#author Charlie Cochrane

[melaniem54]

Review: A Carriage of Misjustice (Lindenshaw Mysteries Book 5) by Charlie Cochrane

Rating: 3.5🌈 It’s been a while since I’d read this series, the last book I read being Old Sins. And I think coming back into a series after a long break and diving in at book 5 just highlights the importance of perhaps going back to the beginning and rereading the series again. Particularly with A Carriage of Misjustice because of some of the things I found within the novel ‘s narrative , and…

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (5-11 May 2024)

another absolutely unhinged episode from this crew. i love them all so much.

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🙂 Lessons in Exposing a Deadly Alias (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries) (Charlie Cochrane) - this series is now the equivalent of watching criminal minds or some other long-running procedural: it's certainly not for the plot/mystery but for the characters who are family. I do love that as the series has gone on their friends & family have taken on a more active role in the investigations. that said, I think I might be done with this series; it took me forever to get thru this bc I wasn't remotely motivated to get back to it.

🥰 No One Likes Us But We Don't Care (Rainne) - 45K, modern Steve/prewar Bucky - an accidental interdimensional swap drops a 1940s Bucky into the present - he & Steve figure out what that means for them (3rd in a series)

😍 Spectred Isle (Green Men #1) (KJ Charles, author; Ruairi Carter, narrator) - [reread] very old world supernatural shenanigans in 1920s England - truly sad that there won't be any more in this universe because it's sooooo good and so rich but forever grateful we at least got this marvelous (and complete) story

🥰 it's good to see you back in a bar band, baby (LiarsandThieves22) - 139K, Steddie modern musician AU - absolutely adored this! enemies-to-friends-to lovers speedrun, understandable & character appropriate mutual pining, fantastic supporting characterizations - it had it all!

😍 You Should Be So Lucky (Cat Sebastian, author; Joel Leslie, narrator) - baseball player Eddie & newspaper writer Mark are both dealing with some devastating life events. They find each other and some solace and healing. This book, like We Could Be So Good, is absolutely incredible. It knocked my socks off and healed my heart. It almost made me like baseball! I'm just going to quote from a review written by kiki124 in the Romance Salon server because she is great with words and captured it exactly: "I was just blown away by the writing and the ways Sebastian drew these two utterly believable and interesting characters, plus all the side characters, plus the literary notes, plus the queer history plus the New York history. I think that what I love the best about these books is that the story doesn't end when the characters fall in love--there's a whole second half of the book to come as the relationship has room to breathe and grow and work out kinks. Literally everyone who has a heart and a brain should read these books."

💖💖 +115K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

the Steve Rogers problem (relenafanel) - MCU: stucky AU, 36K - "Bucky doesn't consider his Steve Rogers problem as a problem so much as the solution he hadn't realized he was hoping for to help him through the transition from the Bucky Barnes he'd been before his accident to the new, shiny version of himself. No, the problem isn't with Captain America and The Howling Commandos fandom. The problem is the amount of porn Bucky managed to write and draw about Captain America before finding out that he's less than one degree of separation away from Steve Rogers. 'Less than' as in he's sitting across the table from him."

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Is It Cake? - s2, e4-5

Girls5eva - s1, e1

QI - series U, e4-8

Beyond Paradise - s2, e4-6

Game Changer - s6, e8

Strange Way of Life (2023)

Um, Actually - s6, e6

The Brokenwood Mysteries - s10, e2

Smartypants - s1, e2

D20: Fantasy High: Junior Year - "Rock The Boat" (s21, e18)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Blimey" (s16, e18)

Doctor Who - series 14, e1-2

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Re: Dracula - May 5: The Dead Travel Fast

Wiser Than Me - Julia Gets Wise with Patti Smith

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Sans-Souci Palace

Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! BONUS - The animal that terrifies Peter, and other 'Wild Card' topics

Re: Dracula - May 7: Stranger in a Strange Land

Short Wave - 'Stealing The Past': A Spat Between Twins Leads To A Theory Of Disputed Memories

Re: Dracula - May 8: Foul Bauble of Man's Vanity

Vibe Check - Oh, How We Have Fallen From Taste

Re: Dracula - May 9: Castles in the Air

Today, Explained - Israel, Gaza, and Eurovision

Consider This from NPR - From utility man to one of California's foremost journalists

It's Been a Minute - A 'Wild Card' game with Rachel Martin

Wild Card with Rachel Martin - Issa Rae thinks a little delusion goes a long way

⭐ It's Been a Minute - Drake and Kendrick are beefing, but who pays? Plus, moms as our social safety net

Today, Explained - The real victims of Baby Reindeer

Re: Dracula - May 11: Pray for my Happiness

Twenty Thousand Hertz+ - TikTok’s Boom-Bling

⭐ Lost Notes - Go with the Flow: Community, Virality, and the Politics of Dancing

Why Won't You Date Me? - Love in Theater (w/ Jesse Tyler Ferguson)

Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - Chappell Roan

⭐ Big Gay Fiction Podcast - Baseball, 1960 New York, and Bad Dogs with Cat Sebastian

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Beauly Priory Wych Elm

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

'60s Sunshine Pop

'60s Folk Rock

Dance Party Hits

Carly Rae Jepsen

Presenting Charli XCX

Presenting Dua Lipa

Energy Supermix

Women of Electronic

Essential Proto-Metal

Rock Radio • 1980s • Popular • High variety

Presenting The Beach Boys

Classical Workout

Instrumental Hard Rock

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 8.2

Beer Birthdays

Armin Louis Neubert (1864)

Albert Moortgat (1890)

Matt Van Wyk (1972)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Isabel Allende; Chilean writer (1942)

Andrew Gold; singer-songwriter (1951)

Myrna Loy; actress (1905)

Mary-Louise Parker; actor (1964)

Kevin Smith; film director, writer (1970)

Famous Birthdays

James Baldwin; writer (1924)

Frederic Bartholdi; artist, sculptor (1834)

Albert Bloch; painter (1882)

Jim Capaldi; rock drummer (1944)

Caleb Carr; historian & author (1954)

Joanna Cassidy; actor (1945)

Hank Cochran; country singer (1935)

Wes Craven; film director (1939)

Roy Crimmins; English trombonist, composer (1929)

Jim Doughan; actor (1959)

Arthur Dove; artist (1880)

Ann Dvorak; actress (1911)

James Fallows; journalist and author (1949)

Edward Furlong; actor (1977)

Lily Gladstone; actress (1986)

Elisha Gray; electrical engineer, inventor (1835)

Jules A. Hoffmann; Luxembourgian-French biologist (1941)

Garth Hudson; rock keyboardist (1937)

Lamar Hunt; American businessman, co-founded AFL (1932)

Victoria Jackson; actor, christian wing nut (1959)

Apollonia Kotero; singer and actress (1959)

Andy Fairweather Low; Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist (1948)

Fulvio Melia; Italian-American physicist, astrophysicist & author (1954)

Helen Morgan; actress and singer (1900)

Mojo Nixon; singer, songwriter (1957)

Carroll O'Connor; actor (1924)

Peter O'Toole; actor (1932)

Nell Irvin Painter; author and historian (1942)

Anthony Payne; English composer and author (1936)

John Radecki; Australian stained glass artist (1865)

Anthony Seldon; English historian & author (1953)

John Sloan; artist (1871)

Cynthia Stevenson; actress (1962)

Rose Tremain; English novelist and short story writer (1943)

Joe Lynn Turner; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1953)

Ted Turner; British guitarist (1950)

John Tyndall; Irish-English physicist and mountaineer (1820)

JD Vance; writer, wing nut politician, couch enthusiast (1984)

Jack L. Warner; film producer (1892)

François Weyergans; Belgian director, screenwriter (1941)

Sam Worthington; actor (1976)

Lawrence Wright; journalist, author, and screenwriter (1947)

Charli XCX; English singer-songwriter (1992)

[khoicesbyk]

The Good Captain.

Author’s Note: This is my version of what book 2 of Distant Shores should be like. Y’know the book 2 that we readers of Distant Shores rightfully deserved! One more thing: in this fanfic, the MC’s last name has been changed to Bennett but; in the game it’s Carter. I decided to change it from Carter to Bennett; because Bennett sounds better to me. Also; her original occupation has been changed as well.

***Rated: Mature 18+. Contains sexual content, nudity, some violence and strong language.

***Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters.

***Characters: Captain Edward Mortemer (LI), Kyra Bennett (MC), Robert Finnegan (Main Antagonist), Charlie, Ginny, Jonas, Maggie, Samuel, Octavia, Henry, Axton, Adelia, Kendrick and Oliver Cochrane (Side Characters)

***Disclaimer: All character names (except MC) and/or some dialogues belong to Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 2,784 words.

To make this chapter, a little more accurate; I’m timing this around winter 2019/early 2020.

Chapter 2: The Revelation…

As the sun sets; Captain Edward Mortemer gazes over the ocean and watches the colors blend into one another. She’s on his mind again. Her smile. Her eyes. The touch of her skin. He clenches his fists; in order to fight back the emotions and tears that were creeping up on him. She was just in his arms then she was gone.

He missed her. He longed for her. He wanted her back. He loved her.

“I knew I could find you here!”, a familiar voice called out to him. It was Charlie coming to check on him.

“Aye. I’m here.”, he replied.

“Thinking of the lass again?”, she asked.

“Always, Charlie. Always…”, he told her.

“She’s out there Edward. You’ll find her.”, she said reassuringly.

“Aye. I will find her. Wherever she is. I WILL find her.”, he responds. Charlie pats him on the back and leaves him to his thoughts.

“Kyra…wherever you are. Just know; I will not stop until I’ve found you. I will not give up until you’re in my arms again.”, he tells himself before making his way back to town.

She’d been gone for almost 3 1/2 months, at that point. Just vanished into thin air. And poor Edward; the man drove himself crazy, endlessly searching for her. He never got to tell her; what she truly meant to him. He never got to tell her; that he would move heaven and earth for her. He never got to say the words “I love you”. That’s what he wanted. To tell her, that he is MADLY in love with her. He had to find her. No matter where she was. He was GOING TO find her.

But for now, he had to shift his focus to this mysterious Captain Finnegan he’d been hearing about. Apparently this new captain and his crew; had been terrorizing many across the Caribbean. And always at night. This new captain sailed aboard the Dios Del Mar. He and his crew were effective and brutal. Leaving nothing behind; but terror and destruction.

They had even struck down the first of the Seven Lords of The Sea.

Whereas Edward and his crew sailed aboard The Jewel Of The Sea. It was slightly bigger and more agile of a ship than; The Revenge. It did the job he needed it to do.

By the time he reached the tavern; the sunset had turned to night but a ominous dark cloud started to form. He couldn’t put his finger on it but; after looking at the cloud for a brief time something didn’t sit right with him. An eerie feeling was in the air; and he and the crew were about to discover why.

After ordering pints for everyone; Edward settled into, what supposed to be a night of being with his crew. They were his family. Even though; Samuel and Octavia had crossed and mutinied against him. He forgave them. He welcomed them back into his life, his heart and his crew once again. They were all sitting around Kendrick, singing the shanties of old, drinking and laughing. It brought joy to his heart; to see the family he created together again.

That’s when thunder started to rumble; and the winds picked up. It sounded like a hurricane was brewing outside. But as Edward and his crew would discover; this was no ordinary storm. A violent wind blew into the tavern, dousing all the lamps. And then suddenly; they were reignited and when they reignited, a familiar figure stood before Edward and the crew.

“Hello everyone! What a time to be alive!”, he exclaimed.

No one could believe who it was they were seeing. It was Robert. He was alive. He had returned.

“What witchcraft is this?!”, Charlie asked. She was the first to shake herself of the initial shock.

“Ahhhh my dearest Charlie! Such a quick one, you are.”, he replied.

“You’re supposed to be dead! You were killed by the Admiral!”, Edward says to the man who was his former first mate and friend.

“And yet; here I stand before you, boy! As nimble as ever! And with my own crew to boot!”, he replied as he gestures to the crew behind him.

“You can’t be alive! You’d have to be a God to have survived.”, Edward said to him. His hand wrapped tightly around the hilt of his sword.

“I’m not a God my boy. Well; at least not yet.”, Robert casually replied.

“This is impossible!”, Edward exclaimed.

“You know, that’s funny. She said the same thing.”, he answered.

“What are you babbling about?”, Edward asks.

“Ohhh I think you know exactly what I’m referring to Edward. Or should I say; I think you know exactly who I’m referring to?”, he replies.

“Robert…”, Edward sneered. His jaw clenched tight.

Robert merely rolled his eyes.

“Kyra, my dear boy.”, he tells him. Edward froze in his place.

“You…you’ve seen her?!”, he asks.

“Ohhh yes! We had lovely little conversation in future. That’s how I got this!”, he says before producing the golden compass, “although, she might not be happy that I stole it from her.”

“If you did anything to harm her; I swear I will have your head!”, Edward growled as Charlie and Jonas restrained him.

“And there in lies your problem, boy. You’ve always let your emotions cloud your judgement!”, he replied.

Edward was livid. But, Robert once again just rolled his eyes.

“Calm down, boy! I never touched her!…Pearson did!”, he said with sly grin as he gestured to his first mate.

“You bastard!”, Edward hissed, clearly ready to pounce. He was going to kill Robert.

“Would you lot like to see her? That way Edward can finally calm down, about the girl he clearly loves.”, Robert asks the crew, clearly overlooking Edward’s fury. Most of the crew nodded their heads.

“Very well! Mari! Be a dear and show them the girl, will you?”, he commanded one of the women in his crew to do.

“Sí, mi capitán”, she replied before waving her hand, and producing a screen that gave everyone a view into the future. The tavern was mostly empty at that point; save for the two crews.

And there she was. She was alive and judging by the look on her face; clearly troubled. She was sitting down but he wasn’t quite sure what; but it looked like she was in some kind of room, surrounded by strange contraptions. Edward couldn’t believe what he saw. He thought he’d never see her again, but there she was. And although he was rightfully furious at Robert; he was thankful and his heart overjoyed to see her.

“Are you happy now?”, he asked, obviously annoyed at this point.

“When was this? Where was this?”, he replied with questions of his own.

“When? About a month ago. Where? A doctors office.”, he replied.

“Doctor?! Is she sick?”, Edward replies; clearly trying to hide the concern in his voice.

“Watch!”, Robert replied.

Just then the door opened.

“Good afternoon Miss Bennett! I’m Dr. Everett. I’m here to take good care of you.”, he said as he greeted her with a handshake.

“Thank you Dr. Everett.”, she replied sheepishly.

“I know you’re nervous Kyra, but I can assure you that I will do my very best; to offer you the best care possible.”, he tells her.

“I know…I’m just…I guess I’m still in shock.”, she replied.

“I can understand that. But as I said; I will do my very best; to offer you the best care.”, he says with a warm smile.

“Thank you again doctor. So; what do the results say? I can’t be that far along can I?”, she asks.

“You’re actually a lot farther along than you think, Miss Bennett. You’re currently at 11 1/2 weeks.”, he tells her. That was right on time with her timeline.

“Holy shit…”, she thought to herself before asking the doctor, “so, what happens now?”

“Well today, you’re scheduled for an ultrasound. We have to calculate what your due date will be.”, the doctor replies.

“Okay. I can…we can do that.”, she said.

“Excellent! Right this way!”, he says as he gestures for her to follow him.

“That’s enough for now Mari.”, he tells her. That’s when the screen vanishes.

“Happy now? She’s fine! Well…as fine as she can be; given her condition anyway.”, he tells everyone.

“I don’t understand. What condition she be in?”, Henry asks clearly confused.

Robert lets out an aggravated sigh.

“You lot never were all that bright. So, allow me to put it plainly: she’s with child. More specifically; she’s with his child.”, he replies, nodding towards a now very pale looking Edward.

“M-my child?”, he asks.

“Yes, my dear boy. She’s having your child. You’re not only a captain but soon; you’ll be a father as well. The doctor she went to see, helps new mothers give birth.”, he explains.

Edward was stunned into a dead silence. Kyra was having his child; and he wasn’t there with her. She was in the future and he was currently in the past.

“My God…”, he said still trying to process this new information.

“I’d order you a celebratory pint buuuuuut seeing as how the tavern is empty; I’ll just have to owe you one.”, Robert says to Edward.

“So, you’re doing all of this was to torture me?”, he asks Robert.

“No not at all, my dear boy! I’m only here to offer peace…and to get you and the crew to stand down.”, he replies.

“Stand down?! For what?!”, he asks Robert. That’s when he gave Edward and the crew, the rundown of the legends of Atlantis and Poseidon’s Trident. He told them how he was going to find the the trident, and use it to become the greatest pirate of all.

“Yer mad Robert! Absolutely mad!”, Maggie exclaimed.

“Why thank you Maggie darlin’!”, he replies with an icy smile.

“Captain Robert sir, I’d like to point out that; we all know the legends. And we all know that; the trident as well as Atlantis can never be found. Sir.”, Samuel quipped.

“That’s why I intend to be the one to find it. To prove you all and the world wrong. The trident will be mine!”, he proclaimed.

“Robert what the hell happened to you?! You used to be brave and smart and strong! And now? Yer babbling about old legends that ain’t true!”, Charlie says to him. That’s when he shows them the first of the seven key fragments. “But it is true! As you can plainly see! Once I have all the key fragments; it will only be a matter of time!”

“We will stop ye!”, Ginny yelled at him.

“My little one! Ever the fierce protector you are!”, he replies sarcastically as she sticks her tongue out at him.

“Enough! This madness ends now!”, Edward growls as he draws his weapon. And when he draws his; Robert’s crew draws theirs as does Edward’s crew. All ready to strike at one another.

“Don’t be daft boy! Think of your child! What will Kyra think if she were to find out that you died being foolish?”, he asks him.

“You blackguard! You won’t touch her!”, he sneered back.

“You’re right. I won’t. But if you die here; neither will you.”, he tells him.

“What are you talking about?”, Edward asks.

“Callie hand the boy the amulet, won’t you?”, he tells one of the women with him. With a flick of her wrist; she tosses him an ornate amulet. “This is the amulet of Atlas. It’s one of three amulets. I have the amulet of Orion. Can you guess who has the other one, my boy?”

“Kyra has the other one?”, he answers.

“Aye. That she does. I gave it to her. They give you the power to transport you to the future and to the past. Consider them as presents from me and my crew; to you and her on the impending birth of your child.”, he tells Edward.

“You’re lying!”, Edward told him.

“Mari! Show him please?”, he commanded. Once again the screen into the future was up. “This was ohhh…about a week ago.”

There Kyra was sitting at her desk; clearly showing the biggest sign of pregnancy: her stomach had grown. She was going through stacks and stacks of papers, scrolls and books in both English and Ancient Greek. She was trying to figure out two things. 1.) how Robert got his hands on that key fragment; and 2.) the legends of Atlantis and Poseidon.

That’s when a noise startled her from her studying. She knew that it wasn’t good.

“Not again. Not now.”, she muttered. She knew not to leave her office; but she had to find out what that noise was.

And there stood Robert and his evil company. “Why Kyra! You’re pregnant and glowing! How are you doing dear? Are you alright? I hope the last time we spoke; didn’t leave a bad taste in your mouth.”

“Go fuck yourself!”, she snapped at him.

“Quaint as ever I see. Well you’ll be happy to know that; I’m not here to steal from you. I’m here to give a gift, actually!”, he explained.

“Thanks but no thanks! If it’s coming from you; it’s a curse not a gift!”, she replied.

“So, you’re going to be defiant, eh?”, he asks her.

“I think the term you’re looking for is stubborn; and yes I am!”, she said to him. Although she’s pregnant; and clearly in danger, she was not about to back down. She then asked him, “What do you want?”

“Callie? Be a dear, won’t you?”, he commands her. And just like with Edward she tosses Kyra an amulet. “Now pay attention girl! That is the amulet of Triton. It’s one of three. The others are the amulet of Orion and the amulet of Atlas. I have Orion. All of them, give you the power to travel back and forth in time. To use it; think of the place and time you want to be or the person you want to be with; and the amulet will do the rest. I discovered that in my studies; as I’m sure you will in yours.”

“Why would you give me this?”, she asked him.

“Don’t you think Edward should know, that you’re pregnant with his child?”, he replied with a question of his own. “I mean unless of course you’ve already told him…ohhhh wait!”

His crew snickered behind him. She stood there fuming.

“You really are a sick bastard! You do know that, right?”, she told him.

He merely shrugged. “You may see it that way; but to answer your previous question; I’m giving you that amulet for the same reason, I’m going to give the other one to your beau: to get you both to stay out of my way!”

“So this is a threat, is that what I’m to understand?”, she asked.

“Think of it as a promise my darling girl. A promise that if you get involved; you, your child, your dearly beloved and even the crew might not survive.”, he sneered at her.

“I will stop you! And even if I don’t; I know that Edward and the crew will!”, she snapped at him.

“It’s adorable to see how loyal you are to them. And I’m sure when I see them, they’ll be just as loyal to you. Well I don’t want to keep you; I know you’re busy studying, so we’ll see ourselves out. Goodbye for now! And ohhhh! At least, think about my promise to you?”, he says to her; before disappearing into the shadows with his crew.

“What am I gonna do?”, she says to herself while clutching the amulet to her chest and holding her very growing belly.

When screen vanishes again; Edward is furious. “You dare threaten her and my child?!”

“I’ll tell you; as I told her. It’s a promise not a threat. As long as you and the others stand down; no one will be hurt. But if you get involved no one will survive!”, he says to him. Clearly annoyed by the defiance he then asks, “let me guess my boy, you’re going to stop me?”

“We all will!”, Charlie growls. Edward was poised and ready to slice Robert’s head clean off his shoulders.

“I was hoping to avoid this but; so be it! If you plan to stop me you might want to do it fast…like right now!”, he says before a lightning strike hits the tavern; setting it on fire and trapping the crew inside. Edward had to get out. He had to see her. The amulet was his only hope…

Stay tuned for chapter 3! 😘

K. @txemrn @choicesficwriterscreations

[portmanteaurian]

ok books. i read The Best Corpse for the Job by Charlie Cochrane, which was alright. contemp cozy mystery, gay romance subplot. may investigate more of the series. still don’t vibe with contemps that much in general.

i also read...five full-length Courtney Milan books and two novellas. Books 2-4 of the Brothers Sinister series, and all the currently extant Worth Saga books. I had a good time! Her dialogue is still a bit modern-feeling, and I can’t vouch for the books’ appeal on a steaminess scale, but I like the plotting and characters a fair bit.

I DNF’ed one book as well, which is a bummer. I like the author’s contemporary YA fantasies, and normally a revolutionary secondary-world fantasy would be right up my alley, but I got a hundred pages in and it just deeply wasn’t doing anything for me.

[lgbtqiahistoricalromance]

LGBTQIA+ Historical Romance Novels with...Favorite Authors

If you’ve followed the blog any length of time at all, you know I make lists based on themes, the one unifying factor being LGBTQIA+ representation that happens in historical romances. I started reading historicals when I was in middle school, because my grandmother and great-aunt would trade them with one another, and back then they were usually low on heat level. I went on to collect them myself, and still have most of those in storage, but left off for various reasons over time.

By the time I came back to it all, I’d reached well into adulthood, and had gone from thinking of myself as a female with tomboy issues to realizing I was non-binary and graysexual. I didn’t feel represented by any of the main characters in those romances I’d once read so avidly, but I still wanted history with a romantic twist. So, I started exploring.

What fits me, won’t of course fit everyone, but I’d like to recommend some of my favorite LGBTQIA+ historical romance authors that I haven’t seen on similar lists in the past, and authors I’m hoping to see more from soon...Maybe it will add to readers’ TBR lists...

Alex Beecroft - I honestly have no idea why Beecroft doesn’t make more Best Of lists. The broad range of her novel settings (from ancient Crete to 18th century Transylvania to Regency ships), the amount of research, character development, and evocative language, makes her one of my favorites. I don’t think there is anything she couldn’t write about, and do it well. For those interested, she also writes contemporaries, and fantasy. My favorites are The Reluctant Berserker (role reversals from the typical warrior and bard combo), and Labyrinth (non-binary MC and a twist on an old myth).

Erastes - One of the first LGBT historical romance authors I found, this author got started by writing Harry Potter slash fiction. Favorite by this author is Muffled Drum, because it’s a lovers-to-friends-to-lovers plotline.

Ainsley Gray - This author normally publishes under other names, but their recently released Unchained came to my attention, and kept it. If you like your Victorian romances with a darker twist, this one is for you. Hoping to see more from Gray, soon.

Eliot Greyson - I know next to nothing about this author, but their Like a Gentleman (Love in Portstmouth #1) put them on my One-to Watch radar. It’s actually a novella, but packs a lot into those few pages, and makes for an adorable read.

Jude Lucens - Lucens is new on the LGBT historical romance scene, but has already managed to give the genre representation in the forms of gay, bisexual, demisexual, and polyamorous MCs. She’s also a WOC author, and has included a biracial MC in her novella/novel pairing of Gutter Roses & Behind Closed Doors: Indecent Proposals Book One.

Katherine Marlowe - I don’t know what happened to Marlowe, but after several lovely novels, she disappeared. Still, her novels are ideal for those that like low dose homophobia in their historical romances, enjoy novels with working class MCs, and she has at least two novels with POC MCs. Favorites: A Wager of Love & The Blue Ribbon.

Farah Mendlesohn - Normally an author of fantasy and science fiction (they’ve won the coveted Hugo Award), this versatile author transported us to the Regency era with some wonderful historical detail, in the delightful and affordable f/f Spring Flowering. They are also the Managing Editor for Manifold Press, which will be returning this January, with a focus on LGBT historical romances.

KA Merikan - The pen name of a duo, their highwayman novel The Black Sheep and the Rotten Apple is one of my favorite bad boy/cinnamon roll novels ever. This pair typically writes contemporary series with motorcycle gangs, but even then they manage to bring historical ghosts and details, with their series Kings of Hell MC. The Art of Mutual Pleasure is another historical, which will amuse and educate, because it deals with the historically accurate notion of illness being brought on by the loss of male essence, and aggravated by self pollution.

Ruby Moone - If Moone writes it, I read it. Moone’s gents tend to reside in the Regency era, and have been adapting in terms of historical elements and diversity. They were some of the first non-titled MCs I read, and some have disabilities and/or cope with mental illnesses. The plots have increased in tension over time, but a mainstay of Moone’s novels is that despite laws against men being together, her MCs are often supported by those around them. There are also sometimes multiple Favorites: The Wrong Kind of Angel, The Mistletoe Kiss, & Thief of Hearts

Niamh Murphy - Looking for lesbian historicals? Murphy has you covered, with loving details, and also high adventure. Her Escape to Pirate Island is a staple of the LGBT pirate genre, and you can read a free sample on her site.

Victoria Sue - Typically Sue is known for contemporary novels and babies. That said, her Regency novels The Innocent Auction and The Innocent Betrayal are two you should try. They’ve a fair dose of angst, but they also come with some good espionage and character development.

Hayden Thorne - If YA and gothic are something you’re into, Thorne’s novels are a staple. An extremely prolific writer, she has created some of the most unique plot lines of any genre, while managing to have intriguing MCs, and representation. Favorites: Ansel of Pryor House

Leandra Vane - Normally a contemporary author and librian, Vane recently published the great historical Cast From the Earth, which takes place in America’s heartland in the 19th century. Vane is another author that uses her novels to explore with MCs that have disabilities, and this novel also delves into polyamorous love.

NR Walker - Walker is actually known for her contemporary m/m romances, and is one of the rare temp authors that I read a lot, because she includes so much research and detail. Recently, she made the leap into historicals though, with the fantastic Nova Praetorian, which takes place in ancient Rome.

Kelley York - In the past, some of you may have read York’s contemporary YA work, but she’s begun publishing about her beloved Victorian era gothic tastes, too. The Dark is the Night series is co-written with her wife, and I’ve been relishing the two novels that have come out so far. It even comes with its own artwork, and playlist.

Of course, there are the mainstays of the genre, authors that have gone above and beyond on bringing LGBTQIA+ representation to the historical romance reader: Keira Andrews, Joanna Chambers, KJ Charles, Charlie Cochrane, Bonnie Dee, Summer Devon, Jordan L Hawk, Ava March, EE Ottoman, and Cat Sebastian.

[prettylittleliarsxxxx]

The Pretty Little Liars universe will continue at Freeform. The network has picked up to series drama pilot Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, with a 10-episode order. The spinoff hails from the same auspices as the original series, writer/executive producer I. Marlene King, Alloy Entertainment and Warner Horizon Scripted Television, and it is based on the popular book series The Perfectionists, written by PLL author Sara Shepard. Freeform also released two first-look images (see above and below).

The series stars PLL alums Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish reprising their roles as Alison and Mona, respectively, along with Sofia Carson (Disney’s Descendants) as Ava. Cast also includes Sydney Park (The Walking Dead) as Caitlin, newcomer Eli Brown as Dylan, Graeme Thomas King (The Widow) as Jeremy, Kelly Rutherford (Gossip Girl) as Claire and Hayley Erin (General Hospital) in an undisclosed role.

The spinoff is set in the town of Beacon Heights, a seemingly perfect town where a group of three college friends struggle with the stress of being overachievers. In the aftermath of the town’s first murder, each Perfectionist hides behind a secret, a lie and an alibi.

Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists is produced by Alloy Entertainment and Long Lake Media in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television. King (Pretty Little Liars, Famous in Love) wrote the pilot and serves as executive producer on the series with Charlie Craig (Pretty Little Liars, The 100), Lisa Cochran-Neilan (Pretty Little Liars, Famous in Love), Leslie Morgenstein (Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries) and Gina Girolamo (The 100, The Originals). The pilot was directed and executive produced by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum (Relationship Status).

[angrybell]

@crisp-kuhrisp … because masks don’t block the Corona virus. Indoors, the virus is still making it out into the environment unless you’re wearing a properly fitted N95 or better (e.g. contained breathing apparatus). Why? Because the virus is smaller than the holes in the “masks” that they let people wear.

Doctors wear surgical masks for surgery because

Surgeons and nurses performing clean surgery wear disposable face masks. The purpose of face masks is thought to be two-fold: to prevent the passage of germs from the surgeon's nose and mouth into the patient's wound and to protect the surgeon's face from sprays and splashes from the patient

Now, that’s the official reason. But there’s evidence that the masks really aren’t effective for surgery either. In the UK, Lipp A and Edwards P. Performed a Cochrane database review and looked at a number of studies which involved surgical outcomes and the use of masks or no masks. The Cochrane study found,

Statistical analysis of the extracted data revealed no statistically significant association between mask usage and the incidence of surgical site infection. The study concluded that ‘it is unclear whether the wearing of surgical facemasks by members of the surgical team has any impact on surgical wound infection rates for patients undergoing clean surgery’.

(In Unmasking the surgeons: the evidence base behind the use of facemasks in surgery by Charlie Da Zhou, Pamela Sivathondan, and Ashok Handa)

Zhou, Sivathondan and Handa’s article doesn’t fully agree with the Cochrane review by Lipp and Edwards, it also looks at data from others lurches. However, the authors state in their conclusion,

Given that there is no evidence that they cause any harm either, proponents would rather err on the side of caution and encourage their continued use, stressing that there is no room for complacency when it comes to ensuring patient safety.25 This opinion is similarly echoed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines which assert that mask usage contributes towards ‘maintaining theatre discipline’.

Another unavoidable aspect of this debate is that of public perception. In the public psyche, facemasks have become so strongly associated with safe and proper surgical practice that their disposal could cause unnecessary patient distress. Indeed, the response on various medical forums following Mr Ahmed’s decision not to wear a mask during his broadcasted surgeries would reflect the prevalence of such a belief among the public.

So there is really a lack of evidence that surgical masks help. It’s just that they’ve become expected by the general population that a surgeon will wear one.

Other studies have echoed this finding. There is simply a lack of data that shows mask are actually effective. Hand washing with masks showed an increase in effectiveness in at least one study, but that result wasn’t clear if the mask contributed.

Now, this rather surprised me, but his leads to the conclusion that, absent actually evidence, the use by surgeons for surgery has become an act of performance for the benefit of the patient rather than because there is an actual, quantifiable benefit to either medical personnel or patient.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Stock Take for Today #literallyabookstore6531 (So i dont lose it)

Traci Chee - The Speaker

Renee Ahdieh - Smoke in the sun

Meagen Spooner - Sherwood

Crystal Chan - All that I can fix

Derek Milman - Scream All Night

Alexandra Blogier - The last girl on Earth

Shannon Dunlap - Izzy and Tristan

Jennifer Mathieu - Devoted

Oliver - Before I fall

Greff Olsen - Run

Hayley Long - The nearest far away place

Chloe Coles - Life's a Beach

Jono Dawson - Margot and Me

Eileen Cook - The hanging Girl

Claudia Gray - The Worlds

Eliza Waas - The life and death parade

Phyllida Shrimpton - Flowers and February

Jake Halpen - Edgeland

Laura Dockrill - Aurabel

Claire Hennessy - Other Girls

Robert Cochran - The sword and the dagger

Klingele - The truth lies here

Tyler - The Pioneer

Rosalyn Eves - Blood Rose Rebellion

Breeana Shields - Poison's Cage

Nancy Werlin - And then there were four

Adrianne Strickland - Shadow Call

Somaiya Daud - Mirage

Michelle Falkoff - Questoins I want to ask you

 1. A Different Drummer: the extraordinary rediscovered classic By: William Melvin Kelley ISBN: 9781787478039

2. Ghost Stories By: Charles Dickens ISBN: 9781509825400

3. The Castle of Otranto By: Horace Walpole ISBN: 9781847497598

4. A Christmas Carol and Other Stories By: Charles Dickens ISBN: 9781849310802

5. Europe after the Rain By: Alan Burns ISBN: 9780714549163

6. Madame Bovary By: Gustave Flaubert ISBN: 9781509842889

7. If You're Reading This By: Andrew Nicoll ISBN: 9780857384942

8. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes By: Arthur Conan Doyle ISBN: 9781847497444

9. Classic Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm By: Jacob Grimm ISBN: 9781849311670

10. Life in the Country By: Giovanni Verga ISBN: 9781847497710

11. 20000 Leagues Under the Sea By: Jules Verne ISBN: 9781849311656

12. If This Is A Man/The Truce: Hachette Essentials By: Primo Levi ISBN: 9780349144009

13. Cold Mountain: Hachette Essentials By: Charles Frazier ISBN: 9781529325270

14. The Prelude and Other Poems By: William Wordsworth ISBN: 9781847497505

15. The Touchstone By: Edith Wharton ISBN: 9781847497932

16. The Magus By: John Fowles ISBN: 9780099478355

17. Naked Lunch: The Restored Text By: William S. Burroughs ISBN: 9780141189765

18. The Old Man and the Sea By: Ernest Hemingway ISBN: 9780099595632

  1. Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis By: Patti Callahan ISBN: 9780310104803

2. House of Glass By: Susan Fletcher ISBN: 9780349007656

3. Orphan #8: A Novel By: Kim van Alkemade ISBN: 9780062338303

4. The Queen's Necklace By: Len Rix ISBN: 9781782274476

5. The Gravediggers' Bread By: Frederic Dard ISBN: 9781782272014

6. A Master Plan for Rescue: A Novel By: Janis Cooke Newman ISBN: 9780399185021

7. Sappho's Leap: A Novel By: Erica Jong ISBN: 9780393325614

8. Nine Lessons By: Nicola Upson ISBN: 9780571324781

9. Little Jewel By: Patrick Modiano ISBN: 9780300221824

10. A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding: A Novel By: Jackie Copleton ISBN: 9780143128250

11. The Book Borrower By: Alice Mattison ISBN: 9780061153020

12. The Assassin of Verona By: Benet Brandreth ISBN: 9781785762154

13. Death Comes to Pemberley By: P. D. James ISBN: 9780571346233

14. The Song Collector By: Natasha Solomons ISBN: 9781444736380

15. The Hour of Separation: From the bestselling author of Richard & Judy book club pick By: Katharine McMahon ISBN: 9780297866077

16. The Ventriloquists By: E.R. Ramzipoor ISBN: 9781489286574

17. The Lions' Torment By: Blanche d'Alpuget ISBN: 9781925384802

18. Pasha: Thomas Kydd 15 By: Julian Stockwin ISBN: 9781444785388

 1. Jens Lapidus By: Top Dog ISBN: 9781786491770

2. Pierre Lemaitre By: The Great Swindle ISBN: 9781681443935

3. Jessica Fellowes By: The Mitford Scandal: Diana Mitford and a death at the party ISBN: 9780751573930

4. Professor of Humanities Joyce Carol Oates By: A Fair Maiden ISBN: 9780547263359

5. Raymond Khoury By: Second Time Around ISBN: 9781409117964

6. Sandra Brown By: Outfox: The new twisty ISBN: 9781473669512

7. Val McDermid By: How the Dead Speak ISBN: 9781408712269

8. Edward Marston By: Points of Danger ISBN: 9780749023522

9. HC Warner By: She ISBN: 9780008204686

10. Helen Fields By: The Shadow Man ISBN: 9780008394073

11. Tom Clancy By: Net Force: Dark Web ISBN: 9781489287113

12. Mason Cross By: The Killing Season: Carter Blake Book 1 ISBN: 9781409145691

13. Mons Kallentoft By: Earth Storm: The new novel from the Swedish crime-writing phenomenon ISBN: 9781444776416

14. Quintin Jardine By: Skinner's Round (Bob Skinner series ISBN: 9780747250418

15. George Pelecanos By: The Double ISBN: 9781409114598

16. Yrsa Sigurdardottir By: The Reckoning: A Completely Chilling Thriller ISBN: 9781473621589

17. Quintin Jardine By: Game Over (Bob Skinner series ISBN: 9781472205728

18. Ian Rankin By: Rather Be the Devil: The superb Rebus No.1 bestseller (Inspector Rebus 21) ISBN: 9781409159421

19. Kate Ellis By: The Mechanical Devil: Book 22 in the DI Wesley Peterson crime series ISBN: 9780349413136

20. Yrsa Sigurdardottir By: The Legacy ISBN: 9781473621534

 Roisin Meany - The Reunion

Lucy Siegle - Turning the tide on plastic - NF

E.S Thomas - Dark Asylum

Sue Simkin - Afternoon Tea

Jane O'Reilly - Blue Shift

Susanna Gregory - The Executioner of St Paul's

Ian Rankin - Saints of the Shadow Bible

Terry Shames - Dead Broke in Jarrett Creek

Maria Goodvage - Secret Service Dogs - NF

Tim O'Brien - In the Lake of the Woods

Jack Higgins Eye of the Storm

James Wilson - The Summer of Broken Stories

Charlie Cambell - Scapegoat

Chris Ryan - Safe

Mary Chamberlain - The Hidden

Nora Roberts - Christmas with You

Claire Balding - My Animals and Other Family - NF

Bridget Collins - The Betrayals

Paul Terry - The Claimant

Bernard Cornwell - Lord War

Sarah Morgan - Family For Beginners - NF

Jess Lagasse - The Gluten Free Table - NF

Harry and Meghan - Finding Freedom - NF

David Koepp - Cold Storage

Graham Apthorpe - The Man Inside The Bloodiest Outbreak - NF

Erin Kelly - Stone Mothers

Justina Robson - Down to the Bone

Andrew O'Hagan - The Secret Life

Celia Imrie - Sail Away

1 Lined Notebook

Gill Sims - Why Mummy Doesn't Give A !

Jon Kalman Stefansson - Heaven and Hell

William Golding - Close Quarters

Lisa Lutz - The Swallows

[melaniem54]

Review: The Case of The Undiscovered Corpse (Cambridge Fellows/Alasdair and Toby Mystery ) by Charlie Cochrane

Review: The Case of The Undiscovered Corpse (Cambridge Fellows/Alasdair and Toby Mystery ) by Charlie Cochrane

Rating: 4.5🌈 It’s wonderful to return to those fabulous Cambridge Dons Orlando Coppersmith and Jonty Stewart, now in their 70’s, still living happily together in Hyacinth Cottage, and teaching at their beloved St. Brides College. It’s 1952 when a movie producer with an idea for a potentially new film script featuring comes calling for the pair in Cambridge. The script would feature a real life…

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (17-23 Mar 2024)

incredible art by harrydarlington

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears (Michael Schulman, author; Charlie Thurstonn, narrator) - definitely interesting and an enjoyable read. What mainly struck me was that things now are pretty much same as it ever was: the producers have always been horrible to the talent; the academy, despite two serious efforts to course correct, has always been conservative/racist/misogynist, etc.

😍 In Name Only (BootsnBlossoms, Kryptaria) - 84K, 00Q - reread of this fandom classic/forever fave where Bond is 007 & Q is a participant in The Marketplace - love the way this explores Bond wrestling with concepts utterly unknown to him but also his own desires

🙂 Not With a Whimper, But a Bang (emptydistractions, seleneheart) - 46K, urban fantasy AU, dragon!Bucky - read for stucky bookclub - satisfactory read, some intriguing worldbuilding

😊 red wine supernova (donderwolk) - 91K, hocky rpf, one of them had to retire early from the NHL due to a chronic migraine condition, the other's a ceramcist who teaches a local rec center class. Very entertaining read, good quality angst. I enjoyed the characterizations very much

💖💖 +200K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

Sourwood Mountain (Pennyplainknits) - Stranger Things: Munson Family Feels, 5K - great fic with a genius premise and badass munson family feelings

For Which The First Was Made (leupagus) - Agatha Christie's Marple: Jane/Gabriel, 35K - great Miss Marple fic; as I told the author, I never pictured Miss Marple with a boytoy but after reading this fic and watching the inspiration for it, my mind has been EXPANDED. plus I love an epistolary story!

Interrupted Heists, Dentist Visits, and Other Romantic Dates For Your Fake Husband (Kiraly) - Original Work: OMCs, 7K - very fun original fic with two (opposing) sidekicks hitting it off & getting married for insurance reasons

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

D20: Tiny Heist - s4, e4-6

D20: Fantasy High: Junior Year - "A Very Merry Moonar Yulenear" (s21, e11)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Chutes and Ladders" (s16, e11)

D20: Pirates of Leviathan - s7, e1-6

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Under the Influence - When You're This Big, They Call you Mister

Vibe Check - Hey, Sis: featuring Regina King

Short Wave - A Tale Of Two Bengali Physicists

WikiHole - Leprechauns (with MUNA!)

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - A Mission to find a Meteor with Amir Siraj

NPR's Book of the Day - Christine Blasey Ford tells her own story in 'One Way Back'

Today, Explained - How gangs took over Haiti

Consider This from NPR - A $418 Million Settlement Could Change U.S. Home Buying. But Who Benefits?

99% Invisible #574 - The Monster Under the Sink

Short Wave - Syphilis Cases Are Rising In Babies. Illinois Has A Potential Solution

Vibe Check - Till The Wheels Fall Off

Throughline - Radiolab: Worst. Year. Ever

Imaginary Worlds - Mother-in-Law of Oz

Twenty Thousand Hertz+ - Hans Zimmer's Remote Control

Today, Explained - Can Congress ban TikTok?

Throughline - The Great Textbook War

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Marching through the galaxy with Dr. Moiya McTier

Shedunnit - The Tea Leaf

Ologies - Field Trip: Alie’s Mystery Surgery!

Dear Prudence - My Parents Are Flaunting Their Wealth While I’m Drowning in Debt. Help!

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Road House And What's Making Us Happy

It's Been a Minute - Brittany talks bad accents and bad sex

Short Wave - The Evolutionary Mystery Of Menopause … In Whales

Switched on Pop - Rhapsody in Blue, Reimagined

Strong Songs - Strong Covers, Vol. 3

Imaginary Worlds - Class of '84: When Cyber Was Punk

Consider This from NPR - Stephen King Has Ruled The Horror Genre For 50 Years. But Is It Art?

Worlds Beyond Number - WWW #2: The Naming of Things

Worlds Beyond Number: Fireside - Fireside Chat for WWW ep002 The Naming of Things

Art of History - Art History Horror Story: The Nightmare

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Eddie Cochran

CREDITS: Sharon Sheeley

My Baby Love

R&B Diva Classics

[infactforgetthepark]

[Free eBook] Lessons in Trust by Charlie Cochrane [LGBT Historical Mystery with Romance]

Lessons in Trust by British author Charlie Cochrane is the 7th novel in the Cambridge Fellows series of historical murder mysteries with strong m/m romantic elements, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press.

This was originally published in 2009 by Samhain. The series takes place at the turn of the 20th century in England, and stars an amateur sleuthing gay couple solving crimes, mostly in and around the university-going set.

This is set in London in 1908, pitting the sleuthing couple against both a suspicious Inspector who refuses to let them help in the case of the murder of an unidentified man for whom they've uncovered clues, as well as a family mystery which leads one of the pair to abruptly disappear.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

Free for a limited time @ Amazon (should be available worldwide).

Description He thought he knew who he was. Now he’s a stranger to himself.

When Jonty Stewart and Orlando Coppersmith witness the suspicious death of a young man at the White City exhibition in London, they’re keen to investigate—especially after the cause of death proves to be murder. But police Inspector Redknapp refuses to let them help, even after they stumble onto clues to the dead man’s identity.

Orlando’s own identity becomes the subject for speculation when, while mourning the death of his beloved grandmother, he learns that she kept secrets about her past. Desperate to discover the truth about his family, Orlando departs suddenly on a solo quest to track down his roots, leaving Jonty distraught.

While Jonty frantically tries to locate his lover, Orlando wonders if he’ll be able to find his real family before he goes mad. After uncovering more leads to the White City case, they must decide whether to risk further involvement. Because if either of them dares try to solve the murder, Inspector Redknapp could expose their illicit—and illegal—love affair.

[lifejustgotawkward]

365 Day Movie Challenge (2017) - #279: Storm Warning (1951) - dir. Stuart Heisler

Directed by Stuart Heisler and written by the team of Richard Brooks (the famed director of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Elmer Gantry and In Cold Blood) and Daniel Fuchs (the novelist who penned the Williamsburg Trilogy in the 1930s), Storm Warning is a compelling if imperfectly rendered interpretation of the dangerous influence that the Ku Klux Klan on a close-knit community. Fashion model Marsha Mitchell (Ginger Rogers) visits a small town to see her younger sister, Lucy (Doris Day), who is expecting her first child with her husband, Hank Rice (Steve Cochran). While on the way to meet Lucy, Marsha sees members of the KKK drag a man out of the local jail and beat him to death in the street; after viewing this horrific crime, Marsha is further shocked when she recognizes Lucy’s husband as one of the men who perpetrated the vicious assault on the victim, who was a journalist investigating the KKK’s stranglehold on the citizens.

Storm Warning hews closer to melodrama than film noir, but the film’s visual style owes a lot to the latter genre. Carl E. Guthrie’s black-and-white cinematography effectively captures the claustrophobic mood of a seemingly wholesome suburb whose inhabitants are trapped under the thumb of a vile group of authority figures, especially in the disturbing nighttime scenes of Klan gatherings, complete with burning crosses. Even scarier, most of the town’s residents willingly collude with the KKK; they are happy to follow the leader, Charlie Barr (Hugh Sanders). The only resistance comes from Burt Rainey (Ronald Reagan), the attorney who is trying to prosecute the case of manslaughter against members of the Klan. Disappointingly, however, Storm Warning overlooks the main focus of the KKK’s hatred – racism – and instead targets them for more nebulous, generalized issues of cruelty and violence; a large part of Rainey’s investigation has to do with the heads of the KKK beings crooks who are ruining the town’s economy, which skirts any questions of outright racist activity entirely. Rainey might as well have been going after the organization for tax evasion.

Given that Storm Warning was made in the climate of McCarthyism, it makes sense that the film’s narrative leans so heavily on courtroom drama and Ginger Rogers’ character realizing the importance of testifying against a force of evil. Rogers’ performance is one of the highlights of the film, a truly brave presentation from a woman who was beloved as a musical comedy star but too often underrated for her dramatic abilities (despite the fact that she won an Oscar for a drama, Kitty Foyle, in 1941). Rogers’ work is impressive and it sells the tense, emotional rollercoaster ride of the story - a good reminder that there is no reason why substantial roles can’t exist for an actress at age 40 and beyond - and it makes up for some of the film’s shortcomings, like future president Reagan’s unremarkable thespianism. Storm Warning doesn’t do total justice to its topic, but it was still a pretty bold move from Warner Bros. in the early 1950s and it is certainly a document of historical importance.

[khoicesbyk]

The Good Captain.

Author’s Note: This is my version of what book 2 of Distant Shores should be like. Y’know the book 2 that we readers of Distant Shores rightfully deserved! One more thing: in this fanfic, the MC’s last name has been changed to Bennett but; in the game it’s Carter. I decided to change it from Carter to Bennett; because Bennett sounds better to me. Also; her original occupation has been changed as well.

***Rated: Mature 18+. Contains sexual content, nudity, some violence and strong language.

***Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters.

***Characters: Captain Edward Mortemer (LI), Kyra Bennett (MC), Robert Finnegan (Main Antagonist), Charlie, Ginny, Jonas, Maggie, Samuel, Octavia, Henry, Axton, Adelia, Kendrick and Oliver Cochrane (Side Characters)

***Disclaimer: All character names (except MC) and some dialogues belong to Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 2,130 words.

Chapter 3: The Reunion.

Robert has returned, and he is hellbent on finding the lost island of Atlantis and Poseidon’s Trident. Meanwhile; Edward and the crew are trapped inside the tavern as it burns down.

After adjusting his eyesight to the smoke and shooting flames as best he could; Edward grabs the amulet, he puts Ginny who was closest to him when the roof collapsed on his back, calls out to the rest of his crew and leads them to safety via Tilly’s secret passageway.

“Is everyone alright? Are there any injuries?”, he asks as he looks everyone once over. Thankfully no one was hurt; just severely shaken by what had just transpired. “That cruel blackguard will pay for this!”, he says as he slams his fist into the stone wall.

“Aye he will! He will pay with his life! We will see to it!”, Charlie sneered. Rage written clear across her face. After safely making it back to The Jewel; the crew sets off into the night after Robert. The only thing is; they had no idea where he was headed next. Robert wasn’t going the traditional trade routes.

“Ye don’t know where he’s headed cap’n! We be sailing blind!”, Henry exclaimed.

“I don’t care! We WILL find him! And he will die! This time for good!”, he snapped at Henry.

“He’s right Edward. You don’t know where he’s headed. But I know who does!”, Charlie says as she points to the amulet around his neck. “Go to her Edward. We need her help. And you; need to make sure that she’s okay.”

“Charlie, I can’t just leave—“, he begins to say before she cuts him off, “I’m not asking you to leave; I’m telling you to! She’s having your child Edward, you need to go see her!”

In his heart; he knew she was right. He wanted to see her. He needed to see her. But he didn’t want to leave the crew behind.

“Charlie—“, he starts to protest before she cuts him off again,”We will be fine until you get back. I know where the second of The Seven Lords is. We’ll be fine as long as, we can beat him to the key fragment. Now go Edward! Go to Kyra. Send her our love!”

It was decided. He would go to the future to see her. Even though he had his apprehensions; he was secretly excited to see the future and to tell the crew what he saw. Remembering what Robert told her about using the amulet; Edward closed his eyes and envisioned her. And before he knew it; he was thrust into the future.

He was in a parlor of some sort he figured; but he wasn’t sure who’s parlor it was. It never dawned on him that; he was in her townhouse. Nor did he realize that his amulet was glowing.

While she was in her spare bedroom; she was going over scattered reports of the most recent accounts of Atlantis. With papers, books and the like laying all over the place. She was determined to find out everything she could about the legends of Atlantis and the trident. In the midsts of her research is; when the amulet that Robert “gave” to her started to glow ominously.

“That isn’t good!”, she said to herself.

Thinking that the glow meant Robert was coming to see her again; and knowing that he and his ilk would more than likely show up in her living room; she decided to arm herself.

So, she grabbed the metal baseball bat that she got after the last time she saw him and his crew, and went downstairs to see if her hunch was right. When Edward heard a door close; he looked for a place to hide. He was crouched down in her kitchen; ready to strike. When she descended down the stairs towards the living room; the amulet began to glow brighter.

“Alright ya stupid bastard! If I gotta go down; I’m at least gonna get a few Ken Griffey Jr. hits in!”, she says to herself as her couch came into view.

But when she turned a corner ready to fight for her and her child’s life; she didn’t see anything at first. But someone familiar saw her.

“Kyra…is it really you?”, asked a voice that was all too familiar. It startled her enough for her to drop that bat in her hand.

“No! It can’t be. He couldn’t be here. He’s not here! I’m hearing things because I’m paranoid. There is no way that he’s here…”, she said out loud; convinced she was hearing things.

“Kyra…”, he said to her. It caused her to start shaking.

“No! No! No! It’s not possible! He’s not here!”, she says out loud trying her hardest to convince herself, it’s not real. None of it is real. That was until, she felt his strong arms wrap tightly around her waist; and felt his warm breath in her ear.

��I’m here my love. I’m right here.”, he said to her.

It was indeed very real.

She couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t possible. It’s not possible. Even with his arms around her; she still struggled to believe it. That was until she turned around. It’s him. It’s Edward. He’s here. She was staring straight up at him. Those eyes, those beautiful brown eyes looked directly into hers. There he was. Her captain. The love of her life.

“Edward…”, she said as her voice cracked. She reached up and touched his face. He leaned into her touch. Oh how he missed it. That’s when she realized that it was real. He was real. That moment was real.

Overcome with emotion; she wrapped her arms around his neck. She just couldn’t believe what was happening. It wasn’t until her growing belly brushed against him; that she started to truly believe that it was real.

“I thought…I thought…that I’d never—“, she started to say something but; she was cut off by him kissing her. It was powerful. It was passionate. It was true love. It was Edward.

“I’ve missed my love. So much. I never stopped looking for you after you disappeared. And now, I’ve found you. I’ve finally found you!”, he told her.

He was just as emotional as she was.

“I missed you too! I didn’t want to leave you! I never meant to leave you. I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Can you forgive me?”, she replied; as tears stung her eyes and stained her face.

“Shhhh! Hush! None of it was your fault. You did what you had to do. I could never find fault in that or you.”, he answered her.

She stepped back to truly take a look at him. He hadn’t changed at all. He was still as drop dead gorgeous as she remembered him to be. He placed his left hand on her belly, rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. She was really going to bare his child.

“Kyra…there is something I have been dying to tell you.”, he said to her.

“What is it Edward? Tell me.”, she replied, as her voice continued to break.

“I love you! I have loved you since the day we shared our first kiss. I have struggled without you by my side and in my arms.”, he admitted to her.

“I love you too! Now more than ever! You are the only man I will ever love!”, she replied before kissing him again.

They couldn’t get enough of each other. The only reason that they stopped; was because of Edward sinking to his knees and resting his forehead against her belly.

“I’m going to be a father. Your father. I promise you my child; that I will be a better father than the one I had.”, he whispered against her growing stomach. She draped her arms around his broad shoulders; and held him close.

“And what a father; you will be Edward. I’m so excited to have your baby. To have our baby.”, she quietly said to him as she rubbed his back. Tears of joy streamed down his face. He had her in his arms once again. He could touch her. He could taste her. He could feel her. When he looked into her beautiful brown eyes; he saw the love and the joy they shared.

“As happy as I am to see you Edward; I know that you have the amulet of Atlas. You’re because of jackass and his crew, aren’t you?”, she asks him.

“Aye, my love. He’s going after the key to Poseidon’s tomb. I must stop him Kyra. God only knows what havoc he will reek on my time and yours for that matter.”, he told her.

“You will stop him. I will make sure of it. Now come with me; so we can put a plan together.”, she tells him. He stands up then follows her upstairs to where she’d been doing her research. She explained everything she had learned so far. Especially what she had learned about Robert’s crew.

“This jackass here is his first mate; Gerald Pearson. But; I was able to find out their names. The names of the other members are Harold Perry, Donald Hunter, Quinten Jones, Frank Turner, Xavier Reynolds, Calvin Pierce, Shawn Winston and James Kenner. They along with The Sirens were all students in Robert’s Greek Mythology Class. “Now the women’s names are Tabitha Mills, Mari Rodriguez, Callie Wheeler and Beatrice Richards. They call themselves The Sirens. I’m still researching him and the crew.” she explained.

“This is a great start my love! Now, let’s work on the map.”, he told her.

Working together; they even found a way to make sure that the amulet of Orion, can never be used by Robert ever again. As they worked on a map of the seven kings; he noticed that she was starting to get tired.

“You should rest my love.”, he told her before placing a small kiss on the inside of her right wrist.

“I can’t rest yet Edward. We have to finish this map of where to look for the remaining keys. Besides; I’m scared to go to sleep.”, she admitted.

“Why?”, he asks her; as he held her close.

“Because; I’m scared that you won’t be here when I wake up.”, she admitted to him.

“I will always be with you my love. No matter you and I go, no matter what century we are in. I will ALWAYS be with you.””, he told her.

“That’s not the only thing I’m scared of. I have an appointment with Dr. Everett tomorrow, to find whether or not this baby is a boy or a girl. That’s why I’m scared to leave. I’m not saying that I don’t want to be with you. Because I do; God knows that I do. But; in terms of this baby, I have to stay here. But Edward I don’t want to! I want to be with you and the crew but I don’t know if I can risk it.”, she says to him.

“I know that you have your life and doctor here, my love. And I would never demand of you to leave if you aren’t comfortable. So if you must stay my love; then you should stay, Kyra.”, he replies.

“But Edward I don’t want to be alone! And I don’t want you to be alone either!”, she exclaimed as tears filled her eyes. He simply rocked her in his arms.

“Shhh…Hush my love…we will never be alone. I will never be without you and you without me, ever again. And when you are ready; I will bring you and our child home with me. Especially since we now have these amulets in our possession. We will make this work. I promise you that. But right now; you need your rest.”, he told her. His voice was soothing and calm.

She nodded in agreement. He smiled at her.

“Stay with me, until I leave for my appointment?”, she asked him.

“Of course my love. I am yours until the end of time, remember?”, he told her before placing a small kiss on the inside of her right wrist.

“And I’m yours Edward…I will always be yours…Until the end of time…”, she told him. He then kissed her with every ounce of fire and passion that he had in him.

She led him to her bedroom and as she fell asleep in his arms; he whispered to her, “I will protect you my love. Both of you…”

Edward was in for the fight of his life. But for the woman and the child that he loved more than life itself; it was a fight he was more than ready for.

***This was my most emotional chapter yet; so you’re being forewarned now. I’m gonna take a small break. But I will be back with Chapter 4!

😘

@txemrn @choicesficwriterscreations

K.

[book-madnessess]

Week 30 Readings

The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund Well, the husband and boyfriend are (currently) out of the picture and they finally kissed, but I have no clue how this relationship is going to end. If it’s going to end. I don’t know. It’s pretty messed up, though. And just when I thought it couldn’t get more messed up the twist in part 2 is... yeah... that’s fucked up, man.

Black Mould by Ben Aaronivitch (Lee Sullivan, Luis Guerrero, Rob Steen) A new adventure for Peter Grant and Sahra Guleed!!! I actually should’ve read The Hanging Tree before I read this comic, but the comics are more like little extras than part of the major plot in the novels, so it was fine. Fun story line, Peter got to be a nerd, Guleed got to be a badass, Toby (the dog) was a hero, and we got to see Dominic again. (Foxglove Summer is currently my favourite in the series) I do prefer the novels over the comics, mostly because Peter has this amazingly sarcastic way of describing everything, and you don’t get that as much in the comics.  I highly recommend the Peter Grant/Rivers of London series!

Cutie and the Beast by E.J. Russell No matter what the plot, if you put magic, fae, vampires and a whole bunch of other supernatural creatures in there, you have my interest. The plot was decent, and I really liked the main characters. Also, it has dragon shifters, which are my favourite kind of dragons! (and shifters, because dragons!)

Dating Ryan Alback by J.E. Birk Implausible romance plot and an adorable dog, so of course I liked it!

Second Skin by Alex Whitehall I love the concept of the story, but not all of its execution was great. There were things that the author seemed to want to address but then kind of floundered or didn’t make enough room for it, and other things that made me just go nope. So I liked it, but there was definitely potential for better.

The Best Corpse for the Job by Charlie Cochrane This was a fun book, and I liked the romance in it. The first half of the story was mostly the two main characters trying to figure out if the other was into guys as well. That made for some awkward and flustered conversations. The struggle is real. The mystery wasn’t much of a mystery for me. I had the killer as my main suspect before the murder had even take place! But, there is a dog who saves the day! And that totally made up for it.

[twochicksobsessed]

Count the Shells by Charlie Cochrane: Quick Review

Count the Shells by Charlie Cochrane: Quick #Review #riptidebooks #lgbt #gay #mmromance #historical

A standalone Porthkennack historical novel Michael Gray returned from World War One injured, but at least he returned. Others were not so fortunate, including his first and greatest love, Thomas Carter-Clemence, with whom Michael had parted bitterly before the conflict began. Broch, the Carter-Clemence home in Porthkennack, was an integral part of pre-war holidays for the Grays, the two families…