March reviews 2024

The violets in our garden think it’s spring. The wind and rain from storm Kathleen are not so sure.

Viewing

Worth finding on the streaming services.

The Great Pottery Throwdown ch4***** I love the way we learn a lot about ceramics whilst cheering on the competitors.

Lost temples of Cambodia ch 4***** Fascinating. I knew, of course, about Angkor Wat but not the other temples.

Death in Paradise Season 13 bbc.**** Very formulaic but I enjoyed it. The finale was satisfying. However, I miss Marlon and am irritated by Dwayne.  

Reading

The excellent

Lovers at the Museum by Isabel Allende***** Intriguing and beautifully written short story about a couple found frolicking naked in the ‘Guggenheim in Bilbao overnight. An Amazon free read otherwise I might never have discovered it.

Heir of Uncertain Magic by Charlie N Holmberg ***** Whimbrel House Book 2. A lovely sequel to Keeper of Enchanted Rooms. I like the deliberate dissonance between the manners and prudishness of the AU Victorian era and the mayhem of the magic and murder. I looked forward to book 3. Boy of Chaotic making.***** And it was equally exciting. Owein has a chance to regain his humanity.

Deviant Desire by Jackson Marsh***** First of the Clearwater Mysteries so the focus was Archie and Silas. Exciting and beautifully written as usual.  Twisted Tracks***** follows straight on. Excellent though I can’t say I quite understood the train sections. Unspeakable Acts***** follows with another thrilling story set mostly in the theatre. For reasons unknown I started with the Larkspur Mysteries which actually follow the Clearwater ones, so I was already aware of some of the characters and delighted to read their stories.

The Queen’s Chair by Chloe Garner***** Brilliant fantasy adventure with a fascinating heroine. Stasia, third and ‘spare’ daughter, moves with her father to a new country where she becomes an unofficial assistant to the queen. Will follow the series.

And the very good.

Outlaw Dragon by Steve Turner**** Good sequel to Rebel Dragon but some of the journeying got boring at times. So I read Heretic Dragon*** Still on their travels… and for much of the time the dragons were AWOL. Not sure I’ll continue.

An Iron Fist by Nazri Noor**** Nice story in the Arcane Hearts series. Maybe Jack will get the Artificers Guild going again. Dwarves and mines in Norway this time.  Followed by A Velvet Glove by Nazri Noor.*** This book was set largely in Xander’s old school, and there were too many gods, demons, etc. Not quite to my taste though I still like the main protagonists. 

Breadcrumbs by Kim Fielding**** Well written mm contemporary version of the Babes in the Wood story. Johnny and Zimri.

Stitches by Amanda Meuwissen**** and The Bard and the Fairy Prince***. Tales of the Gemstone Kingdoms 2 and 3.These were ARCs, reviewed in more depth for PRG.

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Viewing and reading in February 2024

Horse in Aachen

Viewing

The excellent

Pinocchio – Guillermo del Toro.***** Amazon Prime Video. Weird and wonderful. About as far from Disney as you can get. Or any other retelling for that matter. Totally memorable.

My Policeman ***** Amazon Prime Video. Brilliant acting and direction. Sad but perhaps ultimately hopeful story of a love triangle in homophobic 50s UK. Tom, Patrick and Marion waste a lot of their lives which is maybe the main message. Stellar cast. Based on the true story of EM Forster. Would watch again. (And that’s infrequent for me!)

And the very good

Secret Life of the Safari Park Ch4.**** We really got to know some of the animals.

Art of Persia **** BBC Samira Ahmed. Fascinating but not quite as good as her Pakistan series because there was less interaction with local historians etc. This wasn’t explained but could have been due to language difficulties or even political ones.

Tabby McTat **** BBC Delightful animated version of the Julia Donaldson tale

Britain’s Human Zoos ****Ch4 Novelist Nadifa Mohammed explores the shocking history of the people the British brought to UK from the empire for entertainment and forensic science.  Fascinating and horrifying. I wanted a lot more information – maybe a whole series – so it loses a star. That’s down to the people who commissioned the programme, not the presenter or the material. The period covered also saw people with differences used as entertainment e,g. The Elephant Man, so it tells us something very unsettling about human nature.

Reading

The excellent

After Midnight by Blake Allwood***** Great contemporary mm version of Cinderella. Lots of action and angst and good characters in Dillon and Dominic.

Zenith by Eli Easton and RJ Scott***** A final gripping crime mystery for Gabriel and Tiber. This time it’s personal.

The Red Dragon of Oxford by Joy Lynn Fielding***** Lovely introduction to her Wings over Albion series. Reviewed for PRG in more depth.

Changes coming down and Changes going on by Kaje Harper***** Great story in two volumes about a threesome – a rancher, a hockey player and a cop. Superb characterisation including minor characters. Really gripping thriller elements.

Midwinter Marriage by KL Noone***** Only a long short story but so good I’ve saved it to reread next Christmas. Paranormal, mm, historical.

Heart of Stone by Johannes T Evans.***** Wow! Perfectly delicious story about a vampire with ADHD and an autistic secretary in late eighteenth century Birmingham.  UST unresolved until the final chapter. The period detail and the gripping romance element are fabulous. I’ve always preferred werewolves but this might convert me to vampires.

Cursebreakers by Madeleine Nakamura***** Gorgeously detailed fantasy thriller which might will fail because it’s overpriced. Reviewed in more depth for PRG.

The Prince and the Ice King by Amanda Meuwissen*****Lovely and intricate mm retelling of Beauty and the Beast with addition of the myth of Kind Midas. Reviewed in more depth for PRG

The Family Man by AJ  Rose***** Excellent crime novel (FBI analysts on track of serial killer) with slow burn romance between team leader and new agent. Will look for sequels. Reviewed in more depth for PRG

And the very good

Candlenight by Phil Rickman**** I think this was a re-read though I didn’t realise until I reached the final chapters. Gripping supernatural thriller with an ambiguous ending. Incredibly good writing but it ends up as horror which is not to my taste.

Culture Warlords by Talia Lavin**** Interesting investigative journalism exploring the subject but I would have liked more about the far right online in countries other than US. They were only mentioned briefly.

A Stroke of Brilliance by Nazri Noor**** KU A good sequel to A Touch of Fever. Xander and Jack are a great couple and I love Lore, the AI. Will definitely continue with the series.

Rebel Dragon by Steve Turnbull **** Good introductory volume to The Dragons of Esternes which I will be following. (I’m currently reading vol 2) Kantees, as a slave, should not be riding Sheesha, but he seems to think otherwise.

Fill the Empty Spaces by Karenna Colcroft. **** Interesting exploration of grief. Slow burn romance with paranormal elements. Well written. Reviewed in more depth for PRG

Reviews for January 2024

My daughter’s dog likes to oversee reviews when he visits.

TV

Nothing five star but some really watchable stuff.

Mr Bates vs The Post Office: the real story **** (itvx) fascinating and horrifying

Malta: the jewel of the Med**** (Ch 5) Too much emphasis on the sea and not the inland history. Some  questionable assertions. The history goes back much further than they suggested. May not watch the next episode.

Paddington 2 **** Some delightful acting from famous actors makes this endearing and watchable.

Death in Paradise Christmas Special**** (bbc iPlayer) Formulaic but very pleasant comfort viewing! A new season starts this week.

Wild Scandinavia: **** (bbc iPlayer) Eye candy and gorgeous.

Vera Season 13**** (itvx) Good as ever.

Revenge: Our Dad the Nazi Killer **** (bbc iPlayer) An Australian programme: fascinating.

Books

I started with some of my Christmas presents – the first three of the five star reviews were gifts for which I was truly grateful.

Merrily’s Border by Phil Rickman***** The photos, mostly by John Mason, are superb in this companion to the Merrily Watkins series. I now want to re-read the series. Fortunately, I have it all in ebook format!

When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire***** Wonderful as always. The series has reached October’s wedding. I have no idea if there are to be more volumes but if not I shall be bereft.

What is a doctor? by Phil Whitaker***** Underlined and expanded on all we’ve heard from a pharmacist friend and read in Whitaker’s own articles in New Statesman.

Claw’d by Vin George***** A great sequel to Fang’d. This series almost converts me to vampires as a theme rather than werewolves though one of the main characters is both.

Becoming Ted by Matt Cain***** Starts with Ted’s husband leaving him and then follows him through his dream of becoming a drag queen. So glad this was great as I bought it for someone else for Christmas before reading it myself!

Then there were a number of excellent books:

Lessons in exposing a deadly alias by Charlie Cochrane.**** A short novel featuring the Cambridge Fellows solving a case. Delightful as usual with lots of period research. It was nice to return to the pre WW1 days with substantial appearances by Jonty’s parents.

Sheriff of the Creek by Sue Brown.**** Nice story in the collaborative Collier’s Creek series. JD and Ben have a romance but also some drama from Ben’s ex. However, I was disappointed in some of the other books in the series, by other authors – sweet but unmemorable.

Matrimonial  Merriment by Nicky James**** Not the thriller we’re used to but the run-up to the wedding. Interesting and amusing.

A touch of fever by Nazri Noor**** Rather zany mm romance incorporating magic users, mythical beasts, and a hidden city that visits various places in the world… I loved the concept and quite liked the main characters. Might follow the series. (Arcane Hearts)

Miracle by RJ Scott**** Book 7 in the very good Single Dads series. In this case it’s actually a single uncle… Some really gripping plot points but I wanted to know more about Arlo’s desire to study architecture and about Zach’s story (the actual dad) which I gather is only available in another series so I felt slightly cheated.

As usual I read some books for review purposes – I review regularly for PRG and Scott’s OWI. Some were excellent.

Ogres and other Dating Dilemmas by TJ Nichols.***** Fabulous addition to the Mytho series (book 8) which gives us new viewpoints of familiar events and lots of detail about Troy and Sean and their romance. I went on to buy and read Weddings and other One Night Stands**** Nice novella that alternates quite steamy sex with interesting dialogue and thoughts about adapting to different cultures.

Flashes by KL Noone *****Excellent and varied book of short stories and flash fiction many of them on fantasy or sci fi themes. 

And some ARCs were very good.

Voice and Transform by Sean Ian O’Meidhir & Connal Braginsky**** Well written and there was sufficient info for a new reader who hadn’t read the first two in the Nüwa Crossing series. Too much magic plus demons for me personally but it was reasonably exciting watching Theo and Robbie cope whilst growing their relationship over the course of the two books.

Spark and Tether by Lilian Zenzi **** Brilliant sci fi – though the prologue is unnecessary and in some ways spoils total engagement with the story so it loses a star.

Fanfic

I’m very behind on fanfic reading – possibly because of the reviews I’m doing. All I’ve managed is:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52719703 Mouselet’s Christmas Adventure by Small_Hobbit and other small additions to the Marylebone Monthly Illustrated. This is my comfort reading over the holiday season.

Various ficlets by another friend, kat_lair, writing on Dreamwidth. I have no idea whether or when these works will be transferred to her AO3 account (MistressKat) but she has been writing in Grimm, HP, and WoT. And other fandoms that don’t appeal to me as much.

New Year’s Resolution

We’re not that far through January…

My New Year Resolution was very simple. TIDY UP.

There is a lot of real life tidying, some of which has been waiting for ages. It’s easy enough, I suppose, but hard work. It’s actually a lot easier than the digital tidying which in some ways is more important.

I knew, in a vague sort of way, that I needed to sort out my computer files. Then my brain was invaded by an idea for another novel in the Living Fae series and looking at all the information involving the series so far I got really confused.

The glossary is not by any means up to date. The timeline seems to be non-existent, on my website, anyway.

So back I went to the files. It took hours to sort through. I must have kept everything including all kinds of pre-edit copies. I vaguely recall being advised to keep evidence of the fact that this writing was originally by me but I must have gone overboard. Yes, the files were dated, but it’s quite hard work making sure only the older ones get discarded. And it doesn’t help that Word redates them if you dare to make the slightest alteration. So, the new updated glossary is now a work in progress and should be reloaded soon. Meanwhile, I’ll leave the old one in situ because it isn’t wrong, just needs more added.

The timeline on the other hand… The later versions have stuff that can’t possibly be correct. The first volume has diary entries from 2005 so Harlequin must have found his mobile phone, and all his siblings were with him on Alderley Edge. Which means entries suggesting the twins weren’t born till 2011 were rubbish. This is important because they feature as adults in the new book. The older timelines have much more sensible dates but don’t go much beyond the first volume. Much work is obviously needed before I can even start writing, because in a series with a cast of hundreds (however minor) it’s really important to keep everything consistent.

OneDrive got very overexcited about how a large number of files had been deleted. I wish I could have a conversation with it and explain that this was intentional.

At this point I was looking at the later stories in my ‘free stuff’ on my website for further dates, events, etc. and realised that most of my links are broken. I suspect WordPress has changed the method of inserting download links – a lot of stuff was originally uploaded to my media library as Word documents and the links worked fine. Now documents need to be in pdf format and re-linked. ‘Easily’ fixed, but it will be very time consuming and meanwhile nobody can access a lot of my writing though I think all the Living Fae additions are OK as of today. But clearly I’ll have to fix all the other links too. And then stay alert!

I was delighted recently when a couple of authors I greatly admire ‘liked’ some of my posts, but I really must make sure they can read what I’ve written other than my blog entries, should they so wish.

Please, all of you, be aware that my pages (as opposed to my blog entries) are a work in progress (again)!

Anyway, I’m pleased to report that I have made what I regard as great inroads into my resolution. There’s an enormous amount still to do but I’m usually good at keeping going once I’ve started something. The same applies to the house, though so far I’ve been a bit slower there… After all, it only affects close friends and family, and doesn’t stop me doing anything else!

December 2023 viewing and reading

We had whippets as houseguests for Christmas. Pippa, the fawn one, is an angel. Milo is high maintenance.

Viewing

I keep saying Christmas TV was rubbish – all repeats of things I didn’t want to watch first time around. Then I look back on my viewing…

Highly recommended if you can access them:

The Australian Wars ***** BBC  Afascinating and horrifying account of the wars between settlers and native Australians in the nineteenth century.Made in Australia with plenty of contribution, not least awesome presentation, from the ‘losing’ side.

Dr Who Christmas Special***** BBC Exciting introduction to the new incarnation of the doctor.

Vigil season 2 (BBC)***** A great follow-up to the first series – this time set in the middle east rather than on a submarine – but I kept expecting Rose Lesie to say ‘you know nothing…’

Vera: The Rising Tide (Christmas Special)***** ITVX  There’s a new series coming up. I really like the detective, and the locations are part of my childhood so appeal!

Petite Maman***** A delightful French film about love, grief and new beginnings. The twins who play the two girls in the story are brilliant young actresses. Available on All4 for about a month then can be bought or rented quite cheaply on Amazon. Highly recommended.

Also recommended though not quite as highly:

Dr Who Anniversary Specials (3 programmes)**** Nice to havenewstories featuring old friends as a December prequel to the Christmas Special.

Mog’s Christmas (Ch 4)**** I kept laughing out loud but think I actually prefer the book. Yes, it’s a children’s animated film but has plenty to amuse adults.

Shetland****BBC The new post-Jimmy look is interesting, with Tosh in charge but assisted by a detective originally from the island but recently from the Met.

Festive Pottery Throwdown**** CH 4 Nice, and very festive, but I think I prefer getting to know contenders over a few weeks. There’s a new series starting. I’m not usually into reality shows but this one teaches a lot about pottery and its social context as well as the art involved, which is fascinating quite apart from the competition.

I don’t currently mention things I don’t recommend but had to say:

Home Alone** This was my first viewing ever of the iconic Christmas film and I was bored stiff. 

Reading

I did a lot of reading. (Whilst the holiday season was pleasant, we didn’t go anywhere and didn’t do much. )

Highly recommended:

Cosy and chill by Jacke Keswick**** Lovely story about setting up a new store, mixed with magic. I was initially disappointed that it turned out to be Richmond in Surrey and not Richmond in Yorkshire but once I’d adjusted my mental map I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Also A Knight to Remember**** Introduces a new series about a security team. Grant**** is the first in the series. Excellent, and a relief from all the Christmas syrup. I’m looking forward to Rylan which is imminent.

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske***** Superb paranormal mm romance set in Edwardian London. Must read the sequel.

The Happiness Project by Suki Fleet***** Excellent novel exploring various ways to be different.

Also recommended:

Wolf Gift by TJ Nichols.**** Nice novella with a witch/shifter bonding. I must seek out the rest of the series. Wolf Heart**** was also good.

Rejoice Dammit by Kaje Harper**** and Where the Heart is.**** Two really nice novellas from a trusted author. A Midnight Clear also by Kaje Harper**** As usual, a common trope (second chance) made poignant and different by a great writer.

It’s Cold Outside by Suki Fleet (on their website)**** Sweet – I do hope we meet this pair, as half-promised, as adults. Light up the Dark  also by Suki Fleet**** Brilliant writing. Fascinating concept. I’d have liked more detail at the end about how the deception had worked but Cai and Nicky are a great couple and I loved the story.

Once upon a Christmas House by AD Ellis**** Nice Christmas mm romance, saved from over-sweetness by the suspense of the reality TV show competition. Well written.  I read a few more by this author but although they were readable they blurred, like so many seasonal stories.

The Ghost of Grape Lane by Mark Richards.**** Excellent seasonal short story in the Michael Brady series.

The Winter Spirit by Indra Vaughn.**** Excellent and ‘different’ Christmas ghost story.

And two I read as ARCs for more in depth review elsewhere: (I review for two review sites)

Ash Believes the Impossible by Kim Fielding**** Delightful mix of mundane and fairyland when Ash meets Clay

Yule. Tales for the Winter Solstice ed. Eno, Allingham and Tulio****. Stars are for the quality of the stories (mostly ff) but this is a very short book on sale at a very high price.

For fanfic, as usual, I’ve been reading Small-Hobbit’s contributions to the Marylebone Monthly Illustrated which place various talking animals in the world of Holmes and Watson. https://archiveofourown.org/works/52123444   is a Christmas Supplement and there is more delight to follow.

I started reading various Star Trek stories but abandoned them all.

A new novel for mid-winter.

I messed about for ever and eventually just reversed the cover of the first book and changed the colours a bit.

I’ve finally published The Trouble with Unicorns after having problems earlier in the year with the formatting of the first book, The Virgin and the Unicorn.

There wasn’t going to be a sequel but a reader asked ever so nicely. It isn’t exactly a sequel because it doesn’t have the same main characters. Prince Alair and Kian do appear but only in minor roles. However, much of the action takes place around Kian’s Castle Onehorn and of course there are unicorns.

The story starts and ends with midwinter celebrations where Cory (a minor character in the first book) meets Galad. During the following year there is plenty of action and angst but by the time midwinter comes round again there’s a happy ending.

I’ve been trying to market it and entered it in an Advent giveaway, but have just found most of my links to my pages here are broken or just not as they should be. So you can imagine there’s a huge New Year Resolution in store!

Here, of course, we’ve just had the Solstice and that’s very special to me. For one thing, I like the idea of tying festivals to natural events and for another it’s my daughter’s birthday. I don’t like the darkness of mid-December but I do like all the holiday lights and glitter that somehow raise the spirits. I think fantasy worlds are bound to have their own celebrations of one kind or another and as this particular world has similar seasons to our own I’m sure the people would mark the longest and shortest days.

I hope you had a happy Solstice and will have a great time in the coming weeks whatever you celebrate, even if it’s only time off work!

November 2023 Recommendations

Not a real hedgehog… This is a flat decorative paving slab in our garden after a particularly frosty night.

Nothing to report for viewing. We’ve been watching series that won’t finish till after November. I abandoned Jamie’s Five Ingredient Meals (Ch 4) after following two of the recipes and being less than impressed with the results.

Books:

Lots to recommend this month. I’ve been uploading stuff to my Kindle and going through it fairly methodically. I think I’m nearly at the end of the things I truly meant to read though there are still a couple of ‘book bundles’ lurking. I also did some review work and borrowed my usual number from KU.

Starting with Secrets by Jackson Marsh**** Not quite the usual five stars because it ends on a number of cliff hangers and I have had to borrow the sequel while the very complex plot is still fresh in my mind. Archer has been left a treasure hunt by his mother and godmother. It is meant for pleasure but attracts hostile actions and ends up with danger for all. Sequel: The Larkspur Legacy. ***** A thrilling and complex ending to a wonderful series that mixes mm romance and crime with historical research. And now I have to go back to the very beginning and read the Clearwater Mysteries.

A Wolf’s Resistance by TJ Nichols.**** Good WWII historical paranormal romance. Just a novella but worth reading and unlike a lot of this author’s work it’s a standalone.

When the law needs help by Jackie Keswick**** Nice trio of shorts about the ongoing investigations into crime by Jack and Gareth. They probably only make sense in the context of the Power of Zero series but I thoroughly enjoyed them so if you’ve read the rest, read these!

Little Magic by MJ O’Shea. Books 1-3**** Light mm romance but the magic is intriguing, with a focus on charmed food and instant transportation. The small town communities and all their inhabitants, magical and mundane, are lovingly developed.

Chance to be King by Sue Brown**** Plenty of angst in this romantic thriller. A film star and a writer meet when the star rents a cottage from the writer. But someone is the target of extreme hate. Hidden Mate by Sue Brown**** Second book in the Sapphire Ranch series about shifters escaping hunters with the help of their human mates. An exciting story about the sheriff who is a closeted shifter and his mate who heads the human team trying to protect everyone. Rogue Mate.**** Continues the story of Sapphire Ranch with a rogue wolf and one of Eli’s team.

Where Foxes say goodnight by Sam Burns**** Exciting and well written paranormal/thriller/romance, with a haunted house, a screen writer without a plot, and two brothers who need somewhere to stay.

Perfectly Imperfect Pixie by MJ May**** Delightful. I really cared about Phil and Sedrick and the magical world was very detailed and interesting. So I got the sequel: Perfectly Perfect Pixie****. This time it’s a vampire who falls for a pixie but the werewolves are still around. Exciting story and the world is beautifully thought out and developed.

Mandatory Repairs by Elle Keaton**** Well written romance with thriller elements set in the countryside. Max has ‘retired’ after making a fortune in the IT industry and wants to help his newly discovered half sister Robin. He meets Nash, a local, but they have to overcome threats from a mysterious source.  This is in the Collier’s Creek series by various authors and I now intend to read the rest.

Silence of the Missing by Rick Reed **** An excellent novel. Sam loses his first love, Jeb, when they are just thirteen. In the present day his husband Marc is missing, but Jeb may have turned up. This is a psychological thriller with an interesting and satisfying conclusion after lots of twists and turns.

End of the Line by Nicky James**** Intriguing story and romance. It took me a while to empathise with the MCs because I wasn’t sure whether they were going to turn out to be villains. However, I have now borrowed book 2 Lost at the Crossing**** Still great writing and a gripping story centred round an elective mute but I’m not sure I can cope with the amount of tension! The main characters of the books, a found family, are ‘rail riders’ in Canada.

The Blue Monsoon by Damyanti Biswas**** Nicely complex sequel to The Blue Bar with more murder set in Mumbai..

Please Tell Me by Mike Omer**** Exciting thriller. A psychotherapist is involved in helping to solve a case about a serial killer. There is a suggestion of mf romance for Robyn but this is not really the focus of the story though it does lead to her rescue when things go wrong. I didn’t foresee the ending so the various red herrings were well placed.

Parker’s Forbidden Mate by Blake R  Wolfe**** The amount of sex made it just a novella but quite a pleasant one. Parker finds a human mate. I think the series will do the same for his friends so probably won’t bother. (Read for reviewing.)

Comfort and Joy by Nicki Bennett**** Good Christmas short story (read for review purposes) with a lot of historical detail about nineteenth century English Christmas traditions, interwoven with romance between Marcus and his valet. Recommended for your Christmas list.

I also got round to some of the fanfic lurking on my computer. If you haven’t read any of Brumeier’s work, just dive in, regardless of fandom, on AO3, but for this month I want to recommend It Ain’t Paranoia**** which has a thriller element in an AU with John (Stargate Atlantis) as a TV investigator, and Spellbound**** with John and Rodney(SGA) in a magical ‘world’ which has sent me searching for the prequel.

I read quite a bit – and abandoned quite a bit too – in Teen Wolf and can only recommend Don’t Speak by fatale**** Stiles has been made aphasic by a hostile alpha group and the whole concept and how he and others dealt with it was fascinating.

October recommendations, 2023

An October apple crop opposite a friend’s house.

TV and films

Wheel of Time Season 2***** Amazon Prime.I hope they continue for the originally planned 8 seasons since I can’t see how they could finish the story in the currently committed three. So far from the books that I’m getting confused but it’s still splendid. The locations and costumes are superb and the story, though confusing at times, is intriguing. Sometimes when you know the book that isn’t the case, but here they’ve tweaked just enough to retain interest in what happens next.

Amazing Railway Adventures with Nick Knowles: Romania***** Ch 5. The presenter brings a really personal touch to his travel stories and visits some iconic places. I particularly liked this episode with Dracula’s castle, but all the series is worth watching.

The Tape ***** YouTube. We rewatched this delightful romance set in Cornwall. The director and the lead actors are friends which is why we watched it initially but it was really good.

Books

Highly recommended

Disrupted Engagement by Nicky James (V&D)***** I think this series just gets better and better. The character development is superb, and the cases that accompany the romance are nicely complex and always solved. However, I understand from her newsletter that the next volume will not have any police work in it which is a shame, even though I love the characters and will be interested in their wedding planning.

Equinox by Eli Easton and RJ Scott**** Another mystery for the sheriff and the man he is beginning to care for, this time involving wolves. Great follow-up to Solstice.

The Village Healer’s Book of Cures by Jennifer Sherman Roberts***** Excellent historical with paranormal elements and an unexpected (m/f) romance. Based around Matthew Hopkins, the Witchfinder.

Lightning Strike Blues by Gayleen Froese ***** Refreshing take on superhero theme. Hints of a happy ending for Gabe though there is no in-book romance. This was an ARC and I have reviewed it in more detail elsewhere.

Recommended

I followed Twist in the Tale on RJ Scott’s website, which had various authors writing short stories on the Halloween theme. I didn’t read them all – I tend to back away from horror, and from stories set in series I’m not familiar with, but enjoyed those I did read. There’s something for everyone but I think she’s taking the series down at the end of November so hurry! I must recommend: Heart-shaped Box by Suki Fleet.**** The story is exciting. It references and uses minor characters from Foxes but you don’t need to have read that.

Home Improvement by Tara Lain**** Basically just a nice romance but mixed with rock star problems of fame which made it interesting.

Morning Report by Sue Brown.**** A nice mix of angst and romance for ranchers Luke and Simon. Sue’s stories are mostly UK based so a ‘western’ series is a new treat. Hunted Mate by Sue Brown**** An excellent first book in what promises to be an interesting series, providing safety for shifters on Sapphire Ranch which, whilst set in America and on a ranch is not particularly ‘western’. The focus in on the shifters who are in danger and their human mates.  I intend to follow the series.

Alec by Kaje Harper**** This is an exciting romance/thriller in the Single Dads of Gaynor Beach series by various authors. I might try some of the others. The Rebuilding Year by Kaje Harper**** Why did I think I’d already read this? Great story with a lot of excitement though I could have done without the fire which is a personal trigger and not a criticism.

The Long Game by Ellie Thomas**** Beautifully written mm romance set in eighteenth century Britain, featuring  a Black protagonist and his extended family. Also A Marriage for Three by Ellie Thomas **** I bet Georgette Heyer would like to have written this! A regency romance with a difference. This was another ARC and a very welcome one.

Tinker’s Apprentice by Jordan Castillo Price **** Quirky novella with some unusual mechanical magic and strange ‘counterparts’ (soulmates?) called auxiliars.

Can’t fool me by Fiona Glass **** Fun short story which is a sequel to Ghosts Galore. Just right for Halloween. Free to download at https://www.prolificworks.com/author/fiona-glass

Out of the Shadows by Jamie Lynn Miller**** Nice story about a cop and an actor abused by his ex. The story explored the reasons people sometimes stay with abusers.

New free ficlet in my Living Fae universe.

I’ve just uploaded a ficlet in the Living Fae series to my Free Stuff page. It’s called The Party and was written for a Dreamwidth group who celebrate Monsterfest every October. This week’s prompt was Shifters and whilst I don’t see the shifters in my stories as monsters in any sense, the story immediately sprang to mind. This was pleasing because I have recently had a dearth of ideas…

I won’t be writing during November despite the common Nanowrimo vibe of the month, mainly because I’ll be concentrating on reformatting a novel for Smashwords. Cue groan. I moved The Skilled Investigators into KU and of course had to remove them from Smashwords. I realised I’d have to change the back matter in my books to reflect the fact that from a Smashwords point of view The Skilled Investigators no longer exists. Oh well, I thought, I might switch back again or I might move other books, and I might write more. So I carefully, or so I thought, composed a section for the back matter that told people how and where to find my books without committing the heinous crime of mentioning Amazon on Smashwords or vice versa. I edited the Smashwords versions with no apparent problems. Then Smashwords assured me that two novels now needed total reformatting before they could be sent to other sites. I’ve done one and had it accepted. Now for the other. It’s very boring and time consuming work but I hope to finish it in November. Meanwhile, the novel is still available on Smashwords but I’m not sure in which formats. And since epub are the ones refusing the new versions, and Amazon are switching from mobi to epub, watch this space. Maybe it’s a good job I have no plot bunnies desperate to be written at the moment!

A Romance for Halloween

This is not my photo – I got it from Wikipedia – but I have one the same only my scanner isn’t working.

Some years ago I posted about my own slightly spooky experiences at the site of Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair in Eastern Poland https://wordpress.com/post/jaymountney.com/594 This year I’ve turned that and our subsequent travels in the region into an mm romantic ghost story for a FB group I belong to.

All the details about Poland and Germany are as I recall them but I was there with my husband and we started off with a trip along the Baltic coast, only visiting Berlin on the way home. We used the ferry via Hamburg, not Hull.

The story is now ‘live’ on my ‘free stuff’ page, https://jaymountney.files.wordpress.com/2023/10/the-invitation-halloween-2023.docx so if you want a Halloween romance or just want to follow my trip round Poland and ignore the romance, or both, go ahead and download!