#Collin (White Wolf Series)

[us3rnam3-r3dact3d]

i assume you'll be coming for blood (that makes two of us)

Chapter 2

Ao3 | 3.5k words | Sweetheart's POV

Things go from bad to worse, and all of it's Sweetheart's own doing. - Fooliverse Sweetheart faces off with that first shade. They already know Milo, but things are a lot more complicated than they might have been, not least because of their own stubbornness and pride. Hopefully that pride won't get them killed. Hopefully.

TW: violence, mentions of sex, the Department, illness, arguments, general toxicity

Jet had a handful of not so kind words for you when you finally showed up to work the next day, first for being late and then for not seeking medical attention the night before.  

“If you are unable to handle a single threat independently,” Jet had seethed, emailing medical about your impending visit as he spoke, “then you might consider a change in title.”  

You didn’t say a thing in protest. You ignored the orders to report to medical, and instead made your way back to your desk in the bullpen, pulling up the open case file on your shitty, ancient desktop computer. You added new notes to the shade’s file, new findings on its abilities and appearance, and drafted an email to a magical expert on Death. Unfortunately, that expert lived in Tanzania, so you would have to find someone who could translate your message to Swahili, and his back to English for any of it to matter.  

You missed lunch entirely, too focused on the work in front of you to glance down at the desktop clock or the silver watch your father had given you last Christmas that you wore invariably. You only recognized that it was nearing one in the afternoon when a hand tapped your desk, drawing your attention away from your investigation for the first time in hours.  

Dr. Collins was an intimidating man. You weren’t afraid of him, per say, but you certainly didn’t want to end up on the bad side of his death glare. When you looked up, recognizing his Department emblazoned white coat and the irritated crinkle in his brow, you shifted your gaze from his silver eyes to the bridge of his alkaline nose.  

“Investigator,” Collins’ drawl clipped his words particularly aggressively, “care to tell me why I received a memo that you were reporting to my office hours ago only to find you at your desk, looking like you just got dragged back from Hell?”  

Doctor Sam Collins was one of the rare vampires employed by the Department’s medical division. He oversaw the onsite infirmary, headed the magical/medical research in the Department’s underground labs, and liaised with D.A.M.N. concerning their healing courses. The only reason he was afforded those positions, of course, was because of his incredible power pre-turning.  

I was a wolf, Milo had said. You wondered if Collins had that same sort of grief in his voice when talking about his power.  

“Probably because I was, Doc.” You shrugged, stretching your back for the first time in hours. A series of loud, obtrusive cracks echoed out through the nearly empty room. When had everybody else left? You checked your watch. Lunch. Right. 

“I told you you’d find them here.” An indignant huff from behind you. You whipped your head around, your neck popping audibly at the sudden movement. Cam was standing at the entrance of the bullpen, his hands on his hips. You’d never seen him look annoyed before. His face was usually blank and serene.  

“You were right.” Collins shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re lucky your friend has a good read on you, Investigator. I was fixing to sick your supervisor after you. And I’ve worked with Jet long enough to know how unpleasant that would be.”  

You groaned, your head falling back to rest against your stiff office chair. God, your head was pounding. Your throat felt like something had clawed its way out of it. Your stomach was still uneasy. Your muscles ached.  

“You look terrible.” Cam said, suddenly much closer to you. You jerked at his nearness, nearly toppling out of your chair. The Doctor’s unnatural reflexes saved you. All of the annoyance leaked from him at once as he knelt to begin examining you. His hands were cold when they rested on your forehead, tilted your face this way and that. You wondered if it was a result of his vampiric condition, or if it was because he was a doctor.  

“Double whammy.” You muttered, your eyes slipping closed.  

“You’re delirious.” Collins replied. Healing magic sparked around you, warm and bright like sunshine. You let it wash over your skin, not fighting against Collins’ assessment or Cam’s gentle, soothing touch.  

“Are you making me calmer?” You asked Cam, more accusatory than anything. He huffed, offended.  

“I wouldn’t without asking.” Cam assured you. “I think... you’re just too tired to fight back.”  

“Something got its hooks in you.” The Doctor added. Cool hands hovered over the skin of your neck. “I’m gonna touch, just for a second. Let’s take care of these bruises.” 

“Bruises?” You croaked, just as Collins’ hands slid around your neck. His magic swelled around you, and you swung out, pushed at his shoulders to try and get him away. Your heart began to race, your body suddenly awake and alert. You stood, pushing your chair away and stumbling back from Collins and Cam.  

“Easy!” The doctor said, his hands extended in front of him like he was surrendering. Cam had a strange, sad look to him. Pity. Your stomach turned.  

“I’m sick.” You snapped, shaking your hands out at your sides. You were suddenly filled with anxious energy. “The flu.”  

Cam said your name, so soft and cloying. You knew that tone. He was talking down to you, treating you like you couldn’t handle this. You could handle this.  

“I should go home.” You said. “Since I have the flu.” Doctor Collins squinted at you. Those silver eyes nearly pulled you in. Your hand twitched to your phone. You should call Milo.  

“Let someone take you.” He ordered. “I’d do it myself if the damn sun wasn’t still up. You’re lucky you work on this side of the building, or I wouldn’t have been able to come up and see you in person.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, his body sagging a bit. He looked exhausted all of a sudden. What a waste, you thought. He can’t help me.  

“I’ll be fine.” You said, shaking your head. “I’ll get an Uber or something.”  

“Please wait,” Cam said, stepping forward, a hand outstretched towards you, “let me take you home.” 

“It’s fine, Cam,” you sighed, “you’ve gotta get back to work.”  

It was raining by the time you stepped outside, and the late-summer, early-fall chill left you shivering and soaked. You hadn’t bothered with a jacket when you came stumbling into work, and you hadn’t bothered to snag the umbrella you kept in your desk’s bottom drawer for days just like this. Summer in Dahlia meant sudden rainstorms and that damp sort of air that hurt to breathe.  

Well, breathing hurt in general, at that moment. You stalked down the sidewalk, soaked through, and tried to decide where you were going.  

Home was in the opposite direction, but you refused to turn back and be seen as wandering from the Department’s windows. You kept moving, calling up your known paths through the city, trying to remember where you could double back.  

A car pulled up beside you, low to the ground, shining, and blood red. You ignored it, crossed your arms over your chest, and kept moving. You had learned by this point in your life not to give catcallers the time of day.  

“Hey Sweetness,” the voice of this particular catcaller got your attention. You stopped short, turned. Milo’s car halted its crawl. The sedan behind him honked impatiently, but Milo paid them no mind. “Whatcha doing out here in the rain? Not that I’m complaining about the wet shirt part.”  

“Asshole.” You whispered, but you opened the passenger door and deposited yourself inside, dripping all over his leather interior. 

“Woah,” Milo said, his voice suddenly concerned, “you weren’t kidding about the flu. You look like shit.” 

“Gee,” you rolled your eyes, “you flirt. You sure know how to make someone blush.” 

“Hey,” Milo put his car into drive and peeled off of the curb, merging dangerously fast with traffic. He swerved skillfully between cars going too slow for his liking. Your stomach lurched. “I’m expressing concern over here.” 

“I don’t need concern.” You hissed. “If everybody would stop pitying me it would make my fucking day.” 

Milo’s mouth snapped shut. His anger was palpable. Good. You preferred anger to whatever else he was cooking up. Anger you could deal with. Anger was familiar. 

“I’m taking you to my place.” Milo said after a long silence. “I’ll… make you soup. Or something.” 

You sighed, resting your head back against the seat. Your head pounded. You didn’t fight sleep when it pressed against the back of your eyes. 

When you woke, you realized that Milo must have carried you inside. You were in the center of his sinfully soft, sinfully giant bed, tucked into his billion thread-count sheets. You sat up and groaned as your migraine made its presence known. You couldn’t have at least slept that off. That would make your life a fraction easier, and that wasn’t allowed. 

When you got your legs under you, shaky knees and all, you found yourself clad in an oversized tee and boxer shorts. They smelled like Milo, even if you couldn’t imagine him wearing something so casual and you knew he didn’t frequent underwear at all. Or maybe he just went commando when he knew he might get lucky. Either way, he’d gone through the trouble of pulling these out for you, undressing you, re-dressing you, tucking you lovingly in bed. The sentimentality of it all made your stomach flip. 

You could smell something cooking and followed your nose down the stairs and through the twisting halls of Milo’s giant house. Said giant house included a kitchen that gave you a stab of jealousy when you first saw it. Milo wasn’t using it, not for much, anyway. He had an extensive bar cart in one corner, his giant, state of the art fridge was stocked entirely with blood, and his walk-in pantry had one corner filled with sugar snacks. He seemed to only keep food for his fuck buddies. You shivered at the idea of anybody else utilizing those. You would have to start keeping track of them, just to be sure. 

Milo was standing over the stove, a brand new wooden spoon in one hand, his phone pressed to his ear in the other. 

“Davey,” he hissed, “I’m not asking for a lecture. I’m asking how to make it just a little more palatable.” You could hear a deep voice rumble on the other side, but couldn’t make out any words. “Jesus Christ, I should have never called you! I’m not gonna make a fucking bone broth when Cambles so helpfully provides soup in nice little cans.” His eyes flicked to you, whether it was your heartbeat or your snickering that gave you away. He extended one finger to you, as if to say I’ll deal with you in a minute. “Yeah, yeah, whatever, you pretentious asshole.” He hung up. 

“House member?” You asked, crossing to the large island that filled up the middle of the spacious kitchen. There were plastic bags from some pharmacy or another littered around it. You poked around, nosey as ever. Generic painkillers. Three cans of chicken noodle soup. A dozen Gatorades of different flavors. A smattering of cold and flu medicines. Cough drops. He must have grabbed anything he thought might help. Cute. 

“Old friend.” He corrected, turning back to the little pot on the stove in front of him. “Davey doesn’t believe canned soup is a valid form of food. I thought he might have a few ideas on how to improve it. Turns out all he was interested in was telling me off for even buying it.” 

“I can eat canned soup.” You shrugged. “It’s all the same stuff.” 

“Exactly.” Milo huffed. He turned off his burner and started to pour the soup from the pot into one of his sleek, black ceramic bowls. Even his dishware looked expensive. “You get it.” 

He walked the bowl over to you, handed you a spoon, and directed you to one of the stools pushed up under the island. You sat down heavily, snagged a green Gatorade, and downed the soup like a starving man. 

“There’s more.” Milo said, sitting next to you. “And some stuff in the pantry. I just grabbed a buncha’ shit. Don’t know what you like.” 

“You didn’t have to do all that.” You shook your head. Milo refilled your bowl before you could blink. You didn’t protest. 

“Well, you looked like you needed it.” He shrugged. He was trying to act casual, but you could feel him observing you, taking in every detail, like he was waiting for you to keel over. 

Funnily enough, once you scraped your bowl and went to stand, your knees buckled. He caught you, of course. He bundled you into his chest, your cheek pressed against the exposed skin of his peck. Stupid, silken shirt unbuttoned to his navel. Stupid pretty silver necklaces, cold without any body heat of his own. Stupid little shake in his chest as he steadied you. 

“Easy, Sweets.” He said. “Just- will you take it easy? Let me help you.” He was exasperated. Frustrated. 

You pushed back, stumbling away from him. 

“I don’t-“ you shook your head, pressed your hands into the kitchen island and braced yourself. “I’m fine.” 

“Bullshit.” Milo spat. “You look like death warmed over. I can help! Let me help!” 

“I don’t need your help!” You shouted. Your voice rose out of you, anger and stubbornness filling you with newfound energy. “I can handle this! I don’t care what bullshit they put me through, I can handle it!” 

Milo was quiet. He held your gaze. You held his. Your brain screamed to look away, but you couldn’t. He hadn’t even tranced you, but you were trapped. 

“Did-“ he pursed his lips. “What did D.U.M.P. get you into?” 

He read you like a book. You gave too much away. 

“Where are my clothes?” You asked instead of answering him. He huffed, his hands falling to his hips. His stupid, pretty hands. His stupid, muscly hips. You didn’t know if you wanted to hit him or kiss him. 

“No.” He shook his head. “Absolutely not.”

“What do you mean ‘no?’” 

“I mean I’m not gonna let you go back into whatever the fuck you’re dealing with alone.” You opened your mouth to argue, but he extended that finger again. You didn’t care for that one fucking bit. “And I know you could handle it, Sweetness, you are a force of fucking nature. But you’re not being given the resources you need, and it’s clearly affecting you. So tell me what you need and I will give it to you, Sweetheart!”

“What I need,” you spat, “is for you to stop calling me that!”

“What?” 

“Sweetheart.” You poorly imitated his accent. He huffed out a short laugh. “Sweetness. All those stupid, cute nicknames.”

“Oh, so you think I’m cute?” He crossed his arms over his chest. His face smoothed over into a smile, but you could see the tension in his body. He was giving you an out, a way to step away from the argument before you said something you would regret. 

Fuck him. You would say what you wanted to say. 

“You’re not my boyfriend.” You growled. “And I’m not your mate.” 

It was a calculated killing blow. You knew as it left your tongue that it would hurt, that it would cut him to the bone. The two of you had fucked a handful of times, talked even less, but he, for some goddam reason, had shown you the parts of him that still bled. You hadn’t wanted to use them against him, but you had no choice. Your own weaknesses were so obvious, so clear to the eye, and anybody could use them against you. He was luring you in with all coddling and sweet talking. He didn’t care about you. You wouldn’t let him back you into a corner when you knew how to get away. 

Milo’s face went slack, his whole body rearing back from that word. Your gut twisted with something like guilt. You wouldn’t have that. You twisted your fingers into the collar of his oversized shirt and held on for dear life. This was survival, simple as that. Nothing personal. That was something that Milo of all people would understand. 

“Out.” He hissed finally, breaking the silence that had overtaken the kitchen. Milo’s eyes were dark, darker than they usually were. His pupils had blown to encompass his silver irises. His face went horrific in a split second. Your body reminded you that you were facing down a monster. 

He moved very suddenly, disrupting the air in the room. Your breath caught as his hands landed on you. Your clothes were pulled off before you could protest. Your heart seized in your chest, but as that word pressed at the back of your teeth, you were redressed in the blink of an eye. Your work clothes, still warm from the dryer, were buttoned and tucked before the cool air of Milo’s kitchen could touch your skin. Your shoes were on your feet. Milo’s hands landed on your shoulders and he began to steer you towards the door. Even this angry, his touch was gentle, feather light, like he was afraid to hurt you. 

And fuck, if that didn’t make you that much more angry. 

You were out the door, unsure if you’d even managed a single independent step. Milo’s touch left you immediately. Your phone, keys, wallet were in your hands. You spun around and saw your shitty sedan parked next to one of Milo’s six priceless sports cars in the driveway. He must have picked it up while you were sleeping. Your stomach flipped. 

You turned back around. Milo was hovering in the doorway, shadows cast across his face from the low light of his house. His eyes were glazed over entirely black now. His fangs were extended, pressing into his pretty, full lips. 

“I shared that with you,” Milo said, his voice tinged with something animalistic, something wild, “as a show of trust. I told that to you because I know that I have a lot of power. I told you something that I knew could hurt me, because I know it’s not easy to do that.” His face twisted up. You were terrified, for a moment, that he would cry. “Fuck you. Fuck you for using that to hurt me.” 

“You could hurt me without even trying!” You seethed. You wrapped your arms around your middle, trying to hold yourself up. 

“Yeah.” Milo nodded. “I could. But I didn’t.” 

The door shut in your face. You stared at the stained mahogany like it might have answers for you. You screamed until your chest gave way to stuttered, panicked gasps. You got in your car and drove away. 

Your desk was waiting for you when you made it back to the office. Jet’s office was darkened, and only a handful of other investigators remained at their desks. It was late evening, bordering on much too late to be here. You sat down anyway and started working. 

By the time morning came round, you had far more information than you did at the start of the day before. For one, you had a rudimentary understanding of Swahili, and had managed to properly convey what you needed from your expert using a few online dictionaries and whatever Google Translate had to offer. He was a pleasant guy, if your translations were correct, and had affirmed that he would send a statement your way within the next few days with everything he knew about shades broken down into simple enough terms for the Department to work with. 

Your back ached and your stomach was still in knots, but you felt much better than you had the day before. Whatever affects the shade’s life-sucking-bullshit left its victims with wore off with time and rest. You added it to your notes, and sent a quick email to Collins to report your improved health. The sun had started to rise when you received a message back. 

Report to medical for field clearance. Don’t make me sick Jet on you. 

You sighed, scrubbing at your tired eyes. You knew it was pointless to resist. Collins would get you down there eventually, one way or another. It looked better for you if you went voluntarily. 

There was a whole floor to the medical department. Half of it was dedicated only to Dr. Collins’ medical research and the seminars he taught for D.A.M.N.. The other half made up the Department’s extensive infirmary. Staffed by Dr. Collins’ loyal group of doctors and nurses. They were a vicious bunch, too smart for anybody’s good, and skilled beyond all reason in both mundane and magical healing. Collins expected nothing but exceptional skill from his staff, and he wouldn’t settle for anything less.

[avatarvyakara]

Might as well work on this one too…

On Age in Carmen Sandiego (2019)

Or, at the very least, in the timeline of Crimson Shades.

First off, Carmen’s mother, Carlotta Valdez (aka “Vera Cruz”), was supposed to have “died” in 1999. Carmen looked around perhaps a year old at that point in time, giving her a possible birth-date in 1996 to 1997. This in turn suggests that the series takes place some time before the actual date of publication—say, 2017/2018 onwards—to maintain Carmen’s rough age.

Rough age ranges of the characters, taking Carmen’s rough birthdate for estimation:

Team Red

Isabela Valdez/Black Sheep/Carmen Sandiego: 16/17 starting at VILE, 18/19 during the Poitiers Caper, 22/23 by the end.

Fairly self-explanatory.

Pierre Bouchard/Player: 12/13 as a White Hat Hacker, 14/15 during the Poitiers Caper, 18/19 by the end.

Not quite old enough for a learner’s permit (Up Here it’s a G1) during the earlier capers.

Ivy Collins: 19 during the Donuts/Poitiers Capers, 23 by the end.

Zack Collins: 18 during the Donuts/Poitiers Capers, 22 by the end.

Zack is supposed to be around a year younger than Ivy.

Nakamura Suhara/Shadowsan: 23 when sent after Dexter Wolfe, 42 during the Poitiers Caper, 46 by the end.

Young but not too young, as it were.

VILE

Eartha McGlynn/Coach Brunt: 39 upon receiving Black Sheep, 58 during the Poitiers Caper, 61 when arrested, 63 by the end.

Gunnar Stromme/Professor Maelstrom: 37 upon receiving Black Sheep, 56 during the Poitiers Caper, 60 when arrested, 62 by the end.

Oluchi Cleopatra Okorie/Countess Cleo: 26 upon receiving Black Sheep, 45 during the Poitiers Caper, 49 when arrested, 51 by the end.

Saira Dhibar/Doctor Bellum: 33 upon receiving Black Sheep, 54 during the Poitiers Caper, 58 when arrested, 60 by the end.

Sir Nigel Braithwaite/Roundabout: 56 when appointed, 57 when arrested, 59 by the end.

Margherita Picasso/Cookie Booker: 54 when first pelted, 62 when the Hard Drive was stolen, 67 by the end.

Vlad Bobinski: 28 upon receiving Black Sheep, 45 upon letting Black Sheep get away, 50 by the end.

Boris Vladinski: 27 upon receiving Black Sheep, 44 while watching Vlad let Black Sheep get away, 49 by the end.

They may be slightly younger or older, but at least Coach Brunt’s age seems to have been confirmed at 60 by the time of the Fourth Season.

Graham Calloway/Gray/Crackle: 18 starting at VILE, 20 during the Poitiers Caper, 24 by the end.

Jean-Paul Marignan/Le Chèvre: 19 starting at VILE, 21 during the Poitiers Caper, 25 by the end.

Antonio Sánchez/El Topo: 18/19 starting at VILE, 20/21 during the Poitiers Caper, 24/25 by the end.

Sheena Landry/Tigress: 18 starting at VILE, 20 during the Poitiers Caper, 23 when arrested, 24 by the end.

Parker Morris/Mime Bomb: 18 starting at VILE, 20 during the Poitiers Caper, 23 when arrested, 25 by the end.

Sawa Jin/Paper Star: 17 starting at VILE, 18 during the Magna Carta Caper, 22 when arrested at the end.

ACME

Tamara Fraser/Chief: 26 when killing Dexter Wolfe, 45 during the Poitiers Caper, 49 when arresting VILE, 51 by the end.

Inspector/Agent Chase Devineaux: 37 during the Poitiers Caper, 38/39 when arresting VILE, 41 by the end.

Agent Julia Argent: 25 during the Poitiers Caper, 27 when arresting VILE, 29 by the end.

This is going to cause some trouble, I just know it. But the average amount of time it takes to get a university degree in the UK is around three years, and Julia has two of them. She also seems to have jumped right to an associate professorship at Oxford in Season 3, the requirements for which are around 4-6 years of study plus a thesis. Thus Julia would have had to have been in school for at least something like seven to nine years before joining Interpol, with whom she had apparently only been for a fortnight before the Poitiers Caper. The number above assumes that she skipped a year and took a year less to complete her second degree. Or took two years less. Or started two years early. You get my point. Basically, Julia has to be a fair bit older than she looks in order to actually have the qualifications she possesses.

Agent Umaira Zari: 38 during the Poitiers Caper, 40 when arresting VILE, 42 by the end.

Some additional ages:

Nakamura Hideo: 17 when his brother Suhara was born, 36 when his brother disappeared, 63 when his brother returned for good, 65 by the end.

Not an unreasonable age given his looks, I thought.

Carlotta Valdez: 27 when she gave birth to Isabela, 47 when Carmen returned home to her, 49 by the end.

Young but not too long, once again.

Any I missed?

[cromwelll]

My 2023 New-to-Me Media Wrap-Up

Movies

History of the World, Part 1 (★★★)

A Man Called Otto (★★★★)

The Beguiled (★★★★)

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (★★★★★)

Everything Everywhere All at Once (★★★★)

Oppenheimer (★★★★★)

Barbie (★★★★★)

Bullet Train (★★★)

Other People (★★★)

A Haunting in Venice (★★★★)

Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (★★★★)

Death on the Nile – 2022 (★★★)

Death on the Nile – 2004 (★★★)

The Woman in Black (★★★)

Worth (★★★★)

The Woman in White (★★★★)

Murder on the Orient Express (★★★★★)

Santa Claus is Coming to Town (★★★)

Happiest Season (★★★)

The Other Boleyn Girl (★★★)

Maggie Moore(s) (★★★★★)

T.V. Shows

Ghosts S4-S5 (★★★★★)

Suits S1-S8 (★★★)

The Great S2-S3 (★★★)

The Bear S2 (★★★★★)

Mildred Pierce – Mini-series (★★★)

Fisk S1 (★★★★★)

Call the Midwife S12 (★★★★)

Over the Garden Wall (★★★★★)

Wolf Hall (★★★★★)

Books

Nobody is Ever Missing by Catherin Lacey (★★)

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman (★★★★)

Beowulf (★★★★)

Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala (★★)

This One Summer by Jillian & Mariko Tamaki (★★★)

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (★★★★)

Zami by Audre Lorde (★★★)

Faustus by Christopher Marlowe (★★★)

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (★★★)

Othello by William Shakespeare (★★★★)

Dawn by Elie Wiesel (★★★)

Oroonoko by Aphra Behn (★★★)

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (★★★)

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen (★★★★)

Clover by Dori Sanders (★★)

Passing by Nella Larson (★★★★)

Seize the Day by Saul Bellow (★★★)

Daisy Miller by Henry James (★★★★)

The Turn of the Screw x2 by Henry James (★★★★)

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde x2 by Robert Louis Stevenson (★★★★)

To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck (★★★)

The Yellow Wallpaper & Other Writings by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (★★★★)

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig (★★)

The Living by Annie Dillard (★★★)

Heartstones by Ruth Rendell (★★★)

The Law & the Lady by Wilkie Collins (★★★)

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (★★★★)

Cane by Jean Toomer (★★★★)

Our Dark Academia by Adrienne Raphel (★★)

A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie (★★★)

Wieland by Charles Brockden Brown (★★★★★)

The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammet (★★★★)

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (★★★)

E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton (★)

Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (★★)

Podcasts

Rehash (★)

Normal Gossip (★★)

Noble Blood (★★★★★)

Lore (★★★)

Fuckbois of Literature (★★★)

Stuff You Missed in History Class (★★★★)

If Books Could Kill (★★★★)

Wilder by Glynnis MacNicol (★★★★★)

Documentaries

Anna Nicole: You Don’t Know Me (★★★)

Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie (★★★★)

Defending My Life (★★★★★)

Plays

The Last Living Gun (★★★)

[smashpages]

Out this week: Captain America Cold War Omega (Marvel, $4.99):

Collin Kelly, Tochi Onyebuchi, Jackson Lanzing and Carlos Magno wrap up the crossover that pit two Captains America and their allies against Bucky Barnes, the White Wolf and a horde of Dimension Z monsters. Kelly and Lanzing still have one more issue of Captain America to go before the series ends to make way for a new Captain America series in September.

See what else is arriving at your local comic shop this week.

[shiroiookami-no-hanashi]

Ocean Eyes Pt. 3

Collin watched Kieran’s father out of the corner of his eyes. The weekend was over and they were finally leaving to go back to Kieran’s place. While Kieran’s father said nothing throughout the entire weekend, he was expecting the older demon to say something now that they were leaving.

It wasn’t until they were all packed and heading down the driveway that he was able to relax. He never ran into the other demon the rest of the weekend but every time he left Kieran’s room alone or Kieran left the room, he always looked around, expecting him to be there.

Throughout the weekend, Kieran and him talked and got to know each other and true to his word, Kieran didn’t so anything but kiss and cuddle with him. He found out that Kieran was 178 years old and he had asked why he didn’t find a mate sooner and Kieran told him that his demon hadn’t accepted anyone and like werewolves and vampires, demons also mated for life until somehow their mate passed away. Kieran also told him he hadn’t been ready for that commitment and had still been in his teen-aged rebellious age and wasn’t ready to settle down. Then for the kicker at the end, Kieran had kissed him and said that he was glad he waited, smiling like he had won the lottery. He had gotten embarrassed by that which only made Kieran tease him even more.

They even talked about what they were going to do about his friend Lennox. One the day of Lennox’s shift, they were going to wait on the edge of the old pack’s territory where they had promised to meet and pick him up. Kieran even promised that Lennox could stay with them for as long as he needed. He had been so happy that Kieran had been so understanding that he nearly cried and Kieran had held him until he felt better.

Collin looked over at Kieran, watching him until Kieran noticed him staring and glanced over him.

“What is it? Like what you see?” Kieran asked with grin.

Collin smiled and reached over, taking one of Kieran’s hand from the steering wheel and interlaced their fingers together. “Thank you.” he whispered.

Kieran gave him another curious glance before turning his gaze back to the road, “Anything for you darlin’.”

3

Kieran opened the door to his flat, letting Collin shuffle in first only to have him stop in the doorway and stare inside.

“This is your place?” Collin asked, amazed.

Kieran didn’t think it was anything special but from what Collin came from, it had to look like a palace to him. He got a place with an open floor plan where the living room, dining room and kitchen were all connected. Right when you walked in, there was a staircase that went to the second floor where his room and a guest room were. There was even a guest room next to the kitchen. A few feet from the stairs sat the couch with a TV and stand out in the middle of the floor. Behind the TV was just a wall of windows and a sliding glass door that lead out to the balcony. It wasn’t nearly as big as Keir's and Cyprian’s places but he liked it and had it for quite a few years.

Kieran walked up behind Collin and wrapped his arms around the pup’s waist, “Don’t you mean our place? You live here not too ya know.”

Collin turned his head, “It’s still so hard to believe sometimes. I feel like I’m dreaming.’

“Believe me, this is not a dream.” Kieran nipped Collin lightly on the neck lightly. The young pup tensed slightly and then squirmed out of his grasp and into the living room. Sure they had been close all weekend but he knew Collin was still getting used to things and it’d take longer than just a few days to do that. Now, Collin was in a new environment and his wolf was probably going ballistic at the new sights and smells and his scent was all over the place.

Collin looked around, slowly almost hesitantly walking farther into the living room. Everything was so new and he wondered how long it was going to take him to get used to thinking that he lived his now with Kieran. At least he wasn’t going to have any issues with getting lost unlike Kieran’s parent’s place. There were also so many new smells that caught his attention yet Kieran’s scent seemed to layer on top of all of them so he mostly just smell Kieran’s scent, which he wasn’t complaining.

Walking out onto the balcony, Collin looked over the city and he could see the mountains in the distance and he probably stared at them for a good ten minutes alone before Kieran joined him, handing him a glass of water.

“Never thought you’d see something like this huh?”

Collin took a sip from the cup before shaking his head, “Never, I only dreamed of something like this. I didn’t think I’d make it in the wild but I like to believe in reincarnation so I hoped I’d be reborn into someone or something that could have the freedom so see sights like this.”  He blinked away the tears when Kieran put an arm around his waist.

“Just think of this as a re-birth. You are no longer the white werewolf outcast you were in your old pack but now just Collin, a werewolf and my mate. Nothing is going to change that so remember you get to see this every morning you wake up and every night before you fall asleep. Besides me of course.”

Collin couldn’t help but laugh at the last statement, “Why is everything about you in the end?”

“Because I’m your mate and you should only have eyes for me.” Kieran answered.

Collin looked up at Kieran, “You’re jealous of a mountain.”

Kieran grinned, “Damn right I am, how would you feel if I spent all my time staring at a mountain than you?”

Narrowing his eyes, Collin growled softy, “I’d make you look at me.”

“Now who’s jealous?” Kieran questioned.

Collin only smiled and turned back to look over the city, “You’re all I have so you don’t have to worry about my eyes wondering to anyone or anything.”

Kieran pulled Collin closer and he leaned down to rest his forehead on top of Collin’s head, his demon purring in appreciation. Collin then suddenly tensed and his face got flushed.

“You’re purring.” Collin murmured, sounding slightly surprised.

Kieran purred louder in response, turning slightly to pull Collin to his chest, “I am a cat demon so that is one of the things I can do. Does it bother you?”

Collin shook his head and his face got a shade darker, “No, I kind of like it. It’s cute.” He mumbled softly.

“I’ve only purred with you,” Kieran whispered, “It means I’m comfortable and my demon is happy that you’re near.” He smiled when Collin looked up at him and happiness shone in the werewolf’s blue eyes, a big smile forming on his face.

“Really?” Collin asked as his heart raced in his chest. No one had ever said that they were happy he was around. His family had barely said two words to him unless they were telling him to do something. They didn’t praise him when he did in school or thanked when he did something without being asked and never once did they say they loved him.

“Yes, really.” Kieran answered and his eyes softened when Collin’s eyes filled with tears.

“I don’t know what I’d do if this turned out to be a dream.” Collin’s voice shook and the tears fell down his face.

Kieran wiped the tears away as they fell and he grabbed Collin’s hand, placing it on his chest. “It’s not a dream love. I’m right here and I’ll always be here. I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

“Thank you.” Collin whispered before burying his face into Kieran’s chest and he wrapped his arms around Kieran’s waist, hugging him tightly.

“You’re welcome baby.” Kieran held Collin tightly. Collin deserved the world and that’s what Kieran is going to give him.

- 3 -

“Keir, can you come by this afternoon, I need to talk to you.” Kieran said into his phone as he watched Collin rummage around in the kitchen making them lunch.

“Of course, any time in particular you want me to drop by?”

“Any time in the next few hours would be ideal though Collin’s making lunch so if you’re hungry, you’re more than welcome to come by sooner. I just gotta tell him to make extra if you do.”

“That will be nice. I just have to finish up here and I’ll be right over. I’ve been wanting to meet the werewolf father has been going about.”

“So you’ve talked to dad? I bet he did say anything good.”

“Not entirely, I’ll tell you more when I get there. See you soon.”

“Yeah, see ya.” Kieran pushed the end button, tossing the phone onto the couch. “Collin.” He called. Collin paused what he was doing and turned to face him.

“My brother Keir is dropping by, could you make enough for three?”

Nodding, Collin smiled and went back to what he was doing. It didn’t take him long but now he knew his way around the kitchen and probably knew it better than Kieran did.

Kieran continued to watch Collin move about the kitchen. Collin had taken it upon himself to make their meals from now on and while he told the pup it wasn’t necessary since he had his own personal cook. Collin had insisted though, saying it was something he liked to do and who was Kieran to deny him that. He also couldn’t lie when he liked seeing Collin smile when he said what Collin made was better than anything his cook had made.

Kieran was very curious as to what Keir was going to tell him and he could only imagine what his father had said without them around. He knew it wasn’t going to make him happy and probably make Collin upset but he need to be prepared when he confronted the older demon. He didn’t plan on talking to his father until Collin and he mated, making it official but he didn’t want to pressure Collin into anything he didn’t want to do and he couldn’t avoid his father forever. He was sure his father would make an appearance in the next few weeks and he will not be happy to find out that not only did he have Collin still with him but another white werewolf living with him.

He already knew that was surely to cause another fight and his father won’t back down so easily this time. He just wished his father would just accept it, that Collin was here to stay and also that he wasn’t going to become clan leader. That position was rightfully Keir’s and if his father kept pushing the issue, he’d eventually take it up with Lucifer to make his father back down. That was his last resort and he hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

It was a good half an hour later when Kieran heard the door to his loft open and Keir walked in carrying in a bag. Keir’s eyes briefly shifted over Collin before meeting Kieran’s.

“It’s good to see you Keir.” Kieran said, “What did you bring?”

“A cake from downtown. I’d thought I’d being dessert since you’re offering lunch.”

Kieran smiled, “Do you buy cake for you gang too?” he asked jokingly.

“Every once and a while if they ask.” Keir answered with a straight face.

Chuckling, Kieran took the bag from Keir’s hands and placed it on the counter. Opposite to how he acted sometimes Keir was a softy. He could only imagine how Keir was going to treat his mate once he got one.

Keir was a few inches taller than him with golden blonde hair and peridot green eyes. Keir was also very straight-forward and didn’t sugar-coat things but underneath his poker face and monotone voice, he was a great guy and did everything in his power to make the ones close to him happy.

Kieran waved Collin to his side, “Collin, meet me eldest brother Keir and Keir, this is my mate Collin.”

Keir held out his hand and Collin hesitantly took it, shaking it. “It’s nice to meet you Collin. My brother is treating you right?”

Collin flushed, nodded his head and he pulled his hand away. “It’s nice to meet you too and yes, I couldn’t be any happier with Kieran.”

“That’s good.” A small smile came onto Keir’s face, “Don’t be afraid to tell him off sometimes. He likes to let things go to his head every once a while.”

“Don’t tell him that.” Kieran said, punching Keir in the shoulder and Collin nodded quickly before darting back into the kitchen saying something like that lunch was almost done. He motioned Keir to the couch so they could talk while Collin finished.

“I see you haven’t mated with the pup yet.” Keir said as he sat on the couch.

Kieran said beside him, leaning back, “No, not yet. We’re taking it slow and waiting until its right. I might be Collin’s mate but we’ve only known each other for less than a week. I told him I didn’t mind waiting until he was ready.”

Keir nodded, understanding, “Must be hard on him. When werewolves find their mate no matter what age or how long they’ve known each other, the urge for them to mate is strong.”

“Yeah I know and what’s really hard is that he’s not used to anything affection wise since he was the outcast of the pack so I try not to push him so much. There is only so much someone can get used to in less than a week. I’d be more concerned if he was ready to mate with me at this point but it’s getting harder and harder to keep my hands off him now that my demon has accepted him.”

“I don’t blame you, he’s cute. You’ve got yourself a looker and when he grows up a bit more, he’s going to be gorgeous.”

Kieran looked back to Collin and smiled, “Is it bad I hope he stay like this forever, like a puppy?”

“Of course not but you’ll love him either way right?” Keir asked.

“Of course I will.” Kieran answered, his eyes softening when Collin noticed him staring and smiled back at him from across the room. No matter, what, he’d always love Collin.

3

“You’ve really piss him off this time Kieran, he’s threatening to disown you if you mate with Collin.”

Kieran groaned and ran a hand through his hair as he leaned back, “I figured it’d come to that eventually but he won’t go through with it, mom won’t allow it. He’s more afraid of her than we are and if he tried to disown me, she’d kill him.”

Keir smiled, “That is very true. Even if he tried with that threat, Cyprian and I will tell him he has to disown us as well and when that’s on the table, he’ll definitely won’t go through with it.”

“Don’t do that, you never know what he’s going to do and might just disown all of us. However, it wouldn’t last long since mom would never let him do that. I’m still holding onto the hope, he’d just drop the whole thing.” Kieran glanced down at Collin who was staring at his hands either listening or off in his own little world.

“I don’t care what he says or does, Collin is here to stay and I wouldn’t let him go for anything in the world.” Collin now looked up at him with curious eyes and he wrapped an arm around Collin’s shoulders, pulling him close.

“Dad said you were only using Collin to get out of marring Vanessa but I can see that’s not the case and you truly care about Collin.”

Kieran growled lowly, “I’m not playing this game with him. I’m Collin’s mate and my demon has accepted Collin and if he doesn’t believe that, tell him to come over and I’ll prove it to him. Collin is mine and I don’t want anyone else nor will I ever. Tell him that the next time you talk to him.”

Keir held his hands up in defense, “I never doubted you but you know how dad is when he had his mind set on something. I’m still trying to figure out why he’s in such a hurry to make you clan leader and for you to have cubs.”

Shaking his head, Kieran sighed, “I have no idea and why Vanessa? Is the Ives clan special in some way I don’t know about? If he really wants more king cheetah demons, you’d think he’d try and set me up with Lilith from the Degray clan, she’s still unmated and I would have had been more likely to have king cheetah demon cubs with her. The Ives clan has no king cheetah demon.”

“Exactly,” Keir responded, “I don’t understand why Vanessa either. It’s not like we have any trouble with the Ives clan.”

“We won’t know unless we ask him but the likely hood of him telling us is nonexistence.”

Keir frowned, “Most likely and mom probably doesn’t know either. Though it is safe to say that she approves of you and Collin, she just wants you to be happy and if Collin makes you happy, she’s okay with that.”

Kieran smiled at that. He was unsure how she felt through the weekend but he was glad she approved of them. She wasn’t as selfish as their father and always told them she wanted what was best for them and the fact that she knew that Collin was best for him made his chest swell with happiness. Now, if only their father felt the same way.”

“Do you have any plans this weekend or had Cyprian talked to you already?”

Kieran shook his head, “Besides getting Collin’s friend on Friday, we’re free all weekend, what’s going on?”

“Cyprian and Vanessa are having a get-together at their new place Saturday and are inviting family and a few friends from the clan to come. You’ll probably be getting a call from him some time soon.”

“Wow, they already got a home, that’s great. As long as Collin and Lennox can come, we’ll stop by.”

“Lennox?” Keir questioned, looking confused.

“Lennox is Collin’s friend from his old pack and since Lennox is a white werewolf too, when he shifts on Friday, they’ll be kicking him out. So when that happens, we’ll be going to pick him and I’m letting him stay here.”

“Dad won’t be too happy about that.” Keir murmured.

“To hell with him,” Kieran hissed, “I’m not a child anymore and whoever I let stay here is none of his concern. Let him try and stop me. Collin’s happiness is my top priority and if it makes Collin happy to see his friend safe, I’ll do anything in my power to make that happen.”

Keir smiled softly and nodded in agreement, “I was so afraid that dad was going to turn you into his puppet and it makes me happy to see that you have a mind of your own. If I saw you heading down that path, I was going to take you to live with me so you wouldn’t be in his control. I’m so glad it didn’t come to that and I would have done anything to see that didn’t happen.”

Collin’s eyes got wide at the look of love in Keir’s eyes. He was always told that demons were vicious, heartless creatures and didn’t care about anything but themselves and now he knew that was the farthest thing from the truth. Demons seemed to have a deeper bond with the ones in their family and clans than maybe even werewolves. He couldn’t see demons kicking someone out of their clans for something petty like fur color or even what animal demon they were. He couldn’t stop the tears from blurring his vision or the small sob that escaped him. Next thing he knew he was being turned to face Kieran and his tears were wiped away by a warm hand.

“Baby, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? Kieran’s voice was filled with concern and Kieran’s eyes were searching his.

“Everything I learned about demons were a lie,” Collin took in a shallow breath, trembling, “He really cares about you and I wish I had that in my old pack. It make me realize I never had a true family, that they could have never loved me as much as Keir loves you.”

“Oh, darling,” Kieran whispered softly, “Please, don’t cry.” He cupped Collin’s cheeks and kissed him, “Don’t think about them anymore okay? I’m your family now as well as mine and I love you more than you could ever know just the way you are. God, you’re perfect baby.” He said breathlessly, happy to see Collin’s eyes light up at his words, “They don’t deserve your tears, hell even your thoughts. Just know that you are my everything for the rest of our lives.” He pulled Collin onto his lap, holding him close and Collin’s arms came around his neck in return. Be damned if Keir was watching them, he wasn’t ashamed to comfort his mate with others around. He breathed in Collin’s scent, the smell of campfire and wild flowers, the most addictive smell he had ever come across. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of Collin’s scent.

Glancing up, he gave Keir a sheepish smile, he didn’t expect the conversation to turn to this but after a few minutes, once he calmed down Collin pulled back, blushing as he slipped off Kieran’s lap.

“Sorry.” Collin whispered.

“Nothing to be sorry about baby.” Kieran whispered in reply and he reached over to squeeze Collin’s hand.

Collin gave him a small smile, “I’m going to go wash up, and I’ll be right back.” He pulled his hand away slowly, brushing his fingertips across Kieran’s palm before he went upstairs.

Kieran watched Collin until the pup disappeared into their bedroom before turning back to his brother, “Not what you were expecting I’m sure, sorry about that.”

Keir merely shrugged his shoulder, “Not the first time I’ve seen something like that. Most of the members have mates and it’s not a weakness for anyone to show love or compassion to the ones around them in front of others. I don’t understand werewolves and why they do what they do but that doesn’t make them the bad guy. All of us in our own way are also the bad guy, remember that we’ve all done things aren’t proud of.”

Kieran nodded, “I understand. I’ve always been wary of them but now that I know what they are capable of doing to their own kind, how can I look at them the same?” he questioned, waiting for an answer.

“Just like us and vampires, werewolves do things their way. They don’t say anything about what we do and we don’t say anything in return. It’s how it is and how it’s always been.”

Kieran narrowed his eyes, “Not always, I was young but I remember.”

“That’s the past and we are in the present. We’ve learned from our past mistakes and we won’t repeat them. I have to go though, things I need to check up on but thank you for lunch.” Keir paused to look up at Collin who had made it to the middle of the stairs, “It was nice to meet you Collin, I hope to see you this weekend.”

Collin looked to Kieran for a brief moment, “It was nice meeting you too and I hope so as well.”

Keir nodded before making his way out of the apartment.

Kieran hadn’t moved from the couch so he pulled Collin into his lap before the pup had the chance to sit down beside him and held him close. “If Cyprian says it’s okay, would you and Lennox even want to go, I won’t force you if you don’t want to come.”

Collin tucked his head under Kieran’s chin, “I can’t speak from Lennox since he’s never met a demon in his life or hell, I’m the only one besides his family he’s ever met. His family never even let him go to school so I was the one who taught him how to read and write. They were 10 times worse than my family and I wouldn’t put it past them to hurt him when they chase him off to make sure he doesn’t survive.”

“Do you really think they’ll do that?” Kieran reached over and grabbed Collin’s hand, interlacing their fingers together.

“I wouldn’t put it past them. I overheard his parents talking to mine about just killing him to save him the trouble of surviving in the wild, saying that a quick death would be merciful and they’d feel a little less guilty about the whole thing.”

“If they knew they were going to feel guilty, why do it in the first place?” Kieran hissed, tightening his hold on Collin, “I can’t believe they didn’t let him go to school, did they keep him in a cage or something?”

Collin tensed and squeezed Kieran’s hand, “They thought he didn’t need to experience those kind of things since he was never going to live that type of life. He was the youngest so he didn’t have any siblings to take care of like I did so he was locked in his room all day and it was the size of a storage closet basically. The only reason why he met me was because my parents convinced his that it'd be a good idea for us to become close so if we stayed in the wild together, we’d have a better chance at survival. He’s going to be worse than me at adapting, meeting others and now demons. Growing up, I was told that demons were vicious, awful creatures that ate humans for the hell of it, killed others if they didn’t get their way and that they didn’t care about anything but themselves so that’s what I told him when he asked about other creatures in the world. I doubt he’s even seen outside, doesn’t know how anything works and it’ll take him a longer time to adjust to anything and everything.”

“That’s just awful.” Kieran whispered, “I’ve never heard anything like this. It’s takes a lot for a demon to get kicked out of the clan, more than just not listening to the clan leaders and vampires are the same way. It’s extremely rare for them to kick someone out of their clans. I assumed werewolves were the same way since the more wolves in the pack, the stronger the pack was as a whole.”

“I guess they’d rather be a weaker pack than risk having a cursed wolf around on the off case they bring a curse that wipes out the pack.”

“Is there even proof that white werewolves being bad luck after their shift?”

Collin only shrugged his shoulders and he nuzzled his nose against Kieran’s neck. He knew it was because Kieran was his mate but he loved the demons scent, the smell of rain and grass. He found it odd yet addictive. Odd because he assumed that Kieran being a cheetah demon, he wouldn’t have such a strong scent not that he was complaining. With Kieran’s scent all over the place, it was getting harder and harder to ignore the urge to mate with demon.

He learned a little bit about mating from the older kids in the pack when he went to school. He was told that your mate was your other half and nothing would be the same once you met them, you’d never be able to live without them and you’d go insane from being separated from them. Also, that the urge to claim them would hit you like a literal freight train and god did it. It took everything he had not to pounce Kieran when he walked into the hospital room and even now he didn’t know how long he could hold out.

Collin shifted on Kieran’s lap to where he was straddling Kieran’s lap, legs on either side of Kieran’s thighs and he wrapped his arms around Kieran’s neck, watching closely to Kieran’s reaction. He shuddered when Kieran’s hands came up to rest on his hips and he noticed that the demon’s eyes darkened slightly, pupils shifting to slits.

“Collin.” Kieran whispered.

Collin’s eyes briefly fluttered shut at the sweet tone in Kieran’s voice and when he opened them, Kieran’s eyes had bled to a dark red. He tilted his head, leaning in until their lips were only a breath away and he waited until the right moment, pulling back right as Kieran leaned in to close the distance. He couldn’t stop the smile forming on his face when Kieran growled softly.

“You damn tease.” Kieran muttered before flipping them on the couch so Collin was now on his back, Collin’s legs wrapped around his waist at the sudden movement. It was his turn to smile at Collin’s wide eyed, shocked expression, “Don’t test me pup.” He purred.

Collin’s face flushed and his breathing quickly got heavy, his heart racing in his chest. He wasn’t sure if he was fully up to having sex yet but he couldn’t hold his wolf back from claiming his mate.

“Collin, I want you to tell me the truth. Are you ready to have sex with me? This is a big thing and if you aren’t ready, I want you to tell me and I don’t want you to think you have to rush for my sake, we can wait.”

Collin shook his head, “But I-”

Kieran kissed him softly, cutting off his next words, “No buts darling, I know it’s hard, trust me. My demon wants to claim you just as badly but you control the pace, not your wolf or my demon. It’s not a rush okay however, I do know of a way for you to claim me without having sex just yet, do you trust me?”

Eyes softening when Collin nodded his head, Kieran sat up, running his hands over Collin’s thighs as he did so. Collin sighed breathlessly as heat filled his belly, his eyes glazing over. He watched Kieran grab the hem of shirt and lift it over his head, throwing it to the floor before leaning over to hover above him. His hands itched to touch the demon above him but he held back, digging his fingers into the couch.

Kieran noticed what Collin was doing and gently grabbed Collin’s wrist, bringing his hand up to the pup’s palm was pressed to his chest. He grinned as Collin’s hand begun to tremble.

“You’re gonna have to get used to touching me, baby. Don’t be shy, you can’t do anything wrong.” Kieran whispered.

“I-I’ve never done this before.” Collin stuttered.

“I know love but you have to start somewhere and maybe someday, you’ll take charge.” Kieran said with a wink.

Collin blushed at the thought, his body shuddering and his eyes moved to his hand on Kieran’s chest, brushing his fingertips against the demon’s skin. He hesitantly ran his hand over Kieran’s abs, feeling ever dip and warmth of the demon's skin before coming up to rest it against neck. This feeling was foreign to him, the feeling of warm skin of another and he could only hope he’d get used to it.

Kieran leaned against Collin’s touch and he begun to purr, taking into notice at how Collin tensed. He slowly slipped his hands under Collin’s shirt, watching the pup’s reaction before moving his hands to Collin’s sides, brushing his fingers over his belly. He stilled, meeting Collin’s eyes and he waited for Collin to get his approval to continue. Collin’s blue eyes shone with anxiousness and most importantly trust. With a small nod from Collin, he moved his hand down to the edge or Collin’s pants, watching for any reaction that told him he was going too far. With nothing of the sort, Kieran unbuttoned Collin’s jeans and pulled down the zipper.

Collin’s breath hitched as Kieran’s warm fingers brushed against him and he noticed he could hear every small noise, the sound of his heavy breathing and Kieran’s soft purring to comfort him. Everything was so new to him, the feeling of Kieran’s hands, the warmth in his belly and the fog in his head that muddled all his thoughts. He couldn’t help but wonder how Kieran was feeling. He took in a sharp breath, eyes going wide and back arching when Kieran slipped his pants down slightly, hands coming to rest on his thighs and out of instinct, his hand snapped to Kieran’s wrist, stopping him.

Kieran instantly stopped and looked up at Collin, eyes softening at the slight fear that swim behind blue irises. He didn’t remove his hands but he leaned down, kissing Collin’s gently. “It’s okay baby. I just wanna make you feel good.” He purred lowly.

Collin’s eyes wavered, “I- I um, I mean, I’ve.” He hesitated, his face growing warmer, “I’ve never.” He whispered as he shyly met Kieran’s gaze, hoping the demon understood without him actually saying it, it was embarrassing.

“Never?” Kieran’s eyes widened slightly when Collin shook his head.

“I was the 3rd of 10 siblings, I never had privacy, even in the bathroom.” Collin murmured as he averted his gaze. It was silent for a few moments and he couldn’t help but think Kieran didn’t want him anymore because he was so inexperienced. Tears blurred his vision and he squirmed in discomfort.

“Baby, don’t cry.” Kieran said softly as he wiped away the tears, “I don’t like seeing you cry. There is nothing to be ashamed of so look back at me and believe me when I say that the fact that I’ll be the first one ever to give you that kind of pleasure makes me extremely happy.” When Collin looked back to him, their gazes locked, he leaned down kissing Collin breathlessly and only separating when Collin’s legs tightened around his waist. “Darling, I don’t care about that. I just want to give you the pleasure you deserve, I want to make a mess of you and see your face as you come for the first time, Can I?”

Collin’s face took on the shade of a cherry, flushing to the tips of his ears and Kieran was concerned the poor pup was going to pass out but Collin squeezed his eyes shut and nodded his head.

Kieran smirked, “Thank you.”  He whispered quietly as he moved down to Collin’s neck, nipping at the skin he found there. Collin gasped, his leg jerking against Kieran’s hip and he tilted his head back to allow Kieran more access. Kieran wasted no time and continued to nip at Collin’s neck, moving his hand to cup Collin’s erection through his boxers.

Collin’s back arched, a small whimper escaping and his hips stilled as pleasure raced up his spine. Eyes blurred over from the pleasure and he wondered if he was feeling this much already, what it would feel like if Kieran touched him directly.

When Kieran could tell Collin was close, he moved up so his shoulder was in front of Collin’s face and so he could purr in Collin’s ear. At some point both of Collin’s arms had managed to wrap around his back and Collin was digging his now lengthened claws into the back of shoulder. It didn’t hurt but he knew he’d have to get used to it with having a werewolf as lover. He couldn’t blame Collin either, he assumed Collin was drowning in so much pleasure that he had no idea what he was doing anymore.

Collin couldn’t believe his ears at all the noises he was making, whimpering and moaning with every movement of Kieran’s hand and it embarrassed him like nothing else not even getting naked in front of the pack for his first shift.

“Just let it go baby, cum for me.”

Collin vaguely heard Kieran whisper in his ear and something snapped, his back arched and he practically screamed, moaning loudly as his vision went white.

“Bite my shoulder darling.”

Collin’s eyes went wide as his vision instantly came back, gold eyes locked onto shocked red ones as he did what he was instructed, his canines sinking into the demon’s skin, claiming him. His body trembled with the after-effects of his orgasm, pleasure still numbing his body when the sweet taste of Kieran’s blood over-powered him, his hips jerking up as a second orgasm washed over him. His head fell back onto the pillow once his wolf was satisfied with the claim and his body shook, his breath caught in his throat. His arms fell limply to his sides and he was soon learning that it was hard to keep his eyes open and it wasn’t until Kieran whispered that it was okay for him to sleep, did he obey his body’s demand, eyes slipping shut and he fell asleep surrounded by comforting arms, a hand running through his hair.

- 3 -

When Kieran opened his eyes, he noticed that Collin wasn’t cuddled to his chest anymore but was cooking in the kitchen. As he stood from the couch, he could feel his shoulder aching from when Collin claimed him, the pup sure didn’t know how to hold back. Making his way into the kitchen he snuck up on the unsuspecting pup by wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him back.

“How are you feeling?”

Collin nearly jumped out of his skin, jerking his head around, “I-I ’m fine.” He answered quickly. His face begun to heat up as he remembered what happened just hours earlier and he glanced at the bite mark on Kieran’s shoulder, “Does it hurt?” he found himself asking.

Kieran chuckled, nuzzling the back of Collin’s neck, “Nah, it’s just a slight burning sensation. It takes more than just a love bite to hurt me. Is your wolf feeling better?”

Collin nodded and turned back to what he was making. His wolf seemed plenty satisfied and even though it wasn’t a full claiming, it felt nice to know that Kieran was his.

“I hope you don’t mind that I changed your clothes. I didn’t think you’d want to wake up in dirtied boxers, it’s not a pleasant feeling believe me.”

Collin felt his blush returning, “It’s fine, thank you.” He whispered. He was grateful but embarrassed all the same and now he didn’t know how he should face the other.

Kieran tightened his arms around Collin’s waist, still nuzzling the pup’s neck and he begun to purr in hopes of getting Collin to relax. Collin was tense, eyes way to focused on the task he was working on and he knew Collin was embarrassed but this was something he was definitely something the pup was going to have to get used to. Everyone he had been with in the past, he had been very affection with and now that the pup had partially claimed him, his demon was anxious to complete it. His demon wasn’t known for patience but he himself had plenty of practice.

“Baby, there’s nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about, okay? Sex is a natural instinct, more so in our species and you were perfect so don’t think too hard about it.”

Collin nodded and finally relaxed, leaning into Kieran and he closed his eyes, “I know and I know I sound like a broken record yet, I’m still not used to things, such as the act or even the affection you’re showing me right now. It still feels weird sleeping in your arms at night.”

Kieran pulled back slightly, “Would it make you feel better if we slept in separate rooms for a while?”

Collin turned in Kieran’s arms, shaking his head, “I might not be used to it but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it. I can’t get used to it if we give up and your smell comforts me, helps me sleep.”

Kieran brought Collin closer, pressing his forehead against the pups, “I know darlin’ which is way we’re taking it slow, letting you get used to everything at your own pace. You trust me right?”

Smiling softly, Collin raised his gaze to meet Kieran’s, “I do trust you,’ he then dropped his gaze, “But that kind of scares me. Is that normal?”

“Very normal pup, trust is a scary feeling for anyone and a big step for you. The fact that you trust me in such a short time makes me extremely happy.” Kieran tilted his chin up and kissed Collin softly before releasing him. “Thank you. I can’t wait for dinner.”

Collin watched as Kieran walked back to the front room. It hadn’t even been a week and Kieran had given him so much, most he didn’t even think he deserved since he couldn’t give anything back in return but for the first time in a long time, he was happy.”

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (11-17 Sep 2022)

[that's the mood, besties]

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😍 Thin Blue Flame (Roll On #3) (jaxington) - 174K - Bucky's POV and the continuation & resolution of their story - I cannot stress how incredible this series is.

😍 👂‍ All Life is Yours to Miss (Saras_Girl) - Drarry, 114K - Draco-centric, very slow burn - featuring Stanley the wedgewood-patterned mint beetle whom I love very much

😍 Slippery Creatures (The Will Darling Adventures #1) (KJ Charles, author; Cornell Collins, narrator) - Will "that's my emotional support trench knife" Darling meets Kim "slippery bin fox" Secretan, there's a secret criminal society and shenanigans

😍 A Certain Type (ann_anotherthing) - Steddie, 54K - fabulous canon-divergent AU with a 25 year time jump and a 2nd chance romance - shedloads of angsty angst with a happy ending, incredible illustrations

🥰 Sailor's Delight (Rose Lerner) - RL is one of my fave historical romance writers: low angst, delightful, incredibly well researched with "lovingly crafted artisanal dick jokes".

💖💖 +253K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

say the word (& I'll be your renaissance man) (liadan14) - The Old Guard: Kaysanova, 19K - excellent modern no-powers AU with instagram fitness model Joe and baker Nicky

Are You Aware, Wolf? (leveragehunters (Monkeygreen)) - MCU: Stucky, 12K - anything by leveragehunters is incredible and that includes this charming story about bibliophilic newbie werewolf!bucky & vamp!steve

your body is an anchor (Ark) - The Sandman: Dreamling, 6K - this is 100% my gateway story for this ship

Carnations and Lighthouses (BerityBaker) - OFMD: BlackBonnet, 26K - modern florist/tattooist AU - I love how everyone writing these unanimously decided to make stede the tattooist and ed the florist

blooming through the cracks (dreamtiwasanarchitect) - The Old Guard: Kaysanova, 28K - another excellent modern no-powers AU with some very realistic chronic pain/chronic illness stuff

[podfic] Sunday Afternoon (ishouldbesleepingrightnow, author; thatsmysecret, narrator) - MCU: Stucky, >1K - great podfic of a very short and sweet but absolutely filthy little ficlet

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Harley Quinn - s3, e10 - I'm so relieved and delighted that there's going to be a season 4, because my girl, she is GROWING

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Twenty Thousand Hertz+ - Tokyo Rose

99% Invisible #506 - Monumental Diplomacy

Shedunnit Book Club - The Elusive Agatha Christie

Ologies with Alie Ward - Oreamnology (MOUNTAIN GOATS ARE NOT GOATS) with Julie Cunningham

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Elmina Castle

You're Dead To Me - Medieval Animals

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Fairhaven Historic Markers

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Growing the Atlas

It's Been a Minute - The game has changed for D&D and 'A League of Their Own'

Vibe Check - That’s Some Harry Potter Sh!t

99% Invisible #507 - Search and Ye Might Find

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Chapel Creek Ranch

Switched on Pop - Invasion of the Vibe Snatchers

Into It: A Vulture Podcast with Sam Sanders - Finding Your 'Inner White Girl' in 'A Strange Loop' (Plus: We Discuss 'Don't Worry Darling' Drama)

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Grittiness and Romanticism in New York and Paris

Into It: A Vulture Podcast with Sam Sanders - Black Hobbits and the Whiteness of Fantasy (Plus: What Are Abbi Jacobson and Chanté Adams Into?)

You're Dead To Me - The History of Timekeeping

Ologies with Alie Ward - Geology (ROCKS) with Schmitty Thompson

Twenty Thousand Hertz+ - MicroHertz #6: Unsolved Sonic Mysteries

Richmond Til We Die: A Ted Lasso Podcast - The Hidden Cost of Blazing Your Own Trail (with USWNT legend Briana Scurry)

One Year - 1986: Herschel vs. the Blubber Busters

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Gocta Waterfalls

It's Been a Minute - Who needs the monarchy? Plus, why gray floors and barn doors are everywhere

You're Dead To Me - Ibn Battuta

You're Dead To Me - The History of Fandom, 1700-1900

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Chill Mix 1

Shaun Cassidy

"Beach Baby" [First Class] radio

R&B Radio • Workout station

"Heartbeat It's A Love Beat (feat. Tony DeFranco)" [The DeFranco Family] radio

DISCO [Kylie Minogue]

Presenting Kylie Minogue

Presenting Sugababes

Presenting Spice Girls

'90s One-Hit Wonders

[thealmightyemprex]

Top 10 Faerie Tale Theatre episodes

I love this silly anthology series .Created by Shelley Duvall ,this 27 episode series adapts classic fairy tales ,some serious but often with a tongue and cheek sense of humor .They are also jam packed with celebritiesand even a few big name directors . Now I am going to talk about my 10 favorites,but keep in mind this is just my oppinion

10.Princess and the Pea

This is basicallly a romantic comedy in Fairy Tale disguise.I was reallly impressed by the performances and chemistry between Liza Minnelli and Tom Conti , and loved Beatric Straight (Who I know mainly for Poltergeist ) in a comedic role

9.The Pied Piper of Hamlin

Directed by Nicholas Meyer (Known to me for directing Time After Time and Star Trek's 2 and 6 ) ,this is possibly the darkest episode in the series .Eric Idle plays against type as the titular Piper ,delivering a honestly unsettling performance

8. Cinderella

Iwont lie this one has some filler....But the humor and performances make it for me .Jennifer Beals is a perfect Cinderella , MAtthew Broderick is a charming prince ,Eve Arden is great passive aggressive Stepmother , and Jean Stapleton might be the best Fairy Godmother I have ever seen (So much southern aunt energy ) .Night my favorite adaptation of Cinderella but its a good one

7.Hansel and Gretel

While Pied Piper is the darkest episode this is a cloase second and easily the scariest ,due to an effectively terrifying duel performance by Joan Collins as the abusive stepmother and as the child eating witch

6. Rip Van Winkle

I have seen some call this one of the weakest episodes ,but I love this one .It has a perfect performance by Harry Dean Stanton as Rip (Like this is perfectly casted ).It is also directed by Francis Ford Coppola (Yes,THAT Coppola ) ,and the purposeful artificiality and theatricality in this episode REALLY reminds me of his adaptation of Dracula .Coppolas stylistic direction reallly make this one of my favorites

5.Sleeping Beauty

A rather comedic take on the classic fairy tale and with one of the strongest casts in the show ,including Christopher Reeve PERFECTLY cast as the Prince ,the always magnificent Bernadette Peters as the titular role ,Beverly D'Angelo hamming it up as the Evil Fairy ,George Dzundra as a humorus narrator,and the always reliable Rene Auberjonois is quite comical as the king .(Also fun duel casting with Peters as a not so nice Princess and Reeves as a not so nice prince )

4.Little Red Riding Hood

An expansion of the classic Fairy Tale that reallly works .It's got a sense of humor , Mary Steenburgen is a great Little Red , I love its atmosphere ,but the best part of this episode is Malcolm McDowell as the Wolf .It is such a fun performance from him I HAVE to reccomend this episode

3 .Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp

First episode I ever saw and still one of my favorites .Directed by Tim Burton ,you can reallly feel his influence on this episode (Especiallly in the Cave scene and in all the Sultans wacky contraptions ) .IT als has two strong performances by two Sci Fi veterens ,Leonard Nimoy as the evil Magician and James Earl Jones not only providing narration ,but playing TWO Genies,the subdued Genie of the Ring and the bombastic and comically menacing Genie of the Lamp (In fact the Genie of the Lamp is one of my favorite performances by Jones ) .....Not how I expected a Star Trek and Star Wars crossover to go but its a good one :D

2.Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Just a solid adaptation,one of the best I have seen of Snow White .Solid performances (Particularly by Tony Cox and Vincent Price ) and hands down the BEST Villain in the series ,with Vanessa Redgrave being legitmately menacing as the Queen

1.The Boy Who Left Home To Find Out About The Shivers

Yeah the title is way too long but this episode is great .It is a legitimately funny horror comedy (And I LOVE Horror Comedy ) with a MAGNIFICENT CAST ,With the great Peter Mcnicol as the lead ,the fantastic Christopher Lee as the antagonist ,narrated by the phenominal Vincent Price ,and with supporting performances by Dana Hill , David Warner ,Jeff Corey and FRANK ZAPPA of all people. This episode is so much fun I had to make it number one

Honorbule Mentions

Beauty and the Beast (Susan Sarrandon,Klaus Kinski ,and Anjelica Huston )

Thumbelina (CArrie Fisher,William Katt and Burgess Meredith )

Three Little Pigs (Billy Chrystal ,Fred Willard,Stephen Furst and Jeff Goldblum )

Repunzel (Shelley Duvall ,Jeff Bridges ,Gina Rowlands and Roddy McDowell )

The Emperors New Clothes (Dick Shawn, Art Carney and Alan Arkin )

@ariel-seagull-wings @princesssarisa @metropolitan-mutant-of-ark @filmcityworld1 @sunlit-music @marquisedemasque

[nellygwyn]

BOOK RECS

Okay, so lots of people wanted this and so, I am compiling a list of my favourite books (both fiction and non-fiction), books that I recommend you read as soon as humanly possible. In the meantime, I’ll be pinning this post to the top of my blog (once I work out how to do that lmao) so it will be accessible for old and new followers. I’m going to order this list thematically, I think, just to keep everything tidy and orderly. Of course, a lot of this list will consist of historical fiction and historical non-fiction because that’s what I read primarily and thus, that’s where my bias is, but I promise to try and spice it up just a little bit. 

Favourite fiction books of all time:

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock // Imogen Hermes Gowar

Sense and Sensibility // Jane Austen

Slammerkin // Emma Donoghue 

Remarkable Creatures // Tracy Chevalier

Life Mask // Emma Donoghue

His Dark Materials // Philip Pullman (this includes the follow-up series The Book of Dust)

Emma // Jane Austen

The Miniaturist // Jessie Burton

Girl, Woman, Other // Bernadine Evaristo 

Jane Eyre // Charlotte Brontë

Persuasion // Jane Austen

Girl with a Pearl Earring // Tracy Chevalier

The Silent Companions // Laura Purcell

Tess of the d’Urbervilles // Thomas Hardy

Northanger Abbey // Jane Austen

The Chronicles of Narnia // C.S. Lewis

Pride and Prejudice // Jane Austen

Goodnight, Mr Tom // Michelle Magorian

The French Lieutenant’s Woman // John Fowles 

The Butcher’s Hook // Janet Ellis 

Mansfield Park // Jane Austen

The All Souls Trilogy // Deborah Harkness

The Railway Children // Edith Nesbit

Favourite non-fiction books of all time

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman // Robert Massie

Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King // Antonia Fraser

Madame de Pompadour // Nancy Mitford

The First Iron Lady: A Life of Caroline of Ansbach // Matthew Dennison 

Black and British: A Forgotten History // David Olusoga

Courtiers: The Secret History of the Georgian Court // Lucy Worsley 

Young and Damned and Fair: The Life of Katherine Howard, the Fifth Wife of Henry VIII // Gareth Russell

King Charles II // Antonia Fraser

Casanova’s Women // Judith Summers

Marie Antoinette: The Journey // Antonia Fraser

Mrs. Jordan’s Profession: The Story of a Great Actress and a Future King // Claire Tomalin

Jane Austen at Home // Lucy Worsley

Mudlarking: Lost and Found on the River Thames // Lara Maiklem

The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth // Anna Keay

The Marlboroughs: John and Sarah Churchill // Christopher Hibbert

Nell Gwynn: A Biography // Charles Beauclerk

Jurassic Mary: Mary Anning and the Primeval Monsters // Patricia Pierce

Georgian London: Into the Streets // Lucy Inglis

The Prince Who Would Be King: The Life and Death of Henry Stuart // Sarah Fraser

Wedlock: How Georgian Britain’s Worst Husband Met His Match // Wendy Moore

Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity from the Stone Age to the Silver Screen // Greg Jenner

Victorians Undone: Tales of the Flesh in the Age of Decorum // Kathryn Hughes

Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey // Nicola Tallis

Favourite books about the history of sex and/or sex work

The Origins of Sex: A History of First Sexual Revolution // Faramerz Dabhoiwala 

Erotic Exchanges: The World of Elite Prostitution in Eighteenth-Century Paris // Nina Kushner

Peg Plunkett: Memoirs of a Whore // Julie Peakman

Courtesans // Katie Hickman

The Other Victorians: A Study of Sexuality and Pornography in mid-Nineteenth Century England

Madams, Bawds, and Brothel Keepers // Fergus Linnane

The Secret History of Georgian London: How the Wages of Sin Shaped the Capital // Dan Cruickshank 

A Curious History of Sex // Kate Lister

Sex and Punishment: 4000 Years of Judging Desire // Eric Berkowitz

Queen of the Courtesans: Fanny Murray // Barbara White

Rent Boys: A History from Ancient Times to Present // Michael Hone

Celeste // Roland Perry

Sex and the Gender Revolution // Randolph Trumbach

The Pleasure’s All Mine: A History of Perverse Sex // Julie Peakman

LGBT+ fiction I love*

The Confessions of the Fox // Jordy Rosenberg 

As Meat Loves Salt // Maria Mccann

Bone China // Laura Purcell

Brideshead Revisited // Evelyn Waugh

The Confessions of Frannie Langton // Sara Collins

The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle // Neil Blackmore

Orlando // Virginia Woolf

Tipping the Velvet // Sarah Waters

She Rises // Kate Worsley

The Mercies // Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Oranges are Not the Only Fruit // Jeanette Winterson

Maurice // E.M Forster

Frankisstein: A Love Story // Jeanette Winterson

If I Was Your Girl // Meredith Russo 

The Well of Loneliness // Radclyffe Hall 

* fyi, Life Mask and Girl, Woman, Other are also LGBT+ fiction

Classics I haven’t already mentioned (including children’s classics)

Far From the Madding Crowd // Thomas Hardy 

I Capture the Castle // Dodie Smith 

Vanity Fair // William Makepeace Thackeray 

Wuthering Heights // Emily Brontë

The Blazing World // Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle

Murder on the Orient Express // Agatha Christie 

Great Expectations // Charles Dickens

North and South // Elizabeth Gaskell

Evelina // Frances Burney

Death on the Nile // Agatha Christie

The Monk // Matthew Lewis

Frankenstein // Mary Shelley

Vilette // Charlotte Brontë

The Mayor of Casterbridge // Thomas Hardy

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall // Anne Brontë

Vile Bodies // Evelyn Waugh

Beloved // Toni Morrison 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd // Agatha Christie

The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling // Henry Fielding

A Room With a View // E.M. Forster

Silas Marner // George Eliot 

Jude the Obscure // Thomas Hardy

My Man Jeeves // P.G. Wodehouse

Lady Audley’s Secret // Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Middlemarch // George Eliot

Little Women // Louisa May Alcott

Children of the New Forest // Frederick Marryat

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings // Maya Angelou 

Rebecca // Daphne du Maurier

Alice in Wonderland // Lewis Carroll

The Wind in the Willows // Kenneth Grahame

Anna Karenina // Leo Tolstoy

Howard’s End // E.M. Forster

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 // Sue Townsend

Even more fiction recommendations

The Darling Strumpet // Gillian Bagwell

The Wolf Hall trilogy // Hilary Mantel

The Illumination of Ursula Flight // Anne-Marie Crowhurst

Queenie // Candace Carty-Williams

Forever Amber // Kathleen Winsor

The Corset // Laura Purcell

Love in Colour // Bolu Babalola

Artemisia // Alexandra Lapierre

Blackberry and Wild Rose // Sonia Velton

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories // Angela Carter

The Languedoc trilogy // Kate Mosse

Longbourn // Jo Baker

A Skinful of Shadows // Frances Hardinge

The Black Moth // Georgette Heyer

The Far Pavilions // M.M Kaye

The Essex Serpent // Sarah Perry

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo // Taylor Jenkins Reid

Cavalier Queen // Fiona Mountain 

The Winter Palace // Eva Stachniak

Friday’s Child // Georgette Heyer

Falling Angels // Tracy Chevalier

Little // Edward Carey

Chocolat // Joanne Harris 

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street // Natasha Pulley 

My Sister, the Serial Killer // Oyinkan Braithwaite

The Convenient Marriage // Georgette Heyer

Katie Mulholland // Catherine Cookson

Restoration // Rose Tremain

Meat Market // Juno Dawson

Lady on the Coin // Margaret Campbell Bowes

In the Company of the Courtesan // Sarah Dunant

The Crimson Petal and the White // Michel Faber

A Place of Greater Safety // Hilary Mantel 

The Little Shop of Found Things // Paula Brackston

The Improbability of Love // Hannah Rothschild

The Murder Most Unladylike series // Robin Stevens

Dark Angels // Karleen Koen

The Words in My Hand // Guinevere Glasfurd

Time’s Convert // Deborah Harkness

The Collector // John Fowles

Vivaldi’s Virgins // Barbara Quick

The Foundling // Stacey Halls

The Phantom Tree // Nicola Cornick

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle // Stuart Turton

Golden Hill // Francis Spufford

Assorted non-fiction not yet mentioned

The Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World // Deborah Cadbury

The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History to the Italian Renaissance // Catherine Fletcher

All the King's Women: Love, Sex, and Politics in the life of Charles II // Derek Jackson

Mozart’s Women // Jane Glover

Scandalous Liaisons: Charles II and His Court // R.E. Pritchard

Matilda: Queen, Empress, Warrior // Catherine Hanley 

Black Tudors // Miranda Kaufman 

To Catch a King: Charles II's Great Escape // Charles Spencer

1666: Plague, War and Hellfire // Rebecca Rideal

Henrietta Maria: Charles I's Indomitable Queen // Alison Plowden

Catherine of Braganza: Charles II's Restoration Queen // Sarah-Beth Watkins

Four Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Romanov Grand Duchesses // Helen Rappaport

Aristocrats: Caroline, Emily, Louisa and Sarah Lennox, 1740-1832 // Stella Tillyard 

The Fortunes of Francis Barber: The True Story of the Jamaican Slave who Became Samuel Johnson’s Heir // Michael Bundock

Black London: Life Before Emancipation // Gretchen Gerzina

In These Times: Living in Britain Through Napoleon’s Wars, 1793-1815

The King’s Mistress: Scandal, Intrigue and the True Story of the Woman who Stole the Heart of George I // Claudia Gold

Perdita: The Life of Mary Robinson // Paula Byrne

The Gentleman’s Daughter: Women’s Lives in Georgian England // Amanda Vickery

Terms and Conditions: Life in Girls’ Boarding School, 1939-1979 // Ysenda Maxtone Graham 

Fanny Burney: A Biography // Claire Harman

Aphra Behn: A Secret Life // Janet Todd

The Imperial Harem: Women and the Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire // Leslie Peirce

The Fall of the House of Byron // Emily Brand

The Favourite: Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough // Ophelia Field

Night-Walking: A Nocturnal History of London // Matthew Beaumont, Will Self

Jane Austen: A Life // Claire Tomalin

Beloved Emma: The Life of Emma, Lady Hamilton // Flora Fraser

Sentimental Murder: Love and Madness in the 18th Century // John Brewer

Henrietta Howard: King’s Mistress, Queen’s Servant // Tracy Borman

City of Beasts: How Animals Shaped Georgian London // Tom Almeroth-Williams

Queen Anne: The Politics of Passion // Anne Somerset 

Charlotte Brontë: A Life // Claire Harman 

Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe // Anthony Summers

Queer City: Gay London from the Romans to the Present Day // Peter Ackroyd 

Elizabeth I and Her Circle // Susan Doran

African Europeans: An Untold History // Olivette Otele 

Young Romantics: The Shelleys, Byron, and Other Tangled Lives // Daisy Hay

How to Create the Perfect Wife // Wendy Moore

The Sphinx: The Life of Gladys Deacon, Duchess of Marlborough // Hugo Vickers

The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn // Eric Ives

Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy // Barbara Ehrenreich

A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie // Kathryn Harkup 

Mistresses: Sex and Scandal at the Court of Charles II // Linda Porter

Female Husbands: A Trans History // Jen Manion

Ladies in Waiting: From the Tudors to the Present Day // Anne Somerset

Ghostland: In Search of a Haunted Country // Edward Parnell 

A Cheesemonger’s History of the British Isles // Ned Palmer

The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister’s Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine // Lindsey Fitzharris

Medieval Woman: Village Life in the Middle Ages // Ann Baer

The Husband Hunters: Social Climbing in London and New York // Anne de Courcy

The Voices of Nîmes: Women, Sex, and Marriage in Reformation Languedoc // Suzannah Lipscomb

The Daughters of the Winter Queen // Nancy Goldstone

Mad and Bad: Real Heroines of the Regency // Bea Koch

Bess of Hardwick // Mary S. Lovell

The Royal Art of Poison // Eleanor Herman 

The Strangest Family: The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte, and the Hanoverians // Janice Hadlow

Palaces of Pleasure: From Music Halls to the Seaside to Football; How the Victorians Invented Mass Entertainment // Lee Jackson

Favourite books about current social/political issues (?? for lack of a better term)

Feminism, Interrupted: Disrupting Power // Lola Olufemi

Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Worker Rights // Molly Smith, Juno Mac

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race // Reni Eddo-Lodge

Trans Britain: Our Journey from the Shadows // Christine Burns

Me, Not You: The Trouble with Mainstream Feminism // Alison Phipps

Trans Like Me: A Journey For All Of Us // C.N Lester

Brit(Ish): On Race, Identity, and Belonging // Afua Hirsch 

The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence, and Cultural Restitution // Dan Hicks

Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls: A Handbook for Unapologetic Living // Jes M. Baker

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women White Feminists Forgot // Mikki Kendall

Denial: Holocaust History on Trial // Deborah Lipstadt

Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape // Jessica Valenti, Jaclyn Friedman

Don’t Touch My Hair // Emma Dabiri

Sister Outsider // Audre Lorde 

Unicorn: The Memoir of a Muslim Drag Queen // Amrou Al-Kadhi

Trans Power // Juno Roche

Breathe: A Letter to My Sons // Imani Perry

The Windrush Betrayal: Exposing the Hostile Environment // Amelia Gentleman

Happy Fat: Taking Up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You // Sofie Hagen

Diaries, memoirs & letters

The Diary of a Young Girl // Anne Frank

Renia’s Diary: A Young Girl’s Life in the Shadow of the Holocaust // Renia Spiegel 

Writing Home // Alan Bennett

The Diary of Samuel Pepys // Samuel Pepys

Histoire de Ma Vie // Giacomo Casanova

Toast: The Story of a Boy’s Hunger // Nigel Slater

London Journal, 1762-1763 // James Boswell

The Diary of a Bookseller // Shaun Blythell 

Jane Austen’s Letters // edited by Deidre la Faye

H is for Hawk // Helen Mcdonald 

The Salt Path // Raynor Winn

The Glitter and the Gold // Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duchess of Marlborough

Journals and Letters // Fanny Burney

Educated // Tara Westover

Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading // Lucy Mangan

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? // Jeanette Winterson

A Dutiful Boy // Mohsin Zaidi

Secrets and Lies: The Trials of Christine Keeler // Christine Keeler

800 Years of Women’s Letters // edited by Olga Kenyon

Istanbul // Orhan Pamuk

Henry and June // Anaïs Nin

Historical romance (this is a short list because I’m still fairly new to this genre)

The Bridgerton series // Julia Quinn

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover // Sarah Mclean

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake // Sarah Mclean

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics // Olivia Waite

That Could Be Enough // Alyssa Cole

Unveiled // Courtney Milan

The Craft of Love // EE Ottoman

The Maiden Lane series // Elizabeth Hoyt

An Extraordinary Union // Alyssa Cole

Slightly Dangerous // Mary Balogh

Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance // Jennieke Cohen

A Fashionable Indulgence // KJ Charles

[fictionfromafar]

Crime Fiction Novels In Translation due in 2022

This list will be added over the coming months so look out for additions. Dates given relate to physical edition release dates in the UK, these dates and indeed occasionally book titles may vary in other territories. USA releases only also shown in brackets.

4th January

Phenotypes by Paulo Scott, translated by Daniel Hahn, And Other Stories BRAZIL

Federico and Lourenço are brothers. Their father is black, a famed forensic pathologist for the police; their mother is white. Federico – distant, angry, analytical – has light skin, which means he’s always been able to avoid the worst of the racism that Brazilian culture has to offer. Lourenço, on the other hand, is dark-skinned, easy-going, and well-liked. Federico is called home as his niece has just been arrested at a protest carrying a concealed gun. And not just any gun. A stolen police service revolver that Federico and Lourenço hid for a friend, decades before. A gun used in a killing.

Dead of Winter by Anders de la Motte, translated by Marlaine Delargy, Zaffre SWEDEN

With her aunt's death, Laura inherits the cabin village Hedda used to manage and is forced to return to the town she hasn't set foot in since the tragedy. Laura's presence stirs up repressed emotions in the small community and it isn't long before a series of arson attacks casts suspicion on her.

The Wanderer by Luca D'Andrea, translated by Katherine Gregor, MacLehose Press ITALY

Out walking his St Bernard, Tony Carcano is confronted by a girl on a motorbike who shows him a photograph from his past. Of him posing with the body of a young woman. Smiling. "Why were you laughing?" It's not the last Tony sees of Sybille Knapp, an orphan whose mother drowned herself in Kreuzwirt lake in 1999.

Cry Wolf by Hans Rosenfeldt, translated by Elizabeth Clark Wessel, Harper Collins SWEDEN

Hannah Wester, a detective in the remote northern Swedish town of Haparanda, finds herself on the precipice of chaos. When human remains are found in the stomach of a dead wolf, Hannah knows that this summer won’t be like any other. The remains are soon linked to a bloody drug deal that went down just across the border in Finland. But how did the victim end up in the woods outside Haparanda? And where have the drugs and money gone?

11 Jan

Buried in Secret by Viveca Sten, translated by Marlaine Delargy, Amazon Crossing SWEDEN

When two cold case disappearances are reopened, a decade of deadly secrets is unearthed on Sandhamn Island. A woman’s skeletal remains are excavated on an uninhabited island in Sandhamn’s archipelago, and Thomas Andreasson is called to officially investigate. But his best friend, Nora Linde, can’t help but get involved.

13 January

My Annihilation by Fuminori Nakamura, translated by Sam Bett, Soho Crime JAPAN

What transforms a person into a killer? Can it be something as small as a suggestion? Turn this page, and you may forfeit your entire life. With My Annihilation, Fuminori Nakamura, master of literary noir, has constructed a puzzle box of a narrative in the form of a confessional diary that implicates its reader in a heinous crime.

Silver Pebbles by Hansjoerg Schneider, translated by Mike Mitchell, Bitter Lemon Press SWITZERLAND

A hunt for drug gang diamonds is keeping Basel Inspector Hunkeler on tenterhooks. Basel, nestled at the border of Switzerland with Germany and France, has been hammered by a huge snowstorm, cars and trams can barely move, trees are groaning under the weight of the recent snowfall, the cathedral and city roofs are smothered.

18 Jan

The Night by Rodrigo Blanco Calderon, translated by Daniel Hahn and Noel Hernández, Seven Stories VENEZUELA

Recurring blackouts envelop Caracas in an inescapable darkness that makes nightmares come true. Real and fictional characters, most of them are writers, exchange the role of narrator in this polyphonic novel. They recount contradictory versions of the plot, a series of femicides that began with the energy crisis. The central narrator is a psychiatrist who manipulates the accounts of his friend, an author writing a book titled The Night; and his patient, an advertising executive obsessed with understanding the world through word puzzles.

20 Jan

The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier, translated by Adriana Hunter, Michael Joseph FRANCE

Winner of the Goncourt Prize and now an international phenomenon, this dizzying, whip-smart novel blends crime, fantasy, sci-fi, and thriller as it plumbs the mysteries surrounding a Paris-New York flight. An ingenious, timely variation on the doppelgänger theme, it taps into the parts of ourselves that elude us most.

21 Jan

Bitter Flowers by Gunnar Staalesen, translated by Don Bartlett, Orenda Books NORWAY

Varg Veum has returned to duty following a stint in rehab, but his new composure and resolution are soon threatened when three complex cases arrive on his desk in quick succession. A man is found dead in an elite swimming pool and a young woman has gone missing. Most chillingly, Varg Veum is asked to investigate the ‘Camilla Case’: an eight-year-old cold case involving the disappearance of a little girl, who was never found.

3 Feb

We Know You Remember by Tove Alsterdal, translated by Alice Menzies, Faber & Faber SWEDEN

A missing girl, a hidden body, a decades-long cover-up, and old sins cast in new light: the classic procedural meets Scandinavian atmosphere in this rich, character-driven mystery, awarded Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year, that heralds the American debut of a supremely skilled international writer.

Land of Snow and Ashes by Petra Rautianen, translated by David Hackston, Pushkin Press FINLAND

Finnish Lapland, 1944: a young soldier is called to work as an interpreter at a Nazi prison camp. Surrounded by cruelty and death, he struggles to hold onto his humanity. When peace comes, the crimes are buried beneath the snow and ice. A few years later, journalist Inkeri is assigned to investigate the rapid development of remote Western Lapland. Her real motivation is more personal: she is following a lead on her husband, who disappeared during the war.

10 Feb

Winter Water by Susanne Jansson, translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles, Hodder & Stoughton SWEDEN

Martin, who has always been drawn to the ocean, moves his wife Alexandra and their two young children move to his family's idyllic summer cottage in the picturesque island village of Orust, on the west coast of Sweden. Martin begins to cultivate a mussel farm, where he soon runs into trouble with the locals.

17 Feb

Unhinged by Thomas Enger & Jorn Lier Horst, translated by Megan Turner, Orenda Books NORWAY

Investigator Sofia Kovic has uncovered a connection between several deaths and murder cases in Oslo over the last year and a half. She tries to call her closest superior, Alexander Blix, not yet wanting to involve anyone else in the police, but before Blix has time to return her call, Kovic is shot and killed in her own home – execution style. And in the apartment below, Blix’s daughter Iselin narrowly escapes becoming the killer’s next victim.

Wild Shores by Maria Adolfsson, translated by Agnes Broome, Zaffre SWEDEN

Though Detective Karen Eiken Hornby returned to her homeland, the island nation Doggerland, from London some years ago, she has largely avoided visiting the northernmost island where her father's wayward family reside. But when a man's body is discovered in a flooded quarry on Noorö and with illness preventing any of her colleagues attending, Karen has no choice but to head north to investigate.

Lady Joker Vol 1 by Kaoru Takamura, translated by Allison Markin Powell and Marie Iide, John Murray Press JAPAN

One of Japan’s great modern masters, Kaoru Takamura, makes her English-language debut with this two-volume publication of her magnum opus. Tokyo, 1995. Five men meet at the racetrack every Sunday to bet on horses. They have little in common except a deep disaffection with their lives, but together they represent the social struggles and griefs of post-War Japan: a poorly socialized genius stuck working as a welder; a demoted detective with a chip on his shoulder; a Zainichi Korean banker sick of being ostracized for his race; a struggling single dad of a teenage girl with Down syndrome. The fifth man bringing them all together is an elderly drugstore owner grieving his grandson, who has died suspiciously after the revelation of a family connection with the segregated buraku community, historically subjected to severe discrimination.

22nd Feb

Even the Darkest Night: A Terra Alta Novel by Javier Cercas, translated by Anne McLean, MacLehose Press SPAIN

When Melchor goes to investigate the horrific double-murder of a rich printer and his wife in rural Cataluña nothing quite adds up. The young cop from the big city, hero of a foiled terrorist attack, has been sent to Terra Alta till things quieten down. Observant, streetwise and circumspect, Melchor is also an outsider. The son of a Barcelona prostitute who never knew his father, Melchor rapidly fell into trouble and was jailed at 19, convicted of driving for a Colombian drug cartel.

24 Feb

The Harbour by Katrine Engberg, translated by Tara Chace, Hodder & Stoughton DENMARK

When fifteen-year-old Oscar Dreyer-Hoff disappears, the police assume he's simply a runaway - a typically overlooked middle child doing what teenagers do all around the world. But his frantic family is certain that something terrible has happened. After all, what runaway would leave behind a note that reads: "He looked around and saw the knife that had stabbed Basil Hallward."

3 March

When Women Kill by Alia Trabucco Zerán, translated by Sophie Hughes, And Other Stories CHILE

Corina Rojas, Rosa Faúndez, Carolina Geel and Teresa Alfaro all committed murder. Their crimes not only led to substantial court decisions, but gave rise to multiple novels, poems, short stories, paintings, plays, songs and films, produced and reproduced throughout the last century. In When Women Kill, we are provided with timelines of events leading up to and following their killings, their apprehension by the authorities, their trials and their representation in the media throughout and following the judicial process.

The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-Mo, translated by Chi-Young Kim, Canongate Press KOREA

At sixty-five, Hornclaw is beginning to slow down. She lives modestly in a small apartment, with only her aging dog, a rescue named Deadweight, to keep her company. There are expectations for people her age—that she'll retire and live out the rest of her days quietly. But Hornclaw is not like other people. She is an assassin.

Portrait of an Unknown Lady by María Gainza, translated by Thomas Bunstead, Harvill Secker ARGENTINA

In the Buenos Aires art world, a master forger has achieved legendary status. Rumored to be a woman, she specializes in canvases by the painter Mariette Lydis, a portraitist of Argentinean high society

On the trail of this mysterious forger is our narrator, an art critic and auction house employee through whose hands counterfeit works have passed. As she begins to take on the role of art-world detective, adopting her own methods of deception and manipulation

5 March

The Corpse Flower by Anne Mette Hancock, translated by Tara Chace, Swift Press DENMARK

It’s early September in Copenhagen, the rain has been coming down for weeks, and 36-year-old journalist Heloise Kaldan is in the middle of a nightmare. One of her sources has been caught lying, and she could lose her job over it. And then she receives the first in a series of cryptic and ominous letters from an alleged killer.

17 March

Reptile Memoirs by Silje Ulstein, translated by Alison McCulloch, Grove Press UK NORWAY

Mariam Lind goes on a shopping trip with her eleven-year-old daughter, Iben, who angers her mother by asking for a magazine one too many times. Mariam storms off, leaving Iben in the shop and, expecting her young daughter to find her own way home, heads off on a long calming drive. Detective Roe Olsvik is assigned to the case of Iben's disappearance; he has just turned sixty and is new to the Kristiansund police department. As he interrogates Mariam, he instantly suspects her—but there is much more to this case and these characters than their outer appearances would suggest.

River Clyde by Simone Buchholz, translated by Rachel Ward, Orenda Books GERMANY

Mired in grief after tragic recent events, State prosecutor Chastity Riley escapes to Scotland, lured to the birthplace of her great-great grandfather by a mysterious letter suggesting she has inherited a house.

In Glasgow, she meets Tom, the ex-lover of Chastity’s great aunt, who holds the keys to her own family secrets – painful stories of unexpected cruelty and loss that she’s never dared to confront.

22 March

A Harmless Lie by Sara Blaedel, translated by Mark Cline, Dutton (USA) DENMARK

Detective Louise Rick is on a beach in Thailand when the panicked call from her father comes through. Louise′s beloved brother, Mikkel, has attempted suicide. His wife, Trine, left him days earlier, walking out the door one day with no warning and leaving Mikkel devastated.

23 March

Paradais by Fernanda Melchor, translated by Sarah Hughes, Fitzcarraldo Editions MEXICO

Inside a luxury housing complex, two misfit teenagers sneak around and get drunk. Franco Andrade, lonely, overweight, and addicted to porn, obsessively fantasizes about seducing his neighbor--an attractive married woman and mother--while Polo dreams about quitting his grueling job as a gardener within the gated community and fleeing his overbearing mother and their narco-controlled village. Each facing the impossibility of getting what he thinks he deserves, Franco and Polo hatch a mindless and macabre scheme.

29 March

The Resting Place by Camilla Sten, translated by Alexandra Fleming, Macmillan (USA) SWEDEN

When Eleanor walked in on the scene of her capriciously cruel grandmother, Vivianne’s, murder, she came face to face with the killer—a maddening expression that means nothing to someone like her. With each passing day, the anxiety of having come so close to a killer--and not knowing if they’d be back—overtakes both her dreams and her waking moments, thwarting her perception of reality.

31 Mar

For the Lost by Lina Bengtsdotter, translated by Agnes Broomé, Orion SWEDEN

In Karlstad, nine-month-old Beatrice is missing from her pram. Her parents are in shock and the media is in a frenzy. DI Charlie Lager is struggling with her own demons when she's called to investigate, forced to push them aside as the case intensifies. As lead after lead goes nowhere, Charlie starts to feel like nobody actually wants the truth to come out about Beatrice as reluctant locals shut down in the face of her questions. And with each passing hour, the chance of finding Beatrice alive becomes less and less likely...

Killing Happiness by Friedrich Ani, translated by Alexander Booth, Seagull Books London Ltd GERMANY

Happiness is extinguished completely one cold November night when eleven-year-old Lennard Grabbe fails to return home. Thirty-four days later, he is found to have been murdered, and former inspector Jakob Franck, the protagonist of Friedrich Ani’s previous novel The Nameless Day, is entrusted with delivering the most horrible news

4 Apr

Three Assassins by Kotaro Isaka, translated by Sam Malissa, Harvill Secker JAPAN

Suzuki is just an ordinary man until his wife is murdered. When he discovers the criminal gang responsible he leaves behind his life as a maths teacher and joins them, looking for a chance to take his revenge. What he doesn’t realise is that he’s about to get drawn into a web of unusual professional assassins, each with their own agenda. The Whale convinces his victims to take their own lives using just his words. The Cicada is a talkative and deadly knife expert. The elusive Pusher dispatches his targets in deadly traffic accidents. Suzuki must take each of them on, in order to try to find justice and keep his innocence in a world of killers.

7 Apr

The Missing Word by Concita De Gregorio, translated by Clarissa Botsford, European Editions ITALY

Based on a true story, an urgently told psychological thriller and the fierce portrait of a woman in all her frailty and courage. Irina’s life with her husband and her twin daughters is orderly. An Italian living in Switzerland, she works as a lawyer. One day, something breaks. The marriage ends without apparent trauma, but on a weekend seemingly like any other, the girls’ father takes Alessia and Livia away with him. They disappear. A few days later the man takes his own life. Of the girls, there is no trace.

14 Apr

The Dark Flood by Deon Meyer, translated by KL Seegers, Hodder & Stoughton SOUTH AFRICA

One last chance. Almost fired for insubordination, detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido find themselves demoted, exiled from the elite Hawks unit and dispatched to the leafy streets of Stellenbosch. Working a missing persons report on student Callie de Bruin is not the level of work they are used to, but it's all they get. And soon, it takes a dangerous, deeply disturbing turn.  As Griessel and Cupido intensify their search, real estate agent Sandra Steenberg confronts her own crisis: state corruption has caused the real estate market to crash, exacerbating the dire financial straits facing her family.

22 Apr

Vanda by Marion Brunet, translated by Katherine Gregor, Bitter Lemon Press FRANCE

Set in Marseilles, this the story of Vanda, a beautiful woman in her thirties, arms covered in tats, dark luxuriant hair in heavy curls, skin so dark that some take her for a North African. Devoted to her six-year-old son Noe, they live in a derelict shed by the beach, a mother surrounding and defending her child like a lioness. Everything changes when Simon, the father of her son, surfaces in Marseilles. He had left Vanda seven years earlier, not knowing that she was pregnant. When Simon demands custody of his son, Vanda's suppressed rage threatens to explode. The tension becomes unbearable, both parents fully capable of extreme violence.

28 Apr

Outside by Ragnar Jónasson, translated by Victoria Cribb, Michael Joseph ICELAND

When a deadly snowstorm strikes the Icelandic highlands, four friends seek shelter in a small, abandoned hunting lodge. It is in the middle of nowhere and there's no way of communicating with the outside world. They are isolated, but they are not alone...

Young Beasts At Play by Davide Longo, translated by Silvester Mazzarella, MacLehose Books ITALY

September 2008. Commissario Arcadipane arrives at the scene of a macabre discovery: the bones of twelve men and women buried in the countryside near Torino. By the next morning, a task force specialising in mass graves from WWII is already in place. But something doesn't feel right: one of the femurs shows signs of an operation that couldn't have taken place before the seventies.

Cigarette by Per Hagman, translated by Elinor Fahrman, Nordisk Books SWEDEN

Stockholm. Early summer, 1989. Johan is a young waiter working at the Hard Rock Café. His nights are filled with parties, drugs, booze and MTV. An endless chase of the next girl, the next high... the next music video.

4 May

Expect The Unexpected by Vicente Raga, Addvanza (USA) SPAIN

Two stories narrated in parallel. The first one is about the Holy Inquisition in Spain, where the main characters are the European humanists Luis Vives, among Erasmus of Rotterdam and Thomas More. All the characters lived in their time period, and every narrated fact occurred in reality. The second story stars a group of friends from the actual Valencia that discover that the mystery they thought was solved, in reality, has just started.

Death In Summer by Lina Arkelew, translated by Tara Chase, Canelo SWEDEN

When murder comes to a secluded island, the ghosts of he past will resurface. As a young boy, Frederk Froding survived one of Europe's worst ferry disasters. The tragedy haunts him and he refuses to give up hope that his brother Niklas also lived.

5 May

This World Does Not Belong to Us by Natalia Garcia Freire, Oneworld Publications ECUADOR

Lucas was just a child when his father sold him to another farmer as a laborer. Years later, Lucas returns, full of resentment and burning for revenge. After years away, Lucas returns uninvited to the home he was expelled from as a child. The garden has been conquered by weeds, which blanket his mother’s beloved flowerbeds and his father’s grave alike. A lot has changed since Eloy and Felisberto were invited into the family home to work for Lucas’s father, long ago.

11 May

The List by Florian Dennisson, Bloodhound Books FRANCE

A man confesses to four murders—but will tell the police nothing more—in this stunning psychological crime thriller. I killed them all. The stranger who walks into the police station says it again and again, but the only information he will provide is a list of the victims’ names. Yet when officers go in search of the bodies, they find only empty rooms, forensic traces of blood, and more questions than answers.

19 May

Kalmann by Joachim B Schmit, translated by Jamie Lee Searle, Bitter Lemon Press SWITZERLAND

The book is narrated by Kalmann, a thirty-four-year-old neurodiverse man, who often has an innocent and literal interpretation of events and relationships. The author uses a combination of simple language and rather stilted, formal expression which skilfully and successfully conveys his unconventional way of seeing the world. When Kalmann finds a pool of blood up in the hills outside the small village of Raufarhöfn and local bigwig Robert McKenzie goes missing at the same time, the hunt is on to find McKenzie’s body and his murderer.

22 May

The Silence by Yrsa Sigurdardottir, translated by Victoria Cribb, Hodder & Stoughton ICELAND

Detective Huldar and child psychologist Freyja are now working in the same police building, on the same team. Freyja believes that personal and professional relationships must remain separate, however hard that may be. But when a woman's dismembered body is found in a deserted car, her head missing, and Freyja and Huldar find themselves working on the same case, the secrecy around their affair threatens to crack. And when Freyja is accused of a serious breach of police protocol, will Huldar be able to help her?

Little Drummer by Kjell Ola Dahl, translated by Don Bartlett, Orenda Books NORWAY

When a woman is found dead in her car in a Norwegian parking garage, everyone suspects an overdose ... until a forensics report indicates that she was murdered. Oslo Detectives Frølich and Gunnarstranda discover that the victim's Kenyan scientist boyfriend has disappeared, and their investigations soon lead them into the shady world of international pharmaceutical deals.

26 May

Trapped by Camilla Lackberg & Henrik Fexeus, translated by Ian Giles, Harper Collins SWEDEN

It’s a case unlike anything detective Mina Dabiri has seen before. A woman trapped inside a magician’s box, with swords pierced through. But this time, it’s not a magic trick. It’s murder. Knowing she has a terrifying killer on her hands, Mina enlists the help of celebrity mentalist, Vincent Walter. Only he can give her an insight into the secret world of magic and illusions. Mina and Vincent soon discover that the murder victim has the roman numeral III engraved on her leg. The killer is counting down. There are going to be three more murders. And time is running out to stop them.

The Mirror Man by Lars Kepler, translated by Alice Menzies, Zaffre SWEDEN

Detective Joona Linna is on the trail of a kidnapper who targets teenage girls and makes their worst nightmares a reality. Sixteen-year-old Jenny is abducted in broad daylight and taken to a dilapidated, isolated house where she is chained and caged along with several other girls.

16 June

Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight by Riku Onda, translated by Alison Watts, Bitter Lemon Press JAPAN

This gripping psychological thriller takes place in a desolate apartment in a Japanese city. The protagonists, Aki and Hiro, fell in love at university before becoming convinced that they were brother and sister, separated when young after Aki was adopted. After living together platonically for some years they went on a trek in the mountains, where their guide—their estranged natural father—died inexplicably. Each believes the other to be the murderer and are determined to extract a confession.

23 June

The Lover by Helene Flood, translated by Alison McCulloch, MacLehose Press NORWAY

Rikke is deceiving them both. When their upstairs neighbour Jørgen is found dead, she's questioned alongside her husband Åsmund. How can Rikke admit in front of Åsmund that Jørgen and she were having an affair? Or explain to the police the complexity of her feelings for Jørgen? The hint of relief that he's dead. And, as the investigation closes in on the neighbourhood, how long can she conceal the affair from her neighbours, her husband and her teenage daughter.

Impossibe by Erri De Luca, translated by NS Thompson, Mountain Leopard Press ITALY

Without evidence, an experienced hiker is held in solitary confinement under suspicion of murdering a man who fell to his death on a mountain path. In a series of tense, metered interviews, the political causes of the suspect's past emerge. The men knew each other decades earlier, were brothers-in-arms against a greater social injustice until the victim turned state’s evidence and the accused was sent to prison.

Sweet Revenge by Camilla Läckberg, translated by Ian Giles, Harper Collins SWEDEN

Two gripping novellas from the No.1 international bestselling author, Women Without Mercy & Truth or Dare

30 June

Gokumon Island by Seishi Yokomizo, translated by Translated by Bryan Karetnyk, Pushkin Vertigo JAPAN

Detective Kosuke Kindaichi arrives on the remote Gokumon Island bearing tragic news--the son of one of the island's most important families has died, on a troop transport ship bringing him back home after the Second World War. But Kindaichi has not come merely as a messenger--with his last words, the dying man warned that his three step-sisters' lives would now be in danger. The scruffy detective is determined to get to the bottom of this mysterious prophesy, and to protect the three women if he can.

Tokyo Express by Seicho Matsumoto, translated by Jesse Kirkwood, Penguin Modern Classics JAPAN

In a rocky cove in the bay of Hakata, the bodies of a young and beautiful couple are discovered. Stood in the coast's wind and cold, the police see nothing to investigate: the flush of the couple's cheeks speaks clearly of cyanide, of a lovers' suicide. But in the eyes of two men, Torigai Jutaro, a senior detective, and Kiichi Mihara, a young gun from Tokyo, something is not quite right. Together, they begin to pick at the knot of a unique and calculated crime...

4 July

The Hitchhiker by Gerwin van der Werf, translated by David Colmer, Text Publishing (USA) NETHERLANDS

Tiddo plans a holiday to Iceland, travelling the tourist circuit in a rented campervan. On their trip, they pick up a hitchhiker named Svein, who is tall, handsome and covered in tattoos of ancient runes. When Svein offers to guide them off the beaten track, Tiddo is conflicted. Does Svein pose a threat or offer salvation? Is there wisdom in his stories? What power do his tattoos hold?

Farewell Fountain Street by Selcuk Altun, Translated by Mel Kenne & Nilgun Dungan, Telegram TURKEY

Ziya Bey has six months left to live. From his mansion on Farewell Fountain Street, the Ottoman aristocrat plans to tie up some questionable business affairs and say goodbye to the people he cherishes. He hires Artvin, a disillusioned professor with a troubled past, to assist him. Intrigued by his employer's mysterious household, Artvin spends the days uncovering Ziya Bey's turbulent life story. The two men become bound together as they reveal dark elements from their pasts. But when Ziya Bey releases Artvin from his duties sooner than expected, Artvin inherits a spiral of violence he cannot control.

6 July

Of Saints and Miracles by Manuel Astur, translated by Claire Wadie, Peirene Press SPAIN

An unconventional thriller laced with lyrical nature writing, Of Saints And Miracles is a sensuous portrayal of an outcast’s struggle to survive in a changing world and a seamless blend of the tragic and the majestic. Marcelino, a gentle outsider who flees into the mountains after a moment of anger changes his life forever.

7 July

The Whisperer's Game by Donato Carrisi, translated by Katherine Gregor, Little Brown ITALY

The phone call to the police arrives at dusk from an isolated farmhouse, fifty miles from the city. A terrified woman's voice pleads for help. But a violent storm rages in the area and the first available patrol only succeeds in reaching her hours later. It is too late. Something perturbing has happened, something which leaves the investigators in the dark.

The Final Nail by Stefan Ahnhem, translated by Agnes Broome, Head Of Zeus SWEDEN

He has extorted. He has abused. He has raped. He has sacrificed souls as a means to reach the very top. In every way, he is a despicable man. His name is Kim Sleizner and he works as a police chief in Copenhagen. Dunja Hougaard has gone underground to covertly investigate her former boss, Sleizner. For months, Dunja and her team have been gathering information. When a high-ranking man within the Danish intelligence service and an unknown woman are found dead at the bottom of a lake outside Copenhagen, the trap is finally ready to close.

Of Fangs And Talons by Nicolas Mathieu, translated by Sam Taylor, Sceptre FRANCE

When a factory that employs most of a small town is scheduled to close - to the despair of the workers and disdain of the overlords - things start to fall apart. The disenfranchised factory workers have nothing left to lose. Martel, the trade union rep with innumerable tattoos and Bruce, the body-builder addicted to steroids resort to desperate measures. A bungled kidnapping on the streets of Strasbourg goes horribly wrong and they find themselves falling prey to the machinations of the criminal underworld.

A Grain of Truth by Christian Unge, translated by George Goulding, MacLehose Press SWEDEN

A woman is found wandering the corridors of Nobel Hospital in Stockholm, accompanied by a young boy. She appears to be looking for a man who was involved in a car accident earlier that day. Meanwhile, in one of the emergency rooms, Tekla Berg is fighting to save a patient who was seriously injured in the same incident. The resulting chaos goes beyond anything anyone could have predicted, leaving hospital staff, police and everyone else involved equally shocked and perplexed.

14 July

Mothers Don’t by Katixa Agirre, translated by Kristin Addis, 3TimesRebel Press BASQUE COUNTRY

A story that highlights he primal guilt that comes with becoming a mother. Halfway between a thriller and a journalistic chronicle, in Mothers Don’t a mother kills her twins while another woman, the narrator, is about to give birth. How could a woman be capable of neglecting her children? How could she kill them?

Dead Lands By Núria Bendicho, translated by Martha Tennent and Maruxa Relaño 3TimesRebel CATALONIA

A rural drama in which a violent death unleashes the story of a cursed lineage. Featuring thirteen characters and thirteen different points of view, the novel is a kaleidoscopic narrative that unfurls an atavistic universe where characters are burdened by brutal origins, two deaths, and a dark secret.

22 July

Night Shadows by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, Translated by Victoria Cribb, Orenda Books ICELAND

Icelandic detective Elma faces mortal danger as she investigates the death of a young man in a mysterious Akranes house fire, and a Dutch au pair’s perfect placement turns deadly. The small community of Akranes is devastated when a young man dies in a mysterious house fire, and when Detective Elma and her colleagues from West Iceland CID discover the fire was arson, they become embroiled in an increasingly perplexing case involving multiple suspects.

26 July

Blood Ties by Ruth Lillegraven,  translated by Diane Oatley, Amazon Crossing NORWAY

Norway’s newly appointed minister of justice, child-rights advocate Clara Lofthus comes home from work to make a terrifying discovery: her sons have been kidnapped. Clara’s search leads to her hometown in Western Norway, where she learns that her mother has been released from the mental hospital she has been living at for the past thirty years.

26 Jul

The Forgery by Ave Barrera, translated by Ellen Jones, Ellen & Robin Myers, Charco Press MEXICO

A failing artist turned forger, an architectural masterpiece hidden behind high walls, an impish vagabond, and some very resourceful, very intimidating twins-Forgery pays homage to greats like Juan Rulfo and Luis Barragan, traversing late 20th Century Guadalajara with the exuberance and eccentricity of an 18th Century picaresque.

2 August

The Shadow Lily by Johanna Mo, translated by Alice Menzies,  Penguin Books SWEDEN

Small-town police detective Hanna Duncker has a past. Her deceased father was convicted of murder and arson long ago, and she has taken up residence and resumed her police career in her hometown after his death. She and her partner Erik Lindgren are called to investigate the disappearance of a father and his infant son from their home while his pregnant wife was away on a weekend trip.

4 Aug

Bad Kids by Zijin Chen, Translated by Michelle Deeter,  Pushkin Press CHINA

One beautiful morning, Zhang Dongsheng pushes his wealthy in-laws off a mountain – the perfect crime. Or so he thinks. Even though the murders were as carefully choreographed as a play, he did not expect that three teenagers had caught him in the act. But Zhang Dongsheng seriously underestimates them . Dark, murky and violent, Bad Kids is the Chinese suspense thriller about the inner lives of teenagers that has taken China by storm.

The Ice Fisher By Anna Ihren, translated by Emma Ericson, SAGA Egmon SWEDEN

When the research vessel "Idun" arrives in Smögens harbour one early winter morning, the head of research, Kaj Malmberg, is found murdered in his cabin. For the university's rector, Regina Löfdahl, the tragedy is leaving her short, because Malmberg is supposed to present the research elite's top prize in marine research at Smögens Havsbad that same evening.

Wake Me Up at 9:00 in the Morning By A Yi, translated by Nicky Harman, Oneworld Publications CHINA

A thrilling journey through China's dark criminal underworld, from a celebrated voice in Chinese literature. When Hongyang is found dead after a night of debauched drinking, it looks as if his reign of terror has finally come to an end. Few in this insular community have much reason to mourn his passing: Hongyang is an infamous mob boss, a man with plenty of enemies. But now it seems that his years of crime have also earned him some very dangerous friends.

18 Aug

Punishment by Ferdinand von Schirach, Translated by Katharina Hall, Baskerville, GERMANY

A young lawyer puts aside her sense of justice to succeed at her new firm. A man who values silence is driven to murder by his noisy neighbours. A cheated wife seeks revenge. How do you decide what punishment fits the crime? Our narrator is a man you'd never want to meet unless you really needed him. A nameless criminal defence lawyer, he coolly narrates the fate of twelve characters who cross his path. In spare, gripping prose, he tells their stories, uncovering the loneliness and alienation, desire and desperation which drive their choices and shape the consequences they face.

Whisper of the Seals by Roxanne Bouchard, translated by David Warriner, Orenda Books CANADA

Detective Moralès takes on a chilling case set on the icy seas of Quebec’s remote Magdalen Islands, in the midst of a brutal seal hunt. An atmospheric, race-against-the-clock thriller set on the icy seas in the midst of a brutal seal hunt, where nothing is as it seems and absolutely no one can be trusted.

Conviction by D A Mishani, translated by Jessica Cohen, riverrun ISRAEL

Two investigations began on the same day. One seemed domestic, almost banal: a newborn is found in a bag outside a hospital and the woman who left it there is captured after a few hours. The second investigation appeared stranger and more intriguing: a Swiss tourist disappeared from a beach-hotel near Tel-Aviv, and a quick inquiry showed he had been using a fake passport and at least two names. Can he be a Mossad agent like his daughter claims? And is he in danger?

The Guilty One by Anna Karolina, translated by Lisa Reinhardt, Thomas & Mercer SWEDEN

Is he guilty or innocent? Even he doesn't know... On the eve of their thirtieth birthday, twins Jasmine and Nicolas Moretti celebrate late into the night. But when Nicolas wakes several hazy hours later, Jasmine is dead--and he is covered in her blood.

Emma Tapper, an ex-cop driven to drink by a tragedy she's devastated she couldn't prevent, is recruited by defence lawyer to help with this high-profile case.

The Red Notebook by Michel Bussi, translated by Vineet Lal W&N FRANCE

Leyli Maal is a beautiful Malian woman, mother of three, living in a tiny apartment on the outskirts of Marseille. Her quiet life as a well-integrated immigrant is suddenly shaken when her beautiful eldest daughter, Bamby, becomes the main suspect in two murders linked to a lethal illegal immigration racket. Is Bamby really involved? And why is everyone desperate to get their hands on Leyli’s mysterious red notebook?

Dark Music by David Lagercrantz, translated by Ian Giles, MacLehose SWEDEN

Professor Hans Rekke is a world authority on interrogation techniques, Micaela Vargas is a street-smart police officer, the daughter of Chilean political refugees. Micaela needs Hans’s unique mind to help her solve the case of a murdered asylum-seeker from Afghanistan. Hans needs Micaela to save him from himself. Together, they need to find the killer before they’re both silenced for good.

25 Aug

There Are No Happy Loves by Sergio Olguín, translated by Miranda France, Bitter Lemon Press ARGENTINA

Haunted by nightmares of her past, Veronica is soon involved in a new investigation. Darío, involved in a car accident that supposedly killed all his family, is convinced that his wife and child have in fact survived and that his wife has abducted their child. A lorry, searched in the port of Buenos Aires on suspicion that it is carrying drugs, is revealed to be transporting human body parts. These seemingly separate incidents prove to be tied in a shadowy web of complicity involving political, medical and religious authorities

Ghost Town by Kevin Chen, translated by Darryl Sterk, Europa Editions TAIWAN

Keith Chen, the second son of a traditional Taiwanese family of seven, runs away from the oppression of his village to Berlin in the hope of finding acceptance as a young gay man. The novel begins a decade later, when Chen has just been released from prison for killing his boyfriend. He is about to return to his family’s village, a poor and desolate place. With his parents gone, his sisters married, mad, or dead, there is nothing left for him there. As the story unfurls, we learn what tore this family apart and, more importantly, the truth behind the murder of Chen’s boyfriend.

1st Sept

Cruel Tides by Maria Adolfsson, translated by Agnes Broome, Zaffre SWEDEN

Detective Inspector Karen Eiken Hornby is not the only person to have returned to her native Doggerland after years abroad. Following a ten-year hiatus, Luna has chosen to secretly record her comeback album where she was born and raised. Spirits are high among her team at the wrap party, though Karen is less than impressed with the simpering singer. The next morning, Luna is nowhere to be found.

Broken Summer by Jung-Myung Lee (J M Lee), translated by An Seon Jae, Amazon Crossing KOREA

Lee Hanjo is an artist at the peak of his fame, envied and celebrated. Then, on his forty-third birthday, he awakens to find that his devoted wife has disappeared, leaving behind a soon-to-be-published novel she’d secretly written about the sordid past and questionable morality of an artist with a trajectory similar to Hanjo’s. It’s clear to him that his life is about to shatter and the demons from his past will come out. But why did his wife do it? Why now?

The Bleeding by Johana Gustawsson, translated by David Warriner, Orenda Books FRANCE

Queen of French Noir, Johana Gustawsson returns with the first in a startling new series – a dark, horrifying, powerful historical thriller with an extraordinary mystery at its heart and three women pushed so far beyond breaking point, they have only one way out…

The Axe Woman by Håkan Nesser, translated by Sarah Death, Mantle SWEDEN

Sweden 2012. When Inspector Gunnar Barbarotti returns to work after a terrible personal tragedy his boss asks him to investigate a cold case, hoping to ease him back gently into his police duties. The Axe Woman is the fifth and final Inspector Barbarotti novel from bestselling author Håkan Nesser.

15 Sep

The Enigma Of Room 622 by Joël Dicker, translated by Robert Bononno, MacLehose Press FRANCE

It all starts with an innocuous curiosity: at the Hotel Verbier, a luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps, there is no Room 622. This anomaly piques the interest of the writer Joël Dicker, Switzerland’s most famous literary star, who is staying at the hotel to recover from a bad breakup, mourn the death of his longtime publisher, and begin his next novel. Before he knows it, Joël is coaxed out of his torpor by a fellow guest – Scarlett, a captivating aspiring novelist with a nose for intrigue, who swiftly uncovers the reason behind Room 622’s deliberate erasure: an unsolved murder.

Good Reasons to Die by Morgan Audic, translated by Sam Taylor, Mountain Leopard FRANCE

A haunting thriller set in the radioactive Chernobyl exclusion zone, Good Reasons to Die will keep readers hooked to the last page. In a village close to Chernobyl, detectives Joseph Melnyk and Galina Novak uncover a man's mutilated body hanging from a building. All clues left at the scene of the crime point to a double homicide that took place on the very night that the nuclear power plant exploded. Doubtful of the abilities of the Ukrainian police, the murdered man's father, a Moscow mafia boss, summons Rybalko, a Russian police officer of dubious morals, to conduct a parallel investigation to find and execute his son's killer.

Harm by Sólveig Pálsdóttir, translated by Quentin Bates, Corylus Books ICELAND

When wealthy doctor Ríkharður Magnússon goes to sleep in his luxurious caravan and doesn’t wake up, Guðgeir and Elsa Guðrún travel to the Westman Islands to investigate what looks like murder. The obvious suspect is the victim’s young, beautiful and deeply troubled girlfriend – but that would be the easy option, and they begin to uncover a trail of enemies the man had left behind him. Family feuds, disgruntled friends and colleagues, a bizarre group of acquaintances, a bitter former wife and a drug cult all leave them wading through the wreckage of the man’s life as they search for his killer. Harm is Sólveig Pálsdóttir’s third novel featuring soft-spoken Reykjavík detective Guðgeir Franssson to appear in English and she again weaves a complex web of intrigue that plays out in the Westman Islands and Reykjavík, while asking some searching questions about things society is not prepared to tolerate and others it accepts without question.

Femicide by Pascal Engman, trranslated by Michael Gallagher, Legend Press SWEDEN

When 25-year-old Emelie is found murdered in her Stockholm apartment the same week her ex-partner is released from prison, it feels like an open and shut case for Detective Vanessa Frank. Who else would launch such a frenzied attack on the young woman? But Frank suspects there is something they’re missing. Could the killing be linked to the rising online movement of men who want to punish women, the so-called ‘incels’?

Sweet Dreams by Anders Roslund, translated by Elizabeth Clark Wessel, Vintage Publishing SWEDEN

Two little girls go missing on the same day in Stockholm. Their disappearances are never explained. In time, the investigations are abandoned. A chance discovery puts Detective Ewert Grens back on the trail five years later. His own personal trauma makes him determined to find out what happened to these children who were snatched from a supermarket and a car park and never seen again.

27 Sept

The Shadow Murders by Jussi Adler-Olsen, translated by William Frost, Quercus DENMARK

On her sixtieth birthday, a woman commits suicide. When the case lands on Detective Carl Mørck’s desk, he can’t imagine what this has to do with Department Q, Copenhagen’s cold cases division. It’s a tragedy to be sure, but the cause of death seems to be clear. But his superior, Marcus Jacobsen, is convinced that this is not in fact a suicide, but a murder related to an unsolved case that has been plaguing him since 1988.

29 Sep

Ashes in the Snow by Oriana Ramunno, translated by Katherine Gregor, Harper Collins ITALY

A young Jewish prisoner... Auschwitz, 1943. It's snowing outside and Block 10 looks even bleaker than usual. Gioele Errera, a young Jewish boy imprisoned in the camp, finds the body of an SS officer. A detective with everything to prove... Hugo Fischer is sent to investigate the unexplained death of the renowned Nazi. But Hugo is hiding a secret

4 Oct

Cocoon by Zhang Yueran, translated by Jeremy Tiang, World Editions (USA) CHINA

In this literary thriller, two friends, born in the 1980s, seek to understand the experiences of their parents and grandparents during one of the most turbulent periods in Chinese history and the terrible crime that connects their families.

Cruz By Nicolás Ferraro, Translated by Mallory N. Craig-Kuhn, Soho Press ARGENTINA

Tomás Cruz swore he would never be like his father, an abusive cocaine junkie whose gangland exploits are notorious throughout the underbelly of northern Argentina. When Samuel Cruz is sentenced to thirteen years in prison, he leaves a laundry list of unfinished cartel business. Seba, Tomás’s revered older brother, has no choice but to abandon his straight life and take over his father’s underworld debt.

The Winners by Fredrik Backman, trranslated by Neil Smith, Simon & Schuster SWEDEN

Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about. Everyone has tried to move on, but there’s something about this place that prevents it. The residents continue to grapple with life’s big questions: What is a family? What is a community? And what, if anything, are we willing to sacrifice in order to protect them?

6 Oct

The Tattoo Murder by Akimitsu Tagaki, translated by Deborah Boehm, Pushkin Press JAPAN

Kinue Nomura survived World War II only to be murdered in Tokyo, her severed limbs discovered in a room locked from the inside.  Gone is the part of her that bore one of the most beautiful full-body tattoos ever rendered. Kenzo Matsushita, a young doctor who was first to discover the crime scene, feels compelled to assist his detective brother, who is in charge of the case. But Kenzo has a secret: he was Kinue’s lover, and soon his involvement in the investigation becomes as twisted and complex as the writhing snakes that once adorned Kinue’s torso.

13 Oct

1794: The City Between the Bridges by Niklas Natt och Dag, translated by Anna Stina Knapp, Baskerville SWEDEN

In 1794, the second installment of Niklas Natt och Dag's historical noir trilogy, we are reunited with Mickel Cardell, Anna Stina Knapp, and the bustling world of late eighteenth century Stockholm from The Wolf and the Watchman. The city is about to see its darkest days yet as veneers crack and the splendour of old gives way to what is hiding in the city's nooks and crannies.

Deeds of Autumn by Anders De La Motte, translated by Marlaine Delargy, Zaffre SWEDEN

Five lifelong friends gather for a last farewell to their childhoods and each other at an abandoned quarry. The mood is effervescent, but under the surface tensions run deep as not everyone is ready to let go - or be left behind. When dawn breaks, only four remain alive. The police rule the death a tragic accident, but not everyone is convinced, and the incident remains an open wound in the community. When the old chief of police is replaced by Anna Vesper, a newly arrived detective from Stockholm, whispers and rumours about that night can no longer be silenced.

Red as Blood by Lilja Sigurðardóttir, translated by Quentin Bates, Orenda Books ICELAND

When entrepreneur Flosi arrives home for dinner one night, he discovers that his house has been ransacked, and his wife Gudrun missing. A letter on the kitchen table confirms that she has been kidnapped. If Flosi doesn’t agree to pay an enormous ransom, Gudrun will be killed. Forbidden from contacting the police, he gets in touch with Áróra, who specialises in finding hidden assets, and she, alongside her detective friend Daniel, try to get to the bottom of the case without anyone catching on.

18 Oct

Lady Joker Vol 2 by Kaoru Takamura, translated by Allison Markin Powell and Marie Iide, John Murray Press JAPAN

This second half of Lady Joker, by Kaoru Takamura, the Grand Dame of Japanese crime fiction, concludes the breathtaking saga introduced in Volume I.

27 Oct

The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen, translated by David Hackston, Orenda Books FINLAND

Insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen has finally restored order both to his life and to You Me Fun, the adventure park he now owns, when a man from the past appears–and turns everything upside down again. More problems arise when the park’s equipment supplier is taken over by a shady trio, with confusing demands.

30 Oct

Deceit by Jonina Leosdottir, translated by Quentin Bates, Corylus Books, ICELAND

Reykjavík detective Soffía finds herself struggling to cope with a single-handed investigation into a spate of malicious acts taking place across the city, and enlists help from an unexpected direction. Her psychologist ex-husband Adam has advised the police before, but with Covid raging in the city, would prefer to stay holed up in his basement flat as he deals with challenges in both his working and private life.

3 Nov

Urgent Matters by Paula Rodríguez, Translated by Sarah Moses, Pushkin Press ARGENTINA

A train crashes in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, leaving forty-three people dead, including two unidentifiable bodies. Hugo, a homicide suspect wanted for a body found dumped on the outskirts of the city, is on the train. Unharmed, but trapped, he is left holding his phone and a prayer card of Saint Expeditus: the patron saint of urgent causes. To evade the police, Hugo must pretend to be one of the dead bodies. But the police get wise to the trick, and their leads begin unravelling at a furious pace, whipping through Buenos Aires’ cartels and criminal rings to reveal widespread corruption that reaches into the suburbs and beyond.

8 Nov

The Collector by Anne Mette Hancock, translated by Tara Chase, Crooked Lane Books (USA) DENMARK

When 10-year-old Lukas disappears from his Copenhagen school, police investigators discover that the boy had a peculiar obsession with pareidolia—a phenomenon that makes him see faces in random things. A photo on his phone posted just hours before his disappearance shows an old barn door that resembles a face. Journalist Heloise Kaldan thinks she recognizes the barn—but from where?

10 Nov

Breaking Point by Olivier Norek, translated by Nick Castor, Maclehose Press FRANCE

Coste has been sent to see a police psychologist after a case that saw him kill a suspect in self defence and witness the death of a member of his team. But what comes next will be more testing still. Five hardened criminals - a murderer, a paedophile, a Serbian ex-soldier, a kidnapper and a robber - are all caught up in the same case, and Coste is prepared to enter this nest of vipers no matter what the consequences for his colleagues and those closest to him. Lost souls, crimes of passion, cops like fallen angels: redemption is sometimes reached through revenge.

You Are Next by Arne Dahl, translated by Ian Giles, Harvill Secker SWEDEN

Detective Inspector Sam Berger's life has been turned upside down. He is suspected of murder and his partner, Secret Service agent, Molly Blom, is in a coma. Meanwhile, a terrorist attempt is threatening Stockholm and a wanted murderer is on the loose. Berger escapes to the Stockholm Archipelago while he waits for orders from the Swedish Security Service's chief executive. But is he the solution or is he part of the problem?

The Other Sister by Peter Mohlin and Peter Nystrom, translated by Ian Giles, The Overlook Press SWEDEN

Alicia Bjelke has always been the "other sister," the foil to her beautiful sister Stella—people turn their backs when they see Alicia's disfigured face. So she created a life in the background, becoming a coding genius and founding a groundbreaking dating app company. With Stella as the face of the company, Alicia has found success. Until one day, when Stella is found dead and Alicia’s life takes the wrong turn. Soon, she realizes that she is the next target.

Walk Me Home by Sebastian Fitzek, Head of Zeus GERMANY

The Walk Me Home telephone helpline service has proved indispensable. Staffed by volunteers, it provides a reassuring voice at the end of the phone, helping to protect lone women as they walk home at night.Jules has only been working for Walk Me Home for a short time and has never had to deal with a truly life-threatening situation.

24 Nov

The Night Man by Jørn Lier Horst, translated by Anne Bruce, Michael Joseph NORWAY

As the media closes in on the biggest story of the year, Wisting's journalist daughter Line receives a tip. Soon, it becomes clear that there is more to this case than anyone thought. A criminal network has lodged itself deep into the roots of the city, and it's up to Wisting to take down the elusive and dangerous Night Man.

Codename Faust by Gustaf Skoerdeman, Zaffre SWEDEN

Who have you spoken to about me?What do you know about Operation Wahasha?What have you told Detective Sara Nowak?These are the last words priest Jurgen Stiller hears before he is executed by a former terrorist known only by the codename 'Faust'. Then the killer begins the hunt for Detective Sara Nowak. Nowak is dangerously unaware that she is a target - until she is shot at in her own home.

30 Nov

The Boy and the Dog by Seishu Hase, translated by Alison Watts, Scribner UK, JAPAN

Following a devastating earthquake and tsunami, a young man in Japan finds a stray dog outside a convenience store. The dog’s tag says “Tamon,” a name evocative of the guardian deity of the north. The man decides to keep Tamon, becoming the first in a series of owners on the dog’s five-year journey to find his beloved first owner, Hikaru, a boy who has not spoken since the tsunami.

1 Dec

Conspiracy of Blood by Katarzyna Bonda, translated by Filip Sporczyk, Hodder & Stoughton POLAND

A complex and absorbing crime novel which finds Sasza Zaluska, the profiler and former undercover cop first encountered in Girl at Midnight, plunged even deeper into the web of corruption and criminality that has engulfed all levels of Polish society since the fall of Communism.

Hidden In The Snow by Viveca Sten, translated by Marlaine Delargy, Amazon Crossing, SWEDEN

On the day Stockholm police officer Hanna Ahlander’s personal and professional lives crash, she takes refuge at her sister’s lodge in the Swedish ski resort paradise of Åre. But it’s a brief comfort. The entire village is shaken by the sudden vanishing of a local teenage girl. Hanna can’t help but investigate, and while searching for the missing person, she lands a job with the local police department. There she joins forces with Detective Inspector Daniel Lindskog, who has been tasked with finding the girl. Their only lead: a scarf in the snow

15 Dec

A Death in Tokyo by Keigo Higashino, Abacus Books JAPAN

In the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo the statue of a mythic beast - a kirin - stands guard. Late at night, the body of a murdered man, stabbed in the chest, is found under the statue of the winged beast. However, that was not the crime scene - the man was killed a few hundred feet away and his body moved to that position..

The Missing Man by Anna Karolina, Translated By Lisa Reinhardt, Thomas & Mercer SWEDEN

Was she the billionaire’s lover? His partner in crime? Or his killer? Former cop Emma Tapper and her lawyer boss Angela Köhler are defending shipping boss Anita Spendel, charged with murdering her billionaire husband. Anita insists Martin Spendel is still alive, but his car is soaked in his blood. Emma must clear Anita’s name by finding the missing man—dead or alive…

Now for 2023:

[fuckyeaharthuriana]

As a sequel of this post where I wrote down my fav tv/movie adaptations of arthurian characters, here i am with books!

Because these are novels, I could add some more characters so I put them in vague alphabetical order.

BOOKS

Agravaine: The road to Avalon (Wolf)

Arthur: Sword at Sunset (Sutcliff), Firelord (Godwin), The Great Captains (Treece)

Bedivere: definitely Culhwch and Olwen, then The Night Dance (Weyn), The Pendragon (Catherine Christian). Bernard Cornwell’s arthurian series also has a Bedivere-like character as the protagonist.

Galahad: The Forever King trilogy (Cochran), at least the first two novels, and Blessed Bastard (Lehmann)  

Gawain: the first volume of Down the long wind (Bradshaw)

Guinevere: Guinevere trilogy (Persia Woolley)

Igraine: the first volumes of the Arthor series by Attanasio

Kay: Exiled from Camelot (Baldry), Idylls of the Queen (Karr)

Lancelot: Lancelot (Gwen Rowley), Lancelot (Vansittart), The Once and Future King (White), and I have heard amazing things about Giles’ new Lancelot book (recently bought so I will read it soon!)

Lynette: The Squire’s Tales series (Gerald Morris)

Merlin: Mary Stewart’s Merlin trilogy, 

Mordred: Idylls of the Queen (Karr), The winter prince (Wein), The Great Captains (Treece), Guinevere trilogy (Persia Woolley), The Book of Mordred (Velde), Mordred Manuscript (Lacy)

Morgana: Morgana (Michel Rio), Idylls of the Queen (Karr), I am Morgan le Fay (Springer) 

Morgause: Morgawse (Lavinia Collins), Kieran Higgins’ arthurian series

Nimue: The Book of Mordred (Velde), Here Lies Arthur (Reeve), Queen of Camelot (McKenzie)

Percival: Here Lies Arthur (Reeve), Corbenic (Catherine Fisher)

Ragnelle: Gawain (Rowley)

[elcinelateleymickyandonie]

ELEANOR PARKER α: 26 de junio de 1922 Ω:9 de diciembre de 2013

Eleanor Jean Parker (Cedarville, Ohio, 26 de junio de 1922 - Palm Springs, California, 9 de diciembre de 2013) fue una actriz de cine y televisión estadounidense. Fue considerada una de las mujeres más bellas de Hollywood. Parker nació en 26 de junio de 1922 en la localidad de Cedarville (Ohio). Era hija de un profesor de matemáticas. Después de actuar en producciones estudiantiles y tras concluir sus estudios secundarios intentó buscar fortuna en Hollywood a principios de la década de los cuarenta. Su presencia le abrió las puertas y Parker firmó un contrato con Warner Brothers cuando contaba 19 años. Su primer debut en el cine fue en 1941, interviniendo en el célebre film de Raoul Walsh Murieron con las botas puestas, aunque sus escenas serían finalmente cortadas A pesar de esa pequeña decepción, con posterioridad intervino en pequeños papeles en Busses Roar (1942) de Ross Lederman, y en el drama de propaganda Misión en Moscú (1943), de Michael Curtiz, junto al carismático Walter Huston. Su primer papel protagonista lo consiguió en The Mysterious Doctor, un film de terror de serie B pero con realización y acabado técnico de serie A, dirigido por el especialista Benjamin Stoloff, y posteriormente, la actriz participa en otros títulos importantes pero actualmente olvidados: la ya clásica cinta fantástica de culto para los surrealistas Between Two Worlds("Entre dos mundos", 1944), emparejada con el mítico John Garfield en un extraño ambiente onírico-metafísico; el melodrama negro Of Human Bondage ("Servidumbre humana", 1946 de Edmond Goulding), nueva versión digna pero minusvalorada por crítica y público de "Cautivo del deseo" (1934, John Cromwell) basados ambos en la célebre novela de Somerset Maugham; o la primera gran adaptación para la pantalla de "La dama de blanco" The woman in white, la famosísima novela escrita por Wilkie Collins donde la actriz está físicamente exultante. También en 1945, Parker protagoniza Pride of the marines ("El príncipe de los marines", 1945), film bélico con trasfondo de melodrama trágico dirigido por Delmer Daves, donde repetía protagonismo con John Garfield y por el que logró su primer gran éxito de taquilla.

FILMOGRAFIA 1916 Arms and the Woman 1923 The Bright Shawl 1929 The Hole in the Wall 1930 Warner Bros. Jubilee Dinner 1930 Night Ride 1930 La mujer que amamos (A Lady to Love) 1930 Fuera de la ley (Outside the Law) 1930 East Is West 1930 The Widow from Chicago 1931 How I Play Golf by Bobby Jones No. 10: Trouble Shots 1931 Hampa dorada (Little Ceasar) 1931 The Slippery Pearls 1931 Smart Money 1931 Sed de escándalos (Five Star Final) 1932 El hacha justiciera (The Hatchet Man) 1932 Dos segundos (Two Seconds) 1932 Pasto de tiburones (Tiger Shark) 1932 El rey de la plata (Silver Dollar) 1933 El pequeño gigante (The Little Giant) 1933 I Loved a Woman 1934 Dark Hazard 1934 El hombre de las dos caras (The Man with Two Faces) 1935 Pasaporte a la fama (The Whole Town's Talking) 1935 Ciudad sin ley (Barbary Coast) 1936 Bullets or Ballots 1937 Pánico en la banca (Thunder in the City) 1937 Kid Galahad 1937 El último gangster (The Last Gangster) 1938 A Slight Case of Murder 1938 The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse 1938 Yo soy la ley (I Am the Law) 1939 Verdensberomtheder i Kobenhavn 1939 A Day at Santa Anita 1939 Confessions of a Nazi Spy 1939 Blackmail 1940 Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet 1940 El hermano orquídea (Brother Orchid) 1940 A Dispatch from Reuters 1941 El lobo de mar (The Sea Wolf) 1941 Manpower 1941 Polo with the Stars 1941 Unholy Partners 1942 Larceny, Inc. 1942 Seis destinos (Tales of Manhattan) 1942 Moscow Strikes Back 1943 Magic Bullets 1943 Destroyer 1943 Al margen de la vida (Flesh and Fantasy) 1944 Tampico (Tampico) 1944 Mr. Winkle Goes to War 1944 Perdición (Double Indemnity) 1945 La mujer del cuadro (The Woman in the Window) 1945 El sol sale cada mañana (Our Vines Have Tender Grapes 1945 Perversidad (Scarlet Street) 1946 American Creed 1946 Journey Together 1946 El extraño (The Stranger) 1947 La casa roja (The Red House) 1948 All My Sons 1948 Cayo Largo (Key Largo) 1948 Mil ojos tiene la noche (Night Has a Thousand Eyes) 1949 Odio entre hermanos (House of Strangers 1949 It's a Great Feeling 1950 Operation X 1950 La pasión de su vida (My Daughter Joy) 1942 Moscow Strikes Back 1943 Magic Bullets 1943 Destroyer 1943 Al margen de la vida (Flesh and Fantasy) 1944 Tampico (Tampico) 1944 Mr. Winkle Goes to War 1944 Perdición (Double Indemnity) 1945 La mujer del cuadro (The Woman in the Window) 1945 El sol sale cada mañana (Our Vines Have Tender Grapes 1945 Perversidad (Scarlet Street) 1946 American Creed 1946 Journey Together 1946 El extraño (The Stranger) 1947 La casa roja (The Red House) 1948 All My Sons 1948 Cayo Largo (Key Largo) 1948 Mil ojos tiene la noche (Night Has a Thousand Eyes) 1949 Odio entre hermanos (House of Strangers 1949 It's a Great Feeling 1950 Operation X 1950 La pasión de su vida (My Daughter Joy) 1952 Actors and Sin 1953 Investigación criminal (Vice Squad) 1953 Big Leaguer 1953 Ensayo dramático (The Glass Web) 1954 Martes negro (Black Tuesday) 1955 Hell on Frisco Bay 1955 Hombres violentos (Violent men) 1955 En un aprieto (Tight Spot) 1955 El regreso del gangster (A Bullet for Joey) 1955 Illegal 1956 Noche de pesadilla (Nightmare) 1956 Los diez mandamientos (The Ten Commandments) 1957 The Heart of Show Business 1959 Millonario de ilusiones (A Hole in the Head) 1960 Siete ladrones (Seven Thieves) 1960 Pepe 1962 My Geisha (My Geisha) 1962 Dos semanas en otra ciudad (Two Weeks in Another Town) 1963 El premio (The Prize) 1964 Cuatro gángsters de Chicago (Robin and the 7 Hoods) 1964 Cheyenne Autumn 1964 Préstame tu marido (Good Neighbor Sam) 1963 Sammy (Huida hacia el sur) (Sammy Going South) 1964 Cuatro confesiones (The Outrage) 1965 El rey del juego (The Cincinnati Kid) 1967 All About People 1967 Diamantes a gogó (Ad ogni costo) 1967 La rubia de Pekín (The Blonde from Peking) 1967 Operation St. Peter's 1968 Raquel y sus bribones (The Biggest Bundle of Them All) 1968 Ni un momento de respiro (Never a Dull Moment) 1969 Un atraco de ida y vuelta (It's Your Move) 1969 El oro de Mackenna (MacKenna's Gold) 1970 Canción de Noruega (Song of Norway) 1971 Mooch Goes to Hollywood 1972 Neither by Day Nor by Night 1973 Cuando el destino nos alcance (Soylent Green)

[lucrezianoin]

Arthurian novels. Part 4, a tentative list of novels 2017 - 2020 (total: 668 books)

This is PART 4. part 1 is here (1850 - 1990) part 2 is here (1991 - 2005) part 3 is here (2006 - 2016) the complete list is here (wordpress).

CLICK TO READ THE LAST UPDATE (22 April 2020) + (past updates)

While the previous lists are full lists and normally updated, I am a bit more cautious for the new arthurian books (2017-2020) mostly because a lot of people self publish so the content increased exponentially. 

If you know of any other arthurian books and series (or if you see some mistake), please, let me know.

-A TENTATIVE LIST OF ARTHURIAN NOVELS PUBLISHED 2017-2020-

2017 - [1-3] The Arthur quartet (Harper Fox) [gr] 2017 - The Book Knights (McKenney) [gr] 2017 - [1-5] Camelot (Galen Wolf) [gr] 2017 - Farewell to Camelot: Rise of the Twin-Born Kings (J. M. Owens) [gr]

2017 - [1] Guinevere Forever (M. L. Bullock) [gr]  2018 - [2] Guinevere Unconquered (M. L. Bullock) [gr] 2019 - [3] The Undead Queen of Camelot (M. L. Bullock) [gr]

2017 - King Arthur & Mordred: A Young King in Waiting (Jess Browning) [gr] 2017 - The Kingpin of Camelot (Cassandra Gannon) [gr] 2017 - [1-4] The Knight's Journal (King Arthur Origins) (Brian J. Lang) [gr] 2017 - [1-3] The Igraine trilogy (Lavinia Collins) [gr] 2017 - [AU] Math and Magic in Camelot (Lilac Mohr) [gr] 2017 - [1-3] [AU] The School for Good and Evil: The Camelot Years Series (Soman Chainani) [gr] 2018 - [C] By the Light of Camelot (edited by J. R. Campbell, Shannon Allen) [gr] 2018 - Camelot 2050: Dragon Fire (Cartwright) [gr] 2018 - [1-4] [AU] Camelot Misfits MC series (Xavier Neal) [gr]

2018 - [1] A Dog in King Arthur's Court (Audrey Mackaman) [gr] 2019 - [2] Quest for the Grail (Audrey Mackaman) [gr]

2018 - Kingdom Camelot (G. R. Griffin) [gr] 2018 - [1-3] The Heirs to Camelot (Jacqueline Church Simonds) [gr] 2018 - The Last Pendragon (Aurora Dawn) [gr]

2018 - [1] Lancelot (Giles Kristian) [gr] 2020 - [2] Camelot (Giles Kristian) [gr]

2018 - [1-3] New Camelot Series (Barbara Russell) [gr] 2018 - A Song of Camelot (Seymour Stevens) [gr] 2018 - The Woman In the Tree: The True Story of Camelot (Natasha D. Lane) [gr] 2019 - Best Knight Ever (Cassandra Gannon) [gr] 2019 - Camelot after: Der Fluch (Martin Glöckner) [gr] 2019 - [1-5] [AU] Camelot New York (Vanessa Cortese) [gr]  2019 - The Curse of Camelot (Gina Hollands) [gr] 2019 - Cursed (Thomas Wheeler, Frank Miller) [gr] 2019 - [1] Stolen Legacy (Zara Stark) [gr] 2019 - [1-2] [AU] Guardians of Camelot (Victoria Sue) [gr]

2019 - [1] The Guinevere Deception (Kiersten White) [gr] 2020 - [2] Camelot Betrayal (Kiersten White) [gr]

2019 - [1] Le Fay (The Camelot Series Book 1) (Stacey Jaine McIntosh) [gr] 2019 - Morgan the Fairy: Heir of Camelot (R. K. Wheeler) [gr]

2019 - [1] Once & Future (Amy Rose Capetta) [gr] 2020 - [2] Sword in the Stars (Amy Rose Capetta) [gr]

2019 - [1-4] Pendragon's Heir (Suzannah Rowntree) [gr] 2019 - Queen Takes Camelot (Their Vampire Queen) (Burkhart) [gr] 2019 - [1-3] The Round Table Chronicles Series (T.J. Schongar) [gr] 2020 - [C] Beyond Camelot: A Crazy Ink Anthology (Justina Luther) [gr] 2020 - O Mago de Camelot (Marcelo Hipólito) [gr] 2020 - The Stain of Mordred: A Mage of Avalon (Glenn Scrimshaw) [gr]

[brydeswhale]

Top Worst Fandoms I’ve Been In

Elfquest

While not essentially the worst fandom ever, the nearly cult-like atmosphere was, in retrospect, pretty creepy. I also found the way that the individualist screed being pooped out by sun girl and Wingthing(to this day) has so many fans really annoying, but it wasn’t that surprising.

The fandom split in the tens, when WARP shut down their forum for reasons completely unrelated to being called out on the racism in their most recent work. There were basically people still surgically attached by the lips to Wendy Pini’s ass, and people so embittered by their treatment that they weren’t having it.

Having said that, even the latter group REALLY did not like racism and sexism in the narrative being pointed out. Whatever.

Gundam Wing

It’s not really surprising just HOW misogynistic the Gundam Wing fandom was. It was basically the era of the “not like other girls”, and everyone was too cool for absolute pacifism.

Relena was basically doomed the moment she appeared in the show, based on her handing a birthday invitation to Heero. It’s funny, because he actually ends the series adoring her and fighting for her cause. But it serves to remind me that I am also vulnerable to the siren call of the “not like other girls”.

Supernatural

My god, this was and continues to be one of the worst fandoms EVER. I was lucky enough to get out after writing a story about a Sasquatch with Trekkie parents, but it was impossible to miss the entire saga of SPN.

Between the racism, and sexism, it was impossible to miss the general bad shit in this fandom. It was, in my opinion, probably one of the fandoms that pretty much brought incestuous slash fiction into the mainstream. It also brought us Misha Collins, for which it owes the entire world an apology.

Sleepy Hollow

I was lucky enough that I met lots of good people in this fandom and had a good time.

Unfortunately, the fandom was inundated with racist fans, primarily female, who were pretty much appalled by the idea that they might have to watch a show where the main female lead was Black, respected and adored by her co-lead, and was intended to be seen this way by the majority of other characters. This resulted in multiple rants by them on various social media sites, and real life harassment of lead actress Nicole Beharie, including a false assertion of violent behaviour onset.

My personal belief is that these “fans” and their temper tantrums negatively impacted the quality of the narrative in the show, and, along with the production staff, caused a serious decline following the first season, and in the end, after the loss of star Nicole Beharie, the show ended in disgrace.

Teen Wolf

Teen Wolf started promisingly enough, with a kid getting bitten by a werewolf and having to deal with all that shit.

Then the stiles fandom appeared.

Teen Wolf was the story of Scott McCall, a young Latino boy whose journey basically consists of being forcibly turned into a werewolf and developing his moral and ethical philosophy as he becomes a leader in his community.

Stiles is his obnoxious “best friend”. I put that in quotes because he’s, in my opinion, an obnoxious little shit who experiences no character development in six years time.

But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he wasn’t Scott. He was a generically good looking white boy.

Stiles became a black hole, both in the show and the fandom. He absorbed the narrative, not because he was particularly interesting, but because a vocal section of fandom took offence at being expected to empathize with the Latino main character and making their desires plainly known.

Most of this I observed, because within MONTHS of Teen Wolf’s premier episode, the fandom was so inundated with these assholes that it was pretty much impossible to find anything that didn’t just spout lies about Scott and promote Stiles to the point that I began to suspect that these were people who had watched Teen Wolf in an alternate dimension and were reaching our internet through some kind of wormhole.

This all sounds very inoccuous. In fact, these people harassed pretty much anyone in the fandom that dared to question their narrative of Scott as the unworthy character with Stiles as the secret “true” main character, they harassed the actors, to the point of sending one tweets telling him he should kill himself and prompting his mom to speak out from her death bed, and basically made the teen wolf fandom a horrible place to be.

[afictionaladventure16]

Upon The Sweetest Flower (Chris Evans x Daughter!Reader) PREVIEW

Okay, so upon working on requests and the next part of Thinking Out Loud (Which expect it within the next week) I have decided to throw out a preview of a fic I am working on and that I can not get my mind off of. Last time this happened it was when I wrote My Surrogate Father so, yeah. Anyways, just a preview to see what you guys think of it. 

PREVIEW for Upon The Sweetest Flower (this is taken from the beginning of Chapter 1)

Summary:  You were born to an outgoing yet introverted father with an anxious heart. A mother with a sly smile and a vicious talk. You never knew how they worked together but the way they smooth-talked their way into their own little conversations, the small loving touches they placed on each other while in public, the eye contact that they made while they feet apart, you just knew, they were made for each other. Or so you thought. You had been wondering how two people who loved each other so much could just… stop. If life was so unpredictable, what else could happen?

You sat in the far back corner of the classroom, it’s where you liked to sit. Where you could see everyone and they really couldn’t see you. If they tried hard enough, they could turn around and spot you. If you whispered loud enough, your voice would be heard through their ears. But you didn’t. They didn’t. You preferred it. 

You were born to an outgoing yet introverted father with an anxious heart. A mother with a sly smile and a vicious talk. You never knew how they worked together but the way they smooth-talked their way into their own little conversations, the small loving touches they placed on each other while in public, the eye contact that they made while they feet apart, you just knew, they were made for each other. Or so you thought. You had been wondering how two people who loved each other so much could just… stop. If life was so unpredictable, what else could happen?

“Good morning class!” Your principal said loud enough for everyone to perk up, she stood tall, her hands in front of her grasped together as she held her head high. “I would like for you all to meet, Mr. Firth, he will be your permanent teacher for the rest of the school year,” she said as a man who you assumed to be, Mr. Firth, walked in. He was Caucasian, bald with a mustache and a small beer belly. You instantly knew that some of the students were bound to speak about his appearance while in the lunch hall. “Good luck, Mr. Firth,” the principal said softly before she walked out of the room. 

Mr. Firth cleared his throat, “Good morning class,” he said in a husky voice, “I bet you are all wondering who I am as much as I am with all of you.” Something about him seemed off, you weren’t sure if it was the energy he gave off or the look in his eyes as he looked around the classroom… you just didn’t like it. “How about we all go around the room, state our names and a fun fact, I’ll start,” He said with a small smile, “My name is Daniel Firth and a fun fact about me is that I am from Houston, Texas.” He then pointed to the first row of desks. 

“Um, Collin,” you glanced over to the boy who was speaking, he was what people considered, a jock. “I uh, play football.” 

“Thank you for telling us the obvious,” Mr. Firth, said as he gestured to Collins clothing. The class erupted in laughter making the boy blush from embarrassment, “I’m just pulling your strings, Collin,” Mr. Firth smirked, it was a sort of apology for the class laughing towards the boy.

Masterlist will be up later on today.  Taglist is open for this series until July 20th!

Permanent Taglist (CLOSED): @otomefan @dejaazaro @culturebay @kpopishilarious @fireproof-heaven @iloveyouthreethousand-o6  @weappreciatepower @whereyoustand  @white-wolf-buckaroo @spider-woman22 @coffee-habit @supernaturallover2002 @barnes-parker @therealmrshale @myinternetissoslow @myhippiehopes @celyndavies @xzowiex @ximaginx @wooshytooshy @ellaorelizabeth @rororo06  @chloe-geoghegan1 @hdthdthdt @sophie-barnes26 @thamuddagirl @scarletmeii @ssebstann @fangirl31415 @unapologeticallymimi   @glitterquadricorn @lady-of-lies  @cassmoreiraxo @just4muggles @mellorine-paprika  @agirlruinedbybands @yougottalovefandoms @avngrsinitiative @lizlil

Chris Evans Taglist (OPEN):  @icegirl2772 @livi-lu @mpc0411 @acalmandquietplace @sleepylunarwolf @alicat-life @captaiinameriicasass @edgyhargreeves @noobmaster63 @pleasantlysecretdream @xiumin-girl99 @thejourneyneverendsx @peachacracy @buckybcrness @thewintersoldier1124 @booksarebae2000 @sebastiansmadden @dyckvindyck

[nellygwyn]

Books I read in 2020

♡ Slammerkin // Emma Donoghue (re-read)

♡ The Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy Book 2) // Deborah Harkness

♡ Celeste: The Parisian Courtesan Who Became a Countess and a Bestselling Author // Roland Perry

♡ Sophia: Mother of Kings // Catherine Curzon

♡ Young and Damned and Fair: The Life and Tragedy of Catherine Howard at the Court of Henry VIII // Gareth Russell

♡ Longbourn // Jo Baker

♡ Silas Marner // George Eliot

♡ Mudlarking: Lost and Found on the River Thames // Lara Maiklem

♡ An Almond for a Parrot // Wray Delaney

♡ Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey // Nicola Tallis

♡ Bess of Hardwick: The First Lady of Chatsworth // Mary S. Lovell

♡ Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading // Nina Sankovitch

♡ The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy Book 3) // Deborah Harkness

♡ The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter // Hazel Gaynor

♡ The Foundling // Stacey Halls

♡ Catherine of Braganza: Charles II's Restoration Queen // Sarah-Beth Watkins

♡ Far From the Madding Crowd // Thomas Hardy (re-read)

♡ Jurassic Mary: Mary Anning and the Primeval Monsters // Patricia Pierce

♡ Time's Convert (Book 1 of the All Souls Trilogy prequel series) // Deborah Harkness

♡ The Darling Strumpet // Gillian Bagwell (re-read)

♡ The French Lieutenant's Woman // John Fowles (re-read)

♡ The Sphinx: The Life of Gladys, Duchess of Marlborough // Hugo Vickers

♡ A Place of Greater Safety // Hilary Mantel

♡ Charlotte Brontë: A Life // Claire Harman

♡ Life Mask // Emma Donoghue (re-read)

♡ Mrs Jordan's Profession // Claire Tomalin

♡ The Favourite: Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough // Ophelia Field

♡ Shadowplay // Joseph O'Connor

♡ Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity, From Bronze Age to Silver Screen // Greg Jenner

♡ Ashes of London (Book 1 of the Ashes of London series) // Andrew Taylor

♡ Casanova's Women: The Great Seducer and the Women He Loved // Judith Summers (re-read)

♡ The Fall of the House of Byron // Emily Brand

♡ Wolf Hall (Book 1 in the Wolf Hall series) // Hilary Mantel

♡ Mistresses: Sex and Scandal at the Court of Charles II // Linda Porter

♡ Journals and Letters of Fanny Burney // Fanny Burney

♡ The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle // Neil Blackmore

♡ London in the Eighteenth Century // Jerry White

♡ The Strangest Family: The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte, and the Hanoverians // Janice Hadlow

♡ Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe // Anthony Summers

♡ Maria Fitzherbert: The Secret Wife of George IV // James Munson

♡ Forever Amber // Kathleen Winsor

♡ Girl, Woman, Other // Bernadine Evaristo

♡ The Confesions of Frannie Langton // Sara Collins

♡ The Fair Fight // Anna Freeman

♡ Bring Up the Bodies (Book 2 in the Wolf Hall series) // Hilary Mantel

♡ Ladies in Waiting: From the Tudors to the Present Day // Anne Somerset

♡ The Private Lives of the Tudors // Tracy Borman

♡ Thomas Cromwell: A Life // Diarmaid Macculloch

♡ Katie Mulholland // Catherine Cookson

♡ Vanity Fair // William Makepeace Thackeray

♡ The Adventures of Tom Finch, a Gentleman // Lucy May Lennox

[seylaaurora]

Challenge: Top Ten Things

Much thanks to @inawickedlittletown for tagging me!

I’m not quite sure on any of these lists. Sometimes I forget even about the things I love. The order is random.

MOVIES: (All time Favorites)

Alice through the looking glass

Inception

Wonder Woman

Sweet Home Alabama (yeah, pls don’t laugh)

Hände weg von Mississippi (It’s an iconic German children’s movie made after a book and when talking in German I still quote it to this day, sue me)

Neuilly sa mère!

Qu’est-ce qu’on a fait au bon dieu?

Pride and Prejudice (BBC)

Captain America: The first Avenger

Warm Bodies

BOOKS: (All time Favorites)

Zodiac series by Romina Russell

The darkest minds series by Alexandra Bracken

The book thief by Markus Zusak (this is very much a rec, it’s a great book)

The boy in the striped pajamas by John Boyne

Edelstein Trilogie (you might know it as Ruby Red) by Kerstin Gier

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Fancy White Trash by Marjetta Geerling

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shafer

Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

MUSIC: (Current Favorites)

These were the hardest choicec bc I literally have way too much music in my current favourites list which is why this will just be 10 random of my faves

Flames by Lauren Cimorelli

Birthday Party by AJR

110 (Prolog) by LEA

80 Millionen by MoTrip (yes, the sing my song version)

Alamo by Alec Benjamin

Boys will be boys by Dua Lipa

Ramie w Ramie by Kayah and Viki Gabor (I literally don’t know how to write the e right on the computer)

Friends by Kelvin Jones

Honeysuckle by Greyson Chance

Drugs & the internet by Lauv

TV SHOWS: (Currently Watching/Obsessed With)

9-1-1

The Orville

Marvel’s Runaways

Agent Carter

The Rookie

Teen Wolf

Lucifer

Christmas at home (yeah, still haven’t finished that, even tho it’s great)

Once Upon A time

Bones

Tagging: @theladyandthewolves @firstdegreefangirl @peroquenotevean @novemberhush @didon (um, sorry for all those tags, feel free to ignore like half the stuff I send your way, I’m just working through the tags I got during the last two months