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Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk

February 15, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I picked this one up for 99c after it was featured in the Dear Author Daily Deals post in November last year.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Some things should stay buried.

Repressed scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne has two skills: reading dead languages and hiding in his office at the Ladysmith Museum. After the tragic death of the friend he secretly loved, he’s ruthlessly suppressed any desire for another man.

So when handsome ex-Pinkerton Griffin Flaherty approaches him to translate a mysterious book, Whyborne wants to finish the job and get rid of the detective as quickly as possible. Griffin left the Pinkertons following the death of his partner, hoping to start a new life. But the powerful cult which murdered Glenn has taken root in Widdershins, and only the spells in the book can stop them. Spells the intellectual Whyborne doesn’t believe are real.

As the investigation draws the two men closer, Griffin’s rakish charm threatens to shatter Whyborne’s iron control. When the cult resurrects an evil sorcerer who commands terrifying monsters, can Whyborne overcome his fear and learn to trust? Will Griffin let go of his past and risk falling in love? Or will Griffin’s secrets cost Whyborne both his heart and his life?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): A friend asked me to buddy read this book with her so, as is often the case, I started without reading the blurb or knowing much about the book other than that it was an historical m/m romance. So, the appearance of dark magic and rituals to bring people back from the dead came as a bit of a shock. In some ways, the book is in the same vein as The Magpie Lord. It isn’t the same book. The Magpie Lord is darkly amusing and Widdershins has a totally different aspect. It’s set in America – around 1890-something. Whyborne is a philologist (language specialist) for the Ladysmith museum in Widdershins, New England. He’s shy and socially awkward. One of the museum trustees, Mr. Rice, has commissioned Griffin Flaherty, a private detective, to look into the murder of his son. A strange book was posted to Mr. Rice by his son shortly before the murder and there seems likely to be a link. Griffin asked Whyborne to translate the book and they gradually become friends (and then lovers) and work together to solve the mystery.

My Sweetest Escape by Chelsea M. Cameron

February 13, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) The past will always find you.

Jos Archer was the girl with the perfect life; until the night it all came crashing down around her. Now, nine months later, she still hasn’t begun to pick up the pieces. Even transferring to a new college and living under the watchful eye of her older sister, Renee, isn’t enough to help her feel normal again.

And then she meets Dusty Sharp. For reasons Jos can’t begin to fathom, the newly reformed campus bad boy seems determined to draw her out of her shell. And if she’s not careful, his knowing green eyes and wicked smile will make her feel things she’s no longer sure she deserves.

But even as Dusty coaxes Jos to open up about the past, he’s hiding secrets of his own. Secrets about the night her old life fell apart. When the truth is finally revealed, will it bring them closer together;or tear them apart for good?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I enjoy this author’s style very much – even when the plot was frustrating me, the story was always easy to read. Props to Harlequin for showing an interracial couple on the cover too.

The reader knows, from the blurb and in any event, it is apparent very very early in the story that “something” happened nine months earlier (dont’ worry, it’s not baby related) and this changed Jos’s life. I felt the reveal of the “something” was drawn out too long and when it was finally revealed, it felt anti-climactic to me. I admit I had some difficulty in understanding why Jos felt so responsible. Perhaps I am just a hardass.

I’m Over at Dear Author…

February 12, 2014 / Kaetrin

with a review of Slow Burn by Sam B. Morgan. I have a weakness for cops in m/m romance.

I’m At AudioGals…

February 11, 2014 / Kaetrin

with a review of the marvellous Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase, read by Kate Reading. I cannot praise the narration enough.

Marked by Kit Rocha, Lauren Dane and Vivian Arend

February 10, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from Kit Rocha.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lauren Dane takes you into a brand new world in ALL THAT REMAINS. Summer Killian falls fast and hard when Charlie arrives in Paradise Village. But the heat turns all the way up when she learns Charlie is also with Hatch – the man she loved three years before. While she’s not sure she’s cut out for a triad, neither man is going to give her up.

Take a ROCKY RIDE with New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Vivian Arend as she leads you back to the Six Pack Ranch. Anna Coleman might be the law around Rocky Mountain House, but bad boy Mitch Thompson knows that under the stiff RCMP uniform is a woman with a passion for speed and pleasure that matches his own, and he’s not giving up until she’s his.

Kit Rocha returns to Sector Four in BEYOND TEMPTATION. A promise to a dying friend backfires when Noah Lennox finds that the girl he was supposed to rescue is all grown up–and wearing O’Kane ink. He wants to protect her from the secrets of their past, but she wants him. And an O’Kane woman always gets what she wants.

Beyond Temptation by Kit Rocha: Taking place between the events of Beyond Pain and the soon-to-be-released Beyond Jealousy, Temptation features O’Kane member Emma Cibulski and the mysterious tech expert living underground somewhere in Sector Three, Noah Lennox. Emma and Noah both have history in Sector Five and Noah has a hard-on for revenge against Five’s leader Mac Fleming. He blames Mac for his best friend (Emma’s brother)’s death. For reasons which are a little less clear to me, Mac is after Noah too and Noah has distanced himself from Emma for the past 4 years so as to protect her. She’s all grown up now and seeing the tough kickass woman she has become, Noah can no longer keep away. There is a secret to do with Emma’s brother that everyone except Emma seems to know and when it is revealed, it does throw a spanner into the works of their burgeoning relationship. The story ends with definite HFN/HEA but Noah’s journey to take down Mac Fleming is only just beginning and I expect we will see more of it revealed in the next book. The sex, as usual, is smokin’ hot and super dirrrty. There is also definite connection between Emma and Noah. When Noah sees what Dallas and Lex have, he wants it with Emma – that partnership and equality of exchange. The Beyond series is way more female positive than many post-apocalyptic books and I am enjoying the developing world building of the series as well as the great characters and dirty, inventive sex. Spending time in the Broken Circle is always fun and this novella was no exception. Grade: B

Do or Die by Suzanne Brockmann

February 8, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Navy SEAL Ian Dunn went rogue in a big way when he turned his talents to a lawless life of jewel heists and con jobs. Or so the world has been led to believe. In reality, the former Special Ops warrior is still fighting for good, leading a small band of freelance covert operatives who take care of high-stakes business in highly unofficial ways. That makes Ian the hands-down choice when the U.S. government must breach a heavily guarded embassy and rescue a pair of children kidnapped by their own father, a sinister foreign national willing to turn his own kids into casualties. Shockingly, Ian passes on the mission… for reasons he will not–or cannot–reveal.

But saying no is not an option. Especially not to Phoebe Kruger, Ian’s bespectacled, beautiful, and unexpectedly brash new attorney. Determined to see the abducted children set free, she not only gets Ian on board but insists on riding shotgun on his Mission: Impossible-style operation, whether he likes it or not.

Though Phoebe has a valuable knack for getting out of tight spots, there’s no denying the intensely intimate feelings growing between Ian and Phoebe as the team gears up for combat. But these are feelings they both must fight to control as they face an array of cold-blooded adversaries, including a vindictive mob boss who’s got Ian at the top of his hit list and a wealthy psychopath who loves murder as much as money. As they dodge death squads and play lethal games of deception, Ian and Phoebe will do whatever it takes to save the innocent and vanquish the guilty.

Or die trying.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I have missed Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooters books. This isn’t a Troubleshooters book but it is a kind of offshoot of them. Regular Brockmann readers will recognise Deb Erlanger and Joe (“Yashi”) Hirabayashi from the FBI and Martell Griffin from Force of Nature (he is a friend of Ric Alvarado’s). Jules Cassidy even gets a mention or two but he didn’t actually appear on page (sadly). It’s set in the same world where the Troubleshooters are and I gather that future books in this series may incorporate other TS characters in some way.