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Kinship and Kindness by Kara Jorgensen

Bennett Reynard needs one thing: to speak to the Rougarou about starting a union for shifters in New York City before the delegation arrives. When his dirigible finally lands in Louisiana, he finds the Rougarou is gone and in his stead is his handsome son, Theo, who seems to care for everyone but himself. Hoping he can still petition the Rougarou, Bennett stays only to find he is growing dangerously close to Theo Bisclavret. Theo Bisclavret thought he had finally come to terms with never being able to take his father’s place as the Rougarou, but with his father stuck in England and a delegation of werewolves arriving in town, Theo’s quiet life is thrown into chaos as he and his sister take over his duties. Assuming his father’s place has salted old wounds, but when a stranger arrives offering to help, Theo knows he can’t say no, even if Mr. Reynard makes him long for things he had sworn off years ago. As rivals arrive to challenge Theo for power and destroy the life Bennett has built, ...

The Sugared Game by KJ Charles (The Will Darling Adventures #2)

It's been two months since Will Darling saw Kim Secretan, and he doesn't expect to see him again. What do a rough and ready soldier-turned-bookseller and a disgraced shady aristocrat have to do with each other anyway? But when Will encounters a face from the past in a disreputable nightclub, Kim turns up, as shifty, unreliable, and irresistible as ever. And before Will knows it, he's been dragged back into Kim's shadowy world of secrets, criminal conspiracies, and underhand dealings. This time, though, things are underhanded even by Kim standards. This time, the danger is too close to home. And if Will and Kim can't find common ground against unseen enemies, they risk losing everything. A 1920s m/m romance trilogy in the spirit of Golden Age pulp fiction.

PUBLISHER: KJC Books
YEAR: 2020
LENGTH: 269 pages 
AGE: Adult
GENRE: Historical, Romance
RECOMMENDED: Highly

Queer Rep Summary: Lesbian/Sapphic Secondary Character(s), Gay/Achillean Main Character(s), Bi/Pan Main Character(s).

As a sequel, THE SUGARED GAME handles the next stage of Will and Kim's relationship, allowing them to figure out whether they want to stay as a series of very pleasant sexual encounters alternating with lies and danger, or if one of those things is ready to give way. Kim draws Will into more danger after Will and his friend Maisie are in a nightclub run by dangerous people. The nightclub storyline is new, features some dangerous new characters and showing the developing web of friendships between Phoebe, Maisie, and Will, all near Kim but not dependent on how much he's talking to Phoebe or Will at any given time. The question of Capricorn's identity is introduced and resolved, forcing changes in several relationships by the time everything is known. This is the middle book of the trilogy, and it leaves open how Kim and Will will move forward after the many changes in the finale of THE SUGARED GAME. 

Significant parts of this book would not make sense without having read SLIPPERY CREATURES, but it would be a fun time for someone who read it at random. Ironically, the fact that Kim has left a lot unexplained until now might actually work in such a reader's favor as far as comprehension of the plot is concerned.

I especially like the ending, the way the reckoning is handled makes the weight of consequences apparent, as Kim has been keeping too much to himself for too long for him to get away without something bad happening (or several somethings).

Graphic/Explicit CW for sexual content, blood, violence, injury detail, murder, death.

Moderate CW for cursing, sexual harassment, toxic relationship, gun violence, medical content, medical trauma, war.

Minor CW for racism, ableist language, sexual assault, kidnapping, pregnancy, miscarriage, drug use, self harm, suicide.

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Two white men in front of the silhouettes of fancy people dancing. One is in a brown suit, holding a knife at his side. The other is in a dark blue suit, they are clinking their glasses together.


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