These Old Shades (1926) Georgette Heyer Set in England and France in the mid 1750s. The Duke of Avon has well-earned his nickname of Satanas. ‘And you came to Paris with a fortune.’ ‘Quite a considerable one. I bought this house.’ ‘Yes. I wonder how you reconcile it with your soul?’ ‘I haven’t one, Hugh. […]
The Weddings (2019) Alexander Chee (Inheritance collection) Let me be clear: this is not a romance. Jack Cho never quite expected gay marriage to become legal, so he’s not quite sure how to navigate them–especially with a relatively new boyfriend. Now that he was going to weddings, he had become aware there was an etiquette […]
Heartless (2011) Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate) Set in Alternate London in 1874 OK. Fine. Whatever. I finished it. Alexia is about to have her baby any minute now, and the vampires are still trying to kill her. So the solution everyone comes up with: the baby with be adopted by Lord Akeldama. And Alexia and […]
Changeless (2010) Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate) Set in alternate England and Scotland in the 1873 I read this when it was published, and the only thing I remembered was the ending, and how extraordinarily angry it made me. So angry, I didn’t read another book by Gail Carriger for years. Alexia is now married to […]
Fire Water (2015) Jaye Wells (Prospero’s War) This is a short story prequel to the Prospero’s War series. Prospero is finishing up at the academy, her final week of shadowing. She’s also trying to find a new place for her and her little brother to move into, which is possibly harder than finishing the police […]
Open for Business (2016) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations) Gods are real. They’ve always been around. You just never guessed that mogul was actually the god of thieves or that an agent of chaos now runs the local funeral parlor. Hades has been sued for divorce. Persephone wants to be her own woman, live her own […]
Candy Hearts (2000) Erin McLellan (So Over the Holidays) If you’re read this blog for more than a handful of months, you know that casual sex doesn’t work for my in stories. It’s a me thing, and I’m ok with that. But I’ve been struggling, and needed something that was over-the-top sweet, and remembered this […]
Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders (2019) Tessa Arlen (A Woman of WWII Mystery) Set in England 1942 Poppy Redfern trained to become ARP (Air Raid Precautions) Warden for the the village of Little Buffenden. She likes being able to help out and do her part for the war–especially now the Americans have entered the […]
An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good (2018) Helene Tursten translated by Marlaine Delargy “An Elderly Lady Has Accommodation Problems” (2013) “An Elderly Lady on Her Travels” (2013) “An Elderly Lady Seeks Peace at Christmastime” (2007) “The Antique Dealer’s Death” (2018) “An Elderly Lady Is Faced with a Difficult Dilemma” (2018) Maud is 88 […]
A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder (2019) Dianne Freeman (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery) Set in London in 1899. I have officially decided this series is delightful. I leaned toward her as we walked out. “Very well done, dear. But a ranch in Brooklyn? What were you thinking?” She released a merry laugh. “That […]
A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder (2018) Dianne Freeman (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery) Set in England in 1899 Frances Wynn, Countess of Harleigh, is finally done with her mourning and is more than ready to move on with her life. When her husband died a year ago, he managed to be an even […]
The Remaking of Corbin Wale (2017) Roan Parrish Alex Barrow broke up with his boyfriend and lost his job so he has headed back to Ann Arbor and taken over his parent’s coffee shop–turning it into his dream bakery. The best bakeries had a cohesive vision. You didn’t want a counter selling bran muffins next […]
Heathen Volume 3 (2020) Natasha Alterici, Ashley A. Woods Aydis has entered the lands of the gods, searching for Odin. But Odin, angered by Aydis’ brash demands and actions, wants revenge against her, and will take it out in her people. Some of those she has met along the way are also journeying–some towards her […]
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter (2019) Alexis Hall Captain John Wyndham has returned to the city of Khelathra-Ven after five years of war. He needs rooms, but anything nice is beyond what he can afford–until he sees a posting. Co-tenant required. Rent reasonable to the point of arousing suspicion. Tolerance for blasphemies against nature […]
Valor: Swords (2015) edited by Isabelle Melançon and Megan Lavey-Heaton Fairy tales do not inform children that there is such things as monsters. Children already know that there are monsters. What fairy tales really teach is that monsters can be transformed or destroyed. “Prunella” By Isabelle Melançon And Megan Lavey-Heaton “Little Fish” By Emily Hann […]
Real Men Knit (2020) Kwana Jackson I absolutely love the idea of this story. Four young men take over their mother’s knitting store after she dies unexpectedly. That is a fantastic premise and I adore it to death. Sadly, I didn’t love it’s execution. First thing I didn’t enjoy was on me: Jesse is a […]
Glass Tidings (2016) Amy Jo Cousins Eddie Rodrigues is back on the road, heading to Texas–like he should have in the first place. But a breakdown and then witnessing a hit and run leaves him stuck in the small town of Clear Lake, an unwelcome guest of a man who owns a Christmas shop. Grayson […]
Boyfriend Material (2020) Alexis Hall I don’t care that I just read this. I managed to hold off before re-reading, and then tore through it, no better able to put it down in a second read than it was on the first read. In fact, I’m lucky I didn’t just go back to the beginning […]
Spells for the Dead (2020) Faith Hunter (Soulwood) The fifth Nell book begins with Nell trying to sort out her life. She hopes to soon become the guardian of her younger sister Mud, and has to work all that involves into her schedule. Also, her very pregnant older sister Esther is having marital problems, and […]
Secrets in the Mist (2016) Anna Lee Huber (Gothic Myths) Set in England in 1812. Ella Winterton has been struggling since her brother died. Her mother’s death troubled her father, but after her brother died fighting France, her father descended into alcoholism–an open secret that Ella can’t admit even to her best friend. Why could […]
Passing Strange (2017) Ellen Klages Set in San Francisco in 1940. Haskel is an artist who makes her living doing pulp covers. She and her friends live on the edge of polite society, either because they aren’t white or because of their sexuality, but they are found family. “Ah, Jack. You failed the three-garment test […]
Two Rogues Make a Right (2020) Cat Sebastian (Seducing the Sedgwicks) Set in London ~1817-1818 Will Sedgwick’s best friend, Martin Easterbrook, had been found fevered and somewhat delusional in the attic of Hartley Sedgwick’s home (a home that by rights should have belonged to Martin). So Will stole him away to the country in the […]
Execution in E (2020) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown) Gethsemane Brown is frustrated that her landlord has rented the lighthouse for a wedding–though not as annoyed as Eamon, the ghost whose house she rents. The bride is an Instagram Influencer–and an all-around horrible person. “Ms. Markham’s parents’ money buys a great deal of tolerance of Ms. […]
Something to Talk About (2020) Meryl Wilsner Jo Jones is a Big Deal in Hollywood. She started out as a child star, then went on to script-writing and producing, and although she’s currently working on an award-winning show, she wants to do something else–a super hero movie. He didn’t come out and say it was […]
Fatality in F (2019) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown) It’s summer break, and Gethsemane has taken a gig playing and conducting for a local flower and garden show–a show where her friend and co-worker has a chance of taking a prize. He’d hybridized the rose himself and christened it the ‘Sandra Sechrest’ in honor of the […]
A Wizard’s Guide To Defensive Baking (2020) T. Kingfisher Mona isn’t an impressive wizard. Her power is is with baked goods, which is very specific, and (as far as she can tell) not much good unless you’re a baker. Which she is. But someone is killing wizards, and it seems like Mona isn’t quite as […]
Boyfriend Material (2020) Alexis Hall This story was an utter delight. I started it mid afternoon, and pretty much didn’t set it down until I’d finished it–past my bedtime. Luc O’Donnell is a mess. Because both of his parents were semi-famous musicians, he’s always been in the eye of the press, and when his relationship […]
Killing in C Sharp (2018) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown) Gethsemane Brown is mostly settled in to Dunmullach and teaching teenage boys, as well as the occasional foray into solving crime. Kent reached out and laid a hand on her arm. “Don’t be nervous.” Gethsemane patted Kent’s hand. “Don’t worry, I’m not.” She’d performed live all […]
A Murderous Relation (2020) Deanna Raybourn (Veronica Speedwell) Set in London in 1888. Victoria and Stoker are not to get much time to recover from their last adventures, as they are almost immediately asked to call upon Lady Wellie who has some important visitors she wants Victoria and Stoker to help. But Victoria doesn’t have […]
A Talent for Trickery (2015) Alissa Johnson (The Thief-Takers) Set in England in 1872. It’s still the time for falling back on old favorites. This book was my introduction to Alissa Johnson, and I immediately snatched up everything by her I could find. Charlotte Walker (now Bales) was the daughter of an infamous confidence man–and […]
Lady Mechanika: La Dama de la Muerte (2017) Joe Benitez, M. M. Chen, Peter Steigerwald, Beth Sotelo Set in Mexico in 1869 This is set outside of the regular series, and was published the same year as the third volume, The Lost Boys of West Abbey. I actually don’t know what year (in steampunk time) […]
Blank Spaces (2016) Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections) Vaughn Hargrave is tired of dating. He doesn’t want what every other guy wants, so he’s decided he’ll just stop trying. Devon took a hefty gulp, then pressed his mouth to Toned’s. Vaughn saw liquid dribble from one corner as the gulp passed from mouth to mouth. His […]
Turning Darkness Into Light (2019) Marie Brennan Audrey Camherst, grand-daughter of the famous Lady Trent, is a scholar in her own right. But it’s so hard when I can feel everyone looking at me, waiting to see what I’ll do. Not my family, of course; if I decided I wanted to retire to a country […]
Death in D Minor (2017) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries) This book is set three months after the first, Murder in G Major. Gethsemane Brown has decided to stay in Carraigfaire to keep teaching music, but now the home where she has been staying may be sold to a hotel magnate–a man who turns historical […]
An Unseen Attraction (2017) K.J. Charles (Sins of the Cities) Set in London 28 October, 1873 Clem Talleyfer is quite happy running a lodging house. There is quiet and order and it’s in a neighborhood where he doesn’t stand out. As a plus, he currently has Rowley Green as a lodger. As a minus, he […]
The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) TJ Klune I’ve read several TJ Klune books, and I am not always sure how I feel about them when I am done. That was not a problem here. Linus works for the agency in charge of monitoring the welfare of magical children. He is a caseworker who […]
The Immortal Conquistador (2020) Carrie Vaughn (Kitty Norville) Set in the Americans, 1500s to present. This has four stories and a surrounding tale. “Conquistador de la Noche” (2009) Subterranean Online “El Hidalgo de la Noche” (2015) First time in print “El Conquistador del Tiempo” (2019) Original appearance “Dead Men in Central City” (2017) Asimov’s Science […]
Meet Cute Club (2020) Jack Harbon (Sweet Rose) Jordan Collins wants more than almost anything to keep his book club–the Meet Cute Club–going. His grandmother’s book club was his inspiration, and he wants to share his love of romance with his community. Unlike anyone normal, Jordan had opted to reread the entire eight-book series again, […]
Shattered Bonds (2019) Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock) This book came out last October. I started it, and immediately realized I just wasn’t up to reading a book that was all action and bad stuff from the get go. At the end of the last book, Leo is dead, the vampire world is in chaos, and […]
Too Big to Miss (2006) Sue Ann Jaffarian (An Odelia Grey Mystery) Odelia Grey. is middle-aged, plus-sized, and single. She’s also a professional woman who is good at her job, and more importantly has good friends. We were almost identical in size. Both of us are about five foot one or so. Both tip the […]
Heathen: Volume 2 (2019) Natasha Alterici, Rachel Deering The second volume picks up where the first volume left off. Brynhild and her lover have separated from Aydis who has been sent on a quest by Freyja. Aydis needs to reach Heimdall, but the sea is cursed, and filled with mermaids who see humans as delicious. […]
Murder in G Major (2016) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries) Gethsemane Brown is stuck in Ireland. The assistant conductor job she was promised fell through, her luggage was stolen, and she’s out of money. If she doesn’t want to return to her family with her tail between her legs, she has get a job until […]
Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It (1999) Gina Kolata I’d been wanting to re-read Flu for years, however, I the digital version never went on sale. But when the Covid-19 pandemic started, it went on sale one day, and I snatched it […]
Family Matters (2018) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations) This is two books and a short story. The first story is about Dionysus and Leander (the Minotaur of the cover. (with a KILT. Which is PERFECT.)) The second story is a short story about a young woman stumbling upon Artemis and the muses in the forest. “That’s […]
Who Speaks for the Damned (2020) C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr) Set in London in 1814 I have loved this series since the start, and generally adore her writing. However. Third Person Omniscient POV does NOT WORK if you are hiding a person’s gender. It just DOESN’T. It is stilted and kludgy and what you’re […]
Heathen Volume 1 (2017) Natasha Alterici Aydis was sentenced to death or marriage for kissing another girl, but her father secretly saved her life and sent her into exile. Aldis has decided to that as a warrior she will go on a quest, and free the Valkyrie Brynhild. But the goddess Freyja has other ideas, […]
A Kiss for Midwinter (2012) Courtney Milan (Brothers Sinister) Set in England in 1863 I re-read the previous book in this series because I was wanting to re-read this story. Dr Jonas Grantham wanted more than anything to become a doctor. Right before he left for medical school, he followed the town doctor around to […]
Dead in the Shop (2018) Dahlia Donovan (Grasmere Cottage Mystery) Valor and Bishan are struggling after the events of the last book. Someone is trying to kill them–has killed people around them–and they don’t understand why. And that’s one of the interesting things about this story–that there isn’t really a good why. Don’t get me […]
A Stroke of Malice (2020) Anna Lee Huber (A Lady Darby Mystery) Set in Scotland in 1832 Kiera and her husband Sebastian Gage are spending the holidays at Duchess of Bowmont’s Twelfth Night party, when a group stumbles upon a dead body. Although it’s suspected that the decayed body is the husband of the Duchess’s […]
Trickster: Native American Tales (2010) edited by Matt Dembicki This is a collection of 21 stories, told by 24 Native American story tellers and drawn by 21 artists. Coyote and the pebbles / Dayton Edmonds and Micah Farritor Raven the trickster / John Active and Jason Copland Azban and the crayfish / James Bruchac, Joseph […]