments between Oberon and Syd were absolutely amazing and fit perfectly with the story and character personalities. This was my first book by this author but it definitely will not be my last, 10/10 recommend.
Review by ButtonsMom2003
My first book by this author but not my last! I can’t believe that The 39 Steps is the first book I’ve read by LM Somerton. The name is so familiar to me that I’d swear I’ve read her before. In any case, The 39 Steps was a great introduction to her writing. I’m not at all familiar with the book that this story was based on so this was completely new for me all the way around. I absolutely couldn’t put this book down! My reading app tells me that I spent about 4.5 hours reading it but it felt so much shorter in the best way. The story was gripping and didn’t want to let me go. It’s been a while since I’ve read a romantic suspense that captivated me this much. The chemistry between Obi and Syd was palpable and the story had a big twist that I didn’t see coming. The blurb is good so I only want to add that the epilogue was great and I’m grateful that I was given an advance copy of this book to read. An advanced copy of this book was provided to me but my review is given voluntarily.
Review by Sharon Cox
I was so lucky to receive an ARC of this book. Also please note that I am a long time fan of this author so I had high expectations for this story. I was not disappointed. Loved the story and I found that I was really involved from the start. We moved quickly from the initial set up and backstory to the murder then on to the chase though Scotland. This setting was another big plus for me as I love the Scottish highlands. The two main characters Oberon Wycherley - also known as Obi - and Syd Whattern are very likeable and I could feel the attraction between them. The rapport and the banter between them was great and, of course, there were some hot sex scenes which were peppered with a little kink. Definitely fun.
Although The 39 Steps is a very satisfying standalone there is room for another book if the author decides on a series.
Highly recommended
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