Blurb: Rafe Lancaster is reluctantly settling into his role as the First Heir of House Stravaigor. Trapped by his father’s illness and his new responsibilities, Rafe can’t go with lover Ned Winter to Aegypt for the 1902/03 archaeological digging season. Rafe’s unease at being left behind intensifies when Ned’s fascination with the strange Antikythera mechanism and its intriguing link to the Aegyptian god Thoth has Ned heading south to the remote, unexplored highlands of Abyssinia and the course of the Blue Nile.
Searching for Thoth’s deadly secrets, Ned is out of contact and far from help. When he doesn’t return at Christmas as he promised, everything points to trouble. Rafe is left with a stark choice – abandon his dying father, or risk never seeing Ned again.
Review: Rafe has a hard decision to make when Ned does not home for Christmas after leaving for an important archaeological dig. Rafe is concerned on many levels. Does he stay by his dying fathers side or does he travel to discover what happened to Ned and where he is at?
I don’t want to give anything away but I will say I was intrigued with Ned’s fascination. The circumstances surrounding the god Thoth were amazing. I was mesmerized by the details and the adventure.
I felt bad for Rafe and the predicament he finds himself in when things do not go as planned. Well written and engaging this story has it all.
Hi guys! We have Anna Butler stopping by today with the tour for her new release The God’s Eye, we have a great exclusive excerpt, Shorty’s review and a brilliant $20 Amazon GC or an ecopy of The Gilded Scarab giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~
The God’s Eye
(Lancaster’s Luck 03)
by
Anna Butler
Rafe Lancaster is reluctantly settling into his role as the First Heir of House Stravaigor. Trapped by his father’s illness and his new responsibilities, Rafe can’t go with lover Ned Winter to Aegypt for the 1902/03 archaeological digging season. Rafe’s unease at being left behind intensifies when Ned’s fascination with the strange Antikythera mechanism and its intriguing link to the Aegyptian god Thoth has Ned heading south to the remote, unexplored highlands of Abyssinia and the course of the Blue Nile.
Searching for Thoth’s deadly secrets, Ned is out of contact and far from help. When he doesn’t return at Christmas as he promised, everything points to trouble. Rafe is left with a stark choice – abandon his dying father or risk never seeing Ned again.
Blurb:When will She open Rebecca Northcote’s box?
Finding lost poodles and retrieving stolen baubles is not how DI Tim Stoker envisioned his partnership with his lover, Hieronymus Bash. So when the police commissioner’s son goes missing, he’s determined to help, no matter what secrets he has to keep, or from whom.
When a family member is kidnapped, Hiero moves heaven and earth to rescue them. Even if that means infiltrating the Daughters of Eden, a cult of wealthy widows devoted to the teachings of Rebecca Northcote and the mysterious contents of her box. The Daughters’ goodwill toward London’s fallen women has given them a saintly reputation, but Hiero has a nose for sniffing out a fraud. He will need to draw on some divine inspiration to rattle the pious Daughters.
Like weeds gnarling the roots of Eden’s fabled tree, Tim and Hiero’s cases intertwine. Serpents, secrets, and echoes from Hiero’s past lurk behind every branch. Giving in to temptation could bind them closer together—or sever their partnership forever.
Review: This is the second book in the Stoker & Bash series and can be read as a standalone but I’d advise reading The Fangs of Scavo to get the background of both Tim (Kip) and Hiero.
As we re-join Bash and Stoker we discover that Stoker isn’t happy with their work, after having an exciting role in The Fangs of Scavo he’s frustrated with the cases they have been taking part in. But now Stoker has been tasked with finding the police commissioner’s missing baby son. Stoker is excited with the promise of writing his own ticket when he solves it but he’s been sworn to secrecy, even from telling Bash.
Bash swears to move heaven and earth to find Callie’s mother when she disappears during a day out, with his eye on the Daughters of Eden as the culprits the gang set out to rescue Lillian from their clutches.
Stoker’s and Bash’s paths cross and they end up teaming up, but with Stoker still keeping secrets and his slight resentment towards Bash it proves to be a trying time and puts pressure on their relationship.
This is a great story from Stoker and Bash; it has a dark tone to it in certain parts because of some of the subject matter, baby farming. While the Daughters of Eden aren’t baby farming it is touched upon and a dead baby is discovered, which is distressing. Â
I really enjoyed catching up with Stoker and Bash and embracing their characters again, Stoker is still plain and unassuming, disappearing into the background and often overlooked and forgotten. Bash on the other hand is as flashy as ever, attention grabbing and still lives to be the centre of the spotlight.
Bash is really affected by events; his memories of his past assail him and he eventually shares his last secret with Stoker. Stoker finally sees the true heart of Bash. While they do have some rocky moments their love finally connects true and their relationship moves on to a new level.
This story has a lot of mystery and intrigue, there’s danger and some horrid moments. The Daughters of Eden have dark secrets and Bash and Stoker are determined to root them out even if it does put their lives in danger.
I recommend this to those who adore historical mysteries, fantastic characters, danger and action, and an ending that has you hoping for the next book.
Hi guys, we have Selina Kray popping by today with the tour for her new release The Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree, we have a great excerpt, an awesome giveaway and my review, so check out the post and enter that giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
The Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree
(Stoker & Bash 02)
by
Selina Kray
When will She open Rebecca Northcote’s box?
Finding lost poodles and retrieving stolen baubles is not how DI Tim Stoker envisioned his partnership with his lover, Hieronymus Bash. So when the police commissioner’s son goes missing, he’s determined to help, no matter what secrets he has to keep, or from whom.
When a family member is kidnapped, Hiero moves heaven and earth to rescue them. Even if that means infiltrating the Daughters of Eden, a cult of wealthy widows devoted to the teachings of Rebecca Northcote and the mysterious contents of her box. The Daughters’ goodwill toward London’s fallen women has given them a saintly reputation, but Hiero has a nose for sniffing out a fraud. He will need to draw on some divine inspiration to rattle the pious Daughters.
Like weeds gnarling the roots of Eden’s fabled tree, Tim and Hiero’s cases intertwine. Serpents, secrets, and echoes from Hiero’s past lurk behind every branch. Giving in to temptation could bind them closer together—or sever their partnership forever.
Hi guys, we have Selina Kray popping by today with her new release The Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree, we have a great excerpt and an awesome giveaway so check out the post and enter that giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
The Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree
(Stoker & Bash 02)
by
Selina Kray
When will She open Rebecca Northcote’s box?
Finding lost poodles and retrieving stolen baubles is not how DI Tim Stoker envisioned his partnership with his lover, Hieronymus Bash. So when the police commissioner’s son goes missing, he’s determined to help, no matter what secrets he has to keep, or from whom.
When a family member is kidnapped, Hiero moves heaven and earth to rescue them. Even if that means infiltrating the Daughters of Eden, a cult of wealthy widows devoted to the teachings of Rebecca Northcote and the mysterious contents of her box. The Daughters’ goodwill toward London’s fallen women has given them a saintly reputation, but Hiero has a nose for sniffing out a fraud. He will need to draw on some divine inspiration to rattle the pious Daughters.
Like weeds gnarling the roots of Eden’s fabled tree, Tim and Hiero’s cases intertwine. Serpents, secrets, and echoes from Hiero’s past lurk behind every branch. Giving in to temptation could bind them closer together—or sever their partnership forever.
Blurb: At Scotland Yard, DI Timothy Stoker is no better than a ghost. A master of arcane documents and niggling details who, unlike his celebrity-chasing colleagues, prefers hard work to headlines. But an invisible man is needed to unmask the city’s newest amateur detective, Hieronymus Bash. A bon vivant long on flash and style but short on personal history, Bash just may be a Cheapside rogue in Savile Row finery.
When the four fangs of the Demon Cats of Scavo—trophies that protect the hunters who killed the two vicious beasts—disappear one by one, Stoker’s forced to team with the very man he was sent to investigate to maintain his cover. He finds himself thrust into a world of wailing mediums, spiritualist societies, man-eating lions, and a consulting detective with more ambition than sense. Will this case be the end of his career, or the start of an unexpected liaison? Or will the mysterious forces at play be the death of them both?
Review: DI Timothy Stoker loves his work, he doesn’t care about grabbing headlines, he just wants to solve his cases and begin the next case. His newest case is to unmask a flash amateur detective who keeps solving high society cases; Stoker has to go undercover to get close to Hieronymus Bash and he discovers that Hiero is not quite what he thought.
Stoker and Bash couldn’t be more different from the other, Stoker is plain and unassuming, disappearing into the background and often overlooked and forgotten. Bash on the other hand is flashy, attention grabbing and lives to be the centre of the spotlight. These two together make for an odd couple but surprisingly they hit it off and discover a mutual attraction.
The mystery storyline is quite attention grabbing in itself, we have the creepy story of the Fangs of the Demon Cats of Scavo and their shocking disappearances, we have characters who thrust themselves into the culprit spotlight and there’s one character in particular who you desperately hope gets his comeuppance because his behaviour is just *shudder* beyond the pale.
I quite enjoyed this story and really enjoyed the descriptions and setting, all the characters are fleshed out perfectly so you can imagine them in your mind’s eye as they crop up in the story. There are some action scenes that are quite exciting and daring, and believe me Stoker and Bash just seem to attract danger.
The relationship between Stoker and Bash is quite tempestuous, Bash is a full-on passionate man while Stoker seems to have a banked passion that he controls with an iron fist, and it leads to some passionate interludes but with Stoker pulling back in the times in between.
Overall this story was a fascinating read, I found the characters to be enthralling, the storyline fascinating and the romance to be fitting for the time.
I recommend this to those who adore historical mysteries, fantastic characters, danger and action, and an ending that has you impatiently waiting for the next book.
Hi guys, we have Selina Kray popping by today with the tour for her new release The Fangs of Scavo, we have a great excerpt, my review and an awesome giveaway so check out the post and click that giveaway link! <3 ~Pixie~
The Fangs of Scavo
(Stoker & Bash 01)
by
Selina Kray
At Scotland Yard, DI Timothy Stoker is no better than a ghost. A master of arcane documents and niggling details who, unlike his celebrity-chasing colleagues, prefers hard work to headlines. But an invisible man is needed to unmask the city’s newest amateur detective, Hieronymus Bash. A bon vivant long on flash and style but short on personal history, Bash just may be a Cheapside rogue in Savile Row finery.
When the four fangs of the Demon Cats of Scavo—trophies that protect the hunters who killed the two vicious beasts—disappear one by one, Stoker’s forced to team with the very man he was sent to investigate to maintain his cover. He finds himself thrust into a world of wailing mediums, spiritualist societies, man-eating lions, and a consulting detective with more ambition than sense. Will this case be the end of his career, or the start of an unexpected liaison? Or will the mysterious forces at play be the death of them both?
Hi guys, we have Selina Kray stopping by today with her new release The Fangs of Scavo, we have a great excerpt and an awesome giveaway so check out the post and click that giveaway link! <3 ~Pixie~
The Fangs of Scavo
(Stoker & Bash 01)
by
Selina Kray
At Scotland Yard, DI Timothy Stoker is no better than a ghost. A master of arcane documents and niggling details who, unlike his celebrity-chasing colleagues, prefers hard work to headlines. But an invisible man is needed to unmask the city’s newest amateur detective, Hieronymus Bash. A bon vivant long on flash and style but short on personal history, Bash just may be a Cheapside rogue in Savile Row finery.
When the four fangs of the Demon Cats of Scavo—trophies that protect the hunters who killed the two vicious beasts—disappear one by one, Stoker’s forced to team with the very man he was sent to investigate to maintain his cover. He finds himself thrust into a world of wailing mediums, spiritualist societies, man-eating lions, and a consulting detective with more ambition than sense. Will this case be the end of his career, or the start of an unexpected liaison? Or will the mysterious forces at play be the death of them both?
Hiya guys, we have Rowan McAllister popping in today with her upcoming release We Met In Dreams, we have a brilliant guest post from Rowan and we also have a great excerpt, so check out the post and enjoy! <3 ~Pixie~
We Met In Dreams
by
Rowan McAllister
In Victorian London, during a prolonged and pernicious fog, fantasy and reality are about to collide—at least in one man’s troubled mind.
A childhood fever left Arthur Middleton, Viscount Campden, seeing and hearing things no one else does, afraid of the world outside, and unable to function as a true peer of the realm. To protect him from himself—and to protect others from him—he spends his days heavily medicated and locked in his rooms, and his nights in darkness and solitude, tormented by visions, until a stranger appears.
This apparition is different. Fox says he’s a thief and not an entirely good sort of man, yet he returns night after night to ease Arthur’s loneliness without asking for anything in return. Fox might be the key that sets Arthur free, or he might deliver the final blow to Arthur’s tenuous grasp on sanity. Either way, real or imaginary, Arthur needs him too much to care.
Fox is only one of the many secrets and specters haunting Campden House, and Arthur will have to face them all in order to live the life of his dreams.
Publisher: Â Total-E-Bound Publishing (November 7, 2011)
ISBN: #978-0-85715-804-8
Heat Level:Â Moderate
Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥3Hearts
Reviewer: Â Artemis
Blurb:Â Orphaned in infancy and raised by the great comedy actress Dorothy Jordan, Sim Treagar has lived all his nineteen years among the high drama, greasepaint and shabby theatrical glamour of the Drury Lane Theatre.
But Gervase’s powerful family oppose their love and seek to use it against the Lieutenant, in a high-stakes game of rumors, scandal and thwarted inheritances. When Gervase is sent to sea, his prospects are safe but Sim’s heart is broken. Can they ever hope to be reunited in a love his handsome sailor’s family can’t countenance?
Review: Child of the Theatre is set in London in the 1800s and the author does a wonderful job of giving us a true feel for the time period. There are descriptions of costumes and architecture that are appropriate to this period of history.  Although, I was a bit surprised at how easily the characters accepted their homosexuality…seems like this would be something that was frowned on by Victorian society, especially in the upper class.
I really enjoyed Sim’s character. At times he blushes sweetly or makes a witty joke. He is passionate with Gervase, but also a tad shy. Gervase’s character, on the other hand, is a little bit domineering, but in an authoritative way. Not cruel, just a man who knows what he wants and expects others to do his bidding. The interactions between him and Sim are tender one minute and wild the next. You can really feel that they are drawn to one another very deeply.
As in any good romance, there are challenges that the couple must face…specifically Gervase’s family and their intense dislike of his relationship with Sim. They are torn apart, they both suffer the agony of separation, and then they are reunited, but the challenges aren’t necessarily gone just because they are back together. The ending leaves me to wonder whether the author has a sequel in mind for these characters!