Historical - Victorian Genre

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

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

Summary: Home From Nowhere The Clearwater Mysteries Book Seven After their wild and dangerous adventures, Archer and his crew are happy to take on a cosy mystery. Two new staff join Clearwater House. One of them, Jasper Blackwood, comes with an enigmatic, limited edition songbook that suggests he is no ordinary lad from the workhouse. When Archer investigates Jasper's past, he soon realises that his origins, if known, will cause a scandal for one of his closest friends. The question is, how to reunite father and son without disrupting their lives? In the space of one week, Jasper's life changes in ways he never expected, and when he meets Billy Barnett, what was once a shameful longing for the companionship of another man, quickly becomes his reason for living. 'Home From Nowhere' begins on the day Artful Deception ends. This is a comfortable, low-heat mystery set against a young man's coming of age in 1889 London. It can be read as a standalone novel, but it's best to have read the previous books in the series first. As with the other Clearwater Mysteries, you will find a mix of fact and fiction, alternating between upstairs and downstairs in a Victorian household.

Word Count: Click here to reveal103000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Forgive when there is nothing to forgive, and forget when there is. Barbary Fleet, September 1890 Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, September 1890 Deaf since birth, Joe Tanner is destined for a life of misery in the workhouse until Lord Clearwater offers him a place at the curious Larkspur Academy in Cornwall. There, while adjusting to his new life, His Lordship challenges Joe to unlock the mystery of the Colvannick stone row. As Joe sets about his task, he suspects a connection between the standing stones and a series of unsolved murders. The problem is convincing others, and his obsession soon threatens his relationship with his lover, Dalston Blaze. Joe's determination to unearth the truth also jeopardises his place at the academy, but a man's life is at stake, and the only one who believes in the mysteries of the past is Joe — and the killer who is prepared to murder anyone who interferes. The second of The Larkspur Mysteries continues from book one, 'The Guardians of the Poor.' The Larkspur Mysteries are inspired by existing locations and newspaper reports from the time, and combine fact, fiction, adventure and bromance. If you have not yet read the preceding series, ‘The Clearwater Mysteries’, you might like to start with book one, ‘Deviant Desire.’ There are 11 books in the ongoing series including a prequel, ‘Banyak and Fecks’ which can be read first although it is not a mystery. To get the most out of it, you should read it just before you read book nine, ‘Negative Exposure.’

Word Count: Click here to reveal112800 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: England, 1891 Lindsey Althorp, the only son of a wealthy baronet, has never worked a day in his life. Aubrey Warren was born in a workhouse and hasn’t stopped working since. When Lindsey wins a textile mill in a game of cards, he falls at first sight for the assistant clerk, Aubrey. Lindsey is certain that Aubrey is the Achilles to his Patroclus, the David to his Jonathan. Yet Aubrey, unaccustomed to affection, refuses to be a kept man—though he isn’t immune to Lindsey’s considerable charm. Buoyed by Lindsey's optimism and fuelled by Aubrey's industry, the two men strive to overcome the class gulf between them. But a horrific accident reveals a betrayal that threatens to tear them apart forever.

Word Count: Click here to reveal93000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: December 1889. Silas Hawkins, once a trickster from the slums, is now the public face of the Clearwater Foundation. As London society gathers to celebrate its success, and Prince Albert Victor considers becoming its new patron, life for Archer, Silas and the crew could not be better. But everyone has a past, especially Silas, a man ripe for blackmail. Photographs, demands, a dead photographer and a mystery amid the influenza pandemic of 1889, it falls to James, Silas and Fecker to find the blackmailer before Silas’ sordid past leads to public downfall. But then Silas disappears, and all James has is a burnt letter, a missing railway timetable and a man with two names. He also has Fecker, and together, they must race to solve the riddle and find Silas before he kills either the blackmailer or himself. Negative Exposure is the ninth Clearwater Mystery. The series blends fact with fiction, mystery with adventure, love with lust, and is best read in order.

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

Summary: The opera house holds many secrets, but none are as frightening as the Opera Ghost. Matthieu has harboured a crush on his best friend, Christophe, since they started dancing together in the Paris opera ballet troupe, but he's never acted on it. When disaster strikes only hours before a gala performance, Christophe reveals a hidden talent for singing. But where did he learn to hit such beautiful high notes? Why won't he tell his best friend who his singing tutor is? And what are those bruises he's covering up? The rehearsals for their new opera are plagued with "accidents" and a dashing stranger who has a past connection with the beautiful Christophe disrupts their lives. To make matters worse, Matthieu seems to have attracted the attention of the Phantom of the Opera himself... but who is the man behind the mask? And why is he so very alluring? The melody heard in the darkest part of the night is terrible, but beautiful as well. ---- Night's Melody is an MM horror retelling of the Phantom of the Opera, as part of the collaboration Monsters & Mayhem: An MM Horror Collection, adapting some of your favourite classic horror stories with an MM romance twist. It is a standalone story, featuring accidents of a violent nature, overdramatic characters, BDSM, why choose/ MMMM scenes and some very intriguing chambers under the opera's stage floor.

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

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

Summary: Shrike, the Butcher of Blackthorn, is a legendary warrior of the fae realms. When he wins a tournament in the Court of the Silver Wheel, its queen names him her Oak King - a figurehead destined to die in a ritual duel to invoke the change of seasons. Shrike is determined to survive. Even if it means he must put his heart as well as his life into a mere mortal’s hands. Wren Lofthouse, a London clerk, has long ago resigned himself to a life of tedium and given up his fanciful dreams. When a medieval-looking brute arrives at his office to murmur of destiny, he’s inclined to think his old enemies are playing an elaborate prank. Still, he can’t help feeling intrigued by the bizarre-yet-handsome stranger and his fantastical ramblings, whose presence stirs up emotions Wren has tried to lock away in the withered husk of his heart. As Shrike whisks Wren away to a world of Wild Hunts and arcane rites, Wren is freed from the repression of Victorian society. But both the fae and mortal realms prove treacherous to their growing bond. Wren and Shrike must fight side-by-side to see who will claim victory - Oak King or Holly King.

Word Count: Click here to reveal147,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: After Oliver Twist commits murder to protect Jack Dawkins (The Artful Dodger), both flee London’s now dangerous streets. Along the way, Jack becomes gravely ill, and Oliver is forced to gut fish by hand to pay for the doctor’s bills. While Oliver tries to balance his desire for respectability against his growing love for Jack, Jack balks against staying in bed, and wants to pick pockets, and both their tempers flare. But in spite of their personal struggles, and in the face of dire circumstances, they discover the depth of their love for each other. Oliver & Jack: At Lodgings In Lyme is the second book in Christina E. Pilz’s Oliver & Jack series, a gay historical romance. If you like nuanced characters and forbidden love overcoming adversity, then you’ll love this story, so pick up a copy today!

Word Count: Click here to reveal160,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: After a seaside interlude, during which they grew closer and their relationship stronger, Oliver and Jack are arrested and sent to Axminster Workhouse to await trial for the theft of books that they only borrowed. They are put in the less-than-tender care of Workmaster Chalenheim, who controls the quotas they must fill, the amount of food they eat, and the punishments they must endure. Oliver struggles with the shame of being in a place he thought he’d left behind him long ago. Meanwhile, Jack is confronted by a predator, who tests the limits of Jack’s love for Oliver. Together they must find a way to escape the workhouse before they succumb to the harsh conditions or are separated by the hangman’s noose, whichever comes first. In Axminster Workhouse is the third book in Christina E. Pilz’s Oliver & Jack series, a gay historical romance. If you like dark stories about forbidden love in dark places, then you'll love this story, so pick up a copy today!

Word Count: Click here to reveal162,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: In the noisy, crowded streets of London, where shadows hold secrets often too horrible to describe, an orphan and his beloved pickpocket attempt to rebuild their shattered peace. This is the love story of Oliver Twist and the Artful Dodger. As Jack recovers from the sexual assault at Chalenheim’s hands, he finds that he is unable to express his love for Oliver with any intimacy. Oliver, meanwhile, rescues Finley from Axminster Workhouse, and returns to London full of love for Jack and the desire to do whatever is necessary to help Jack recover his dignity and his passion. Chalenheim is still on the loose in London, waiting for another chance at Jack and Finley, which soon comes. Though they escape with barely a scratch, Oliver vows to rid the world of the man who would dare lay hands upon his beloved Jack. In London Towne is the sixth and final book in Christina E. Pilz’s Oliver & Jack gay historical romance series. If you enjoy stories about forbidden love battling against the dark forces that threaten to tear them apart, then you’ll enjoy this tale, so pick up a copy today!

Word Count: Click here to reveal150,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: After the cruel rejection from their families, Oliver and Jack brave the dangers they left behind to return to London, where they take up residence at the Three Cripples. The bedsit they share is small and riddled with bed bugs, but what does that matter when there is always cool beer on tap and the diversions of London are spread out before them? While Jack returns to picking pockets, Oliver works in the tavern, and struggles against the endless tide of dirt and the loss of everything he thought he stood for. Amidst their happiness and plans for future contentment, Workmaster Chalenheim kidnaps them, sexually assaults Jack, and leaves them both for dead. Will Oliver and Jack’s love for each other prove stronger than hate? On The Isle of Dogs is the fifth book in Christina E. Pilz’s Oliver & Jack gay historical romance series. If you enjoy stories about forbidden love battling against the dark forces that want to tear them apart, then you’ll enjoy this tale, so pick up a copy today!

Word Count: Click here to reveal131,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: After escaping Axminster Workhouse, Oliver and Jack travel by coach to visit Jack’s family, and then to Chertsey, to visit Oliver’s. But families can be cruel, and the lads’ quest for connection leads to disappointment. Exploring taverns and river bends along the way, Oliver desires a home for both him and Jack; however, for Jack, Oliver is the only home he needs. When the pressures of propriety and ridged social rules threaten to divide them, and even the slightest act of affection between them could get them arrested, can their love endure? Out In The World is the fourth book in Christina E. Pilz’s Oliver & Jack gay historical romance series. If you enjoy stories about Victorian era road trips taken by newly discovered lovers, then you’ll enjoy this tale, so pick up a copy today!

Word Count: Click here to reveal105000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: “Risk is the spark that ignites adventure.” Barbary Fleet, 1891   The Larkspur Academy — Where men explore the mysteries of love and learning Chester Cadman has been duped by unscrupulous men, ridiculed in the newspapers, and disowned by his family. Only twenty-two, he is on the verge of starvation when a Clearwater detective makes him an offer he can't refuse: Join the Larkspur Academy and investigate a haunting that has plagued Lord Clearwater’s family for nearly four hundred years. Mystified, but determined, Chester enlists the help of fellow academy man, Frank Andino, and is soon presented with a second mystery: his attraction to the loyal, but bawdy young Greek. Together, they unearth sinister family secrets that could destroy Clearwater’s reputation and the academy, but the truth must be known. Faced with a double dilemma, Chester is forced to confront the past, even if it means Clearwater’s downfall and a broken heart. It’s a risk, but, as Fleet says, ‘Risk is the spark that ignites adventure, and love is the greatest adventure of them all.’ ★★★★★ ‘Seeing Through Shadows’ is the fourth book in The Larkspur Mystery series. A combination of mystery, male love and adventure set in England in 1890 and 1891, the Larkspur Mysteries blend historical fact with fiction. Rescued from destitution, young gay men are invited to Lord Clearwater’s Larkspur Academy. There, they explore their talents as they encounter romance, bromance and a variety of intriguing mysteries. The Larkspur series follows on from the popular Clearwater Mysteries and is set in the same world, but you don’t have to have read the Clearwater series to enjoy this collection of full-length historical novels.

Word Count: Click here to reveal125000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Intelligencers: men and women from all walks of life and from all sections of society, servants of the Crown who work for the Home Office gathering information vital to the security of the nation. London, 1855. While Great Britain is at war with the Russians in the Crimea, a cadre of disaffected seditionists and insurrectionists, made up of members of the aristocracy and wealthy industrialists, have set a plan into action that’s been decades in the making—a plan that aims to overthrow the Queen and to install a puppet king on the throne in her place. With the war raging and disquiet in the industrial north and in Ireland, their perfidious plot, unless stopped, threatens to bring about anarchy and revolution. Aware of the imminent danger, Sir George Grey, the Home Secretary, has tasked The Brothers, a band of four men, friends of over twenty years, to root out the source of the infection, destroy the clique, and track down and eradicate its foreign pretender by any means necessary. From molly houses to state banquets, from hospitals to steam baths, from aristocratic households to the meanest of slums, the friends find themselves in a succession of increasingly perilous situations. Like the mighty Thames, undercurrents flow swift and deep as they uncover plot after plot and treachery and treason in abundance.

Word Count: Click here to reveal95000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: March 1891. A parliamentary committee arrives at Larkspur Hall to assess Lord Clearwater’s suitability to become an earl. Prince Albert Victor will announce their decision at a society dinner on Archer’s thirty-second birthday. However, the MP with the authority to advance Archer to the title is the same man who caused Edward Hyde never to speak again. When the parliamentarians arrive to inspect the Larkspur Academy, Edward comes face to face with the man he had arrested for making unnatural advances. A man who was never tried for his crime. Silas Hawkins and the academy men band together to ensure Edward sees justice done while protecting Lord Clearwater’s reputation and each other. Using their skills in chemistry, physics and deception, they embark on a game of secrets and subterfuge where the unspoken causes the loudest outcry. “The quiet ones have the loudest voice. Them as say most by speaking in silence.” Fiona Hawkins, 1881 Speaking in Silence is the fifth book in the Larkspur Mysteries series, and touches on themes of victimisation and suicide. Like all books in the series, it is inspired by actual events from the late 1800s. With themes of friendship, bromance, male love and revenge, the story is more of a ‘how dunnit?’ than a ‘who dunnit?’ and like all of Jackson’s mysteries, contains humour, while mixing fact with fiction.

Word Count: Click here to reveal12000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: “The greatest reward often lies at the end of the stoniest path.” Lady Dorothy Marshall, March 1891 When Lord Clearwater inherits a set of enigmatic clues and a compass, it becomes clear he has the means to uncover a momentous secret. He calls upon the men of the Larkspur Academy to help with the hunt, including the latest recruit, the bewildered ex-sailor, Bertie Tucker. The academy men investigate follies, national monuments and ancient churches, using their diverse skills to unlock a series of random messages. The men must work together to find Clearwater’s secret and ‘treasure’, but relationships threaten the status quo. Edward Hyde has turned his affections from Henry and aimed them at Bertie Tucker, opening a rift which must be mended if the hunt is to succeed. And when two of Clearwater’s adversaries conspire to beat him to the secret, what begins as an adventure becomes a game of cat and mouse that leads to a fight for survival. Starting with Secrets is the sixth book in the Larkspur Mysteries series. With themes of friendship, bromance, male love and revenge, the story is the first part of a two-part adventure, and 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.

Word Count: Click here to reveal110,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: At Scotland Yard, DI Timothy Stoker is no better than a ghost. A master of arcane documents and niggling details who, unlike his celebrity-chasing colleagues, prefers hard work to headlines. But an invisible man is needed to unmask the city’s newest amateur detective, Hieronymus Bash. A bon vivant long on flash and style but short on personal history, Bash just may be a Cheapside rogue in Savile Row finery. When the four fangs of the Demon Cats of Scavo—trophies that protect the hunters who killed the two vicious beasts—disappear one by one, Stoker's forced to team with the very man he was sent to investigate to maintain his cover. He finds himself thrust into a world of wailing mediums, spiritualist societies, man-eating lions, and a consulting detective with more ambition than sense. Will this case be the end of his career, or the start of an unexpected liaison? Or will the mysterious forces at play be the death of them both? And just who is Hieronymus Bash?

Word Count: Click here to reveal110000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: When will She open Rebecca Northcote’s box? Finding lost poodles and retrieving stolen baubles is not how DI Tim Stoker envisioned his partnership with his lover, Hieronymus Bash. So when the police commissioner's son goes missing, he's determined to help, no matter what secrets he has to keep, or from whom. When a family member is kidnapped, Hiero moves heaven and earth to rescue them. Even if that means infiltrating the Daughters of Eden, a cult of wealthy widows devoted to the teachings of Rebecca Northcote and the mysterious contents of her box. The Daughters' goodwill toward London's fallen women has given them a saintly reputation, but Hiero has a nose for sniffing out a fraud. He will need to draw on some divine inspiration to rattle the pious Daughters. Like weeds gnarling the roots of Eden's fabled tree, Tim and Hiero's cases intertwine. Serpents, secrets, and echoes from Hiero's past lurk behind every branch. Giving in to temptation could bind them closer together—or sever their partnership forever.

Word Count: Click here to reveal114,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Sing a song of sixpence A stage full of fright One two-faced blackbird Won't last the night   When a phantom presence lures Hieronymus Bash into a deadly game, threatening to kill one of the players at his beloved Gaiety Theater each day until famed actor Horace Beastly returns to the stage, London's premier consulting detective is on the case. The trouble? Horace Beastly is Hiero's alter ego and the true object of this murderous obsession. When the current star of the show is struck down, Hiero has to risk everything by stealing back the spotlight. After a golden summer together, DI Tim Stoker would do everything in his power to protect the man he loves. But a specter from his own past proves an unexpected, and perhaps fatal, distraction. Scheming prima donnas, grudge-fuelled critics, and an axe-wielding theater ghost are all out for blood. Will Hiero and Tim unmask this menace before the final curtain call, or are they past the point of no return?

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

Summary: Months have passed since Mystere left England in search of Joyeuse, leaving Douglas and Margaret behind, safe in behind ancient shields in a manor house in Sussex. Then Douglas is called away for an emergency, and disappears without a trace. A letter arrives, assuring Margaret that Douglas will be safe. A letter from Caedda, one embedded with spells meant to kill. Fearing for her husband, Margaret risks her own life and that of her child in a desperate attempt to summon Mystere, setting into motion a journey that will take them from Sussex to Aachen to the mountains of Austria, and to the long-hidden sword, Joyeuse. With all four swords once more in the world, the secrets they’ve been hiding will finally be revealed.

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.