Tag: asexual character

Review: The Trouble With Trying To Love A Hellion (Murder Sprees & Mute Decrees Book 3) by Jennifer Cody

Rating: 3🌈

It’s been eight months since the release of the second book in this series, so it took me a while to remember the circumstances in which we left the characters at the end of that novel.

Especially as there’s a huge amount of characters who also come with a complicated personal history and connected relationships. It makes for a highly fascinating and entertaining storyline when everyone is going about their murderous way’s trying trying to make good and evil balance out.

A very tricky proposition on a good day, on a bad one? Hmmmmm. Even more entertaining and outlandishly awash in bodies and bloodshed.

So I wasn’t prepared for Cody to switch focuses or try for a new narrative point of view by changing out the usual perspective from that of The Reaper, Arlington Fox or his partner, Romily Butcher , to an unexpected voice. That of the innocent Auger, Edovard.

Edovard, or Pupper as he’s affectionately called, was adopted into The Foxilys (the Grandpas, Romily Butcher,Arlington Fox, adopted assassin Bellamy) in Book 2. It’s too complicated to go into. In fact all the relationships can’t really be explained without it turning into another novella. It’s that convoluted.

But Edovard is special. He sees good and evil in beings. In their souls. His personality is beautiful and childlike, although he’s been told by others that his gentleness and kindness is a lack of intelligence and more.

Cody has done a terrific job in creating a empathetic and engaging person in Edovard. He’s so easy to like and connect with.

Which, imo , doesn’t make him an ideal candidate for the role the author puts him into for most of her story.

It’s as if she vacillates between the child like persona she’s created who doesn’t know or understand sex. Then Edovard is understood to be asexual and then next in the story he’s the one she needs to be a sexually mature and active part of a polyamory relationship, one that just seemed to happen without much in depth discussion. It just feels so wrong. Not in keeping with the original characterization, even if you might have a natural growth in the relationships and knowledge. It’s still as if we have two different people here.

A naive pupper and one who can handle a polyamorous family and two difficult family dynamics in an adult manner.

I did enjoy Edovard’s reworking of Hell, doing evil by doing good. That so highly entertaining and funny. It honestly makes sense.

But some of the rest just left me puzzled. There was a odd revelation at the end which will be continued into Book 4 as well as some murders to carry out.

I’m hoping Cody will revert back to the original narrative because as much as I enjoy Edovard, his is not the voice that this story or series needs. At least imo. It made it uncomfortable and sort of creepy.

I’ll continue on. See what happens next.

Not exactly recommending this . Leaving the decision up to you.

Murder Sprees & Mute Decrees series:

🔷The Trouble with Trying to Love a Hellion #1

🔷The Trouble With Trying to Save an Assassin #2

🔷The Trouble With Trying To Love A Hellion #3

Buy Link:

The Trouble with Trying to Love a Hellion (Murder Sprees and Mute Decrees Book 3)

Description:

Edovard:

Um…I was told I’m supposed to summarize my story here, but recently I’ve learned that blurbs are hard so I’m not sure what to say.

My name is Edovard Durand Folange. I’m twenty seven years old from Fresno, California, and recently I moved across the country to live with my new parents and brother. Oppa kills people for a living, and Papa is his announcer guy, and my brother is like his assistant, and I guess it turns out I’m the person the magic tells who needs to die—it’s called being an Augur. I don’t really know what that word means, but even though it’s scary, I’m getting used to it.

It’s nice to have a job, but Santanos (he’s the Avatar of Evil) offered me a second job, and I’m really excited about that because I get to work with him and help him fix the minions. A lot of them aren’t doing very well, so my second job is to make sure that everyone gets as much love as they need in their lives. Sometimes that means killing people who are stealing all the love away from them. I guess maybe I’m a little evil too, because I don’t mind letting Oppa kill those people to save the minions.

The Trouble with Trying to Love a Hellion is a 52k MM+ paranormal romance, featuring a cinnamon roll narrator with more than the usual amount of love to give and a sultry incubus who happens to be the Avatar of Evil. If the minions are especially affectionate with the cinnabun, well, who can blame them when he’s the best cuddler they’ve ever met?

Contents include: blood, viscera, someone dies because they call Edovard dumb, and Edovard accidentally creates a polycule, but that’s ok because he’s just making sure everyone gets enough love to be emotionally healthy.

A MelanieM Release Day Review: Royal Rescue by A. Alex Logan

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

 

At age eighteen, when they become marriageable, all royal children in the Thousand Kingdoms must either go questing to rescue another royal or be hidden away to await rescue themselves. Some go the traditional route of princes rescuing princesses, but not all princes want to be rescuers…and some would rather rescue other princes.

Then there’s Prince Gerald, who has no interest in getting married at all. When he refuses to choose a role as either rescuer or rescuee, his royal parents choose for him and have him magicked away to a distant tower to await a spouse.

Gerald, however, is having none of it. He recruits his guardian dragon and a would-be rescuer and soon the trio is dashing to all corners of the united kingdoms on a quest to overturn the entire system.

Well, I just love this story!  New author and new fantasy story all in one.  Love it when that happens.  Especially when the author manages to take several standard fantasy elements and give them their own take.  Here Logan uses the familiar knight quest/damsel in distress/rescue as a major element, along with the dragon that guards the tower.  And promptly turns all said elements on their narrative heads to my total entertainment and joy.

It starts with Prince Gerald, who’s mothers, the Queens want him to get married.  That’s right the Queens.  In this world, the many kingdoms have apparently long come accustomed to various sexualities and their pairings.  Marriages made between men, women, gender fluid people…like Princex…all good and accepted.  But there’s one last huge area not understood or even thought of….that of being asexual.  That is Gerald and his current problem because he doesn’t want to get married and can’t seem to get anyone to listen to him to understand exactly why this is so deeply affecting him.  He doesn’t feel the way they do.  He doesn’t understand everyone being a “sexual” being nor does he want a sexual marriage and that’s want is being forced on him and whoever he marries.

Logan, using Gerald as our point of view, brings us into his heart, mind, and frustration over the lack of empathy and the poignancy of his situation.  Which only gets worse.  Then unexpectedly through Gerald’s kindness and intelligence, gets better.  For not only himself, but for several species that had been forced into servitude, including dragons, and wholes generations of new young royals coming of age.  In other words, Gerald and a small group of friends become heroes.

And it will start by Gerald saving himself.  Really, doesn’t get any better than that.

Logan does a superb job of world building, crafting the characters and creating the rigid political structures that have led to the situation all have found themselves in.  I found myself totally invested in every aspect of this story.  I was rooting for them all to succeed while admiring different aspects of the author’s storytelling.

There is a small group of royal friends and a sapient dragon, several quests of their own making, and a remarkable ending.  Yes, this is a character and troop of characters to root for.  Especially as I thought the author did an excellent job with bringing Gerald’s pain and frustration over his asexuality to light to those around him, including the readers.  What hurt and was perhaps realistic was still a matter of total understanding from those closest to Gerald at the end of his asexuality.  That he might not ever get all the approval or total acceptance he was hoping for.  That it would have to be enough…for now.

And it was.  You have to read the book to understand that.  There’s hope and Gerald was leaving to go where he wanted, on a path of his own making.  Sort of perfect.  Just like this story.

Yes, I definitely recommend this story for YA fantasy lovers or just lovers of fantasy.  There is no heat level as you can imagine.  But lots of adventure and plenty to cheer about.  Dragons and heroes or every sort!

Cover art: Natasha Snow.  I think Natasha Snow is just nailing her covers including this one.  Perfect from the dragon to the setting. Love it.

Sales links:  NineStar Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: April 8th 2019 by NineStar Press
ISBN 139781950412419
Edition Language English

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: For a Good Time, Call (Bluewater Bay) by Anne Tenino and EJ Russell

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

It took me a while to get into this story because the authors took their time building the characters, their interactions, their backgrounds, and finally their attraction. But when I look back over the hours I spent reading this, I realized I enjoyed it overall, and there were points in the story where I couldn’t wait to get back to it if I had to put it down while doing daily activities.

If you are looking for a sexy romp, stop here, and don’t purchase this one. But if you are looking for a new perspective on sexuality, romance, friendship, and love, by all means, keep going and pick this up.

Seth Larson is a good-time party boy and king of one-night stands. Not interested in anything other than a hookup for most of his life, he’s shocked when the quiet, sexy Nate Albano, 37-year-old Special Effects Technician for the Wolf’s Landing TV show, turns him down cold after leading him on. Or at least, Seth thinks Nate’s been leading him on. It takes him a while to find out that Nate is so sweet and innocent of the sexual innuendos most guys thrive on that he didn’t even realize Seth was coming on to him until it was too late. No wonder Seth was shocked when he was looking for sex but was turned down flat! And Nate’s pretty embarrassed by that experience because he liked the guy and just can’t figure out how he misunderstood him.

Seth lives with his grandmother in the stately old mansion on Russell Hill where town founder Finnimore Larson established his estate. His family has lived there for generations, and Seth is employed by his father and uncle as the caretaker and all-around handyman in exchange for rent in the little apartment above the garage. When his grandmother wants to sell the place and move to senior living with her friends, Seth is fully supportive but the others, including his mother, are opposed to selling the house. Since they’re in charge of the estate and are supposed to be making decisions to care for the elderly woman, they have control. And Seth is determined to help his grandmother win her freedom from their oversight. Lots of family turmoil surrounding this issue ensues, but it’s sprinkled with some great humor.

Nate enjoys his job, though because of his erratic behavior as a result of past emotional upheaval in his life, he’s lucky to have been hired, even with a recommendation from Levi Pritchard. Looking at it as a new lease on his career, he’s dedicated and focused, and he and his best friend have come up with great ideas and even better execution for special effects for the show. He’s still grieving the loss of his former partner, Jorge, who left him three years before for another man—more so because he’s only ever had two relationships in his life. He’s gray asexual, so for him the relationship spark must come first. Even after Seth’s blunder, though, he realizes he does feel that spark of attraction with Seth, and he starts to wonder if he’s going to be lucky enough to get a third.

Seems hard to believe, given Seth’s history and reputation, but after they make amends from their first meeting, it’s very definite that they are indeed attracted to one another. Seth goes through pains to keep from offending Nate—so much so, that Nate starts to doubt Seth is even interested.

Once the storyline is established, the story moves along more quickly, but be prepared for the slower start while the groundwork is being laid. The authors did a great job piquing my interest throughout the story. Added to the romance is a potential murder mystery for the guys to solve. When the apparent weapon from Seth’s great grandfather’s murder is found, they take a genealogical trek through the Larson family tree, work on special effects to garner interest in the sale of the mansion, and visit with a few characters from past stories. Add in a feisty old lady and an extremely lovable dog and this became a book I couldn’t put down.

It’s not one of those mysteries readers can’t figure out, but the relationship issues sprinkled among the murder mystery and the plans for the house sale all combine to make this a different take on the usual romance. And when the men finally, finally get their act together, it warmed my heart.

Fans of Bluewater Bay will surely recognize the past characters and various locations highlighted and I’m sure they’ll enjoy this book, but so will others who are looking for a nice MM romance with an atypical couple. And no fear—this can definitely be read as a standalone.

Cover art by L.C. Chase does both a great job with the characters yet connecting it to the series.

Sales Links

Riptide Publishing

Book Details:

ebook, 358 pages
Published April 10th 2017 by Riptide Publishing
Original TitleFor A Good Time, Call…
ISBN 1626495920 (ISBN13: 9781626495920)
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Bluewater Bay #17

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: All the Wrong Places (Bluewater Bay #14) by Ann Gallagher

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

All The Wrong PlacesBrennan Cross can’t get past his girlfriend’s parting remarks. He caught her cheating with another guy and she blamed him. Him—because he failed to meet her sexual needs. And what’s worse is that she’s the third girlfriend in a row who had the same problem. He decides he needs professional help, so he goes where he expects to find someone who knows about sex—the Bluewater Bay sex store—Red Hot Bluewater. There he meets Zafir, a young Lebanese man, with long, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, and an obvious desire to be helpful. After some conversation, Zafir poses the idea that Brennan might not be a bad lover; he might be asexual like Zafir.

After Zafir explains, Brennan finds himself more confused than ever and sets out to learn as much as he can about being asexual. Even though there’s an abundance of information, and misinformation, on the web, he finds that Zafir might indeed be right.

The two become friends, and Zafir allows himself to hope that there might be a place in Brennan’s heart for a Muslim single father with only a GED and no hope of a future career. Zafir took custody of his infant son when he was seventeen years old, and so far, the nine-year-old boy seems happy and well-adjusted. Zafir protects Tariq as much as he can, but he can’t protect him from a broken heart if this closeness he feels with Brennan falls through because Brennan has slowly become a part of Tariq’s life as well.

The biggest issue is Brennan’s doubt about his sexuality, especially when he realizes he loves Zafir but has no sexual desire for him. Advice from his ex-girlfriend seems to spin him around, and he’s headed for a collision with a broken heart and a broken relationship if he can’t come to accept Zafir’s love for him.

I loved this story. It was sweet and romantic, very informative, fun, humorous, heartwarming, and heartbreaking. When I find myself taking time between chapters to go back to savor the goodness of what has gone before, I know I have a winner in my hands, and that definitely happened here. The storytelling is superb, the pace perfect, and the romance just the thing to make my romantic heart swoon. I can’t recommend this one highly enough.

~~~~~~~

Cover art by LC Chase depicts the two MCs: Brennan with his constant companion—a skateboard—and Zafir gazing off into the distance overlooking Bluewater Bay. This book is a part of the Bluewater Bay series but most certainly can be read as a standalone.

Sales Links:  Riptide  |  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published June 13th 2016 by Riptide (first published June 12th 2016)
Original TitleAll the Wrong Places
ISBN 1626494193 (ISBN13: 9781626494190)
Edition LanguageEnglish

Series:Bluewater Bay

A MelanieM Review: Blue Steel Chain (Trowchester Blues #3) by Alex Beecroft

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

BlueSteelChain_600x900At sixteen, Aidan Swift was swept off his feet by a rich older man who promised to take care of him for the rest of his life. But eight years later, his sugar daddy has turned from a prince into a beast. Trapped and terrified, Aidan snatches an hour’s respite at the Trowchester Museum.

Local archaeologist James Summers is in a failing long distance relationship with a rock star, and Aidan—nervous, bruised, and clearly in need of a champion—brings out all his white knight tendencies. When everything falls apart for Aidan, James saves him from certain death . . . and discovers a skeleton of another boy who wasn’t so lucky.

As Aidan recovers, James falls desperately in love. But though Aidan acts like an adoring boyfriend, he doesn’t seem to feel any sexual attraction at all. Meanwhile there are two angry exes on the horizon, one coming after them with the press and the other with a butcher’s knife. To be together, Aidan and James must conquer death, sex, and everyone’s preconceptions about the right way to love—even their own.

There are certain books you approach with definite expectations of what you will find with the characters and plot.  Sometimes those expectations are met, other times they aren’t.  But on those rare occasions, something else happens, a book doesn’t exceed your expectations, it blows them all to hell, widening your horizons and smacking you in the face with your assumptions.  That’s what occurred  with Alex Beecroft’s Blue Steel Chain, the 3rd book in the Trowchester  Blues series.

My love for the previous novels is apparent in the reviews I wrote and the author interview I conducted.  Alex Beecroft brought alive the small village of Trowchester, with its canals, long boats, antique bookshops, Morris Dancers, historic reinactors and characters of every type imaginable, every type except boring and uninspired. Up until now Beecroft has ushered me into her world with such amazing details such as musical instruments of antiquity I yearned to hear, dances I wanted to watch and a place I desperately wanted to be real.  Her characters, wounded, snarky, and amazing made me laugh, cry and nod my head in recognition and joy.   Then came Blue Steel Chain and everything went topsy turvy.

Where to start when everything is unexpected and sometimes hard to understand?

Blue Steel Chain is beautifully written and thought provoking.  And for me, it was also hard, emotionally, to digest at times.  At the heart of all the thoughts and feelings whirling around in my head is the character of Aidan Swift.  At sixteen, already thrown away by his family for his sexuality, he is fair prey for an older man hiding sick, abusive behaviors and deeds.  Now eight years later, Aidan is a perpetually frightened, submissive, abused young man.  Sometimes left chained and alone for hours as punishment, isolated from all around him, his state of mind is one of fear, chaos, an overwhelming need to please and much , much more.

Alex Beecroft makes Aiden so real your heart bleeds for him and your stomach churns during the scenes he has with his abuser.  Trust me, those are hard to take because we have quickly come to love Aiden so.  But Aiden has another secret.  He’s asexual.  That makes those scenes where he is being sexually abused even more problematic.  Why?  Because of the way he sees them.  I thought I understood what  asexuality meant.  Apparently not.

I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a character  (or author for that matter) recently that made me question my assumptions about sexuality and relationships as Aiden and Alex Beecroft have. We live in Aiden’s skin here.  Every moment, every thought that occurs from his  brief secret excursions away from the house where he is kept, out over the meadows, into the local museum where archaeologist James Summers is toiling over the latest batch of “finds” and having his own relationship issues.  Aiden’s brief moments of joy, his initial fear of Jamie, his curiosity and ,man,, this makes me want to cry again, his love of pottery and the art he was forced to abandon…we are there inside him, listening and weeping.  And hoping for a rescue.

Jamie too needs help. We’re let into his point of view as well, important in a story such as this one. His long term  relationship has diminished to the point that he rarely sees his “partner, and when he does, he dissolves into  a doormat for his rockstar lover to walk over. Jamie too is a believable human being, full of frailties, preoccupied with his bits and pieces of antiquity and his life in Trowchester.  It takes the arrival of Aiden in his life to shake up the status quo and get him moving again.  Jamie is not asexual but gay with a healthy appetite that’s been repressed by his current relationship and lover.

There are some incredibly scary scenes that involve characters from the previous stories who help Aiden escape and start a new life.  These moments in the novel are heart-stopping, white-knuckle, “wap your head against the wall” exciting and frustrating, all at the same time.  You know those bits where you are yelling at the actors on the scene to get moving?  Yep, that happens here.  But its what comes later that will blow your perceptions of romance and a relationship to bits.  Some will like it, some will love it and others won’t get it at all.  At times, I was all  three.

Ever think what it must be like to be asexual and love someone who is not?  What does it mean to be in a relationship when one partner loves sex and the other doesn’t?  How does that work?  If it does? Beecroft takes those questions and gives us some answers through the relationship dynamics between Jamie and Aiden.  At times I found myself shaking my head, thinking this can’t possibly work  But a conversation with a friend who is asexual basically confirmed that is does, more often than we think.

Can a relationship work when you must schedule times for sex because to do otherwise is an abuse of another’s wishes and needs?  Can a sexual being truly understand how an asexual person feels and act accordingly?  And visa versa?  These are all issues Alex Beecroft brings into her characters and storyline.  It made me rethink my own assumptions about relationships, what works, what doesn’t and  Steel Blue Chain has left me with even more questions and jumbled ideas, making me revaluate what I thought I knew about people, recovery and love. And did so through the character of a wounded,yet resilient young man called Aiden.

Blue Steel Chain came very close to a five star rating but a few things still bothered me at the end.   There was so much going on here that I thought the idea of all those years of abuse would leave mental, emotional scarring far wore than the physical marks Aiden wore from his time in captivity.  Yes, it was mentioned he was seeing a therapist, but it felt a little glossed over and not in keeping with the realism of the rest of the story.   Perhaps that would have made this a 600 page story, who knows?

Still, I find that Blue Steel Chain is the most ambitious and surprising of the three novels.  Is it my favorite? No. Is it the most remarkable?  Yes, I think so. Blue Steel Chain will challenge your perceptions of love and romance, it will make you rethink your definitions of love and long term happiness.  And it makes me yearn for more of this remarkable village, its incrediblely human and addicting inhabitants, and the stories they still have to tell.

Cover Art by Lou Harper.  I  like the branding, the tone and design works with all three stories but I’m just not sure that model works for any of the characters within.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | All  Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 250 pages
Published July 27th 2015 by Riptide Publishing (first published July 25th 2015)
original titleBlue Steel Chain
ISBN139781626492066
edition languageEnglish

Trowchester: it’s the fourth smallest city in Britain, and visitors sometimes think it hasn’t left the Middle Ages yet. There’s a Bronze Age barrow, a wide network of ley lines, the best tea shop in the county, and more morris dancers than you can shake a stick at. Trowchester attracts those who have been hurt and those who are looking for sanctuary from the modern world. But scratch the surface and there’s murder and mayhem aplenty. People come here to find love, but they’re forced to learn bravery first.

The release order of the Trowchester series is Trowchester Blues, Blue Eyed Stranger, and Blue Steel Chain, but you can start with withichever book catches your eye; they each stand alone. I highly recommend them all.

Trowchester Blues (A Trowchester Blues Novel)
Blue Eyed Stranger (A Trowchester Blues Novel)
Blue Steel Chain (A Trowchester Blues Novel)

Alex Beecroft Returns to Trowchester with Blue Steel Chain (Trowchester Blues #3) A Stunning Novel! – giveaway

BlueSteelChain_600x900

Blue Steel Chain (Trowchester Blues #3)
by Alex Beecroft

Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist: Lou Harper

Sales Link: Riptide Publishing

BlueSteelChain_TourBanner

About Blue Steel Chain:

At sixteen, Aidan Swift was swept off his feet by a rich older man who promised to take care of him for the rest of his life. But eight years later, his sugar daddy has turned from a prince into a beast. Trapped and terrified, Aidan snatches an hour’s respite at the Trowchester Museum.

Local archaeologist James Huntley is in a failing long distance relationship with a rock star, and Aidan—nervous, bruised, and clearly in need of a champion—brings out all his white knight tendencies. When everything falls apart for Aidan, James saves him from certain death . . . and discovers a skeleton of another boy who wasn’t so lucky.

As Aidan recovers, James falls desperately in love. But though Aidan acts like an adoring boyfriend, he doesn’t seem to feel any sexual attraction at all. Meanwhile there are two angry exes on the horizon, one coming after them with the press and the other with a butcher’s knife. To be together, Aidan and James must conquer death, sex, and everyone’s preconceptions about the right way to love—even their own.

Blue Steel Chain by Alex Beecroft is available from Riptide Publishing on July 27.

About Author Alex Beecroft

Alex Beecroft is an English author best known for historical fiction, notably Age of Sail, featuring gay characters and romantic storylines. Her novels and shorter works include paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary fiction.

Beecroft won Linden Bay Romance’s (now Samhain Publishing) Starlight Writing Competition in 2007 with her first novel, Captain’s Surrender, making it her first published book. On the subject of writing gay romance, Beecroft has appeared in the Charleston City Paper, LA Weekly, the New Haven Advocate, the Baltimore City Paper, and The Other Paper. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association of the UK and an occasional reviewer for the blog  HYPERLINK “http://speakitsname.com/” \n _blankSpeak Its Name, which highlights historical gay fiction.

Alex was born in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and grew up in the wild countryside of the English Peak District. She lives with her husband and two children in a little village near Cambridge and tries to avoid being mistaken for a tourist.

Alex is only intermittently present in the real world. She has led a Saxon shield wall into battle, toiled as a Georgian kitchen maid, and recently taken up an 800-year-old form of English folk dance, but she still hasn’t learned to operate a mobile phone.

She is represented by Louise Fury of the L. Perkins Literary Agency.

Connect with Alex:

Website:  “http://alexbeecroft.com/
Blog:  http://alexbeecroft.com/blog
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/AlexBeecroftAuthor
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Alex_Beecroft
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/Alex_Beecroftt

BlueSteelChain_TourBanner

Giveaway:

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a signed paperback from Alex Beecroft’s backlist. (Any title which has a paperback edition, excluding Blue Steel Chain.) Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 25. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don’t forget to add your email so we can contact you if you win!  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

Trowchester Blues ( A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words ★★★★★ Series)

TrowchesterBlues_Series

Trowchester Blues coverBlue eyed Stranger coverBlueSteelChain_600x900

 

 

 

 

Trowchester: it’s the fourth smallest city in Britain, and visitors sometimes think it hasn’t left the Middle Ages yet. There’s a Bronze Age barrow, a wide network of ley lines, the best tea shop in the county, and more morris dancers than you can shake a stick at. Trowchester attracts those who have been hurt and those who are looking for sanctuary from the modern world. But scratch the surface and there’s murder and mayhem aplenty. People come here to find love, but they’re forced to learn bravery first.

The release order of the Trowchester series is Trowchester Blues, Blue Eyed Stranger, and Blue Steel Chain, but you can start with withichever book catches your eye; they each stand alone.  We highly recommend them all.

– See more at Riptide Publishing’s Trowchester Blues  series page.