reviews

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Autumn reviews 2025

Spot the mushrooms…

Viewing

The brilliant

The Nabateans***** Ch 4. Fascinating look at an ancient civilisation I was only peripherally aware of.

Last Night of the Proms***** BBC iPlayer. Highlights included a new arrangement of Bohemian Rhapsody with Brian May on guitar and Roger Taylor on ‘gong’. Plus a piece with Bill Bailey on typewriter.

Blue Lights***** Season 3 BBC Police drama set in Belfast. I love this.

Riot Women***** BBC.  Brilliant drama (not crime or romance). Written by Sally Wainwright who wrote Happy Valley.

Calan Gaeaf Cary’s Eleri ***** iPlayer till end Feb. Fascinating and beautifully filmed exploration of Welsh legends and ways of celebrating Halloween. All in Welsh so put subtitles on.

The good

Upstart Crow**** BBC A Shakespearean follow up to things like Blackadder.

The Thursday Murder Club**** Netflix. Clever plot, well acted (well, duh, the cast is stellar…) I enjoyed it but OH wandered off to do something else.

Untamed.**** Netflix. In Yosemite, people die or disappear. FBI agent Turner investigates with the help of park rangers. Interesting characters and plot. Magnificent scenery.

Protection**** itvx Good Brit cop drama. Not keen on the ending which was a bit wishy washy but maybe they’re looking for another season. 

Deep Ocean: Kingdom of the Coelacanth **** BBC Attenborough follows a team studying these fish – very slow because for long stretches of time they (the coelacanths) do very little, but fascinating!

Secrets of the Jurassic Dinosaurs. **** BBC Why did so many fossils end up in Wyoming?

The Tower**** itx. Police drama. Looking forward to the next season.

Borderline**** itx. Police drama set on the border between NI and Eire. Improves after a shaky start.

Poison Water**** BBC Chilling account of the water disaster in Cornwall in the 1980s and the aftereffects even now.

Stranger Things Season 5 First 4 eps**** Netflix – strangely distancing after such a long hiatus and just as I got invested again, it stopped, till Christmas.

Jeffrey Epstein:  Filthy Rich **** Netflix. In case you wondered what all the fuss was about. Chilling.

Reading

The excellent

Acts of Faith by Jackson Marsh***** Another Delamere Files mystery, this time featuring Baxter and policeman Charlie Inning. Better than the last few because it had UST and also concurrent mystery and romance stories. I would still like to see more of the original cast. Next up was Holywell Street.**** The mysteries are as compelling but the lack of relationship development makes these less appealing than the previous series. A dentist commits suicide and leaves Jack a mysterious set of clues. Snake Hill**** is a good mystery story but still leaves us without any real UST which is so good in the earlier series.

A Changeling’s Guide to Love and Prophecy by Theo Behr and Rowan Amaris.***** Another novel in the Fallen for a Fae series and just as good as the previous ones. Reviewed for Scott.

Song of Oestend and Saviours of Oestend by Marie Sexton***** ‘Western’ set in fictional world. Paranormal elements. Three intertwined mm romances which explore various gender issues over two volumes. Also by Marie: Trailer Trash **** Well written high school romance – if that’s your jam; it isn’t mine. Also Promises **** Well written romance between closeted cop and store owner. Again, not to my taste but recommended for those who like that kind of story. And Strawberries for dessert **** Contemporary romance between Cole and Jonathan. Involves discussion of rich people supporting their partners. Well written but ultimately lacks excitement.

Fixer by Kaje Harper***** a Hidden Wolves prequel novella. I love finding out more about this author’s werewolf world. Also by Kaje: Impurrfections **** Sweet mm romance involving setting up an animal shelter. Transparent is a colour**** – quite exciting but a little too frivolous in parts. And Avocado Protection**** Bodyguard and client mm romance made exciting by kidnap attempts.

Out of the Darkness by Kate Sherwood***** Interesting exploration of the joys and problems of a threesome. Follows Dark Horse.

The Sin Eater by Liv Rancourt***** ARC for Scott. Nice addition to the Carnival of Mysteries series. Ezra and Damon work at a hospital. Ezra has secrets, just not the ones he thought he had… 

Daggers, Needlers and Skites***** by Chloe Garner. Further adventures of the rat king and his crew. I don’t usually like stories based around lawbreakers but this series is great. It fills some gaps in the Queen’s Chair series and like that, it manages to insert quite complex philosophical questions into a fantasy action thriller, set, of course, in Verida. This time, some of the Black Docks boys are missing. Velvet on a black moon***** sees the culmination of the issue with Palora.

The Spell Shop***** by Sarah Beth Durst. An enchanting story about a librarian who flees a revolution-torn capital with magical books in crates, and a sentient plant assistant. Slow burn romance with a neighbour who herds merhorses and great excitement in the form of a special investigator who is not all she seems. Wonderful magic, wonderful world building, endearing characters and a happy ending.

Night after Night by Phil Rickman.***** Excellent Halloween read. A TV reality show is investigating a haunted mansion. Standalone but revisits characters from The Cold Calling. Then The Echo of Crows***** The final novel in the Merrily Watkins series, edited by Rickman’s wife after his death. Bittersweet but tied up quite a few loose ends and left a feeling of satisfaction.

The Book Keeper by Sarah Painter***** Worthy sequel to The Ward Witch. Luke and his shop are at risk on Unholy Island.

Broken Light by Joanne Harris. ***** As good as all her novels. Exploration of menopausal women. Goes well with watching Riot Women!

The good

You can save me by RL Merill**** Exciting story in the Carnival of Mysteries series. I have already downloaded the prequel from the previous year, to learn more about Kal and Ryan, but this tale’s main characters, Dane and Walter, are enchanting. You can do magic tells the story of Kal and Ryan.****

Hudson River Homicides by CS Poe**** Great detection by Larkin and Doyle as usual. A body is found in a fridge in the Hudson. I must remember her other series too.

The Crooked Tome by Claire Robyns**** Nice start to a series about witches and curses in modern Stratford on Avon. The sequel is The Avon Mirror****. Good contrast to the Spellcaster Creek series…

Reflections in a dark pool by Fiona Glass**** Nice eerie short mm romance story set in a real location near Grange over Sands. I tend not to give five stars to short stories, but this was very good.

Paralyzed by JR Loveless**** Good paranormal mm mystery. Reviewed for Scott.  

The Shattered King by Charlie Holmberg**** Interesting fantasy exploration of a type of healing magic, with a slow burn mf romance too. I’m hoping there’s a sequel.

The Devil Himself by Julia Talbot **** An mm Regency romance with a family drama and crime to add excitement.

Nick Drake, the biography by Patrick Humphries**** For fans, like me, of Phil Rickman’s Merrily series, this adds immeasurably to the back story for Lol Robinson. For Nick Drake fans, there is plenty of information including a discography – most of which is available on Spotify.

Bleeding for the Prince by Rebecca Cohen****. Third in the vampire/fae detective/romantic pair series. Gwil is the link that lets them find out why a department store in London is at risk.

At the river by Kendra Elliot**** Good crime novel in the Columbia River series. A current case merges with the disappearance of five teenagers twenty years ago. The next grave**** This is a good solid crime novel in the same series. Evan and Rowan take centre stage with Thor, the search dog, of course.

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater**** Nice slow burn mf romance in Victorian setting with added fae. Slightly spoilt by an epilogue which was unnecessary and odd.

Murder in Shades of Red**** by Ripley Hayes. Charlie Rees 3 – this time in NY. Then Doggone**** which shows what happens in Wales while they’re away. And Murder in Shades of Fire and Ash**** Fires, graffiti and bodies. Including a police officer. Murder in Shades of Pink and Yellow ****Girls are dying due to diet pills. Too much head hopping tends to distance the reader from the action but it’s still good.

Dragon School 16-20**** by Sarah KL Wilson. I was almost relieved the saga was over though I found the main characters fascinating and liked the philosophical discussions. I skimmed the battle scenes.

Secrets of the Forgotten Heir by Heather G Harris and Ella Stone**** Excellent first volume in a magical crime series set in Cornwall. Secrets of the Deadly Nightshades **** is the intriguing sequel, with a vampire assassin on the loose. 

Out of Sight by KC Wells**** Another cold case for the cop/psychic duo ends up as an international thriller. Line of Sight **** concludes the search for Brad’s killer. Clever but I didn’t like it as much because although I could see why the author chose to alternate the killer’s pov and the flashbacks both these tend to distance me from the story.

A Simple Mistake by Jackie Keswick**** Nicely convoluted story in the Power of Zero series. Crime and action alternate with family drama.

To beguile a banished lord by Fearne Hill**** nice Regency mm rom com. I didn’t like Lyndon at first having met him earlier as a villain. Possible echo of Beauty and the Beast. Reviewed for Scott. 

The Black Bird Oracle**** by Deborah Harkness. Too much magic theory and too little family action – and have I missed a book in the series?

 And finally

 Manacled by senlinyu. Already reviewed in detail in a recent previous post. I don’t think I can give this any stars. Pain and suffering with very little else for over 300,000 words. HP fanfic which has now been turned into a novel, Alchemised, which is apparently very popular. I am clearly not the target audience. The only reason I am mentioning it here is that Alchemised was the only book I recognised in the Good Reads Choice Awards… Given the number of books I read I found this odd and almost disturbing!

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Summer reviews and recs, 2025

I have no idea where I found this image but I like it.

So this is about a month late. Two reasons – 1. I’ve been out of action (see previous post) and 2. I’ve been waiting for my FB problems to resolve themselves but have just about given up and will create a new account. Meanwhile I’ll just crosspost to Dreamwidth and LiveJournal as usual.  

Viewing

The excellent:

The One that got away***** BBC Welsh crime drama starring Richard Harrington who was also the lead detective in Hinterland. This was better.

Panda Season 1 ***** Ch4 Entertaining French comic cop drama. Looking forward to the sequel.

Dept Q ***** Netflix Quirky and exciting. Brilliantly filmed.

Arctic Circle***** Ch 4 Excellent Finnish noir

The very good:

The Black Forest Murders**** BBC German police procedural that is very realistic in the use of a huge team and a lot of detailed work over a long period. Original title in German is Spuren (Traces).

Why Cities Flood**** BBC Chilling… mostly centred on the Spanish disaster earlier this year.

Glastonbury BBC and YouTube.**** Mixed, of course, because it all depends on your tastes. I liked Lewis Capaldi and Olivia Rodrigo. I enjoyed Rod Stewart’s songs but felt faintly embarrassed watching him and Ronny Wood cavorting like teenagers even though Rod’s voice has deserted him.

I Robot**** Again.

Memento Mori.****  Ch4 Spanish noir. Grisly but gripping. Confusing end.  

Freezing Embrace**** Ch 4 Good Finnish noir

Reading

The excellent:

This is not a love story by Suki Fleet***** Amazing writing. Reader catapulted into the head of someone ‘other’ – mute Russian immigrant street boy. Not sure about reading the sequel/prequel ones. I enjoyed Wild Summer***** but was not so keen on This is not the beginning of a love story**** which I felt would have been better as the first book in the trilogy.

Anywhere but here by Nicola Kelly***** A journalist follows various migrants. Chilling and gripping although I didn’t actually learn much. However, I don’t think I was the target audience.

The Ward Witch by Sarah Painter***** Excellent paranormal set on Unholy Island which is a mirror for Holy Island off the coast of Northumberland. I shall get the sequel because I need to know whether Luke and Esme get together.

Mr Collins in Love by Lee Welch ***** (ARC for Scott) Fanfic style novella based on characters from Pride and Prejudice. Delightful.

To Defend a Damaged Duke by Fearne Hill***** (ARC for Scott) Action packed mm Regency romance. I must look for the rest of the Rossingley series.

The Past in the Present by KM Avery***** In the Beyond the Veil series. (Bk9)Seth’s mother has died. Was it murder?

The very good:

KC Wells, RJ Scott and KJ Charles are FB friends who get honourable mentions but I can’t tag them on FB so if anyone knows them, tell them!

The Cold Calling by Phil Rickman**** Intriguing plot but it lacked a main character for reader identification.

In his sights by KC Wells**** Good competent mm detective story with a profiler brought in to help. Will definitely read next in series. In plain sight **** Another case for the detective/psychic duo (mm). A body is found in a tunnel collapse and the local mafia may be involved. Dan and Gary are now a cold case team, and Dan is making progress re the murder of Gary’s brother so long ago.

Beach Hut 512 by Dorothy Koomson**** Surprisingly good short story with a crime at the centre. An Amazon first read – I didn’t expect so much of it!

Fire on the Island by Timothy Jay Smith**** (ARC for Scott )Not as good as Istanbul Crossing but deals with current affairs in the eastern Mediterranean competently in an intriguing arson mystery.

The First Death by Kendra Elliot**** Columbia River 4. Kidnappers like to exert control. Rowan, a search and rescue dog handler, still seeks her brother who did not escape.

Dragon School by Sarah KL Wilson Vols 11-15 **** More terror and flight for the lightbringers and purple dragons. Amel attracts trouble as usual. Should be irritating but the characters are interesting and the writing is good.  Must get the final box set.

Murder in Shades of Wood and Stone by Ripley Hayes**** Nice sequel with DC Rees still with Tom and investigating murders in a hotel car park.

Vengeance on a slow boil by Chloe Garner**** Another good spinoff from the main Stasia books. Someone is threatening the Rat King’s wife.

The Dark Hiss of Magic by Helen Harper**** Good second book about the cat shifting ex assassin.

Wizard of most wicked ways by Charlie N Holmberg**** Eagerly awaited fourth in series set on an island off NE USA.

Holding Hans by Tara Lain**** Another twisted modern fairy tale, this time based on Hansel and Gretel.

Magic Collapse by TJ Nichols**** Another in the mytho series. Pan ends up on earth without his usual magic.

Dark Horse by Kate Sherwood.**** Exciting horse training mm romance. I might even follow the sequels.

Team Orders by RJ Scott**** Well written mm romance in the F1 world of motor racing.

CopperScript by KJ Charles**** Edwardian policing meets graphology in an mm romance with hints of the fantastic. Exciting and well written.

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Spring reviews and an apology

Glorious but very bad for my allergies!

I have been somewhat absent due to (successful) eye surgery and the aftermath. My new glaases should arrive this week but I felt I couldn’t put off posting any longer. Please forgive any typos! Meanwhile, FB sees to have decided I can do anything except actually post text so as I usually cross post I have been waiting for the glitch to be resolved – to no avail.

Anyway, here are my recommendations from my spring viewiing and reading. I have been limited to Kindle books because of being able to alter the font but there is still a good selection. Television, on the other hand, is now miraculously clear and I can even read subtitles, something which eluded me for months.

Spring 2026

Viewing.

Crime dramas.

Excellent

Unforgotten itvx **** Season 6. Cold cases. Well done as usual

Death in Paradise bbc1 Season 14 **** Formulaic but I like the new DI and hope he stays a while. At least the entire cast is now from the Caribbean though as usual the lead has been sent by London.

The Bay itvx *****  Season 5 Competent Brit crime drama set in Morecambe.

Virdee bbc ***** Very violent but fascinating. Bradford police drama plus drug gang wars. Written, produced and mostly acted by ethnic minority guys from the area. Left wide open for a further series. Fingers crossed.

The Burning Girls. Netflix *****. Fascinating blend of horror and crime mystery spanning three time periods. Excellent acting and special effects. Clever plot linking the three mysteries.

Watchable

Return to Paradise bbc ****  Season 1 Australian spin off to Death in Paradise. Not as good because of lack of exotic location scenes despite the possibilities offered by the setting.

Hinterland bbc **** Seasons 1 and 2 Welsh noir. Interesting but main characters are rather too keen on scowls, poses, etc. Season 3 is available behind a paywall.

Ellis Ch 5**** Three film length episodes for a London detective parachuted in to help with strange and difficult cases. Good acting. But it was supposed to be set in the Peak District, where I live and was in fact filmed in N.Ireland which I found disconcerting.

Other drama.

Watchable

Wheel of Time Amazon Prime**** season 3 Dark filming and widescreen format reduced pleasure. And now they’ve cancelled the series in the middle of the story. Good job I’ve read the books. I loved the costumes and the tweaks to the plot but don’t bother if you haven’t read the series.

Adolescence Netflix ****. Well done but I didn’t learn anything. However, the world is talking about this exploration of how children are radicalised into the ‘manosphere’ so I thought I’d better watch it.

Non-fiction

Excellent

The Great Pottery Throwdown All4***** I love this show. I watch for the pottery information and stay for the competition.

Easter Island Origins bbc***** Fascinating update re Easter Island statues, society, etc.

Louis Theroux: The Settlers bbc*****  Chilling. As usual Louis just lets people condemn themselves by what they say.

Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty.bbc*****  Good docudrama in three episodes that puts the art of Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Rafael into the political and religious context of their time. I knew all the info but had never somehow connected the dots when looking at the art. Talking heads interspersed with dramatised scenes from the lives. Charles Dance is particularly compelling as the older Michelangelo.

Watchable

My Octopus Teacher Netflix **** Fantastic underwater photography and a fascinating animal but I could have done without some of the voiceover.

Reading

Excellent

The Sheltering Tree by JR Lawrie***** It starts as a slow burn romance between Jay, CEO of a charity who is also in Witness Protection, and Al, who is Metropolitan Police Commissioner. Turns into a gripping thriller.

The Courtship of Julian St Albans by Amy Crook***** Alex is a mage in a modern city (never named but as they have mobiles rather than cellphones I suspect London). He inserts himself into the ritual courtship of Julian, in order to investigate the magical murder of Julian’s first fiancé. Then, of course, falls in love with Julian. Quirky magic, lots of dramatic action and romance, interspersed with detailed descriptions of fashion and food. I didn’t want it to end and as soon as it did I sought out the sequel immediately. However, see below.

The Duke at Hazard by KJ Charles***** Excellent mm Regency romance.

An Embrace of Smoke and Steel by Rowan Amaris and Theo Behr***** (ARC) I have reviewed this in detail for Scott Coatsworth’s site but have to recommend it highly here. It’s the sequel to An Embrace of Citrus and Snow with another fae/human pairing. There’s a further novel, at least, to come, but you do need to read them in order.

Wings and Wounds by Dr SK Burkman***** Delightful account, written by a vet, of becoming a veterinarian to dragons.

Very good.

Oyster by Fearne Hill**** Nico, an oyster farmer on an island off the west coast of France, has to negotiate his love for a trans woman at the same time as the death of his mother. Also, Eti has far more problems than just being trans… Beautifully done.

Fall from Grace by Jackson Marsh**** Jack and Will investigate an old case whilst looking for a missing person. Follow the Van**** Another case for Jack and Will, this time involving their father and grandfather and a missing deception book. Then comes Where there’s a will**** in which Will takes the lead in a case involving a will, a creepy castle, an island, and storms. Then A Case of Make Believe**** – a child is missing and the detectives have to penetrate the world of stage illusionists.

The cat who came in from the cold by Alexa Milne**** Nice shifter/human romance with extra interest provided by Thom’s theatre career.

Hiding Place by Jackie Keswick**** MM romance plus a cold case murder investigation involving a locked room. Set in Northumberland so doubly appealing to me.

Missing Pieces by NR Walker**** Trilogy about recovery from traumatic brain injury. Plus mm romance. Account of amnesia came across as much more real than most stories with this trope.

Rocking Karma by Kaje Harper**** Part of the Rocktoberfest series. Lane is not the first band member to be ‘blackmailed’ by the son of the label owner. Sound tech Dax saves the day.

How to run Britain by Robert Peston**** Some good ideas and some explanations of how the treasury works.  

The Last Sister by Kendra Elliot**** Competent thriller in the Columbia River series. Three sisters were orphaned and are now threatened. The Silence **** is the next in the series, and Ava is a target in the murderer’s eyes. Then In the Pines **** where the focus is on a treasure hunt and some missing persons.

Blood Magic by Chloe Garner**** I really hope this was the end… The plot kept me hooked but I think in this series she got the balance wrong between the conversations about philosophical questions and the action.

Symphony of Salvation by Nicky James**** Romance between music teacher and concert ‘maestro’ with added interest of maestro’s daughter who has her own problems.

Waifs and Strays by Helen Harper**** Paranormal thriller set on English/Scottish border. Nice twist at the end. I hope it might have a sequel.

Murder under Contract by Alex Henry.**** Satisfying third volume in the Leon Peterson series. Leon’s father’s body is found.

Switched by NR Walker**** Nicely understated friends to lovers romance (Israel and Sam) but the main interest is Israel’s discovery that he and Nicholas were switched at birth followed by a lot of family drama.

Better Red by Tara Lain**** Nice mm contemporary retelling of Red Riding Hood. Clever and well written.

Bald faced liar by Victoria Helen Stone**** Gripping psychological thriller. Elizabeth is being stalked, or is she?

Dragon School eps 1-5, 6-10 by Sarah Wilson**** Compelling dragon school saga with twists and turns. Better than Steve Turnbull’s Rebel Dragons series. Will be following the series.

Readable

Criminal Intentions Bk 2 by Cole McCade*** If I’m going to follow the series, which I think I will, I need to reread Bk 1 which I have, but have totally forgotten. I like the main pairing and the police work is interesting but there is a lot of purple prose.

Photographic Memories by Nicky James.*** A Valor and Doyle Christmas short in which the tree is decorated with photographs. Plus a flashfic in newsletter about shopping for baby books. I really do prefer the crime plots.

Throwing Hearts by NR Walker*** Pleasant romance between potter and a pupil at a class, plus two older LGBT characters. No drama…

Slow Road to Hell by Grant Atherton*** Gay crime story. When Mikey’s father dies, Nathan, his ex, is the investigating officer.

The Secret Witness by Victor Methos*** Competent crime/legal thriller about a horrendous serial killer and his copycat.

The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson*** Dodie juggles art teaching, a lending library, wanting a baby and helping care for the orphaned adopted baby of her dead best friend. HEA . Very run-of-the-mill mf romance but a pleasant read.

The murder between us by Tal Bauer.*** First iu a series featuring Cole and Noah. Quite gripping until the crime is solved and then what should be a brief epilogue goes on and on and on.

Journey to Compromise by Mara Ismine*** Sweet, quite short cougar shifter romance. Compromise turns out to be a place.

I seem to have managed to delete everything in my viewing list below four stars and everything in my reading below three. I blame my eyesight and just hope I don’t need to look anything up. Part of the reason for keeping lists is, after all, so that I don’t re-read something I found unmemorable first time around.

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Winter 24-35 reviews and recs

The tree in our garden in mid-winter. Not this year and I think I’ve used the pic previously. However, it seems appropriate.

Viewing

I suppose I watched quite a lot but then it was winter!

Excellent

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert*****Amazon A rewatch. Superb acting makes the very slight plot a fantastic film.

The Spiderwick Chronicles***** Amazon. Another rewatch. A children’s fantasy/semi-horror story with a lot of great animation and some thought provoking messages.

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance most fowl***** bbc – the usual great animation and characterisation plus lots of subtle jokes about technology. This was a Christmas treat.

Treasures of Ancient Egypt***** bbc. Looking at Egyptian art as art rather than through e.g. historical/political/social/religious prism. Really interesting.

Vera***** itvx Fourteenth and final season of two episodes plus the documentary about the fourteen years. I loved this series and will be sad it’s over but the ending was very satisfactory. I think it had added appeal for me because I belong to the Northumbrian area and grew up there.

Good

Shetland Season 9**** bbc.Good, but we still miss Jimmy. Decided to go back and watch the first couple of seasons which we never saw.

Death in Paradise Christmas Special**** bbc. I really like the new DI – his mix of St. Marie background and London copper is perfect. The plot was a bit confusing. I’ve started on the main season but as husband doesn’t like it I’m finding it slow going as I’m limited to the laptop when there’s nothing on the main TV I want.

The Festive Pottery Throwdown**** All4. Celebs who have never done pottery create winter wonderlands. Fun, but not as informative or gripping as the real contest which starts again in January.

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years. **** Sky Arts. Interesting look at the early years with voice-overs from all the fab four. Plus some good music!!

DI Ray Season 1**** itvx Solid crime thriller set in Birmingham (and actually filmed there) with focus on BAME officers and victims of crime.

Watchable

Moonflower Murders bbc*** The use of a book within the story and the re-use of cast members was at once clever and confusing, and I never really empathised with anyone. I also gather it was in fact a sequel to Magpie Murders though it wasn’t necessary to watch that first. (We hadn’t)

Evilside All4 *** Teenage angst, Finnish-style. Murder and mayhem in the snow.

Reading

I read quite a lot, too, and as usual will just list the books I recommend with four or five stars. It’s getting harder to inspire me to give five stars but four are quite an accolade!

Excellent

December by Phil Rickman***** A stand-alone horror/thriller that actually ties in to the Merrily series. Read alongside other members of the PR Appreciation group following the recent death of the author.

Very good

Murderers, Thieves and Velvet by Choe Garner. **** A spin off series following some of the characters from The Queen’s Chair series. I like Skite and Ella but I still prefer the main series. The novella Final Day**** intersects with both series and offers some explanations for events. Shadow Magic**** by the same author is exciting enough with some interesting philosophical discussion but the magic is difficult to follow. Battle Magic**** is similar but I am getting tired of the eighteen-year-olds. Magic Unleashed**** provides some more interesting discussion but is also tiring. I have no idea how long this series will last but I vaguely want to know what happens, at least to Valerie and Ethan. 

Murder in Shades of Blue and Green by Ripley Hayes**** Intriguing crime in an art college in north Wales. Will follow the series. Read the prequel short – Murder in Shades of Yellow. **** No surprises because I’d read the other first!

Unmasked by Kaje Harper**** Lovely glimpse of a future well after the wolves have ‘come out’ but just a novella and I wanted more!

Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett**** Excellent world building in this fantasy crime story (with a delicate mm romance/hook-up). Could have done without the constant use of titan to describe the giant enemies. (Words with serious earth history/culture association are inappropriate in other worlds.) I’d like the sequel but the price is eye-watering.

Wriggle and Sparkle by Megan Derr**** Fun fluff with a crime fighting pair of shifters – a kraken and a unicorn. The interspecies banter was hilarious. The kraken twins could shift not just form but size and gender which kept even the sex scenes fresh and mysterious.

It won’t be long by Clare London**** (on Clare’s website). Nice exploration of break up and re-finding each other.

A Knife and a Blade by Adelaide Blake. **** I nearly gave up because of disliking the protagonists but the plot contained so much culture clash and politics that I was hooked. I might even read the sequel. I also found the use of Spanish and Russian interesting in a fantasy world with magic and ‘skills’.

The usual silence by Jenny Milchman**** Intirguing novel. Arles is a psychologist with a troubled past. One of her pateints is ten year old autistic Geary. At the same time, Bea, a twelve year old girl, goes missing. Their stories merge in a dramatic and gripping way.

Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper**** Fascinating account of indoctrination into the family ‘cult’ of Westboro Baptist Church and how Megan (and others) eventually left. Much to ponder.

The Hanged Woman by Mark Richards and E.S.Richards**** Sadly the last in the Michael Brady series set in Whitby. Mark died last year and his daughter finished the book but does not intend to write any more in the series.

Terra Incognita by Ruth Downie**** The Roman medicus sets out for Hadrian’s new wall, taking his slave Tilla. The crime story is convoluted and satisfying.

The Turning of the Tables by KM Avery **** This continues the Beyond the Veil series and is from a new pov – Seth, who at the start of the story is a CSI technician. He meets Elliot Crane, Val Hart’s friend, when Elliot comes to Richmond to work on Ward’s new table. Their story continues in The Badger in his Burrow****

Feline Protector by Sapphire Wolf**** Kat has to find out why hybrid human/shifter students are turning up dead. As usual, she has help from Rafe and Eli, and there is a new human police detective in the team.

Fragile as Glass by Pat Henshaw**** Lovely short story in which a glass sculptor meets a rock star. Some faint paranormal elements including a scrying stone.ARC for Scott

Rode Hard and Put Away Wet by Rowan Amaris and Theo Behr.**** Bonus short following An Embrace of Citrus and Snow. There is a non-wedding ceremony followed by a sort of formal consummation. Lyrical, erotic, and worth reading if you’ve read the novel.

The Larkspur Legacy by Jackson Marsh**** Last of the Larkspur series – a re-read before I start the next batch. My least favourite of the two series to date, because of the structure. I appreciate the need for various povs since the crew were split and the timeline was difficult, but I found it vaguely irritating. Finding a Way by Jackson Marsh.**** First of the Delamere Files. The writing is just as good but the new characters including Jack, the cabbie, are less appealing so far, possibly because their stories are not as intermingled with those of the previous books.  

Herald Petrel by Strange Seawolf**** Space opera thriller with subplot of romance. ARC for Scott.

The Madonna of Bolton by Matt Cain**** Beautifully written. I didn’t like Charlie as much as the main characters of Cain’s other novels but the story was interesting and well told.

Into the Fall by Mara Miller**** I kept not opening this because it shared a title with one of RJ Scott’s books so I thought I’d read it… Depressing but fascinating account of what happens and happened when a husband goes missing.

Pining for the Prince by Rebecca Cohen**** I’m sure this was a re-read but couldn’t find previous notes etc. Still, it was good second time around. Detective agency with vampire and fae, both secretly in love with each other. Fake boyfriend trope used to good effect, and a nice mystery to solve by means of magic. Sequel on its way.

The Seven by Robyn Delvey**** Interesting CPS procedural in the aftermath of a London bombing.

Murder under Construction by Alex Henry**** A collaborative effort by authors I know. I shall be following the cases of Leon Peterson. A good first volume. Murder Underground**** is volume two and just as good. An excellent series.

No Man’s Land by Sally Malcolm **** WW1 mm romance that turned into a horror story. Very well done although I usually avoid horror. I had doubts about a HEA until the final chapter.

North Country ed Karen Lloyd**** A mixed but basically good anthology – a requested gift. Articles, poems, diary extracts, etc. all based around places I know. I shall be dipping into it again.

The Fever of the World by Phil Rickman.**** A re-read. It works as a novel but not really as part of the Merrily series. Wordsworth at Tintern plus a modern murder/suicide or maybe accident…

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

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Series I love: part 3

Image found on Jigsaw Planet.

Collecting and collating information about series I love made me think hard about what draws me to books, series and standalones alike. I think there are a few things that make a book or a series five star for me.

The first is good world building, whether this is the Middle Earth of Tolkien’s books or the Whitby of Mark Richards’ series. (See today’s list.) Maps of fantasy worlds are a constant delight, and maps of our world are interesting. Series set in it should ring true – I don’t mind the occasional fictional village or town but it needs to be realistic. Various books are pretentious in their overuse of flowery phrases to describe their worlds. I think all authors have secret designs on purple prose but the best manage to restrain themselves or perhaps edit before they publish. I need, I think, to be able to imagine myself in the location whether it’s Tolkien’s Middle Earth or Phil Rickman’s Herefordshire. All the authors I have recommended in this set of posts make locations live. Sometimes they’re even another character in the story.

The second is character. Within a few pages I have to feel invested in the outcomes for at least one main character and preferably a couple of minor ones too. For this to happen, the characters have to be ‘real’ – people I can imagine meeting and talking to. They need to have flaws, yes, because people do, but not carefully invented flaws that bow to some publishing trend that says detectives have to have sad home lives or fantasy heroes have to come from a humble background. In all the books I have mentioned I care deeply about the fates of the people in them and they tend to live in my head long after I have closed the cover or shut down my e-reader. If I don’t find a character deserving of my interest within a few pages I tend to abandon the book. If a book starts with unexplained explicit sex I will definitely abandon it.

Thirdly, the writing needs to be consistently good. I can mention a couple of series about young wizards which are written in an almost flat manner, and whilst I dislike purple prose (or for that matter constant references to what everybody is wearing) I also dislike a complete lack of description. Another example of ‘flat’ writing is in the latest volumes in the Dragonriders series mentioned below.  

In this respect, good editing is also a must. Most books have the occasional typo – nowadays more than in ‘classic’ times –  but I find inconsistent vocabulary, spelling or grammar hard to forgive. That could be the ex-English teacher speaking but I think other readers also notice but are less likely to articulate exactly what is wrong.

I frequently abandon books because the style or the ‘world’ doesn’t appeal (not always a criticism of the author but because I personally don’t like horror stories, college settings, most time travel or too much explicit sex) or because I couldn’t care less what happens to the major players.  I hope you’ve enjoyed my journey through series I do love and recommend and that you’ll both follow me into their pages and share your thoughts with me. As I said in my first post I am bound to remember something I adored once I have finished posting. However, I’m sure you get the picture of what I enjoy and why!

I realised I had given a total miss to series I adore that do not have romance as their primary or even secondary theme. There are a number of ‘classic’ fantasy series in this category. These probably need no notes from me.

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (and finally by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan’s death). I’m currently watching the Prime Video series and discussing that and the books on Dreamwidth.

Game of Thrones by George RR Martin. And no, he hasn’t actually finished it yet and might never do so but I found the film series (in which he was heavily involved) very satisfying.

Dragonriders of Pern by Ann McCaffrey. I love the dragons even more than their riders, but was disappointed by the writing when the author’s son took over the series.

Discworld by Terry Pratchett. This is comfort reading for me and I can re-read for ever.

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien plus assorted linked books. I’m in good company because this was a ‘winner’ in a BBC poll. I must have read the main books at least six times.

Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams. This was meant to be a trilogy but became a quartet and was then followed by The Last Kings of Osten Ard series which I haven’t finished yet.

Although the above do contain romances they are primarily world building, politics great and small, and adventure, all set in fantasy worlds.

There are also crime series in our own world that I enjoy and I would like to mention one in particular:

The Michael Brady series by Mark Richards. This is a police procedural  set in and around Whitby but it is also a family drama and an exploration of character. Wonderful work and sadly Mark died last year. His daughter, also a writer, finished his sixth book but says there won’t be any more. The six are well worth reading.

My next post will be my winter 24/25 reading and viewing reviews and recs.

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Series I love: part 2

Part of a screen in an Australian museum which I photographed then added the wording.

My second post about series I love and would highly recommend features stories with some kind of paranormal element. I love paranormal scenarios, fantasy and sci fi. My favourites are werewolves and perhaps my least favourite are vampires. I am not usually keen on demons or angels. This list is not exclusively mm. Clearly the paranormal is more important to my subconscious than the gender pairing. There are mf novels and even a couple that are gen, or gen for now where the series is not finished. I have indicated the type of romance in my notes. It should go without saying that the books are all LGBTQ friendly and in some cases involve minor characters in same sex relationships. For more comments about series in general please refer to my previous post. On to the recommended series:

Paranormal in some way.

Blake Allwood:

Big Bend series. mm. On the surface this explores family dynamics in a ranching area but there are some paranormal issues involving family ghosts.

Rowan Amaris and Theo Behr:

Fallen for a fae. mm. An Embrace of Citrus and Snow is the first book in this fae/human romance/adventure and so far I have only read this and the short story about the bonding/non-wedding which the authors gave away in their newsletter. However, I am eagerly looking forward to the next instalment.

KM Avery:

Beyond the Veil. mm. The premise is that an epidemic led to many people being turned into something other than human. There are shifters, psychics, ghosts, orcs and elves in prominent roles. The books follow the solutions to mysteries and crimes as well as romance for some of the investigators. An extra pleasure is the way the author deals with the topic of prejudice without ever referencing our own racism etc.

Sue Brown:

Sapphire Ranch series. mm. In this world humans are not aware of shifters who live and work among them. There are problems in shifter society and one of the main characters is a sheriff who is also a shifter.

Jenn Burke:

The Gargoyles of Arrington. mm. Three brothers have been cursed to spend centuries in gargoyle form followed by short human lives. The plot is a kind of take on the Princess and the Frog fairy tale with different results for each brother.

KJ Charles :

The Magpie Lord. mm. Witches, magical tattoos, art, policing the paranormal and some fascinating characters abound in this series set in London in Victorian times.

Si Clarke:

Starship Teapot. Varied romance. A human and their dog find themselves in space in a strange starship with even stranger companions. They have to solve problems for other planets as well as themselves, and the stories feature discussion of prejudice, non-binary sexual orientation and communication between species.

TJ Clune:

Green Creek. mm. This is another series where I have only read the first volume, Wolfsong, but I am assured that the stories, based on shifter/human interaction, just gets better.

Felicia Davin:

The Gardener’s Handbook. Varied romance. I raved about this trilogy when I first found it. The fantasy world building is excellent and the characters are unusual and interesting. Just a warning – it is hard to find because search engines keep sending you to gardening books…  

Linzi Day:

The Midlife Recorder. mf. This is a wonderful series set in Gretna Green. Niki, a widow, discovers she has inherited her family’s role as Recorder for a hub where various worlds collide. These worlds were formed when they broke away from ‘our’ history so we find a Pictish kingdom, a Celtic one, etc. Niki finds love but is also extremely busy solving the problems created by different cultures. Although Niki’s romance is mf she conducts weddings and bondings at the hub and some of the pairings are mm.

Eli Easton:

Howl at the Moon. mm. I love the basic premise of this series which is that much loved dogs can become shifters on the death of their humans. (Some people are born able to shift.) Some make their way to a town called Mad Creek in the mountains of California. Eventually the scene moves to Alaska and the problems of wild dogs there.

Joy Lynn Fielding:

Wings over Albion. mm. There are dragon shifters in England, living and working among us, and occasionally interacting with privileged humans.

Chloe Garner:

The Queen’s Chair. mf. The main books in this fantasy series follow the adventures and romance of Stasia, who arrived in the city from another country but found herself embroiled in local politics. The adventures are fascinating and also give rise to interesting discussions of philosophy, feminism, and forms of government. There are spin-off novels and short stories branching out from the main series. I was bereft when the next book was not immediately forthcoming, so went to another series by the same author, one which, although equally well written, didn’t appeal nearly as much since most of the characters were teenagers (School of Magic Survival).

Vin George:

Evergreen Council. mm. There are shifters and vampires living in England and Scotland, with all kinds of problems, romantic and otherwise.

Deborah Harkness:

The All Souls series. mf. A witch meets a vampire in a library in Oxford. The story doesn’t stay in Oxford but moves to France, America and Shakespearean London. I am not usually a fan of time travel but this is very well done.

Kaje Harper:

Hidden Wolves. mm. The author’s shifter society is fascinating and well developed. Some of the same characters appear in many of the stories which range from the days when shifters had to remain totally hidden to a point where they ‘come out’ with all the new problems that causes. I should perhaps mention that this author treats readers of her FB page and her newsletter and website to frequent flashfics which are something I look forward to on a weekly basis.

Charlie Holmberg:

Whimbrel House. mm. Magic permeates this delightful tale of adventures on an island just off the coast of north east US.

Lissa Kasey:

Simply Crafty. mm. For once I suspended my dislike of demons for this gripping series set in New Orleans. The main characters are mostly involved in running craft shops and workshops in the area.

Seanan McGuire:

October Daye. mf. This is a gorgeous series about October, a ‘changeling’ who becomes a ‘knight’ in the fae kingdom of her kin and gradually regains both her heritage and a wonderful romance. There are plenty of minor and not so minor LGBT characters too. Set in present day San Francisco plus linked fairy lands.

Xenia Melzer:

Arthropoda. mm. George and Andi are detective partners in Charleston. Gradually, George learns that Andi can hear the thoughts of all arthropods, something which contributes to their investigations but of course can’t be used in evidence. Fascinating and I really began to believe in Andi’s powers.

JL Merrow:

Plumber’s Mate. mm. Tom is not just a plumber. He can find hidden things, including dead bodies. Phil bullied him at school but now their relationship develops slowly but surely. Crime plus romance.

TJ Nichols:

Mytho Investigations. mm. Jordan is a human detective and Edra is a dragon shifter who is a kind of liaison between mythological creatures and humans since the Hadron collider actually caused their world, Tariko, to collide with ours. Wonderful world building and exploration of psychological dilemmas.

Nazri Noor:

Arcane Hearts. mm. This series is a light fun read, full of banter. The heroes live in a city that travels and is sometimes linked to our own world. The world building is excellent and there are plenty of interesting characters and situations.

CS Poe:

Snow and Winter. mm. Sebastian owns an antique shop and Calvin is a detective. They join in an effort to solve mysterious crimes. This is another series I have only just started but the writing is, as usual for this author, excellent. The magic is understated but essential to both the detection and the romance.

Jordan Castillo Price:

Psycops. mm. Victor can see ghosts. He has had various problems since he was assessed as psychic as a teenager. He joins the police and eventually works with, then builds a relationship with Jacob, a detective from another precinct. Jacob has been designated as a ‘stiff’ with zero psychic ability, but gradually the pair work out how they can reinforce each other’s abilities.

Phil Rickman:

Merrily Watkins. mf. Merrily is a CofE vicar who is chosen to be the diocesan exorcist in Herefordshire. Her cases all contain paranormal aspects but it is possible, like the police characters, to treat them as purely mundane. Merrily’s home life with her daughter Jane and her boyfriend Lol (and Jane’s boyfriend Eirion) are built up very gradually and realistically. There are some LGBT characters in the books who are sensitively presented. Sadly, the author died last year and his wife is currently working on publishing what will be the last volume though the story will inevitably continue in the hearts of devoted fans.

CT Rwizi:

Scarlet Odyssey. Varied romance. The trilogy is a blend of fantasy and sci fi, based on African cultures. The author is South African and makes excellent use of his native traditions.

Sapphire Wolf:

City Shifter Mysteries. Romance not yet known. At the start of the first book in the series Kat, a cougar shifter and a detective, is breaking up a relationship with another woman but the plot suggests a future mf romance in her future. Only just started but I know the author under another of her pen names (and in rl) so I trust her to develop the mysteries satisfactorily.

I hope you enjoyed this look at my favourites and that you’ll find something to appeal, whatever your tastes. There will be a further linked blog post about series that are not primarily about romance, plus a few more of my thoughts on the books I love. Next weekend sees the end of February and time for my winter reviews and recommendations but I think I’ll finish this set of posts first.

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Series I love: Part 1

A sort of belated valentine to you all.

I often enjoy series. The characters, including the minor ones, families and so on, have time to develop slowly. So does the location and/or the world building. There’s rarely that almost unbelievable leap into sexual activity. I’m not saying people don’t leap straight into sex, just that it doesn’t usually go along with a similar leap into a meaningful relationship. Not never, just not as often as some fiction would have us believe. Also, I don’t believe in stopping at the bedroom door, as in the ‘classics’ but I do want the bedroom scenes to have some bearing on character and plot development. For me personally, tab A into slot B is not hot, it’s about as boring as you can get, and I usually skim, even with excellent writers.

Recently a friend expressed disappointment with a novel that had good reviews but in which the sex was immediate, explicit and not part of an unfolding story. I know some readers are more than happy with this but my friend and I aren’t. So I thought I’d share some recommendations for romance series that meet my criteria. I’ve divided the list fairly arbitrarily into mundane and paranormal novels so this is the first of two linked posts. (The list got too long for just one…)

I am sure I’ve missed out some wonderful reads. Bear in mind that these are personal favourites and that they are series. There are some great standalone novels out there that I haven’t mentioned. There are some great series out there too but the following stand out for me. I can’t decide on absolute favourites – it depends on my mood – so I’ve listed them in author alphabetical order and separated the mundane from the paranormal.  

I’ve written a little about each series and what appeals to me. Not really a blurb, just a come-on to whet your appetite. All highly recommended. By the time I’ve finished both posts I’ll probably remember some brilliant series I’ve left out, but that’s life.

Obviously most of these authors have written other novels. Some are great, and some don’t appeal to me at all. Explore at your own risk – your jam might well not be mine! Also, some authors appear under various sub-genres and in collaboration with others. Some appear under different pseudonyms which I know, usually because I know the author in rl or on social media.

So this first post highlights LGBTQ series I love, seek out, and in some cases re-read. I realised when going back over my recommendations that all my favourite romances set in the mundane world are mm. There are various reasons for this, the main one being the interest of the power dynamics and the freshness of the plot arcs. I do read and enjoy a lot of heterosexual romance but it usually comes in the form of standalone novels and I couldn’t find any series I was in love with.

So if you enjoy romance but prefer it to be mixed with drama and other genres such as crime, give some of these a try. You never know; even if you don’t normally read mm romance you might find something to please you!

Mundane i.e. absolutely nothing paranormal happens and none of the  characters is paranormal

Blake Allwood:

Melody series. All the stories feature music in one way or another.

Gregory Ashe:

Hazard and Somerset. A sort of enemies to lovers story set against police work in an American college town.

Lissa Kasey:

Survivors Find Love series. Set on the north west coast of America this series, with various characters appearing throughout, explores problems facing people with mental and physical trauma.

KJ Charles:

The Will Darling Adventures. This is set in the aftermath of WW1 when Will inherits a bookshop and finds himself embroiled in crime mystery, the war office, and Kim.  

Sins of the Cities. These are late Victorian stories each featuring a different pairing but where interesting characters appear and disappear with each new tale.

Charlie Cochrane:

Cambridge Fellows. A pair of Cambridge academics get together both romantically and to solve various interesting crimes. Their families and friends feature in all the books and are almost as much of a delight as the main characters. The series starts before WW1 and continues after the war which of course affected everyone involved.

The Lyndenshaw Mysteries. A teacher and his policeman lover are pitted against criminals in present-day rural England. I haven’t quite forgiven the author for the death of the dog, but at least it was heroic.

Eli Easton and RJ Scott:

The Lake Prophet Mysteries. These are set in America and feature aspects of the work of park rangers.

Alex Henry:

Detective Leon Peterson Mysteries. I’ve only just embarked on this crime series set in present day London, but I loved the first volume and as I know the three authors (yes, it’s a collaborative thing) I know I’m in for a happy experience all the way through.

Nicky James:

Valor and Doyle. A series of excellent crime stories set in Canada with a friends to lovers trope. The final book is disappointing as it doesn’t actually contain a crime story but it does wrap up the romance.

Rail Riders. Nail-biting adventure with a group who illicitly ride rail cars through Canada.

Jackson Marsh’s Clearwater Mysteries (plus ongoing Larkspur Mysteries). High late Victorian Melodrama, lots of different romance interests, crime and adventure. I have read all these and am about to start the Delamere Files which are another linked series.  

Ruby Moone:

MC Securities. Crime series set in and around Manchester, UK. Since I live there, this was always likely to appeal!

CS Poe:

Memento Mori series. Everett Larkin has enhanced memory skills but severe trauma following an attack. He pairs with Ira Doyle to solve crimes in modern New York.

RJ Scott:

Lancaster Falls Series. Murder mysteries than interconnect in the town of Lancaster Falls

Montana Series. A family ranch in Montana with stories about both the major family members and their friends and employees.

Marshall Thornton:

Pinx Video Mysteries. The owner of a video store in LA at the height of the AIDs epidemic is faced with a number of murder mysteries as well as with his own mortality.

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Holiday Fluff Reading

Icon found somewhere on social media a long time ago…

Alternative title: why I will not be reading holiday fluff in future.

I meant to write this post in the immediate aftermath of the holidays but I have had a series of disasters (see my next post) and have only just got round to it. So it’s no longer totally appropriate given that most of you will be well past all the holiday shenanigans but maybe if you like the genre and you missed some of the books I mention you could consider them for next year.

As usual, I downloaded a number of Christmas or holiday themed stories, long and short. I gradually realised that for me, the sweetness of the general approach was too much. Given the amount of sugary things to eat, the incessantly cheerful music on the radio and the offerings on TV I found myself craving things that were perhaps stronger or darker…

This is not to denigrate some of the stories. They were a mixed bag, and I haven’t given them stars because it wouldn’t really be fair, given my feelings, but if you are someone who enjoys an overdose of sweetness and light and don’t feel overwhelmed by it, I can recommend the following:

Lumberjack under the tree by Keira Andrews. Well written but very slight story about how Blake and Caleb reconnect at a Christmas tree farm.

A Baby for Christmas by Keira Andrews. Well written though time-worn trope of two guys and a baby trapped in a cabin in a snowstorm.

When Love Flue In by Lillian Francis Well written short about a lawyer and a chimney sweep.

One Last Wish by Alex Adams Sob story about a dying grandfather and his wish list which brings Angus (his carer) and Blair (his grandson) together.

Santa of the Creek by Sue Brown A story in the Collier’s Creek series. Echo (a newcomer) and Dean (shy and still getting over an old accident/loss) bond at Christmas. No real drama but a lot of sex.

Christmas on Stardust Lane and Christmas on Firefly Hill by Garrett Leigh Great characters – one features an ex-biker who’s now a calligrapher and his tenant who’s a nurse. The other has a fire dancer/jewellery maker and a fireman who both have cameo parts in the other novel. (But it’s all still fluff.) Probably the ones I would recommend most highly of the books here.

Married before Christmas by Megan Linden Best friends enter marriage to save a hospital trust. Fake turns real. Of course it does!

I read about as many again but won’t detail the ones that really did bore me. The above are all mm romance. I did read some mf romance but it all fell into the boring category so the less said the better.

My only four star reads were fanfic…

Tidings of Jumpers and Joy by MistressKat**** Nice fluff in Shetland fanfic. https://archiveofourown.org/works/61687114 I suppose knowledge of all the backstory makes the fluff more satisfying.

Christmas Supplement – Marylebone Monthly Illustrated by Small_Hobbit**** Much amusement in the realms of Holmes, Watson, Mouselet, etc. https://archiveofourown.org/works/61322977 This AU based very loosely on the Holmes stories but featuring a variety of talking animals never fails to please me.

Next Christmas I shall be more self aware and will not read in this particular genre. Instead I shall seek out books set in winter but with meatier themes. I got a great deal of enjoyment out of December by Phil Rickman***** which I shall review elsewhere but I wouldn’t exactly call it a Christmas story.

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Autumn viewing and reading 2024

Local trees on a late November afternoon.

Viewing recommendations

First the series – husband likes to binge watch and I don’t, so it took us some time to get through these.

The best:

High Country ***** BBC iPlayer. Police drama set in rural Victoria, Australia.

Sambre ***** BBC  iPlayer. Excellent French crime drama based on a real story.

Mr Loverman ***** BBC iPlayer Romantic mm drama (plus family drama) set among London’s Caribbean community.

Heartstoppers Season 2 nd 3 ***** Netflix. I love the way teenage problems with sexuality, eating disorders, etc. etc. are confronted head on in an otherwise ‘cosy’ drama in half hour episodes.

The good:

Sherwood Season 2 **** BBC iPlayer. Gripping crime drama set in Nottinghamshire.

Showtrial Seasons 1 and 2 **** BBC iPlayer (or you can get it on Amazon Prime outside UK) Good and gripping legal thriller. Two totally unrelated cases with different casts.

The Turkish Detective **** BBC iPlayer. Crime drama set in Istanbul with English/Turkish detective.

The Umbrella Academy Season 4**** Netflix. I’d been looking forward to this final season for ages then the finale suggested it had all been a dream or an alternate reality which I thought was a cop-out, though the marigolds were re-opening at the end of the credits so maybe…

And one you might like:

The Killing Kind *** itvx. I kept having to suspend disbelief that this woman was a barrister. Apart from that, the cliff hanger ending was irritating but the plot kept us gripped throughout.

Then the standalones:

The good:

The Secret Life of Orangutans **** Netflix. David Attenborough is as good as usual. Fascinating.

And two you might like:

Undercover ***  All4 .Worthy but nothing new after reading articles and reports so 90 minutes was too much! However, if you haven’t been following news about the far right, this might be for you.

Single All the Way *** Netflix. If Christmas romcoms appeal to you, this mm version is very sweet. Romcoms are not my genre of choice but I did watch to the end.

Reading recommendations

The series I’m following

The excellent:

KM Avery’s Beyond the Veil ***** mm romance/crime/paranormal series. The Skeleton under the Stairs A house seems to be full of skeletons. The Dog in the Alley A shifter can’t get back to his human form. This was a re-read because of I’d got out of sequence in  the series. Just as good second time around. The Bones in the Yard Great sequel to the Dog in the Alley with more digging for bones involved.  The Elf Beside Himself Last for now in the series and Valentine Hart faces a lot of problems with his boyfriend, his best friend, and his family when his best friend’s father is murdered.

Linzi Day’s Gretna Green series.***** Paranormal drama. The main romance pairing is mf but there are some mm pairings. Code Yellow Viking’s problems definitely take the series well out of the cosy genre. Gretna Green goes to Manchester Nice short as an epilogue to Code Yellow. Niki finally has a few days off. Market Forces in Gretna Green Niki tries to persuade the realms to adopt new trading practices. I am eagerly awaiting the next book. I believe there are to be ten full novels altogether.

Jackson Marsh’s Clearwater Mysteries and Larkspur Mysteries.***** Victorian mm romance and crime. I’m currently re-reading the Larkspur series having now got all the backstory from the Clearwater series. Seeing through Shadows The one with the ghost in the grounds of Larkspur Hall. Speaking in Silence Edward’s story and the rogue MP Flynn. Starting with SecretsThe treasure hunt begins. One more volume to go then I can start on the Delamere series which follows on from these.

Chloe Garner’s Queen’s Chair series.***** Fantasy plus. The Merchant’s Daughter is book 8. Politics, economics, love, power, independence, feminism – all wrapped up in a fantasy adventure as usual. We have to wait till 2027 for more. Meanwhile, Stasia and Babe are married and Stasia is pregnant.

TJ Klune’s Green Creek series***** So far I’ve only read Wolfsong a really good shifter novel with a human alpha and a large ‘found family’. Lots of tragedy and emotion and a hopeful ending. I expect the series to live up to the recs I got – Klune’s other writing is great.

Joy Lynn Fielding’s Wings over Albion series***** Dragon shifter families in contemporary UK. Dragon’s Folly is volume 3It was nice to see familiar faces whilst following Ollie and Archer in the lovely moated manor house. I am looking forward to more stories.

Rowan Amaris and Theo Behr’s Fallen for a Fae series***** I found this almost accidentally as I was sent an ARC for review. An embrace of citrus and snow is a gorgeous fae mm romance with a new and intriguing fae world as well as our own. I shall be reading more.

Sapphire Wolf’s City Shifter Mysteries.*****  Feline Protector A great start to a new series with a shifter detective. Nice world building and some exciting moments. No romance as yet but there are possibilities.

CS Poe’s Snow and Winter series***** I will definitely be following the series of mm crime dramas with the antiquarian and the cop. The Mystery of Nevermore This is the first of the series where they meet.Brilliant characterisation as usual.

Ruth Downie’s Gaius Petreius Ruso Series***** is a crime series set in what would become Chester. The Roman and British ways of life are brought to life in vivid detail, reminding me slightly of Linsey Davis’ Falco series which I also love. Medicus is the first volume and I am looking forward to more.

AJ Rose’s The Mindhacker series***** FBI investigations into serial killings.  The Phantom  A great sequel to The Family Man. plus mm romantic developments for Tracey and Jon.

Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree*****  I’m not sure if this counts as a series or not! It’s a great sequel/prequel to Legends and Lattes which I loved. We find out more about Viv’s earlier life in this exploration of ff romance in a fantasy world.

The Rocktoberfest series by various authors. I haven’t added a series star. I haven’t read most of the series yet but the ones I have read have been wildly varied in quality. This one was great. Missing Chord by Kaje Harper***** Music has parted Griffin and Lee. Maybe there’s a chance it can bring them back together.

The good:

Chloe Garner’s School of Magic Survival series. **** Somewhat darker than Harry Potter with much better writing.  Unveiling Magic I’m still following the series but I don’t care about Valerie the way I cared about Stasia in The Queen’s Chair serieswhich is on some kind of hiatus leaving me bereft. Real Magic Further adventure and magic for Valerie. Interesting but still not up to the Stasia books. I also tried Tell me a secret with a vampire detective. (Tell, the Detective series)Good writing but I didn’t much like the characters so won’t be following it.

Joy Lynn Fielding’s Strength of the Pack series.**** Interesting shifters and a well built world. An Impossible Mate Nice start to a series though there is too much explicit sex for my tastes. Jesse has been on his own for ages until he meets Matt who is alpha of a pack of misfits. The concept has promise and the writing is good.

Marshall Thornton’s Pinx Video Store series.**** Crime plus gay life. The author really brings Hollywood to life, and also details the earlier days of the AIDs epidemic.  Kapowie!  is the latest volume. The usual cast are trapped in a Hollywood sound stage and one of the actors is dead.

Jaime Reese’s Men of Halfway House series.**** Follows the fortunes of men who have served prison sentences, sometimes deserved and sometimes not. Sweet Man is book 7. It’s a good story with some exciting drama towards the end. Ben is deaf and is learning to be a cook following a prison sentence after he followed people he thought were friends. Natalie owns the bakery, and her brother Gabriel is a security agent who wants to settle down with someone permanent. All the books have interesting and well developed minor characters.

Michael Stagg’s The Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller Series**** I’m really enjoying the way this crime series has a focus on the work of the defence lawyers. Lethal Defence. Nate has to defend someone who is pleading guilty though he isn’t. True Intent Another court case for Nate and his team and this time the reader is left wondering about the guilt or innocence of the woman found not guilty.

The Carnival of Mysteries Series by various authors. I’m not giving the series a star because the offerings are very varied, partly due to the quality of writing but more because different takes on the central concept appeal to different tastes and I haven’t liked them all. Midnight on the Midway by Morgan Brice**** Nice addition to 2024 Carnival of Mysteries with Drake, an agent for the FBSI dealing with supernatural crimes and Garrett, a veterinarian who learns to deal with paranormal clients.

And some standalones

Excellent:

First, a non-fiction book which was a requested birthday present.

Chums by Simon Kuper***** A light hearted but hard-hitting look at the backgrounds of the Tory ‘ruling elite’. Fascinating and informative.

Then on to fiction:

Queer Windows vol1 Spring by Cay Fletcher ***** Four good short stories on a seasonal theme, with a mostly ff focus. The title suggests there may be more to come.

Istanbul Crossing by Timothy Jay Smith***** Spy thriller with a focus on the refugee problem in the Middle East. There is an mm romance as a sub plot. Poor formatting almost threw me out of the book so as it was an ARC I complained to the publishers who wanted screenshots. However, my laptop Kindle reader refused to believe I had the book despite it being open on my Kindle… Go figure. Anyway, screenshots were not possible but the problems may have arisen because the ARC copy was a pdf and they are notoriously difficult to convert. I hope so, but if you read it and find the title, chapter titles and page numbers randomly inserted in words and sentences, persevere because the novel is well worth your time.

Taylor Maid by Tara Lain***** Shows how a good writer can make even tired tropes fresh. Taylor has to marry in a hurry to secure his inheritance. Ally is hiding from his family and working as a maid.

And good:

Feline Fine (eventually) by MistressKat****  Fanfiction in the world of The Professionals. Pure hurt/comfort fluff but very enjoyable.  https://archiveofourown.org/works/58090273

The Bones by DD Black**** Competent police procedural (USA) I might read any sequels. Someone is killing babies and boiling the bodies to produce bags of bones. Grisly but gripping.

Not not normal by Peter Fenton**** Nice YA novel about differences and budding mm romance.

Face Blind by JL Merrow**** Sweet mm romance set in Glastonbury. Corin and Adam both need to lay ghosts to rest while Corin adjusts to life with a disability.

The Monk’s Lair by Ellie Thomas**** Short but suitably creepy Halloween story with a happy ending.

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Blood in the Machine: a review

Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant

Merchant ties together the nineteenth century revolt of workers in England with the current unrest about AI. As such, this is a timely and interesting book.

For the most part this is a fascinating and detailed account of the Luddite movement in early nineteenth century Britain, filled with carefully researched information about the period and events and including documents from the time..

The revolt against the use of powered looms and factory style production started in Nottinghamshire among the silk knitters and weavers. It then spread to other parts of the north, including Manchester. The Luddites took their name from ‘King Ludd’ who may or may not have been based on a real person but whose title was used by the Luddites in their messages to their employers. The acts of sabotage, including smashing machines with hammers, were directed initially against the machinery itself rather than people, but the effects were intended to hit the employers’ profits. Later, there were personal vendettas, culminating in the killing of Luddites by conscripted military forces, and the murder of at least one employer.

At no time did the workers claim not to appreciate technology or new machines, contrary to what their name conjures in the modern mind. They realised that the problem was not the machinery itself but the way it was deployed to make maximum profit for the owners with absolutely no benefit to the working classes. Indeed many of them faced severe poverty. They also objected to the factory system which they could see would destroy family and social life as they knew it.

Some politicians supported them but the king, and later his son as regent, did not. They were also supported sporadically by writers such as Byron and Shelley. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was in fact an allegory meant to show the dangers of the way manufacturing and invention was heading.

The Luddites were in a sense defeated by the state and some of their leaders were hanged, but they paved the way for the growth of trade unions and acts of parliament designed to curtail the worst excesses of the factory owners. It should also be mentioned that some factory owners were sympathetic to the cause and attempted themselves to ameliorate conditions – provided their profits didn’t suffer.

The author also points out the effects on the plantation slaves in America, forced into far harder work to produce sufficient cotton to feed the factories, and the way the plantation owners needed more and more slaves to satisfy demand and of course make themselves rich in the process.

I was surprised that no mention was made of the deliberate wrecking of the Indian cotton industry so that northern England would be the world leader in the field, and that nothing was said about the mindset of the political and business people who were understandably jittery at all calls for reform, something that must have underpinned Peterloo, the Manchester massacre of ordinary people seeking political change. However, the book is already long and perhaps the author, who is American, felt obliged to draw a line somewhere.

Merchant then goes on to draw parallels with today’s concerns about modern technology and artificial intelligence. The term ‘Luddite’ is sometimes thrown at people who express those concerns but it should, says Merchant, be taken as a badge of honour. Again, protesters are not against research, development and modern technologies. Their worries are the ends to which these are put and the fact that the profits are concentrated in the hands of a very few rich people. Not only do the population in general not benefit, but many of them also actually suffer, through loss of earnings, inhuman surveillance techniques, and a worsening of many aspects of society including art, music, literature and other creative cultural pursuits. . Meanwhile there is no democratic way to challenge the tech titans.

The history of the Luddites was meticulously researched and the same scholarship was deployed in giving examples of the way our modern tech giants have moved fast, broken things, and made themselves (like the nineteenth century mill owners) extraordinarily rich.

As the controversy over the use of AI increases readers should query our attitudes to the deployment of innovative technologies and their effect on the wider community. This is by no means a plea to hold back on research, but a very heartfelt one to ask how implementation should proceed.

As a writer using the Smashwords publishing platform I was concerned about the merger with Draft2Digital who almost immediately sent out a consultation survey about AI. Ostensibly this asked whether writers would be willing to have their work ‘scraped’ to train AI if given some monetary return. The results were a resounding NO, and Draft2Digital listened. Whether they agreed with the idea before the survey or not, they will definitely not be going ahead and there is relief all round. I suspect the actors’ and screenwriters’ action alerted a lot of people to the issues involved.

For now, it seems it is worth fighting back and in Britain and Europe we have at present the backing of most politicians, but we should all be wary of the machinations of the ‘giants’ who have nothing to lose and everything to gain from the use to which they put AI.