In the Middle of Somewhere

ROAN PARRISH

Daniel Mulligan has never fit in—not at home in Philadelphia with his auto mechanic father and brothers, and not at school where his Ivy League classmates looked down on him. He has a new job at a small college in northern Michigan, but he’s a city boy through and through, and it’s clear that this small town is one more place he won’t fit in. Rex Vale has lived in Holiday for years, but his shyness and imposing size have kept him from connecting with people.

When they meet, their chemistry is explosive, but Rex fears Daniel will be another in a long line of people to leave him, and Daniel has learned that letting anyone in can be a fatal weakness. 

Can a book that has so much sex in it count a slow burn? I didn't think so, until I read this one. It takes a long time for these two to learn to trust each other but I enjoyed the ride along with them.

A Case of Possession

KJ CHARLES

Book 2 picks up shortly after where The Magpie Lord leaves off, although it probably could be read on its own, since it's a new situation that Lucien Vaudrey, Lord Crane, and magician Stephen Day are facing. Giant rats, to be specific, magically called and killing a swathe of people in London who seem to have no connection. 

I like this one not quite as much as the first, but that's probably more about the rats than about the story. Ugh. I've had rat problems of my own in my garden and I live in NYC where they're ubiquitous in the subway tunnels. 

I do love how Crane and Stephen's relationship develops, though