Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher

Daggerbound is a follow-up to Swordheart that came out in 2018, and while I didn’t read it until later, the wait has been long enough that I believed Swordheart would end up being a stand-alone. It’s part of the World of the White Rat world that began with Clockwork Boys in 2017. That book introduced Learned Edmund. Already back then I wished he’d get his own book, and finally, he’s the protagonist here.

Learned Edmund is a scholar of the Many-faced God’s temple, but he’s had enough of their ways and inability to change. So, without telling anyone, he’s accepted his last mission, to deliver some books and a sword that can’t be pulled out of the scabbard, and then he won’t return. Even if it means he’s also stealing his favourite mule, Sweetheart.

But soon after leaving, he’s attacked by bandits. He ends up pulling the sword that can’t be pulled, and a man with daggers and silver etchings on his face emerges. No-Longer-Learned Edmund believes he’s an angel. He turns out to be a former mercenary, The Dervish, who’s been trapped inside the sword with magic for a long time, dead but not quite, forced to protect his wielder. That is now Edmund.

The two set out to deliver the books, and maybe the sword, because Edmund has learned that it might be possible to break the curse on The Dervish. But they meet misfortune after another, bandits and a dragon even. They make friends too, a gnole and a giant sentient pillbug. There’s a great deal of attraction between Edmund and The Dervish, a great flirt who believes in his good looks. But Edmund is shy and The Dervish is badly traumatised, and so nothing seems to come of it. Also, it’s difficult to start a romance when you’re in constant peril.

But the existence of the sword isn’t a secret. The followers of the original wonderworker who made the sword want it back. And they’ll do anything to get it. Even hurting Edmund. But they underestimate the sword’s need to protect its wielder—especially if he’s fallen in love for the first time.

This was such a good book, a return to form after The Paladin’s Faith, which I found disappointing. The whimsy and delight were back—and gnoles! Edmund and The Dervish were both great characters with their own issues to go through, though Edmund was having easier time with his decision to leave the temple. The yearning was well done and kept the reader hooked the whole time. Dog Flower the gnole and Large Francis the pillbug were both wonderful additions with proper roles in the story. Some old faces featured too.

The ending was satisfying. The Dervish still has his trauma, but he’ll have centuries to work on them. Edmund emerged from his shell. They made a great pair despite their differences, one attentive and the other sympathetic. Together, they’ll be stronger, and I’m sure Edmund will find a way to solve the problem of the swords. The long wait for Learned Edmund’s book was definitely worth it.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

How to Fake It in Society by K.J. Charles: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

How to Fake It in Society by KJ Charles

K.J. Charles has a skill of writing historical romances of ordinary people who are interesting without fancy titles or high social status. She gives her characters skills and occupations that are unique and meaningful for the plot instead of being mere gimmicks. And her gay historical romances never solely revolve around the fear of being found out but have their unique obstacles on the way to happily ever after.

How to Fake It in Society is about two men who know they’re not worthy of being loved. One because he’s been brought up to feel insignificant, and the other because he knows his entire life is a lie. They come together at the cross-roads in both of their lives, and each turns out to be exactly what the other needs in his life. But the lies are there and they’re not easy to forgive, as they’re exactly the kind that makes the other realise how unworthy of being loved he is. It takes a drastic turn for the two to find their happily ever after.

Titus Pilcrow has made a meagre living as a colourist, someone who makes oil and watercolours. But now he’s about to lose his shop, because his vindictive ex is his landlord. But his fate takes a drastic turn, when his elderly client pressures him to marry her on her deathbed so that her unworthy nephew won’t inherit a penny. And then she dies, leaving him a fortune.

Enter Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte, who had quite counted on that fortune. He has a moneylender at his neck, and he needs funds fast. But instead of asking for money from Titus, he ends up befriending him. And it’s an excellent friendship that gives Titus much needed self-confidence and happiness, while making Nico feel like he isn’t a complete scammer. And then it all goes wrong, with no easy way out to happiness.

This was a delightful romance. I loved both men, their unique stories and especially Titus’ enthusiasm for colours. The detailed stories about different colours never felt stamped on just so the author could show her research. They had a role in the story, up to the climax. Bad guys had their comeuppances and good guys got everything lovely. The men came together in the end on their own terms, without lies or compromises. The reader can be sure that their union will last.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

You've Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post Vol. 4 by Blackegg: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

You've Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post by Blackegg

Volume 4 ends the BL story set in ancient China that follows the very uneven romance between Wu Xingzi, a middle-aged country clerk, and Guan Shanjin, the only son of Lord Protector and a decorated general in his twenties. They met in a pigeon post club for gay men that exchanged pictures of penises, but the story gained depth from a treason plot and scheming old flames.

The previous book left Guan Shanjin imprisoned, seemingly for treason. But it’s only a ruse to flush out the real mastermind. He thinks he’s being clever, keeping Wu Xingzi in the dark so he won’t be harmed, but the old clerk is cleverer and more determined than Guan Shanjin believes. Not only does Wu Xingzi persuade Bai Shaochang who framed Guan Shanjin, into confessing, he is instrumental in bringing down the mastermind Yan Wenxin, the man he was romantically involved in his youth and who betrayed him back then.

The main story takes about a third of the last volume. All the problems are solved and the bad people get their comeuppances, including Lu Zezhi, the old teacher of Guan Shanjin. It’s a satisfying ending with a happily ever after. Despite the two men being very different, Guan Shanjin genuinely worships his plain and weak middle-aged spouse, and the shy older man flourishes under his care.

The ending is also very different from how the story began. The author notes in her afterword that she set out to write porn, and the first two volumes were mostly about that. But a plot emerged at some point and it pushed the extravagant bedroom scenes to the background. The ending of the story was practically demure compared to how it began.

The rest of the longish volume is extra stories, some of them very long. The best two are the wedding of Wu Xingzi and Guan Shanjin and a story of how they adopt a son. There’s also a longish story about Yan Wenxin who isn’t executed for treason but is given to the Khan of the neighbouring kingdom as a concubine instead.

The rest of the extras are various alternate universe stories, like omega-verse and beast-man ones. These are basically pure porn and I mostly skimmed them. However, it didn’t have a conclusion to the romance of Man Yue, Guan Shanjin’s right hand man, which began in the previous volume. I would’ve liked to read that.

I don’t usually comment on illustrations, but they were constantly in wrong places in this volume, confusing the reader. I don’t know what happened with those here.

All in all, the story improved as it progressed. Wu Xingzi emerged as an interesting character and while Guan Shanjin remained brash and overpowering, he was absolved in his love for Wu Xingzi. The five star rating for this volume is more for the overall story than the conclusion, as it was fairly short in the end and the extras would’ve maybe brought the rating down a little. For porn, the bedroom scenes stretched the imagination a bit too much, but as a romance it was lovely.

The Wizard (Novel): When Words Kill by Shi Wu: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

The Wizard by Shi Wu

The Wizard is set in a nameless big city in modern China. It begins with a prologue seven years before the main story. Cheng Jinxi, 18, has confessed to killing his entire family and even though the detective in charge of the investigation, Liang Yuanfeng, can’t find any evidence of his involvement, the young man is taken to prison.

Readers learn already during the prologue, that Cheng Jinxi did indeed kill his family, and how and why he did it. He can hurt and kill people seemingly with his thought alone, which he demonstrates the first day in the prison by killing some prisoners. The director of the prison instantly realises that there’s nothing he can do to keep Cheng Jinxi confined if he doesn’t choose to stay. Fortunately for him, the young man has chosen to accept his punishment and stays, though with great liberties.

Seven years later, Liang Yuanfeng, only 32, is already burned out as a detective and on a forced leave to recuperate. Only he and his boss know that it’s because Liang Yuanfeng has resorted to vigilant justice. He’s kept in close touch with Cheng Jinxi, his only visitor in prison, and learned what the younger man can do. So he’s asked him to kill some bad people. He doesn’t regret his actions.

A great evil has taken over an apartment building and people have started to kill each other. When the building takes a special task force hostage and almost kills Liang Yuanfeng’s boss, Liang Yuanfeng is asked to bring in Cheng Jinxi to solve the problem. Liang Yuanfeng manages to negotiate a pardon for him, with himself as the younger man’s warder.

The two settle into the family home of Cheng Jinxi’s sister whose death in the hands of their extended family triggered him to killing everyone. Cheng family comes from a long line of shamans with great powers that women possess. But the family didn’t know that in their generation, it’s Cheng Jinxi who has the power, not his sister or little niece. Cheng Jinxi gets the custody of his niece, now 12, and the three become a small family.

It doesn’t take long for the two to become romantically involved, although it’s fairly one-sided, as Cheng Jinxi can’t really feel any emotions after everything he’s done. They spend their time solving supernatural crimes, and trying to come to terms with things they’ve both done. Atonement doesn’t seem possible, on top of which Cheng Jinxi has a time-stamp on him. Because it turns out, he’s not the one who’s using the power; it’s a demon to whom he’s promised himself as a sacrifice. And the demon is about to collect.

This was a good but gloomy story, with some tear-jerking moments. Liang Yuanfeng turned into a warm caretaker fairly easily for a burned-out cop, but his character remains slightly superficial. Cheng Jinxi has a deeper character and backstory, and he goes through a greater change. Theirs is not a very good romance, but it’s sweet with some tender moments. The story heads slowly but surely towards the impending doom and a happily ever after seems impossible. It takes a great twist for the small family to end up in a good place.

The writing stars as fairly good, but it deteriorates towards the end, with lots of repetition and contradictions in character actions. It didn’t really matter at that point, but it nevertheless managed to lessen the impact of the emotional climax. This is a stand-alone story, and the end is conclusive. While I liked it, it’s not among the great BL stories that’ll linger in my mind.

I received a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

You’ve Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post vol. 3 by Blackegg: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

You've Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post by Blackegg

Volume 3 sees Wu Xingzi leave Guan Shanjin so that the latter can be happy with Mr. Lu, and head to the nation’s capital. He’s helped on his journey by Hei-er, who’s acting as Wu Xingzi’s bodyguard on Guan Shanjin’s orders—not that Wu Xingzi knows about it—and Mr. Rancui, the proprietor of the local peng society. He’s eager for Wu Xingzi to forget Guan Shanjin and so he introduces him to Ping Yifan, a successful merchant. The man is almost perfect down to his pengornis and scent that is very much like Guan Shanjin’s. It doesn’t take long for Wu Xingzi to decide that he’s going to spend the rest of his life with Ping Yifan.

But Wu Xingzi can’t entirely escape seeing Guan Shanjin in the capital, often in the company of Mr. Lu. Guan Shanjin is very busy with unravelling the origins of the treasonous plot that he took care of at the Horse Face city. It turns out the perpetrator is no other than Wu Xingzi’s long lost love, Yan Wenxin, now an important minister. And it appears Yan Wenxin knows of Wu Xingzi’s connection with Guan Shanjin, because he seeks Wu Xingzi out, ostensibly to reminisce, but obviously to influence him.

Wu Xingzi, usually very placid and forgiving person, isn’t that easy to persuade though. He’s very loyal to Guan Shanjin and knows him very well. So well, that he’s seen through Guan Shanjin’s ruse: he’s in fact Ping Yifan in disguise. The two clear the air between them. They just can’t be together until the plot against the emperor has been solved. It’s not going well for Guan Shanjin though, and the emperor has him arrested. But Wu Xingzi won’t sit idle and do nothing to help. The book ends before we learn how his plan will work.

This was somewhat different from the earlier two books. The plot is stronger and dominates the narrative, with the romance at the back. It does have some very good moments though, even if it relies on the excellence of some very odd masks. The sex scenes are fewer and less over the top. Guan Shanjin comes out better here as well. He shows in deeds, if not in words, that he cares about Wu Xingzi very much, as himself and as Ping Yifan. And Wu Xingzi shows that he’s not quite so helpless as he appears. We also learn that his father used to be an important person in the capital.

There were some side plots that were hinted at and then discarded, like what is happening with Mr. Lu, what is going on between Rancui and Hei-er, and who is the mysterious person behind the  peng society. There’s also a long extra story about Man Yue, Guan Shanjin’s longsuffering vice general, and Su Yang who owns a restaurant in Wu Xingzi’s hometown, which will be interesting to follow as well. Nevertheless, this was maybe the best book so far.

The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap

The Resurrectionist is a historical novel set in 1820s Edinburgh, which was the centre of medical learning of the time. Not only were the ideas concerning medicine more enlightened, the students were able to study with actual human bodies, albeit those of the dead. But people weren’t exactly willing to donate their bodies to study medicine, so the only legally available bodies were those of people executed by hanging. It didn’t offer many opportunities, so the bodies had to be obtained by less legal manners, hence the rise of body-snatchers like Burke and Hare, who made steady business with providing bodies to anatomy schools.

James Willoughby is the third son of a landed gentry and is expected to find a profession to support himself. He spends a brief spell in Oxford, studying to become a clergyman, which he is wholly unsuited for. But science, especially medicine, draws him. So he abandons Oxford and declares to his family that he’ll be studying medicine in Edinburgh instead, leading to his father’s untimely death. That has unfortunate consequences for James, because it turns out, his father has gambled away the family fortune and there’s barely any money for his studies.

It doesn’t matter at first. He finds a cheap accommodation, throws himself to his studies, and makes some like-minded friends, enjoying the freedom of spirit Edinburgh offers. But then he learns about the anatomy schools that offer a proper chance to practice with human bodies, and he has to join one. Problem is, it costs money he doesn’t have.

Unwilling to let the opportunity go, he asks if he can help out at the school in exchange for a cheaper tuition. And the surgeon’s assistant, Aneurin MacKinnon, a dashing and brilliant if slightly eccentric young man, agrees. James is to be a lookout while Nye tries to capture body-snatchers. Only, that’s not what it’s really about, as James discovers for his horror. Nye is a body-snatcher too, or a resurrectionist, as he calls himself.

They part ways, but when James’s family informs him that the money is completely gone and order him to return home to become a businessman instead, desperation leads him back to Nye to become a body-snatcher too, as the money is good. It’s a life-changing experience for him. Things seem perfect at first; his friendship with Nye is blooming amid their criminal adventures, soon deepening to love and adding another thing he needs to hide from his friends. But this doesn’t last. A ruthless gang of body-snatchers arrive to Edinburgh, and James and Nye find themselves stepping on toes of Burke and Hare.

This was a good book, and an excellent debut. The story was interesting and flowed in a fairly fast pace. The narrative emulated 19th century prose very well, made fresher by the first-person point of view. James was a likeable if single-minded in his need to study medicine, but not always observant when it came to his surroundings and his friends, so the historical setting and side-characters apart from Nye remained slightly vague. It’s not a long book, and while it wasn’t a “Twisty Gothic Mystery” that the subtitle promised, it was entertaining. The ending was open enough that there might even be more adventures of James and Nye. I would be willing to read them.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Missing Piece by Kun Yi Wei Lou: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

The Missing Piece by Kun Yi Wei Lou

The Missing Piece is m/m romance set in modern China. I don’t know how openly gay one can be in China, but here it seemed to be fairly unproblematic, family disownments aside.

Shen Mo is an art graduate in his early twenties. Due to an accident that he cannot remember, he’s lost his ability to paint. The only thing he remembers with any clarity is that he was saved from homelessness by Ji Mingxuan, a wealthy businessman about his own age.

Mr. Ji is utterly devoted to his sister’s happiness, so much so that when the man she wants turns out to be Shen Mo’s ex-boyfriend, he strikes a deal with Shen Mo. They pretend to be lovers so that the ex and Mr. Ji’s sister can pursue their romance in peace. Out of gratitude, Shen Mo agrees, even though his ex and Miss Ji aren’t even in the same country to witness the fake relationship.

When they return to China, things start to unravel fast. Shen Mo’s memories begin to surface even as Mr. Ji seems to want to make their relationship more real. Inevitably, everything steers towards heartbreak for everyone.

This was the best fake relationship romance I’ve read. The past wasn’t at all what it seemed, and the fake romance wasn’t as fake as Shen Mo believed. Much relied on miscommunication, which normally is my pet peeve, but here it worked perfectly.

Shen Mo started as a tragic character who suffered from memory loss and PTSD and worked towards getting his life back in order. Mr. Ji seemed to be a cold, callous man who only used Shen Mo for sex, but the truth about him was different too. Sex scenes were great throughout.

The main story took about two thirds of the book and had a satisfying HEA ending. The rest consisted of ten longish stories about the past and after the HEA. The best story by far was the first, which told the same story from Mr. Ji’s point of view, but others were interesting too. The book left me happy and wistful and a bit sad at the same time. All in all, a wonderful read.

Restricted by A.C. Thomas: review

3/5 stars on Goodreads

Restricted by A.C. Thomas

I have a strong feeling that Restricted, The Verge Book One, by A.C. Thomas began its life as Han/Luke fanfic and was then thinly disguised as something else to avoid lawsuits from Disney. We’ve all been there, so I’m not judging; just observing.

We have a naïve, inexperienced younger man, Ari, in search of his twin (brother), and an older, more experienced scruffy space pilot Orin. Ari hires Orin to fly his spaceship so that he can go after his abducted twin Theo. There’s instant lust between the two, which they then act on at every opportunity in the seclusion of the spaceship. I presume the title of the book comes from that seclusion; otherwise it makes no sense.

There’s very little plot. The pair lands on several planets to look for Theo and has adventures on them and then they leave. Some twists reflect the original material, like Orin having dumped a ship full of cargo when he was captured by the Enforcers, the inter-planetary bogeymen. The focus is on the two of them falling in love. And then it ends. It’s a fairly amusing ending and saves a lot, even though it sort of voids the entire story.

World and character building are minimal. The author has clearly been taught that they should start as close to the story’s beginning as possible, and it does just that without any background info about the place, time or people. We’re given titbits about the characters along the way, but almost nothing about the world they live in. There are rich core planets shaped like Victorian England—with parchments for some odd reason, considering there’s shortage of water and plenty of electric communication devices. Then there’s the Verge, which I presume is a ring of systems around the Core that resemble Wild West à la Firefly with saloons and brothels, but governed by the laws and enforcers of the Core. And then there are illegal and lawless systems outside, where our heroes are headed to. That’s pretty much it, but since the main focus is in the bedroom, it doesn’t really matter.

This is a nice romance with great sex scenes, so I gave it three stars. It’s even better if you imagine the pair as your favourite scruffy-looking nerf herder and the best bush pilot in the Outer Rim Territories. If you like M/M erotic romance, this is for you.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.