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On Andross Station – J.C. Long
Hikaru Adachi has come to Andross Station to discover what happened to colleague and fellow Inquisitor Katya. Thane, a tracer, has arrived at the station seeking a bounty on Galen Horn, one of the Unity of Planets’ most wanted men. They will find their paths cross as their interests intersect, and soon they are on a hunt that is more dangerous than they know, for Horn has enlisted some dangerous allies, including one from Thane’s past. If Thane and Hikaru together can’t bring Horn down, he will set in motion a plot that will see the entire station destroyed in an attack of massive proportions.
On Andross Station is a fast-paced sci-fi novella about a search for a missing person and a hunt for a terrorist. One of the things I liked best about this novella is the world-building. It’s easy to picture out a universe of varied life-forms, busy, thriving space stations, and galactic governments with hidden agendas. J.C. Long was able to conjure these images without dumping too much information. His concise but informative descriptions of alien life-forms made me want to know more about the various species scattered throughout and the Tracers universe as a whole.
The main characters were Hikaru Adachi, an Inquisitor tasked to find out what happened to Inquisitor Katya, and Thane, a Tracer and half-Alooran. Hikaru is a telepath and has a Virtual Intelligence implant which he uses to get information and hack systems. As an Inquisitor, he is pretty deadly but the moments when he talks to the VI or when he uses his telepathy, he seems distracted and I couldn’t help thinking that might be a good moment to take him out. Thane is out to catch Galen Horn, a known terrorist with a huge bounty on his head. Thane was curious about the Inquisitor so he checked him out and felt the pull of mutual attraction.
One big plus about this story is that it is mission-centric and not romance-centric. While I am 100% OK if there was no romantic sub-plot at all and the novella is purely sci-fi with the characters who just happened to be gay, I feel I really didn’t get to know Hikaru and Thane well. I think the author barely scratched the surface and I would have wanted a better development of their characters as well as their relationship. More background information about them would be appreciated.
The mission is what it’s all about. It’s what kept me glued. Going on what felt like a covert tour of the space station while chasing bad guys and avoiding getting caught was exhilarating. Hikaru and Thane went from gambling dens to restricted areas on their search for Katya and Galen Horn. Hikaru showed his bad-ass martial arts skills and scary telepathic powers. Thane wasn’t a slouch either. That revenge against the sadistic psycho Happy was very satisfying. They make a good team.
It’s stated that On Andross Station is part of Tracers universe so I thought I might need to read other books in the series. However, I didn’t have any problems piecing together everything and the novella as a whole could be read as a standalone. It also felt like a prequel and if it is indeed one, I would be delighted to read the rest of the series.
P.S.
I received a copy of On Andross Station from Ninestar Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love
Soundtrack: Hunted Down
Artist: Soundgarden
Album: Screaming Life/Fopp(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41079439-on-andross-station)
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The Tutor – Bonnie Dee
Gothic romance with a twist.
Elements of The Sound of Music, The Enchanted Garden, Jane Eyre, and “true” ghost hunting shows make this story feel familiar. Gay love makes it unique.
Seeing an ad for a position at a Yorkshire estate, typesetter Graham Cowrie decides to make an upward career move by passing himself off as a tutor. How hard can it be to teach a few subjects to a pair of nine-year-old boys? But on his arrival at the ancient house, he finds the staff creepy, the twins odd, and the widowed master temporarily absent.
His first meeting with brooding, stern, but oh-so-attractive, Sir Richard doesn’t go well, but with no other prospects vying for the teaching position, Graham manages to keep it. His mission soon becomes clear, break down the walls of reserve both father and sons have erected and attempt to bridge the gap between them.
But strange sounds, sights and experiences keep Graham on edge until he finally admits the Hall is haunted by two entities with very different agendas. Graham works to appease one and combat the other while protecting the broken family he’s grown to care for.
This seems like a book where there should be a person on the cover running away from a foreboding manor while looking back. However instead of a woman, it should be that book model above. Rowan Mcallister’s We Met in Dreams had one such cover.
The Tutor is a Gothic novel without the deep, complicated prose of the Gothic classics. It is dark, atmospheric and creepy but the scare factor is blunted by the irreverent humor and blase attitude of the almost always cheery Graham Cowrie. Graham is, in his own words, a jovial, affable person with an active imagination. He really is. He tends to be cheeky even to the ghostly voice of the dead wife, Lavinia, in his head.
He laughs at the face of spirit possession.
Graham, whom I suspect is an atheist, seems to only half believe this ghost business the entire time even when he was looking for ways to exorcise the spirits. I liked this side of him. His personality was what carried the book to the end.
Richard Allinson is a dour, sad man who is terrible at dealing with his traumatized sons. I don’t know what attracted Graham to him other than he is handsome and he pinged on Graham’s gaydar. That and their mutual love of books perhaps. Whatever the case I think Richard and his equally sad sons need a ray of sunshine in their lives and if Graham is it, then who I am to say otherwise. Graham certainly loved playing the coquette with Richard and Richard wasn’t so bad after having all his USTs resolved.
Whitney and Clive are nine-year old twin boys grieving the loss of their mother. Clive does not speak because of the trauma and Whitney is the one who speaks for both of them. At first, they try to drive Graham away with pranks and tricks but Graham won them over with his fun, inventive lessons and masterful story telling. Juggling the responsibilities of tutor, nursemaid and caretaker, Graham tries to keep young active minds occupied, help the boys get over their loss and try to reconcile them with their father. All that is missing in this scenario is a talk about favorite things and making play clothes out of draperies.
Allinson Hall is exactly the kind of house with a name I want to get lost in, minus the malevolent spirit. Can you imagine all the secret places you can discover?! As much a character as a setting, the hall is dark, gloomy and cold and infects its inhabitants with melancholy so profound they kill themselves. It doesn’t help that it rains all the time and nobody seems to have an umbrella.
The resolution was cliche. I keep thinking maybe we will get an ending where all these mysterious happenings would be explained by perfectly logical, non-supernatural means but Bonnie Dee went ahead with the ghosts, evil spirits and Exorcism 101 techniques. Funnily enough, Graham still seems to be taking things a bit too lightly. He really is the best guy to take when exploring haunted houses.
By itself, the story was moderately enjoyable but I could definitely say the experience was made better because of narrator, Ruri Carter, whose dry comments and occasional profanity as heard through Graham’s acquired posh accent seemed funnier than they actually are. When a plummy voice says “fuck”, I imagined this is how William sounds like when he says “Fuck you, Harry! I’m next in line.”
This is only my second book from Bonnie Dee and though I liked The Fortune Hunter slightly better, I think The Tutor an OK book to start with if you want to get into her works.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love
Soundtrack: Give Up the Ghost
Artist: Radiohead
Album: The King of Limbs(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25859807-the-tutor)
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Unfit to Print – K.J. Charles
When crusading lawyer Vikram Pandey sets out in search of a missing youth, his investigations take him to Holywell Street, London’s most notorious address. He expects to find a disgraceful array of sordid bookshops. He doesn’t expect one of them to be run by the long-lost friend whose disappearance and presumed death he’s been mourning for thirteen years.
Gil Lawless became a Holywell Street bookseller for his own reasons, and he’s damned if he’s going to apologise or listen to moralising from anyone. Not even Vikram; not even if the once-beloved boy has grown into a man who makes his mouth water.
Now the upright lawyer and the illicit bookseller need to work together to track down the missing youth. And on the way, they may even learn if there’s more than just memory and old affection binding them together…
A double post in celebration of the World Cup.
Congratulations, France!
I’m team Croatia but I couldn’t find a Croatian LGBTQIA+ book, so even though it did not come home, here’s an English book anyway.
Anything K.J. Charles writes, I read. I am reading my way through her existing oeuvre. At the latest count, there are probably only 4 books left that I need to get my hands on. I hope she keep those goodies coming.
As she had stated on her blog, historical romance and happy endings should not be limited to rich white people and true to her word, she has created happy endings for a jobbing writer and a black merchant as seen in Wanted, a Gentleman, an Indian lodgings keeper and a Victorian taxidermist in An Unseen Attraction and has also included a transman and black club manager (a couple) in the A Society of Gentlemen series.
Unfit to Print is another example of Charles’ consistent effort to write diverse and inclusive stories. Vikram Pandey is a successful Indian lawyer who works pro bono for the poor Indian residents of London. He was tasked to look for a missing Indian boy and his search brought him to the ironically named Holywell Street which is the Akihabara of porn in 19th century England. To his extreme shock, he found his childhood friend and former school buddy Gil Lawless, long thought dead for 13 years. Gil is a mulatto bastard of the Lawes family, swindled out of his inheritance and abandoned to the streets by his half brother, Matthew. He now owns a bookstore selling illicit materials.
Vikram is a moralizing, uptight gentleman with an overactive sense of responsibility and Gil is one of the free love, free will, mutual enjoyment sort who let the others do the worrying because it’s damn well none of his business. Theirs is a combination that worked quite well despite of and/or because of the differences. Vik sees through Gil’s well-cultivated apathy and knows he cares. Why else would he come to Vik’s office? Gil brought the joy and the smiles back to Vik’s life like he always had all those years ago in Oxford. And when one is uptight and the other is insouciant, the resulting dialogue is usually the laugh out loud kind.
“You’ve really got a problem with the pictures?”
“Of course I do,” Vikram snapped. “They’re illegal, immoral, and obscene.”
“Right, but what’s bad about them?”
Although the main focus was Vik and Gil and the mystery was light, it wasn’t a slouch on that area either. The two did great detective work, sorting through a massive heap of porn photos looking for clues on the whereabouts of the missing boy, Sunil, who worked as a model in some of the photos. Their search also bought another case
to their attention, that of a young boy who was found in the streets with his skull caved in, and as this boy was also found posing in the pictures, they knew the cases were related.
I commend the amount of research done for this story. I think modern day porn connoisseurs would be astounded at the variety and scope of Victorian era pornography. As always, the way Charles writes about London is like opening a door and getting hit with the smell of Thames and a barrage of Anglo accents. I also liked the way Vik and Gil’s race and background were worked into the story in a very natural way. They were important and were touched upon but not the focus. Rather, there was the well-paced and well-fleshed out development of their characters and relationship, there was the fight to right the wrongs done to poor immigrants, a discussion on the depths people go through to survive, a look at the hypocrisy of the upper class and an exhortation to be happy even if life has given you one too many kicks in the guts.
“What’s important,” he said carefully. “For me, what’s important is that you give each other a good time when you can. Carpe diem, as they used to say at school. Take your pleasures where you find them, while they last.”
“And do anything you like, because it doesn’t really matter?”
“Being alive matters,” Gil said, on a sudden wave of something like anger. “It matters that I’ve got a warm room and a full belly, and I know that because I went a while without those things, which I’ll bet is more than you ever did. It matters that I’ve a pal with me, and there’s something I reckon you’ve been missing. It matters to be happy instead of miserable.”
It’s easy to take the high moral ground but there’s also the adage of walking a mile in another man’s shoes. I think Vik and Gil made a compelling case of how we can make these things work, of keeping an open mind, of giving enough damns and taking action.
This is an opposite attracts + childhood friends to lovers story + second chance romance with great sense of time and place, palpable Victorian atmosphere and as always, that distinctly sharp humor I have come to associate with Charles’ writing. This might not be her best work, hence the quibbles, but if you ask me what’s wrong with it, I really couldn’t say. Still, this is a great addition to her collective body of work.
Definitely recommended!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39330140-unfit-to-print)
P.S.
Wanted, an Author – K.J. Charles
Wanted, an Author is a 5000-word story set in 1807. It returns to the characters of Wanted, a Gentleman, and also introduces a character from my forthcoming novel, Band Sinister.
A Newsletter freebie.
This works best if you’ve read Wanted, a Gentleman.In Unfit to Print, Gil found a copy of Jonathan: or, The Trials of Virtue, said to be the holy grail of illicit books. Here is where you find the author who wrote it.
Theo getting giddy at being called “a real writer” is adorbs! I’m glad his career is going well.
Martin snoring like a foghorn and annoying the hell out of Theo is just too funny.
Setting the story at the time when Parliament was voting for the abolition of slavery was a nice historical touch and a great excuse to party. And boy, did they party!
John Raven and Lord Corvin! I can’t wait to see what mischief they are up to.
What’s up with all these birdy surnames?
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40735423-wanted-an-author)
Soundtrack: Adventures in Solitude
Artist: The New Pornographers
Album: Challengers -
Laws of Attraction: Damage Control – Kate McMurray
Senate candidate Parker Livingston chose his political dreams over a future with the man he loved. He lives with constant regret about not having Jackson Kane in his life. Or his bed. And when a strange woman is found murdered in Parker’s apartment, Jackson is the only person Parker trusts to help clear his name.
Jackson never forgave Parker for the way their relationship ended. He moved on, built a name for himself as a criminal defense attorney and swore he’d never let heartbreak back in. But when Parker shows up on his doorstep, wild-eyed and handsome and desperate for his help, Jackson can’t say no. Parker is a lot of things, but he’s no murderer.
Forced back together, searching for answers, their attraction returns with a vengeance. Any distraction—personal or professional—could be deadly. The murderer is still at large, and he’s made it clear one of them is his next victim.
If I get a dollar for every failed I’m-not-gonna-sleep-with-him self-promises these book people have, I would have enough money to replace this 8-year-old laptop with the latest Apple Macbook Pro. But then again, it’s not really a matter of if but of how many pages these people would last until they finally lose it.
Jackson Kane lasted until page 83 (213 page ebook version) and should have already been disbarred from law practice for getting involved with his ex, Parker Livingston’s case. Everybody, including Jack himself, was saying it was a terrible idea. Funny, Jack didn’t suffer any harmful consequences; nobody called him out plus he even got the love of his life back. But as somebody purported to be a damn good lawyer, his integrity is very questionable.
Park is the scion of the Livingston family, one of the oldest and wealthiest in New York. He has political ambitions, has funky dress sense and is good at handling media attention. He is also whiny and has “dabbled in pretty much every martial art that offers classes in New York City” but couldn’t even defend himself properly. Sure, the assailant has a gun but I’m pretty sure there’s some nifty krav maga move he can use to disarm him.
Murky ethics and wimpy-ass rich boys aside, this is a heartwarming story about first loves and second chances. Jack and Park were each other’s firsts and were in a committed relationship for eight years. One day, Park walked out of Jack’s life, his reasons for doing so remained unconvincing until the end. Park and Jack never entirely got over each other and the attraction remained mutually strong when they saw each other again after five years.The two were on the opposite side of the political spectrum. In addition, Jack was out while Park was back in the closet. Kate McMurray did a good job rekindling their romance as well as resolving these two conflicts so I’m sold on the romance part of the story.
The politics, I cannot comment on because I don’t know American politics but a look at the inner workings of a political campaign was interesting. This is something Strange Bedfellows, a similar book on gay politicians, failed to do, so I’m giving Damage Control extra props for showing me this side of political life.
The murder mystery was intriguing for the most part but the villain was as generic as they come. I wish the suspect has a more compelling motive for doing what he did. It would have added an extra layer of complexity had this part been made more sophisticated. .
I say this book is best enjoyed with liberal suspension of disbelief and tolerance of other people’s political stance. It is a romance novel at its core and at that point it, delivered a touching love story. Whether the rest of it works, depends entirely on your taste.
P.S.
I think Reed and Gavin deserves their own story. I liked these two so I’m hoping for a gay-for-you story for them.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Second Chance
Artist: Sounds Like Sunset
Album: We Could Leave Tonight.(source; https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39777837-damage-control)
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Demonica – Megan Derr
Life as a mercenary isn’t kind or easy, and Shale has lost much: one family, then another, one leg, one arm, one eye, and the love of his life when pain and medication left him disinterested in sex. The last thing he wants is to accept a job from his ex-lover’s mother, but the pay is too good to refuse, especially as it should be a relatively simple job.
But crucial information was withheld, and the man they’ve been sent to escort home is like no one Shale has ever met—despite the dangerous reason he’s spent so much of his life sequestered, and the fact he’s part of the family that hurt Shale once before.
author’s note This story was originally published in Magic And Mayhem: Fiction and Essays Celebrating LGBTQ Romance)
Wow! This is such a nicely written ace short story that has so much potential. I’m usually wary of reading ace stories because I have this pre-conceive notion that there would be a part where they would try to seduce the ace to have sex. I’m glad there’s no such thing here. The magic system seemed intriguing and the world as a whole has this awesome matriarchy vibe going. I would love more stories from the Demonica world!
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Color
Artist: Finish Ticket
Album: When Night Becomes Day(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35116712-demonica)
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The Shamwell Tales: Caught! – J.L. Merrow
You can run from the past…but the past runs faster.
Behind Robert’s cheerfully eccentric exterior lies a young heart battered and bruised by his past. He’s taken a job teaching in a village primary school to make a fresh start, and love isn’t part of his plans. But he’s knocked for six—literally—by a chance encounter with the uncle of two of his pupils.
Sean works in pest control, rides a motorbike, and lives on a council estate. On the face of it, he shouldn’t have anything in common with Robert’s bow-tie, classic-car style and posh family background. Yet Robert is helpless to resist Sean’s roguish grin, and a rocky, excruciatingly embarrassing start doesn’t keep the sparks between them from flaring.
Despite Robert’s increasingly ludicrous attempts to keep his past where it belongs, his past hasn’t read the memo. And soon his secrets could be the very things that drive Sean away for good…
Warning: Contains the alarming misadventures of a pest control technician, a stepsister with a truly unfortunate name, and a young man who may have more bow ties than sense.
Hipster pretenses aside, I am of the opinion that bow ties are cool. Had I the physique to pull off tailored menswear with credibility, I would probably wear one myself.
Robert, effortlessly rocking that Dr. Who vibe, is just too cute for words. Unfortunately, Robert, gifted in Math but lacking in sense, is also hiding some sordid secrets that would come biting him in the ass. How he handled the situation when these secrets came calling was definitely not cute. However, his POV and observations were funny in that not-keen-on-social-cues kind of way
Sean, a pest control technician and a motorcycle riding ginger, is a nice guy but I think, him always being the first one to make an effort to reconcile when Robert was the stupidly rude one is just too much. I get a kick out of Sean getting a kick out of Robert’s dress sense but they seem to not have much in common other than the mutual attraction. Maybe mutual attraction is enough to work on for some people but it might work to the book’s advantage if we had Sean’s POV.
Rose, co-worker and BFF, is a voluptuous, recently single woman with a wicked sense of humor. As the voice of reason and snark, she has no problems telling Robert or any body what she thinks. She played mostly a sidekick/wingwoman role and although she did not actually come across as cardboard, it would have been nice if she did other things and had her happy ending too.
This is my first L.J. Merrow book and it certainly won’t be the last.
Points in the book’s favor are the delightful British humor and setting, and the wonderfully eccentric and quirky characters. The big misunderstanding was predictable and is the kind of plot device I’m tired of reading about although this was offset by the good parts. The writing is the fun, easy to digest kind that makes reading a breeze. Overall, a highly enjoyable read.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Chances
Artist: Athlete
Album: Tourist(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22030684-caught)
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Psycop: Criss Cross – Jordan Castillo Price
Criss Cross finds the ghosts surrounding Victor getting awfully pushy. The medications that Victor usually takes to control his abilities are threatening to destroy his liver, and his new meds aren’t any more effective than sugar pills.
Vic is also adjusting to a new PsyCop partner, a mild-mannered guy named Roger with all the personality of white bread. At least he’s willing to spring for the Starbucks.
Jacob’s ex-boyfriend, Crash, is an empathic healer who might be able to help Victor pull his powers into balance, but he seems more interested in getting into Victor’s pants than in providing any actual assistance.
I know most people are squee-ing over the romance but up until now, I still don’t understand what Jacob sees in Victor. I get the protective streak, pill-popping Victor is high most times and tends to to get into trouble but he’s a mess and seems to bring nothing into the relationship. Is it a wish fulfillment thing? Because this could have been done more convincingly with a bit of depth and background information.
I also don’t know why Vic kept thinking about how gay something is, like do straight guys eat salad, that sort of thing. It’s kind of stupid.
Not to say I didn’t enjoy the audiobook. I do like Gomez Pugh’s voices for both Vic and Jacob as well as Vic’s commentaries apart from the one mentioned above. The mystery wasn’t that deep but it kept me listening. And we have Crash, Jacob’s ex. Crash is interesting enough in his own right without the Jacob connection and I am vaguely entertaining a Vic + Crash hook up because Jacob is perfect the way computer simulations are perfect.
Rating
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Walking with a Ghost
Artist: Tegan and Sara
Album: So Jealous(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5260435-criss-cross)
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Rainbow Sprinkes – Anna Martin
Cooper Reed has a fairly relaxed life for someone who lives in LA. He’s no celebrity—just the guy who makes sundaes at the Dreamy Creamery, and that’s the way he likes it. The highlight of every week is the beautiful guy who turns up and orders a sundae with rainbow sprinkles. Cooper still isn’t sure if that’s a code, because he has a huge crush and the hot guy is terrible at flirting.
Drew Tanner, it turns out, is an original California dreamer. He’s as wholesome as apple pie and twice as sweet, a real-life Disney Prince at Disneyland. But while Drew’s head is in the clouds, Cooper’s feet are firmly on the ground, and their different outlooks might be more than their new relationship can take.
If stories have flavors, I would say this is really just vanilla with extra spoonfuls of, well… rainbow sprinkles.
Rainbow Sprinkles is a feel-good, toothache-inducing novellete that’s high on fluff and low on angst. The conflict was a came-out-of-nowhere, blown-out-of-proportions variety thrown in just so there would be conflict. Still, Cooper and Drew is a super cute couple and their story delivered the recommended daily dose of sugar. It could use a little more oomph but this is something you might want to nibble on if you’re craving for something sweet and lactose-free.
P.S.
Although the deadly rides of Tokyo’s Fuji-Q is more my speed, this story made me want to go to Disneyland. But sad life as it is for a roller coaster junkie, there are no theme parks around here. Boo hoo…
Rating
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love
Soundtrack: Ice Cream Man
Artist: Tom Waits
Album: Closing Time(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34431416-rainbow-sprinkles)
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The Art of Murder: The Mermaid Murders – Josh Lanyon
Special Agent Jason West is seconded from the FBI Art Crime Team to temporarily partner with disgraced, legendary “manhunter” Sam Kennedy when it appears that Kennedy’s most famous case, the capture and conviction of a serial killer known as The Huntsman, may actually have been a disastrous failure.
For The Huntsman is still out there… and the killing has begun again.
Let it be known that the cover bears no relation to the story other than at some point Special Agent Jason West got wet. Also, not to spoil the story but I felt sorry for the perp. His life was ruined because of some mouthy spoiled rich brat. It could have gone another way for him.
People have complained about the lack of romance but I like the fact that it’s not romance-heavy given that these agents have known each other for less than a week and didn’t even like each other at the start. I would even go so far as to say the romance was unnecessary but since this is MM, romance and sex are almost always a given. If this was a murder mystery story with FBI agents who happened to be gay and do not necessarily fall in love with each other, it would still be as enjoyable.
I am not much a fan of the partners-to-lovers trope because the agents tend to bungle up because of some stupid emotion towards their partner (see Agents Irish and Whiskey) but here, both agents kept their heads and most of their professionalism intact. And unlike Agents Irish and Whiskey, this series needs no suspension of disbelief. Both agents were competent and solved the mystery in a timely manner.
As with the other Josh Lanyon story I have read, The Mermaid Murders focused mostly on the mystery. West and Special Agent Sam Kennedy are tasked to solve the supposed copycat killings in rural Kingsfield. Kennedy had captured the Huntsman ten years ago and now there was a possibility that he either got the wrong man or the serial killer had a disciple.
Kennedy, whom almost nobody liked, was good at hunting killers. At first, he and West didn’t get along so well. Kennedy was being an asshole but West proved himself despite serial killings not being his specialty and Kennedy couldn’t help but like him. True to form, he tried to push West away. All West is asking is a date, stupid Kennedy!
I like West’s specialization. He has a Masters in Art History which he used in the Art Crime Team. I liked how he compares the things he sees to paintings. Kennedy has a past (of course he has) which he didn’t want to talk about but we’ll see on the succeeding books.
At the start, I was listening with only half my brain engaged but the story drew me in. I couldn’t exactly pinpoint which part started getting my full attention but halfway through, I was fully invested in the story. It was a good mystery. I was in the dark with who was the real killer until the last part. Then there was the creepy but intriguing doctor who hightailed it when he was being questioned. I had a feeling we will see him in the succeeding books. And the suspense! I almost couldn’t bear the tension when West was down there at the basement. I was anticipating all sorts of bad things happening to him. All I can say is, you got me there, Lanyon!
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Kinder Murder
Artist: Elvis Costello
Album: Brutal Youth(source: https://www.goodreads.com/series/169224-the-art-of-murder)
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Mad About the Hatter – Dakota Chase
This isn’t his sister’s Wonderland….
Henry never believed his older sister, Alice’s, fantastic tales about the world down the rabbit hole. When he’s whisked away to the bizarre land, his best chance for escape is to ally himself with the person called the Mad Hatter. Hatter—an odd but strangely attractive fellow—just wants to avoid execution. If that means delivering “Boy Alice” to the Queen of Hearts at her Red Castle, Hatter will do what he has to do to stay alive. It doesn’t matter if Henry and Hatter find each other intolerable. They’re stuck with each other.
Along their journey, Henry and Hatter must confront what they’ve always accepted as truth. As dislike grows into tolerance and something like friendship, the young men see the chance for a closer relationship. But Wonderland is a dangerous place, and first they have to get away with their lives.
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are all-time favorites so inevitable comparisons were made while reading this.
In terms of world-building, Dakota Chase’s Wonderland is as topsy-turvy as the original. There were sharks in trees, a land where everything was backwards, an endless desert made of sugar sand and armies of confectionery at war with each other. We meet old favorites like Caterpillar, the White Rabbit. Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Red Queen (nasty, nasty creature) and of course the Cheshire Cat who I wish had more page time. We also meet an older Alice, now a family woman, with kids named Carol and Louis (I’m sure you get that). However, the focus was mostly on the Mad Hatter.
I love Hatter’s character the most. Ever so charming, proper and maddeningly logical, he guides Henry through Wonderland all the while trying to keep them both safe and processing his feelings towards the young man. Henry was harder to like. The way he questioned everything in near hysterical voice could be tiresome and I wonder if Henry as a turn of the century British young adult would be calmer and more tolerable than Henry the modern American teenager. The romance between them was of the insta-attraction variety which was kind of OK as far as romances go but the realization of feelings was mostly from the Hatter’s side. How Henry suddenly liked the Hatter apart from the fact he found the Hatter handsome when he apparently disliked the man needs to be spelled out.
There were a lot of walking involved in this story and it would have been boring if not for all the whimsical attractions and dangers of the land AND Joel Froomkin’s, who is actually Joel Leslie, amazing voice acting skills. Everything was resolved satisfactorily when it comes to the Kingdom of Wonderland although I’m not as satisfied with Hatter and Henry’s ending, particularly Henry’s decision which, going back again to my complaint earlier, he might not feel as strongly about Hatter as Hatter does about Henry. Still it’s nice to see the Hatter fall in love and it’s almost expected that he is at the very least bisexual if not pansexual.
Overall, the author stayed faithful to the spirit of the original but added modern elements (Hatter’s reaction to motorized vehicles was hilarious) which worked somehow but was, I think, unnecessary. I consider the whole thing an enjoyable romp through familiar territory made more diverse by LGBTQAI+ leads and while it is not without its flaws, Mad About the Hatter was a good homage to the original stories.
Recommended!
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love
Soundtrack: Everything You Can Think
Artist: Tom Waits
Album: Alice(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25926238-mad-about-the-hatter)
