Many, many thanks to Travis Beaudoin for the opportunity to read an ARC of this delightful book. (Disclosure: Travis and I are social media mutuals andMany, many thanks to Travis Beaudoin for the opportunity to read an ARC of this delightful book. (Disclosure: Travis and I are social media mutuals and friendly over DMs)
This paranormal romance, told from the point of view of the demon, is something special, mostly because of the narrator. Gremory (a Duke of Hell when he's not meddling in the affairs of mortals) is so earnest in his desire to get us to understand what it is like to be a demon and how his existence is different from ours and also so amusing in the ways he tells us about it, often in intimate-feeling parenthetical asides. He falls in love with Scott without even noticing it, but his descriptions of the man who called him to earth are full of charming tells.
Gremory is not bound by human morality, but ends up acting well almost all of the time for other reasons. "(You’ll notice I wasn’t lying. I can if I want to. I’m a demon, after all. I just like seeing how close to the truth I can cut sometimes. Like a game.)" And he doesn't have to stay embodied, even when he's on the mortal plane, but he does, often for the sheer pleasure of standing next to Scotty, or for intimate little moments like drying the dishes while Scotty washes them. And you'll be bopping along, all tea and coziness and running Scotty's antique shop, and then Gremory thinks something that makes it so clear that he's just not like us and would gladly do terrible, terrible things to protect Scotty (and yet doesn't) (mostly).
There's an external plot as well, a Hallmark-movie-style struggle to save Scotty's antique shop and the rest of the quaint little town from rapacious developers. It moves the story along well and the inevitable triumph over the baddies is satisfying, but it's not the main attraction for me. Neither is Scotty; his character is well-thought-out and a good guy, with a sad backstory and powerful motivations and an arc of real growth, but while I cheered him on along that path I'm not in love with him like I seem to be with Gremory.
Beaudoin makes good use of the possibilities of the paranormal. The sex scenes take full and creative advantage of Gremory's magical abilities. I won't give the details away, but the first one especially is different from anything I've read, an excellent creative choice on the author's part and quite moving, as well as forming a crucial part of Scotty's character arc and the relationship arc. And the final sex scene is nearly over-the-top burlesque, in a good way. Gremory's magic powers are critical to the plot and well thought out, and have limitations that keep them from being so big that they can immediately and totally fix any problem. The ideas of Heaven and Hell and the nature of demons are not the conventional Christian ones and I found them charming and interesting. (Gremory, of course, makes Hell sound like by far the better place to be.) The various diabolic locations we visit or hear about are beguiling otherworldly imaginings.
This is quite different from Beaudoin's first book, Too Like the Lightning, which was super evocative of place with occasionally melancholy character exploration. Where TLTL was serious and emotional, CCTD is light and playful and sometimes poignant This book succeeds admirably on its own terms -- I had a gentle smile on my face almost the whole time I was reading it and laughed out loud more than once. Basically, it's a fucking delight. Highly recommended....more
It took me quite a while to get engaged with this but it ultimately held my interest. It's not one of my usual genres and hasn't made a convert of me.It took me quite a while to get engaged with this but it ultimately held my interest. It's not one of my usual genres and hasn't made a convert of me....more
This is a fun, weird little story about love between a woman and her door.
Yes, door.
He doesn't stay in door form the whole time.
I don't really want toThis is a fun, weird little story about love between a woman and her door.
Yes, door.
He doesn't stay in door form the whole time.
I don't really want to tell you more because spoilers. It's not that long, and it's not expensive. If you think you'd enjoy some soft femdom with a touch of myth and a touch of weird, go for it....more
Rounding up from 3.75. A reasonably enjoyable romp, probably hurt in its popularity by not having any of Christie's big name detectives.Rounding up from 3.75. A reasonably enjoyable romp, probably hurt in its popularity by not having any of Christie's big name detectives....more
I still wants to know what happens in Jethri's story, but I'm not having as much fun with these books as I was a decade ago. I don't know whether it'sI still wants to know what happens in Jethri's story, but I'm not having as much fun with these books as I was a decade ago. I don't know whether it's me or them that's changed....more
I found this book fascinating and gulped it down in a day, staying up late to finish it. It was cool getting so much information about communication mI found this book fascinating and gulped it down in a day, staying up late to finish it. It was cool getting so much information about communication modes for deafblind people and the process (including ethics) of ASL translation. The slow unfolding of information on the traumatic backstories of both Arlo and Cyril was riveting. And seeing Arlo move from a very restricted world to a much larger, richer one -- and at his own insistence, not handed to him by sighted-hearing people -- was a gift. ...more
I really enjoyed Mann Hunt, which is Peter Fenton's second novel and his first mystery. It took me a few chapters to get caught up in it, but startingI really enjoyed Mann Hunt, which is Peter Fenton's second novel and his first mystery. It took me a few chapters to get caught up in it, but starting around chapter 6 (of 32) I was totally caught up in it. I really liked Charlie, hardboiled PI Declan Mann's new assistant, and enjoyed seeing him grow in both our estimation and Declan's. At first he's just this guy who's had a series of temp assignments he can't convert to a full time job, and by the end of the book....well, you'll see. I wasn't as drawn to Declan, who was also a POV character, but I didn't dislike him.
And the plotting is superb. I started having guesses as to whodunnit and why about a third of the way in, but the red herrings and ambiguities kept me changing my mind. I made multiple notes to myself about whether a particular character was sus or not -- Fenton definitely had me going. When I ultimately got to the solution, I could see things that had been dropped along the way that were tied in with the answer but didn't give the game away. Really, really well done, especially for a first mystery.
There are interesting ongoing themes of homophobia and familial support/acceptance or lack thereof, with various characters having very different experiences (there are a couple of significant gay characters in addition to Declan and Charlie, as well as some nontraditional relationships).
There's a lovely little slow-burn romance subplot for Declan and Charlie with a hopeful ending. I look forward to seeing what develops between them in the planned second and third volumes. If you like mysteries, and want a little steam and longing on the side, definitely check this book out.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily and without bias....more
This is a pleasant, whimsical book with lots of slice-of-life and found family vibes. It has lots of cultural touchstones, many of them nerdy in some This is a pleasant, whimsical book with lots of slice-of-life and found family vibes. It has lots of cultural touchstones, many of them nerdy in some way or other, including TTRPG, video games, pro wrestling, philosophy and lit crit theory, and David Bowie. I happen to have no strong connection to any of those despite being pretty nerdy myself; the book may have a stronger appeal to people who relate closely to one or more of those topics....more
This held my interest but I didn't love it the way so many people do. Maybe my lack of appreciation of coffee hampered things.This held my interest but I didn't love it the way so many people do. Maybe my lack of appreciation of coffee hampered things....more
(Disclaimer: the author and I are mutuals on Twitter and Bluesky)
I enjoyed this soft fantasy romance from Dan Fitzgerald. The fantasy style is not at (Disclaimer: the author and I are mutuals on Twitter and Bluesky)
I enjoyed this soft fantasy romance from Dan Fitzgerald. The fantasy style is not at all "swords and sorcery" -- there's mind magic and alchemists, but nothing that made me feel like I'd stumbled into an off-brand D&D campaign.
It's the story of Tera and Aven, two "painted faces", members of a high social class who are never seen by another person without a covering of artfully applied paint...except their spouse. This piece of world-building was new to me and handled deftly -- woven into all the social interactions in the book. Like all the worldbuilding, it's present throughout without ever being presented in a clunky infodump.
The book is divided into two parts of equal length: the couple's honeymoon, and their return to society, complete with some dramatic derring-do.
The part I loved most is the honeymoon section. Tera and Aven are in an arranged marriage and have barely met before the ceremony. Over the honeymoon, we find them getting to know each other and building a relationship embracing both friendship and physical intimacy. Their culture gives them some framework for structuring their early interactions, and within that structure they both act with such kindness and honesty that it's just beautiful to watch. It's not unusual in romance novels for the reader (this reader anyway) to want to scream "Would you two just talk TO EACH OTHER!?" That doesn't happen in this book even once. And the relationship they build grows naturally into one of gentle femdom and adoring submissive, which really works for me.
I wasn't *as* into the part where they've left their tropical paradise honeymoon and are reintegrating into society (and have to figure out some mysterious stuff and negotiate some adventures). I still enjoyed it, though. Highly recommended for people who want to see gentle, squishy love with a bit of D/s. ...more
This lovely little work of spec fic is engaging and thought-provoking, meditating on themes of life, grief, and social-media-driven alienation. It's nThis lovely little work of spec fic is engaging and thought-provoking, meditating on themes of life, grief, and social-media-driven alienation. It's not long, so if you think it might be your thing I recommend you spend an hour reading it....more
An engaging fantasy full of magic doors to other places, featuring an Edwardian collector or exotic artifacts and fully aware of the racism and coloniAn engaging fantasy full of magic doors to other places, featuring an Edwardian collector or exotic artifacts and fully aware of the racism and colonialism inherent in such collecting....more
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