MAY selection for the Queer Romance Club — The Keeper of Lonely Spirits by EM Anderson

I can’t say this SOUNDS much like a cosy fantasy romance — I’m looking forward to it anyway but I think I should stop being quite so trusting of certain book lists

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Blurb:

This mesmerizing, wonderfully moving queer cozy fantasy, an immortal ghost hunter must confront his tragic past in order to embrace his found family.

Find an angry spirit. Send it on its way before it causes trouble. Leave before anyone learns his name.

After over two hundred years, Peter Shaughnessy is ready to die and end this cycle. But thanks to a youthful encounter with one o’ them folk in his native Ireland, he can’t. Instead, he’s cursed to wander eternally far from home, with the ability to see ghosts and talk to plants.

Immortality means Peter has lost everyone he’s ever loved. And so he centers his life on the dead — until his wandering brings him to Harrington, Ohio. As he searches for a vengeful spirit, Peter’s drawn into the townsfolk’s lives, homes and troubles. For the first time in over a century, he wants something other than death.

But the people of Harrington will die someday. And he won’t.

As Harrington buckles under the weight of the supernatural, the ghost hunt pits Peter’s well-being against that of his new friends and the man he’s falling for. If he stays, he risks heartbreak. If he leaves, he risks their lives.

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QRC is open to all, read at your own pace over the month and post about it under the #QueerRomanceClub and @queerromanceclub tags.

No rules: let’s hear reactions, theories, reviews, favourite quotes etc, any time throughout the month or indeed whenever you happen to read it. CW for spoilers if going into details but general observations can be open.

(Feel free to tell us what else you’re reading in #queerRomance too)

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The countdown is on! Only 3 more days until the cover reveal of A Sabre in the Hemlock by Dorothy Dreyer, book two in the Blade Bound Saga! Keep your eyes peeled #CoverReveal #FantasyReads #BladeBoundSaga

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"Spear" by Nicola Griffiths. This was a change of pace for me, it's been a long time since I've read a book that's in this mode, of legend and folk tale.

It's a retelling of the King Arthur story, set in Wales. It's about the life of Sir Percival, known in this story as a young woman called Peretur.

It reminded me strongly of Rosemary Sutcliffe's tales of ancient Britain, and apparently those were a direct inspiration. As well as many other books, including the Lord of the Rings.

It's subtle, rich and gentle, cruel at times like myths often are, but engaging and entertaining too. The gender-shift of Peretur, female but perceived as male, was well handled and made sense.

I cared about the characters, and I enjoyed the way the traditional story was twisted and changed.

I don't know how it would read if you're not familiar with the stories of King Arthur, with Merlin and Nimue, Guinivere, Lancelot, Kay, and the rest.

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