Curio (2024) C.S. Poe Llewellyn and his aunt Julia run the Curio Cabinet Sunday between noon and six o’clock was basically when Curio made any money at all—lockets with broken chains, weathered vintage postcards, vinyl records sans sleeves, and creepy doll heads missing one eye were the bad decisions locals made after one too many […]
Kneading You (2016) C.S. Poe (A Lancaster Story) He opened to the front page, where there was an old-fashioned library card in the pocket glued to the cover, with handwritten names and dates going as far back as 1947. No one deserved to lose access to books simply because of where they lived. “Someone who […]
Joy (2017) C.S. Poe (A Lancaster Story) “It’s all the mountains,” said a booming voice ahead of me. I looked up quickly and found a huge guy grinning down at me. “S-sorry?” “You ain’t got no signal out here because of all the mountains. Folks got satellite for home Internet service.” “What happens if there’s […]
Love, Marriage, and a Baby Carriage (2016) C.S. Poe Utterly ridiculous. 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 out it was specifically for guys and gals. Utterly silly. […]
Color of You (2017) C.S. Poe (A Lancaster Story) “His voice was just so flippin’ gorgeous,” I said, sighing a little. “I’ve never heard an amber voice. It was smooth and flowed like blues music.” Sound-to-color synesthesia. When you look a certain way, a lot of men expect you to behave the part. Society had […]
Joy (2017) C.S. Poe (A Lancaster Story) “Are there, like… street signs or—” “He’s not from around here,” Nancy said to a guy at the counter who started laughing. “No, honey, just drive. The roads around here will bring you right through into the next town.” I put down the bin of dishes I’d been […]
The Doctor (2022) C.S. Poe (Magic & Steam) Set in alternate US in 1882. Gillian Hamilton has been caught. He has been exposed as Simon Fitzgerald, the Butcher of Antietam. And he is now on Blackwell’s Island at the Asylum for the Magically Insane. “Why are you helping a criminal?” Barrie wiped his nose again. […]
Color of You (2017) C.S. Poe (A Lancaster Story) I think I finally figured out why this is my least favorite story in this series. Although it has a mystery (good!) and I adore the characters (good!) the dynamic between the couple isn’t standard (good!) and the misunderstandings are … understandable, something has always felt […]
Joy (2017) C.S. Poe (A Lancaster Story) There is something about this book that just calms me. Makes me happy. It’s low-stakes, and funny. “Are there, like… street signs or—” “He’s not from around here,” Nancy said to a guy at the counter who started laughing. I noticed over his shoulder that several of the […]
Kneading You (2016) C.S. Poe (A Lancaster Story) Reread. Because I can’t settle down into anything. Rating: 8/10
The Mystery of the Spirits (2021) C.S. Poe (Snow & Winter) This is the fifth Snow & Winter mystery. Sebastian and Calvin are happily married, and Sebastian has managed to avoid getting involved in murders–until now. “We should get one of those OSHA scoreboards for the shop. You know, for recording accidents? Except we record […]
Madison Square Murders (2021) C.S. Poe (Memento Mori) Everett Larkin works for the Cold Case Squad. And even among that group he’s considered odd. But he’s good at his job, even if he is often a bit overly emotional. I was initially distracted by the appearance of Neil Millett, Sebastian Snow’s ex, and someone I’m […]
Kneading You, Joy, The Color of You (2019, 2017) C.S. Poe The Haven Investigation series was excellent, but emotionally rough. So I decided to reread the Lancaster series, for some comfort. No one deserved to lose access to books simply because of where they lived. Kneading You All I did was give a guy tacos. […]
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 […]
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 […]