Not That Series by Isabel Murray

If this was your classic Cotswolds murder mystery (it’s not) and Ray was an amateur detective (he isn’t) then when he stumbles across something unexpected under his bedroom floor, he’d investigate the hell out of it. Hard pass. Ray’s just a thirtysomething graphic designer with a broken heart who doesn’t much like his life right now. And he’s already having nightmares about the whole thing, come on. He’d rather not think about it... moreIf this was your classic Cotswolds murder mystery (it’s not) and Ray was an amateur detective (he isn’t) then when he stumbles across something unexpected under his bedroom floor, he’d investigate the hell out of it. Hard pass. Ray’s just a thirtysomething graphic designer with a broken heart who doesn’t much like his life right now. And he’s already having nightmares about the whole thing, come on. He’d rather not think about it. (Also, the police were kinda mean, and now everyone thinks he’s a serial killer. ). Luckily for Ray, the last man in the world he should be interested in has distraction on his mind, and it seems like all Ray can think about is Adam Blake. Adam is everywhere Ray turns. He is too young for Ray, too cool for him, too beautiful for him…and for some bewildering reason, Adam is always there for him when Ray needs him the most. But Ray’s not falling for it. He’s not falling for Adam. Definitely not. Because Ray and Adam have a complicated history, and starting something would be a terrible idea. Not That Complicated is a 74k-word romantic comedy that just so happens to also have some dead guys in it. There are very few details on the correct investigative procedure—not that Ray wants to know—and you can forget about any big reveal to wrap up the case. Ray is tangentially involved in the whole gross business at best, and that suits him fine. This is a romance. Which means there is flirting, awkwardness, some surprising discoveries in the bedroom, awkwardness, misunderstandings, more awkwardness, and the kind of love that changes your life forever. Wait. No. Ray is not falling in love…. Right? less

If this was your classic Cotswolds murder mystery (it’s not) and Jasper Connolly was a proper journalist (he isn’t) then when a dead body is discovered in a local man’s house, Jasper would write an award-winning front-page article, and his journalism career would finally be up and running. Instead, he gets scooped by his ex-English teacher, gets yelled at by his editor, and is starting to think that he’d be better off sticking to his actual career of being a personal trainer... moreIf this was your classic Cotswolds murder mystery (it’s not) and Jasper Connolly was a proper journalist (he isn’t) then when a dead body is discovered in a local man’s house, Jasper would write an award-winning front-page article, and his journalism career would finally be up and running. Instead, he gets scooped by his ex-English teacher, gets yelled at by his editor, and is starting to think that he’d be better off sticking to his actual career of being a personal trainer. Meanwhile, Detective Chief Inspector Liam Nash, the straight, married man who has never shown even a tiny bit of interest in Jasper? Turns out Liam is not straight, he’s not married anymore, he is definitely not a fan of Jasper showing up at his crime scenes…and he can not seem to stop kissing Jasper. After years of thinking that his dreams of love and happily ever after were impossible, it’s starting to look like maybe, just maybe, Jasper was wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time. Not That Impossible is a 75k-word romantic comedy about a wannabe journalist who might not wannabe anymore, and a grump of a detective who is finally getting over himself and going after what he really wants (it’s Jasper). There are also a couple of dead guys somewhere in the mix, but not all mysteries get solved. Besides, who even cares about that with all the kissing and stuff going on? This is a romance! less

Charlie Galloway is handling it, okay? Yes, he’s been left to run the family coffee shop all on his own, he’s up to his eyeballs in mortgages and loans, and his fixer-upper dream house is falling down around his ears. Big deal. He can handle it. Just like he can handle being secretly in love with Kevin Wallis, Chipping Fairford’s favourite handyman, best known for once finding a dead body in a storage tub under a client’s bedroom floor... moreCharlie Galloway is handling it, okay? Yes, he’s been left to run the family coffee shop all on his own, he’s up to his eyeballs in mortgages and loans, and his fixer-upper dream house is falling down around his ears. Big deal. He can handle it. Just like he can handle being secretly in love with Kevin Wallis, Chipping Fairford’s favourite handyman, best known for once finding a dead body in a storage tub under a client’s bedroom floor. Only it turns out that while Kevin might come across as a total cinnamon roll with his gentle brown eyes and his sweet, calm nature, he really is…not. He’s not straight—not when it comes to Charlie, anyway—the things he keeps doing to Charlie are definitely not sweet, and he’s not holding back from letting Charlie know what he wants. Not a problem. Charlie can handle that, too. Charlie can handle anything. Right up until Kevin decides to bust out his sledgehammer, work his handyman magic on Charlie’s dream house, and…well. There’s a reason the local newspaper called him the Chipping Fairford Corpse Finder. Not That Ridiculous is a 98k-word romantic comedy about a grumpy and overworked coffee shop owner and the sunshine handyman who wants to fix everything. Yes, there are some random dead guys in the mix, but that’s background noise. Who even cares? It’s incidental at best. There’s kissing and first times and way more interesting stuff going on. This is a romance! Book Three in the Not That series. less