For Robert Lemos meeting Irishman JD Ryan was love at first sight. For fifteen years, both Robert and JD loved and fought fiercely. But relationships sometimes breakdown, so when JD left Robert, Robert figured it would be the last time he’d see his lover again. But on a cold windy night, Robert gets a call that shatters his life. JD is in hospital after being shot outside a gay dance club. Robert rushes to JD’s side after being apart for a year.

But when JD wakes up he can’t remember anything from the last decade. The doctors promise his retrograde amnesia will wear off. So Robert brings JD back to their house, trying his best to be with the man he loves before JD remembers why he left Robert in the first place.

JD wants Robert bad, he wants to know why he was targeted and who killed the young man he was with. But more than anything he wants to understand why he and Robert seem to wallow in their pain instead of talking to each other.

JD and Robert’s problems are not just each other, or the murder investigation. Robert’s best friend, Captain Gabe Lara hates JD. He wants his best friend to leave JD and live his life with a woman, but more specifically he just wants Robert to be happy. Detective Bill, the investigator on the murder case, seems to take a little more interest in JD than he should.

Will Robert and JD make their peace, or will they once again fall apart?

Amor en Retrogrado is a beautifully crafted suspense novel that had me on the each of my seat. Wow, wow, wow is all I can say whilst I was reading this fascinatingly penned novel. The beginning of the story just pulled me right in, the plot was absolutely fantastic, which was greatly researched and held a clever disguise in the ‘who-dun-it’ mystery. Never throughout the duration of the story did I guess who had committed the murder.

The main characters in the story, JD and Ryan frustrated me to no ends. Sometimes during the story, I just had to back away from my computer. These characters were so intense, in their emotions, that I felt their feelings radiating off the pages. As a reader I hate getting frustrated with characters, I easily find the characters I associate with and end up falling in love with them. But with the characters of Amor en Retrogrado I felt I was on this roller coaster of a ride, of love, hate and anger. After awhile I wanted to get drunk too. JD and Robert have to be the most complex but enticing characters I have read in 2008. The characters just leap off the pages, and they felt so real to me. It was beyond amazing how well A.M. Riley crafted her two main heroes.

Amor en Retrogrado is not a novel that only relies on the relationship aspect at all. This story was about a murder case, and it was beautifully crafted. The detectives Kate and Bill were absolute gems of supporting characters, as was Robert’s best friend Gage.

All I can say that this story might fall under the LGBT genre but every lover of a good mystery and suspense should buy this book. The story telling is wonderful, the writing flawless and the characters just take your breath away. The only thing I can hope is that the author considers a spin-off for Detective Bill sometime in the future too. I absolutely Joyfully Recommend Amor en Retrogrado.