Books

Book 859: Subtle Blood (The Will Darling Adventures #3) – K.J. Charles

Now THIS is how you end a series! Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want it to end, especially after reading Charles’ short story “To Trust Man on His Oath” that takes place between this and The Sugared Game. The short story provided Will and Kim the much-needed space to discuss who they are separately and who they think they want to be together.

And, thankfully, I’ll get to visit with Will and Kim one last time when I finally Charles’ short story/epilogue “How Goes the World”. I just need to read Proper English and Think of England first which share a world with The Will Darling Adventures! (Oh no, more books to read :-D)

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Books

Book 854: The Sugared Game (The Will Darling Adventures #2) – K.J. Charles

After thoroughly enjoying Slippery Creatures, I immediately requested the next one in the series from the library and got it faster than expected! I wasn’t really sure where Charles would take the series, and I’m even less sure having finished this one. Wherever it goes I am ready to be part of the journey!

Picking up a couple months after Slippery Creatures, we once again find Will, WWI veteran and bookseller now with his inheritance, and Kim, aristocratic untrustworthy agent-of-some-sort, thrust together at the mercy of the cult-like Zodiac. This time, it’s both more and less straight forward because at least we know Zodiac exists.

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Books

Book 850: Slippery Creatures (The Will Darling Adventures #1) – K.J. Charles

I legit have no clue how this one ended up on my hold’s shelf at my local library. It could’ve been the cover (love it), it could be the description – “MM Romance in the style of Pulp Fiction”, or maybe it was the setting of the bookstore, or maybe the author since I have read something by her previously. Whatever it was, after having extended the hold time twice I finally worked it into my schedule.

I didn’t plan to read it in one sitting, but I got sick and couldn’t sleep so started reading it and just kept going. Next thing I knew I was finished and grinning like a fool.

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ARC, Books

Book 845: A Case for Christmas (The Lords of Bucknall Club #2) – J.A. Rock & Lisa Henry

When this one came to my inbox I of course said yes. I enjoyed A Husband for Hartwell, the first book in the Lords of Bucknall Club series and wanted to see where Rock and Henry took it. And if I’m a little bit honest, I was really hoping to read about the protagonists starting a family and adopting the little girl on the cover, but you’ll have to read it to find out about that.

For the most part, I wasn’t disappointed with the story, even though it felt like this book took a bit of a left turn from the first one. I was mostly expecting another Regency era romance, but instead got a regency era mystery with a bit of romance on the side. That’s definitely not a bad thing and I enjoyed both aspects of it, it’s just like I said a little out of left field for me.

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ARC, Books

Book 441: The Madwoman Upstairs – Catherine Lowell

Back-to-back Brontë fan-fictions you say? Hell yes, I say! I honestly didn’t plan it this way, but both books were burning holes on my TBR pile and I wanted to read them before I headed out to China.

I really do need to up my game though, I had no idea this (or Jane Steele) were coming out this year. Unlike Jane Steele, this one doesn’t seem to be making as big of a splash. It could be because it’s a debut novel, or it could be because it’s by a smaller publisher, but I couldn’t tell you for sure what it is.

I know I stumbled across The Madwoman Upstairs after I finally got around to reading an article from The Daily Beast titled Life Lessons From the Brontë Sisters (article link). So of course I reached out to the publisher and they kindly sent a review copy*, which once I started reading I blazed through.

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