Historical - Victorian Genre

Word Count: Click here to reveal150000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: ‘No one can take away your name.’ Clearwater will lose his entire fortune unless he cracks a musical code. If Archer’s insane brother dies, their distant cousin, the evil Count Movileşti, will inherit everything, and with the influenza pandemic threatening the brother’s asylum, the outlook is grave. The only thing that can ensure Archer’s future is a legal document left behind by his grandfather, but the clue to its location is hidden within two pieces of music. Archer has one; the other is in Movileşti’s collection at Castle Rasnov. Archer dispatches two of his team to the Transylvanian castle, and two to the Clearwater Archives in London, leaving the rest to search every inch of his country house. The men face their pasts and decide their futures as loyalties are tested, and death stalks the corridors of Larkspur Hall. With Movileşti on his way to claim the inheritance, everyone has a vital part to play and everything to lose as they race against time. Set during the 1890 Russian influenza pandemic, The Clearwater Inheritance is a mystery thriller that takes us from Cornwall to Transylvania, and from the cellars of Larkspur Hall to the Orient Express. A mashup of romance, mystery and adventure, the tenth book ties up previous threads, answers questions, and sets the scene for the Clearwater future. The series is best read in order, starting with ‘Deviant Desire.’ The non-mystery prequel, ‘Banyak & Fecks’ should be read before books nine and ten.

Word Count: Click here to reveal19000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Laurent Boudreaux, London’s Darling and most eligible bachelor in Town, should be down in the ballroom entertaining all the guests that have come to Greyside Manor to gain his favor and, perhaps, his affection. Instead, he’s hidden himself in the library to sulk the night away. Very impetuous behavior for a proper gentleman. Even worse for a vampire charged with the simple task of attracting dinner for his coven. Due to his immense fortune, obvious good looks, and charming personality, Laurent’s gained quite a coterie of admirers, and with his popularity growing more and more every day, the meals are never in short supply. Unfortunately, his new duty for the coven has caused some of his favorite pastimes — flirting, bedding lovers, irritating people, to name a few — to lose their excitement. Laurent is bored. And boredom always leads to trouble. Tonight Laurent’s solitude and pouting is interrupted by a young man who stumbles into the library, disheveled and exhausted and definitely not supposed to be there. And he happens to be everything Laurent’s ever fancied. Seth Faolian has had a rough night, and ending up in the Marquis de Castelnau’s library isn’t the way he expected to end it. All he wanted was a place to hide while he recovered from tonight’s full moon. Being a cursed werewolf is hard enough. Finding himself face-to-face with a vampire is even worse. But Laurent Boudreaux isn’t like other noblemen. He isn’t even like other vampires, and Seth finds himself strangely intrigued by his unexpected host. Although typically enemies, the spark that ignites between this vampire and werewolf sends them both on a journey that spans across more than a century.

Word Count: Click here to reveal13,300 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Information not available

Summary: England, 1834. On the night of a harvest moon, in the shadows of late autumn, Malcolm comes across a quaint village tucked away in the forest. It seems the perfect spot for a weary traveller to lay his head, and maybe find a little company. But there is dark magic afoot, and lots of local gossip swirls around the seductive titian-haired weaver, Daniel. All Malcolm seeks is a night's pleasure. He never suspected he would have to worry about losing his life. Or his heart. This novelette is about 13,000 words in length and the first entry in the Darkly Enchanted Romance Series.

Word Count: Click here to reveal90000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealLesbian (Click here to hide)

Summary: Heatherhurst Hall Cumberland, England 1892 American heiress Kit Morgan is heartbroken at the wedding of her dearest school-friend. At her lowest moment, she is rescued from her agonies by the mysterious and alluring Alexandra Cranbrook, sister of a visiting English baronet. Alexandra is beautiful, charming, and effortlessly beguiling. Kit cannot help but fall in love with her. When Sir Vivian Cranbrook proposes marriage, it seems natural for Kit to accept—if only to live with the woman she desperately loves. But the Cranbrook’s ancestral home of Heatherhurst Hall is not all it seems. The attic is forbidden. Strange scratching noises echo from within the walls. Wraiths stalk the corridors by night. And worst of all, Alexandra’s love has turned to scorn. Still, Kit is determined to earn her happily-ever-after and save the Cranbrooks from the horrors of Heatherhurst Hall. If only she could know Alexandra loved her in return.

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Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Polyamorous (Click here to hide)

Summary: Rejoining Mystere in Paris, Douglas and Margaret find that the search for the second sword will not be as easy as they had thought -- Hauteclere is missing, and there is another force competing with them to find it. Mystere believes that the disappearance is unconnected to Caedda, but they must find Hauteclere before the others do, and before Caedda follows them to Paris. But in the midst of their search, Margaret vanishes. In order to save his wife, Douglas must regain his long-forgotten mastery as a Warden, and to do that, he must find Hauteclere.

Word Count: Click here to reveal160000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay, Straight (Click here to hide)

Summary: Henry Hope lies in a coma, and Lord Clearwater’s hunt for his mother’s secret treasure is on hold. But when a new clue comes to light, Clearwater and the academy men resume their greatest adventure. It is also to be their most dangerous. With murderous enemies behind, the unknown ahead, and a warrant out for Clearwater’s arrest, no-one is safe. Loyalties and friendships are tested as the men face harrowing confrontations, a war of attrition in the national newspapers, storms, gunfights and death. Will love and friendship be enough to secure the lives and futures of Lord Clearwater and his crew? Can they solve the riddles in time, and will anyone ever know the meaning of the seemingly unlockable riddle? Behind four points ’neath gifted crook, the light awaits for those who look… ◆ ◆ ◆ The Larkspur Legacy follows on directly from ‘Starting with Secrets’ and is the culmination of both the Clearwater and Larkspur mystery series. It is not necessary to have read the Clearwater Mysteries, but to get the best from this ‘end of season finale,’ you’re advised to read both, the Larkspur Mysteries in particular, and to read them in order. With themes of friendship, bromance, male love and revenge, the story combines historical fact with fiction. As with all of Jackson Marsh’s mysteries, the novel contains humour, love and action, while offering the reader the chance to solve the clues with the cast of disparate, well-drawn characters. “This is a book that could have been written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dan Brown.”

Word Count: Click here to reveal126000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: 'Your ridiculous Art. It’s as twisty as you are, and that’s saying something.' Kit Whitely has been exploited his entire life for his unique magical specialty, opening doors and locks. He's finally safe…until bounty hunter Alexander Locke arrests him for the use of illicit Art. But Alex is a man of divided loyalties and he intends to use Kit for illicit purposes of his own. How much trouble could one pissant little thief give him, anyway?

Word Count: Click here to reveal53350 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: England, 1892 Sir Lindsey Althorp, spectacularly wealthy baronet, has sat in the saddle since the day he was breeched. Aubrey Warren, threadbare telegraph boy turned engineer, has never ridden a horse in his life and had no intention of starting—until now. When a portrait-painting holiday in the country provides an opportunity for riding, Lindsey is eager to teach Aubrey the ropes. Aubrey works to overcome his well-founded caution regarding large beasts of burden. Harder to dispel are his insecurities about his scarred body in the wake of the Rook Mill boiler explosion—particularly as these scars are put on display to model for the painting Icarus Fallen. As the painting progresses, so do the riding lessons, until a potentially deadly accident may put a stop to both for good. - This is the second book in the Aubrey & Lindsey series. It is a direct sequel to Mr Warren's Profession.

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Summary: Julian Massey has always been sickly. When the young man's parents send him to the seaside town of Urchin Cove to recuperate, he finds himself stranded in a tiny cabin with only the quirky local inhabitants for company. Then a storm blows through, and he finds an unexpected discovery washed up on the beach: an unconscious man. After stealing a treasure, Kit Archer is taken prisoner by a ruthless pirate, Captain Booth. When a storm hits the pirate ship, Kit is able to escape, but not without serious injuries. Jules nurses him back to health, and friendship grows into desire. But Captain Booth is bound to come in search of his treasure and the man who stole it. In a world with dragons, sprites, and wizards, it's going to take more than a little magic for Jules and Kit to find lasting happiness together.

Word Count: Click here to reveal88000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Part two of The Clearwater Mysteries, this story continues directly from 'Deviant Desire.' An intercepted telegram, a coded invitation and the threat of exposure. Viscount Clearwater must once again put his life on the line to defend his reputation. The mystery is complicated by the arrival of a new servant experiencing the confusion of first gay love, and Archer's feelings towards his recently fired footman. Deviant forces are at work as Archer's enemies plot to expose his homosexuality and bring him down. Only the bonds of loyalty and friendship can protect him and those he loves as he struggles to protect his young lover, Silas, and his alliance of devoted servants. A mashup of mystery, adventure and romance, Twisted Tracks takes place in an imaginary England of 1888.

Word Count: Click here to reveal95,000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: "Death will come da capo, suddenly silent, and you will not hear your final applause. Fail us, and you die." Blackmail, a death threat and an opera. The Clearwater Foundation is to be launched with a charity gala at the City Opera House where Archer's old friend, Cadwell Roxton, is to star. But Roxton has a dark secret. He will be murdered during his performance unless he exposes Lord Clearwater's homosexuality. Archer's lover, Silas enlists the help of the new footman, James to unlock the mystery and save Roxton, the performance and the viscount's reputation — without raising suspicion. With only three days to go before the gala, it's a race against time that takes us from the notorious Cleaver Street brothel to the Royal Opera House and a thrilling climax with love, liberty and lives at stake. While in the background, enemies old and new plot Clearwater's ultimate downfall. Part three of the Clearwater Mysteries, 'Unspeakable Acts' follows on from 'Twisted Tracks.' The series is best read in order. "Another entertaining, well plotted, action-packed, triple mystery set in the imaginary, Victorian era of England 1888. Jackson Marsh has got me hooked!" Amazon review.

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: London, 1845 It's December, Alan "Aigee" Garmond's favorite time of the year, when the window display of the small bookshop where he works fills up with crimson Christmas books and sprays of holly. Everything could be perfect — if it weren't for handsome Christopher Foreman, the brilliant writer for the fashionable magazine About Town, who has taken an inexplicable and public dislike to Aigee's book reviews. But why would a man such as Foreman choose to target reviews published in a small bookshop's magazine? Aigee is determined to find out. And not, he tells himself, just because he finds Foreman so intriguing. Aigee’s quest leads him from smoke-filled ale-houses into the dark, dingy alleys of one of London's most notorious rookeries. And then, finally, to Foreman. Will Aigee be able to wrangle a Yuletide truce from his nemesis? WARNING: Contains a very grumpy writer, snarky Victorian book reviews, a scandalous song, two men snogging, and fan-girling over Punch. ~~~~ "Yuletide Truce is warm and cozy, just what I want out of a holiday romance. Aigee is a total cinnamon roll and it was lovely to see him happy." ~ Cat Sebastian "Sandra Schwab's Yuletide Truce is charming and witty, and I thoroughly enjoyed the peep into Victorian literary culture. The relationship between the proudly self-made Aigee and carelessly arrogant Foreman unfolds through dueling book reviews and salon repartee, but also in wonderfully drawn London streets and rickety boarding houses. The cross-class romance is a terrific cup of holiday cheer." ~ Emma Barry