#!historical

Review: Very good and well written story with mythological/english folklore elements in a sort of victorian setting (this last characteristic isn’t very pronounced). Poetic and slighly melancholic story that still ends on a positive/hopeful note.

I was thrilled to see that there are sequels planned. This is one of those good things that it would be very, very difficult to get too much of.

Review: While the core plot is a classic 40’s noir style mystery, Freddy and Napoleon are together (sort of) and their navigation of their relationship and all it’s secrets is a driving motivation of their characters, and the sex scenes are just the right kind of steamy. While the queer romance is a secondary plot in some ways, it’s also vital to the story of both the queer characters and the overall plot. Plus, the writing in general is sharp, well researched and utterly gripping and the art lovely.

Title: Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade Author: Diana Gabaldon Format: Novel Published/Free: Published Length: 490 pages Status: Complete Rating: Teen Warnings: Some violence Link: http://www.dianagabaldon.com/books/lord-john-grey/lord-john-and-the-brotherhood-of-the-blade/ Summary: In 1758, in the heart of the Seven Years' War, Britain fights by the side of Prussia in the Rhineland. For Lord John and his titled brother Hal, the battlefield will be a welcome respite from the torturous mystery that burns poisonously in their family's history. Seventeen years earlier, Lord John's late father, the Duke of Pardloe, was found dead, a pistol in his hand and accusations of his role as a Jacobite agent staining forever a family's honor. Now unlaid ghosts from the past are stirring. Lord John's brother has mysteriously received a page of their late father's missing diary. Someone is taunting the Grey family with secrets from the rave, but Hal, with secrets of his own, refuses to pursue the matter and orders his brother to do likewise. Frustrated, John turns to a man who has been both his prisoner and his confessor: the Scottish Jacobite James Fraser. Fraser can tell many secrets- and withhold many others. But war, a forbidden affair, and Fraser's own secrets will complicate Lord John's quest. Until James Fraser yields the missing piece of an astounding puzzle- and Lord John, caught between his courage and his conscience, must decide whether his family's honor is worth his life. Review: That's a pretty good summary overall- though for some reason it doesn't mention the slash, except for the "forbidden affair"- and it also doesn't mention the two things I love most about this book: the clear, elegant writing, and the many simultaneous plotlines. I love books that don't tell me exactly what's going on; additionally I love books in which characters have secrets. The summary mentions the family mystery; it doesn't mention Grey's personal problems, or much of the military elements. Some of you probably recognize Diana Gabaldon's name from the Outlander series. I gather that this book is sort of a spin-off of those. I personally haven't read the Outlander novels, and I had no problem understanding this book. Anything else... the sex scenes are not very explicit; they generally fade to black (although what we do see is both hot and sweet). The little threads running through the book- not important enough to be actual plot lines- were delightful; the Sub-Genius, for example. And this book has one of the most affecting descriptions of unrequited love that I've ever read. (Original Post)

Title: Fighting Dirty Author: Olley White Format: Short story Published/Free: Free Length: 30 pages Status: Complete Rating: Mature Warnings: Slavery (serfdom, if you want to nit-pick) Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21955382-fighting-dirty Summary: Ethan must fight in a mediaeval tournament in order to escape a life of serfdom. Fitz is the noble that he must defeat in the final round, but Ethan’s feelings for Fitz are distracting, to say the least. Review: It’s okay, if you like hot, sweaty guys wrestling in the mud, their muscled bodies pressed together as they grapple for dominance. If you’re really into the triumphant hero being bathed by the defeated warrior — his aches and bruises soothed under the assured touch of his former rival — this might be the story for you.