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Fence #5 – C.S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad
Seiji’s calm is badly rattled over a lost match and his mysterious past begins to come out.
In this fight, I’m team Seiji but I must admit Aidan made the
devioussmart moves. Damn him and his mind games!P.S.
Seiji’s mysterious past?!! OH, YES!Rating
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits
Soundtrack: Under Easy
Artist: The Posies
Album: Failure(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38312083-fence-5)
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Murder Takes the High Road – Josh Lanyon
From award-winning male/male author Josh Lanyon: a librarian finds himself in a plot right out of one of his favorite mystery novels
Librarian Carter Matheson is determined to enjoy himself on a Scottish bus tour for fans of mystery author Dame Vanessa Rayburn. Sure, his ex, Trevor, will also be on the trip with his new boyfriend, leaving Carter to share a room with a stranger, but he can’t pass up a chance to meet his favorite author.
Carter’s roommate turns out to be John Knight, a figure as mysterious as any character from Vanessa’s books. His strange affect and nighttime wanderings make Carter suspicious. When a fellow traveler’s death sparks rumors of foul play, Carter is left wondering if there’s anyone on the tour he can trust.
Drawn into the intrigue, Carter searches for answers, trying to fend off his growing attraction toward John. As unexplained tragedies continue, the whole tour must face the fact that there may be a murderer in their midst—but who?
This book is approximately 60,000 words.
I would love to go on a ‘Tour to Die for’ across Scotland! Explore old castles, find hidden panels and trap doors, see a headless ghost or two. If ever I do save enough money to go on a trip abroad, I’d make pilgrimages to anime sites in Japan or literary settings in the UK. I hope K.J. Charles does a book tour or maybe Jordan L. Hawk. I wish Widdershin’s a real place.
Murder Takes the High Road is an Agatha Christie-flavored mystery that I couldn’t stop listening to. Poor Carter Matheson, a librarian who had to endure his ex, Trevor and Trevor’s new boyfriend, Vans, in a group tour for fans of Dame Vanessa Rayburn. Carter meets the rest of the fans among them John Knight, who turned out to join the tour for some vague reason and who was not really a fan. Carter and John were roommates and they clicked really well. I liked their easy-going camaraderie and friendly banter.
Trevor was being an ass and a drama queen. He was probably the most annoying member of the group. I was as exasperated as Carter at the fact that Trevor kept making it sound like Carter was the one who was trying to win him back. Me, I was just relieved Carter had moved on to better things (or in this case, better man) already.
Dame Vanessa Rayburn is a very interesting woman. Killed her boyfriend at 15, served jail time then went on to become a best selling novelist with an OBE to boot. She lives in an old castle in an island. The tour was in her honor and it is said that somebody died on the previous tour and then, somebody actually died on the tour that Carter was in. Nobody noticed anything except Carter who felt the itch to investigate. He was no Poirot but he did figure everything out.
I liked how the author didn’t push the romance too far beyond what is plausible for two people who were together for only a couple of days. It was the mystery that took center stage. I find the mystery within a mystery clever but the big reveal was somehow anti-climactic. Maybe I was expecting it to be more shocking but the suspects were already obvious since they stick out too much. There was one slightly sour note when John was being a killjoy and found the game a bit too much but for me, I think it was a genius idea for a themed tour. I got John’s point about Vanessa and she got what she deserved at the end.The book ended on a hopeful note and we can imagine Carter and John taking another trip across the Scottish Isles. Good riddance to Trevor.
This is my first full-length Josh Lanyon novel. I really liked it. It’s a great mix of romance and mystery. The romance might not be the all out passionate romance that most people seem to like but I really liked Carter and John’s natural chemistry. I think this is the kind of relationship that last. The mystery might not be as mind-boggling as the best ones out there but it has enough twists and turns to keep one from being bored. However with that ending, we need a sequel or an epilogue that would wrap things up in a neat, tidy bow.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits
Soundtrack: Watching the Detectives
Artist: Elvis Costello
Album: My Aim is True(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25825973-murder-takes-the-high-road)
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Speechless: The Gig – Kim Fielding
An accident in Drew Clifton’s past left the former novelist with aphasia, unable to communicate through either speech or writing. Through sheer strength of will, he built a quiet but lonely life for himself. But now he’s fallen in love with Travis Miller.
Travis has his own issues—a permanent eye injury and unemployment. But he’s determined to help Drew find ways to engage and succeed again in the wider world, and a guitar-playing gig at a local coffeehouse seems like a good start.
Dylan Warner and Chris Nock happen to be in the audience that evening, and they have a few niggling problems of their own. Perhaps a chance meeting will provide solutions that might benefit all of them.
Another glimpse of Drew and Travis, this time with a shout out to The Clash. It’s great catching up with them as they go about Drew’s big night. Travis has scored Drew a gig at a cafe and Drew finally get to perform in public for the first time. He was understandably quite nervous and Travis ever so supportive, was there to cheer him on.
This is so warm and fuzzy!
Their story is an inspiration to anyone whose partner has a disability.
It perfectly captured how the couple are so attuned to each other. Each glance or quirk of an eyebrow convey so much emotions. It tackled Travis’ unemployment insecurities which I think was solved a little too neatly but hey, I’m just happy for him. It also highlighted Drew’s amazing guitar playing skills and what music means to him.
The thing about Drew’s playing was that after a while you stopped noticing that he wasn’t singing because the notes he played became his words. Travis didn’t know the lyrics to all the songs Drew played. He wasn’t even sure all of them had lyrics. But he had no problem at all understanding what thoughts and emotions Drew was conveying as he strummed each tune.
It was such a heartwarming moment when Drew finally came out of his shell and this whole new world of possibilities opened up for him and Travis. I think the ending left some openings for more. I hope Kim Fielding expands the Speechless world. I don’t mind the crossover with the Bones couple.
It was nice meeting Dylan and Chris. Now I am intrigued by their story as was Travis. I was chuckling at how nosy Travis was when he saw Dylan and Chris. He was really making an effort to eavesdrop. Little did he know Dylan has a very good hearing. Well, tables turned, but in a good way.
P.S.
I want Drew’s record collection!.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Love Song
Artist: The Damned
Album: Machine Gun Etiquette(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17877356-the-gig)
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Lavender: In the Kill – K. Sterling
Sage Bradley wants to make the world a better place. He’s handsome, smart, wealthy, a talented artist and always follows his heart. Unfortunately, someone wants him dead. Fate brings a mysterious man to Sage’s door and a romantic night turns into a tangled web of passion and danger.
Sage Bradley, a serial do-gooder, has a hit on him. Lavender, top assassin, was sent to kill him but fortunately or unfortunately succumbed to his charms. They had a romantic night together but the morning after brings another assassin set to do what Lavender failed to do. Lavender shot the assassin and then he and Sage had to hide while Lavender tried to find out who set up Sage as a target.
True, the characters are too good to be true, slightly cutesy with improbable names. True, Lavender was wasting precious time doing the hanky panky with Sage rather than doing his job. True, I preferred Lavender to Jeremy but I could live with all of that and still have a good time with the book until 80% of the story when Sage started acting like a childish, hypocritical, spoil brat and being generally useless most of the time.
I am supposed to like Sage. I mean who can hate a pure-hearted, beautiful man who helps homeless children, knits bonnets for the elderly and gives a cat CPR? And I did like him at first then he started being helpless and useless and naive on top of not being able to accept Lavender for what he is despite Lavender doing all he could to keep Sage not only alive but happy. That was sooo annoying. It got to the point where I thought Reginald might have been a better match for Lavender. I think it kind of went downhill when Jeremy came into the picture.
Lavender is obviously my favorite character here. A high functioning sociopath who wears the sharpest suits around. Lovely! I didn’t like the part where he had to retire to be a better man for Sage. That’s like killing (no pun intended)
a part of himself. His new job was great but just be Lavender please!
I enjoyed Lavender and Chief West’s interaction and I want to see more of West and Aidan in the next books. To be a fly in the wall at their dinner double date!
If we remove all the boring exchange of body fluids, things do happened fast and the bonanza of dead bodies at the climax showed how truly bad-ass Lavender could be. I just wished he shot Sage too and end things like in Blood Stained Tea. But of course Sage got his Jeremy in the end and all is well until the next book.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: I Want to Protect You
Artist: Eels
Album: Useless Trinkets(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32812134-in-the-kill)
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The Fortune Hunter – Bonnie Dee
A man with nothing finds everything.
Abandoned at birth, WWI veteran Hal Stanton faces bleak employment prospects in post-war London. Desperation spurs him to reinvent himself to hook a wealthy wife, one he will be devoted to even if he feels no real passion. But when he meets his fiance’s cousin, Julian Needham, it’s all he can do to keep his heart in check and his eye on the prize.
From the moment he’s introduced to the charming stranger Margaret plans to marry, Julian suspects the man’s motives yet fights a relentless attraction. He’s determined to reveal Hal as a fraud but must handle the matter delicately to protect his sweet cousin’s feelings. A weekend at the family estate should allow time and opportunity for him to expose Halstead Wiley.
Even as the men match wits in a battle of attempted unmasking, powerful sexual attraction threatens to overcome them both and win the day. Can a true love connection possibly grow between these adversaries without destroying lives and loved ones?
In a story involving gold diggers and love triangles, you are bound to end up hating one of the characters. Fortunately, Bonnie Dee writes people well. Julian and Hal were both flawed but still, essentially, have good intentions. The woman, Margaret, is intelligent, sweet and ahead of her time.
The story starts with Margaret introducing Hal to the Needham family as her fiance. Julian suspects Hal to be a gold digger and sets about trying to unmask him but of course, they couldn’t help but like each other and tentatively tried to get along for Margaret’s sake. Bonnie Dee did a great job keeping the undercurrent of attraction and deeper connection simmering underneath their truce. I felt sorry for Hal. He just wanted to have a better life. And after Margaret’s decision, he was in an even sorrier state. Julian’s effort to find Hal and their reunion was all I could ever asked for.
When I began reading, I found the first quarter a bit slow and stopped for a couple of weeks. However I was glad I picked it up again because I enjoyed Hal and Julian bonding in the library. That joke about an angel visiting an orphan boy got me laughing. I like that Hal and Julian are both good friends and lovers. Margaret’s fate was predictable but still satisfying. I’m glad she found her perfect match.
Extra points for the the post-WWI setting and how the author was able to easily transport me to this time period. It’s rarely featured in MM books. It was the time when the upper class way of life started to change. There were less money and less servants. The manor upkeep was hard and the landed gentry turn to tourism to keep up with the cost. They also had to keep up with the times by installing telephones, modern plumbing and electricity. Old guards might balk at this but the more practical ones knew they had to make changes. I would have loved a tour of Julian’s family estate. I have always loved old houses and visiting a house with a name is always a treat. Especially if Hal’s hosting the tour.
Again, The Fortune Hunter might start slow and the characters might be unlikable but it would gradually draw you in and you’ll end up rooting for Julian and Hal. Highly recommended!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits
Soundtrack: Shame and Fortune
Artist: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Album: It’s Blitz!(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36988262-the-fortune-hunter)
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Nobody’s Butterfly – Claire Davis & Al Stewart
Cobweb ghosts are so inconvenient—especially grumpy ones with bad breath. Don’t they know silence is golden?
Johnny Strong is the expert; he hasn’t spoken in two years. Not one word to anyone except the ghost. The main purpose of life is to avoid people and not get noticed. Friends? He doesn’t need them; and certainly nobody wants him despite what the ghost says.
Until a new boy appears at Windybank—Finn Lyons, teenage wizard. He eats frogs, concocts potions, and is always hungry. Not only does Finn stand up for Johnny; he actively seeks his company and soon becomes part of life.
First love; family and words; a heady mix to go in the potion but how will it all turn out?Hubble bubble; Johnny Strong’s in trouble! Silence is not always golden in this sweet, zany story of the purest magic at Christmas
Quintessential Claire Davis & Al Stewart: an oh so fluffy mix of sweet, cute and mental disorder!
Like most CD & AS stories, Nobody’s Butterfly starts a bit cryptically, letting you wonder about the setting, why the characters are the way the are and then you have to figure out the special names, metaphors and whatever mental issues the MCs have. This could either be confusing and exasperating like in Dear Mona Lisa or poetic and magical as done brilliantly in this story.
Everything’s endearingly pure and adorably quirky despite all the bad experiences Johnny and Finn experienced. Johnny Strong has not spoken for two years for reasons not explicitly explained but he talks to the ghost in the cobweb at his window. Enter Finn Lyons, who claims to be his wizard and seems to understand what Johnny was saying silently. Finn can cast magic spells that makes Johnny’s worries disappear.
You’re the seeker,” Finn burped. “And I am your finder. But, of course, you already know that.”
Finn drags the reluctant but not really Johnny on quests and adventures. The two boys just connected so beautifully and comfortably, it was warm and fuzzy all over. But Johnny was afraid that Finn would go away soon. That explosive scene where Johnny finally let it all out because he was thought they were sending Finn away was just the definition of heart wrenching.
“NO! And if you send him back there, you might as well kill me too. No.” The rant ended as more of a cry of pain than a shout. “I’ve thrown the suitcases away and flushed the door key down the toilet. I’ll sit in front of the door and you’ll have to get a crane to move me because you’re not taking my boyfriend. NO—no—no—no—no. I’ll call the police and the BBC and tell them.”
“Johnny Strong,” Finn whispered into Johnny’s hair. He pulled back to wipe his face but more tears burst out. Johnny forgot about Greg and Anna. He nudged Finn’s nose with his own, and that led into a long, teary kiss, one he would remember for the rest of his life.This has a lot of similarities to Shut Your Face, Anthony Pace! which in my opinion is the duo’s best story (and an all-time favorite of mine). It’s also magical and reads like a fairy tale of sorts, the kind where poor orphans are abandoned in the care of big bad caretakers. But here, the villains are not really bad, just human. It’s a very moving and poignant tale of friendship, coming of age, finding connections and overcoming darkness. It tells us to believe, hope and love. It leaves us a message that
People don’t have to be perfect to be lovely.
I definitely recommend this!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Amongst Butterflies
Artist: Paul Weller
Album: Paul Weller(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36631025-nobody-s-butterfly)
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The Community: Oversight – Santino Hassell
Spoiler Alert! The following blurb contains spoilers for Insight, book one of The Community.
Holden Payne has it all … or so he thinks. As heir to the founder of the Community—an organization that finds, protects, and manages psychics—he’s rich, powerful, and treated like royalty. But after a series of disappearances and murders rock the Community, he’s branded the fall guy for the scandal and saddled with a babysitter.
Sixtus Rossi is a broad-shouldered, tattooed lumbersexual with a man-bun and a steely gaze. He’s also an Invulnerable—supposedly impervious to both psychic abilities and Holden’s charms. It’s a claim Holden takes as a challenge. Especially if sleeping with Six may help him learn whether the Community had more to do with the disappearances than they claimed.
As Holden uncovers the truth, he also finds himself getting in deep with the man sent to watch him. His plan to seduce Six for information leads to a connection so intense that some of Six’s shields come crashing down. And with that comes a frightening realization: Holden has to either stand by the Community that has given him everything, or abandon his old life to protect the people he loves.
Last we know of Holden, he left a cut-off message on Nate’s voicemail begging for help to look for Chase. Oversight covers the aftermath of the Evolution debacle and after Nate and Trent left. Holden was assigned a handler by his father. The handler was Sixtus, a former juvenile delinquent psychic turn security guard for The Farm. Six was an Invulnerable, a psychic with an impenetrable shield, placed in the position of Holden’s babysitter as he was supposedly immune to psychic influence and seduction. Well, we all know where this is going.
I could definitely say this is a much better book than Insight. First, there were less info-dumping and more character development.
On the surface, Holden seems to be a typical privileged rich man’s son but he proved to be smarter than he looks.
As he realized the less than savory side of the CW, he struggled to reconcile what he know of The Farm and The Com and the reality of everything. Nonetheless, it was clear from the start that his heart was in the right place even if he didn’t know it until Six told him. Six was an enigma at first and
I didn’t know how Holden and Six’s combination would work but Holden’s a seductive little bastard and Six has a secret connection to Holden so it did, quite magnificently.
The pacing was fast and the writing was tight. The only let down was at the rescue scenes where I felt they were talking too much it was a wonder they didn’t all get caught. That and there was not much super power action.
With Santino Hassell dropping X-men references here and there, I am still hoping for an epic psychic vs psychic showdown. Come on, don’t waste all that cool superpowers, Santino. Jasper, the super villain did make an appearance. The dude just ooze so much evil he left a cold blast of arctic winds in his wake. I also think Greg Bordeaux knocked it again out of the park with his narration, especially that short scene with Chase.
Oversight was a well-written take on psychics and a vast improvement on the first book. It ended with a typical book 2 cliffhanger but has nonetheless a nicely resolved conclusion. I think this is why people love Santino Hassell in general and The Community series in particular. Highly recommended!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Reflections
Artist: Cast
Album: All Change(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30364801-oversight)
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Fence #4 – C.S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad
Nicholas begins to overthink everything as he struggles to prove he deserves his place at Kings Row.
Poor Nicolas!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits
Soundtrack: To Darkness
Artist: Mumford & Songs, Laura Marling & Dharohar Project
Album:(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38090191-fence-4)
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Return on Investment – Aleksandr Voinov
Martin David, an eager but inexperienced financial analyst, is the newest member of the investment team at Skeiron Capital Partners in London. His boss is an avowed financial genius, but he’s also overbearing and intense. Despite his erratic behaviour, Martin can’t help being drawn to him both professionally and personally.
Too bad his boss doesn’t seem to feel the same. In a firm where pedigree and connections mean far more than Martin’s newly-minted business degree, Martin feels desperately inadequate—at least until he meets the enigmatic investment manager Alec Berger, who promises to help Martin establish himself in the financial community. Martin is so charmed by Alec’s sophistication and wit that he gives him data that should have stayed confidential.
Then the financial crisis hits. Banks burn, companies teeter on the brink, and Skeiron’s survival is at stake. Martin is pushed into the middle of the fight for Skeiron—against both the tanking economy and a ruthless enemy who’s stepped out of the shadows to collect the spoils.
Return on Investment is the new gay financial thriller from EPIC Award winner and Lambda Award finalist Aleksandr Voinov.
This book comes with a warning. According to author, Aleksandr Voinov:
Just a PSA – this is not a traditional romance, m/m or other. I’d describe it as part coming-of-age, part financial thriller (yes, quite a few scenes involving the office, deals, finance talk, etc), and love story. The love story is not the main thing going on, and the main character spends quite a bit of time/quite a few nights with other people.
Duly noted. And with that, I had to tread carefully and keep an open mind lest my biases get the better of me.
One of my guilty pleasures is reading about rich people. Not the Hollywood celebrity or rock star kind of rich but the upper 1% old rich kind of rich. And nothing says old rich as that scene where Alec was enlightening Martin to the merits of bespoke shaving equipment. Apparently, fancy Gillette triple blades has nothing on Sheffield steel single blade razors with handles in production since 1930s.
Return on Investment has three main players, Alec Berger, the consummate charmer whose job title I forgot (broker?, investment manager?), Martin David, the young and slightly naive number cruncher and Francis de Bracy, Martin’s workaholic boss with whom he had a crush on. Voinov did a very convincing job with Alec’s character, he actually got me thinking that hey, Alec seems alright, nice even. I was as gullible as Martin. I liked Martin, he seems genuinely nice, he gets along with everyone and he had it bad for his boss. I wasn’t comfortable with Martin sleeping with other people since he likes Francis but I guess that is more realistic than expecting a healthy, active gay guy to live a celibate life. Francis is an enigmatic, overbearing financial genius who is also, very, very unexpectedly, a religious/spiritual man. Even if the book is from Martin’s POV, he dominated the books and right up to the end, we know very little of Francis de Bracy apart from his work. I heard book 2 would remedy that.
Is there a love triangle? Well, Martin did sleep with a lot of people, each helping him little by little to become the man he is. Martin’s time with Alec was physical, hedonistic. In contrast, the connection between Martin and Francis was on a purer, more spiritual level. I felt it was a very understated romance, understated in a way the truly elite is understated.
“Can I want you?” Martin asked—a thought spoken aloud.
The reader, like Martin, is then left craving for an ounce of affection, a tiny nod of acknowledgement from the mighty Francis de Bracy until that big moment when Martin could no longer take it. Of course, Francis true to form, the reply was strictly business
Francis stood close without touching, simply holding his gaze, but Martin maintained eye contact, even if it made him breathless. “I need to know whether you’ll be with or against me.”
“About what? The restructuring?”
“That, too.” Francis didn’t explain further, merely stood there, magnetic, towering. “I need a commitment from you.”
“I am committed. I’ve been fucking committed all this time. I was there sorting out your companies; I started a fight in a hotel for you. I’ve been here. Waiting.” Martin struggled to breathe or to swallow. “Waiting for Francis de Bracy to be there and touch me like you did and maybe even stay around after fucking me. All this time I wanted to be worth it, wanted to be more than the stupid kid you’re teaching how to work hard, and then harder still, until I have no life left and can’t think of anything else but whether I’m good enough for you. It bloody hurts, Francis. It bloody fucking hurts wanting you so much, but loving you is even worse, because I have no idea how to deal with that. All the fucking time I want you to be there and I want to hold you and I’m fucking scared to touch you because you could give me that famous de Bracy stare that makes me into nothing. I cease to exist. I just do. I’m not even there, but I can’t help it. All I can do is to wait and hope and deal with that pain. That’s it. That’s my commitment. Is that worth anything?”
“It’s worth a Partnership in my firm.” Francis said it with a little smile that would have been infuriating if it had not been so tender.I don’t know what to make of the book. It’s was certainly not romance focused, most of it were talks about equity, hedges and other financial jargon I couldn’t understand (nor could I explain what it is about, something to do with banks dying and hostile takeovers which is as nasty as it sounds) but I kept on listening anyway. I was riveted to the story and if that’s not a testament to how good a story teller Aleksandr Voinov is, I don’t know what is.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Changes
Artist: David Bowie
Album: Hunky Dory(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22720162-return-on-investment)
