Rating: 4.5 Stars

Publisher: Spectrum Books

Genre: Gay Psychological Thriller

Tags: Contemporary, Romance (ish), Thriller

Length: 217 Pages

Reviewer: Cindi

Purchase At: Amazon

Blurb –

Ted Cornish thought he’d found the man of his dreams in Joshua Kade—charming, intelligent, and handsome—until disturbing rumors surface about Josh’s past. A decade earlier, Josh’s former boyfriend, Reggie Baker, was found stabbed to death in an alley in Chicago’s Boystown. Though Josh was never convicted, whispers of his involvement persisted.

True-crime podcaster Bailey Anderson is reopening the case, and the more he uncovers, the more he’s convinced Josh is the killer. Bailey reaches out to Ted for insight, and as Ted reflects on his relationship, he begins to see cracks in Josh’s perfect facade—jealousy, possessiveness, and violent outbursts that no longer match his sweet words.

As Ted spends more time with Bailey, the evidence against Josh mounts. But Bailey is more than just a podcaster—he’s Reggie’s brother, driven by grief and a relentless desire for justice.

When Ted finally confronts the terrifying possibility that Josh is guilty, Josh reacts with a violent threat that sends Ted into hiding. Torn between fear, love, and loyalty, Ted must choose between exposing the truth or confronting the man he thought he loved—before it’s too late.

Jealous of the Clouds is a heart-pounding psychological thriller about love, obsession, and the dangerous pursuit of justice.

Review –

“For a second I was almost jealous of the clouds. Why was he looking to them for an escape when I was right here beside him?” – Kamila Smamsie, Kartography

It’s no secret that Rick R. Reed is one of my favorite authors, and has been for many years. This book is a prime example of one of the reasons why. He doesn’t need 400-plus pages to tell a good story. Some of my favorites by him are his short ones. I never end any of them feeling like something was missing, or that certain things were not tied up at the end. That’s the sign of an excellent story teller, in my opinion. Everything always comes together as it should, whether it’s 30 pages or 250. Don’t get me wrong, if he puts out a 500-page book, you better believe I’m going to read it. My point is that he doesn’t have to in order to say everything he needs to say and for everything to come together. I mention it because right now almost every single book I look at is several hundred pages, regardless of the genre.

With that being said, now to my review.

Ted is convinced that his new man is the one. Joshua Kade is gorgeous, sweet, and he seems like the perfect man for him. Sure, he’s a bit protective and jealous, but the relationship is still new.

A decade earlier, Josh’s boyfriend Reggie was brutally murdered. Josh was a person of interest, but there wasn’t enough evidence for an arrest. A true crime podcaster is wanting to change that, and he’s bringing the story of Reggie’s murder back in the public eye.

Bailey Anderson – or Karl, as I’ll refer to him in this review – is convinced that Josh killed Reggie, and he wants the world to know it. He’s not just a podcaster trying to make a name for himself. This case is personal to him, and he’s determined to see Josh put away for the murder. Reggie was his brother, and he won’t rest until there’s justice.

Ted and Josh are doing well until Ted actually listens to the podcast. What he hears slightly freaks him out at first, but the more he listens, the more panicked he becomes. Can the man he’s falling in love with really be a brutal killer?

Karl and Ted meet up a few times, with Ted feeling more and more convinced that Josh isn’t the great guy he appears to be. The question is what does he do about it? Does he stay and hope for the best? Or does he run as far away as he can? The more he learns about Josh from Karl, the easier it is to make a decision.

He runs.

This is when the real Joshua Kade comes out to play. It’s also when the story really takes off.

Ted is on the run for his life, and Josh is stalking his every movement. Every time Ted thinks he’s safe, something else happens. He enlists the help of an old friend that Josh doesn’t know about, Camille. Ted knows he’s putting her in danger just by being anywhere near him, but he doesn’t know what else to do.

I liked Camille, though she did have a serious TSTL moment at the worst possible time.

She was the mom I didn’t deserve. Or maybe I did deserve her. Angels come in all shapes and sizes.

There’s also Shondell, Josh’s sister. The jury is still out on my opinion of her.

Unfortunately, I can’t really say much more without giving everything away. This is a thriller, and the reader is kept in the dark about certain things until almost the very end. I will say that I had part of that figured out early into the book. That’s not a bad thing because I wasn’t sure how everything would play out.

I liked Ted well enough, and I really loved Karl. Josh was your classic, stalkerish bad guy, yet not. You’ll have to read the book to know what I mean.

Things happen super fast, but the ending, in my opinion, was perfect. I saw a review where someone complained about the ending. I’m not sure why. I think it ended exactly as it should have.

This is a romance, but it’s not. Or should I say that the romance doesn’t take center. Had it, the story wouldn’t have worked as well.

At some point, the reader is allowed inside the heads of all the characters, including Reggie himself. I loved that.

I’m a huge true crime watcher and reader, though I’ve been hesitant about true crime podcasts after I listened to one years ago about a case I’d actually watched play out live on Court TV. The podcast was completely one-sided, and it had readers sympathasizing with a known killer. So I now take those with a grain of salt.

I love a good thriller, and this author never disappoints.

Another great book by Rick R. Reed. I love the title.