Victoria Janssen

Fiction:
Miss Morton and the Spirits of the Underworld by Catherine Lloyd turned out to be second in a historical mystery series set in 1830s England. The author managed the excellent trick of giving me enough hints of book one’s events to both let me follow the character arcs and make me want to go back and read book one. Miss Morton, Lady Caroline who has taken work as a companion/secretary, accompanies her delightful wealthy industrialist employer, Mrs. Frogerton, to a seance; when the spiritualist is later murdered, they investigate the crime with the assistance of crusty and defensive Dr. Harris. Mrs. Frogerton and Caroline work beautifully as a team, their fondness and respect for each other on display; Dr. Harris is both helpful and sometimes enigmatic. I guessed the murderer but not everything about them; however, guessing the murderer never impedes my enjoyment of a good mystery. The secondary plot involves a suitor of Mrs. Frogerton’s daughter who has more of an interest in Caroline.

The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Lindz McLeod is a lesbian romance that begins with the untimely death of Mr. Collins. Lizzy Bennett is unable to visit her friend Charlotte Lucas Collins in her time of need due to a sick child, and sends her sister Mary instead. In the interim, Mary has been living with a rich relative in Canterbury and has entered into the study of botany and attending scientific salons; this meshes well with Charlotte’s love of gardening. Meanwhile Charlotte begins to understand why her marriage to a man was doomed from the start, despite her best efforts. She must overcome her fear of the opinions of others before she and Mary can enjoy their happily ever after. I enjoyed the romance but did not think it was very much like Jane Austen, which to me was a feature rather than a bug. I love Jane Austen and if I read a pastiche, I mostly prefer it doesn’t attempt to copy her voice. However, the connection is a marketing point and has its own extensive sub-genre of Romance.

I read Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade out of order due to the vagaries of library holds, but it wasn’t spoiled for me in the least! Most of the events are simultaneous with those of the second book in the trilogy, which I read last month. Marcus Caster-Rupp plays Aeneas on a very popular tv show; April Whittier, a geologist, is a huge fan of his character when paired with his wife Lavinia. April doesn’t know that Marcus also writes fanfiction about the pairing, and that they’re pseudonymously friends online. I’m not the biggest fan of Secret Identity stories, but Dade’s take had subtlety to it, and good reasons behind the eventual Dark Moment in the romance. I especially loved the snippets of fannish discussion sprinkled throughout, and the brief but detailed sketches of their other online friends.

Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade is third in her Spoiler Alert trilogy, and stretches over a longer period of time. Swedish actor Maria and socially-inept American character actor Peter don’t know they’re auditioning for the same show when they spend a night together in a hotel, raising emotional issues for both. Shortly thereafter, they’re cast as Vikings shipwrecked on a tiny island. Together with a small film crew, they work together for six seasons of a television series, gradually becoming friends and both wanting more while fearing what would happen if their relationship failed. It’s an epic slow burn of friends to lovers who want a second chance at love. I enjoyed it a lot, and am definitely going to read more of Dade’s work.

Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb is sixtieth (!) in this series of futuristic mysteries. I’ve noticed that Robb (Nora Roberts) frequently draws from current events for this series; in this one, she finally expands somewhat on the “Urban Wars” that have been part of the worldbuilding since the beginning, and are described as ending in the mid-2020s. I’ve never been fond of that name, because it harks too closely to racist dogwhistles from conservative politicians about “inner cities” and “urban crime.” But the hints given in the book don’t seem to come from the angle I feared. The villain of the present-day murder case, whose identity is clear early on, is a former policeman, and it becomes clear that domestic terrorist groups, as well as groups formed by government agencies, were the major combatants in a street-level conflict originating in sharp political divisions and inequality. That said, I got a World War II Underground feel from the description of a group of code-named agents, who in the present day are being targeted for death. This was a very interesting entry into the series, and I’m glad I am still reading it.

Free From Falling by E.L. Massey features Matts, a socially awkward professional hockey player, and Sydney, a confident trans woman who fronts a rock band. Seemingly an unlikely pair, they both play guitar and struggle with relationships. Gradually, and very satisfyingly, they become friends. Then closer friends and confidants. Then more. This is a slow burn friends-to-lovers romance that I enjoyed very much and would happily read again.

June also included a ton of re-reading for Readercon panels on the works of Cecilia Tan and P. Djeli Clark, the guests of honor.