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Like a Gentleman – Eliot Grayson
James Rowley, penniless younger brother of an earl, discovers his rejected sensational story has been stolen and printed under another name — and he’s certain his editor is the guilty party. Determined to get his due, he sets out for London to take revenge on the perfidious L. Wells. He means to have satisfaction, even if he needs to pose as a simpering fop in a pink waistcoat to get it.
Two years before, intrigued by his favorite writer’s talent and wit, Leo Wells had visited the Rowley estate incognito, seen James’s portrait — and promptly lost what was left of his heart. Ever since, Leo has fought his obsession with his favorite writer. Unaware of the manuscript’s theft, he’s bewildered and heartbroken when James, acting the part of a sneering dandy, visits him in person only to use his obvious attraction against him.
From Gloucestershire to London to Portsmouth, can two men with society and secrets dividing them find happiness?
This is such a delightful little Regency romance debut by Eliot Grayson. Short as it is, it felt complete with all the ingredients that makes it a good historical read. Both MCs are likable and their attraction to each other was believable. The writing is in that distinct British style that I like. There seems to be hints for another book about Rowley’s friend. I’m looking forward to that.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love
Soundtrack: Lighting the Way
Artist: Superdrag
Album: In the Valley of Dying Stars(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36541135-like-a-gentleman)
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Whyborne & Griffin: Maelstrom – Jordan L. Hawk
Between his father’s sudden—and rather suspicious—generosity, and his own rash promise to help Christine plan her wedding, Percival Endicott Whyborne has quite enough to worry about. But when the donation of a mysterious codex to the Ladysmith Museum draws the attention of a murderous cult, Whyborne finds himself in a race against time to unlock its secrets first.
Griffin has a case of his own: the disappearance of an historic map, which quickly escalates to murder. Someone is sacrificing men in dark rituals—and all the clues lead back to the museum.
With their friends Christine and Iskander, Whyborne and Griffin must discover the cult’s true goal before it’s too late. For dark forces are afoot at the very heart of the museum, and they want more than Whyborne’s codex.
They want his life.
Widdershins is what it’s all about this time. The gang is back in town to face another dark cult and more Lovecraftian abominations. Christine is getting cold feet about her upcoming wedding and drives Iskander crazy. The ladies, Miss Parkhurst and Persephone, help out with the wedding plans and Miss Parkhurst gets a new crush. Whyborne is suspicious about his father’s acts of generosity while Griffin gets an odd case and of course, involves his sorcerer husband in the investigation. Various threads from previous books were picked up and followed through. There were a lot of familiar and expected elements, given that this is book 7 already but the author was able to create fresh arcs, interesting twists and power ups that kept the whole thing from getting stale. The characters continue to develop, the librarians had exciting endeavors and at the end of it all, here I am thinking Durfee & Farr should get their own story.
P.S.,
This is the last book with this kind of monotone cover. I’m going to miss this as the models really fit the W&G in my head.Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Spiral Twist
Artist: Siouxsie and the Banshees
Album:(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27799890-maelstrom)
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Whyborne & Griffin: Hoarfrost – Jordan L. Hawk
Sorcerer Percival Endicott Whyborne and his husband Griffin Flaherty have enjoyed an unprecedented stretch of peace and quiet. Unfortunately, the calm is shattered by the arrival of a package from Griffin’s brother Jack, who has uncovered a strange artifact while digging for gold in Alaska. The discovery of a previously unknown civilization could revive the career of their friend Dr. Christine Putnam—or it might kill them all, if the hints of dark sorcery surrounding the find are true.
With Christine and her fiancé Iskander, Whyborne and Griffin must journey to the farthest reaches of the arctic to stop an ancient evil from claiming the life of Griffin’s brother. But in the rough mining camp of Hoarfrost, secrets fly as thickly as the snow, and Whyborne isn’t the only sorcerer drawn by the rumors of magic. Amidst a wilderness of ice and stone, Griffin must either face his greatest fear—or lose everyone he loves.
I really enjoyed this one, especially the latter parts. Whyborne and Griffin found old enemies and unlikely allies. We also get Griffin’s POV and Whyborne meets his brother-in-law!
I have listened to an H.P. Lovecraft audiobook,
At the Mountains of Madness ,that inspired this tale. And boy, was it a mind-numbing litany of architectural details. I like the mythos but the stories themselves (the few I have read) were not that entertaining. However, Jordan L. Hawk did a good job of remaking the original into something more suspenseful, action-packed and dare I say, more entertaining. This series just keeps getting better and better. Now, I wonder what’s up with the Ladysmith librarians…
Rating:
4.5 – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Northern Lights
Artist: St. Vincent
Album: Strange Mercy(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24901214-hoarfrost)
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Kria: Bound – Megan Derr
Ingolf von Dirchs is all that remains of the royal house of Kria. The bastard son of the dead Kaiser, he barely escapes the winter palace before it is overtaken by the armies of Salhara, Kria’s oldest and bitterest enemy. In a last desperate attempt to combat Salhara’s deadly magic, Ingolf flees to the country of Illussor, there to steal the sword of a man who once betrayed Kria to side with Illussor. But stealing the sword gains him something he did not expect—the descendant of that long ago Betrayer, an intriguing man with the pale features of an Illussor but the fierce heart of a Krian…
Erich von Adolwulf is the proud descendant of the Holy General, a man who helped Illussor break free of the loathsome magic upon which they once so heavily relied… When the sword of the Holy General is stolen, Erich goes to reclaim it, and finds himself dragged into the country his ancestor once betrayed—and wanting to protect the new Kaiser of war-ravaged Kria, who stirs in him things he has not felt since the death of his lover…
I really couldn’t get myself to care about these people. The only time I perk up was whenever Beraht and Dieter were mentioned. I’m sorry but I DNF’ed this. Hopefully I’ll give this another go in the future. Or find the audiobook.
Rating:
2 Stars – it’s a struggle to finish the damn book
Soundtrack: Bite
Artist: Troye Sivan
Album: Blue Neighborhood -
REVIEW: His Quiet Agent by Ada Maria Soto
His Quiet Agent – Ada Maria Soto
Arthur Drams works for a secret government security agency, but all he really does is spend his days in a cubicle writing reports no one reads. After getting another “lateral promotion” by a supervisor who barely remembers his name, it’s suggested that Arthur try to ‘make friends’ and ‘get noticed’ in order to move up the ladder. It’s like high school all over again: his attempts to be friendly come across as awkward and creepy, and no one wants to sit at the same table with him at lunch. In a last-ditch attempt to be seen as friendly and outgoing, he decides to make friends with The Alien, aka Agent Martin Grove, known for his strange eating habits, unusual reading choices, and the fact that no one has spoken to him in three years.
Starting with a short, surprisingly interesting conversation on sociology books, Arthur slowly begins to chip away at The Alien’s walls using home-cooked meals to lure the secretive agent out of his abrasive shell. Except Martin just might be something closer to an actual secret agent than paper-pusher Arthur is, and it might be more than hearts at risk when something more than friendship begins to develop.
Please note this book has a Heat Rating of zero.
First of all, the other book model doesn’t match the character of Martin Grove. They were suppose to be both young. Sorry, I tend to be very particular about book covers.
I love this! I really love this!! Given that most MM books have lust-based attractions, this book is refreshingly lust-free. Nobody was waxing poetic about the color of the eyes, nobody was getting hard-ons about sexy this, sexy that. It was simply all about connecting heart and mind with another person without thinking you want to fuck them. It was beautiful and totally my thing.
There’s something vaguely Japanese or should I say anime-esque in the way Martin is quiet. I usually encounter a lot of characters in manga and anime who are expressionless, rarely say a word or two, don’t make grand declarations and express themselves in the most subtle expressions. Martin is a complete enigma. We are given teeny tiny glimpses of his life but he is a tough nut to crack. Even that clue at the ending gives you more questions than answers so book two please?
And then in these kinds of stories, there is usually somebody, a persistent, do-gooding type, in this case Arthur, who slowly but surely chips away the wall and win their trust. I love how Arthur kept Martin’s trust and Martin showed his trust by slowly letting him in his solitary life. Also Arthur can cook a mean Pho and kept feeding Martin Vietnamese food. Courtship by food is always a win.
I sniggered at how nosy and gossipy the secret agents are. Carol, the not so hardcore lesbian, is a delight. In her own words:
And every pretty gay boy needs a tough, hardcore lesbian in their corner and every tough lesbian needs a pretty gay boy for balance. It’s in the rule book.
This is not a book where feelings were explicitly said yet it was one of the most emotional and emotionally satisfying book I’ve read so far. I usually hate how people just casually throw words of affection around. I feel it cheapens the sentiment. Here is how it’s done by Martin:
Finally, he raised his hand and touched his fingers to his forehead. “I can give you this.” He lowered his hand and pressed the tips of his fingers to the center of his chest. “And I can give you this. But not the rest. It’s not who I am. Or what I am.”
This speaks volumes:
Arthur turned his hand around and laced their fingers together. He could feel his own heart rushing in his chest as Martin’s fingers entwined with his. Better than a fumbled kiss or faked affection. It was strong and true. And it was theirs.
Oh, happy goosebumps!
Soundtrack: Reluctant Readers Make Reluctant Lovers
Artist: Library Voices
Album: Summer of LustRating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfect(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35238838-his-quiet-agent)
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The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal – K.J. Charles
A story too secret, too terrifying—and too shockingly intimate—for Victorian eyes.
A note to the Editor
Dear Henry,
I have been Simon Feximal’s companion, assistant and chronicler for twenty years now, and during that time my Casebooks of Feximal the Ghost-Hunter have spread the reputation of this most accomplished of ghost-hunters far and wide.
You have asked me often for the tale of our first meeting, and how my association with Feximal came about. I have always declined, because it is a story too private to be truthfully recounted, and a memory too precious to be falsified. But none knows better than I that stories must be told.
So here is it, Henry, a full and accurate account of how I met Simon Feximal, which I shall leave with my solicitor to pass to you after my death.
I dare say it may not be quite what you expect.
Robert Caldwell
September 1914I said before I didn’t really care for Caldwell and Feximal’s romance when I read Remnant. I spoke too soon apparently. Going into this book, at first, I really didn’t but I gradually grew to like them both as characters and I’m happy that they are happy together. However, the beauty of this book is that it kept me hooked despite my initial apathy to the romance part. The stories are brilliant spins on British folklore interwoven with actual historical details. This is one of the delights of reading a K.J. Charles book. I always learn unfamiliar and sometimes obscure tidbits of British folklore and history that they never show on tv.
The Casebook is written as a collection of different stories each featuring a case Feximal and Caldwell worked on as well as updates on how their relationship developed and thrived. The last few stories were especially evocative. I have read Spectred Isle before this and recalling and connecting these two books stirred strong emotions.The ending was heartbreaking as well with war and all its consequences. I would choose to believe the editor’s note on Mediterranean cottages and ghostless quiet for my peace of mind. Simon and Robert deserved it.
Rating:
4.5 – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Weighty Ghost
Artist: WIntersleep
Album: Welcome to the Night Sky(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34680762-the-secret-casebook-of-simon-feximal)
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Tensorate: The Black Tides of Heaven – J.Y. Yang
Mokoya and Akeha, the twin children of the Protector, were sold to the Grand Monastery as children. While Mokoya developed her strange prophetic gift, Akeha was always the one who could see the strings that moved adults to action. While his sister received visions of what would be, Akeha realized what could be. What’s more, he saw the sickness at the heart of his mother’s Protectorate.
A rebellion is growing. The Machinists discover new levers to move the world every day, while the Tensors fight to put them down and preserve the power of the state. Unwilling to continue to play a pawn in his mother’s twisted schemes, Akeha leaves the Tensorate behind and falls in with the rebels. But every step Akeha takes towards the Machinists is a step away from his sister Mokoya. Can Akeha find peace without shattering the bond he shares with his twin sister?
I read this because the cover, by Yuko Shimizu, is really cool. Also the reviews are mostly 5 or 4 stars. My reaction echoes that of those who gave fewer stars.
This is a highly original novella that presented a world that works on nature magic to power technology, where people are genderless until they confirm their chosen gender and where matriarchy is the norm. The story follows the twins, Mokoya and Akeha from childhood, teens to adulthood. The twins were sent to a monastery as bargaining chips by their mother, the Protector. They learned to use the Slack, the magic system of the Tensorate world, which is probably similar to qi. Mokoya then revealed her prophetic gift and the twins were soon returned to the Protectorate palace. When they were almost 17, Mokoya confirmed she was a girl and the issue of gender identity was explored.This is the part of the story that was interesting and well-developed.
The second half of the story follows Akeha as he struck out on his own and got entangled with the Machinists. Here, things happened but I didn’t really care much about them because they just sort of happened and not elaborated upon. Generally, I felt the story had a lot of interesting ideas and plot threads but lacked details or follow up. I love the authenticity of having an Asian author create an Asian-based world and this book could have been up there with the great ones had the entire Tensorate world been more fleshed out.
Rating
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it
Soundtrack: Star Sign
Artist: Teenage Fanclub
Album: Bandwagonesque(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33099588-the-black-tides-of-heaven)
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REVIEW: Irregulars by Nicole Kimberling, Josh Lanyon, Ginn Hale, & Astrid Amara
Irregulars – Nicole Kimberling, Josh Lanyon, Ginn Hale, and Astrid Amara
It’s a secret international organization operating in cities on every continent. It polices relations between the earthly realm and those beyond this world, enforcing immigration laws, the transfers of magical artifacts, and crimes against humanity.
The agents who work for the NATO Irregular Affairs Division can’t tell anyone what they do, or how hard they work to keep us safe. It brings a colorful collection of men together:
Agent Henry Falk, the undead bum. Agent Keith Curry, former carnivore chef turned vegetarian; Agent Rake, Babylonian demon with a penchant for easy living; and Agent Silas August, uncompromising jerk.
Four cities, four mysteries, four times the romance. Is your security clearance high enough to read on?
Cherries Worth Getting by N. Kimberling – made me glad I am a vegetarian. Former chef Keith Curry and trans-goblin Gunther Heartman investigate contraband food items while trying in vain to keep it professional between the two of them. Nicole Kimberling sets up a world where extra-humans exists side by side with regular people and the Secrecy Act is in place. Extra-humans being vampires, goblins, fae folks and other mythical creatures from all over the world. Foodies might get an extra kick with the gourmet part.
Green Glass Beads by Josh Lanyon – a fluffy faery-demon romance that’s also a heist and an obsessive quest for family heirlooms. Sidhe politics and history were mentioned but not elaborated upon. Archer, our half faery-half human protagonist, is an intelligence but impulsive ex-terrorist and Rake is the Irregular agent tasked to investigate him. This is my first Josh Lanyon story which, I’m glad, didn’t disappoint. It’s character-driven with demon action, magic and some heartwarming moments.
No Life But This by Astrid Amara – Aztaw history and culture is fascinating and terrifying in equal measures. For a moment, I bought the whole Aztaw thing as a real Mexican mythology until I tried googling it. Silas August is a jerk who wears designer suits. Deven is both a childlike man and skilled assassin, a combination that has its own ironic appeal. This is my favorite of the bunch since it was dark, bloody and dangerous with slow build romance simmering underneath.
Things Unseen and Deadly by Ginn Hale – another sidhe story involving Half-dead Henry who was almost a century old and Jason Shamir, a young man struggling with what he thought were hallucinations. I like how this is connected with the first story and a good wrap-up of the series.
Rating:
Cherries Worth Getting – 3.5 stars
Green Glass Beads – 3.5 stars
No Life But This – 4 stars
Things Unseen and Deadly – 3 stars
Overall: 4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets
Artist: Queens of the Stone Age
Album: Rated R(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12759444-irregulars)
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Dear Mona Lisa… – Claire Davis & Al Stewart
Tom, shy office clerk by day and drawer of foxes by night wakes up one Monday knowing the most extraordinary week of his life is about to begin. In five days time a lifelong ‘secret’ will be made gloriously public—but will it mean losing the person he loves most?
Getting married…
It seems like only yesterday Tom changed nappies and sang nursery rhymes to a laughing baby. He relishes the demands of being a daddy; especially teaching his little girl to draw and paint as she grows up.
But the years tick by and times change. Long-buried secrets must come to the surface which may test even the strongest ties.Tom and Lawrence…
He writes a list of all the things he has to do before the weekend and sticks it in the middle of his wall. The names and goals hang like threads of a spider’s web, inevitably leading to the centre, and all to the same place.
Dear Mona Lisa…
How to explain?
Each morning he notes the colours of dawn, listens to the birds and waits for the perfect moment. In one hand rests the balance of life and a terrible responsibility, in the other a wedding ring. Difficult days and the past loom, but his friends rally round and one by one the words come to life.
Everyone waits as Tom finds the strength to open up and set free the secrets of his heart in a celebration of family, friendship and love.
A quirky story of modern life, set within the breathtaking landscape of Bradford.Claire Davis and Al Stewart create stories that are sweet and emotional. Dear Mona Lisa have all those feels in abundance. Why it merited two stars from me was because I struggled with the writing style. Right from the start I felt like I was dropped in the middle of a story so I was very much confused and quite frankly, bored with what Tom was talking about. From what he says, I think he has some special condition where his senses work differently (smells colours, sees animals everywhere, etc) which in itself was interesting but It took a while to figure out what was what which affected my experience with the story. However that’s just me. It clicked with most readers so ahead and give it a try.
Rating:
2 Stars – it’s a struggle to finish the damn bookSoundtrack: The Fox in the Snow
Artist: Belle & Sebastian
Album: If You’re Feeling Sinister(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35848708-dear-mona-lisa)
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Bureau: Clay White – Kim Fielding
Someone—or something—is murdering young men in San Francisco. Clay White has been fired from the Bureau of Trans-Species Affairs, but he’s determined to track down the killer. When he comes across a vampire named Marek, Clay assumes he’s caught the perp. But the encounter with Marek turns out to be more complicated than Clay expected, and it forces him to deal with his own troubled past and murky psyche. As Clay discovers, sometimes the truth doesn’t come easy—and the monsters are not who we expect.
I’m happy that Tenrael and Charles made appearances and it was great how everybody was working together.
For this installment, we get vampires. I haven’t read a vampire story in quite a while and Clay White, the story did just fine. It’s a hunt for a serial killer who left desiccated corpses so bloodsuckers were the obvious suspects. Clay White, the titular character was approached by a vampire, Marek, who offered to help him find the killer. They did find the killer or rather the killer found Clay. The rescue scene kind of just happened really fast (was all a blur to Clay) so I think the focus is really on Clay, what he is about and his transformation. The attraction between Clay and Marek was a given and there was nothing really new but Kim Fielding still managed to hold my interest. So far, this series is looking really good. Can’t wait for book three.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love
Soundtrack: Funtime
Artist: Iggy Pop
Album: The Idiot(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36316189-clay-white)
