Moonlight & Mechanicals (2012) Cindy Spencer Pape (The Gaslight Chronicles) Set in England in 1858 I have zero memory of reading this story. You’d think I’d have remembered, considering how pleased I am that she put in the many dangerous side effects of a coal-based steampunk society. Every day, Londoners too poor to employ air […]

Scandal at the Salty Dog (2021) Josh Lanyon (Secrets and Scrabble) Ellery Page seems to have gotten his man. He and Police Chief Jack Carson may be seeing each other, but Jack isn’t pleased when Ellery gets involved in another mystery–especially since he’s just recovered from the events of the previous one. Ellery was able […]

Short Stories: KJ Charles “Five for Heaven” (2019) A Charm of Magpies 3.5 Set in Nagasaki, three years after A Flight of Magpies (15 pages) “A Confidential Problem” (2016) Society of Gentleman 2.5 Set in England in 1820 (14 pages) “A Private Miscellany” (2016) Society of Gentlemen 3.5 Set in London & Berlin in 1821 […]

Status Update (2015) Annabeth Albert (#gaymers) “I’m actually a geoarchaeologist— I specialize in the study of how early civilizations interacted with their physical environment and how that physical environment influenced the artifacts we find.” “Trust me, we don’t want to get it wrong— we give a rocky planet too many characteristics of a water-rich one, […]

Short Stories: Annabeth Albert Annabeth Albert “New Status Needed” (2016) Noah & Adrian, #gaymers 1.5 (16 pages) “Tease Me” (2019) #gaymers Ryan & Josiah 3.5 (26 pages) “Love Connection” (2017) Ryan & Josiah #gaymers 3.7 (24 pages) “Off Leash” (2018) Pike & Zach, Out of Uniform 1.5 (26 pages) “Homebodies” (2018) Wes & Dustin, Out […]

Scenes from the Holidays (2021) K.D. Edwards (Tarot Sequence) “The Playground” (7 pages) “The Sanctum” (7 pages) “The Ghost” (10 pages) “The Principality Ciaran” (13 pages) “The Tree” (7 pages) “The Dinner” (20 pages) “The Equinox” (13 pages) Scenes from the Holidays consists of short Tarot Sequence vignettes, released serially beginning in December 12, 2020, […]

Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection (2020) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by: the author, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Ben Elliot, Felix Grainger, Sam Peter Jackson, Alex Kingston, Shvorne Marks, and Penelope Rawlins PART ONE: THE PETER GRANT STORIES The Home Crowd Advantage The Domestic The Cockpit The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Granny King […]

Flight of Magpies (2014) KJ Charles Stephen stuffed his hands in the pockets of the topcoat that Crane had insisted on buying him for this chilly winter. It had been a great deal more expensive than Stephen, who accepted gifts with startling gracelessness, had wanted; a great deal cheaper than Crane would have preferred; unsatisfactory […]

Spectred Isle (2017) KJ Charles (Green Men) Set in England in 1923 Saul’s professional instincts were shaped by his doctorate in archaeology from Oxford and two years working on excavations in Mesopotamia. Major Peabody believed that if the ravens left the Tower of London, the city would fall. He hadn’t given a damn about Saul’s […]

The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal (2013) KJ Charles Set in England 1894 to 1914 He was covered in writing. It was scrawled in black and red ink, from wrist to shoulder of both muscular arms, across his broad, powerful shoulders and chest. None of it was in a language I recognised, or could read, […]

A Case of Possession (2014) KJ Charles (A Charm of Magpies) “An honest mandarin.” There was a dubious murmur at that. Most of those present regarded bribery as something between a handy tool and a form of tax; none of them had high opinions of mandarins of any nationality. “I beg your pardon,” he began, […]

The Magpie Lord (2013) KJ Charles (A Charm of Magpies) I can’t bear it. He’d never said the words in thirty-seven years, not even in the times of hunger and degradation. He wanted to say them now. Merrick frowned. “Got to fight it, my lord.” “Fight what? Give me something to fight, and I’ll fight […]

Blank Spaces (2016) Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections) 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 stomach rolled. That couldn’t be hygienic. He couldn’t really say much about Jonah’s clothes, except that they were so tight they […]

Play It Again (2019) Aidan Wayne Dovid had been a pretty typical child. Just that, thanks to medulloepithelioma— a type of incredibly invasive cancer— he grew up missing two parts a typical child possessed, after they were removed in order to get rid of the cancer entirely. But he kept bumping into chairs. The tables […]

Uncommonly Tidy Poltergeists (2017) Angel Martinez “I drove … down to Dover a few weeks ago.” “To the farmer’s market?” Ben said around a mouthful of pie. “Long way to go for strawberries.” Luka gave Ben an odd look. “He didn’t say anything about produce.” “Well, no, but why else go all the way—” Ben […]

Southernmost Murder (2018) C.S. Poe My cataplexy was why I took life in stride, because if I allowed myself to become overwhelmed with emotions, good or bad, it triggered my attacks. It sucked when a micronap hit while I was in the middle of a conversation. Or eating. (In my defense, salads were boring.) “When […]

Arctic Heat (2019) Annabeth Albert (Frozen Hearts) Owen took “married to the job” to mean “closeted as hell” I’ll be waiting. The period made Quill’s text seem even more ominous in response to Owen’s message about his arrival time. “You’re pissed at me, but you’re giving me food?” Quill struggled to keep up with Owen’s […]

All the World’s an Undead Stage (2018) Angel Martinez (Offbeat Crimes) “Best stay elevated,” Carrington murmured when Tim climbed out of his house to stare at him. How Tim managed to look surprised when he had no facial features was one of the mysteries of the universe. “We decided to call it a zorpse,” Kyle […]

Arctic Wild (2019) Annabeth Albert (Frozen Hearts) Toby also had a personal bias against trophy hunting that he didn’t want to explain. It was fine for the clients, but he’d been raised to value subsistence hunting. “My mom’s a lawyer too.” Amelia sighed as if this was a fate worse than death, probably to try […]

Arctic Sun (2019) Annabeth Albert (Frozen Hearts) “Food sounds good,” River lied. The alarm on his phone earlier had said it was time to eat, so he would. It’s partly control— I don’t like not having charge of what happens— but it’s also wrapped up in my body image stuff and the eating disorder. I […]

Jackalopes and Woofen-Poofs (2017) Angel Martinez (Offbeat Crimes) “Kinda wish I could take you with me, Mom,” Wolf mumbled around a bite of toast. “I wish I could go too, sweetie. But then all the other officers would want to take their moms and the poor board of inquiry members at State probably wouldn’t survive.” […]

Feral Dust Bunnies (2017) Angel Martinez (Offbeat Crimes) While he did hiss and snort, Krisk never spoke a word, probably because his mouth and throat weren’t the right shape for it. They got by, communicating in gestures and texts, and after four years, they understood each other damn well. Dinner. “Yeah, I’m almost done here.” […]

Skim Blood and Savage Verse (2017) Angel Martinez (Offbeat Crimes) How could he have even thought about not celebrating his thirty-fifth birthday? Especially if it meant it gave her an excuse to invite all the old money and local officials to the affair. And outside? Of course it had to be outside. The weather in […]

The Pill Bugs of Time (2016) Angel Martinez (Offbeat Crimes) “Should get an Odo bucket,” Vikash murmured. “A what?” Kyle chuckled into his coffee. “Seriously, Carr? You never watched Deep Space Nine?”” It was the first time Vikash had experienced Greg’s particular talent being useful. He heard emotions, but only negative ones and only avian […]

Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters (2016) Angel Martinez (Offbeat Crimes) Between them, in the chair a suspect would take while he was being booked, was a leather jacket. Not odd if the jacket had behaved normally and stayed draped over a chair arm like a good, proper jacket, but this one was sitting up with […]

Untouchable (2018) Talia Hibbert (Ravenswood) “So, just to be clear,” she said slowly, “you are not concerned by my numerous criminal convictions.” “Nah. I’m used to having a convicted criminal in the house.” “You… are?” “Yeah.” He leaned in close, his expression conspiratorial, and she couldn’t help it— she leaned in too. Then he whispered, […]

Band Sinister (2018) KJ Charles Set in England ~1811 “It’s all perfectly decent,” Amanda said. “Or at least, if it isn’t, the indecent parts are only hinted at, which means they’re in your head. I can’t be held responsible for your thoughts going awry.” “Oh yes you can,” Guy said with feeling. “What do you […]

Not So Cookie Cutter (2019) Aidan Wayne He clasped his hands behind his back, at-ease stance so he wouldn’t cross his arms. He’d been told enough times that it made him look like a thug, so he tried to avoid doing it. He tended to hyper focus when it came to certain subjects, and to […]

Seance on a Summer’s Night (2018) Josh Lanyon “It’s one thing to be open-minded about the possibility of the supernatural. It’s another to bundle the Psychic Hotline with other phone and Internet services. I couldn’t quite understand the words. It took me a second or two to identify them as non-English. Oh, right. Because Roma’s […]

For Better or Worse (2017) R. Cooper Everything looks like friendly teasing if you don’t know what sexual tension is. I get confused.” To this day he could remember the exact feeling of relief at discovering terms like demisexual and gray ace, and his immediate need to know more, and then still, always, that faint […]

Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter (2017) R. Cooper (T)hey’d searched all around for suitable men for Cole. They hadn’t ever done that for Scott, and he saw nothing in Kathy’s expression that said she had ever considered it. He ought to demand why he wasn’t good enough, but he wasn’t going to like the answer, […]

Family Man (2017) Heidi Cullinan & Marie Sexton “You can’t stay with a brand of shampoo, Vinnie. You have commitment issues that have commitment issues.” I worked over fifty hours most weeks. Thirty-four at the restaurant, the most they’d give me, because even one more would require them to give me benefits, and they were […]

Work for It (2019) Talia Hibbert (Just for Him) “Everyone said he was handsome, but this is just silly.” “He’s staring a hole into you, Griff. No, don’t look, you donkey. Trust me. Have I ever steered you wrong?” I finally take my shot and fluff it. “Year 2, you told me to pick up […]

And Everything Nice (2016) Ada Maria Soto “He might not be gay, and he’s probably already got a boyfriend.” “Prescouted. Single, new in town, currently into Elder Scrolls online, and has a pride flag bumper sticker, so out and proud.” “Why are you helping me?” “Because I’m your bro, and bros help bros get laid.” […]

Upside Down (2019) N.R. Walker “If you do, I’ll be so embarrassed I’ll be forced to quit and move and join the witness protection program.” Merry stared at me. “Siri, what is an overreaction?” “How do you know? You can’t know. That’s an improbable equation, and you’re just guessing and that makes you a lying […]

Swordheart (2018) T. Kingfisher Halla is a housekeeper who has suddenly inherited her great-uncle’s estate… and, unfortunately, his relatives. Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. When Halla draws the sword that imprisons him, Sarkis finds himself attempting to defend his new wielder. “Begin asking unexpected questions until everyone in […]

Paladin’s Grace (2020) T. Kingfisher (The Saint of Steel) Stephen was a paladin for the Saint of Steel until that god died, and all his paladins went mad. The remaining seven paladins now serve the Rat, in gratitude for taking them in and giving them some purpose. The Rat’s priests fixed things that could be […]

Unacceptable Risk (2011) Kaje Harper (Hidden Wolves) I really enjoy the world-building around supernatural creatures–especially an individual authors choices when there is so much mythology to choose from. His wolf form was outsized, conserving the mass of his human body, but it would look canine, would X-ray canine. As with several other werewolf fantasies, wolves […]

Heart of the Forrest (2021) Morgan Mason When he was a teenager, Forrest found a wooden heart with the letters A+F carved in it. He didn’t know who it was for, but it made him feel better. So now he’s heading back to where he found the lost heart. Even though he never spoke to […]

A Haunting at Midwinter (2021) Kai Butler (San Amaro Investigations) Parker Ferro is a supernatural PI. His case seems simple enough–exorcise the ghost haunting a popular rental. But someone has called the cops, claiming a prowler had broken into the house, so now Paker has to deal with a homophobic cop, an alchemist cop who […]

Cry Wolf (2021) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf) Any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental. Though if you do know of a criminal plot involving werewolves that has taken place at any of these locales, that is a coincidence I would love to know about. Cooper and Park have bought and moved into […]

Interlude: Snow & Winter Collection Volume One (2021) C.S. Poe (Snow & Winter) This is what it says on the tin: A collection of Snow and Winter short stories. Dopamine: Take Only as Directed Lunch Date Credit Scores and Cohabitation The Ghost of Durango Interpersonal Relationship Studies on the Way to the Coffee House Someone’s […]

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (2020) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf) Cooper and Oliver are house hunting. “So what do you think of this place?” Park asked. Cooper bit his lip. “What do you think?” Park tilted his head and regarded him. “I think your facial expression says you’d rather be drawn and quartered than put […]

Thrown to the Wolves (2019) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf) Cooper is mostly (but not completely) recovered from the events in the previous book, but not yet back to work, so when Oliver receives a call that his grandfather has died, Cooper heads north to Canada with him. Things go badly from the very start. […]

The Wolf at Bay (2018) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf) Cooper and Oliver are trying to figure out their partnership–both at work and on a more personal level. Cooper doesn’t want to admit he has feelings for Oliver, because that means he’ll be hurt if/when Oliver leaves. We all know how well that works. When […]

The Wolf at the Door (2018) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf) Cooper Dayton played on a long career with the FBI, but an attack by a creature that sprouted claws changed everything, and he is now part of the BSI, investigating werewolf crime. This is a reread, because I wanted something I knew I was […]

After the Scrum (2014) Dahlia Donovan (Sin Bin) Caddock Stanford lost his brother, lost his place on the national rugby team, and became the parent to his young nephew. So he wants a place to start over, to make a new life for himself and Devlin. “Looe’s a brilliant place for starting fresh. Oh, and […]

The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) T.J. Klune Linus works for DICOMA–the department that looks after the welfare of magical children. “It’s just that…” She stood from her desk, arms still folded. “Don’t you wonder?” “Never,” Linus said promptly. Then, “About what?” “What happens to a place like this after you file your final […]

The Bellingham Mystery Series Volume 2 (2015) Nicole Kimberling This is three stories: One Man’s Treasure, Birds of a Feather, and Pentimento Blues. One Man’s Treasure (Set in 2011) Evangeline needs help with her food truck, and although she’d prefer Nick she gets both Nick and Peter. In addition to trying to solve a murder, […]

The Bellingham Mystery Series Volume 1 (2015) Nicole Kimberling This is a collection of three stories: Primal Red, Evergreen, Black Cat Ink “Primal Red” finds Peter Fontaine hoping to break a big story. He likes working for The Bellinghamseter, but he wants a story that will be noted, that will make his name. So he’s […]