The Apothecary Rose (1993) Candace Robb Set in England in ~1363. Owen Archer was Captain of the Archers for Henry, Duke of Lancaster, until an attack takes his eye. Unwilling to continue as a solider, Owen becomes a spy for Henry until the Duke’s death, at which point he performs a service for John Thoresby, […]
The Bellingham Mystery Series Volume 1 (2015) Nicole Kimberling This is a collection of three novellas: Primal Red, Evergreen, and Black Cat Red. Primal Red Peter Fontaine is an investigative journalist for The Bellinghamster, or just The Hamster, the free local paper in Belligham, WA. In addition to writing articles, Peter was in charge of […]
A Holiday By Gaslight (2018) Mimi Matthews Set in England in 1861. Sophie Appersett has decided that although Mr Edward Sharpe is handsome as well as wealthy, they do not suit. After months, she still knows nothing about him, other than that he and his best friend made their money in an investment that paid […]
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (2005) Lauren Willig Set in England and France in 1803. I knew I’d read this before, but after checking, it was 2010, so I can be forgiving for remembering next to nothing about the story. Amy’s father was killed during the Revolution, and her English mother died of […]
Gilded Cage (2019) K.J. Charles (Lilywhite Boys) Set in London in 1865. This is the second Lilywhite Boys book, and finds Templeton Lane in a great deal of trouble, as he ends up suspected of murder while trying to steal an opal necklace. Unfortunately, the only person it seems he can turn to is his […]
Grilled Cheese and Goblins (2018) Nicole Kimberling Keith Curry is a food inspector for NATO’s Irregulars Affairs Division (NIAD). He may carry a mage gun, but most of the time his tools are thermometers and glasses that allow him to see the supernatural. This book is six interlinked stories. “Cherries Worth Getting” “Cookie Jamboree” “The […]
American Fairytale (2019) Adriana Herrera The second book in the American Dreamers series. Camilo Santiago Briggs learned to rely only upon his family–which includes his three best friends. So when he stumbles into a Fairy Tale romance, he doesn’t know how to act or what to do. Thomas Hughes is Dominician and American, but he […]
Delivered Fast (2015) Annabeth Albert This is probably my least favorite book in this series so far, mostly because it starts with a hook-up, and a LOT of the story is centered around their boinking. That doesn’t make it a bad story, but it just isn’t my thing. Chris O’Neal is co-owner of The People’s […]
Murder Takes the High Road (2018) Josh Lanyon I believe this is the first story I read by Josh Lanyon. IIRC I chose it because it was a mystery, and had a M/M romance. Carter Matheson is on a Tours to Die For trip through Scotland that was supposed to be a birthday present for […]
Baked Fresh (2015) Annabeth Albert Vic Degrassi is a baker with plans for the future–and he’s a man who does what he sets out to. After losing his job, he went to culinary school. After losing his cousin and best friend, he got surgery and lost 111 pounds and became fit. His next goal: a […]
Brazen and the Beast (2019) Sarah MacLean Set in London in 1837 Lady Henrietta Sedley is turning 29 and is done with waiting for things to come to her. She is going to go out and seize what she wants–including the business she should be the one to inherit, instead of her wastrel younger brother. […]
In Other Words… Murder (2018) Josh Lanyon Chirstopher and J.X are settling into domesticity. Christopher is still worried about all the things (his writing (lack-thereof), J.X. being younger and handsomer) but J.X. does keep bringing up marriage. Christopher is also trying to come to terms with J.X.’s close family–including his nephew who often has sleep-over […]
The Boy with the Painful Tattoo (2014/2018) Josh Lanyon Christopher and J.X. are moving in together. Christopher has shipped everything he owns and driven up the coast to where JX picked out a house for the two of them. Between the two of us there was a hell of a lot of junk here. And […]
The Mermaid Murders (2015) Josh Lanyon Sam Kennedy is the FBI’s most famous manhunter–someone who finds and helps capture serial killers. But his last case was bad press for everyone involved, and now Jason West is being pulled from vacation to temporarily partner with Kennedy on a murder that might be tied to a case […]
So This is Christmas (2016) Josh Lanyon Adrien and Jake are finally living together, in the house he grew up in. (T)he first rule of cohabitation is Thou Shalt Not Diss the Other Dude’s Kinfolk. But before they can spend the first night of their new life together, they have arrived back from London with […]
Marriage, Love and a Baby Carriage (2016) C.S. Poe Theodore Reinhart’s convention in San Diego is not what he was expecting. I was attending a singles’ convention for special people like me to find their forever penguin partner. But after I paid the attendance fee, got a hotel room, and booked my flight, I found […]
Kneading You (2019) C.S. Poe Christopher Hughes always wanted to live in a small town. With a degree in literature, he’s delighted to take a job taking over the local library and help it recover from years of neglect. Unfortunately, a local Selectman wants the property for a building project, so Christopher has a tiny […]
Served Hot (2015) Annabeth Albert (Portland Heat) Robert Edwards (Robbie to his friends) runs a coffee cart in the atrium of the Old EMerson building in Portland, and every day, his favorite customer, David, comes by at 11:50 for a vanilla latte. Robbie has a huge crush on David, but isn’t sure if David is […]
The Dark Tide (2011) Josh Lanyon At the end of the last book, Adrien was shot and died briefly, but now with a valve replacement, he is supposedly on the mend. But he still isn’t sure where he stands with Jake, who outed himself to put the the man who shot Adrien behind bars. Although […]
The Wallflower Wager (2019) Tessa Dare Lady Penelope Campion is all but a recluse, hiding in her family home and collecting abandoned animals. As a person who wanted to like everyone, it hurt to know that not everyone liked her in return. Her new neighbor is Gabriel Duke, the so-called Duke of Ruin, who has […]
Death of a Pirate King (2011) Josh Lanyon Yeah, I mostly skipped The Hell You Say, just reading the bits about him meeting his mother’s new husband and family. This book is set two years after that. Adrien is getting over pneumonia but at least he’s at a party, because his book has been optioned […]
Whiteout (2017) Elyse Springer Noah Landers wakes up with with a crushing headache and nausea, and no memory of who or where he is. The man he’s with says he fell and hit his head, but that the storm means no rescue vehicles can reach them, so he’s been doing his best, calling the doctor […]
A Dangerous Thing (2002) Josh Lanyon The second Adrien English book finds Adrien tired of dealing with Jake being firmly in the closet, so he heads off to his grandmother’s ranch–only to discover a disappearing dead body. He also can’t find the caretaker of his property–who seems to be taking liberties with Adrien’s absence. You’re […]
Fatal Shadows (2000) Josh Lanyon Another re-read. Adrien English is having a bad day–his former best friend and current employee has been found dead, and Adrien is a suspect. “What makes you think he wasn’t mugged?” “Fourteen stab wounds to his upper body and face.” I felt the blood drain out of my brain again. […]
Burn Bright (2018) Patricia Briggs The first time I read this book (right after it came out) I was unable to rate it, because I couldn’t decide quite how I felt about it. Something seemed off to me, but I couldn’t place precisely what it was. This book still feels off to me, and I’m […]
Dead Heat (2015) Patricia Briggs Despite the lack of Asil, I do love this story. The Arabians might not suit you; they don’t suit everyone. They are like cats: vain, beautiful, and intelligent. But you deal well enough with Asil, who is also vain, beautiful, and intelligent. Charles receives a call from his friend Joseph–who […]
All She Wrote (2010) Josh Lanyon This is the other series I started when I couldn’t decide what I wanted to read. The second Holmes & Moriarity book starts with Christopher once again backing out on a weekend with JX, and JX deciding that he doesn’t want to deal with it. So Christopher heads off […]
Fair Game (2012) Patricia Briggs This is the third Alpha & Omega book. Bran brought the wolves out into the light of the day, and Charles’ life has become a living hell. Any infraction that makes werewolves look bad is a death sentence–and the alphas keep pushing that duty onto Charles. Bran was still ranting. […]
Hunting Ground (2009) Patricia Briggs This series is working well as I try to figure out what new-to-me book I want to read next. Bran is going to make the existance of werewolves known to the general public, but he’s trying to make the announcement as easy as possible for those wolves outside of the […]
Cry Wolf (2008) Patricia Briggs Anna was rescued from her abusive pack in Chicago, and is now mated to Charles Cornick–the son of the Marrok. But she is still try to deal with the abuse she suffered in Chicago while learning to trust Charles. Unfortunately, troubles won’t wait for Charles to recover from the injuries […]
Alpha and Omega (2008) Patricia Briggs Reading slump. Went through a lot of books before I decided this was what I would be good reading. This novella is the start of the Alpha & Omega series, with Charles (the Marrock’s younger son) and Anna, an Omega werewolf who was changed against her will. There is […]
A Convenient Fiction (2019) Mimi Matthews Set in England in 1860 Laura Hayes father died three years earlier of the same fever that crippled her brother and left her weakened but also in charge of her family–but with few resources to do so, since their properties were left to be managed by a lawyer–one who […]
A Duke in Disguise (2019) Cat Sebastian (Regency Imposters) Set in England in 1817 Ash (John Ashby) spent years as a child being bounced from home to home until he was apprenticed to an engraver who all but saved his life. All Ash knew was what Roger had told him: at some point in his […]
Somebody Killed His Editor (2009) Josh Lanyon Christopher Holmes is–to put it mildly–self-absorbed. He’s a mystery author on a down-slide, trying to recover his career. He’s also trying to get over his husband running off with another man. The last thing he wants is to spend a weekend at a writing conference but his agent […]
Mainly by Moonlight (2019) Josh Lanyon Cosmo Saville is a witch–a fact he’s hiding from his soon-to-be husband. But when Cosom discovers that someone put a love spell on John Joseph Galbraith, he insists the spell be removed–even if it causes the wedding to be called off. And to make things worse, the business meeting […]
Barrel Proof (2017) Layla Reyne (finishes previous book) (literally scrambles to start this book) Don’t even bother reading this if you didn’t read the previous two. You have no reason to read this without the others, and you shouldn’t, because she does a fabulous job building the characters and their relationships and everything in the […]
Cask Strength (2017) Layla Reyne Aidan Talley and Jameson Walker are partners, and enjoying each others company. But nothing more. Just casual is all Aidan wants, because he doesn’t think he can survive the loss of someone else he loves. Jameson thinks he can handle “just casual” but if he’s fooling Aiden, he’s not fooling […]
Single Malt (2017) Layla Reyne (Agents Irish and Whiskey) Aidan Talley is back at work eight months after the hit-and-run that killed his husband as well as his partner. His best friend (also his boss and his sister-in-law) has a new partner for him, but also a new case to work off the books: evidence […]
At Your Service (2018) Sandra Antonelli Mae Valentine has been the butler for Major Kitt for three years, acting as butler, housekeeper, and cook when he’s not away on assignment as a Risk Assessment Specialist. She has always kept a clear demarcation between herself and Major Kitt–after all, she is an older woman, and a […]
The Mystery of the Bones (2019) C.S. Poe The fourth (and perhaps final) Snow & Winter book finds Sebastian trying to plan their wedding–and not particularly enjoying it. But he is determined it will be perfect, and that means following all the books and rules. “There’s a whole industry dedicated to specialized bras for wedding […]
The Work of Art (2019) Mimi Matthews Set in England in 1814 Phyllida Satterthwaite lived with her grandparents until their death, at which point she was taken to London to live with her uncle, who Had Plans For Her. both of her cousins immediately perked up, as if they expected Philly to receive the harshest […]
Riven (2018) Roan Parrish I’ve never been interested in reading a book about a rock star, which is why I had a really hard time starting this one. In fact, since I’d forgotten the premise when I started reading, I wondered why on earth I’d gotten it. Theo Decker is a rock star and hates […]
American Dreamer (2019) Adriana Herrera Nesto Vasquez is chasing his dream. He’s moving his food truck from NYC up to Ithaca (where is mother and sister live) to see if he can make a go of it there. All he wants is to focus on making a success of his business; he didn’t expect the […]
The Rat-Catcher’s Daughter (2019) K.J. Charles (Lilywhite Boys) Set in London in 1893. Miss Christiana is in trouble. She’s all but owned by Kammy Gizzard, and she failed in the task he set out for her, that might have allowed her to buy her way out of debt, so now Kammy is coming to make […]
Come Unto These Yellow Sands (2011) Josh Lanyon Sebastian Swift was the bad boy of poetry, the son of two scions of the literary world, whose very public fall from grace lead to a very public rift with his mother, and an overdose that almost killed him. He’s been six years sober, and feels like […]
Among the Living (2006) Jordan Castillo Price (PsyCop) Victor Bayne’s partner is retiring. Maurice was a sixty-two year old black man who had a lot more gray in his hair at his retirement party than he’d had when I first met him. We’d never been close in a way that some partners at the Fifth […]
Merlin in the Library (2018) Ada Maria Soto This is a very short story that follows on the heels of His Quiet Agent. It’s not a full-blown story as much as a peek into Martin’s mind, and a reassurance that he will, eventually, be ok. Martin wanted to reassure Arthur that he was fine and […]
His Quiet Agent (2017) Ada Maria Soto Arthur Drams has worked hard for The Agency and is hoping to move up in the ranks. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be happening. “That’s…” Arthur didn’t want to rock the boat, complain or seem ungrateful, but it had been four years. “A bit more of a lateral […]
Sweet on the Greek (2018) Talia Hibbert Aria has spend several months working with Keynes to make their best friends’ wedding absolutely perfect. After all, Aria’s boyfriend tried to kill Jennifer. Nikolas Christou’s knee injury means he has to quit one of the only things he’s ever been good at–football. He wants to do something […]
Undone by the Ex-Con (2018) Talia Hibbert Isaac Montgomery went to jail for murder, and when he got out wrote a book that made him a millionaire. But something is hinky with his publisher, and he needs to know what it is. Well. Isaac’s soul could never be washed clean. But he was filthy fucking […]