The Poet Recusant (The Poet Series, Book Two)

STEPHANIE JO HARRIS

Stats for my copy: Paperback, Gatekeeper Press, 2018.

How acquired: Received from the publicist for review.

First line: Father Daniel shuffled across the kitchen to the note on the counter.

My thoughts: This book picks up shortly after the events of the first book. As with the first book, the writing was a bit stilted, a bit simplistic. In the first book I grew accustomed to it fairly quickly and stopped noticing it as much, but this time around it became a little tedious. Part of that may have been the plot. While Jack and Rebecca are vacationing in Italy, Rebecca is kidnapped by a mafia boss who is angry at Jack for refusing to do a job for him. He assures Jack of Rebecca's safe return once he finishes that job. We, and Rebecca, assume that job involves killing someone, but I never knew who, or else I missed that somewhere along the way. For most of the book, Jack is driving or walking around the city, spying on Don Dantori's men and trying to figure out where Rebecca is being held, while she is sitting on a couch in the Don's office, her wrists bound, and either being ignored or being toyed with. It all just dragged on and on and on. There are chapters that backtrack and show Jack staying with Father Daniel during that year before he finally sought out Rebecca, and I actually liked those parts of the story the best. Especially how Sister Bernadette was slowly won over by Jack and how devoted he was to the priest. Some of the scenes with Rebecca and the Don or his men also kept my interest, particularly her interactions with Harvey, who she and I both wanted to punch.

That's not to say I didn't like the book, because I did, but not nearly as much as the first book. And if there is a third book, I will definitely want to read it.

Also, I had to look up the word “recusant”, so in case, like me, you didn't know what it means, Google dictionary says “a person who refuses to submit to an authority or to comply with a regulation”. I like that.

Goodreads synopsis: “Rebecca?”

Jack walked to the bathroom and looked around. Scrawled onto the back of the bathroom door in soft pink lipstick were two things; ‘PD’ and a heart. Rebecca was gone.

He could tell by the room there had been no fight. She would go willingly with the police. Probably even quickly, hoping they would be gone before he returned. Expecting them, understanding why they were there, and seeing no cause to disagree she would have complied.

Except it wasn’t the police. It couldn’t be. The police would have waited for him.

Whoever had taken Rebecca wanted her alone; wanted her away from him. That meant only two possibilities; leverage or … punishment.

Jack Shelley returns in the second ruthless installment of The Poet Series by Stephanie Harris; and he’s been invited to kneel at the throne of the King.

Relentless and unforgiving, Recusant will leave readers decidedly uncomfortable, and begging for the next installment in the series.