#sebastian st cyr

[annafromuni]

Complete Immersion in C.S. Harris's What Cannot Be Said

It has been months, if not a year, since I last read a C.S. Harris book, but the incredible immersion and atmosphere of the Regency-era London has hooked me in once more with her newest release, What Cannot Be Said. When a sweet summer picnic is ruined by the gruesome deaths of a mother and daughter – a killing mirroring that of the head investigator, Sir Henry Lovejoy’s own wife and child…

[kaetrinsmusings]

Review at AudioGals

Review at AudioGals: What Cannot Be Said by CS Harris, narrated by Amy Scanlon.

I’m over at AudioGals with a review of What Cannot Be Said by CS Harris, narrated by Amy Scanlon. I still miss Davina Porter’s narration but Amy Scanlon did pretty well.

[sparklycupcakegladiator]

Ein Diamant, der Leben fordert

Ein neuer spannender Fall für Sebastian St. Cyr Dieser Text kann Werbung enthalten Die Geschichte: Sebastian St. Cyr wird in seinem neuen Fall gebeten, in einem Mordfall zu ermitteln. Das Opfer: Daniel Eisler, berüchtigter Diamantenhändler mit Kontakten in die obersten Gesellschaftskreise. Verschwunden ist ein großer äußerst seltener blauer Diamant.  Russel Yates der, über die Leiche gebeugt…

[chinadroll]

people to know better

tagged by @distressednoise - hello and thank you! I haven't seen one of these in a while!

Last Song I Listened to: One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) - the Tony Bennett and John Mayer duet version. Because I woke up to it playing on my Echo this morning, having never even been aware that such a thing existed, and wanted to see if there was an official video for it on youtube just now. And there was! Context: I saw John Mayer in concert last month and have been listening to his music nonstop ever since (hence Alexa throwing that random Tony Bennett duet at me after presumably streaming everything else all night long).

Currently Watching: I'm in the middle of about a million shows, but the only thing I am actually actively seeking out right now is Leafs related playoffs content on youtube. Because I hate myself?

Sweet/Savoury/Spicy? All at once, ideally, in the form of Walkers Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli crisps. But savoury>sweet>spicy, and crunchy savoury is the king of them all.

Relationship Status? Vehemently opposed. Just ... who has the time?! And it's so much effort.

Current Obsession? See above wrt Leafs. Also John Mayer. But, also, CS Harris' Sebastian St Cyr Mysteries. Have just read book 11, and need to slow down bwdore I catch up with publication and have to waaaaaaait for new books in the series.

No pressure tags, just for fun: @sweetfirebird @derryderrydown @faraige @elreinodelpurgatorio @thecrankyagnes

[elliebirdwrites]

People I Want to Know Better Tag Meme

Thank you for the tag @fairlylokai 💜

last song I listened to Monsters - James Blunt Listen I didn't mean to, I fell down a YT rabbit hole of reaction videos and spent the next hour ugly crying.

favorite color Rainbow. According to my niece at 5yo, it's a color.

currently watching Playboyy, Pit Babe, Last Twilight, Cherry Magic and the Sign.

last movie The immeasurable.

sweet/spicy/savory Sweet - donuts and ice cream make up 50% of my life.

relationship status Very happily not in a relationship.

current obsessions New Thitipoom causing a full-fledged bisexual panic, C.S. Harris's Sebastian St. Cyr series, Sam Vu (nsfw), crocheting hats, manifesting a First/Khaotung series for GMMTV part 2 and watching War Wanarat be suggestive with clay.

last thing you googled "donuts near me" 🤣

selfie or another pic you took

After our most recent snow in Vermont.

Tagging @laurenkmyers @forcebook @blondeforyou @emberfaye only if you're feeling it.

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

Glee OC Masterlist (A-G)

[ H - M ] [ N - Z ]

Name: Aurora Anderson

Story: Somewhere Only We Know

Face claim:  Kaylee Bryant

Love Interest: Sebastian Smythe

AO3 | FFNet | Wattpad

Summary: Aurora had always known that Andersons go to Dalton, she just didn’t think that she would be included in that legacy.  But after the incident at the Sadie Hawkins dance left she and her half-brother in the hospital, their father told them that Aurora would be the first female student in Dalton history, regardless of what she wanted.  Of course the Dalton Brotherhood had always been her family, and being with her closest friends was exactly what she needed, but when a spy shows up in their midst, she knows that her home is going to be changed forever.

Name: Abbie Hudson

Story: Brutal

Face claim: Savannah Lee May

Love Interest: Sam Evans

Summary: Ever since she was a little girl, Abbie Hudson had wanted to be a cheerleader.  She had grown up with dance and gymnastics, going to the elementary and then middle school cheer camp, and never missed a single high school football game — not for any love of the sport, but to watch the Cheerios.

Finally, in her freshman year, she got to join the team, and it was even better than she’d ever dreamed.   She was popular, she was talented, she was special, and she was happy.   And then she found herself joining the Glee club — it was barely even a club, only a small handful of students and a teacher who gave her the creeps.  It hadn’t been a big deal at the time, Glee was so irrelevant that no one even seemed to know it existed, and she was able to fly under the radar with it and keep her hard won popularity.   But then, in her sophomore year, Will Schuester took over the club, and dragged her twin brother into the mix.  and to Abbie’s great dismay, Finn brought with him the one thing she had always wanted to avoid — attention.  From slushy-wielding jocks to Sue Sylvester’s rage, Abbie’s involvement in the club could no longer remain a secret, and she was going to have to make her choice.

She enjoyed Glee, she did, but was it really worth risking everything she’d ever dreamed of?  

( Dance Squad: Amanda Lopez, Cori Collins, Melissa Carlson, Paige Callahan, Tally Boyer, Trisha Kent)

Name: Adelia Kline

Story: Untitled

Face claim: Ester Exposito

Love Interest: Sebastian Smythe; Quinn Fabray

Name: Amelie Kline

Story: Multi

Face claim:  Lily James

Love Interest: Lindsay Wright

Name: Ash Astor

Story: Somewhere Only We Know [ & others ]

Face claim: Anna Kendrick

Love Interest: Cooper Anderson & Roman Kline

Name: Barbie Corcoran

Story: Untitled

Face claim: Zoey Deutch

Love Interest: Noah Puckerman

Name: Benjamin Seurat

Story: Multi

Face claim: Mark St Cyr

Name: Betty Fabray

Story: Breakthrough

Face claim:  Sabrina Carpenter

Love Interest: Xander Smythe; Mac Hudson

Summary:  Freshman year of high school was supposed to be the start of the best years of your life, right?  Betty Fabray had it all planned out.  She was going to join the Cheerios and cement her newfound popularity by her sister’s side, become Head Cheerio after Quinn’s graduation, and have the high school experience that everyone dreamed of.  When she hears about a new singing club, she doesn’t think of it as a threat to her plans.  She loves to sing, and no one really cares about the club anyways, it should be fine.  And it was, until Finn Hudson joined the group and all eyes of the school turn to the Glee Club.  Suddenly she’s getting slushied, her position on the Cheerios is being threatened, and her big sister is pregnant and getting kicked out of their house.  Betty’s plans are in shambles and she has no idea what to think, but between Sue Sylvester and Sectionals, no one is giving her time to figure out what she wants, other than to get her sister back.  And, hopefully, to get through high school in one piece.

Name: Bobby Seurat

Story: Rumour Has It

Face claim: Jordan Fisher

Love Interest: Savannah Evans & Valeria Ramírez

Name: Camilo Ayers

Story: John Hughes Movie

Face claim: Taylor Zakhar Perez

Love Interest: Jo Berry

Name: Cecilia Cartwright

Story: Get It Right

Face claim: Odeya Rush

Love Interest: Matt Rutherford, Tina Cohen-Chang (possible Tina x Mike)

Name: Chad Channing

Story: Multi

Face claim:  Chris Pine

Love Interest: Johanna St James

Name: Charlie Sylvester

Story: Untitled

Face claim: Josephine Langford

Name: Christie Hummel

Story: Don’t Stop Believing

Face claim:  Laura Marano

Love Interest: Sam Evans

Summary:  Ever since their mother died, Kurt and Christie Hummel had somehow gotten even closer.  They did everything together; voice and piano lessons, dance classes, working in their dad’s shop, enduring the daily torture that was McKinley High, and, of course, joining glee.  But there was one thing that the twins didn’t agree on: Finn Hudson.  While Kurt saw him as their knight in shining armour, just because he offered them the barest hints of dignity while his friends tormented them, Christie saw him as just as guilty as the rest of his teammates, watching their endless humiliation and letting it happen.  Despite their polarizing opinions, the twins had always been able to look past that - to not let Finn Hudson come between them.  But when Finn joins the glee club, bringing even more jocks and Cheerios with him, their seemingly indestructible bond is going to be put to the test.

Name: Claude Emerson

Story: Breakthrough

Face claim: Owen Patrick Joyner

Name: Cole Manning

Story: Untitled

Face claim: Cody Christian

Love Interest: Quinn Fabray

Name: Colton Cartwright

Story: Get It Right

Face claim: Matt Cornett

Love Interest: Sam Evans, Finn Hudson

Name: Daphne Carter

Story: Anything Goes

Face claim:  Ashleigh Murray

Love Interest: Leon Elliot, Mike Chang, eventual Sam Evans

Summary: Daphne Carter didn’t miss Lima.  She hadn’t been there since she was five, back before she booked her first commercial and suddenly found herself as The Child Star of her generation.  And ten years later, starring on Broadway across from her best friend and dating one of the biggest up and coming rock stars around, Lima didn’t even crossed her mind enough for her to miss it.  But once the drugs and drinking that her parents had always chosen to ignore made her the front page of every gossip rag across the country, something had to be done.  Not for her well being, of course, but because addiction wasn’t profitable.  And that’s how Daphne Carter finds herself being shipped halfway across the country to live with her parents’ childhood friends, and being dragged into the McKinley High Glee Club.

Name: Delilah Puckerman

Story: Wish You Were Me

Face claim:  Vanessa Morgan

Love Interest: Sam Evans

Summary: Delilah Puckerman hadn’t actually wanted to leave her boarding school.  Of course, her expulsion hadn’t been a surprise considering what had happened, but being sent to public school?  Unfair and unnecessary, in her opinion.  But nobody cared what the crazy girl wanted, and she found herself sent off to McKinley High.  She honestly thought that things couldn’t get any worse, until she meets a boy named Noah Puckerman.

Name: Demeter July

Story: Untitled

Face claim:  Elle Fanning

Love Interest: Quinn Fabray

Summary: Demeter July was on top of the world. She had spent the past ten years starring in a reality show about dancers and their mothers, she had won more national competitions than she could count, and her life was seemingly perfect. But her dance instructor was horrific, her mom’s past mistakes were constantly held against her, and she was crumbling under the weight of the cameras watching her every move. Until one day she breaks, the lowest moment of her life captured on film and aired across the world. Unable to handle the scrutiny any longer, spiralling more and more every day, Cassie July had to look out for her daughter’s best interest — in this case, getting out of the spotlight. One emotional conversation later and Demi finds her life packed up in suitcases on a plane to Lima, Ohio, to recuperate under the care of her beloved honorary uncle, Josh St James.

The plan is simple, keep her head down and get through sophomore year, hope that the now-viral video of her breakdown would blow over, and go back home. But the video is only getting more views by the day, McKinley high is hell, and now Demi has found herself being roped into choreographing for the up-and-coming Glee club: the only place in school as dramatic as the life she was trying to leave behind.

Name: Dolly Corcoran

Story: Untitled

Face claim: Diana Silvers

Love Interest: Jesse St James (not endgame)

Summary: Dolly Corcoran was living the dream.  She was on top of the world, female lead of Vocal Adrenaline, and dating Jesse St James: golden boy, star of Vocal Adrenaline and the national show choir circuit, and her lifelong friend.  Everything was perfect.  And then her mom tells she and Barbie that they have a sister.  A sister who happens to be the female lead of the New Directions.  A sister that their mother wants to form a relationship with.  A sister that their mother wants to form a relationship with by having Jesse transfer schools and start a relationship with her.  Dolly Corcoran was living the dream, but that dream is quickly turning into a nightmare.  A nightmare starring one Rachel Barbara Berry.

Name: Faye Anderson

Story: Untitled

Face claim:  Vanessa Hudgens

Love Interest: Sam Evans

Summary:  To any outsider, the Anderson twins had it all.  4.0 GPAs at Dalton and Crawford, lead soloists of their respective glee clubs, a big house in Westerville, and a celebrity brother.  They didn’t see behind the curtain; didn’t see the absentee parents, the lonely, empty house, or the brother who only texted a few times a year.  But Faye was happy. She loved her school and her glee club and her brother.  And then Blaine decides to go to public school, and her parents decide to send her to McKinley with him.  And although she loves her twin, and would do anything for him, she can tell that her teenage dream is about to become a teenage nightmare.

Name: Gabriella Wright

Story: Untitled

Face claim: Annasophia Robb

Name: Gilbert Hummel

Story: Anthem

Face claim: Casey Cott

Love Interest: Blaine Anderson & Sam Evans

[sabraeal]

I hope you will take this as a fun opportunity and not an annoyance but I was wondering if you had any book recs? I generally read fantasy and have been trying to break into Adult Lit over YA (while still liking YA and hoping to find adult novels with the same engaging settings and brisk pacing but with more advanced prose). Really liked Spinning Silver and Uprooted by Naomi Novik this year, and my favorites of your fics are Seven Suitors (obligatory), pacific rim au, and the snow queen one. I’ve never really read romance before but I’m willing to give it a try, especially if there’s other genre elements at play as well. Do you have any directions you could point me? I appreciate it!

Oh, I always love giving book recs, and thank you so much for giving me some preferences because it's so much easier to direct people when I know what they already like!

My current favorite YA author right now is Frances Hardinge, who writes truly magnificent prose and absolutely amazing worlds. If you like All That Remains, you will probably love the emotional devastation that is The Lie Tree, and a few of my other favorites are Gullstruck Island and Cuckoo Song. If you are a fan of Terry Pratchett, you also can't go wrong with her Fly By Night duology. Genevieve Valentine is another YA author I highly recommend; Mechanique is probably my favorite, but the Persona series is also top notch, and The Girls at the Kingfisher Club has a vibe that cannot be beat.

I haven't yet read Spinning Silver but Uprooted is also a fav of mine; I have a deep love of fairy tale retellings, or stories written to be like fairy tales. On that thread I definitely recommend the Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden (I have a few quibbles with the story, but the writing is solid and the first book had me captivated for a good 3/4ths of it), The Orphan's Tales by Catherynne M Valente, plus A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C Bunce (her Thief Errant series also lives RENT FREE in my head at all times).

Seven Suitors was fleshed out with Regency mores in mind, inspired by by historical mystery novels I read in that time period, plus some fantasy with more rigid social structure. The Crown & Court duet by Sherwood Smith is something I would consider formative for my writing in that quarter. For something actually regency set, though definitely not the same genre, I would recommend the Sebastian St Cyr series by CS Harris, which are mysteries set in Georgian London, featuring a brooding hero who starts off with an equally brooding, star-crossed actress as a lover...only to have the rug pulled out beneath him by the daughter of his father's long-standing political rival.

My scifi chops are rather thin-- I love the genre but I find lots of the deeper cuts here get too info-dumpy for me on the hard science level-- but I can definitely recommend The Expanse series by James SA Corey (as well as pretty much anything Daniel Abraham writes in the fantasy genre)

As for All That Remains, there are several extremely painful fantasy series I could recommend, because I love having my heart torn out, stamped on, and then taped back in. Guy Gavriel Kay is a great writer for that-- I suggest starting at Lions of Al-Rassan and then working your way forward through that setting by publishing date. The aforementioned Daniel Abraham also is amazing at this; The Seasons Quartet is a decades-spanning series that will truly make your tear out your hair at the end of each book. NK Jemisin is also amazing, The Broken Earth trilogy is where I would start out for intense heart-stomping.

[nikabird]

I finished The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan over the weekend. I liked it. It was interesting noticing how he was influenced by the Lord of the Rings, but it very much it's own book and story. I'm really interested to see how the story continues because I can see some of what was set-up in the first book, but I'm not sure I'm seeing 10+ books worth of material.

I was telling my husband, that I went into this series really blind. I knew it was a long series but other than that I didn't know anything about the book/series and have somehow managed to avoid spoilers. (Let's see if I can keep it that way.)

I started Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin. I listed to the first book, Serpent and Dove, as an audio book, but I'm reading the second book on my kindle. It took me a awhile to warm up the first book, but I'm glad I stuck it out. I'm really interested to see how a lot of things play out and I really do love the cast of characters.

I also put some books on hold at the library today because I need to finish some of the other series I'm reading. These series are:

The Sano Ichiro series by Laura Joh Rowland

Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery series by C.S. Harris

Lady Emily series by Tasha Alexander

Lady Darby series by Anna Lee Huber

[dkehoe]

Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is brought in to investigate the murder of the son of the Earl of Seaford. Long thought dead, after sent off to Botany Bay after being tried for murder, Nicholas Hayes turns up alive in London where he looks up Sebastian’s valet, Jules Calhoun. With Calhoun’s help, Sebastian starts to piece together his last days as well as the days 18 years before when he was accused and found guilty of murder. Narrated by the estimable Davina Porter, the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries is one of my favorite series when I know I’ll have time to really listen to the details this very talented writer builds into her novels. All of the characters in this world are fully developed and each book releases another mystery about one of our main characters that keeps me coming back. The mystery in Who Speaks for the Damned centers around a man who had been though dead for years, but when he shows back up in London with a small child Sebastian unearths a handful of villainous characters who may or may not be the murderer. At the heart of the story is the search for the child who is now all alone on the mean streets of 18th century London. A small child can easily come to harm and the way the author created tension through the emotions the females in this novel felt regarding this lost child really helped to amp up the need to find the killer. As usual, the author really gives a multi-layered view of society during the 18th century in London. From street sweepers to the Prince Regent you can see the different ways each layer of society lived and how privileged the nobility were during this time. That is another reason why I love these books because our hero, despite being a Viscount, believes that every person deserves recognition and their loves should be honored. This is why he investigates their murders. A very noble Noble! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️ Click this link to purchase this audiobook!* Who Speaks for the Damned Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[jolenes-book-journey]

When Falcons Fall by CS Harris

When Falcons Fall by CS Harris. Published in 2016. It is Book 11 in the Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery. This is a hardback edition in great condition and the dustjacket is intact. Ayleswick-on-Teme, 1813. Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, has come to this seemingly peaceful Shropshire village to honor a slain friend and on a quest to learn more about his own ancestry. But when the body of a lovely…

[itsaliterarymystery]

This book was phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal! If I could have given it 10 stars I would have.

This was my first Sebastian St. Cyr mystery, I avoided the first one because it hate it when authors accuse the main character of a crime. It, to me, is just laziness and lack of imagination and those books just annoy me. I adored Sebastian, he was clever, intelligent, caring and tough. They way he treated both people he loved, and people he worked for him was just wonderful. No one was lesser in his eyes. He was also someone dedicated to the truth, he would find it, no matter what.

The element of him being an aristocrat was interesting too, and getting to see how a detective of sorts operates in that lifestyle was intriguing. The varied ways people reacted to him, and his investigation were really telling, in terms of the plot. Also, Sebastian was not afraid to get his hands dirty. He ended up in several tense, dangerous situations, but none of that stopped him from pursuing justice. Though, it did make life very difficult for his valet, trying to repair his wardrobe after these incidents.

Sebastian's love for Kat was one of my favorite parts of the book. It didn't matter to him that she was an actress, he loved her, and moreover respected her. He was so caring and gentle with her, and she loved him fiercely. The twist involving her and her past was dramatic, and I hope it doesn't destroy their relationship I love them as a couple.

The solution to the mystery was not something you would see coming. Bits and pieces, and hints were dropped, but you never really learned the full truth until the end. That is the making of a great mystery.

I cannot wait to read more in this series!

[kestrellady]

April 2023 Reading Wrap Up

Stand Out Books from April The Scholomance Trilogy by Naomi Novik Yes, I did read the entire trilogy in April, they're just that good! (In fact I read books 2 and 3 on two consecutive days, after finally getting book 2 after it got lost in the transfer system for two weeks.) This is amazing worldbuilding with some great characters grappling with being not-normal in an already not-normal world.

The 1619 Project created and edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones This is the book form of the New York Times Sunday edition from 2019 that commemorated the first arrival of enslaved people in the British American colonies, expanded and updated/revised. It was a good balance between longer essays that take you step by step through American history with shorter essays that focus in tighter on particular moments and topics. A must read to really understand why the US is the way it is.

Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge I was looking for something just a bit weird, which for me usually means something that straddles horror and fantasy and this hit the spot perfectly. It's almost a collection of related short stories. It follows a writer who writes about the "strange beasts" that inhabit her city, all of whom are almost human.

What I'm Reading Now I still (slowly) working through The Sandman and I'm at book 3, which is up to issue 56 and some side stories. I just started The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green and it is delightful. I started The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty, but didn't finish before it went back to the library, so now I'm waiting to get it back off hold so I can finish it! It's a great adventure story and I was excited to see that it's set in the same world as their Daevabad Trilogy.

What I'm Looking Forward to in May So many new books! I've got like 5 different volumes of manga publishing, plus new books in a couple of series. Really looking forward to Who Cries for the Lost, the next Sebastian St. Cyr mystery by C.S. Harris. I'm also planning to re-read An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard before reading the next book in that series that just came out. I was strangely thinking about it a lot while reading the Scholomance books, they've definitely got some themes in common.

Reading Challenges For the Book Riot Read Harder 2023 challenge, I'm planning to read Frederica by Georgette Heyer for 2. One of your favorite author's favorite books (claiming Naomi Novik as a favorite author) and I just started How We Get Free, edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and read by Lisa Renee Pitts for 7. an audio book written and performed by people of color.

Follow me on The StoryGraph!

[annerbhp]

Listen, y’all are sleeping on the Sebastian St Cyr books and I don’t know what to do about that. The romance arc from book 4 (Where Serpents Sleep) through book 9 (Why Kings Confess) is basically everything I could ever want and deserves PAGES of fanfiction, especially since these books have no smut and, like, isn’t that fandom’s job or something? I mean, feel free to skip the first three books and stop at #9, but I read these books for Hero Jarvis, so. Do you hear me, CS Harris? We’re actually all here for Hero. But somehow I think you know that. And, like, these books are murder mysteries. So I’m like, yada yada murder mystery, whatever, and swooning and lingering and re-reading every bit of character development and romance. I would also die for you, Aunt Henrietta, and you know it.

And ViaLethe on AO3, who has not only written the only fics for these books on the entire site, has written TWO fics, will forever be my fandom MVP.

[sylvanfreckles]

Oh, man. That feeling when your best friend steals a body from a graveyard for scientific research, discovers the man was murdered, and you investigate so hard the authorities get involved and you have to sneak back into the graveyard at 2am to stuff the body back into his grave before the exhumation.

Relatable, am I right?

(Where Shadows Dance, by C. S. Harris)