Books: I’m currently in the middle of Hoarfrost, by Jordan L. Hawk (about which more below) and have Wanted, A Gentleman by K. J. Charles waiting to be read next. Also Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch, for next next.
Books finished:
Necropolis (Whyborne & Griffin, #4) (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21533138-necropolis) and
Bloodline (Whyborne & Griffin, #5) (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23202149-bloodline) by Jordan L. Hawk
I’d read the first three books in this series last year, and my highly efficient system of letting a random number generator pick my next book to read from my Kindle Library means I just got to the bundle of Books 4-6 the other day. I won’t spoil (BOOK FIVE IS THE GREATEST THO), but I’ve been devouring them LIKE A SHAMBLING HORROR FROM THE DEEPS–
Ahem. If you’re not familiar–they’re set circa 1900 in a town called Widdershins, Massachusetts in a universe of Lovecraftian horror. Whyborne is a scion of a wealthy founding family of the town, and Griffin Flaherty is a former Pinkerton detective who recently spent some time in an asylum due to a brush with a nameless horror of the night in the course of an investigation in Chicago.
OH AND IT’S A GAY ROMANCE? Whyborne and Griffin fall in love and continue fighting monsters, human and otherwise, throughout eight books so far, while also dealing with their own assorted issues and traumas and learning how to carry on a relationship. ALSO THEY ADOPT A MARMALADE CAT. IT IS GREAT.
Fair Play (Hat Trick, #1) (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18717363-fair-play) and
Two Man Advantage (Hat Trick, #2) (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20261981-two-man-advantage) and
End Game (Hat Trick, #3)
(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20322127-end-game) by Samantha Wayland
Oh man, I was SO CONFUSED by the structure of these when I started reading the first one, but it goes like this: in the first book, Garrick and Savannah get together (and Garrick admits he is bi and Savannah admits that she finds it SUPER HOT to hear about him banging dudes). In the second book, Savannah has to be away from Garrick for a while and tells him if it’s okay if he sleeps with a dude in her absence as long as he tells her all about it, and Garrick proceeds to fall in love with said dude (but is also desperately, passionately still in love with Savannah). In the third book, OT3!
Also there is hockey and some wacky over the top drama in the A-plots and HIGH OCTANE tragic childhood background for Garrick and Savannah’s woobie boyfriend. I could wish that the second book’s plot climax didn’t hinge on a false rape accusation (and I kind of feel like the author was also wishing that by the third book) but I really love the series overall.
Fics: I don’t have ANY fic tabs open due to the “using backup computer” situation, but I made a list instead and there are 11 fics on it. Plus 36 fics Marked for Later on Ao3. And 52 bookmarked with the “To reread” tag.
Fics finished:
back seat drive by @silentwalrus1 (http://archiveofourown.org/works/9404036) MMMMMMYES, so good. Post-everything Bucky/Steve, with a Bucky who is still finding his footing in life and a Steve who just wants to give him whatever he needs. Or wants. IN BED. And also in fast cars.
The Right Partner by Nonymos (http://archiveofourown.org/works/3916861) This is more than a year old, but I just ran across it and read it for the first time. Virgin Steve decides that maybe the right partner is whoever you choose–and when Natasha offers to help him out with that, he decides to go for it.
Patience, a Steady Hand by @helenish (http://archiveofourown.org/works/170021) This is that Inception AU where Arthur is a berserker Viking and Eames is a monk abducted during the pillaging of his monastery, claimed by Arthur as a slave. Warning for, you know, all of the consent problems created by abducting and enslaving someone for sexual use–but the consent situation evolves and changes in really nuanced and ultimately satisfying ways.
(Also, on this reread, I realized how incredibly well this works if you know nothing about Inception and think of berserker Arthur as Bucky and artistic virgin monk Eames as Steve. Just. Putting that out there.)
