Breaking Cover by Kaje Harper
Life Lessons, Book 2
MLR Press
Gay Contemporary
ISBN: 978-1-60820-410-6
Reviewed by Cassie

For homicide detective Jared “Mac” MacLean, things have changed a lot over the past year. He spends most of his time with his lover, teacher Tony Hart. Even though the secrecy isn’t ideal, especially for out and proud Tony, Mac’s happier than he’s been in forever.

Then an investigation into who’s been killing blond women crosses over into Mac and Tony’s lives in a big way, and suddenly things aren’t so great. Mac and Tony both have to make some hard choices. Can Mac come through this investigation with his life, and his heart, intact, or will the secrecy finally tear Mac and Tony apart for good?

Breaking Cover is the gripping, emotional continuation of Mac and Tony’s story. In this book, things have settled into a routine that works for both of them. They don’t officially live together, but Mac has left a lot of things at Tony’s, and spends most of his nights there. Mac loves having Tony to come home to—but not enough to risk coming out at work, or to the homophobic, religious relative his daughter, Anna, lives with. He’s content to let things remain the way they are. That way, he has the respect of his coworkers at work, a lover he adores at home, and a tenuous peace with the woman who keeps his daughter. All is well, until his latest murder case puts his well-ordered life into a tailspin. Mac continues trying to juggle his totally separate work and home lives, despite the stress the escalating case puts on both him and Tony.

Tony loves Mac, which is why he puts up with hiding their relationship, but he dislikes it. When Mac’s case hits home, Tony’s life is suddenly not just his own anymore. He has other people to consider, and having a closeted boyfriend no longer fits into his new reality.

One of the best things about Breaking Cover is the way both Tony and Mac deal with the tough choices they’re forced to make. Tony reacts with practicality. No matter how much it hurts, he’s going to do what’s best for others. Mac, on the other hand, copes by trying to figure out a way to preserve the status quo, and then by retreating. He’s miserable, but too scared to do anything about it, at least for a while. With another character, the anger, denial, and inaction might have infuriated me, but with Mac it rang true. He’s been hiding for so long, he doesn’t know what else to do. Fortunately, he is able to do the right thing before it’s too late.

Everything about Breaking Cover is solid. Mac’s investigation takes up quite a bit of page space, but it’s well-written and interesting enough that I didn’t want to skim through those parts. The murders they have to solve are dark and a little gruesome, and the investigation takes some unexpected turns. The secondary characters, mostly Mac’s coworkers, various people they meet during the investigation, Tony’s friends, and Anna and Ben (the kids), add further interest to the story.

If you liked the first book, buy this one. If you like some suspense and mystery with your romance, buy this book. With emotion, romance, murder, and even some kids, there’s something in Breaking Cover for just about everyone.