#alec pyne

[cheeeryos]

obsessed with outside perspectives of jerry crozier being cartoonishly terrifying

while alec takes one look at that and he's like....well I can't not fuck him

[beautifulduckweed]

Get to Know Me Memes

Thanks for the tag, @afewbulbsshortofatanningbed! I'm procrastinating furiously, and I would absolutely so much rather do this than anything else right now.

Last Song: That Jack Harlow song except it's about chinchillas:

Favorite Color: Uhhh either hot pink, dark purple, or eye-searing teal.

Last Book: A Power Unbound by Freya Marske. This book has so many great bits, but also so many bits that were infuriating, inconsistent with established canon, broke previously established rules, or just plain made no sense, that it ended up being one of the worst books I've read in quite a while. It was at its best when it allowed the protagonists to be tender and intimate with each other, which meant that the last two chapters were the only ones that didn't make me want to thump my head gently against the wall.

Last Movie: No Time to Die. The tallwife and I decided it was time for us to finally sit down and (re)watch all five Daniel Craig Bond movies, and I gotta say, Casino Royale and Skyfall absolutely hold up---Skyfall in particular feels like a good movie, period, and the best Bond movie yet. The other three movies were entertaining but a hot mess. No Time to Die made many people furious with its ending, but I enjoyed Bond's character arc there, especially in the context of the four movies that preceded it, and especially because we'd watched the movies in rapid succession.

Last TV Show: Delicious in Dungeon, which is absolutely cuckoo bananas bonkers. Highly recommended. Anime on Netflix about a party of D&D-esque adventurers who are so broke that they have to make their way through the dungeon with zero money for provisions. The solution: cook and eat the monsters they slay! Every episode lovingly goes through the proper preparation methods and talks about the importance of eating balanced meals. If you miss original flavor Iron Chef and love D&D, you 1000% need to watch this show.

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: Savory!

Relationship Status: Le married

Last Thing I Googled: That chinchilla Tiktok

Current Obsession: Trying to slowly and painfully wrench my wardrobe around from "buy whatever's cheap and sort of fits" into something resembling a coherent aesthetic. And my true loves---romance novels in general and KJ Charles romance novels in particular---are never far from my mind.

Looking Forward To: Visiting @theglintoftherail and @etoilesombre in March, aaaaahhhh it's gonna be so great!

get to know me(me)

Three Ships: Jerry Crozier/Alec Pyne from Any Old Diamonds. Utterly obsessed with their dynamic. Kim Secretan/Will Darling from the Will Darling Adventures, because what's not to love about a twisty secretive angsty shit + stoic oblivious dude with a boatload of war trauma? Also Arthur/Eames from Inception, I will never not love that universe in general and those two in particular. Just thinking about them makes me want to reread weatherfront's Inception fics.

First Ship: Man, it was probably Todd/Neil from Dead Poets' Society? I watched that movie when I was 11 or 12 years old, and it hit me like a truck, but I had no way to express the horrible yearning I had for Neil to have a different ending, and for him and Todd to remain VERY CLOSE FRIENDS forever.

Currently Reading: King Solomon's Mines. Hilariously, am reading this for KJ Charles reasons, because Think of England is set in that universe and I want more background info on Archie Curtis's adventure-loving guncles. I enjoyed this a whole lot as a child (I think I first read it when I was 11?) and reading it as an adult is...an experience. Colonialism: What a drug!

Currently Watching: Delicious in Dungeon; also slowly catching up on Lower Decks (which is proceeding at a snail's pace because we don't have Paramount Plus, we watch an episode or two every few weeks at a friend's house).

Currently Craving: A Cosmic Crisp apple and some cheddar cheese. For whatever reason, my body has decided that This Is Food and very few other things are. Fuckin' bodies.

As always with these things, I'm not tagging anyone. Feel free to jump in if you, too, are in the mood to talk about yourself and are trying to put off actually thinking about or working on something.

[no-birdstofly]

for the same trick (explicit | alec/jerry | 18k)

The Lilywhite Boys get hired to rob a magician, and Alec learns a few new tricks of his own along the way.

I did a thing! This is fanfic for the brilliant book Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles, which I can’t recommend enough. Fic includes a heist, Alec getting his hands dirty, too many animal metaphors, and way too many sex scenes.

[mortalfortaxpurposes]

romance books I’ve read this year: any old diamonds by k.j. charles (10/?)

[drwhyborne]

“You’ve been far kinder to me than most people ever are. And, whatever happens, I wanted to tell you now—” “Don’t,” Jerry said, voice harsh. “Don’t what?” “Anything. I’m not a good man, Alec. If I have redeeming features, they are few and far between. You deserve a great deal better than—than you’ve had, but don’t put me on a pedestal because I’m not as shitty as some others. And while I’m giving orders, stop telling yourself you ought to be stronger or more manly or feel less, or whatever it is now.” His fingers tightened on Alec’s. “You don’t need to be different. It would be a crying shame if you were.”

Any Old Diamonds, by KJ Charles

[drchristineputnam]

Any Old Diamonds summary

Jerry Crozier: is a ruthless thief

Alec Pyne: 

[anisotropic-blue]

A little doodle of the boys from Any Old Diamonds, because I was thinking about how awesome the book is and how much I want the audiobook version now, now, now. Oh, and the second book...*dreamy sigh*

Completed July 2019

[lz-01]

LET’S TALK ABOUT BOOKS, PT. 7

previous posts: I | II | III | IV | V | VI

again, again! another huge dump/update abt what i’ve been reading

i’ve read a lot since the last one, so many apologies 

i should try to do this more consistently but it’s always just such a spur of the moment thing, like i don’t have anything to read right now so oh yeah why don’t i update my blog with what i’ve been reading? 

why am i like this?

_______________________________________

amelia atwater-rhodes

the maeve’ra (series)

bloodwitch

the rebel*

bloodkin

the prophet*

bloodtraitor

this series is set in a-r’s den of shadows world, but unlike her other works, this takes place in the past and reveals the full story of the fall of midnight--the vampire empire that yoked and enslaved both humans and shapeshifters--referenced in her earlier works, specifically midnight predator, while introducing us to the band of rebels that played a key role in making it happen.

bloodwitch, bloodkin, and bloodtraitor are full novels while the rebel and the prophet act as prologues, giving us some background details on the narrators. these are short stories available for purchase on kindle (and most likely other ebook platforms) for pretty cheap. 

i found it interesting but had a hard time connecting to the characters. shifting povs and a-r’s focus on getting through the plot make it a little hard to latch on to a particular character’s way of moving through the world. malachi was probably my favorite though because we see the most of him throughout the books, and his development takes some interesting terms once we shift over to his pov in bloodtraitor. plus, he’s queer. these are YA books, so nothing explicit happens on the page, but there are definitely some fade-to-black moments. that’s one of the things i really like abt atwater-rhodes: she was writing queer characters way back when.

kj charles

england (series)

proper english

think of england

these two books are loosely interconnected but could be read independently without losing anything. 

proper english is an f/f murder-mystery/adventure story. pat, the english women’s shooting champion, gets invited to a house party at her family friend’s country home, along with her brother. while there, she meets her friend’s bubbly fiancee, and cannot seem to keep away from her. when a murder of one of the guests occurs, the two women put themselves on the case and resolve to find the murderer amongst the house guests.

think of england is another adventure/mystery, but this one is m/m. archie curtis gets himself invited to a country house party so he can secretly investigate the host. but daniel da silva, an effete artist who is also a guest, always seems to be distractingly in the way. the two of them blunder into a dangerous situation and maybe also something more.

the lilywhite boys (series)

any old diamonds

gilded cage

the rat-catcher’s daughter

this was a fun series as well. charles usually chooses to set her work in earlier time periods, but this is set a bit later in the 19th century, so technology and things might look a bit more familiar while still retaining the rigid grandeur of the victorian era. 

in any old diamonds, we’re introduced to the lilywhite boys, a notorious pair of thieves, when they are hired by lord alexander pyne-ffoulkes to rob his father of a precious diamond parure (that’s a matched set of jewelry) just before he gifts it to his wife on their anniversary. this ropes the lilywhite boys into a bitter family feud, and forces jerry, the team’s safe cracker, into close contact with alec pyne, as he must go undercover as a friend to get into the house party. things heat up between them.

the follow-up, gilded cage, is about jerry’s partner, templeton lane. when he is framed for a double murder, there’s only one person he can think to turn to: susan lazarus, private investigator, with whom he has a complicated history. susan makes her initial appearance in kj charles’ work, an unnatural vice (sins of the cities #2), as conman justin lazarus’ apprentice. while it’s not necessary to have read sins of the cities to understand what’s going on, it does provide some understanding about susan’s background and motivations. anyway, as the two work on the case, they also must confront their past and admit maybe those feelings are still there. yes, this is m/f. yes, the first book was m/m. hold onto your hats for what comes next.

the rat-catcher’s daughter is a prequel to any old diamonds, and is a short story telling us how miss christiana, the trans music hall singer, met and fell in love with the lilywhite boys’ fence, stan. hint: it’s because she got in over her head with some thugs. this story also elucidates why templeton lane is targeted in book two. warning: the opening scene features a trans character being misgendered. oh! oh! and my favorite part of this: the characters are ace. yayyy, ace representation!

eliot grayson

santa rafaela (series)

a totally platonic thing

so last time i talked about eliot grayson, i had just read the one decent thing, which it turned out was the start of a series. i was not expecting that. i think maybe the author has intentions of releasing a third and final book in the series, but i don’t know for sure.

anyway, this follow-up focuses on chris and lucas, and their boundary-blurring relationship as roommates. chris, after some personal setbacks, turns to partying to cope. after one too many late-night phone calls to come pick up his drunk roommate, lucas kind of loses it. 

this is very tense and emotionally fraught. it’s one of those stories where i wish i could just grab a character and shake them like ugh, what are you doing. but i loved it because it’s all about coming to terms with yourself and going after what you really want. love, love, love this book.

alexis hall

spires (series)

glitterland

glitterland is the first book in a series about a group of loosely affiliated gay men in england, most of whom are People With Problems. this one was a little triggering for me because the main character has depressive bipolar disorder and it talks a lot about suicidal ideation and attempts, hospitalization, etc. i knew it would be hard for me, but i read it anyway because i liked hall’s style in boyfriend material. so the beginning was a little aaah because there was just too much that i related to. on the other hand, it was comforting to me, almost, to have a narrator that discusses those things honestly and unflinchingly. by the time i got to the end of the book, it was cathartic. really, really well done. 

am looking forward to reading the rest of the series, which i believe is still in progress, but so far is up to book 4 with, i believe, a total of 6 books planned for. however, there’s a huge waitlist at my library for these so it will be some time before i can get to them all.

sarah henstra

we contain multitudes (standalone)

i could have sworn i already talked about this. if i did, i apologize. if not, here we goooo.

this is an interesting YA novel written in letter format. the main characters, two boys in separate english classes, one a poetry nerd obsessed with walt whitman, openly gay, and picked on at school, and the other a notorious jock with quite a temper, would have had little to no occasion to meet but for their english teacher’s experimental penpal program. through their letters, they find comfort, companionship, friendship, and love. but as they get to know each other better, they are drawn into the dark sides of each other’s lives, and pushed to the brink. 

warnings: school bullying, homophobia, internalized homophobia, domestic abuse, alcoholism

t.j. klune

green creek (series)

wolfsong

ravensong

heartsong

brothersong

yes, i finally read it! 

so this is an m/m series all about werewolves. their pack structure uses kind of a modified a/b/o system where alphas are those in charge of the pack while the rest of the pack members are betas. omegas are wild wolves who have no pack and have lost their ability to change back to their human form. each book in the series focuses on a different pairing.

the first book, wolfsong, is about ox, a boy who’s survived his abusive father leaving, and joe, the boy who moves in next door and immediately wants to be ox’s friend. joe is a mystery though. traumatized by past events, he clings to his relationship with ox to cope. and through their relationship, ox finds an adopted family, as well as his personal power. when finally it seems like these two idiots are going to get together, tragedy strikes, tearing them apart. 

i honestly loved this book. but i thought the narrative voice was supposed to indicate someone who’s neurodivergent, and i was a little disappointed when klune tried to replicate it in all the books. i felt like it made the poetic rhythm of this book a little less special and it changed my interpretation/understanding of ox’s character. and honestly, it got annoyingly repetitive and i found myself skimming parts of the later books to get past the poetic repetition of phrases in favor of just getting to the point.

however, that is not to say that this series isn’t worth reading. ravensong is a heartwrenching story of love lost and the agony of finding it again. both gordo and mark have to work through their hurt to get to a better place, and man, does it hurt vicariously. a very different plot to the first book, which focused more on a friends to lovers plot, while this is almost more lovers to enemies, and provides us with a lot of information on what happened to the pack in the past that brought it to its current state in wolfsong.

heartsong takes a totally different approach and starts us out with a character who has amnesia. so rather than us, the reader, watching the main characters fall in love, we find out along with robbie that he has this whole hidden history where he was courted, fell in love, and happily mated. oh, and i loved that this features an ace partner, and shows that ace people can be in romantic relationships with non-ace people so long as they communicate their needs. warning: this story features an ace character having sex. 

and finally, brothersong. i feel like i waited so long for this story. we get introduced to carter and his nameless omega wolf companion in book two, and i just fell in love with them immediately. like i knew this was going to be the story for me. because it’s all about--say it with me, kids--defying expectations, breaking through societally imposed boundaries, and loving despite what you thought you knew about yourself. because carter’s always been straight. that’s how he defines himself. but that stupid wolf that’s been following him around for years, annoying the shit out of him--that stupid wolf is his mate. and that stupid wolf needs his help. and so carter goes on a journey that may possibly end in his death to rescue the omega wolf before it’s too late.

ngl, i read this book three times in a row. because i just loved it so much. 

malinda lo

last night at the telegraph club (standalone)

i’ve never read anything by malinda lo before, but this was a treasure. this is an f/f YA novel set in san fran during the height of cold war and the red scare. the main character is a young chinese girl dealing with her sexual awakening in a culture and climate that’s openly hostile toward her. her one ‘safe space’ is the friendship she develops with a girl at school. this was riveting. i highly recommend it.

cat sebastian

the cabots (series)

tommy cabot was here

peter cabot gets lost

the turners (series)

the soldier’s scoundrel

the lawrence browne affair

the ruin of a rake

so, as with sebastian’s usual work, these are set in a historical time period. the cabots, in contrast to what i’ve read from sebastian before, is set in the 1950s-1960s. the cabots are a politically prominent american family (think like the kennedys) with an image to maintain. 

in the first book, tommy cabot leaves his wife and comes out to his family. they promptly excommunicate him from their ranks. so tommy, jobless and missing his son, moves out near the boarding school his son attends, and where he used to go to school. there he encounters everett, his former best friend whom he hasn’t spoken to since his marriage, who is now a teacher at the school. 

the second book is about young peter cabot, whom we meet in the first story. after graduating college, peter doesn’t know what to do with himself but he knows he doesn’t want to go home. so when opportunity presents itself, he offers to drive his crush to california. 

the turners goes back to sebastian’s usual fare. set in the 1800s, the turners are a set of ne’er-do-well siblings who’ve made the best of their less than auspicious beginnings. 

in the soldier’s scoundrel, jack turner offers his services as ‘a man who gets things done,’ usually to people with little to no power to change their circumstances otherwise. when oliver rivington finds that his sister has paid a substantial sum to mr turner, rivington makes it his business to find out just what mr turner’s business is.

the lawrence browne affair is about the youngest turner, georgie, a con artist who’s found himself in a bit of trouble in london. to help his brother make a hasty escape, jack gives him a job: go to the country and find out if the earl lawrence browne is really as mad as rumor would have it. what georgie finds is just the right sort of mess he can’t help but to clean up.

the ruin of a rake is about both lord courtenay and julian medlock, both of whom are introduced in the previous book. lord courtenay is a tired rake who’s seen and done it all, and hasn’t found it much worth writing about. but when a book is published whose villain is so clearly based on him and some of his exploits, courtenay is denied contact with his young nephew. he resolves to publicly reform his reputation. enter julian medlock--always proper, never offensive--who has been roped into the scheme.

i really liked this series. i LOVE charming rogue-type characters, which the turners definitely are, and love overcoming obstacles. and i liked how each of the stories built on the one before it, which is something i think sebastian is really good at, so by the time you get to the end, you’re already in love with those characters. 

quick note: there’s a novella in this series called a little light mischief, which is an f/f story about the maid molly wilkins, who gets mentioned a couple times in the main series. i’m waiting on it at the library and will probably talk about it in my next update.

c.m. waggoner

unnatural magic (series)

the ruthless lady’s guide to wizardry

this is a fun read and a totally unique worldbuild. it’s set in an alternate victorian-ish era with magic users, most of whom seem to have ‘small’ skills or are untrained due to social stratification. the mc in this is a street-smart pyrokinetic who’s always getting herself into one jam after another. her latest one forces her into a job as a bodyguard for a young aristocrat in seclusion until her wedding. she, along with a ragtag group of magic users, must safely get the bride-to-be to her fiance’s country home for the ceremony. the only problem is somebody wants her dead.

also! alsooo! there is a smexy half-orc lady who keeps distracting the mc from her not-straight-and-narrow goals.

there’s another book in this series, but it doesn’t appear to have any relation to this one other than being set in the same world. i’d like to get my hands on a copy though, just because i’m curious about the kind of worldbuilding that must have gone on in the first book. maybe it would answer some questions i had while reading this one.

j.r. ward***

black dagger brotherhood (series)

the beast

the chosen

the thief

the savior

where winter finds you

the sinner

lover unveiled

black dagger legacy (series)

blood vow

blood fury

blood truth

black dagger world (series)

dearest ivie

prisoner of night

black dagger brotherhood: prison camp (series)

the jackal

the wolf

lair of the wolven (series)

claimed

i did a GIGANTIC j.r. ward catchup starting with the beast and reading everything that’s been published in the bdb world since then. i think the highlights for me were: the thief, because assail’s storyline as a recovering addict really hit where it hurts; blood fury, because novo and peyton are both unapologetic assholes and they 100% deserve each other--oh and novo is a good rep of non-trad gender roles, which is not smth we see often in ward’s writing, so it felt refreshing; dearest ivie is a short story that really tugged my heartstrings, but is potentially triggering for medical issues; and the wolf was fun because the mcs’ adventure is ongoing and tbh i feel they shared equally active roles in the story.

JR WARD BOOKS: SUGGESTED READING ORDER

Because Ward intertwines her series and stories, it can be hard to follow along with what’s happening. I’ve included a link to a helpful list above. The only thing missing off of it is Ward’s newest release, The Wolf (BDB: Prison Camp #2). 

***I FORGOT TO TELL YOU: THESE ARE HET. Most of Ward’s works are het romances with the exceptions of Qhuinn & Blay, and Saxton & Ruhn. So don’t go into this series thinking you’re in for some quality representation. That’s just--not what this is. Sorry.

a.e. wasp

pros & cons (series)

pros and cons of christmas

this is a short story in the pros and cons series whose entire purpose is to serve as a sort of cutesy epilogue, wrapping up the series with one last adventure. i actually thought the author’s intention was to launch a second phase of this series, but from the way she was writing in her author’s note, that’s not going to be the case. so the series ends here.

[sasheenka]

Sasheenka's book club 6/?

For the past 5 months I have read and/or listened to over 40 gay romance books and I keep adding more and more to my collection. I will use my tumblr to do short reviews of the titles I go through. Number of stars ★ to ★★★★★ denote my level of enjoyment throughout.

Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles (★★★★★)

Lord Alexander Pyne-ffoulkes, the younger son of the Duke of Ilvar, holds a bitter grudge against his wealthy father. The Duke intends to give his second wife a priceless diamond parure on their wedding anniversary - so Alec hires a pair of jewel thieves to steal it.  The Duke's remote castle is a difficult target, and while Alec can get himself invited for the anniversary, getting the thieves in will be more difficult. The thieves propose that one of them, Jerry Crozier, will pose as Alec's new best friend. While taking in London society together to make their friendship seem genuine, Jerry effortlessly teases out the lonely young nobleman's most secret desires, and soon he's got Alec in his bed - and the palm of his hand.  Or maybe not. Because as the plot thickens, betrayals, secrets, and old evils come to light. Now the jewel thief and the aristocrat must keep up the pretence, find their way through a maze of privilege and deceit, and confront the truth of what's between them...all without getting caught.

Lovely book. Great characters, a fun plot with an unexpected plot twist (but hinted at when you read it the second time!) and a good resolution. The characters have great chemistry and I did enjoy their romance. It was nice seeing a characters from another of KJ’s series there too! So yes, I enjoyed it a lot, plot, characters, angst, romance, the whole shebang and have read and listened to it multiple times now. It's definitely in my favourite folder.

Narrated by: Cornell Collins (Wonderful as always. KJ Charles and Cornell Collins combo it the best lol)

Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins

The Station by Keira Andrews (★★)

It's 1840s in England and ever since Colin Lancaster spied on his family's stable master Patrick Callahan having sex with another man, he's longed for Patrick to do the same to him. When Patrick is caught with his pants down and threatened with death for his crime, Colin speaks up in his defense and confesses his own sinful nature. They're soon banished to the faraway prison colony of Australia. From the miserable depths of a prison ship to the vast, untamed Australian outback, Colin and Patrick must rely on each other. Danger lurks everywhere, and when they unexpectedly get the chance to escape to a new life as cowboys, they'll need each other more than ever.

I did not finish this book because I couldn’t stand the love interest. Patrick was an ass and I wished someone else would come in and swoop Colin off his feet. He didn’t communicate (he didn’t much speak at all), he was grumpy, he insisted everything about him and Colin was merely physical and when Colin said he doesn’t want to pursue their affair in that case he kept demanding sex...Maybe if the book used switching POVs we could get an insight on why he was behaving the way he did...but as it was...nope. Also, it seemed strange to me Colin would be sentenced for attempted sodomy, when he did not, in fact, attempt it, just confessed to being gay...but I was willing to let that slide as a plot device.

Narrated by: Joel Leslie (Joel as usual giving it a lot of feeling)

Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins

Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk (★★★★)

An urban fantasy taking place in America in 1897. Percival Whyborne is a comparative philologist, apt at cryptography and reading dead languages. After the tragic death of a friend he secretly loved, he's ruthlessly suppressed any desire for other men. So when handsome ex-Pinkerton agent Griffin Flaherty approaches him to translate a mysterious book connected to a case of his, Whyborne wants to finish the job and get rid of the detective as quickly as possible. But they grow close as they uncover evidence of a powerful secret society with occult powers at their disposal being at large in the town of Widdershins and they fall in love love while saving the world.

This book is written in the first person, which I know many people hate, but I didn’t really mind it here. It took me some time to get into this book, but in the end I did enjoy it and I plan on reading the rest of the series. The characters were likeable, the plot came together nicely, the romance was quite sweet with a small speck of angst right before the big finale. Prepare for lots of gore and body horror though! I still think of the way Griffin's Pinkerton partner died!.

Narrated by: Julian G. Simmons (I think the reason why I couldn’t get into it at the beginning was the narration tbh)

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

[fahye]

*taps microphone*

HELLO MY TUMBLR LOVES

I really have fallen off the map in terms of using this semi-beloved blue hellsite. THE STATE OF ME: I’ve now written two books and am deep in the marshy swamps of drafting a third. sadly I can’t point you anywhere in terms of publication announcements/being able to actually buy the things yet, but you’ll know as soon as that changes.

in the meantime, my main place of activity online & the best place to follow my writing chatter and my capslock about books and figure skating and the world in general is my writing-name twitter account.

you can also listen to my dulcet tones for an hour every fortnight, via the NOW EXTRA SHINY AND HUGO-NOMINATED(!!) podcast that I’m part of.

and if you’re sitting there thinking, well, fahye, that’s all very nice, but have you written any fanfic since you last showed your face here: yes! I have! it’s for a kj charles book, everyone pretend to be surprised!

my crown is called contentment - (Any Old Diamonds - K.J. Charles - Jerry Crozier/Alec Pyne) - The oval-cut diamonds were obscenely large, hypnotically bright, calling up a delicious mixture of guilt and wonder and covetousness and unease that Alec kept sipping at like a man unaccustomed to strong spirits.

[astudyinfic]

Books read in 2019

#30: Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles

My review: Alec, AKA Lord Alexander Pyne-ffoulkes, hires a thief to help him get back at his unloving father. He gets more than he bargained for in Jerry Crozier both professionally and personally. But everything threatens to crash down on them.

[lgbtqreads]

TBRainbow Alert: Historical Fiction

TBRainbow Alert: Historical Fiction

Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles (Published)

Lord Alexander Pyne-ffoulkes, the younger son of the Duke of Ilvar, holds a bitter grudge against his wealthy father. The Duke intends to give his Duchess a priceless diamond parure on their wedding anniversary—so Alec hires a pair of jewel thieves to steal it.

The Duke’s remote castle is a difficult target, and Alec needs a way to get the thieves in.…

[eckshecks]

Sections The Washington Post Democracy Dies in Darkness Try 1 month for $1 Sign In Thanks for reading. Try one month of unlimited access for $1.   View offer ×

Music Eavesdropping on the new post-punk supergroup Hammered Hulls

The punk supergroup Hammered Hulls, clockwise from top left: Chris Wilson, Alec MacKaye, Mary Timony and Mark Cisneros. (Photos by, clockwise from top left, Ingrid Pyne, Peter Hutchins, G.L. Jaguar and Bob Bonehead Planck) By Chris Richards December 12 If you spaced on the first Hammered Hulls show back in September, another way to hear the new post-punk supergroup is to lurk outside their 14th Street Heights rehearsal space for roughly 20 minutes before you’re scheduled to meet up for an interview and listen to what comes bleeding through the walls: rhythms that move fast, melodies that move slow, everything muffled, manic and mysterious. Then the door swings open so the quartet can explain what they’ve been up to.

“Our songs started out punk, straight ahead, super Black Flag,” says bassist Mary Timony. “Now they’re getting a lot more complicated, more proggy.”

And they’re coming fast. For the past year, the band has been quietly writing loud songs with an efficiency that only comes with experience. Timony has made plenty of beautiful noise in Helium and Ex Hex; frontman Alec MacKaye’s combustible shout has anchored a legendary sequence of punk groups, including Faith, Ignition and the Warmers; guitarist Mark Cisneros has played in Des Demonas, Deathfix and Medications; and drummer Chris Wilson has kept time for Ted Leo’s Pharmacists and Titus Andronicus.

With a résumé that heavy, people are excited. But even your most educated guess about what this band sounds like might whiff. Because, for the four players involved, everything that transpires inside this rehearsal space remains relatively mystical.

“Even though we know each other so well, we don’t really know what’s going to happen until it’s happening” MacKaye says. “As we’re making these songs, they seem to be assembling themselves.”

Show: Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m., at the Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. Sold out. Jan. 12 at 10 p.m., at Comet Ping-Pong, 5037 Connecticut Ave. NW. $12 in advance, $14 at the door.

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Chris Richards Chris Richards has been The Washington Post's pop music critic since 2009. Before joining The Post, he freelanced for various music publications. Follow subscribe Everybody has a story. Your subscription helps us tell it. Try 1 month for $1 Podcasts

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[drwhyborne]

“Everything down there is awful and complicated, but up here it’s stripped back to bare bones. Back to what matters.” 

“And what is that?” Jerry asked.

 Alec tipped his face back, feeling the sun. “You said you wanted to kiss me.” 

Any Old Diamonds, KJ Charles

[drchristineputnam]

God,” Jerry said again. “A man could be happy here.” “That’s not what most people say.” “Isn’t it?” “Most people want flowers and gardens, or trees. Or at least a landscape that cares if you live or die.” “But that’s what’s so marvellous,” Jerry said. “It truly doesn’t. This is... Christ, it makes one feel tiny under the heavens.” “That’s what I love. You can’t be consumed with your problems up here, with a landscape that hasn’t changed in thousands of years. Everything down there is awful and complicated, but up here it’s stripped back to bare bones. Back to what matters.” “And what is that?” Jerry asked. Alec tipped his face back, feeling the sun. “You said you wanted to kiss me.

Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles

[anisotropic-blue]

ARC Review: Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles

Alec Pyne, officially Lord Alexander Greville de Keppel Pyne-ffoulkes (yes, I’d shorten that, too), second son of the Duke of Ilvar, lives and works in an attic studio, making his living as an illustrator for the papers and other publications. We meet Alec as he is hurrying off to meet two professional jewel thieves, the Lilywhite Boys, to convince them to rob the father and stepmother who cut Alec and his siblings off years ago.

A deal is struck, and the long con begins - one of the thieves, Jerry Crozier, will pose as a gentleman and strike up a public friendship with Alec. He’ll help Alec convince his father and stepmother that he wants a rapprochement. They’ll get themselves invited to the Duke and Duchess’s twentieth wedding anniversary party at the ducal seat, where all the sparkly treasures are kept. Simple, right?

Of course, when you add in hidden agendas, dark family history and angry siblings (who aren’t in on the plan), not to mention the pesky issue of Alec and Jerry’s sexual chemistry/compatibility (a wonderfully-executed D/s dynamic), there’s no way things are going to go to plan. Be prepared to be turned around, chewed up, gut punched by one hell of a plot twist, and spit out the other side wanting to read it all over again (which I already did).

This is the kind of book that grabs you by the emotional balls and doesn’t let go until you’re a limp puddle or thank you, ma’ams. And then it takes care of you after with a romance-book happy ending, because you did so well to get through all that. Seriously, I’ll wait while you go buy the book:  books2read.com/u/mYoNEx

But enough about the plot! I’m a huge fan of KJ Charles, and it’s not just because of the fantastic stories and wonderful characters (not that those aren’t appreciated!). Charles speaks the language of desire with a fluency that absolutely floors me, and reserves judgement and contempt only for those who fail to ensure they get meaningful consent from their partners.

“If something is not to your liking, you will say so. I don’t take pleasure in inflicting unwanted suffering. Unlike wanted suffering, which I can do all day.”  Jerry Crozier, Any Old Diamonds

I’ve read a lot of kinky books, from housewife porn (beautiful ingénue meets powerful man, discovers that being handcuffed and spanked is nice, but what’s nicer is a partner who actually pays attention to her) to misogynist fantasy porn (men capture some chicks - sluts were just askin’ for it, being cock-teases and all - and torture/ rape them) to stories about people already in the lifestyle (mistreated sub needs to relearn how to trust and along comes a new dom(me) to help the sub fly again). Something Charles does better than anyone else I’ve read is address the issue of desire, in all it’s varieties, being just another part of human nature. What you want is what you want, whether we’re talking about the gender/ number/ social status of your partner(s), or whether you want to take or surrender control or give or receive pain, or whatever you will. That’s between two or more consenting adults, and the rest of the world be damned.

“...shame is merely society’s weapon, used to keep us obedient...I’m sure you’ve done things of which you’d be utterly ashamed if they were made public, while feeling perfectly content with the actions themselves. Therefore, shame isn’t about what you do, just what gets found out.” Jerry Crozier, Any Old Diamonds

For that alone, I’d recommend Charles’s books. The fact that they’re smutty and romantic and thought-provoking and just hot as all get-out is all gravy.

The standard disclaimer - I received an advance copy of this book from the author in exchange for an unbiased review.

Yes, I know the little doodle doesn’t reflect all the details of the scene (like the exact location). Conscious choice for aesthetic reasons, not failure to read carefully.

Completed January 2019