Genre: Historical, Urban Fantasy, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Bi, Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
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About The Book
It’s Good? to be Home
Captain Lazarus Lenkov has been a civilian for almost two months, and it’s going great. Sure, he’s working at an art gallery instead of flying planes. Sure, his brother is preoccupied with his new husband, his sister is busy with her new baby, and he’s plagued by nightmares and his malfunctioning foresight. But there are good things, too. He’s got a new car. And just today, he got hit over the head with a bottle and then stitched up by a cute neurologist. Who then rejected his advances, but you can’t have everything.
Eli Sobel has never met anyone quite like Laz. He’s smart and handsome in a scruffy way. He’s also a mess. From the first time they meet, it’s clear that Laz needs someone to take care of him, even heal him. And while Eli’s a doctor, he’s not interested in taking on any patients in his personal life. But Laz is funny and generous, and Eli can’t help but get drawn into the investigation surrounding the attack he stitched the man up from.
There’s bad magic afoot, though neither of them quite understands it. From a similar crime at a Minneapolis art gallery to dead bodies in Edina, Minnesota, each step of the inquiry seems to pull the two of them closer together. But when they finally uncover the surprising motives that tie the events together, will they be able to move past their history into an uncertain future together?
Lazarus, Home from the War is the fourth book in the Wisconsin Gothic series. It contains some spoilers for Troth, but can be read as a stand-alone.
The Review
Lazarus Lenkov wanted to fly, and he did. He worked hard and became a Captain in the Air Force, and flew a helicopter during the Vietnam War. Even though it’s what he loved to do, it left him with a struggle when he returned home. PTSD would forever be a burden for him, but he dealt with it. Now he has found a job in Carla’s art gallery, and is doing really well. He doesn’t look at it as a big deal, but he took a chance with Oran when he brought some of his art to sell. Laz made a wall for “Outside Art” that even Carla accepted.
Laz, being from the Lenkov family, has a true magical bloodline. He’s living in his Babushka Ekaterina’s house. He has many family members: sister, Celeste, her husband Obe and their new baby Lila, which Ekaterina adores, and his Aunt Cassandra and Tim the cat.
He also has his brother Ulysses. who is a professor and married to Dionysus Samuel Sterling. Their relationship is very unique and caused a problem within the family. Laz and Ulysses also seem to do a lot of head-butting. Ulysses has warned Laz to be careful of sharing his history in Madison.
With a client coming in, Carla needs Laz at the meeting. So he takes a lunch at the Supperette, where he finds something more interesting, and the flirting begins. But then a disturbance causes Laz’s PTSD to kick in. When he finally comes too, he finds his head in the lap of Eli Sobel, a neurologist doctor.
Eli, thinking he would never see Laz again after the PTSD event, happens by the gallery one evening, and finds Laz injured after he’d been attacked. Eli also gets to meet Laz’s bossy brother, Ulysses. Laz has his reasons for refusing to go to a hospital. Against his better judgement, Eli takes Laz back to his office to sew up his head wound. Laz starts to feel comfortable with him.
The more Eli starts to learn about Laz, the more he finds himself falling for this wild and dangerous man. Laz fears that Eli will walk away when he learns more about him, and Eli doesn’t realize what he’s getting into with Laz, Ulysses and Sam.
A new painting that was brought to the gallery seems off to Laz, and creates a strange electrical feeling and precognition. That leads Eli to test Laz, has Eli feeling bad. He starts to fall for Laz, a little too quickly. He doesn’t like that Ulysses seems to get Laz caught up and hurt in strange occurrences. He knows that Laz, Ulysses, and Sam all have the magic in their bloodlines and when they get hurt, they all refuse to go to hospital. Eli cleans up their injuries.
Laz, Ulysses, and Sam look into the case of the mysterious painting, and Eli gets involved too. Bodies of the painting’s previous owners keep dropping. Will they be able to solve the mystery and survive?
Another exciting tale from “Wisconsin Gothic” series. Lazarus, Home From The War shines a spotlight on Lazarus and what he’s been through. He was away from home from the time he turned seventeen and went into the Academy, college and pilot training. He’s a little odd, but I like him much more now then I did in “Troth”.
I also love that he and Eli found each other. Eli had his reasons for not wanting to get involved with Laz, but can’t resist him. Plenty of characters from the previous books make appearances again, right down to Laz and Ulysses’ parents.
Lazarus, Home From the War is the fourth book of the “Wisconsin Gothic” series. I highly suggest reading the other three books too: Dionysus in Wisconsin, Old Time Religion, and Troth, to really get to know all of the characters and the paranormal backstory and history. I hope E.H. Lupton has more stories in the works – I would love to hear more about Laz and Eli, or whatever E.H. Lupton decides to entertain the masses with next. Excellent!
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.
