We’ll do a Wrap-Up Saturday this month. I’ve spent most of my time this week in the hospital with my mother, and writing a blog post was the last thing on my mind, so I missed my ordinary Wrap-Up on the last Wednesday of the month.
It’s okay, I can hardly remember what I’ve read anyway. I’ve mostly been rereading old books when I have been reading. I’ve read a few old MF books, and I read Crowbones by Anne Bishop which was new to me. It’s the 8th story in The Others series. It’s not a romance, but I love that series. One day, I’m gonna write something similar… maybe LOL.
But okay, let’s see if I can remember what I’ve read…
The Gravedigger’s Brawl by Abigail Roux
I love this one! It was the reread of the month over at Holly’s so you can read all about it there. It has ghosts and my favourite bartender in the whole wide world, or at least one of them.
When the past comes back to haunt you, order a double.
Dr. Wyatt Case is never happier than when he’s walking the halls of his history museum. Playing wingman for his best friend at Gravedigger’s Tavern throws him way out of his comfort zone, but not as much as the eccentric man behind the bar, Ash Lucroix.
Ash is everything Wyatt doesn’t understand: exuberant, quirky, and elbow deep in a Gaslight lifestyle that weaves history into everyday life. He coordinates his suspenders with his tongue rings. Within hours, Wyatt and Ash are hooked.
But strange things are afoot at Gravedigger’s, and after a knock to the head, Ash starts seeing things that can’t be explained by old appliances or faulty wiring. Soon everyone at Gravedigger’s is wondering if they’re seeing ghosts, or just going crazy. The answer to that question could end more than just Wyatt and Ash’s fragile relationship—it might also end their lives.
https://books2read.com/TheGravediggersBrawl
A Charm of Magpies by K.J. Charles
I reread the first two stories of the A Charm of Magpies books. I was in the mood to read them, and I was having a debate with myself if it was okay to reread them once again. It’s not that long ago I read them, but I decided my poor brain deserved to rest in the familiar, and reading is for me, not to have some new to write about in a blog post.
A lord in danger. A magician in turmoil. A snowball in hell.
Exiled to China for twenty years, Lucien Vaudrey never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He’s also inherited his family’s enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn’t expect it to turn up angry.
Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane’s family. Unfortunately, it’s his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he’s ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude… and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed. That’s definitely unusual.
Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane’s dangerous appeal isn’t the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can’t find a way through it—they’re both going to die.
https://books2read.com/MagpieLord
Magic in the blood. Danger in the streets.
Lord Crane has never had a lover quite as elusive as Stephen Day. He knows Stephen’s job as justiciar requires secrecy, but the magician is doing his disappearing act more than seems reasonable—especially since Crane will soon return to his home in China. When a blackmailer threatens to expose their illicit relationship, there’s only one thing stopping Crane from leaving the country he loathes: Stephen.
Stephen has problems of his own. As he investigates a plague of giant rats sweeping London, his sudden increase in power, boosted by his blood-and-sex bond with Crane, is rousing suspicion that he’s turned warlock. With all eyes on him, the threat of exposure grows. Stephen could lose his friends, his job and his liberty over his relationship with Crane. He’s not sure if he can take that risk much longer. Crane isn’t sure if he can ask him to.
The rats are closing in, and something has to give…
https://books2read.com/ACaseOfPossession
The Duality Paradigm by Lia Cooper
This is also a reread. I remember liking it a lot when I first read it. I still liked it, but the epithets! How could I have overlooked the epithets the last time I read it?! They make me itch LOL.
Everyone knows magic users and werewolves are intrinsically diametrically opposed…
Seattle Police Detective Ethan Ellison, born into a long line of Quebecois magicians, leads a fairly unassuming life working Theft and consulting on magical misdemeanors. He’s spent eight years building a life for himself in Seattle, far from his father’s shadow. He works hard, lives under the radar, and fucks whoever catches his eye.
Detective Patrick Clanahan, beta-heir to Pack McClanahan, is a tightly wired bundle of rage and guilt, still trying to come to terms with the murder of his last partner.
When a human woman is murdered in werewolf territory under suspicious circumstances, Ethan is reassigned to worked the case with Clanahan in the hopes that he’ll be able to balance out the wolf’s rougher edges.
Too bad they mostly just rub each other the wrong way.
https://books2read.com/Duality
Johnnie by Cardeno C.
This was different from the shifter stories I normally read, and I’ve read a few shifter stories in my day 😇 This has suicide attempts, so if that’s a trigger for you, skip it. For me, it was more the orgy at the beginning that had me close to quitting. I don’t have a poly bone in my body, yeah, I’m boring that way LOL, and as soon as there are more than two people in a bedroom I get really uncomfortable. But there is none of that after the opening scene. Hugh is more than a little slow on the uptake, but I liked it.
A Premier lion shifter, Hugh Landry dedicates his life to leading the Berk pride with strength and confidence. Hundreds of people depend on Hugh for safety, success, and happiness. And at over a century old, with more power than can be contained in one body, Hugh relies on a Siphon lion shifter to carry his excess force.
When the Siphon endangers himself and therefore the pride, Hugh must pay attention to the man who has been his silent shadow for a decade. What he learns surprises him, but what he feels astounds him even more.
Two lions, each born to serve, rely on one another to survive. After years by each other’s side, they’ll finally realize the depth of their potential, the joy in their passion, and a connection their kind has never known.
https://books2read.com/Johnnie
I have the feeling I’ve missed a story or two, but I’ve scrolled through my apps, and I can’t find anything else. If some titles pop up in my mind, I’ll add them to next month’s wrap-up.
Perfect Rows by Holly Day: Everything would’ve been perfect if Grayson hadn’t been forced to share his garden with Cam. Grayson wants to grow vegetables, and he has a plan for how to do it. Cam loves flowers in perfect rows, but Grayson is incapable of growing things in lines. Most days end in conflict, at least until Grayson realizes he can shut Cam up by kissing him. But will they ever be able to agree about the garden?
Ofelia Grand 