Jealous of the Clouds

A Gripping Novel of Dark Romantic Suspense

By: Rick R. Reed

Narrated by: David Allen Vargo

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.

©2025 Rick R Reed (P)2026 Rick R. Reed

Jealous of the Clouds

This one sits pretty comfortably in a mystery/suspense story, with a true crime podcast popping up along the way to fill in the gaps. That element worked really well as a drip-feed for background without feeling like an info dump.

The story is set in Chicago, in the Boystown area, and centres on Ted, who thinks he has found something solid with his boyfriend Josh. That starts to unravel pretty quickly once a ten-year-old murder gets dragged back into the spotlight through the podcast.

Josh was never convicted, but the suspicion never really went away.

As the podcast host digs deeper, Ted starts to spiral a bit. He cannot get the idea out of his head that maybe the rumours are true, and that paranoia starts bleeding into everything. Playing out scenarios, second-guessing conversations, questioning what he thought he knew about Josh.

And to be fair, Josh does not always help his own case. There is a definite edge of possessiveness there, a bit of a my way or the highway attitude that makes it easier to believe something is off.

The tension ramps up nicely as more information comes out and Ted gets pulled further into it, especially once a personal connection behind the podcast comes into play. From there it leans more into that suspense-thriller space, with a bit of relationship drama layered in.

It is not full-on bunny-boiler obsession territory at first, but the deeper it goes, the more that element creeps in.

The podcast framing works well throughout and gives the story a slightly different rhythm. Combined with some light use of sound effects, it edges towards audio drama without overdoing it. The podcast pieces likely wouldn’t have worked quite as well I think without it.

David Allen Vargo handles the narration well. Always easy to listen to, good pacing, and the kind of voice that settles you into the story without drawing attention to itself. Production overall is clean and polished.

Only real nitpick I had was I think the end could have used a little more groundwork earlier to really stick the landing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a dealbreaker by any stretch, but a little more time spent upfront I think may have hit better.

Overall, a solid mix of mystery, suspense, and relationship drama with an interesting narrative hook. It kept me engaged, especially as the tension started to build and the doubts crept in.

A quick Thriller

So, this is not my normal genre as I prefer Romance BUT I thought the story overall was really good! There was definitely romance in it but the thriller aspect was obviously center stage. I listened to the Audiobook as i read and honestly I loved the way they did the podcast and background noises in the audiobook. I literally read/listened to it in one go, from start ro finish. Parts of this book had me on the edge of my seat while other parts had me so confused. Overall a great read

Interesting and suspenseful but messy ending

Overall, this book was good, and kept me guessing nearly until the end. However, the ending felt messy and was a little anticlimactic.

Interesting story that keeps you hooked.

This was a new to me author and narrator. I read the blurb and thought that it sounded interesting and I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed the extra sound effects in the narration, especially the podcast music. It added an authenticity to the story that made it feel like you were actually listening along.

The storyline definitely kept me interested. The mystery that ran throughout was told part in the past and part through clues in the present. This is definitely more of a thriller/mystery than a romance. While there is a romantic element woven in, it is not the focus. Any romantic scenes are closed door.

Overall I enjoyed this story and would definitely read more books by this author. The narrator did an amazing job distinguishing between the different character voices.

A Fantastical Fictional True Crime Murder Mystery

Oh man, was I ever thankful to get an ALC copy from the Gay Romance Reviews, because I absolutely recommend any murder mystery book lover to get the audiobook version of Jealous of the Clouds! I didn't know what to expect, as it's my first time reading/listening to a Rick R. Reed book. Nevertheless, he did a masterful job!

It's part Thriller, part Murder Mystery dramatization and part True Crime podcast. Sounds like a lot? But it wasn't, this trio completely works together and kept me invested throughout the whole listen! The prologue, set many years in the past, kind of set's the mood, low-key helping us understand the main antagonist Joshua Kade. If you're paying attention that is. Fast forward to the story's present time, and we learn Joshua was accused of murdering his boyfriend Reggie, 10 years earlier.

Now, Joshua is dating Ted Cornish. They are seemingly a loving and happy couple, that is until Josh decides to confess to the alleged allegations of the decade earlier crime. Josh let's Ted know that there's a podcast that believes he is the murderer and still continues to investigate into this ten year old cold case. It obviously scares Ted and despite home trying to act like it doesn't affect home, he now keeps a weary eye on Mister Red Flag.

Not long after, the podcaster Bailey, calls Ted for an interview. A little resistant, Ted decides to go. After a brief interview that Ted asks Bailey not to share to the public for fear of his life, Bailey confesses he is the brother of the murdered man. This make Ted struggle with his love and loyalty to Josh but still wants to know about what really happened all those years ago. In the meantime, begins to notice Josh's jealous and abusive nature.

Ted wants out and slowly keeps his distance from Josh, but Josh is in his Fatal Attraction era, because HE WILL NOT BE IGNORED!! Ted starts suffering from nightmares and begins missing work, trying to hide from Josh, who he feels is following him. How can he escape? There's only one person he knows who can help him. But I won't tell. As we near the end of the story with it's twisty twistable twists, you'll come to realize no one is ever who they truly seem!

The entire listen has a noir mood to it, which I loved. I could have listened in one day, if I hadn't fallen asleep. As I mentioned earlier, it's part Thriller, part Murder Mystery dramatization and part True Crime podcast. A brilliant assemblage for an audiobook, making such a great listening experience. The narrator, David Allen Vargo, did such a fantastic job here! There's maybe like five different characters, both male and female, he created clearly distinctive voices. Not many narrators can pull that off.

With all that said, I highly recommend this book, which you can get as paperback and ebook as well. Although, audiobook is so much fun for this dark thriller. Just picture yourself driving, working, laundry or mundane errands as you listen to Jealous of the Clouds. You'll be so consumed with listening, you won't even realize how much time has passed. Because at the end of the day, no matter what you're doing, you just have to know, did Josh really do it?