Jillian MacLeod

A Seditious Affair by K. J. Charles (Society of Gentlemen #2)
★★★★★

I typically avoid D/s themes in my M/M romance reading, but I love K. J. Charles, and I thoroughly enjoyed A Fashionable Indulgence, so I took a chance and don't regret it in the least.

The romance between Silas and Dominic unfolds gorgeously, with a subtlety I've come to expect from the author, and the portions of the plot that revolve around the Peterloo massacre and its repercussions are complex, tightly woven, and utterly riveting. More than anything, I adore the acknowledgement that two people can be vastly different from one another, hold extremely diverse opinions, and yet still interact with both respect and affection — even while hotly debating sensitive issues.

Despite my initial hesitation because of the D/s elements, I think this has ended up being my favorite book of the series.

The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh by K. J. Charles
★★★★☆

I've read this twice now, and had two different reactions to it.

The first time I read The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh (back in October 2015, right after it was published), it served as my introduction to the Society of Gentlemen series, and in that light it wasn't particularly memorable; it didn't grab my attention, nor did it make me want to read the rest of the series. I love K. J. Charles, though, so when I'd read my way through the rest of her oeuvre, I started in on the Society of Gentlemen novels, and my interest in and curiosity about the origins of Ash and Francis's relationship was sparked by A Fashionable Indulgence.

Re-reading this story with a more in-depth knowledge of (and affection for) the Ricardians made all the difference in the world, and I found myself really enjoying the additional context and subtle character notes that it added to the series as a whole. It's a lovely backstory piece for readers already familiar with the world of the Society of Gentlemen novels.

A Case of Christmas by Josh Lanyon
★★★☆☆

This novel walks a fine line for me, but just manages to stay on the right side of the betrayal: the side where I can believe in giving a second chance, versus the side where it's unforgivable. There's angst, but it's not the gut-wrenching, hardcore kind, which makes it perfect for a Christmas story.

Everything else I want to say leads to spoilers, so I guess I'll just sum it up as "If you typically like Josh Lanyon, you won't be disappointed with A Case of Christmas."

Cold Fusion by Harper Fox
★★★★★

Harper Fox is an auto-buy author for me, so you can assume that I typically like her work, but I think this book is even better than usual.

I'm really loving the trend toward realistically drawn autistic characters in fiction, and particularly in romance fiction. Harper Fox does a lovely job of showing Vivian's quirks without dehumanizing him or making him a caricature; his characterization rings very true to me. Kier Mallory feels very real, as well, with his survivor's guilt and his self-doubt, and I love that he accepts Vivian for who he is, even if there are some missteps along the way. Neither Vivian nor Mallory is perfect, but they both learn and grow and become greater together than they were apart.

The science is probably impossible — it's even acknowledged as such within the story, while somehow still working — but the science isn't really the point; this is old-school speculative fiction that asks "what if?" and spins off from there, turning into a suspenseful tale of betrayal, conspiracy, and murder...and of love found in the most unlikely of places.

Bookmarked by Piper Vaughn
★★★☆☆

Decently written, from a grammatical standpoint, but there was no emotional resonance; the author never made me feel for the characters. There was very little conflict to drive the story, and what conflict there was ended up resolved quickly and easily and feeling like it had no real or lasting impact on the characters. Mark and Shepherd's romance didn't feel like it had any real basis, either; we're told that they're attracted to each other, but we never really feel that attraction. In fact, there's a lot of telling rather than showing, which keeps this story from reaching its potential.

Overall it's a bit of mildly entertaining fluff, and while I don't actually resent having spent 99 cents on it, I probably won't be buying more from this author in the future, either.

(Note: My star rating for this differs on Goodreads and Amazon, because of the difference in definition between the two sites. I'm rating it "it was ok" in both places, but on Goodreads that's two stars and on Amazon—and here—that's three.)

Dead in the Desert by Lou Harper
★★★★☆

Just as good as the previous book. I like that Jon's emotional journey is ongoing, and that while Andy recognizes it's going to take time for Jon to heal, he doesn't allow himself to be treated like a doormat for the sake of not disturbing Jon's status quo. I find it very refreshing that Jon is self-aware when it comes to his own jealousy, and works to own it and overcome it rather than taking what he recognizes as irrational feelings out on Andy.

As with Dead in L.A., the mystery here is more the backdrop than it is the A Plot, but that's perfectly fine with me; as far as I'm concerned the evolution of Jon and Andy's relationship is (and should be) the true A Plot — this is a romance, after all. I loved the theme of (skip spoiler) reinventing oneself, and not letting one's family determine who one is. that unfolded as the mystery was solved. It resonated in a very personal way with me.

I hope Harper plans to write more in this series, because I'd love to spend more time with Jon and Andy.

Charmed and Dangerous
★★★★☆

Dim Sum Asylum by Rhys Ford
4 of 5 stars
I'm not always a fan of the interpersonal dynamics in Rhys Ford's stories, but I enjoyed them in this one. My only complaints are 1) the inconsistent use of first and last name of the antagonist at the very beginning made the action a little confusing to me, and 2) the scene-setting was dialed back a little far — definitely no weighty exposition dumps here — so that the first chapter was a little hard for me to get into.

Swift and the Black Dog by Ginn Hale
5 of 5 stars
Ginn Hale is excellent, as always. I love the worldbuilding, and I hope she writes more in this world (assuming she hasn't, since I have yet to read the Lord of the White Hell books). The contrast between Jack and Owen — their philosophies, outlooks, and experiences — gave them a great spark, and I have a particular weakness for stories in which one partner's moral alignment is impetus for the other to become a better person.

A Queer Trade by K. J. Charles
4 of 5 stars
I really enjoy this world — I squeed when Mrs. Gold appeared — and I like these characters. The inclusion of a character of color was really nice, though I can't speak to the (relative, since this is a magical history) accuracy of the portrayal for the time period. Crispin and Ned are definitely characters I'd like to spend more time with; I'd read a spin-off novel series dedicated to them.

Magically Delicious by Nicole Kimberling
3½ of 5 stars
It was nice to spend time with Keith and Gunther again. I always enjoy Nicole Kimberling's writing style, and her characters are wonderfully real, with flaws and weaknesses as well as strengths. I'd have given this another half (or maybe even whole) star, if not for the fact that the solution to the mystery was telegraphed from the very beginning and one thread was left dangling at the end.

Everyone's Afraid of Clowns by Jordan Castillo Price
4 of 5 stars
A little Halloween ghost action for my favorite PsyCops, Victor and Jacob. It says something when the live people and the obscene philosophies they espouse — neither of which seem the least bit out of place in our current sociopolitical climate — are more horrifying than the ghosts.

The Thirteenth Hex by Jordan L. Hawk
3½ of 5 stars
Jordan L. Hawk has created a very interesting world and system of magic, and I'd love to read more stories set there. My only complaint is that the characters don't feel as fleshed out as they could be; the familiars felt more like sketches than like people. Otherwise, it was an excellent story, with a surprising reveal.

The Soldati Prince by Charlie Cochet
2½ of 5 stars
I should start by saying that I'm not a huge fan of shifter stories or the concept of "mates," so this probably wasn't going to grab me regardless. From a technical standpoint, the pacing felt off — this ought to have been a novel rather than a short story, IMO — and to be honest, I could never get past the nagging feeling that I was reading bad Teen Wolf crack!fic with the serial numbers filed off. I've heard good things about this author, so I'll probably give her another shot, but this was by far the story I was most disappointed with in this collection.

One Hex Too Many by Lou Harper
4½ of 5 stars
Lou Harper is another new-to-me author, and I'm impressed; looks like I'll have to pick up some more of her books. This was a great story, and another world in which I'd like to spend more time. It felt like this story barely scratched the surface of who Mike and Hugh were (but not in a bad way), and I really want to see more. In fact, I'd love to see more of the whole Extramundane Crimes Division.

Josh of the Damned vs. The Bathroom of Doom by Andrea Speed
3 of 5 stars
This one just didn't work for me. I'm not sure if it's because I haven't read the other books in the series, or if it just wasn't my type of story. I didn't get a sense of who Josh or Colin were as people (well, person and vampire, respectively), I didn't care about either of them, and I didn't see any actual spark between them.

The Trouble with Hexes by Astrid Amara
5 of 5 stars
Another excellent story from Astrid Amara. The past breakup felt real without demonizing either Vincent or Tim, and still managed to leave the door open for a relatively healthy reconciliation. It was a logical whodunnit, with enough clues to be solvable, but not so many as to make it too obvious. This is another world I'd enjoy reading more about; now that Tim believes Vincent and is aware of the paranormal in the world, I think they'd work well together doing both mundane PI work and hexbreaking.

Overall this was a wonderful anthology, well worth the price, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who likes their m/m romance with a crunchy paranormal coating.

My personal life overcame me, I never finished the story for the anthology, and I was subsumed into the shadows.

But! I'm dragging myself back, starting to read and write fiction again, and maybe get somewhere new — in a metaphorical sense. One of the things I'm going to try to do is post my book reviews here, as well as on Goodreads, so that'll be my next couple of posts.

I didn't get the perfect apartment I twittered about the other day, but I got a place that's both more perfect in some ways and less so in others. I'm excited. And ambivalent. *g* But mostly excited.

The new place is a mini-farm, out in the wilds of the Olympic Peninsula. I'm about a mile from the waterfront, seven or eight miles from the nearest thing resembling a town, and nearly twenty miles from anywhere large enough to have more than a single crossroads of retail businesses. Also, I'm about thirty miles from my eldest child (S), whose decision to move away from home and in with her boyfriend is what prompted my relocation.

I like the isolation—I'm kind of a hermit when I'm not online—though I'm less than thrilled with the lack of washer/dryer hookups. There's no real option to put them in, either, because (and here's where it gets scary for city-girl me) the house is served by a well for its water, the wastewater goes into a septic system, and the owner doesn't want to risk overtaxing either of those. I've never dealt with a place this rural, and while I really love it I'm also more than a little afraid I won't be up to the task.

Of course, because I tend to throw myself into things wholeheartedly, I'm already planning a garden and a chicken coop. *g*

The house itself is a tiny two bedroom, but there's a cellar and several outbuildings I can use for storage. One of the outbuildings is a lovely heated studio that's going to house J (S's best friend who's been living with us for the last four years and who might as well be my adopted kid) for the next year, but after that I'm thinking it'd make an awesome place for me to write.

I could also pay an extra $100 a month and rent the barn and pasture that's part of the property, but then I'd be tempted to get a horse or a cow, and I think that I should probably wait and see how dealing with a well, septic system, propane heat, vegetable garden, and chickens goes before I dive into the realm of large farm animals.

The big move is slightly over three weeks away, and I'm doing a pretty good job of breathing through the panic. *g* Monday will see me calling around to local moving companies and getting quotes, and in the meantime I'm sorting and packing and posting things to craigslist and my local freecycle group.

Cross your fingers for me and my new, crazy adventure!

It's going to be pretty quiet around here for a while, but I wanted to post at least once to say 'hi' to anyone who's wandered over to check me out after my recent friending spree.

At the moment I'm trying to simultaneously work on a novel and a couple of short stories, prepare for a long-term houseguest, arrange to move house, be a full-time single parent of a teenage boy, and possibly have something resembling a social life. I'm thinking that last one is already doomed to failure. Offers of dark chocolate, or of caffeine delivered via intravenous drip are welcome.

I hope to use this journal to spark discussion about all aspects of writing. To that end, differing perspectives are always welcome but I draw the line at hate speech and/or ad hominem attacks.

Anyway, hi! Welcome!