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David Lauriston is struggling to build his reputation in Edinburgh's privileged legal world. His humble origins are enough of a hurdle, never mind his recent decision to defend a group accused of treason, prompting speculation that he may harbour radical sympathies. David's personal life is no more successful. Tormented by his forbidden desires for other men, David tries to live a celibate existence. But then into David's repressed and orderly world bursts Lord Murdo Balfour. Cynical, hedonistic, and utterly unapologetic, Murdo could not be less like David.
Exiled for 20 years, Lucien never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He's also inherited his family's enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn't expect it to turn up angry. Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane's family. Unfortunately, it's his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he's ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude...and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed.
If England had yearbooks, I'd probably be "Arden St. Ives: Man Least Likely to Set the World on Fire." I've no idea what I'm doing at Oxford and, until a week ago, I had no idea who Caspian Hart was. Turns out, he's brilliant, beautiful...oh yeah, and a billionaire. It's impossible not to be captivated by someone like that. But Caspian Hart makes his own rules. And he has a lot of them. About when I can be with him. What I can do with him. And when he'll be through with me. But now that Caspian's shown me glimpses of the man behind the billionaire I know it's him I want.
Lord Crane has never had a lover quite as elusive as Stephen Day. He knows Stephen's job as justiciar requires secrecy, but the magician is doing his disappearing act more than seems reasonable - especially since Crane will soon return to his home in China. Then a blackmailer threatens to expose their illicit relationship. And as Stephen investigates a plague of giant rats sweeping London, his sudden increase in power, boosted by his blood-and-sex bond with Crane, is rousing suspicion that he's turned warlock.
With the justiciary understaffed, a series of horrifying occult murders to be investigated, and a young student who is flying - literally - off the rails, magical law enforcer Stephen Day is under increasing stress. And his relationship with his aristocratic lover, Lord Crane, is beginning to feel the strain. Crane chafes at the restrictions of England's laws, and there's a worrying development in the blood-and-sex bond he shares with Stephen. A development that makes a sensible man question if they should be together at all.
I have been Simon Feximal's companion, assistant, and chronicler for 20 years now, and during that time my Casebooks of Feximal the Ghost-Hunter have spread the reputation of this most accomplished of ghost-hunters far and wide. Here is how my association with Feximal came about. I dare say it may not be quite what you expect.
David Lauriston is struggling to build his reputation in Edinburgh's privileged legal world. His humble origins are enough of a hurdle, never mind his recent decision to defend a group accused of treason, prompting speculation that he may harbour radical sympathies. David's personal life is no more successful. Tormented by his forbidden desires for other men, David tries to live a celibate existence. But then into David's repressed and orderly world bursts Lord Murdo Balfour. Cynical, hedonistic, and utterly unapologetic, Murdo could not be less like David.
Exiled for 20 years, Lucien never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He's also inherited his family's enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn't expect it to turn up angry. Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane's family. Unfortunately, it's his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he's ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude...and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed.
If England had yearbooks, I'd probably be "Arden St. Ives: Man Least Likely to Set the World on Fire." I've no idea what I'm doing at Oxford and, until a week ago, I had no idea who Caspian Hart was. Turns out, he's brilliant, beautiful...oh yeah, and a billionaire. It's impossible not to be captivated by someone like that. But Caspian Hart makes his own rules. And he has a lot of them. About when I can be with him. What I can do with him. And when he'll be through with me. But now that Caspian's shown me glimpses of the man behind the billionaire I know it's him I want.
Lord Crane has never had a lover quite as elusive as Stephen Day. He knows Stephen's job as justiciar requires secrecy, but the magician is doing his disappearing act more than seems reasonable - especially since Crane will soon return to his home in China. Then a blackmailer threatens to expose their illicit relationship. And as Stephen investigates a plague of giant rats sweeping London, his sudden increase in power, boosted by his blood-and-sex bond with Crane, is rousing suspicion that he's turned warlock.
With the justiciary understaffed, a series of horrifying occult murders to be investigated, and a young student who is flying - literally - off the rails, magical law enforcer Stephen Day is under increasing stress. And his relationship with his aristocratic lover, Lord Crane, is beginning to feel the strain. Crane chafes at the restrictions of England's laws, and there's a worrying development in the blood-and-sex bond he shares with Stephen. A development that makes a sensible man question if they should be together at all.
I have been Simon Feximal's companion, assistant, and chronicler for 20 years now, and during that time my Casebooks of Feximal the Ghost-Hunter have spread the reputation of this most accomplished of ghost-hunters far and wide. Here is how my association with Feximal came about. I dare say it may not be quite what you expect.
Jonah Pastern is a magician, a liar, a windwalker, a professional thief...and for six months, he was the love of police constable Ben Spenser's life. His betrayal left Ben jailed, ruined, alone, and looking for revenge. Ben is determined to make Jonah pay. But he can't seem to forget what they once shared, and Jonah refuses to let him. Soon Ben is entangled in Jonah's chaotic existence all over again, and they're running together - from the police, the justiciary, and some dangerous people with a lethal grudge against them.
Crispin Tredarloe never meant to become a warlock. Freed from his treacherous master, he's learning how to use his magical powers the right way. But it's brutally hard work. Not everyone believes he's a reformed character, and the strain is putting unbearable pressure on his secret relationship with waste-man Ned Hall. Ned's sick of magic. Sick of the trouble it brings, sick of its dangerous grip on Crispin and the miserable look it puts in his eyes, and sick of being afraid that a gentleman magician won't want a street paper-seller forever....
Mark Cooper is angry, homesick, and about to take his stepdad's dubious advice and rush Prescott College's biggest party fraternity, Alpha Delta Phi. Greek life is as foreign to Aussie transplant Mark as Pennsylvania's snowstorms and bear sightings. Studious Deacon Holt is disappointed to learn Mark's pledging Alpha Delt, his fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa's sworn enemy. Mark is too beautiful for Deacon to pass up an invitation for sex, but beyond sex, Deacon's not sure. He wants a relationship, but a difficult family situation prevents him from pursuing anything beyond his studies.
England, 1904. Two years ago, Captain Archie Curtis lost his friends, fingers, and future to a terrible military accident. Alone, purposeless, and angry, Curtis is determined to discover if he and his comrades were the victims of fate, or of sabotage. Curtis's search takes him to an isolated, ultra-modern country house, where he meets and instantly clashes with fellow guest Daniel da Silva. Effete, decadent, foreign, and all-too-obviously queer, the sophisticated poet is everything the straightforward British officer fears and distrusts.
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, read by Michael Crouch. Straight people should have to come out too. And the more awkward it is, the better. Simon Spier is 16 and trying to work out who he is - and what he's looking for. But when one of his emails to the very distracting Blue falls into the wrong hands, things get all kinds of complicated. Because for Simon, falling for Blue is a big deal.... It's a holy freaking huge awesome deal.
It’s day one of Darren Corliss’ career as a detective, and not only has he been assigned a notoriously difficult partner, but the guy might also be a pill-popping dirty cop. Internal Affairs needs proof, and Darren gets to be their eyes and ears whether he wants to or not. Detective Andreas Ruffner doesn’t play by the rules, and he doesn’t play well with others. With bodies piling up and a list of suspects who are way above his pay grade, the last thing he needs is a wet-behind-the-ears kid for a partner.
Special Agent Jason West is seconded from the FBI Art Crime Team to temporarily partner with disgraced and legendary "manhunter" Sam Kennedy when it appears that Kennedy's most famous case, the capture and conviction of a serial killer known as the Huntsman, may actually have been a disastrous failure. The Huntsman is still out there...and the killing has begun again.
Lodging-house keeper Clem Talleyfer prefers a quiet life. He's happy with his hobbies, his work - and especially with his lodger Rowley Green, who becomes a friend over their long fireside evenings together. If only neat, precise, irresistible Mr. Green were interested in more than friendship. Rowley just wants to be left alone - at least until he meets Clem, with his odd, charming ways and his glorious eyes. Two quiet men, lodging in the same house, coming to an understanding...it could be perfect.
Shattered by his lover Jason's suicide, archaeologist Dan Logan is struggling to patch his life together again. He's desperately following up Jason's final obsession, a secret buried deep within the military zone on Salisbury Plain. Anything is better than facing the void of his grief. He's convinced he'll never love again. When unexpected help arrives in the form of a soldier named Summer Rayne, the last thing Dan could have predicted is the spark of attraction between them.
Mark Hansen thought working as artist’s assistant would be glamorous, especially if that artist was a vampire. Black tie events, witty repartee, gracing the pages of the local style section. Didn’t happen. Not even once. Jonathan Varga is an enigma. True, he’s quiet, generous, and scrupulously polite. But he has zero social life, refuses to be interviewed or photographed, and insists he can only consume feline blood.
Prince Allen has trained his entire life to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious mother, who has made their kingdom one of the wealthiest and most influential in the empire. For the past few years he has trained to become the new consort of the High King. The only thing no one prepared him for was the stubborn, arrogant High King himself, who declares Allen useless and throws him out of court.
Thomas Penrose is a village doctor in rural Cornwall. Popular with patients and friends alike, and handsome into the bargain, he lives in a romantic clifftop tower by the sea. It's a wonderful life - if only Dr. Tom could enjoy it. He's a veteran of the conflict in Afghanistan, fighting a lonely battle against alcoholism and PTSD. Determined not to inflict his troubles on anyone else, Tom keeps himself to himself. But fate has other ideas, and brings a handsome surfer crashing to his feet after a dreadful wipe-out on Porth Beach.
Two years after his last encounter with cynical nobleman Lord Murdo Balfour, David Lauriston accidentally meets him again in the heart of Edinburgh. King George IV is about to make his first visit to Edinburgh, and Murdo has been sent North by his politician father to represent his aristocratic family at the celebrations. David and Murdo’s last parting was painful - and on Murdo’s part, bitter - but Murdo’s feelings seem to have mellowed in the intervening years. So much so that he suggests to David that they enjoy each other’s company during Murdo’s stay in the capital. Despite his initial reservations, David cannot put Murdo’s proposal from his mind, and soon find himself at Murdo’s door - and in his arms.
But other figures from David’s past are converging on the city, and as the pomp and ceremony of the King’s visit unfolds around them, David is drawn into a chain of events that will threaten everything: his career, his well-being, and the fragile bond that, despite David’s best intentions, is growing between him and Murdo.
I'm a latecomer to the Enlightenment party, but am SO glad I waited for the audios to appear. Hamish's enthusiasm for his script can be heard in his narration, he honestly gets carried away sometimes...and totally in a good way!! Davie and Murdo seem to come to an understanding in this instalment, both of them admitting that what is happening between them is too big to ignore [it's called L-O-V-E you two!!]. Have already downloaded Enlightened, which came out on 1st December. What will I do when that's finished?? 😓
OMG, all the melty, gooey, yumminess. Okay, there's way more to this book, but I just adore how they are starting to admit to themselves how much they mean to each other.
I love all the details about life in this time, this is why I always say I'd go back in time if time travel was possible, although I'd likely be horrified by the difficulty of life then, I'd love the chance to experience it.
Plus I love the way she wove all the inequalities that people faced into the story without it being a sledgehammer (this is seldom done well in any story, historical or not). I enjoy all the ways it makes me think about how much things have changed, but also realize how much they haven't.
So much love for this book and series!
Audio: Some of the best audio ever. I have a weakness for Scottish accents anyway, so the fact that I can listen to some of my favorite books with a narrator that speaks with the correct accent makes this a total win for me. Plus Hamish McKinlay makes every character distinct, acts out the emotions so well, and is just everything I could want in a narrator. All the stars for his work.
Even better than the first book! The subtle opening of David’s fearful heart was truly touching. Murdo’s slow revelation. Elizabeth’s tragic circumstance. The beginnings of touristic Scotland created by Sir Walter Scott. Excellent reader. Looking forward to the next volume.
This is the second book in the trilogy, and it is even better than the first. David and Murdo are wonderful together - sensual, understanding, and loving. Keeping too many secrets might destroy their relationship, which causes angst for the reader (listener), but the overall story is so good, there is just no stopping.
Elizabeth's situation is heartbreaking, as is her father's. The glimpse of King George IV is humorous and enlightening. I am so invested in this series that I want to jump into the third and final book right away. However, the performance of the narrator is so engaging, I also want to wait for the audiobook version to come out.
The author and narrator have done an amazing job bringing this world to life, and I can't wait for the next installment!
To quote my review of the first book "It’s a slightly tragic love story, not because it’s about two men in a time that relationship is taboo, but because of WHO they are. And to me this is the strongest point about the book, David made the right choice for him, not the easiest selfish one... It was an unlikely treasure in a sea of (albeit lovely) romantic fairy tale type M/M books." And it still is!!!
David and Murdo return two years after the events in Provoked, and I have been waiting for them for sooooo long! I really have been thinking about the first book, wondering how the story will pick up after the non HEA ending, every once and awhile-that is how much the story has affected me and remained in my heart.
First of all the narration is top notch, I mean Joel Leslie level, acting every word with soul and devotion, no holding back, I believe I have traveled back in time GOOD. Hamish McKinlay is the PERFECT narrator for this book and the delicately constructer world of 1820's Scotland is brought to life vivaciously through his narration. His accent is deliciously addicting, his voice pleasant and tone perfect in each and every character.
Second, this story has everything I love about Historic Romance, well researched and interesting with new facts and social intricacies that add dimension and depth. David is living his life, while still remembering his brief time with Murdo, not expecting to ever see him again. The King's visit to Scotland has the entire country in a frenzy, boosted by Sir Walter Scott's generously Romantic stories and flair for the flamboyance of old, and brings Murdo back into David's life. It was an interesting dichotomy for me to read about Scott's influence in real live, having read a few of his books and loved them. It truly showed the fiction VS life in that time period and it was in interesting new angle for the story to me. David also meets a woman he befriended two years ago, a woman that wanted more from him then he could ever give her. Two years are a long time for David and her, and things have changed. I like that the plot line flowed smoothly despite the time difference. The characters grew in depth and emotion and this was a delight to read! I also liked that despite the book's welcome and fantastic touch on the real, darker, parts of that time period the romance is beautifully woven into the story and remains its leader without becoming a cliché for a second. The action is thrilling and compelling, you feel for each character and want them to do well. I love the conflicts David and Murdo face, they are real life issues you can relate to and also time appropriate, a masterpiece indeed.
This was an amazing continuation of the story and I am now anxiously looking forward to the next book!
Beguiled is the second book In the enlightenment series. Provoked was the first historical romance, and I wish I didn't wait so long to read it!! Anyway back to beguiled... I couldn't wait to find out what happened between David and Murdo. They still had amazing chemistry, and to watch them reconnect was amazing. David seems more sure of himself in this book. Murdo was so caring towards David. The sexy times were soooo hot 🔥, and there story itself Kees you wanting to find out what happens. I can't wait for the next book. The narrator does a fantastic job!! Beguiled is extremely well written.