Moon Over Soho, Audio Edition (2011/2012) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith This is a story about jazz vampires. “You can’t die of jazz,” said Dr. Walid. “Can you?” I thought of Fats Navarro, Billie Holiday, and Charlie Parker who, when he died, was mistaken by a coroner for a man twice his real age. […]

Wanted, a Gentleman (2018) K.J. Charles Set in England in 1805. Theodore Swann runs the Matrimonial Advertiser, a paper for helping men and women find spouses. He also writes gothic novels under a pen name. Martin St. Vincent is a freed slave who has done well for himself after being granted his release at age […]

A Gentleman Never Keeps Score (2018) Cat Sebastian (Seducing the Sedgwicks) Set in London in 1817 Sam Fox is an ex-boxer and a Free Black–a pillar of his community who tries to help others as he was helped by this before him. Some black families, like Sam’s mother’s people, had been in England for centuries. […]

Not Quite a Husband (2009) Sherry Thomas Bryony Asquith was was married to Leo Marsden, but their marriage fell about almost on their wedding day, and an annulment was eventually procured. Bryony, a surgeon who had long expected to be a spinster left England to pursue her career. Leo, a math prodigy, also wandered the […]

Band Sinister (2018) K.J. Charles Set in England in the 1800s. This is probably the sweetest KC Charles book I’ve read. It’s a M/M romance, and there is boinking, but there is less boinking than I’ve come to expect, and I absolutely adore the main characters. Guy Frisby and his sister Amanda live in seclusion. […]

Diamond Fire (2018) Ilona Andrews This is a Hidden Legacy novella, and covers the wedding of Nevada and Rogan. We also meet Rogan’s mother. “If fortune smiles on us, this will be your only wedding. This will be a formal affair. Your bride will be wearing a breathtaking gown, you will be wearing a tuxedo, […]

A Code of Love (2014) Jacki Delecki Set in 1802 in London. I only spent 99 cents on this, but I still feel cheated. I speed read through the final quarter of the book, but I still feel cheated. This book was ridiculous, not in a fun over the-top-way, but in an holy cats this […]

The Luckiest Lady in London (2013) Sherry Thomas Set in London in 1888. Louisa Cantwell needs to marry well. Her youngest sister is epileptic, and without a good marriage, Lousia won’t be able to support her after their mother dies. So she’s been planning for years her campaign to find a wealthy husband. When she […]

His at Night (2010) Sherry Thomas Lord Vere has been acting the idiot in public for years now–as his cover as a secret agent for HRM. Even his brother (and only surviving family) believes that a head injury caused permanent damage to Vere’s brain. But pretending has grown exhausting, and the game is far less […]

Captives of the Night (1994) Loretta Chase Set in Paris and London in 1828 Leila Beaumont is married to an completely debauched scoundrel. After she realized just how bad he was, she refused him her bed and concentrated on her painting. Comte d’Esmond (born Ismal) is a covert agent for the British crown–sent to look […]

Let Me Be The One (2002,2015) Jo Goodman Set in England in 1818. Elizabeth Penrose is a spinster, and quite happy about it. She spends times with her friends, and helped prepare the rout at Battenburn castle. But those around her seem to want her wed–whether she wants or no. “Louise is trying her hand […]

Lord of Scoundrels (1994) Loretta Chase Set in France and England in 1828. The book opens in 1793 with the marriage of the Marquess of Dain to Lucia Usignuolo, a wealthy Florentine aristocrat. The marriage is a disaster, and the result of that union is disdained by his father, and left basically alone after his […]

A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis (2012) Jillian Stone Set in England and Scotland in 1887. There were so very many things wrong with this story, I can’t even list them all. But I’m going to try my damnedest to give you a sound accounting. Fanny Greyville-Nugent’s father has died in a horrible industrial accident. […]

Unmasked by the Marquess (2018) Cat Sebastian (Regency Imposters) Set in Regency England, mostly London. Alistair, Marquess of Pembroke has been struggling to rebuild his fortunes after his father left the estates in ruin, spending much of his money on his mistress and the children he had with said mistress. He also wants to see […]

Wicked Intentions (2010) Elizabeth Hoyt Set in England in 1737. Lazarus, Lord Caire, has a reputation such that only his title keeps him from becoming a disgrace. Temperance Dews is a widow, and with her brother Winter, runs the foundling home started by their father. But after the death of their patron, the two are […]

A Week to Be Wicked (2012) Tessa Dare Set in England in Scotland in the early 1800s. Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne is a dissolute rake. His cousin is trying to reform him, but it’s not working particularly well, and in a few months, Colin will have access to his own funds when he comes of […]

Spectred Isle (2017) K.J. Charles Set in London in 1923 Archaeologist Saul Lazenby was disgraced during the war, and the only work he has been able to find is working for a retired Major with an interest in finding historical places and items with supernatural significance. Saul believes none of this, but is glad for […]

Unfit to Print (2018) K.J. Charles Gil is the son of a wealthy man and that man’s housemaid, but unlike many, Mr Lawes claimed his son. Gil had spent his childhood here under his father’s carelessly affectionate eye. The old man might have played the fool, or the knave, with his housemaid, but he had […]

The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh (2015) KJ Charles (Society of Gentlemen) Set in London in 1818. This is the prequel to the previous three books, a short story about two somewhat minor characters who appear in the other books: Gabriel Ashleigh, brother to Lord Maltravers, who is, at best, a knave. Gabriel has lost everything–literally […]

A Fashionable Indulgence (2016) KJ Charles (Society of Gentlemen) Set in London in 1819 As I continue to read backwards through this series, we come to the story of Justin and Harry. Harry’s father was disowned by his family, and took his wife’s name, Gordon. The family ended up on the continent when they were […]

A Seditious Affair (2016) KJ Charles (Society of Gentlemen) Set in London in 1819 This is the second book, in the series I am reading backwards. I read the first chapter a couple months ago, and put it down, because I wasn’t comfortable reading about BDSM. I mean, reading boinking passages in romance embarrasses me. […]

A Gentleman’s Position (2016) KJ Charles (Society of Gentlemen) Set in London in 1820 I am, apparently, reading this series backwards. I’d picked up the previous two books and read a few pages but wasn’t in the mood for them at the time. Richard is a younger son, an honorable man, and the one who […]

Silent Revenge (2012) Laura Landon Set in an indeterminate past in London. Simon Westland, Earl of Northcote has returned from India, his past still vivid in the minds of the ton. Even worse, he is about to lose everything, due to his father throwing away everything on gambling. Lady Jessica Stanton is about to become […]

Lord of Secrets (2013) Alyssa Everett Set in England in 1820. I almost quit reading this when I realized that it didn’t have a mystery sub-plot. But I was curious enough that I kept reading. David Linney, Marquess of Deal is haunted by his past. He believes he will never be worthy of love, but […]

Dreaming of You (1994) Lisa Kleypas Set in historical London some time after pistols but before trains There was so much I liked about this story, yet so much that I found problematic about it. Sara Fielding is the author of a famous novel about a fallen woman, and is in London researching a gambling […]

The Duchess Deal: Girl Meets Duke (2017) Tessa Dare Set in England in the early 1800s The Duke of Ashbury is in need of an heir. “If I died tomorrow, everything would go to my cousin. He is an irredeemable prat. I didn’t go to the Continent, fight to preserve England from tyranny, and survive […]

Practically Wicked (2016) Alissa Johnson Set in England in the 1800s. Anna Rees is the illegitimate daughter of an infamous woman of the demi-monde. Everyone knows of her, but no one has spent more than a few minutes in her company. And Anna mostly likes that, since she does NOT like being paraded around by […]

An Unexpected Gentleman (2011) Alissa Johnson Set in Scotland in the 1800s. Connor Brice wants nothing more from the world than revenge against his half brother, Robert Maxwell. Breaking up Robert’s probable engagement to Adelaide would give him the best of both worlds. Sir Robert had held his ground in the garden longer than expected […]

Nearly a Lady (2011) Alissa Johnson Set in Scotland Trying to figure out what I wanted to read next, I remembered I had a new Alissa Johnson, but couldn’t remember which book in the series came first, so I picked one, started reading, and realized this is the one I’d read. Perhaps I’ll just read […]

Widdershins (2012) Jordan L. Hawk Set in Boston in the late 1800s. This is an historical supernatural M/M romance. One of the characters is neuroatypical, and the other is suffering from PTSD, so they both have issues to deal with, but I very much like the spin that puts on the story. (Damaged or atypical […]

River Marked, Audio Edition (2011) Patricia Briggs narrated by Lorelei King Mercy and Adam are getting married. But Mercy’s mother is about to drive her over the edge. “Butterflies and balloons,” I told Adam. “She wants to release butterflies and balloons. Two hundred balloons. Gold ones.” “I expect she’s trying to get Monarch butterflies if […]

The Ruin of a Rake (2017) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series) Set in London in 1817 Lord Courtenay’s reputation is a rake and a libertine is well-deserved. He drank and gambled and whored and ended up spending his fortune. But the death of his sister–after her complete ruin–and his love for his nephew have complicated […]

The Lawrence Browne Affair (2017) Cat Sebastian Set in Cornwall, England in 1816 Lawrence Browne, the Earl of Radnor is mad. He’s driven away most of his staff, and the local vicar is worried about his stability. “Five servants quit,” Halliday said, tapping Lawrence’s desk in emphasis. Dust puffed up in tiny clouds around the […]

Cry Wolf, Audible Edition (2008) Patricia Briggs narrated by Holter Graham It makes me feel bad to admit it, but I much prefer Holter Graham as a narrator to Lorelei King. She just doesn’t have the range for male voices that other female narrators do, and the Mercy Thompson series has too many male characters […]

Rag and Bone (2016) KJ Charles (Rag and Bone) This is set after Flight of Magpies and continues the story started in A Queer Trade. Crispin Tredarloe is trying to learn the right way to be a practitioner, instead of a warlock, like he was trained. But it’s difficult unlearning everything he has been doing […]

Hamilton’s Battalion: A Trio of Romances (2017) Rose Lerner, Courtney Milan, Alyssa Cole Set in the Americas in 1781 and 1820 This is three stories with some overlapping characters, including Alexander Hamilton, who appears at least in the background of each story. PROMISED LAND by Rose Lerner Rachel ran away to join the army as […]

It Takes Two to Tumble (2017) Cat Sebastian (Seducing the Sedgwicks) Set in England in 1817 Ben Sedgwick is happy being the vicar of Kirkby Barton. He is engaged to the girl who has been his best friend since childhood, and he feels comfortable about his calling. He might not want to, but when he […]

Lost to a Spy (2018) Sharon Cullen Set in Scotland in 1567 I picked this up when I saw it on sale because I thought the premise was interesting. Ladies in waiting can’t help noticing more than they let on. After so many years at the court of Mary, Queen of Scots, Emma Howard sees […]

Flight of Magpies (2014) K.J. Charles (A Charm of Magpies) The third book of the Charm of Magpies series finds Stephen and Lord Crane struggling to come to terms with Vaudrey’s desire to leave England and Stephen’s dedication to his job–a job that offers little remuneration but a lot of danger. Crane had promised he […]

Dark Queen (2018) Faith Hunter Wow. This is the culmination of several story arcs that have been going on for awhile, but especially the visit of the European Vampires to the US and their attempt to take over the US. A LOT happens here. And fair warning, multiple people die. But so many things are […]

After the Wedding (2018) Courtney Milan Set in England in 1867. This is the second book in the Worth Saga, and is the story of the second Worth sister, Camilla. Camilla went to live with her uncle because she feared poverty, and the rift this caused with her older sister meant that when her uncle […]

A Case of Possession (2014) K.J. Charles (A Charm of Magpies) The second Charm of Magpies books finds Stephen and Crane the subject of blackmail. Crane, being an Earl, would be fine ignoring the blackmailer, but Stephen, being poor, could easily be arrested for their relationship. But then they suddenly have a much larger problem–giant […]

The Magpie Lord (2013) K.J. Charles (Charm of Magpies) One for sorrow Two for joy Three for a girl Four for a boy Five for silver Six for gold Seven for a secret never to be told Eight for a letter over the sea Nine for a lover as true as can be Lucien Vaudrey […]

A Queer Trade (2015) K.J. Charles (Rag & Bone) This is a short story I picked up because I liked another series of hers I read, and the idea of an historical fantasy was worth checking out. Crispin Tredarloe is a practitioner. He is also going to be in a great deal of trouble. His […]

The Red Heart of Jade (2006) Marjorie Liu Mirabelle Lee lost the love of her life as a teenager. Since then, she’s become the archeologist she had dreamed of becoming as a child, and is now in China helping uncover ancient mummies and artifacts. Dean Campbell lost the love of his life as a teenager–the […]

Shadow Touch (2006) Marjorie Liu Artur Loginov is an ex-Russian mobster with the gift (or curse) of psychometry–he gets impressions and information from touching objects. He works for Dirk & Steele, which fronts as a private investigation agency, but is far more than that. Elena Baxter works as a volunteer in hospitals, which gives her […]

Tiger Eye (2005) Marjorie Liu Dela Reese creates weapons–beautiful knives and swords–as well as other art, with her gift of metal working. While browsing a market in Beijing, a woman sells her a puzzle box–and almost immediately someone threatens her. Two thousand years ago Hari was made into a slave by the Magi–mostly used over […]

An Unsuitable Heir (2017) K.J. Charles (Sins of the City) Set in London in 1873 Mark is a private enquiry agent. He and his mother came to England, fleeing Poland after his mother got in trouble one too many times for her anarchism. Through the lawyer who often defended his mother, he came to know […]

An Unnatural Vice (2017) K.J. Charles Set in London in 1873 This book follows–and in some cases overlaps–An Unseen AttractionClem’s brother is dead, his heir has been made a bastard, and now Clem’s friends are trying to keep Clem’s cousin from throwing him out of his home by searching for another possible heir–the children on […]

An Unseen Attraction (2017) K.J. Charles (Sins of the City) Set in London in 1873 This is a MM boinking book. Clem Tallyfer is the keeper of his brother’s lodging house in London. It’s how he makes his living–surviving on the sufferance of his brother. He’s also different, and that makes things even more difficult. […]