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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 -
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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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)
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Whyborne & Griffin: Draakenwood – Jordan L. Hawk
Someone is killing members of the old families…and the evidence points to Whyborne.
Widdershins has been unusually quiet for months. But now a mysterious creature from the Outside is on the loose, assassinating members of the town’s old families by draining their blood. Whyborne and Griffin set out to solve the mystery—but as the evidence piles up, the police begin to suspect Whyborne himself is the murderer.
Now Whyborne must both clear his name and stop the horrors the monster threatens to unleash. His only hope: an alliance with his old enemies the Endicotts.
Because something terrible lurks in the Draakenwood, and it will stop at nothing to seize control of the maelstrom itself.
Draakenwood is the ninth book in the Whyborne & Griffin series, where magic, mystery, and m/m romance collide with Victorian era America.
Niles apparently likes giving Griffin gifts. That Niles accepts Griffin as Whyborne’s husband and treats him as such are major points in his favor and I’m glad he and Whyborne are getting along albeit grudgingly.
Miss Parkhurst and Persephone’s relationship was finally revealed to Whyborne and it is one of the funniest scenes in the book. That Miss Parkhurst finally had major page time was long overdue and well-deserved.
Detective Tilton is another recurring character I like. That he knows how things work in Widdershins and what’s going on between Whyborne and Griffin but kept it to himself makes him a good ally.
Iskander meets somebody who has connections with his mother. That he had to have a fight about it with Christine was a pity but I’m glad that he, like Griffin, found a true home and family.
Whyborne and Persephone work in tandem to do some awesome mindblowing magic. That it was Stanford who…, well…why is it always Stanford?
Draakenwood gripped me from the start. I really like it when the focus is Widdershins and I have always been curious about the Old Families. Here, the Fidelus plot was continued and Endicott cousins show up. Personally I’m hoping these long awaited masters would make their appearance already. But, as expected of the series, we’re in for a lot of action and nail biting moments in between moments of romance and comedy. This is already book 9 and I’m still as excited about this series as I was when I started. That it ended with a cliffhanger promises of more W&G goodness to come.
Rating
4.5 – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Bad Blood
Artist: Royal Trux
Album:(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33506227-draakenwood)
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Whyborne & Griffin: Fallow – Jordan L. Hawk
When Griffin’s past collides with his present, will it cost the lives of everyone he loves?
Between the threat of a world-ending invasion from the Outside and unwelcome revelations about his own nature, Percival Endicott Whyborne is under a great deal of strain. His husband, Griffin Flaherty, wants to help—but how can he, when Whyborne won’t tell him what’s wrong?
When a man from Griffin’s past murders a sorcerer, the situation grows even more dire. Once a simple farmer from Griffin’s hometown of Fallow, the assassin now bears a terrifying magical corruption, one whose nature even Whyborne can’t explain.
To keep Griffin’s estranged mother safe, they must travel to a dying town in Kansas. But as drought withers the crops of Fallow, a sinister cult sinks its roots deep into the arid soil. And if the cult’s foul harvest isn’t stopped in time, Fallow will be only the first city to fall.
Fallow is the eighth book in the Whyborne & Griffin series, where magic, mystery, and m/m romance collide with Victorian era America.
Hmm…I don’t know. This is Griffin’s story and it’s about time he got his closure but I feel this might be the weakest installment of the series. All the usual patterns were there, like Whyborne being overly dramatic about his relationship with Griffin, (Good gad man, your husband already declared he would rather watch the world burn than leave you so stop being so damn insecure!), bad sorcerers popping up, monsters wreaking havoc and mayhem and traitorous relatives. I think by this time our foursome should have learned their lessons already. However, this book still moved the overarching plot forward with the Fidelus making their move, Griffin facing his past, talking it out with his Ma and putting it all behind him. There’s pain and sadness at the parting but there a lot of happiness too, because he found his true home and family.
“I’d been at my very worst. My lowest point; hurt and fractured, my nights shattered by terrifying fits. Wounded, body and soul.And that was when it chose me. Because in whatever inhuman way the maelstrom perceived the world, it saw worth in me even then. Even when no one else had.”
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: I Have Made Mistakes
Artist: The Oh Hellos
Album: Through the Deep, Dark Valley(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30962644-fallow)
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The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue – Mackenzi Lee
Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.
But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
With a title and cover like that, how can I resist? Right off that bat, I know it was going to be a fun, lighthearted read with adventure and laughter and kissing at the end. And indeed it is.
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is about Monty, his sister Felicity and his best friend Percy and their Grand Tour gone awry (to be expected because Monty). Feckless is a word I learned recently and it is something that can be used to describe Monty, along with fun-loving and not the brightest spark in the room. Monty’s sister Felicity can throw a better punch than him. Probably the only things we can commend him on are his indecent supply of good looks and that he really does love Percy with all the love his silly little heart can give. Felicity is the nose-buried-in-a-book/can-do-anything type aka the smarter one and Percy is a music loving, well-mannered guy whose darker looks makes him a bit more circumspect with his behavior compared to his more reckless best friend.
If this was a movie, the visual style, storytelling and soundtrack might be something like what Sofia Coppola did with Marie Antoinette. Not entirely accurate but still gives a good sense of time, place and mood. This would also have been a solid 5-star book had it been a little more concise but I felt it was stretched out a tad too long like the author felt the trio had to have as many misadventures and go to as many places as possible before resolving everything.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked itSoundtrack: City of Culture
Artist: Slow Riot
Album:(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29283884-the-gentleman-s-guide-to-vice-and-virtue)
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Whyborne & Griffin: Eidolon – Jordan L. Hawk
Griffin Flaherty wants nothing more than to create a perfect Valentine’s Day for his lover, Dr. Percival Endicott Whyborne. Dinner at a fancy restaurant, an evening at the theater, and a romantic interlude at home should do the trick.
But a new client with an urgent case puts Griffin’s plans in jeopardy. A magic talisman has been stolen, and if it isn’t returned by sundown, it may unleash disaster not only on the thief but the innocents around him.
Can Whyborne and Griffin track down the thief and return the amulet by nightfall, or will dinner reservations become the least of their worries?
I had to google the title. According to Wiki;
In ancient Greek literature, an eidolon (plural: eidola or eidolons) is a spirit-image of a living or dead person; a shade or phantom look-alike of the human form.
I love how Widdershins is full of creepy, old rich families. I love how this short story had all the usual W&G fare we love in condensed form. Most of all, I am ecstatic that this is from Griffin’s point of view and we can see how deeply he loves his Ival.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits
Soundtrack: Love to Get Used
Artist: Matt Pond PA
Album: Spring Fools(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20559250-eidolon)
