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REVIEW: Any Old Diamonds by K.J. Charles
Lilywhite Boys: Any Old Diamonds – K.J. Charles
Lord Alexander Pyne-ffoulkes is the younger son of the Duke of Ilvar, with a bitter grudge against his wealthy father. The Duke intends to give his Duchess a priceless diamond parure on their wedding anniversary—so Alec hires a pair of jewel thieves to steal it.
The Duke’s remote castle is a difficult target, and Alec needs a way to get the thieves in. Soldier-turned-criminal Jerry Crozier has the answer: he’ll pose as a Society gentleman and become Alec’s new best friend.
But Jerry is a dangerous man: controlling, remote, and devastating. He effortlessly teases out the lonely young nobleman’s most secret desires, and soon he’s got Alec in his bed—and the palm of his hand.
Or maybe not. Because as the plot thickens, betrayals, secrets, new loves, and old evils come to light. Now the jewel thief and the aristocrat must keep up the pretence, find their way through a maze of privilege and deceit, and confront the truth of what’s between them…all without getting caught.
This is the story of the wicked thief who taught a lord to lie and how the lord undone him with his truths.
Jerry Crozier was all that was advertised and more. Controlling, remote and devastating. He is unapologetic about what or who he is. The man was as compelling as the sweet whisperings of Lucifer. Alec stood no chance of resisting.
Lord Alexander ‘Alec’ Pyne-ffoulkes has the kind of innocence that begs to be ruined. And he was very much willing to be so. His submission belies an inner strength capable of tapping into his baser nature and going against everything he loves just to get revenge. All without losing said innocence at all.
Alec gave Jerry complete control to do whatever he pleases. Jerry is a man who LOVES control. In all fairness, the whole thing was beautifully done. I’m just not a fan of BDSM so the plaything aspect wasn’t something I go for in romance stories.
It started as physical. As the story progressed, we see subtle hints of finer feelings. This was my favorite parts. The gestures were so simple, a tighter grip or a change of breath, and so casually mentioned you’d missed it if you don’t pay attention.
The story focused more on the relationship between the two main characters. The progression was flawless. Jerry taught Alec how to play the long game. All throughout, we see the master thief in control until… he wasn’t. Because Alec SAW him.
I see hints of Gabriel ‘Ash’ Ashleigh (Society of Gentlemen) in Alec. Especially in how his naivety could be so effective in making him the best kind of liar. The kind who tells the truth. This particular characteristic was masterfully put to good use all throughout the book.
The heist plotline, while secondary, was still top notch in its execution. We meet another Lilywhite Boy, Templeton Lane and private detective, Susan Lazarus. Suzy, who we first meet as a child in Sins of the City, is all grown up and ready to kick some ass. She and Temp has some pretty interesting history going on. They have their own book.
The family drama was as sordid as to be expected. According to the author, this was based on a real life couple. And since the author does not write one-dimensional characters, she even made the stepmother and Alec’s father vile yet sympathetic enough to make Alec think twice about his revenge.
The big twist! I totally didn’t see it coming. The author really outdid herself with how this particular scene was written. It was a tricky thing making us see a character from another’s perspective while still writing in the first character’s POV. The result? I was as flabbergasted by the whole thing as Jerry and Temp.
Any Old Diamonds is one of K.J. Charles best written books. The character portraits were some of the best I’ve come across with. It’s very twisty and unpredictable. And so very clever!
P.S.
The Lilywhite Boys takes place 20 years after Sins of the Cities. It is not necessary to read the earlier series to enjoy this but why miss out on meeting the deliciously devious Justin Lazarus and his friends? Sins of the Cities review here.
K.J. Charles books here.Rating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfectSoundtrack: The Long Game
Artist: Johnathan Rice
Album: The Long Game -
NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Lucas by Elna Holst (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: A Summer of Smoke and Sin by T.J. Nichols (Excerpt)
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BOOK BLITZ: Haskell Himself by Gary Seigel (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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BLOG TOUR: Merchants of Milan by Edale Lane (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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COVER REVEAL: A Summer of Smoke and Sin by T.J. Nichols (Excerpt)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Boiling Over by Thea McAlistair (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: Christmas Homecoming by L.A. Witt
The Christmas Angel: Christmas Homecoming by L.A. Witt
August 1939. Roger Miller and Jack O’Brien have been close since childhood. By the time they realize there’s more between them than friendship, Jack is leaving their sleepy Iowa town for college. But they console themselves knowing he’ll be home for Christmas. Right?
It is Christmas before they see each other again, but that Christmas comes six years and a world war later. Aged, beaten, and shaken by combat, they’re not the boys they were back then, but their feelings for each other are stronger than ever.
Neither know the words to say everything they’ve carried since that peacetime summer kiss, though. Even as they stand in the same room, there’s a thousand miles between them.
But maybe that’s some distance the little angel in Roger’s rucksack can cross.
The Christmas Angel series books are standalones and can be read in any order.
I love historical MM stories set during the wartime periods. They are especially poignant and bittersweet usually ending with me blinking back tears.
Christmas Homecoming is part of The Christmas Angel series, where a carved wooden angel worked its magic to bring people together throughout the years. This novella is the only one in the series I’ve read so far.
The story starts in 1939 when Germany was about to invade Poland. Roger and Jack were two childhood friends. Jack was about to leave town for the city. Roger was doesn’t know what to do with his life yet but he is sure that he doesn’t want to be a farmer and marry a girl.
On the day before Jack was about to leave, the two friends decided to take a swim together for the last time. That was when they realized the feelings between the two of them evolved into something else. They shared a kiss. They didn’t see each other again for 6 years.
This is a beautiful love story between two men at a time when such love was not yet accepted. It is full of yearnings and sweet stolen moments made more precious because it’s taboo. I wanted to hug them and give them their safe space.
The war tore the two men apart. L.A. Witt deftly inserted details that portrayed the life of soldiers at war-time and after. It made what would otherwise be a sweet but simplistic fairytale more complex and nuanced. The survivors had to deal with PTSD. Roger and Jack were not spared. They each carry with them complicated memories of bombs and the men who kept them company in the lonely nights. My heart went out to Oskar, the spy and Floyd, the pilot. The story did a good job drawing me to these two secondary characters who existed only in memories. I wanted their stories too.
Admittedly, the middle part did drag a bit but as the story slowly eased its way to the resolution I found myself enjoying it even more. I liked how the author gave Roger a way out of the prescribed path his parents laid out for him. I liked how they found a way to be together. I even found myself interested in the two old codgers who inspired the boys that it’s possible.
Christmas Homecoming is a touching holiday story I recommend. For a book its length, it’s filled with many interesting characters and intense emotions. It captured the small-town atmosphere, the post-war melancholy and the fervent longings of forbidden lovers. It didn’t make me cry but it did warm my heart.
P.S.
L.A. Witt books here
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To
Artist: Dinah Shore
Album: -
NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Ablaze by Elvira Bell (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: The Fall by X. Aratare
Winter Haven: The Fall – X. Aratare
Gay romance is forbidden in this 1930s gothic romantic suspense story, but a greater darkness than prejudice haunts our lovers’ steps.
When Carter Thomas discovers the elaborate clockwork door in the Dupre Mine, he seeks out Etienne Dupre, the sheltered son of the mine’s owner, for answers. Both young men have long secretly loved one another from afar.
But even as their summertime love affair flames hot and forbidden, they discover secrets about Etienne’s heritage and the dark plan Armand Dupre has in store for his son. If the door is opened then Etienne – and perhaps the world – will all be sacrificed to Armand’s lust for power.
Can Carter and Etienne stop Armand or has their fate already been written in stone?
An M/M gothic romantic suspense story for the darker months
The Fall tells of a mysterious door that was found inside a tunnel in a mine. Who made the door? What is behind it? Dare they open it?
The book is part of the extensive Winter Haven universe and contained what I have come to recognized as the author’s signature style. X. Aratare‘s stories are gothic, heavily atmospheric, and paranormal with internal dialogues that are ‘thought out loud’ rather than told to the reader. There are creepy father figures with questionable designs on their sons. The pure and innocent is juxtaposed against the worldly and dark. The delicious USTs unfold in their distinct electrifying prose. And of course, the cliffhangers are of hair-pulling intensity. These elements came together spectacularly in The Vampire’s Club, the only other series of theirs I have read.
The Fall had a more subdued effect a.k.a. I’m not as gaga over it as TVC. I wasn’t as strongly drawn to the characters. I wanted something more from the story and I was left hanging over Carter and Etienne’s future.
Etienne is the only son of the Dupre family with bloodlines that could be traced back to royal families from his late mother’s side. His circumstances, being an asthmatic, was limiting in many of ways. He was confined to the house, under the strict watch of his father, Armand. It did not leave much for him to do so character-wise it was hard not to see him as nothing more than sweet and pretty. He wasn’t totally helpless. He was always curious and eager to escape to the wider world but when he finally learned his true nature and was only starting to spread his wings, the story ended. Tsk!
Carter had more freedom so he was more-fleshed out. He was the head miner in the Dupre mine. He had a strong sense of responsibility. He cared for the welfare of his fellow miners. Even if he was poor, he was educated and dreamt of becoming an archaeologist. Armand trusted him and treated him with a measure of respect. Carter is a great seme. He’s gentle, caring and protective but he’s not the most memorable character in the Winter Haven line-up.
Armand Dupre is Etienne’s always impeccably dressed father. By most accounts, he’s a good boss who paid his miners well. By all appearances, he is a devoted father who made sure his sickly son is well-cared for. His real obsession is power. So much so that he studied the occult. And was willing to sacrifice his son.
Armand had the uncanny ability to tell what Carter and Etienne are thinking. I suspect he really can read minds. In terms of evilness, nurturing a progeny as a sacrifice to The Unnamed One is up there on the scale but then again, he gave subtle hints and tacit approval that the two young men should get on with it and I was close to liking the guy.
A huge chunk of the story is Cartier and Etienne’s courtship and forbidden romance with nothing to stop them except society’s disapproval. It was all very sweet and touching. It was nothing I haven’t seen before. Except that the author has a way with words and could ignite sparks out of a simple conversation on a porch swing like no one else. I liked that their writing is sensual rather than sexual, focusing on the eliciting squees rather than stirring up lust.
The door and what lies behind it ties the story to the greater universe. Carter is trapped inside. Etienne’s fate is much worse than dying young. Armand lays his soul bare or… does he?
A Faustian bargain is struck.
At what price?
What happens when He comes calling?
We’ll never know unless you pick up the other books which are not about them anymore.
They were told to go to Winter Haven to be with Etienne’s kind and we are told the general outline of their future. Then it ended with Carter and Etienne riding off towards the sunset. I was left in the dust gaping like a fool.
THAT’S IT?!!! (ﾉ`□´)ﾉ⌒┻━┻
P.S.
The Vampire’s Club books here
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Pet
Artist: A Perfect Circle
Album: Thirteen Step
