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A Charm of Magpies: Jackdaw – K.J. Charles
If you stop running, you fall.
Jonah Pastern is a magician, a liar, a windwalker, a professional thief…and for six months, he was the love of police constable Ben Spenser’s life. His betrayal left Ben jailed, ruined, alone, and looking for revenge.
Ben is determined to make Jonah pay. But he can’t seem to forget what they once shared, and Jonah refuses to let him. Soon Ben is entangled in Jonah’s chaotic existence all over again, and they’re running together—from the police, the justiciary, and some dangerous people with a lethal grudge against them.
Threatened on all sides by betrayals, secrets, and the laws of the land, the policeman and the thief must find a way to live and love before the past catches up with them…
A Charm of Magpies linked story, set after Flight of Magpies. Previously published by Samhain.
This is such a delightful, joyful read!
It was a treat to meet Lucien Crane, Stephen Day, Merrick and Saint once again. To see them from the eyes of Ben was double the treat. Crane was still his charming arrogant self and Merrick and Saint got married. I have always loved seeing Day at his job. He’s always been good at it. I never got over his decision.
Jackdaw follows Ben Spenser and Jonah Pastern as they escape the justiciars and the Met. Through out all these, they try to deal with their past relationship, misunderstandings and hurts until they finally found peace in Pellore, Cornwall.
Jonah’s carefree, vibrant attitude just pops out of the page. Charles did a brilliant job creating vivid pictures of windwalking. I could practically feel the wind and see the sky and feel that tingling feeling you get when you are at a high place. Ben was the steadfast, serious type, a good grounding point and conscience for his flighty lover. I felt sorry for the two of them. I think they were trying really hard.
The writing was excellent as always. The words just flow in a way that you couldn’t stop reading. I love the wit, the humor and all the feels. There was just the right amount of angst, pain and hurt to get the point across without plunging into the depths of unbearable misery that is painful to read. For me, this book is bright afternoon sunshine, the kind that makes you hop on your bicycle, pedal up a hill and swoop down with your arms out, wind in your face.
P.S.
To fully appreciate Jackdaw, please read the A Charm of Magpie Series firstRating:
4.5 – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Blood Under My Belt
Artist: The Drums
Album: Abysmal Thoughts(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34861586-jackdaw)
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Captive Prince: Pet – C.S. Pacat
Pet follows the rise of Ancel at the poisonous court of Vere. Set during the events of Captive Prince.
OMG! It was sooo good! I didn’t even remember Ancel until Pacat revisited the garden scene. And that last line!
Rating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfect
Soundtrack: Evergreen
Artist: Echo & the Bunnymen
Album: Evergreen -
A Love Song for the Sad Man in the White Coat – Roe Horvat
Simon had always expected love to feel different than this. Whether it was his Catholic upbringing or the poetry he’d read – Simon had thought that true love would be uplifting, fulfilling, that it would give a meaning to his loitering, and add joy to his leisure. But not this kind of love. This love was a flesh-eating monster, sharp-clawed and evil-eyed, ravishing his mind with medieval cruelty.
Dr Simon Mráz is a respected specialist and lecturer at the Charles University in Prague. He is a serious man, responsible. His students call him The Cruel Doctor Frost not because he’s unkind, but because of his unwavering, ice-cold composure. As a psychiatrist, he values sanity. And sanity can be found in work, restraint, and self-control.
Not many know of that one time in the past when The Cruel Doctor Frost lost his cool. His ill-advised, secret affair with a student left Simon deeply wounded. Since that day, every minute of Simon’s life has been a struggle to remain sane, functioning. He’s managed so far – as long as he is needed, as long as his work makes a difference, Simon can scrape together enough strength to get up in the morning and run off the nightmares. But when his friends begin drifting away, his beloved protégé becomes independent, and the man who bereaved Simon of his precious sanity might return… Simon’s mind and body stop responding to his impressive willpower.
Some authors write fictional books that are semi-autobiographical. Based on their (Horvat’s pronoun) books, I’m guessing Roe Horvat used to work in a university, possibly in a psychiatric medicine-related field. I also suspect that they might have become involved with a student in a more personal level. But that’s just me speculating.
The story started with Matej, making his daring move on Dr. Simon Mraz which paid off really well. They had an affair then Matej disappeared leaving Simon and Marta, Matej’s sister, to cope with the loss.
Unfortunately, I felt an irrational annoyance towards Matej for leaving these people without closure. Logically, I know he had his reasons, abusive father, trauma and what not, but to disappear without any contact for years seemed selfish. I didn’t warm up to Simon. People kept saying he was cold, logical and rational which would normally make me like him but he just came across as miserable, restless and empty but that is mostly probably the author’s point. Simon showed signs of the big D and having gone through that myself, I totally understand where he’s coming from but reading about it is not pleasant.
I know it’s not doing the book justice but I skipped part two because I didn’t feel like going through the details of what happened in the past. Most of the stuff there, I already know from part one but you might want to check it out for the steam and the fluff.
Part three was the best part, in my opinion. Here, we meet the present day Matej whom I could finally forgive and it was quite refreshing to see Simon get hammered. My favorite characters were Mike, Lukas’ boyfriend and Marta. They bought joy and lightness in what was otherwise a dismal atmosphere. The reunion was an emotional nuclear bomb but the resolution came on gentle tiptoes after some opiods and alcohol. It was all worth it.
Even if it hits close to home, reading about missing someone or somebody with mental disorders is never enjoyable for me and it doesn’t necessarily make me sympathetic to the characters. But what I loved most about the book is that I am given a clear picture of real Czech people and Eastern Europe. None of the touristy stuff such as those found here but a real insider perspective. This is particularly interesting for me because this is half-way across the world and I would probably never get to visit these places in my lifetime. I also liked how Horvat casually throws around indie and literary references without seeming like a pretentious name dropper. Bjork, Radiohead, Henry Rollins, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, they’re all in there along with Rimbaud, Terry Pratchett and Cards Against Humanity. Simon and Matej AND Horvat know their stuff.
Overall, some people might go for the feels but I went for the realism. Read it for a good dose of both.
Rating
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Red Eyes and Tears
Artist: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Album: B.R.M.C.(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36697128-a-love-song-for-the-sad-man-in-the-white-coat)
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The Yakuza Path: Blood Stained Tea – Amy Tasukada
A bloody past haunts him. A devastating present calls him back…
Nao hides from his violent past in the Japanese mob by opening a teahouse in Japan’s cultural center, Kyoto. His past comes flooding back when he discovers a gravely injured man with a tattooed chest, a bloody knife, and a Korean business card.
Saehyun would’ve died if not for Nao’s help. He knows nothing of his savior’s connection with the local mafia, but Saehyun has his own secrets. He commands the Korean mafia, the mortal enemy of Nao’s former syndicate.
As Nao and Saehyun grow closer, so does the strength of the Korean mob. A shocking murder pulls Nao back into a past he’d all but abandoned. War is looming, and Nao must choose between protecting Saehyun or avenging the honor of his old mafia family.
Most of the time, you can tell when an Asian themed book is written by a westerner for westerners by how, for the lack of a better word, “touristy” it is. While Japanese authors like Higashino Keigo or Minato Kanae would just write about deceptively normal, everyday things without feeling the need to showcase the cultural aspects, a western author usually goes out of their way to highlight customs foreigners usually associate with Japan such as geisha, samurai, yakuza and the likes, to keep that exotic Japanese vibe going. Which is why, I am always wary of western authors writing about Asian stuff for a western audience
Some authors can pull it off very well. For example, Trash by Andy Mulligan did a great job portraying third world street kids without going through the usually stereotypes. I could tell Mulligan really spent a lot of time with them because at one point, the story mentioned that these kids had a certain smell that marked them as street kids even after they bathed. This is very, very true. Kids living on the streets had a distinct tangy, rusty, earthy smell that remains even if they’re clean.
In the first book of The Yakuza Path series, Blood Stained Tea, Amy Tasukada did the usual touristy tour of Kyoto (shrines, festivals, yukata) then topped it with generous servings of anime and BL sauce starting with that opening scene of saving an abandoned person in the rain, then moving on to The Fever and The Porridge, teasing the cat with a feather toy trick, floppy hair hiding the eyes maneuver, the “I can’t say it yet” hesitance, meek man with berserker alter ego and much, much more. Go see for yourself, play a game of catch that trope and see how many you can find. The only thing missing is an actual description saying Nao looks like a girl but “Nao is a girl’s name” comes close. The writing, characters and plot are amateurish but I found it amusing. Saehyun and Nao behaved like adolescent boys in their first love affair instead of hardened mafia members. Funnily enough, Nao didn’t get along with the most sensible characters of the book, Sakai, the lawyer and Takeo, the reluctant bodyguard who had to be killed off.
The simplistic and naive dealings of our couple went on for about 80% of the book (i’m trying to avoid the word but yeah, they were both stupid as in the smart guys who should know better than to fuck up and/or fuck kind of stupid) until finally, finally, FINALLY! Nao got his shit together then went on his badass shadow assassin mode, discovered his inner god and wrecked havoc worthy of Kenshin Himura in battousai rage. That safehouse scene was worth the 300+ pages of protagonist blunder and anime rip off. Yes, we get the much awaited “suki desu” moment but no, you’re not going to be happy about it. It’s not that kind of romance story. In addition, for me, it counts in the novel’s favor that it is shounen ai. Although the language is explicit and there’s blood and gore, the smexy scenes get a fade out treatment.
Overall, it’s not the most well-executed or sophisticated of gay yakuza romance dramas but well… a fujoshi wrote it, a fujoshi might like it.
P.S. I haven’t read light novels but this must be what light novels are like.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Haruki on the Road
Artist: Amazarashi
Album: Chihou Toshino Memento Mori(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33152873-blood-stained-tea)
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Tork & Adam: If I Should Stumble – Claire Davis & Al Stewart
Love is sure and timeless and forever. It whispers over the morning coffee and the last thought before sleep. Love is beyond hope, and cruel as life.
Kaz has been in the UK for almost a year, but the days pass by in an endless round of alcohol and nothingness. He has a story but no words good or bad enough to tell it, until one day, he is assigned a new peer mentor who asks him to help train a sponsored running team. Something that was stretched as old parchment breaks inside, and memories begin to re-surface.
Zack is overjoyed when his friend Adam asks him to be part of the sponsored run team trying to make money for the local homeless shelter. All day he makes cakes to lighten people’s load, but something is missing from his life. Then he meets the boy with eyes like the desert, and with every step he runs, Zack’s light burns away the darkness in Kaz’s heart.
As the race heats gets nearer, Tork, Adam, Zack and Jo realise that under Kaz’s careful programme, they have a chance to qualify and set right some of the wrongs of this world.
This book features the characters Tork and Adam from The Invasion of Tork and The Invasion of Adam.
Reading about Kaz feeling guilty about liking boys, I wanted to shake him and tell him, it’s totally OK. Somehow I have taken it for granted because there are gays and lesbians everywhere here in my country, that in other places and other people still find it hard to come to terms with their sexuality. I’m so used to the fact that there is usually no big to-dos about coming out here. What usually happens is that a boy starts to get swishy at an early age, wears shorts that are too short, would more or less join gay beauty pageants and/or date another boy. People might make some insulting comments at first, then get used to the fact and would just treat them normally. I think it really helps that most gay guys have a great sense of humor so people tend to like them.
So I’m sorry Kaz, I wasn’t feeling your pain. But go! GIve Zack a hug, a kiss, whatever…be happy!!! Like Tork and Adam. You all deserve it.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it
Soundtrack: Everytime I Thought About It I’d Burst Into Tears
Artist: Hello, Psychaleppo
Album: Gool ‘lah(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32742275-if-i-should-stumble)
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Nightingale – Aleksandr Voinov
In Nazi-occupied Paris, most Frenchmen tread warily, but gay nightclub singer Yves Lacroix puts himself in the spotlight with every performance. As a veteran of France’s doomed defense, a survivor of a prison camp, and a “degenerate,” he knows he’s a target. His comic stage persona disguises a shamed, angry heart and gut-wrenching fear for a sister embedded in the Resistance.
Yet Yves ascends the hierarchy of Parisian nightlife to become a star, attracting the attention—and the protection—of the Nazi Oberst Heinrich von Starck. To complicate matters further, young foot soldier Falk Harfner’s naïve adoration of Yves threatens everything he’s worked for. So does Aryan ideologue von Grimmstein, rival to von Starck, who sees something “a bit like a Jew” in Yves.
When an ill-chosen quip can mean torture at the hands of the Gestapo, being the acc;laimed Nightingale of Paris might cost Yves his music and his life.
Damn! I found myself sympathizing with (and rooting for) Yves and his Oberst and finding myself annoyed with Edith as a hassle and Falk as an unnecessary complication. Which is crazy because if this had been Edith’s story, I would be tsking at Yves and his stupid affairs and if Von Starck was not in the picture, I would be OK with Yves and Falk.
Stories really have a way of getting under your skin. Perspective is everything.
P.S.
Coincidentally, the book model above is the same one as on Provoked, the last book I read in 2017.Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it
Soundtrack: L Comme Liaison
Artist: Dandies (feat. Pete Doherty)
Album: Illusion et Imparfait(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26175490-nightingale)
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REVIEW: Provoked by Joanna Chambers
Enlightenment: Provoked – Joanna Chambers
This is a second edition of a book previously published by Samhain Publishing.
Tormented by his forbidden desires for other men and the painful memories of the childhood friend he once loved, lawyer David Lauriston tries to maintain a celibate existence while he forges his reputation in Edinburgh’s privileged legal world.
But then, into his repressed and orderly life, bursts Lord Murdo Balfour.
Cynical, hedonistic and utterly unapologetic, Murdo could not be less like David. And as appalled as David is by Murdo’s unrepentant self-interest, he cannot resist the man’s sway. Murdo tempts and provokes David in equal measure, forcing him to acknowledge his physical desires.
But Murdo is not the only man distracting David from his work. Euan MacLennan, the brother of a convicted radical David once represented, approaches David to beg him for help. Euan is searching for the government agent who sent his brother to Australia on a convict ship, and other radicals to the gallows. Despite knowing it may damage his career, David cannot turn Euan away.
As their search progresses, it begins to look as though the trail may lead to none other than Lord Murdo Balfour, and David has to wonder whether it’s possible Murdo could be more than he seems. Is he really just a bored aristocrat, amusing himself at David’s expense, or could he be the agent provocateur responsible for the fate of Peter MacLennan and the other radicals?
Joanna Chambers is one of the names that keeps popping up on my GR recs since I started reading MM so I had high expectations. Provoked is my first book from her. Sadly, I was underwhelmed. The book was written in the POV of David Lauriston which would have been ok had the whole narrative not felt one-sided. The other main character Murdo Balfour seemed like a faceless, featureless, one-dimensional entity. I don’t know anything about him saved that he seems like a jerk and an unlikable jerk at that. His gestures towards David would have been better appreciated had I known what was going on in his head so I think the story could have greatly benefited from a dual POV. If the author meant for Balfour to be an enigmatic character oozing with mystery, I’m sorry he was just not intriguing enough for me.
What was more interesting for me was Euan MacLennan and David working together and I think it would have been more compelling if it was a struggling lawyer/poor student romance but since this is historical romance, of course the MC had to fall in love with a lord. The rest of the plot was about finding this double agent Lees and it wasn’t as riveting as it was intended to be. The writing was pretty straightforward and flat. There was none of the sharp wit, sarcasm or humorous banter that I had come to expect from great historical reads.
This is the first book of the Enlightenment series and the conclusion was open ended. I don’t know if this is just the first book syndrome, meaning the first book is usually mediocre then it gets better with the succeeding ones but I’m not really excited to pick up the rest of the series. Still, it’s not a terrible book per se but it could have been better.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it
Soundtrack: Lover, I Don’t Have to Love
Artist: Bright Eyes
Album: The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34933997-provoked)
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Seducing the Sedgewicks: It Takes Two to Tumble – Cat Sebastian
Some of Ben Sedgwick’s favorite things:
Helping his poor parishioners
Baby animals
Shamelessly flirting with the handsome Captain Phillip DacreAfter an unconventional upbringing, Ben is perfectly content with the quiet, predictable life of a country vicar, free of strife or turmoil. When he’s asked to look after an absent naval captain’s three wild children, he reluctantly agrees, but instantly falls for the hellions. And when their stern but gloriously handsome father arrives, Ben is tempted in ways that make him doubt everything.
Some of Phillip Dacre’s favorite things:
His ship
People doing precisely as they’re told
Touching the irresistible vicar at every opportunityPhillip can’t wait to leave England’s shores and be back on his ship, away from the grief that haunts him. But his children have driven off a succession of governesses and tutors and he must set things right. The unexpected presence of the cheerful, adorable vicar sets his world on its head and now he can’t seem to live without Ben’s winning smiles or devastating kisses.
In the midst of runaway children, a plot to blackmail Ben’s family, and torturous nights of pleasure, Ben and Phillip must decide if a safe life is worth losing the one thing that makes them come alive.
By now, people had already written many glowing reviews about the story of walking ray of sunshine Ben Sedgwick, also known as vicar of St. Aelred’s and the grumpy Captain Phillip Dacre, father of three incorrigible children. Borrowing some ideas from the Sound of Music, this book is as warm as the musical and as bright and happy as summer.
Everybody in this book, from the children, Ned, Jamie and Peggy, to the cook, Mrs. Morris, to the supposed villain Easterbrook were all well-rounded, likable characters.
Ben being a man of the cloth, the author could have gone the angsty religion vs sexuality route. Fortunately it was not the focus but it was still touched upon in a very sensible way. The writing was in that smooth, upbeat Cat Sebastian style with liberal touches of cute and fluff all over it. However, I think the ending was a bit abrupt and needs an epilogue. They have only been together for the duration of summer and it would have been great if we could see their life together in the coming seasons (maybe in the coming books? Book two is Hartley, Ben’s younger brother.). Overall, one of the best historical romance this year and a great start to a new series.
Rating:
4.5 – perfection is only half a step away(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35230501-it-takes-two-to-tumble)
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Call Me by Your Name – Andre Aciman
Call Me by Your Name is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents’ cliff-side mansion on the Italian Riviera. Unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, at first each feigns indifference. But during the restless summer weeks that follow, unrelenting buried currents of obsession and fear, fascination and desire, intensify their passion as they test the charged ground between them. What grows from the depths of their spirits is a romance of scarcely six weeks’ duration and an experience that marks them for a lifetime. For what the two discover on the Riviera and during a sultry evening in Rome is the one thing both already fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy.
The psychological maneuvers that accompany attraction have seldom been more shrewdly captured than in André Aciman’s frank, unsentimental, heartrending elegy to human passion. Call Me by Your Name is clear-eyed, bare-knuckled, and ultimately unforgettable.
Excluding those of the M/M variety, I could proudly say I have read a lot of books. But for the life of me I could never do any in-depth intellectual review or critical analysis of any of them. I was never one for quotes or memorable lines (despite posting quotes here).
Symbolisms I could never pick up or cared about. I could appreciate the prose and how the words are strung together, the complexity of characters, the intricacies of the plot but whatever social commentary, references, metaphors or allegories present just pass me by. Call me shallow but I’m just in it for the entertainment. Therefore I might not have the mental capacity or attitude to fully enjoy this literary gem to its fullest.
Call Me by Your Name is the kind of
literary novel peopled with emotional intellectuals who namedrop dead Greek philosophers, play Brahms for fun and have informed opinions on poetry. Despite this being a smarter, classier, high brow kind of M/M, it didn’t really wow me. It’s one of those first person stories where the narrator is obsessing about a certain object of desire and nothing else. Sometimes, I find these stories tiresome and the experience claustrophobic. It brought to mind Lolita by Nabokov (which I liked, by the way), the manner in which Elio was going on and on about Oliver, the way he went about his moves and counter moves.There is really nothing going on, no mysteries to solves other than the the desired person, no monsters to defeat other than oneself. Elio’s world revolves around Oliver but I want there to be something else other than this single point. I want Elio to have something else to look forward to and not act like everything is bound to Oliver. To love the other person but still think of other things. All these pining, all these longing, most people might like all these feels but for me it’s just miserable and suffocating and appears so irritatingly hormonal to my logical self. In short, I wasn’t feeling the feelings.
Rating
2.5 Stars – far from hate but not quite a likeSoundtrack: What You Were
Artist: The Drums
Album: Portamento(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10706388-call-me-by-your-name)
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Calon Lan – Elin Gregory
As war rages in France, battles are also being fought on the Home Front.
Bethan Harrhy, farmer’s wife, does her best to keep her family happy as prices rise and the weather worsens. Nye, her husband, is angry and worried. Alwyn, her brother, is injured and shaken by his experiences in the trenches. Her baby is teething and there’s another on the way. Surely having her brother’s best friend to stay, another face, another voice, another pair of hands, can only be a good thing? But when Joe arrives, Bethan is forced to confront ideas she had never even guessed at and makes a terrible mistake.
With conflict at home and abroad, can there be a happy ending for any of them?
Written in the POV of Bethan, a farmer’s wife, Calon Lan is scene after scene of domestic, everyday things that would have been dull and tedious had it not been as well written as it is. Set in WWI-era Wales, when men were sent to abroad to die, Bethan’s brother, Alwyn, has come home to the farm, injured and traumatized. Alwyn’s friend, Joe, came to help out with the chores and soon Bethan noticed her brother was almost like his old self again. She inadvertently witness a tender moment between the two friends and so she asked herself, “could a man love another man?”. There’s an air of innocence and child-like bewilderment in Bethan that could have easily been ignorance and malice in a lesser person. The advice and support she received from an unexpected quarter came gently and subtly. The whole story felt so soft, warm and pure even during the dramatic scenes when tempers ran high. That dinner in the end, outside in the golden evening sunshine of summer, that was how the whole thing felt like.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Farewell and Goodnight
Artist: Smashing Pumpkins
Album: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36333392-calon-lan)
