First, y'all should click over to see the larger version of the cover so you can see our heroine Susan's face. It is the most non-swoony face I have eFirst, y'all should click over to see the larger version of the cover so you can see our heroine Susan's face. It is the most non-swoony face I have ever, ever seen on a romance novel cover, and that is so true to her character, I love it. Even the arms are folded! Susan Lazarus is not fucking around.
This is the second book in the Lilywhite Boys series, which follows two con men and thieves in late Victorian London. This series is actually connected to Charles's prior series, Sins of the Cities, as Susan is the adoptive daughter of Justin Lazarus, the former spiritualist (and scammer) turned enquiry agent. Now it's about twenty years later, and Susan herself has taken up the family business, making a name for herself by being tough as nails, and very, very good at her job. Her former lover is one of the Lilywhite boys himself, Templeton Lane (formerly James Vane, confirming this also takes place in the same universe as her first series, Society of Gentleman). They were sort of childhood sweethearts, but their relationship ended with a terrible break between them that left Templeton on a boat to do hard labor in Australia, and with Susan as an enemy.
Years later, they are on opposite sides of the law. Templeton is nearly killed when a jewel theft goes wrong. He finds the body of the owner when he breaks in, and he in turn is found standing over the body of the owner, at which point he makes a run for it. Having clearly been framed and not wanting to drag his only two friends (and criminal associates) down with him, the only person he knows who might possibly believe him innocent of the murders (the valet was killed, too) and also might be able to help clear his name, is one Susan Lazarus.
This is a second chance romance, with elements of enemies to lovers near the beginning, so it's a twofer. Also, it's a murder mystery! And historical fiction. And it's very well written. And the way that Susan and Templeton come back together is so very good. They're both such emotionally complex people with such different personalities, but their chemistry feels effortless, and their conflicts and struggles poignant. Susan is a badass, and Templeton is some sort of gentle bear/puppy combo with criminal tendencies mostly to do with thieving. As both puppies and bears are known for stealing shit that doesn't belong to them (mostly to eat), I feel my comparison is apt.
I really can't emphasize enough how much it upsets me that y'all still aren't reading K.J. Charles as much as she deserves. She deserves to be a bestselling author with awards threatening to collapse her shelves. I think I'm finally going to have to do a deep dive and finish out the books in her back catalogue I haven't gotten to yet, because I don't know when she's publishing her next book and it's making me anxious.
Merged review:
First, y'all should click over to see the larger version of the cover so you can see our heroine Susan's face. It is the most non-swoony face I have ever, ever seen on a romance novel cover, and that is so true to her character, I love it. Even the arms are folded! Susan Lazarus is not fucking around.
This is the second book in the Lilywhite Boys series, which follows two con men and thieves in late Victorian London. This series is actually connected to Charles's prior series, Sins of the Cities, as Susan is the adoptive daughter of Justin Lazarus, the former spiritualist (and scammer) turned enquiry agent. Now it's about twenty years later, and Susan herself has taken up the family business, making a name for herself by being tough as nails, and very, very good at her job. Her former lover is one of the Lilywhite boys himself, Templeton Lane (formerly James Vane, confirming this also takes place in the same universe as her first series, Society of Gentleman). They were sort of childhood sweethearts, but their relationship ended with a terrible break between them that left Templeton on a boat to do hard labor in Australia, and with Susan as an enemy.
Years later, they are on opposite sides of the law. Templeton is nearly killed when a jewel theft goes wrong. He finds the body of the owner when he breaks in, and he in turn is found standing over the body of the owner, at which point he makes a run for it. Having clearly been framed and not wanting to drag his only two friends (and criminal associates) down with him, the only person he knows who might possibly believe him innocent of the murders (the valet was killed, too) and also might be able to help clear his name, is one Susan Lazarus.
This is a second chance romance, with elements of enemies to lovers near the beginning, so it's a twofer. Also, it's a murder mystery! And historical fiction. And it's very well written. And the way that Susan and Templeton come back together is so very good. They're both such emotionally complex people with such different personalities, but their chemistry feels effortless, and their conflicts and struggles poignant. Susan is a badass, and Templeton is some sort of gentle bear/puppy combo with criminal tendencies mostly to do with thieving. As both puppies and bears are known for stealing shit that doesn't belong to them (mostly to eat), I feel my comparison is apt.
I really can't emphasize enough how much it upsets me that y'all still aren't reading K.J. Charles as much as she deserves. She deserves to be a bestselling author with awards threatening to collapse her shelves. I think I'm finally going to have to do a deep dive and finish out the books in her back catalogue I haven't gotten to yet, because I don't know when she's publishing her next book and it's making me anxious....more
I read this because Paula loved it, and we traded book recs (I had her read Thursday Murder Club). I really liked this book a lot. It does the main thI read this because Paula loved it, and we traded book recs (I had her read Thursday Murder Club). I really liked this book a lot. It does the main thing I want from my books, and that's get me emotionally involved. It wasn't perfect for me, though, mainly because of the ending (see spoilers below). But this is definitely worth reading, and if you like historical fiction centering female friendship, you will probably like this a lot.
I will say, don't trust the blurb, it gives expectations the book isn't interested in fulfilling. I was reading the book a certain way the whole time, largely because of the blurb, and was thus very angry and surprised by how things turned out*. No expectations are best!
*Seriously do not click this spoiler tag unless you want to be spoiled all to hell. (view spoiler)[This is the kind of book that will kill a main character just as they have achieved happiness, and it made me furious. I was reading this book as a wacky ode to female friendship in a time of trauma and hardship, plus science! And buddy comedy shenanigans. There are elements of all of those things, but as Paula pointed out to me, Enid is not a co-protagonist or there to just be friends with Margery, the MC. She is a co-antagonist, working in parallel to her opposite, the POW with PTSD who is stalking them. This sort of reframed the whole book for me.
I did not appreciate being fooled into thinking this was one type of story, when it was another altogether, hence the four stars instead of five. (hide spoiler)]
I do recommend checking out this hidden gem. I'd never even heard of it before Paula told me to read it because she loved it so much. ...more
Thanks to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Orbit for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
Okay, so I loved this, even though it wasn't Thanks to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Orbit for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
Okay, so I loved this, even though it wasn't perfect, and I kind of want to bump my 4.5 stars up to five. I feel like it might be one of those cases where after I read future books and re-read this one, it will be a full five. I want to get a physical copy and annotate! There are a LOT of people who are not getting what this is going for, which is fine if sad. But it's important to go in knowing it's not just a campy, fun time. I think this book is a smart, fun send-up of fantasy as a genre with actual pathos behind it. I can't wait to see what happens with these characters once the author really gets a chance to do things with them.
Reading this series is like watching some unseen force put together a jigsaw puzzle without regard to matching like pieces to like. They're just placiReading this series is like watching some unseen force put together a jigsaw puzzle without regard to matching like pieces to like. They're just placing random pieces all over the board higgledy-piggledy. You can see they have a plan and they know the plan, but you cannot see the plan, and it is very disorienting. I'm interested to see what the whole looks like once more pieces are in place. ...more
I didn't like this one quite as much as the first in the series, but I always love spending time with Mimi Matthews's characters. I didn't like this one quite as much as the first in the series, but I always love spending time with Mimi Matthews's characters. ...more
This would have gotten a higher rating without the hated "I'm going to break up with you for your own good but really it's for my own good because I'mThis would have gotten a higher rating without the hated "I'm going to break up with you for your own good but really it's for my own good because I'm a selfish idiot who confuses self-sacrifice with goodness" trope. Anyway, up until that bit, this was great. And then after they made up it was good too. I'm just salty about it.
I highly enjoy Mimi Matthew's brand of historical romance, always full of historical detail and lovely character moments. It's also endearing to my little asexual heart because they get lusty feelings and moon over each other often with great angst and lots of feeeeelings but then I don't have to sit through a poorly written sex scene that more often than not can be done without. The focus is truly just on these two people getting to know each other and shore up each other's weak spots.
Will be reading the rest of the series ASAP....more
This is a ridiculous book that I loved very much. Also, because I have low spoons at the moment and also because I couldn’t do better, here are some kThis is a ridiculous book that I loved very much. Also, because I have low spoons at the moment and also because I couldn’t do better, here are some key moments from the blurb:
"Shesheshen has made a mistake fatal to all monsters: she’s fallen in love."
"Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorphous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor."
"Homily is kind and nurturing and would make an excellent co-parent: an ideal place to lay Shesheshen’s eggs so their young could devour Homily from the inside out."
"Eating her girlfriend isn’t an option."
"And the bigger challenge remains: surviving her toxic in-laws long enough to learn to build a life with, rather than in, the love of her life."
I think you’ll agree whoever wrote that blurb deserves an award of some sort. And in my opinion, it perfectly represents what you will get in the book: a tongue in cheek, weird little story about a monster who learns to be a person, while gross and funny things are constantly happening to and around her.
Also, I WILL NOTE LOUDLY, both of the love interests in this book, Shesheshen and Homily, are not only homoromantic but ASEXUAL. There is also a tertiary character in here that is called the offspring for most of the book that made me CACKLE every time it was on page. The last time I laughed this hard at a book and tabbed so many memorable, funny, and utterly weird lines was Gideon the Ninth.
I don’t know what to tell you about all the mediocre reviews of this one. They just don’t get it. I thought this book was perfect and exactly what I wanted, and I can’t wait to see what John Wiswell and his weird little mind do next.
Read Harder 2024: Read a book based solely on the title.
r/Fantasy BINGO 2024: Book Club or Readalong Book (Hard Mode)
I would have given this five stars with a slightly different ending. Scary and silly at the same time. I would honestly read a full novel following (vI would have given this five stars with a slightly different ending. Scary and silly at the same time. I would honestly read a full novel following (view spoiler)[the prisoners vs. the ankle snatcher (hide spoiler)].
The Familiar is an atmospheric historical fantasy set in the late 1500s Spain, when the Inquisition was up and running at full power. Our heroine is LThe Familiar is an atmospheric historical fantasy set in the late 1500s Spain, when the Inquisition was up and running at full power. Our heroine is Luzia Cotado, a scullion in the house of a poor noble family who uses small ancestral magics taught to her by her secretly Jewish family to get through the day: unburning burnt bread, multiplying the potatoes when there wasn't enough coin at market, heating water, fixing a seam. The plot kicks off when Luzia's mistress, Doña Valentina, catches her at it and decides to take advantage of her servant's talents and desires to bring her own household up in the world. But both of them are soon in over their heads when powerful people take notice, one of whom has uncanny luck and a mysterious and threatening manservant who follows in his shadow.
The one-two punch of the setting and the prose really got me in this one. I don't think I've read a book set in this time period and place before. You hear a lot about the Inquisition in popular culture and history, but there's something extra chilling about seeing it in action on characters you have come to care for, and see what they are seeing with this huge violent hypocritical thing a constant fear for everyone.
I could probably say a lot more about this book and what it's doing with its themes of desire and religion, among others, but it's too fresh of a reading experience and also I'm tired. ...more
As often happens with books that I five-star love and gobble up in a mindless pleasure fest of reading indulgently, I am finding it hard to have anythAs often happens with books that I five-star love and gobble up in a mindless pleasure fest of reading indulgently, I am finding it hard to have anything to say beyond BOOK GOOD READ NOW. But let's try anyway.
This is the second book in Courtney Milan's Wedgeford Trials series, about a small town in Victorian England that is full of mostly Chinese emigrants (as always, the author's notes are a must-read for historical context) but other members of the Asian diaspora as well. The town has become infamous in larger England for holding annual games called the Wedgeford Trials, which bring a lot of outsiders in, which is a great base for a series of romance novels. This particular book doesn't have much of a focus on the games at all; in fact they're barely in it. It's more about the larger community, as experienced by two people who feel outside of it. (One of them significantly more than the other.)
Our lifelong Wedgeford resident is Naomi, a Chinese/Japanese young woman who desperately wants to take an Ambulance class, despite her over-protective parents' wishes. It's on her quest to sign up for these classes (which were basically first-aid) that she meets (or rather, meets again) Kai, who she at first takes for a man who only speaks Chinese. She drags him along and then when she receives pushback from the white men in charge of the sign-up, on the spot makes up a fake fiancé, who is apparently Kai, so she can get her way. Unbeknownst to Naomi, Kai and she have met before, and in fact, they are ALREADY engaged, and have been since childhood, when Kai's conman father duped the whole village into a scheme, stole heaps of money, and then scarpered off, leaving Kai behind to face the consequences. He is returning to Wedgeford to commit once last con. On the way home to Wedgeford, Naomi discovers her mistake, but Kai keeps their childhood betrothal to himself, for obvious reasons. Somehow, they end up fake engaged anyway, as it's in both of their interests. I won't say more than that because it gets complicated, but doesn't feel that way while you're reading.
The character arcs here are glorious. The community is so wholesome and fun. Kai's past and present collide in a way that is very satisfying, and Naomi's perspective shift through the novel, to do with both herself and her relationship with her parents, was incredibly well done. It's also stinkin' cute, and Kai is a master potter, so we get a lot of really cool historical detail about Japanese pottery that I absolutely ate up, which then caused me to go down a YouTube rabbit hole that I don't recommend you go down unless you want to lose several hours of your life.
I actually think I liked this one quite a bit more than the first book. I connected with the characters more, and the plot and their emotional arcs felt like they had a lot more substance than Chloe and Jeremy's story did, which was basically just extremely pleasant fluff. This is fluff with substance, which is that even fluff? But anyway, apparently I'm really into that dynamic, and this is a very good book that you should read also....more
Wow, what happened? I should probably say up front that I genuinely do not know how much of my negative experience reading this book was me, and how mWow, what happened? I should probably say up front that I genuinely do not know how much of my negative experience reading this book was me, and how much was the book. I really liked the first book in this duology, but within about five pages of this one, I had completely turned on it. I really, really did not care what was happening, and trying to read it after that feeling appeared felt like I was torturing myself. FYI I did end up speed reading the middle of this, and then normally reading the last fifty pages or so, so it's very possible that I missed something. But I just couldn't do it, man. (The ending of the book convinced me I was right in my approach because wow did I hate that ending.)
So anyway, spoilers for the first book below; definitely don't read this book without reading the first. It would be a pointless and confusing endeavor. (It felt like that anyway for me, ouch.)
So this book picks up exactly where the last one left off, with one of the MCs (forgot name) having made a deal with an overly powered demon thing and the other (also name forgotten) having kept hers in check. Their romance is immediately supposed to feel tragic here since he made his bad decision and she made her good one, but I was just annoyed. Also, I was annoyed at the author for destroying the abbey or the school or whatever it was at the end of last book. It just went over the edge of suspenseful into This Is Too Much for me. And I could tell the book wasn't going to explore any of the things I wanted it to, in favor of the things that I liked least in the first book. And I was right.
Spoilers for this book below.
(view spoiler)[And then the characters somehow manage to repel a colonizer invasion in the short span of like a hundred pages, the dude MC dies, and the lady MC gets pregnant and there is an epilogue where the kid (who is supposed to be cute I guess) and the lady get all sentimental about the dead dad and how he saved all of China whatever this country is called. (hide spoiler)]
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I'm really kind of flabbergasted at my reaction here. I don't know how to explain it. I think if you liked the first book and where it went at the end you will like this one, too, but I don't even know at this point. Don't trust me. I've DNFed like ten or eleven books so far this year and it's only February 1st.
First off, this is one of those books that I am pretty sure when I come back to it later for a re-read, I will be bumping up to five stars. It's takinFirst off, this is one of those books that I am pretty sure when I come back to it later for a re-read, I will be bumping up to five stars. It's taking up space in my brain, but I'm still processing. Also, I want to see where it goes in book two. I didn't even have to wait for re-read, it's been simmering in my brain since the summer and now I just remember it as a five-star read I can't wait to revisit. If you love high fantasy, magic schools, and intense worldbuilding based on historical civilizations, this will probably be a book for you.
The Will of the Many takes place in the Catenan Republic, which is inspired heavily by Ancient Rome. Here, people of lower castes cede something called "Will" (think their life-force) to those above them in the social pyramid (here they make literal pyramids, where those at the top cede to no one). This saps those at the bottom of their mental power and energy, while those above them receive exponential strength and magical abilities. The higher up this pyramid of Will you are, the more powerful you are both literally and in society. Our protagonist, Vis (not his real name), has refused to cede his Will to anyone, which makes him a bit of an anomaly. He is also an orphaned royal hiding in plain sight. After the Hierarchy (another name for the Republic) conquered his homeland and his entire family was killed, he went into hiding as an orphan. He is unexpectedly adopted by a Quintus (336 people cede Will to them), who wishes him to infiltrate their most prestigious academy and ferret out secrets.
There's a lot going on in this book, and all of it is very entertaining. We have Vis's arc, the conflict within him to succeed and make friends in the society that killed his family and is trying to wipe out his culture and way of life (plus some conflict without, in that a group of terrorists bent on bringing down the empire knows who he is and is trying to use him). We have the magic school setting, which was my favorite, where he has to navigate the complex politics of Hierarchy society, succeed in his classes, and survive to make it to the top of his class. Then we have the mystery of the Cataclysm, a mysterious event that basically ended the world 300 years before, killing 95 out of every 100 people alive, and decimating human knowledge and culture. The magic system is such a perfect fantasy metaphor for the way that caste systems and social inequality behaves in real life, I'm still thinking about it. And perhaps most importantly, this book had me both emotionally and intellectually pretty much from chapter one, and my engagement only increased the longer the book went on.
I am SO UPSET about this one. The edition I have is BEAUTIFUL. It is almost perfectly suited to my personal aesthetics. I am not immune to a DNF @ 33%
I am SO UPSET about this one. The edition I have is BEAUTIFUL. It is almost perfectly suited to my personal aesthetics. I am not immune to a bit of magical thinking, so my brain latching on to how beautiful the book is also simultaneously planted a vicious little expectation that I was going to love the insides, too. UNFORTUNATELY HOWEVER.
Cynical statement of the day: This is why you should never have expectations.
So this book is about a young woman named Aya (she's twenty-one) who lives in . . . some other place. Fantasy world, who cares. In this world, long ago people had powers but used them to try to overcome the gods and were punished by having their powers and the powers of their descendants curtailed. Aya is one of those descendants. So is her VERY OBVIOUS love interest (books, please stop pretending the love interest isn't the love interest). She is on the queen's guard, and there is plotting?
Honestly, I have no idea what the actual conflict or plot of this particular book is because it had not made itself apparent by the time I DNFed it. In fact, I barely had a grasp on anything at that point because this book in my opinion very much fails at its storytelling. You can have the best worldbuilding ever and interesting character backstories (with potentially meaty character arcs), but if you can't get that stuff on the page in an interesting and compelling way, it doesn't matter at all. Such was the case here.
The dialogue was empty. Every time any character interacted with another, all they spoke in was empty clichés. All information about the plot was fed to us through little spurts of a giant firehose, through the narrator's dull and clumsy inner monologue. And important, emotional moments in the narrative were either glossed over or told to us instead of shown. I honestly can't believe this book was published. Was somebody trying to cash in on some trend? But I absolutely could not concentrate on this book, nothing was staying put in my head while reading it, and that is such a rare feeling for me.
There was a lot of promise here, but it was all lost in the execution. Too bad. I stand by my DNF....more
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